Preview

The Metaphysical Interpretations Of Yoruba

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
351 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Metaphysical Interpretations Of Yoruba
This paper focuses on the metaphysical interpretation of kindred notions of Yoruba tribal arts. The region of West Africa that today includes the countries of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo is the land of the Yoruba people, whose art is an essential and integral element in their way of life (see image 1 for the Map of Yorubaland, showing major towns). The Yoruba are among the oldest and most influential of all African cultures and today make up one of Africa’s largest ethnic groups. More than 25 million Yoruba live in Africa, and large vibrant communities of Yoruba immigrants live in the United States and the United Kingdom. They created a strong economy through farming, trading, and art production. Their outstanding and unique artistic traditions
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Enduring Myths: African Art Is Not Bound By Place
    • 2964 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Enduring Myths: African Art Is Not Bound By Place

    In Suzanne Preston Blier’s article Enduring Myths of African Art, she articulates seven of the most common myths believed around the world surrounding African art. Of those seven myths, one that stands most true is the myth that African art is bound by place; the idea that African art in particular travels nowhere and its ideas are constrained to just the cultures they are sculpted in. Blier states, “The African art of myth is also frequently presented, incorrectly again, as an art rigidly bound by place.”1 She continues to express how most of the African art objects and styles studied are judiciously ascribed to particular regions and cultures as if they have no ability to circulate…

    • 2964 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Art Of Benin City
    • 1714 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Art Of Benin City

    Certain views, like that of Blythe, a nineteenth century African writer and supporter of African rights challenged the common perceptions of the era but they did not change them. Blythe talks about scientific Europeans ‘giving academic study to the Negro’ but his overall suggestion is that there is a general ‘opinion of some God is everywhere except in Africa.’ (Blythe 1903 in Brown, 2008) Read and Dalton They described both their perception of Benin society and the objects they were studying in a very ambivalent way at the first sight of these remarkable works of art were at once astounded….and puzzled to account for so highly developed an art amongst a race so entirely barbarous as the Bini’ (Read and Dalton 1897 in Brown, 2008).This negative and perception of Benin was a common perception of the whole of Africa at this time . Anthropologists in general struggled to fit explanations of such sophisticated works of art into these commoner held opinions which circulated throughout all major establishments of newspapers, museums and Encyclopaedias. This meant that stereotypical notions were gaining credibility over real facts. Read and Dalton were unfazed and presented their historical version as a prejudiced one, shaped by the society in which they lived, hence they form the conclusion that ‘no hope that a…

    • 1714 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Unit 3 Assignment
    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Unit 3 Assignment

    It is said that the Africa culture stands out more than any other culture In the World. With a rich and diverse culture African culture is known to change from county to county, many cultures along with traditions are found in Africa which makes Africa diverse, unique and mesmerizing in many ways to the world. Africa culture is all about the ethnic group’s family traditions, the literature, art and music shows the religion along with the social paths of their culture. (Nafisa Baxamusa, 2011)…

    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Transcultural Nursing Paper
    • 2588 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Transcultural Nursing Paper

    The country of Nigeria is located in Western Africa bordering the Gulf of Guinea (Bureau of African Affairs, 2011). The Cultural interview discussed in this paper was conducted on a 33 year old man who migrated to the United States of America from Nigeria 4 years ago. “Nigeria has over 50 languages and over 250 dialects and ethnic groups” (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). The three largest groups are the Hausa-Fulani, the Igbo, and the Yoruba. Nigeria music is mostly folk-like. It is very popular worldwide due to the unique instruments played such as the gongon drums (Faola & Heaton, 2008). The person I interviewed is a coworker of mine. Our interview took place in Taco Bell in Willoughby, Ohio, November 20th at 11 A.M. We spoke for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. During our interview I asked questions about the standards of living in Nigeria, and cultural beliefs and practices. I also asked individual questions about personal life and perceptions about Nigerian and American culture.…

    • 2588 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Yorùbá Religion
    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Yorùbá Religion

    The Yorùbá religion encompasses religious beliefs and rituals of the Yoruba people. These practices were being utilized before the Yoruba community faced Islam, Christianity and other faith; it originated from Africa and into the New World. This influenced several Afro-American religions such as Lucumí in Cuba, Umbanda and Candomblé in Brazil; in addition to the uproot that took place of the homeland religions. Similar to many other religions that have some form of beliefs and practices, Yorùbá religious beliefs are part of an itan. This is the term used for the sum of all Yorùbá; which include: myths, traditions, folklore, and other cultural concepts which make up the Yorùbá religion and society. Yorùbá religion included a trance and divination…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Yoruba People from Southwest and Southern Benin
    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Yoruba People from Southwest and Southern Benin

    This artwork was made by the Yoruba People from Southwest Nigeria and Southern Benin around the first half of the 20th century. World War 1, World War 2, The Great Depression, the Cold War, were many major historical events that were taking place at the time that changed the worlds view on just about everything. The Yoruba People began creating their magnificent Sculptures, Pottery, Beadwork, Leather, and Headdress in the 12th through 14th centuries. Most artwork is made to honor the gods and ancestors and since there are more than 401 known gods to the Yoruba there is much sculpture and artwork made. Because of the vastness in the number of gods, the Yoruba have been compared to the ancient Greeks in the amount of gods and in the similarities between the structures of the gods. The Yoruba People used their artwork as a means of trade along with their crops so, their artwork is important to Yoruba Society because it contributes to their economy. The Yoruba began to create more abstract wooden sculptures as their major art form later.…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gelede Mask
    • 1158 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Gelede Mask

    Drewal, Henry, John Pemberton III and Rowland Abiodun. Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought. New York: The Center for African Art and Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1989.…

    • 1158 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Africa in the 1500s Essay Example
    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Africa in the 1500s Essay Example

    West African Art creators spend most of their lives perfecting skills that are passed down from one generation to another.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Yoruba vs Christianity
    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Yoruba vs Christianity

    There are many religions throughout the world today. Although there are several different religions, many individuals are not educated about the other beliefs besides there own. Religions today do have differences but are also very much the same. This is demonstrated between the religion of Yoruba, and Christianity. The Gods that the people in these religions worship are different but have the same purpose throughout the lives of each individual. Each individual’s purpose and goal in these religions also display similarities. Furthermore the rituals that are done throughout these religions are done for directions and to improve the relationship between the individual and their god. There are various differences and similarities between these systems and structures of the Yoruba religion and Christianity.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Yoruba Creation Myth Analysis
    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Yoruba Creation Myth Analysis

    The four creation myths found on the internet, An African Cosmogony, An African Story of the Creation of Man, Egyptian Cosmogony and Theogony, and the Yoruba creation myth found under the Minneapolis Institute of Arts," have similar elements and incorporate values and norms common across many African Ethnic groups. One of the dominant values common to many ethnic groups is the value of the family and group. All four myths directly illustrate the belief that a person is described in terms of his or her family and lineage. "An African Cosmogony" and the Yoruba creation myth specifically emphasize this attention to lineage. The former, after creation is complete, refers to the creator as the "First Ancestor" from which "came forth all the wonders that we see and hold and use" (Leach). The latter symbolically describes the lineage through a palm nut, sent down to earth by the creator, which grows into a tree with sixteen branches. The deity then created sixteen sons and grandsons…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Olorun Of The Yoruba Mythology
    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Olorun Of The Yoruba Mythology

    In the ancient African Yoruba mythology, Olorun is the almighty all seeing all knowing god who created the universe and all other gods. Olorun, meaning owner of the sky, goes by many different names of different meaning such as Olodumare which means the almighty, Olofin - Orun which means lord of heaven, and Oba - Orun meaning king of the sky. Being the creator of all things possible, he is the highest power among all the gods of the Yoruba myth. Even though Olorun is the almighty god, no shrines are dedicated to him, and no sacrifices were made for him. It's possible that this is so because the Yoruba believed that it was impossible to dedicate anything to him worthy enough to his righteous overwhelming power. Olorun's…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Igbo Clan Analysis
    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Igbo Clan Analysis

    "We shall not do you any harm," said the District Commissioner to them later, "if only you agree to cooperate with us. We have brought a peaceful administration to you and your people so that you may be happy. If any man ill-treats you we shall come to your rescue. But we will not allow you to ill-treat others. We have a court of law where we judge cases and administer justice just as it is done in my own country under a great queen. I have brought you here because you joined together to molest others, to burn people's houses and their place of worship. That must not happen in the dominion of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world." (p. 194)…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Fifteenth And Sixteenth-Century Cross-Cultural Encounters
    • 1683 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Fifteenth And Sixteenth-Century Cross-Cultural Encounters

    This assignment will discuss the nature of a cross-cultural encounter in the 15th and 16th centuries between the Portuguese traders and the people of Benin, leading to Portuguese figures depicted in Benin art and furthermore our understanding of cross-cultural encounters in general…

    • 1683 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Yoruba
    • 1491 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Yoruba

    With majority of Fulani living in the Sahel desert, they managed to push most of the Yoruba further south. Fulani and Yoruba then had a lot of disagreements with land and resources. Finally in the 1800s, a treaty was made between the Fulani and Yoruba to have an equal amount of land and resources ("Yoruba People").…

    • 1491 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Yoruba
    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Yoruba

    In Tunde Kelani’s The Narrow Path, the story follows a woman by the name of Awero. In her village she is considered very beautiful. She has come of age to be married and she begin considering her options on marriage. Awero is courted by two men. One is a hunter from the Agbade village, and one is a goldsmith from Aku village. Both of these men wish to have her hand in marriage and they both have their own approach to try and win over Awero. The hunter focuses on the love that she would receive in a marriage with him, and he is more subtle. While the goldsmith is more aggressive, and he parades his money at her. Another man enters Awero’s life, the leader of a Troupe in Africa. He forces himself on her, and she is traumatized by this experience. Awero decides to keep the event to herself and chooses the hunter to be her suitor. Her family approves of him and date for her wedding is set. They have a quick marriage. And the hunter is excited about consummating their wedding. But though the hunter, Odejemi, is excited for their marriage, Awero is having nightmares and is falling into a depression at he thought o everyone finding out her truth. The movie has a happy ending, but potical walls are pushed between two villiages.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics