Smiley face

Taboos in Yòrúbaland (Èèwọ̀ Ilẹ̀ Yorùbá)



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.  Its 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















References
Agboola, T. & Mabawonku, A.O. (1996). Indigenous knowledge environmental education and sanitation: application to an African city. In Warren, D. M., Egunjobi, L. and Wahab, B. (eds.) indigenous knowledge in education. Ibadan.  Indigenous knowledge study group.

Ahn, J,B-K. (2003). “Sexual taboos and morality among the Agikuyu people of Kenya”. In Katola, M (Ed). MIASMU Research Integration Papers to Moral Teaching and Practices of African Religion. Jan-Apr semester.

Andemariam, M. (2001). “Place of taboos in Gikuyu morality”. In Magesa, L. (Ed). MIASMU Research Integration Papers to Moral Teaching and Practices of African Religion. August session

Bjurstrom, L. (2009). How do superstitions originate? http://www.helium.com/items/1615718-superstitions-and-origins

Blakemore, C. And Shelia J. (2001). Taboos. Oxford.  Oxford University Press http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/taboo.aspx#2

Callaway, A. (1964). Nigeria indigenous education: the apprenticeship system. Odu . University of Ife journal of African studies 1 (1).

Cassier, E. (1972). An Essay on Man Introduction to a Philosophy of Human Culture. New Haven and London, Yale University Press.

Durkheim, E. (1963). Incest: The nature and the origin of the taboo.
New York: Lyle Stuart.  Encyclopedia Britannica. (2009).   Superstition. 
Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Nov. 2009 Holden, L. (2000). Encyclopedia of Taboos. Oxford: ABC CLIO Ltd.  
Oladele, F. K. (1996). The integration of Indigenous knowledge system (IKS) into courses in Polytechnic curriculum. In Warren, D. M., Egunjobi, L. and Wahab, B. (eds.) indigenous knowledge in education. Ibadan.  Indigenous knowledge study group.

Akingbemi G. B., Ikale People and Culture, Akure, 2005.


Share on Google Plus

About Olayemi Oniroyin

0 comments:

Post a Comment