Aina is one of the most beautiful Yoruba names I so much love the sound. I know that it's given to female child with the cord round her neck during birth just like 'Ojo' for male.

I also know that Idowu (Ògbo) and Alaba (Pàárì Ọlọ́bẹ Idẹ) are also third and fourth names given to children born after the birth of twins (Taiye/Taye/Taiwo and Kehinde). One can easily interpret the twins' names but not Idowu or Alaba. I know 'Ala' to mean Purity, white, creation, to open, to own, and praise, in names like: Àlàkẹ́, Alabi, Àlàdé, Aládé (to own a crown), etc. One can easily understand the direct meanings of these names.

However, I will like to know the direct meanings of the following names relating them to Yoruba language not their subjective meanings or panegyrics...

Aina

Ojo

Idowu

Alaba

Àjàyí

Jegede, etc.

You can add others. Thank you.

Where are the Yoruba language/traditions experts?

It's difficult for present people to know direct meanings of many of the above names.

I will only explain 'Alaba'. It has Semitic or Latin Origin, where it's known as 'Alba'.
Alba is a "unisex" given name of Latin
origin meaning "white" or pearl. In Spanish and
Italian the name means sunrise or
"dawn".

Ala in Yoruba means white, bright, purity or dawn. Alaba Ọlọbẹ Idẹ (one with bright brass knife); exactly the way the dawn opens brightly from the east every morning.

In Semitic or Arabic, the name Ala means Excellence, Praise, Elevation, Saint, etc. Ala prefix is used in most praise names of the Yorubas.

Direct meanings of the fourth child of the twins, Alaba is actually beautiful and the direct meaning is in Semitic or Latin. It's Yoruba's version of Alba. It also means pearl - a gem, fringe or border (the last of the special children)

Alba3:
It's difficult for present people to know direct meanings of many of the above names.

I will only explain 'Alaba'. It has Semitic or Latin Origin, where it's known as 'Alba'.
Alba is a "unisex" given name of Latin
origin meaning "white" or pearl. In Spanish and
Italian the name means sunrise or
"dawn".

Ala in Yoruba means white, bright, purity or dawn. Alaba Ọlọbẹ Idẹ (one with bright bronze knife); exactly the way the dawn opens brightly from the east every morning.

In Semitic or Arabic, the name Ala means Excellence, Praise, Eleevation, Saint, etc. Ala prefix is used in most praise names of the Yorubas.

Direct meanings of the fourth child of the twins, Alaba is actually beautiful and the direct meaning is in Semitic or Latin. It's Yoruba's version of Alba. It also means pearl - a gem, fringe or border (the last of the special children)

A wonderful submission. Thanks.

Anything about Idowu, Aina and others?

It seems people have have little knowledge about the meanings of these names.

Bro,

You are keen about something very vital. But as you can see, there are very few Yoruba intellectuals on this board, you can count them on your fingers.

The fake Yoruba abounds and they are always lurking around to destroy every fine inputs of the true intellectuals. Of course they often pretends to know better with ad hoc facts.

Albeit you won't catch them on a thread like this to exercise their acclaimed expertise except on threads with great opportunities for divide and rule.

Let me break up the meaning of jegede as that seems easier.

Anyone else can do the rest.

Jegede: synonyms: a[la]gemo, alonge: etymological connection with the target is the etymon, "ge". The stand alone value of this is perch.

Alagemo (A, one who, ge, makes tentative contact on, mo, child.

Alonge. (A, one who, lo, settled down quietly, nge, on contact with a supporting surface.

Now we can animate the maker of Jegede.

Jegede means je-ge-de: that is, jeje-gige-ide. What is concealed in this sentence is very simple: Calmness adorns copper. Ge in the middle of the sentence refers to intricate adornment.

We can now paraphrase the name as meaning jeje ni gige ide.

The name is instructive to an audience that "utter calmness transforms copper to jewellery". Compare Yoruba for blacksmith: a gbe de, meaning "a carver of copper".

Using soldering iron require calm attentiveness, just as much as putting pearl on copper with less precision tool as of old, this is something similar to the idea expounded in the name Jegede.

A good name can only comes from great thinkers.

absoluteSuccess:
Bro,

You are keen about something very vital. But as you can see, there are very few Yoruba intellectuals on this board, you can count them on your fingers.

The fake Yoruba abounds and they are always lurking around to destroy every fine inputs of the true intellectuals. Of course they often pretends to know better with ad hoc facts.

Albeit you won't catch them on a thread like this to exercise their acclaimed expertise except on threads with great opportunities for divide and rule.

Let me break up the meaning of jegede as that seems easier.

Anyone else can do the rest.

Jegede: synonyms: a[la]gemo, alonge: etymological connection with the target is the etymon, "ge". The stand alone value of this is perch.

Alagemo (A, one who, ge, makes tentative contact on, mo, child.

Alonge. (A, one who, lo, settled down quietly, nge, on contact with a supporting surface.

Now we can animate the maker of Jegede.

Jegede means je-ge-de: that is, jeje-gige-ide. What is concealed in this sentence is very simple: Calmness adorns copper. Ge in the middle of the sentence refers to intricate adornment.

We can now paraphrase the name as meaning jeje ni gige ide.

The name is instructive to an audience that "utter calmness transforms copper to jewellery". Compare Yoruba for blacksmith: a gbe de, meaning "a carver of copper".

Using soldering iron require calm attentiveness, just as much as putting pearl on copper with less precision tool as of old, this is something similar to the idea expounded in the name Jegede.

A good name can only comes from great thinkers.

Wow! Never heard this before; we're learning everyday. Just as you've said, we now believe more in divide and rule, unnecessary argument on intellectual researches and findings about our past. Wish we could pay more attention to our culture, language and even the traditional names.

We need to bring out meanings of those names that we still have around but present generation don't know the direct meanings, not the reasons for bearing them. Thanks so much for bringing Jegede's meaning to limelight.

There is this expectant mother that really loves the name, Àìná. I could only explain that it's the female version of Òjó(some also give it to male child). She just want to name her child Aina(whether the child has the cord around her neck or not); she needs its direct meaning. Hope to still find someone to explain it just as you've done justice to that of Jegede. Thanks once more.

lx3as:


Wow! Never heard this before; we're learning everyday. Just as you've said, we now believe more in divide and rule, unnecessary argument on intellectual researches and findings about our past. Wish we could pay more attention to our culture, language and even the traditional names.

We need to bring out meanings of those names that we still have around but present generation don't know the direct meanings, not the reasons for bearing them. Thanks so much for bringing Jegede's meaning to limelight.

There is this expectant mother that really loves the name, Àìná. I could only explain that it's the female version of Òjó(some also give it to male child). She just want to name her child Aina(whether the child has the chord around her neck or not); she needs its direct meaning. Hope to still find someone to explain it just as you've done justice to that of Jegede. Thanks once more.

You are welcome, you lend a voice on my thread and you equally deserve my attention. Not only that, we learn when we teach.

Could you believe what I learned yesterday on my journey to the island after I rushed to make the post here and left home?

I discovered the altar of the founder of Lagos at Ido. Olofin Atekoye! (toto irumole, eyin t'oba lorisa fun wa o!).

That's one of our greatest ancestors. I just had a glance at the place and as I woke up, my mind went straight to the work of late HAB. Fashinro's perspective on the history of Lagos.

I may make a thread for this.

As to Aina, the umbilical cord is just to symbolize "Atekoye", you know that if you want to be given a medal in the Olympics, you don't stand borogidi like sigidi: you bend isn't it?

Just then the medal hangs on your neck. That's te k'oye a te ko oye

How do I know this is the right interpretation? I've just hinted on HAB fashinro's. It's from the igbe song and iya onitanna is identical to Aina. Her many accolades is what is known as oye, which is like the medal that the umbilical cord represent

Aina, anointed alepo, oloro, iloro

It's a name that the Yoruba brought from their ancestral land. In Yoruba paleography, anytime you come across Orun: don't think of heaven, think of Yoruba ancestors home.

Olumu lotun, olokanran losi, aarin opon ifa ode orun: that place is the center of their universe, but beside it were olumu and olokanran: what planets were that?

Olumu: captors (Egypt) Olokanran (Ekron) center of ifa is in-between this places. So, Ifa began at Sinai and culminated where ekoro would lead as short cut from captors.

Already, we've learned to animate the world of the speakers and leave our times behind. Therefore, Aina is from here: Jerusalem, where leaders are anointed with oil to lead.

Aina could mean a-kii-na: don't beat her, it's not to be touched, untouchable, touch not my anointed. So a stretch of that expression is rooted in the oriki ijesha: lesi o gbodo fowo komo obokun owa.

Aina is identical with erelu in ijesha. My final take, Aina in Egun means iyaloja: that in Yoruba is the osin, the Matriarch of the Yoruba civilization.

It's a good name from our common heritage.

absoluteSuccess:


You are welcome, you lend a voice on my thread and you equally deserve my attention. Not only that, we learn when we teach.

Could you believe what I learned yesterday on my journey to the island after I rushed to make the post here and left home?

I discovered the altar of the founder of Lagos at Ido. Olofin Atekoye! (toto irumole, eyin t'oba lorisa fun wa o!).

That's one of our greatest ancestors. I just had a glance at the place and as I woke up, my mind went straight to the work of late HAB. Fashinro's perspective on the history of Lagos.

I may make a thread for this.

As to Aina, the umbilical cord is just to symbolize "Atekoye", you know that if you want to be given a medal in the Olympics, you don't stand borogidi like sigidi: you bend isn't it?

Just then the medal hangs on your neck. That's te k'oye a te ko oye

How do I know this is the right interpretation? I've just hinted on HAB fashinro's. It's from the igbe song and iya onitanna is identical to Aina. Her many accolades is what is known as oye, which is like the medal that the umbilical cord represent

Aina, anointed alepo, oloro, iloro

It's a name that the Yoruba brought from their ancestral land. In Yoruba paleography, anytime you come across Orun: don't think of heaven, think of Yoruba ancestors home.

Olumu lotun, olokanran losi, aarin opon ifa ode orun: that place is the center of their universe, but beside it were olumu and olokanran: what planets were that?

Olumu: captors (Egypt) Olokanran (Ekron) center of ifa is in-between this places. So, Ifa began at Sinai and culminated where ekoro would lead as short cut from captors.

Already, we've learned to animate the world of the speakers and leave our times behind. Therefore, Aina is from here: Jerusalem, where leaders are anointed with oil to lead.

Aina could mean a-kii-na: don't beat her, it's not to be touched, untouchable, touch not my anointed. So a stretch of that expression is rooted in the oriki ijesha: lesi o gbodo fowo komo obokun owa.

Aina is identical with erelu in ijesha. My final take, Aina in Egun means iyaloja: that in Yoruba is the osin, the Matriarch of the Yoruba civilization.

It's a good name from our common heritage.

Thanks so much, my brother. You've really done so much in interpreting our names, language and our divination literary corpus of Odu Ifá. This opens our eyes to the past and connect us to our beginning as people. I always believe in the idea of using our old dialects, language and names of people, towns and things to reveal much about our past.

I agree with your submission of Atẹ̀kóyè of Aina because our culture is deep and very ancient. Unfortunately, we're doing away with some cultural and age-long names once the meanings are difficult to understand. I remembered just now that my mother, a ninety-year-old woman, also has Aina as her middle name. She was born into a royal family and she was pampered and untouchable growing up.I will still ask her if she knows anything about the direct meaning of the name. This agrees very well with 'Akiina'.

I strongly support people that want to give our traditional names like Aina, Alọ́, Ọlọfin, Àdó, etc to their children. We don't have to dump our past because of highly dynamic Yoruba language. We need knowledge of these names to be able to explain to whoever asks of their meanings.
We're really privileged to have Ifa Corpus. I hope many of us will have the burning desire to learn it.

lx3as:


Thanks so much, my brother. You've really done so much in interpreting our names, language and our divination literary corpus of Odu Ifá. This opens our eyes to the past and connect us to our beginning as people. I always believe in the idea of using our old dialects, language and names of people, towns and things to reveal much about our past.

I agree with your submission of Atẹ̀kóyè of Aina because our culture is deep and very ancient. Unfortunately, we're doing away with some cultural and age-long names once the meanings are difficult to understand. I remembered just now that my mother, a ninety-year-old woman, also has Aina as her middle name. She was born into a royal family and she was pampered and untouchable growing up.I will still ask her if she knows anything about the direct meaning of the name. This agrees very well with 'Akiina'.

I strongly support people that want to give our traditional names like Aina, Alọ́, Ọlọfin, Àdó, etc to their children. We don't have to dump our past because of highly dynamic Yoruba language. We need knowledge of these names to be able to explain to whoever asks of their meanings.
We're really privileged to have Ifa Corpus. I hope many of us will have the burning desire to learn it.

Aina seems to be of Egun/Ogu roots, the people in Badagry and their ancestral language is different from Yoruba.

bigfrancis21:


Aina seems to be of Egun/Ogu roots, the people in Badagry and their ancestral language is different from Yoruba.

I don't think so. Already asked someone from that side but no direct meanings found in theirs and other fon dialects. To them, it's gotten from Yorubas. Some dialects in the SW pronounced it as Ayanna.

lx3as:


I don't think so. Already asked someone from that side but no direct meanings found in theirs and other fon dialects. To them, it's gotten from Yorubas. Some dialects in the SW pronounced it as Ayanna.

Infact you don't know how far reaching the name Aina as ayanna means to me, kindly pardon my self indulgence. I've not come across the variant, but something told me Aina is what gave rise to "aya na" and I translated that to mean "yawn of flame", an epithet of Sango's ina l'oju ina lenu.

Our forebears failed on interpretation of Aina and created a false etymology as ayana. This is my own technique of finding out: the Yoruba had first hand experience of what they were talking about, so ayana is their word for dragon. They knew these legendary creature and employed it as tally for Aina.

Now we are to look for the word "dragon" in Yoruba (I'm not keen about it's Chinese alternative). Now what we have fossilized in Yoruba language closest to dragon is agon.

Etymology

Agon pertains with Egun. Therefore when trying to figure out the origin of this etymon, you bring all sources you are familiar with as tools. Agon: pentagon: rhyme. Agon and -agon are true cognates.

Agon is pointed end of a polygon. Agon is akin to Egun in Yoruba, then technically, agon is egun, a tapering projection, like bone or gun. By this token, agon, -agon, egun, gun were all related etymologically, and that relativity equally cascades to history.

Let's leave the historical part and analyse the linguistics. Gun derived from the cross bow, lady guineas, it's gun because it's intended to pierce the target with it's sharp arrowhead bullet. That's gun in Yoruba, pierce. Equally, egungun is to the bone because it could pierce.

The import of this analysis is to tell you what could be behind each and every etymon given in Yoruba and what you must do if you have to resourcitate them. Every etymon is a tip of an iceberg.

I've not brought neighbors' cognates to the picture for my present limitations, not because I disdain them. But it's a scientific research, the rope are meant to get elongated as keen minds studies the same idea from their end.

Languages are the best tool to unbox our history from the earliest time to the present. Just hold on one idea and study that particular one as though it's all that matters, it would lead you to her contemporaries that may equally help you in your business of finding out.

Peace.

Learn about many things here. Language is culture and a way to the past.

Ajayi ogidi olu,

Onikanga ajipon.

Ajayi is archaic or ancient Yoruba way of saying

Current champion.

A (the) ja (fight)er, yi (this) now.

Igbayi a sanwa o, this era will favour us.

Ajani: fought to have.

Ajayi: a ja yi the fighter here.

The current champion.

absoluteSuccess:
Ajayi ogidi olu,

Onikanga ajipon.

Ajayi is archaic or ancient Yoruba way of saying

Current champion.

A (the) ja (fight)er, yi (this) now.

Igbayi a sanwa o, this era will favour us.

Ajani: fought to have.

Ajayi: a ja yi the fighter here.

The current champion.

Nice one sir. Some Centra Yoruba dialects' version of Àjàyí is Àjàrí.

With the explanation or breakdown of the name Àjàyí above, one now understands better the direct meanings of names like Àjàlá, Àjàṣẹ́, etc

However, many still believe that instead of Àjà- prefix meanings 'Fight', it's a form of 'dry storm' or 'fighting or violent wind' since storm is directly translated into 'Iji' and wind into 'Afẹfẹ'.
Many would also argue the Àjà to mean up or upstairs.

Yoruba is just so deep for the present generation to understand everything and we have fewer Yoruba linguistic historians these days.

The language is among the fastest growing with lots of slangs and decaying aspects. We will need to really keep up with it to understand where we're coming from.

We're now leaving the old beautiful shorter names for new longer ones. They are all beautiful anyway: names like Alakija, Désíre, etc.

lx3as:


Nice one sir. Ekiti version of Àjàyí is Àjàrí.

With the explanation or breakdown of the name Àjàyí above, one now understands better the direct meanings of names like Àjàlá, Àjàṣẹ́, etc

However, many still believe that instead of Àjà- prefix meanings 'Fight', it's a form of 'dry storm' or 'violent wind' since storm is directly translated into 'Iji' and wind into 'Afẹfẹ'.
Many will also argue the Àjà to mean up or upstairs.

You are correct and accurate. But there must be a choice at the end or else we won't get to the root of the meaning we seek. We must make a choice.

It's the sense of the word that determine the particular aja that the Yoruba have in mind, hence the interpretation given must have collocation as guide.

That's a step forward. Now observe the way collocation affect the new entry to the table: ajari: aja, fighter, Ori: head. I've not heard that name before.

The collocation (head and fight, fighter) implies that the fighter is the current head in that business. Like the head of fighters.

Now that is the remote validation inaccessible to the interpreter, and the validation of a claim is not the claim itself but consistency of what is claimed with remote check.

Why is aja not whirlwind?

In ajagbe, it's the whirlwind trip. In this case, the name tallied with Yoruba believe system that a man can be taken away by whirlwind and when he comes back, he becomes an Aroni.

But scientifically speaking, the Yoruba are a forest dwelling people, such whirlwind or tornado is not part of the possibilities here.

Then the Yoruba were speaking of a desert home, not here. In that case, they were thinking from a record. You can check through records in whirlwind prone desert culture to validate their claim.

Ajala

It won't make sense if we seek direct meaning of Ajala and insist on fighting as the interpretation of Aja, as found in Ajayi or Ajagbe. The Aja in Ajala is another version of its own.

The reason for this is that every Yoruba concrete noun takes a transitive verb of its own. Ajayi, ijayi; Ajani, Ijani; Idowu, Adowu etc. Ajala, Ijala.

Ijala is the hunters canticle. Ijala, orin ode. Borrowing from my research, Ijala is originally from the hymn book of the hunters. So it's a kind of book.

Ijala is like saying the heading of a line, the first word on a papyrus, the acrophony. I ja la, "the first glyph". It's like the song we sing when we were young, "ja tuntun ja tuntun".

Ajala is by this implication, one who started a new page in the history of his family. May we be an ajala even in our generation, amen.

NB, you can never attempt Yoruba language from the realms of least resistance, it's deep but enjoyable as it leads you through the mase and help you come out wiser.

If I, being Egun can be this fervent about it, I wonder what a Yoruba man can do.

absoluteSuccess:


You are correct and accurate. But there must be a choice at the end or else we won't get to the root of the meaning we seek. We must make a choice.

It's the sense of the word that determine the particular aja that the Yoruba have in mind, hence the interpretation given must have collocation as guide.

That's a step forward. Now observe the way collocation affect the new entry to the table: ajari: aja, fighter, Ori: head. I've not heard that name before.

The collocation (head and fight, fighter) implies that the fighter is the current head in that business. Like the head of fighters.

Now that is the remote validation inaccessible to the interpreter, and the validation of a claim is not the claim itself but consistency of what is claimed with remote check.

Why is aja not whirlwind?

In ajagbe, it's the whirlwind trip. In this case, the name tallied with Yoruba believe system that a man can be taken away by whirlwind and when he comes back, he becomes an Aroni.

But scientifically speaking, the Yoruba are a forest dwelling people, such whirlwind or tornado is not part of the possibilities here.

Then the Yoruba were speaking of a desert home, not here. In that case, they were thinking from a record. You can check through records in whirlwind prone desert culture to validate their claim.

Ajala

It won't make sense if we seek direct meaning of Ajala and insist on fighting as the interpretation of Aja, as found in Ajayi or Ajagbe. The Aja in Ajala is another version of its own.

The reason for this is that every Yoruba concrete noun takes a transitive verb of its own. Ajayi, ijayi; Ajani, Ijani; Idowu, Adowu etc. Ajala, Ijala.

Ijala is the hunters canticle. Ijala, orin ode. Borrowing from my research, Ijala is originally from the hymn book of the hunters. So it's a kind of book.

Ijala is like saying the heading of a line, the first word on a papyrus, the acrophony. I ja la, "the first glyph". It's like the song we sing when we were young, "ja tuntun ja tuntun".

Ajala is by this implication, one who started a new page in the history of his family. May we be an ajala even in our generation, amen.

NB, you can never attempt Yoruba language from the realms of least resistance, it's deep but enjoyable as it leads you through the mase and help you come out wiser.

If I, being Egun can be this fervent about it, I wonder what a Yoruba man can do.

Wow! Can't just agree less!

I so much like your explanation about the name Àjàlá... it's a top top name. Unfortunately, many of us just think it's for someone that travels everywhere...

Thanks so much @Absolutesuccess. Please what is the subjective or direct meaning of Bonu in Egun; is it related to Bolu?

absoluteSuccess:


It sounds similar but very different. Bonu is akin to saying "juju thing" or a child conceived from the help of amulet.

Bolu on its own is a modern Yoruba name and an incomplete sentence, b'oluwatife.

I appreciate bro, we think ajala must be a traveller, it's from the track eulogizing Ajala the traveller that we picked the connection.

Bonu compares with say, fabiyi or ogunbiyi. Obo is Ogun, onIfa is bokono, meaning "people of the juju sand.

absoluteSuccess:


It sounds similar but very different. Bonu is akin to saying "juju thing" or a child conceived from the help of amulet.

Bolu on its own is a modern Yoruba name and an incomplete sentence, b'oluwatife.

I appreciate bro, we think ajala must be a traveller, it's from the track eulogizing Ajala the traveller that we picked the connection.

Bonu compares with say, fabiyi or ogunbiyi. Obo is Ogun, onIfa is bokono, meaning "people of the juju sand".

Love learning new things about us.

absoluteSuccess:


It sounds similar but very different. Bonu is akin to saying "juju thing" or a child conceived from the help of amulet.

Bolu on its own is a modern Yoruba name and an incomplete sentence, b'oluwatife.

I appreciate bro, we think ajala must be a traveller, it's from the track eulogizing Ajala the traveller that we picked the connection.

Bonu compares with say, fabiyi or ogunbiyi. Obo is Ogun, onIfa is bokono, meaning "people of the juju sand".

Thanks. understand better now.

lx3as:


Thanks. understand better now.

I rather have you to thank

Bokono: onIfa, what's the connection?

Bokono looks like bookner, book people. It's an attestation to what I said earlier that ifa has something to do with book.

Obo, ibo, book, like gun, agon, -gon were related etymons that have settled in their respective languages and took a meaning of their own. But were relative somewhere.

Whenever any of the etymon ventures out and come across its relations, blood smells, I mean you feel some unexplainable relativity. How can we do the explanation?

Trace out the etymons.

Obo, ibo, amulet, tefilin, onde, ifunpa, tira: these were the gradual transformation of writing as spiritual protection to it's final stage as scriptures, then to it's secular end.

Obo, ibo: the Yoruba was an enlightened culture at the inception in West Africa. Obo is the "account" commit to memory in form of ifa as we have it today. In this, we lost the book but retain the account.

Meanwhile, the original account is the OBO, book or chronicle. The current account is ifa, like alpha or alif or letter A, known in the heart but not written on any surface.

Meanwhile, IBO is the transitive form of OBO. But it is presently used in ifa as the secret that would come forth when the pellet is casted.

Pellet, Opele, Ostraca

Ibo is Yoruba for vote. In ancient Greek, the Ostraca is used as ballot paper. The Ostraca is also a card with information written on it.

Opele is so called because the Yoruba adopted Germanic language, English to identify the Ostraca possibly through Latin. Opele is the broken piece of a matter, like pellet.

Or perhaps both Yoruba and English adopted the Latin version, and it settles as cognates in their languages respectively. Languages borrow from first source.

It becomes ibo/Ostraca when the ifa priest is to read whatever the client has said silently on the Opele and reinterpret it in the voice of ifa verses.

Lx,

Here's an exercise for you.

What is the direct meaning of the proverb

"Eni koko e ye lo moo lo?"

Give it a try.

absoluteSuccess:
Lx,

Here's an exercise for you.

What is the direct meaning of the proverb

"Eni koko e ye lo moo lo?"

Give it a try.

Pardon me, not too deep in Yoruba proverbs.

And the language is tonal;

'Eni Koko e ye lo moo lo'

Without tonal marks, one can interpret the above proverb as:

1. Whoever has his/her pot tottering/leaning/inclining uses it better.

2. Whoever tottered her hip knows its use.

3. Whoever understands her pot have better use of it.

I will appreciate use of tonal marks to complete the exercise; doubt if I have heard this proverb before.

lx3as:


Pardon me, not too deep in Yoruba proverbs.

And the language is tonal;

'Eni Koko e ye lo moo lo'

Without tonal marks, one can interpret the above proverb as:

1. Whoever has his/her pot tottering/leaning/inclining uses it better.

2. Whoever tottered her hip knows its use.

3. Whoever understands her pot have better use of it.

I will appreciate use of tonal marks to complete the exercise; doubt if I have heard this proverb before.

I'm sorry to have assumed that a proverb could be available straightaway to anyone else because its known to me, however, you should know koko as cocoa.

I couldn't have written it in English orthography.

Koko is quite different from "ikoko": please pay keen attention.

Eni koko e ye lo moo lo.

The one whose cocoa survived is knowledgeable at twisting it.

absoluteSuccess:


I'm sorry to have assumed that a proverb could be available straightaway to anyone else because its known to me, however, you should know koko as cocoa.

I couldn't have written it in English orthography.

Koko is quite different from "ikoko": please pay keen attention.

Eni koko e ye lo moo lo.

The one whose cocoa survived is knowledgeable at twisting it.

Wow! Yoruba is so tonal!

My mind didn't even go to 'kòkó' as cocoa and 'yè' as to grow.

As in ehn,

Albeit your excitement is incomplete if you fail to see the import of the proverb. Its the wisdom in the saying of our fathers that should awe us the most, it should not be shoved to the peripheral.

On the import of the proverb, our forebears said something profound: eni koko e ye lo moo lo. Its akin to saying olowo laye mo.

Most folks that I've asked to attempt the proverb often says it means people acknowledge only the successful. Well this is right too.

Howbeit, the direct meaning is given and going by the translation, its the man whose business thrive that's really experienced.

The core of the proverb is not subjective veneration of success but appreciation of the experience of the successful in a free market or an agrarian economy.

Having that understanding at the back of the mind would go a long way.

lx3as:


Wow! Yoruba is so tonal!

My mind didn't even go to 'kòkó' as cocoa and 'yè' as to grow.

Alba3:

Love learning new things about us.

We can't exhaust what we've inherited from the makers of Yoruba culture, but we aren't doing anything to make a subject of Yoruba cultural philosophy.

I've picked a name, already registered with the trade and commerce as trademark. With it I hope I can kindle the Yoruba rebirth.

If not, I would have done my best altogether at the expiration of breath.

absoluteSuccess:


We can't exhaust what we've inherited from the makers of Yoruba culture, but we aren't doing anything to make a subject of Yoruba cultural philosophy.

I've picked a name, already registered with the trade and commerce as trademark. With it I hope I can kindle the Yoruba rebirth.

If not, I would have done my best altogether at the expiration of breath.

Wish you continued success. I think government needs to do more by showing interest and encourage this, giving support to particularly individuals and institutions

We need more scholars to show interest without self egos and biased minds. Private institutions should be brought in to fund and promote our culture. Everyone seems concerned with only thing that can fetch him more money or political position. We've all relegated our history... the funny thing, we all want nice future without wanting to look into the past. We don't even care about loosing the language and the rich history.

I just fear the kind of legacies we're leaving behind for coming generation. Posterity will judge our individual efforts though.

absoluteSuccess:
As in ehn,

Albeit your excitement is incomplete if you fail to see the import of the proverb. Its the wisdom in the saying of our fathers that should awe us the most, it should not be shoved to the peripheral.

On the import of the proverb, our forebears said something profound: eni koko e ye lo moo lo. Its akin to saying olowo laye mo.

Most folks that I've asked to attempt the proverb often says it means people acknowledge only the successful. Well this is right too.

Howbeit, the direct meaning is given and going by the translation, its the man whose business thrive that's really experienced.

The core of the proverb is not subjective veneration of success but appreciation of the experience of the successful in a free market or an agrarian economy.

Having that understanding at the back of the mind would go a long way.

My people would say, "Ẹ kú làákàyè".
More power to your elbow.

Alba3:


Wish you continued success. I think government needs to do more by showing interest and encourage this, giving support to particularly individuals and institutions

We need more scholars to show interest without self egos and biased minds. Private institutions should be brought in to fund and promote our culture. Everyone seems concerned with only thing that can fetch him more money or political position. We've all relegated our history... the funny thing, we all want nice future without wanting to look into the past. We don't even care about loosing the language and the rich history.

I just fear the kind of legacies we're leaving behind for coming generation. Posterity will judge our individual efforts though.

Great input brother.

I agree very much with you sir. However, let's continually look inwards, I don't think there's anyone out there interested in what's unknown in Yoruba past. I hope i'm wrong.

I see myself soliloquise and record my findings. It's a life project sort of, to me. Yoruba history is stocked in Yoruba language, but people are rooted for what's tired of print.

Like you've opined, a lot are out for what's to be gained in ego or monetary value. Who will want to make a career out of Yoruba research in this fast paced computer age?

We rather find success doing something more rewarding financially. However, I have met great minds here too, burning to showcase their gifts and findings, and equal attempt to humiliate them for what they have found. It's all good.

You must be tested and found versatile to be fit for the job.

The job of writing Yoruba history is a personal quest, it cannot be sponsored for result. The defunct Western region government headed by chief obafemi Awolowo did established Yoruba historical research scheme back in time.

The scheme was headed by Prof. Saburi Biobaku. Great efforts went into the project from several erudite professors. Today, what they've achieved speaks.

That was done in their generation. We must continue where they stopped.

lx3as:


My she.ople would say, "Ẹ kú làákàyè".
More power to your elbow.

Amin, beetiwi lo maa ri. Oluwa a ranwa se

May God continue to bless our fathers and the makers of Yoruba proverbs. Most of all may God open our understanding to learn from our own indigenous wisdom and built the rope that continues from where our forebears stopped.

Owe leshin oro

Owe leshin oro, oro leshin owe, b'oro ba s'onu, owe la fin wa; b'owe basi sonu, oro lao fi wa.

Meaning, in the proverb, eni koko e ye lo moo lo, a word is missing or probably replaced.

Ló, as you have it in Olofin means twist. How does lo appeared in the business of cocoa? Oro kan ti sonu, ki lao fi wa?

When I asked about how cocoa is harvested from the audience, someone mentioned "akoro", but I remind them that akoro is not mentioned in the proverb because the perfect master was speaking to intellectuals.

The perfect master are the ancient wise men who coined various impressive expressions that litters Yoruba language, they were perfect in the sense that you possibly can't correct them but learn from them.

The value of lo in the proverb is to "harvest", using hand to pluck the fruit the cocoa tree instead of an harrower.

You cannot be proficient in using bare hand to harvest cocoa on another man's farm. You'd better be on your own farm or you are slaving on someone else's farm.

The proverb behind lo in that instance is how you twist the cocoa from its tree and pluck it off. Look out for lo and p[lu]ck. Yoruba and English do shadows a lot!

Obinrin oni 'sun eje: the woman with the issue of blood. Isun, issue: ebe, beg. The consistent alignment of thought in several case study is what I mean by shadowing.

That's a topic for another day anyway. Of a truth, big oro ba sonu, owe la fiiwa, vice versa