Taboos in Yòrúbaland
(Èèwọ̀
Ilẹ̀ Yorùbá)
Introduction
The word taboo is
called eewo in Yorubaland, that is,
that which is forbidden. The action or conduct of one man/woman within the community
can affect other members for good or evil (Idowu and Dopamu: 1980: 44-46). This
is more so because of the imperatives of socialization processes. In order to
prevent humans from becoming rebellious and promote the welfare of the society,
there are set patterns or codes of behaviour which individuals must adhere to
for the tone of the community as a whole. There are standards or norms to be
observed. These norms or code of conduct can be seen as moral values and such
things which are forbidden must not be done (Awolalu and Dopamu: 1976:7). In
other words, taboo is a prohibited action and breaking the ban is followed by supernatural
penalty. Taboo is a sacred term for a set of cultural or religious prohibitions
instituted by traditional religious authorities as instruments of social
control for protecting the sanctity of their shrines, worship of the gods and
the wellbeing of their communities. The term is also applicable to any sort of
social prohibition imposed by the leadership of a community regarding certain
times, places, actions, events, people, etc, especially, but not exclusively
for religious reasons, for the wellbeing of the society. Taboo is a common
feature in most African societies. They are usually of divine or genetic
origin. Taboos either had their origin from the gods, the ancestors or those
derived from the birth of some particular members of a society. Such taboos are
not moral laws applicable to all members except in rare cases (Oluwole: 1992:
70). There are individuals deliberately exempted from such of the
‗vantage‘ position they occupied
The importance of taboos
The importance of
taboos, according to Steiner (1956) is seen in maintaining harmony between God
and spirits (invisible world) and human beings and the rest of creation
(visible world). This harmony would be ruled “by moral order which
is preserved by tradition and, if followed, have the power or force to sustain
the existence and operation of the universe, ensuring a bountiful life for
humanity (Magesa, 1997). To preserve that harmony is the duty of a human being,
which determines his character and influences the quality of life of a community
and the universe itself. Taboos are then seen as a moral ambience or moral
codes intended to create harmony and the order of the existence of the universe
(Magesa, 1997). Taboos clarify which attitudes and behaviours are not
acceptable because they do not assure the continuation of life in its fullness,
do not enhance the quality of life of the community and do not preserve the
social code of behaving. Hence, breaking of a taboo endangers life and is seen
as bad and wrong because it interrupts peace and harmony (Andemariam,
2001).
The role of taboo in the Yoruba society
In the traditional
African society especially in Yoruba society, taboos played significant and
positive roles.
·
They provided a set of rules serving as a
moral guidance or a law in the community to ensure that peace and security were present in the
community. According to Osei (2006) every moral system requires the existence
of guiding principles, source(s) of motivation, and some grounds for
objectivity. Even though formulated as 'negative' principles stressing 'do
not...' and teaching people about what was not acceptable in the society, by
implication, they were also pointing out to the actions that were supposed to
be done. By preventing people from doing wrong things, they were helping them
to focus on what was encouraged in the society. In a society where there was no
police, taboos served as a guardian of moral values. To a certain extent, they
were better than modern
law enforcing agencies, because, in most cases, breaking of a taboo was
associated with an automatic punishment – one did not have to be caught to be
punished;
·
They helped in the upbringing of children
and provided rules for marriage: They could be described as 'teaching aids'
when explaining some moral principles to them. When one lacked an intellectual
ability to impart the importance of some moral principles, taboos were a useful
way of transmitting the same value from a different perspective. Those values,
worded as taboos, were expressed at various occasions such as circumcision,
marriage negotiations and funeral rites. It was an effective system of preserving
and transmitting moral values, keeping in mind that traditional African culture
was an oral one.
·
They were a means of social control and
without them there would be chaos: The motivation for abiding by the normative
principles are provided and reinforced by the religious sanctions from the gods
and the ancestors or directly from the Supreme Being.
·
Keeping of taboos ensured good harmony
between the visible and the invisible world: Taboos represent the main source
of the guiding principles regulating and directing the behavior of individuals
and the community towards the Supreme Being and especially the gods and the
ancestors in Yoruba society. Those found guilty of serious moral or legal
violations are made to undergo ritual cleansing as a means of moral or
ontological purification and transformation.
·
People seemed to be aware that behind
prohibitions laid the true meaning of taboos – preserving harmony and
well-being in and of the community: Life and its quality was seen as crucial
and the society applied a variety of methods to preserve it and transmit it,
especially through taboos. While well-being virtues include modernization,
democratization qualitative education, and critical consciousness, the
well-being vices include dependency, bribery and corruption, unwarranted
military interventions, dictatorships and the abuse of human rights etc.
Consequently, if one could show that a given set of taboos, xyz, promote some
well-being virtues and help diminish some well-being vices one would have shown
by implication that some taboos promote development and harmonious living
(Osei, 1995).
It is obvious from
the forgoing that taboo is not a culture to be waved off so easily because it
is a fruit of the society and functional within the context of the society. One
could rightly say that in Yoruba worldview, taboo is different from
superstition because it regulates moral order of the society. Hence, parents
make use of them to inculcate good behavior in their children. Thorpe (1967)
highlighted seven reasons why taboo came into being. They are to:
(a) avoid accident; (b) have respect for religion;
(c) respect elders; (d) obey rules of cleanliness;
(e) teach moral values; (f)
guide against being wasteful;
(g) explain things that are difficult to
understand.
Some of the taboos
in Yorùbá Land
1. Aboyún kò gbọdọ̀ dọ̀bálẹ̀ sùn; ki ọmọ rẹ̀ ma baa kú
(A
pregnant woman must not sleep with the stomach : so that the child will not die).
This is to guard against having a
stillbirth. If a pregnant woman sleeps with her stomach it will be difficult
for the fetus to kick while still in the stomach and this may claim the life of
the baby.
2. Ọkùnrin kò gbọdò ba aboyún lò pò bi oyún rẹ̀ ba ti too bi; ki okunrin naa ma baa
tòsì (A
man must not have sexual intercourse with a pregnant woman whose expected day
of delivery is near; to avoid becoming wretched).
It not convenient for a
pregnant woman nearing delivery to be having sexual relationship. If the man has any infection like gonorrhea, it
may be contacted by the baby and the baby may become blind
3. A kò
gbọ̀dọ fi àdá sa ilẹ̀ lásán ; ki ọmọ onile ma baa binu si ẹni
náà.
(We
must not use the cutlass to till bear ground; so as not to incur the wrath of
the earth goddess ).
This taboo is to avoid been cut when
cutlass is used to till bear ground instead of using it for clearing or
planting.
4. Ọmọdé kò gbodo fi igi fa ila sile; bi eera ba
ko si oju ila naa, iya omo naa yoo ku.
(A child must
not use stick to draw a line on the ground; if ants enter the line, the child’s
mother will die).
When a child plays with a stick, it may accidentally
enters into his/her eye and caused damages. If the mother of such child is an
invalid, the worries may lead to her death hence the taboo.
5. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ gun igi ibẹ́pẹ; ẹni náà yóò kú.
(We must not climb pawpaw tree the person who does so will die). Pawpaw tree
is not strong enough for anybody to climb. It may break and cause serious
body injuries which may eventually lead
to death
6. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ la
Bibeli mọlẹ; ki ori fifọ ma ba a pa ẹni naa.
(The Bible must not be dropped on the ground so that
headache will not kill the person).
The Bible is a sacred book of Christians which must be
handled with care to avoid being dropped to the ground. This taboo is to
instill fear into a careless person to handle The Book with care.
7. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ ke
bi egungun laiwo asọ
egungun; Oro ni yoo gbe eni naa lo (we
must not sound like a masquerade to avoid being kidnapped by Oro ). Egungun is one of the traditional religions
in Yoruba land. The taboo was put in place so that people will have respect for
Egungun religion because whoever Oro kidnapped will never be seen again.
8. Obinrin
ko gbodo wo igbo Oro; ki Oro ma ba a gbe e
(women must not enter the Oro grove to avoid being
kidnapped by Oro). This taboo isalso put in place to have respect for Yoruba
traditional religion. Women are forbidden to know the secret of this hence only
men propitiate it.
9. Olorisa-oko
ko gbodo je isu egbodo; ki segede ma ba a mu un (the Olorisa-oko must not eat
new yam so as not to have mumps). The causes of mumps are not clear to people.
They now tie it to the eating of new yam by any of their members before the
oracle. This is to instill fear into the Olorisa-oko religion not to eat new
yam until their Orisa does so.
10. Omode
ko gbodo wo agba loju; lati fi han pe omo naa ni iberu ati owo fun agba (a child must not look at the elder by the
eye; to show that the child have fear and
respect for the elder). It is a
culture in Yoruba land that children must not look up when elders are talking.
It is a sign of disrespect for a child to look up and stare at the elders’
face.
11. Omode
ko gbodo da si oro agbalagba; lati fi han pe omo naa ni eko iwa rere (a child
must not talk when elders are talking; to show that the child have home
etiquette). When elders are talking, it
is improper for children to talk because such behaviour does not portray good
home training and it is a sign of disrespect for elders.
12. Omode
ko gbodo na obi re; ki osi ma baa ta omo
naa pa ( a child must not beat up his/her parents to avoid being wretched ).
This is to show absolute respect for our parents.
13. Aboyun
ko gbodo jeun ninu isaasun obe; ki idi omo re ma ba a dudu (a pregnant woman
must not eat in a soup cooking pot; so that her child’s buttocks will not be
black). It is a sign of laziness and
dirty habit for any person especially a pregnant woman to eat in a soup cooking
potwhen there are serving plates in the house. It is bad because when the soup
in the pot is leaked, her saliva will come into the pot meant to cook soup for
the entire family.
14. A
ko gbodo we owo sinu awo ti a fi jeun, ki aya ma rin eni ti yoo tun fi awo naa
jeun ( we should not wash our hand in the plate we used to eat so that those
who will use the plate after may not feel nauseated). This taboo is to keep ethics of cleanliness.
It is a dirty habit to wash hand in the plate after eating in it because of the
filthiness already in the hand after the
meal. Anyone who saw this dirty habit may feel nauseated to use the plate
again.
15. A kò gbọdọ̀ subú ni balùwè, ki irú ẹni bẹẹ ma ba ku (one must not fall down in
the bathroom, so that the person will not die). Everybody in the house take
their bath and urinate in the bathroom. This frequent use may make the room to
be slippery. If the bathroom is not washed properly and become slippery it may
cause accident which may actually lead to death. So this taboo was put in place
to keep the rules of cleanliness by washing the bathroom always.
16. Obinrin
ko gbodo ki owo bo apo aso oko re, ki omo re ma baa jale ( a woman should not
deep her hand into the pocket of her husband, so that her children will not be
stealing around). This is to effect good habit. If a woman deeps her hand into
her husband pocket to take money her child who saw her may think it is proper
to do so.
17. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ jeun
ni idubule, ki ounje ma baa pa wa lori (we must not eat while lying down, so
that the food will not go to a wrong place, e. g. our head). This is to learn
the ethics of table manner. It is not proper and against table manner to eat
while lying down. The food may go the wrong way thereby causing problem.
18. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ ro
ala ni osan, ki ala naa ma baa se (dreams should not be relayed in the
afternoon, so that the dream will not come to pass). Whoever relay dream in the
afternoon is termed to be a jobless person. This taboo teaches us not to be
lazy.
19. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ ta
ayo ni owuro, ki oju eni naa ma baa fo (one must not play ayo game in the
morning to avoid being blind). Morning
time is meant for hard work and not play. If anybody takes joy in playing ayo
game in the morning, the person is termed as a never to do well. Therefore, to
instill fear of becoming blind on the person the taboo was put in place.
20. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ da
iyọ̀
sínú iná,
ki ara eni naa ma baa fin patapata (we must not throw salt into fire so
that the person’s body may not become speckled). During the time of our
fore-fathers, it is very difficult to get salt. It was the colonial masters
that brought salt to the shores of Nigeria in an exchange for slave. Therefore
salt is not a commodity to be wasted.
21. A
kò
gbọdọ̀ fi
odo sinu oorun, ki aara ma baa pa eni naa (mortar should not be left in the sun
so that lightening will not strike the person dead): - mortar is a household
utensil and very difficult to carve. It must be properly taken care of because
if it is left in the sun, it may break. To avoid wasting the mortar, the taboo
was put in place.
22. Afin
ko gbodo je iyo, ki ete re ma baa bo (an albino must not put salt in his/her
food so that his/her lip may not peel). People do not know the reason for the
peeling of an albino’s lip. They thought it was as a result of a particular
food he/she ate and because salt is sharp, they concluded that it was salt that
caused the peeling of albino’s lip. Scientifically thishas been proved wrong.
Scientist have made it clear that eating of vegetables and fruits are very
essential to our wellbeing and that eating of unbalanced diet can cause skin
disease.
23. A
ko gbodo fi owo gbe ojo, ki aara ma baa san pa eni naa (we must not use bear
hand to collect rain water during rain fall, so that thunder will not strike
the person dead).This taboo was put in place to avert accident that thunder might cause if anybody
collect rain water with hand during rainfall. It is very difficult for people
to give accurate explanation for this scientifically.
24. At installation oba , the Oba will
prostrate himself for the last time, for the king-makers in public during his
installation. He is, therefore, forbidden to do obeisance to anybody.
25.
The Oba must not see a dead body,
also he must not eat outside or in public (Akosile: 2010). There aee repercussions to be faced if he goes against
any of these taboos; it might bring about strange diseases to the Oba,
his household or the community at large and peace and tranquillity might elude
the community.
26. It
is forbidden to say directly that a Yoruba king eats, drinks, sleeps, falls ill
or dies. All things must be said euphemistically. When a king dies, the traditional way of
announcing it is Oba w‟aja (he has gone up the ceiling), Erin wo (the
elephant has fallen), or Opo ye (the pillar has given way). The king,
like a father, is closely linked with the idea of the preservation of law,
peace and order within the kingdom. Whenever the death of the Oba is
announced, there is breakdown of law and order (Arifalo and Okajare: 2005: 3).
27. It
is a taboo for anybody to wear the king‘s paraphernalia. In particular,
his Ade (crown), Opa Ase (scepter) and Bata Ileke (royal
beaded shoe) are objects of veneration and must not be worn by anyone other
than the king himself (Atanda: 2007:116).
28. It
is a taboo for people of the same family to marry each other. Certainly, it has
repercussions.
29. It
is an abomination to have sexual dealings with an Oba’s wife; any person
catches in this act will be punished by
death. The repercussion for that, if not punishable by death, is that such a
person would live a miserable life.
30. It
is
a taboo for a child to beat his parents; severe calamity would be the
repercussion of such.
31.
Sexual act within the family is an
abomination. This offends the ancestors and the gods; it can breed conflicts
that can break up families but also breed inexplicable abnormal births, birth
defects and diseases.
32. Slaves
and disabled people are not allowed to be king. Spiritually, it is believed
that anybody that will occupy that sacred position must be an able bodied
person, because gods can only relate with complete persons.
33. In
Yorubaland generally, it is a taboo to allow twins to ascend the obaship throne (Olubola: 2009).
34. Among
the Ilaje, women are not allow to be king; the highest they can aspire to is to
be chiefs.
35. Among
the Ekiti and the Akure, for instance, it is a taboo for olori (king‘s wives) to wear buba
(blouse) and gele (head tie). It is
believed that this is aimed at distinguishing the olori from other women (Adeyeye: 2010). It is spiritually believed that if any of
the wives contravene this taboo, this may bring calamities including untimely
death of the King to the palace and the community as a whole (Arifalo: 2010).
36. It’s
a taboo for any title holder to do anything contrary to the oath he takes
during coronation. Oath taking is part of coronation rites in Yorubaland. It is
compulsory that a solemn declaration to a god or a higher authority be carried
out; one will speak the truth, be loyal to the community and keep to the
promise.
37. Taboo
teaches morals to the younger ones. For instance, it is forbidden for them to
urinate into a mortal. It is claimed that any child that violate this will lose
his/her mother. Therefore none of them will violate the taboo in order not to
risk losing his/her mother. The essence, however, is to instil moral.
38. Children
are forbidden to sit at the entrance of the house or to put knife in their
mouths. These are ways in which the people use to instil discipline and morals
into their children without necessarily using cane or harsh words on them
(Ipinlaye: 2010).
39. It’s a taboo among the Yoruba, for women
to set eyes on divinities or step into the grove, regarded as a sacred place.
40. It’s
a taboo for women to be nude in the market, or fight in the market. Anybody
that violate any of these taboos will be asked to pay a fine to serve as
deterrent to others.
41. It’s forbidden for a pregnant woman to
deliver a child in the open space, if pressed, she must look for or to be taken
to a private place.
42. It’s
also a taboo for women to deliver abnormal children such as children with six
fingers, four legs, big head, and albino, among others. Although, such children
may not be killed, the parents will avoid publicity. This also can be regarded
as a safety taboo, because it enable the child to grow outside the public
notice (Olufade: 2010).
43. It’s
a taboo among the Yoruba people
for women not to observe the widowhood (opo)
rites. This is an integral aspect of funeral rites observe by the woman
following the death of a husband.
44. Committing
suicide is a serious abomination in Yorubaland, and the body must not be
lowered down until some sacrifices are performed to appease the gods. The body
of such individual will be thrown into the evil forest or outside the town to
avoid invoking the anger of the gods on the land. The family of an individual
that commits suicide will be tainted forever in the community.
45. It
is generally considered unclean to consume dog meat, pork, and cat meat among
others. While many Yorubas will never taste dog meat but gladly consume African
rabbit (Okete), the Ondo people consider Okete an abomination but
will gladly eat dog meat with relish.
46. Men
and women are not allowed to whistle at nights in Yorubaland. Whistling at
nights is believed to invite demons and evil spirits into the house to torment
people. Additionally, it is believed that whistling could attract snakes and
reptiles into the house at night.
47. Okètè (Grasscutter)
It is believed that once it stands on it hinds leg, you must never kill it.
Why? well, A child born to the killer of this weird animal will die the day
he/she makes the first attempt to walk on his/her two legs.
48. Igbeti, OYO State- Iyamopo mountain(Rock)
No visitor must climb this mountain on "Ajakuta day"(the day after
Igbeti's market day)
49. The DunDun Drum also known as Gangan
a very popular two-sided drum in yoruba land. Very popular for its unique
sound, it can be used to pass across messages(talking drum). But, no matter how
angry or offended the hearer is about the message being passed across, he must
never pierce this drum with a knife in the midst of a crowd or gatherings. The
one who does will end up with diseases and sicknesses that will eventually end
his life.
50. Otun-Ekiti-
Ekiti State Once a King(OORE) is crowned in this
town, he must never set his eyes on his parents henceforth
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