[size=16pt]We are starting a war-room discussion on the many topics and aspects of Yoruba history and culture that interest the children of Oduduwa and you are invited. Not all, but much of what you will witness here is going to be far more engaging and thought provoking than any you have previously seen in Nairaland. It is direct, paced, structured and sustainable. The goal is to create and maintain a single thread for learning and this discussion brings enlightenment to you. It integrates the views of our serious contributors here on NL, the material experts on Yoruba history, culture and arts, please join hands with us to share what you know.


There are five historical markers that will serve as limbs through which we explore the far reaching history of Yoruba origin:

1. Ancient Yoruba Language
2. The ancient Yoruba traditional religion
3. The ancient names of Yoruba Towns, villages and individuals
4. Ancient Yoruba traditions and customs
5. The ancient Yoruba architecture and textile designs[/size]

[size=16pt]ANCIENT YORUBA LANGUAGE[/size]


There is mixed perspective on the topic of Yoruba language generally but when we add the term "ancient" we are in effect making distinction between old Yoruba and modern Yoruba. By ancient, we are referring to Yoruba language of the founding era.


Why are we going that far back in history and what do we aim to achieve with the result of our findings?


The broad deployment of social media has brought people into a new reality and enlightenment. Those who before now were shielded behind State curtains are making self-discoveries of love, compassion and belonging with those on the other side whom political propaganda had for many centuries painted with messages of hate, fear and stereotypes. In concert with this new online global community culture, Political States are becoming less relevant and people are increasingly holding on to their humanity. Those who are unfortunate and cannot identify where their root is are employing services of technology to help pinpoint an ancestral root for them. They are reconstructing family trees, using DNA identifier and visiting online archives to backtrack to the beginning of lineage traditions. They read about folktales, myths, words, names, they listen to recorded music for elements of familiarity and recognition, they inspect arts and drawings and even study the etymology of words and cognates. Religion is incapable of answering their quest and so many are also giving up on orthodox religion and choosing instead to join ancient Templars and traditional spiritual worship. This trend will continue to ramp up. There is a "migratory" clock in the human spirit. People are awakened to a new world order that awakens the senses and urges and we respond by actively participating to sustain it. In the old times, human traffic through relocation or migration made the shift happen. What we are witnessing in social media today is a "new age exchange and migrate" out of which a new world order will surface. CULTURE will dominate the forces of that establishment. Therefore we must establish a footprint and we do so by creating a container or repository to teach and share stories of our own culture, from its earliest times to the modern times.

i think ancient yoruba language has to be defined here.

the standard yoruba is what is being referred to, i assume.

Modern Yoruba here means post mid-1800 when the language was written using Latin script for its alphabets.

Ancient Yoruba would mean that written pre mid-1800. This would include the period in which Ajami was used as a lingua franca of correspondence among the Sudan States, as well periods preceding this.There are records of Ajami writing in Yoruba but I am not sure records exist of what writing system preceded that. Nonetheless, the spoken Yoruba contains clues to give us guidance into the earliest times.

How did writing begin?

We write today using alphabets and fonts but in ancient times they used "glyphs" to record events and history in manuscripts and tablets.

Noah was perhaps the first person in human history to recorded events. I don't know this to be true, but let us hold that he was. Here is what some of his recordings might have looked like:

We have in the image a representation for water, boat, two of each animal kind, rocky mountain and sun. Pretty much this is a basic story of the deluge showing preparation for the flood and the promised aftermath.

Water is Omi and looks wavy so lets assign M for it.
Boat looks like a trapezoid in shape so we assign trigonometry value.
Two of each, so we assign a numerical value.
Rocky Mountain is Apata looks like a triangle so we assign A for it.
Sun is Orun and looks like a circle so we assign O for it.

In the above example we have letters of alphabet, we have trigonometry and as well numerals. What could all that mean?

One of the first writing system was Phoenician alphabets, image below. The Phoenician writing was consonantal and did not add vowels to give meaning to words. From this developed Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Roman and subsequently Latin.

Two points need to be highlighted here.

1. At one stage in its history Yoruba was written in Arabic script. This knowledge of Arabic, had it always been a part of the culture brought with them from elsewhere or was it given to them locally by an external source?

If Arabic letter was integral to the culture then elements of it should also be found in the spoken Yoruba language and in that case, spoken words will have Arabic roots.

If Arabic letter was a donation, then it would have come to them through the spread of Islam; in that case it will be superficial and no trace of it should be found in the spoken or the custom rites.

2. With the spread of colonialism and Christian missionary work in Africa Latin script was introduced to Yoruba to begin the modernity of writing.

Greek Alphabets. Notice the letters, shapes and numeral values.


Αα αλφα alpha [a] 1
Ββ βῆτα beta [b] 2
Γγ γάμμα qamma [g] 3
Δδ δέλτα delta [d] 4
Εε εψιλόν epsilon [e] 5
(Ϝϝ)* ϝαυ wau [w] 6
Ζζ ζῆτα zeta [z] 7
Ηη ητα eta [e] 8
Θθ θῆτα theta [tʰ] 9
Ιι ιῶτα iota [i] 10
Κκ κάππα kappa [k] 20
Λλ λάμδα lamda [l] 30
Μμ μῦ mu [m] 40
Νν νῦ nu [n] 50
Ξξ ξῖ xi [x] 60
Οο ομικρόν omicron [o] 70
Ππ πῖ pi [p] 80
(Ϻϻ)* ϻάν san [s] –
(Ϙϙ)* ϙόππα koppa [k] 90
Ρρ ρῶ rho [r] 100
Σσ σῖγμα sigma [s] 200
Ττ ταῦ tau [t] 300
Υυ υψιλόν upsilon [u] 400
Φφ φῖ phi [pʰ] 500
Χχ χῖ chi [kʰ] 600
Ψψ ψῖ psi [p] 700
Ωω ωμέγα omega [o] 800

Lol at Oduduwa children

Based on the foregoing and what other civilizations and cultures had for their alphabets it is not far fetched to summarize that the alphabet system is a pictorial or graphical sketch taking the physical landscape and converting it into simplified tools (glyphs, symbols, fonts, numbers) for non-vocal communication.

It can therefore be said that alphabets derived from the ecological landscape in which it is native to.....unless as an exception it was shipped and taught in a foreing land.

Those who are mountain dwellers would therefore have a set of alphabets that differ greatly from those who are swamp dwellers.

Since alphabets include shape, numbers and letters then we can also expect it to be tied to rites of worship and spirituality.

In ancient times mountain tops are sacred for erecting temples and altars. The letter A is like a triangle and the Greeks called it ALPHA and associated to it divine values. The interactive energy between heaven and earth is called Cosmos and to this they had a glyph called OMEGA. The expression "Alpha and Omega" to describe the "infinite/finite" ; "immortal/mortal" ; "beginning/end" qualities of the divine authority came from this root.

Also, water has the divine essence of birth/rebirth and creation/baptism. The Greek letter M (mu) is water. They assigned numerical value 40 to it. In the religious scriptures and ancient manuscripts of wisdom number 40 represent a stage of transformation in human consciousness.

In the analysis of ancient Yoruba language, there would be three periods:

1. Pre Ajami script
2. Ajami script
3. Latin script.

Since no record exist or that we are aware of by which we can discuss 1,  then we should approach it by studying Yoruba numeral system and ancient arts....particularly Ifa.

In Ifa, three elements are constant:
(a) the use of ecological metaphors
(b) the use of numbers and counts
(c) the instruction of colors.

Interesting write-up. I'll make contributions in due time. I've been a little busy these days, but, I came across a research puzzle which might be of interest to you...

An interesting revelation on a new study in Ajami to unlock archives that everyone had overlooked.

One day while he was living near Seattle, the Senegal-born linguistics professor Fallou Ngom forgot to close a window before a rainstorm passed through, and the next morning discovered the wind had blown some of his papers to the floor.

On one of them, a sheet several years old, his late father had recorded a debt.Ngom’s father was considered illiterate because he couldn’t read and write in the country’s official language, French. But like many Senegalese had for centuries, he wrote daily information in his native tongue using a modified form of Arabic script known as Ajami. Ngom was struck by the irony: Here was his “illiterate” father communicating with him years after his death, in writing.

http://mobile.boston.com/art/21/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/01/10/the_lost_script/?single=0&p=1

Tony Spike: Interesting write-up. I'll make contributions in due time. I've been a little busy these days, but, I came across a research puzzle which might be of interest to you...

....i'd love to see this puzzle.

Take your time, I'll keep the pace.

unfortunately, there's little in depth info on migratory movements of yoruba, origins and influences on other parts of nigeria, etc.

tpia@:
unfortunately, there's little in depth info on migratory movements of yoruba, origins and influences on other parts of nigeria, etc.

Perharps yes, perharps not. There are several revelations coming up in next couple of days and we should allow it to lead wherever Yoruba has had its footprint.

.

tpia@:
i was looking at one such footprint and unfortunately it had been amended to say the influence was dropped from the sky [no, not about Oduduwa].


nkan be.

anyway, i wont rock the boat, let sleeping dogs lie.

What does it mean to say something was "dropped from the sky"? Explain, in your own words, your understanding of someone dropping from sky.

.

tpia@:
i'm not referring to the actual dropping from the sky.

the footprint in question was amended to say something dropped from the sky.

lets just leave it at that, i guess some feathers might be ruffled if i explain further.

We are learning, if you have a truth share it and don't obsess with whose emotion you stir.

CARDINAL NUMBERS

THE COSMOS

The two halves of the calabash symbolizes the cosmos and the inter-exchanges between Heaven and Earth, Physical and Metaphysical, Visible and Invisible, Spirit and Matter, Male and Female, Donor and Recipient, Seeder and Container, and so on and so forth. It is the womb of creation and houses the total spectrum of every possible combinations between living and non living organisms.

The calabash is complete in its symbolism of Ifa teachings and should indeed have been part of the divination objects if it wasn't for its size. A smaller and appropriate similar object is used for divination instead, and that's the kolanut. The calabash and kolanut tell the same story of life in the cosmos.

Their story is translated into the Yoruba Cardinal Numbers, Eni, Eji, Eta....Esan, Ewa.

Dudu_Negro:

We are learning, if you have a truth share it and don't obsess with whose emotion you stir.

nah, dont worry about it, not worth the effort.

will modify my post.

HOW THE CARDINAL NUMBERS OPERATE

1 - The range between +1 to -1
2 - The range between +2 to -2
3 - The range between +3 to -3
4 - The range between +4 to -4
5 - The range between +5 to -5
6 - The range between +6 to -6
7 - The range between +7 to -7
8 - The range between +8 to -8
9 - The range between +9 to -9
10 -The range between +10 to -10

ASE is a cosmic force and it's place and position is above 1. It is not represented in the numbers because it is infinite. The numbers 1 through 10 are finite.

Each number has an equivalent esoteric function in the affairs of the cosmic energies.

Example:
1 - Attesting to the Unity of God. It is the interface between the infinite ASE sitting above it and the finite numbers below it.

2 - Attesting to the Plurality of non-God entities. It is that which awakens self and non-self, the paradox of life and living, the moral code.

3 - Attesting to Ascension of the spirit. It is an interface between the inner and the outer. Righteousness and Karma.


In their esoteric equivalency, certain numbers are "nodes".

Example
3, 7, 8.


The numbers also function like a ladder, giving a rise and descent. The corresponding rise and descent is the basis for the numerical structure on whether a number is LA/LE or DIN.

Example
12 = MEJILA = 10+2.

Meaning - The range of +12 to -12 is the outcome when the range +10 to -10 interact with +2 to -2.
This is a rise on the ladder.


18 = MEJIDINLOGUN = 20-2.

Meaning- The range of +18 to -18 being outcome of the interaction between +20 to -20 and +2 to -2.
It is a descent on the ladder.


Yoruba concept of cosmic duality (2) is applied to the finite numbers to shape their material essence and derive the base 20 number systems (vigesimal). Yoruba does not use base 10 (decimal).

1 = +1, -1
2 = +2, -2
....
....
....
9 = +9, -9
10 = +10, -10

Two natures for each number from 1 to 10 to total TWENTY natures in the cardinal number list.
This is how OGUN - twenty was derived.

So what was the ancient tongue spoken in Yorubaland?

Let us travel back in time. What we speak today is a variant of the Yoruba spoken two hundred years ago by our ancestors, which will vary by the one spoken by their ancestors two hundred years prior.

Two hundred is an arbitrary number to give a sense of aging and decay which inevitably stimulates renewal or freshness into the dynamism of social living and from which language art cannot escape.

If we were to listen to a recording made in Yoruba one hundred years ago (1913) Im sure we would comprehend what is being said. It probably will not be true that we will understand a recording made in (1813) but suffice to say the generations of Yorubas of 1913 will understand this 1813 version and quite be in position to interprete and explain the message to us.

The further back in time we will travel to listen to what our ancestors said in, say, 1600, then the more intercessors separated in one hundred years interval we would need to help pass the message in a way we can understand and utilize the message.

We will need our 1913 ancestors who will need their 1813 ancestors who will need their 1713 ancestors to listen to the 1613 recordings and pass down the message. Very elaborate and impractical. We need a medium through which the language retains diction and growth. That's what oral tradition does.

A trade, art, chant, code, secret is commited to memory and passed down through a connected and continous chain of generational heirarchy invested in the preservation of culture.

Was everything we have today passed through Oral tradition?

No, it wasn't. Some messages were coded into dance steps, some into sculptures, some into drumbeats.

Above all, it cannot be said or denied that Yoruba had written script before the Ajami. We just don't have the evidence to support it and neither can we conclude that Yoruba never had writing tradition in the face of excavated discoveries that established and credited Ife as an ancient civilized sovereignty.

Beside carved and sculpted arts and adire batiks, there is no where else from which we can lift evidence of Yoruba writing pre-Ajami script period.

Are you a copywriter, proofreader, interpreter, teacher, student or just someone who works in Yorùbá Language?

 

Translate those figures and numbers to words in standard Yoruba Language at YorubaNumeral.com at no cost. 

 

It also aids learning the yoruba numbering system by providing detailed explanation for each number translated up to 25 billion. 


You all should check this site out YorubaNumeral.com


Just input your desired number and get the translation immediately.

Saves you a lot effort especially if you need to do this frequently