YORÙBÁ
HERITAGES III—NAMES AND NATURE
By
Israel Ayanwuyi
"This throws a lot of insight into the
dynamics and uniqueness of Yorùbá nomenclature, the values and worth attached
to name.
It's well researched and it helps the Yorùbá
man to understand and fall in love with his roots." - Adejuwon A.
Gbalajobi
Many
comments were received on the previous article of this writing series, Yorùbá
Heritages II. All of us, at AIFMEDIA || YORÙBÁDÙNLẸ́DÈ, were so pleased to receive and know how well you
understood them. Let's go further to learn from this episode tagged 'Names and
Nature.'
I
believe you'll tender your heart to learn, relearn and unlearn from this piece.
Protecting
and defending Yorùbá Heritage is the alongside message I preach overtime. In a
way that, any Yorùbá won't lose his identity from history, culture and
heritage.
There
is this Yorùbá saying,
Orúkọ
ẹni ni ìjálọ ẹni.
One's
name is one's reign.
One
of the main heritages Yorùbá carries is NAME, where in a more complex form
known as COGNOMEN. Yorùbá believe so
much in this and it is widespread heritage among all their subgroups—it
outstand Yorùbá from any other race in the world. Now, the culture is losing
its grip because of how children of nowadays and their parents think and use
them amidst other competitive culture.
Yorùbá
vie with other ideas, and it people has tendency to transform their pattern to
foreign policy and superstition they know little or nothing about, which can make
them lose their identity—the distinct Yorùbá culture that portrays lineage,
source and how every Yorùbá was born and came into existence through cognomen
and name given at birth.
The
truth is Yorùbá has a precious and an independent way of life, and virtue in
everything they do since time immemorial, even till now, without any religion
usage in there operation.
Cognomen
[Oríkì] are group of words [or names] or a single word [or name] that reveal
attributes of a person derived from a prior heroism displayed by their
descendants or background.
One of those few
features that differentiate peoples' background and region is tribal mark, dialect,
diverse subgroup term and difference in alphabet's
intonation from one region to another amongst many others. To us, all of these
give individuals identity from various sources.
The
culture of reciting praises—Oríkì—when a child does something worthwhile or
important is losing it ground in Yorùbá. Many Yorùbá of now believe it is
demonic in comparison to their present lifestyle where they've decided to lock
their identity. Not entirely everything is evil, I am however encouraging us to
look beyond the mere knowledge we have over them and pick diverse godly ones.
These
sequences of words are joined together in a poetic form and they are composed
of Yorùbá vocabularies to trace identity. Anyone who doesn't understand deep
Yorùbá and its grammatical usage can lose bearing, comprehension and facts of
each phrase which even can be termed as spell or incantation.
ORÍKÌ
is attributes of a person, family, lineage or town derived from a prior heroism
displayed by their descendants or background, and they can be categorized into
many parts.
· ORÍKÌ ÀWỌN ÌLÚ ÌṢẸ̀ǸBÁYÉ
·
ORÍKÌ ORÍLẸ̀
·
ORÍKÌ ÌDÍLÉ
·
ORÍKÌ ÈNÌYÀN
ORÍKÌ ORÍLẸ̀
This
is majorly for a region of land for some descendants in core towns of Yorùbá,
and they are immensely used for identity, showcasing history of descendants and
exploit achieved by them. They are many in number throughout Yorùbá nation. For
example: Arẹ̀sà, Oníkòyí,
Àrágberí, Alápà, Olúgbọ́n, Òkò-ìrèsé,
Òpómúléró, Ọlọ́fà, Ìjẹ̀ṣà, Ọlọ́yẹ́ Mọyin, Òmú Àrán, àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
ORÍKÌ ÀWỌN ÌLÚ ÌṢẸ̀ǸBÁYÉ
This
is from town or a region of land (encompassing more than a town) settings which
vary from major ancient towns to each other. For example: Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, Ìbàdàn, Ọ̀yọ́, Èkó, Ọ̀ffà, Àkúré, Ilé-Ifè and many other ancient towns.
ORÍKÌ ÌLÚ ÒGBÓMỌ̀ṢỌ̀
Ògbé-órí
ẹlẹ́mọ̀ṣhọ́, ọmọ afògbójà,
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́
ajílété, ìlú tí wọn ń gbé jẹkà ti wọn sí ǹ tí ún mùkọ yangan.
Ajílété
ń té ni ti ogun, àyà-koko ìnàkí.
Ìlú
tí wọ́n ń gbé dira kí ogun ó tó dé
Tí
wọ́n ti ń máa ń ṣe ọdún ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀ ní oṣù kẹta ọdún
Ọmọ
agbé orí ọká saworo,
Ọmọ
ògbórí ẹ̀fọ̀n sá tèfè-tèfè
Ọmọ
arí làká bù mu, arí làká bù sìn-ṣe,
Olódò
kan òtéré, ó mìíràn ọ̀ tà-ràrà...
ORÍKÌ ÌDÍLÉ
In
Yorùbá land, each extended family has their own poetic praise phrases attributed
to them, whenever someone who is part of the family do something worthwhile or
to locate each family identity. These family names and praise can vary from one
town to another. For example of few families in Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ are Oníṣẹmọ Onílù [Àwọn ni ọmọ ògìdán kùnrin], Olóólà [Àwọn ló má ń kọ ilà], Abeṣẹ̀, Alápà, Ìkólábà, Aládàá, Aludùndùn, Alubàtá àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
Example of Àyàn
tàbí Àwọn Onílù (Family
where they play diverse kind of Yorùbá drums):
Àyàn
àgalú ọmọ a kí ni má sí fìlà
A
mú ni wọ ọjà àìdérí
Atọ́bọ
tótá, Àyàn àgalú
A
múni ròdò tẹ́nìkan ò dé rí
Òrìṣà
tó ní ti Àyàn àgalú báwo,
Igbe
ẹkún sísun ni wọ́n ń ṣe lójúbọ wọn
Àyàn
àgalú onílù a fi bàtá sọ ṣán,
Àyàn
Àgalú, jẹ́ kí ọ̀rọ̀ mi ọ́ yàn o.
ORÍKÌ ÈNÌYÀN
These
are names given to individ
Yorùbá
has the culture of giving new born baby christening on different day count.
Female on 7th day of birth, Male on 9th day, and twins is 8th day of birth. But
in this modern-days, we give new born baby (whether his or her) name on the 8th
day of birth whether twins,
CATEGORIES OF
REASONS FOR BIRTH NAME
1.
ORÚKỌ ÀMÚTỌ̀RUNWÁ (Literally means names brought from
heaven): Àìná, Ọ̀kẹ́, Ìgè, Ìyábọ̀, Abídèmí, Dàda,
Táyé, Kéhìndé, Ìdówú, Ìdọ̀gbé, Òní, Ọ̀la, Òjó, Olúgbódi, abbl.
NOTE:
(á). A child who cries restlessly in the morning and night is Òní (because they
do say Òní lòní ń jẹ́ ẹni abẹ̀lọ́wẹ̀).
The
child born after Òní into the same family is Ọ̀la
and the one after Ọ̀la is Ọ̀tunla.
(b).
Àlàbá and Ìdọ̀gbé are after
Ìdówú, where Àlàbá is for female and Ìdọ̀gbé is for male.
(d).
Táyé and Kéhìndé are for twins.
2.
ORÚKỌ TI
ÌDÍLÉ
(Name given because of the kind of family and their work): Ògúnwálé, Jẹ́káyinfá, Awódélé, Orògbilé, Ọ̀jẹ́níyì, Àyánkọ́lá, Oláwálé, Adéòtí, Ọdẹ́wálé, Ọlákúnlé, Olólàdé,
Abọ́yadé, Adégoróyè, Aláàdé, Àjàká, Balógun, Ajagungbadé,
Ológúnde, Akínwùmí, abbl
3.
ORÚKỌ ÀBÍṢỌ (Name given to a
child on earth that reflects their birth season): Abódúnrìn, Ábíọ́dún, Ayọ̀dèjì, Rèmílẹ́kún, Adébísí, Àyànbùnmi, Tèmiladé, Sàngòsakin, Ọdẹbùnmi, Ọládipúpò, Àrinọlá, Bọ́lájókòó abbl
On
some rare occasions, the family most especially from the mother's side do tell
the name to be given like when they are having a frequent loss of child before,
and the new child birthed may be given Ikú-dáì-ísí, Málọmọ́, Ìgbékọ̀yí, Kòkúmọ́, Bámijókòó, abbl
4.
ORÍKÌ (Short given name that usually
illustrate what the child will be in future): Àkàndé, Àdùfé, Àlábí, Àjàgbé Àbẹ̀ẹ̀fé, Àlàdé, Àkànmú,
Àkàngbé, Ìsọ̀lá, Àbẹ̀ní, Àyọkà, Àjàní, abbl
But
this kind of name is not mostly called without adding the child's descendants name
as suffix.
For
example: Àkàndé òdí ọmọ Arèsà, Àjàní Ẹkùn ọmọ a ṣe wọ mójú le koko, Ìsọ̀lá Ọ̀gán ọmọ Olúpo, abbl.
In
Yorùbá nation, another set of factor that determines a child's name is family,
religion, family history, work, and days of week in the olden time.
For
example:
Sunday ¦ Ọjọ́ Àìkú —Abọ́ṣèdé, Abíọ́ṣẹ̀, àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
Monday ¦ Ọjọ́ Ajé— Ajébámidélé, Ajédèmí,
Ajébòmí, Ajédèmí, Ajéwọ̀lé, Agbájé, àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
Tuesday ¦ Ọjọ́ Ìṣẹ́gun—Adéṣégun, Oyèṣégun, Ìbíṣégun àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
Wednesday ¦ Ọjọ́'rú tó tún jẹ́ ọjọ́ ọ̀sẹ̀ ifá—Ọ̀ṣẹ̀ọlá, Abílọ́ṣẹ̀, Ọjọ́ọ̀ṣẹ̀, Ọ̀ṣẹ̀adé àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
Friday ¦ Ọjọ́ Ẹtì—Ẹtìmẹ́yìn, Ẹtìlọ̀la àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
Saturday ¦ Ọjọ́ Àbámẹ́ta—Àbáyọ̀mí, Àbánikánńdá,
àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ.
I
have a keen interest in all of these and I want you to trace yours back. It's
sweet to make use of these names. Being a Yorùbá is such a thing to be proud of
in eternity. Don't forget your source. Embrace Yorùbá godly heritages. Remember
that, what goes around comes around.
Igbó
birimù-birimù, òkùnkùn birimù-birimù, ènìyàn tó bá mọ̀ ṣe òkùnkùn kó má dá òṣùpá
lóró (Whoever knows how darkness feel shouldn't hurt the moon when it take
charge in the night).
Bear
the Yorùbá name anywhere around the world, anytime of the day or night and by
your act, conduct and lifestyle, protect the dignity, honour and culture of our
nation as Yorùbá.
Preserving our
godly heritages is our concern.
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