The Yoruba's are an ethnic group of people from southwest and North-central Nigeria with a greater percentage of it's population found in southwestern Nigeria,The Yoruba people can also be found in the neighboring country of Benin republic which borders Nigeria to the south.The Yoruba people are believed to be well over 42 million people spread across the world majority of whom could be found in Nigeria.This is also a picture of an hunter in the 1960's.
YORUBA'S IN DIASPORA.
You would easily find the Yoruba people in countries such as the United States,United Kingdom, Canada,Brazil,Cuba,Argentina and other Latin American countries, and even in the Caribbean countries of the Bahamas and Dominican Republic in Numbers.The Yoruba people have migrated and are spread all over the world through their self decisions and as a result of the Atlantic slave trade.In Caribbean countries such as the Dominican Republic,and the Bahamas,the Yoruba's are refereed to as "Nago/Anago", "Terranova", "Lucumi" and "Aku", or by the names of their various clans.Even today,the Yoruba's are believed to be the most numerous and influential people in this state of Bahia,Brazil..
TWINS IN YORUBA
Many people might find it weird but it is true that the Yoruba people of southwest Nigeria boast the highest number of twin births in the world, with about 50 sets of twins for every 1,000 live births,with a particular town in southwest Nigeria called(IGBO ORA)taking the lead for the highest number of multiple births in the world and they usually give a particular and special names to each twin.The first of the twins to be born is traditionally named Taiyewo,meaning (the first to taste the world),Kehinde is the name of the last born twin.Kehinde means(the child that came behind).Every Yoruba name is also attached to a meaning whether been twins or not..
One of the most notable festivals of the Yoruba people in Nigeria is the osun festival and the Eyo festival..The Osun festival is dedicated to a river goddess Osun, which is usually celebrated in the month of August yearly. The festival attracts thousands of Osun worshippers from all over Yorubaland and The Yoruba diaspora in the Americas, spectators and tourists from all walks of life.
Another is the Eyo Olokun festival or Orisha play, celebrated by the people of Lagos. Generally,There is no defined time for the staging the Eyo Festival,which leads to anticipation as to what date would be decided upon.there are several groups of Eyo with the 'senior' eyo group, the Adimu (identified by a black, broad-rimmed hat), goes public with a staff. When this happens, it means the event will take place on the following Saturday. Eyo masquerade speaks in a ventriloquist voice, suggestive of its other worldliness; and when greeted, it replies: Mo yo fun e, mo yo fun ara mi which in Yoruba means(I rejoice for you, and I rejoice for myself).This confirms the acknowledgment of the masquerade greeting it for the witnessing of the day, and its own joy at taking the hallowed responsibility of cleansing the state of Lagos and ushering it into a new phase of prosperity..
YORUBA MARRIAGES
Traditional Yoruba marriages usually consist of an introductory ceremony where both the groom family and bride family gets to know themselves and thereafter the brides family demands for bride price which might be relatively cheap or expensive depending on the brides family demands..here are some pictures..interracial or not it's beautiful.
Very soon i might be able to write a part two of this post...here are some pictures of Lagos Nigeria too..This is not to say all of Lagos is beautiful...there are good and bad looking places as well just like it is in every clime.
