Who are the Yoruba people?

[GrindtooFilthy]

Yea thats what I was reading that in the medieval times most of the trade and wars between the kingdoms ran westward from Benin City reaching all the way up to Ghana and Accra. I dont remember where I heard it but I was told that Igboland/Old Calabar didnt even really have relations with the Western Nigerian countries until the Hausa and Europeans came along, that they were more insular. Is that true?

Completely true, I made a mention of this in different thread

This is the part that I can’t help you with all the books I’ve read are out of publication, along with Nigeria being trash at digitizing their works and Igbos being tribal they don’t like making their history open unlike Yoruba people who will gladly tell you theirs. Best thing I can tell you try and research Igbo historians like adiele afigbo and Kenneth Dike and read their works

 

[Samori Toure]

Yea thats what I was reading that in the medieval times most of the trade and wars between the kingdoms ran westward from Benin City reaching all the way up to Ghana and Accra. I dont remember where I heard it but I was told that Igboland/Old Calabar didnt even really have relations with the Western Nigerian countries until the Hausa and Europeans came along, that they were more insular. Is that true?

The Igbos had relations with Edo. As a matter of fact segments of the western part of Igboland were subjects of the Obas of Benin.

 

[Cuban Pete]

The Igbos had relations with Edo. As a matter of fact segments of the western part of Igboland were subjects of the Obas of Benin.

But they didnt really have any liasons with Ife or Oyo or did they? Im asking because Ive been doing alot of deep dives into the history of West Africa. Im an Ifa adherent, and there are 4 major African traditional religions that are practiced where Im from, 3 of those are Nigerian. 2 of those (the Yoruba and Fon religious branches) have overlapping Gods, mythology, terminology and spiritual concepts. The 3rd one (the Igbo traditional religion) is COMPLETELY different. But then I saw that ancient Edo also has overlapping Gods and mythology with Ife and Oyo.

So what it really was is that Benin City (Edo) had pull with all the other city states (like Ancient Athens in Greece) but they didnt outright conquer anybody, they just had them as vassals that paid tribute but they were allowed to keep their culture and thats one of the reasons for the fragmentation of southern Nigeria today, right? The areas history pre-colonial era is pretty complex

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

But they didnt really have any liasons with Ife or Oyo or did they? Im asking because Ive been doing alot of deep dives into the history of West Africa. Im an Ifa adherent, and there are 4 major African traditional religions that are practiced where Im from, 3 of those are Nigerian. 2 of those (the Yoruba and Fon religious branches) have overlapping Gods, mythology, terminology and spiritual concepts. The 3rd one (the Igbo traditional religion) is COMPLETELY different.

So what it really was is that Benin City (Edo) had pull with all the other city states (like Ancient Athens in Greece) but they didnt outright conquer anybody, they just had them as vassals that paid tribute but they were allowed to keep their culture and thats one of the reasons for the fragmentation of southern Nigeria today.

I can tell you about Odinani (religion/philosophy) but then you would have to understand Umenani (culture/tradition) but if you're looking for books or info you are going to be pressed because a strong majority are not english but I can point you in the direction of a few youtube channels

 

[Nkrumah Was Right]

But they didnt really have any liasons with Ife or Oyo or did they? Im asking because Ive been doing alot of deep dives into the history of West Africa. Im an Ifa adherent, and there are 4 major African traditional religions that are practiced where Im from, 3 of those are Nigerian. 2 of those (the Yoruba and Fon religious branches) have overlapping Gods, mythology, terminology and spiritual concepts. The 3rd one (the Igbo traditional religion) is COMPLETELY different. But then I saw that ancient Edo also has overlapping Gods and mythology with Ife and Oyo.

So what it really was is that Benin City (Edo) had pull with all the other city states (like Ancient Athens in Greece) but they didnt outright conquer anybody, they just had them as vassals that paid tribute but they were allowed to keep their culture and thats one of the reasons for the fragmentation of southern Nigeria today, right?

Igbos didn’t liaise with Oyo directly (traders might have). But all southern peoples in West Africa use the same divination system and same numerology.

You call it Ife. We call it Afa.

Might be because the ethnic groups of southern Nigeria come from the same ancestral root some 3,000 years ago

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

Igbos didn’t liaise with Oyo directly (traders might have). But all southern peoples in West Africa use the same divination system and same numerology.

You call it Ife. We call it Afa.

Might be because the ethnic groups of southern Nigeria come from the same ancestral root some 3,000 years ago

Afa is just divination. Onye n’agb’áfa - the one who casts divinations

Odinani is the complete spiritual/religious and philosophical aspect of Ani Igbo. It's not just divination but entails other things as well

 

[Cuban Pete]

I can tell you about Odinani (religion/philosophy) but then you would have to understand Umenani (culture/tradition) but if you're looking for books or info you are going to be pressed because a strong majority are not english but I can point you in the direction of a few youtube channels

Right right even the Ifa that I practice is basically a creolized Ifa, its not perfectly fit in with what they do today in Naija because it was isolated. Yea that would be cool someone on here mentioned this guy on YouTube, TheMedicineShell for Odinani. Show me whatever you can. Theres this app called Drops that teaches both Yoruba and Igbo but I have little to no idea about Igbo culture compared to Yoruba movies, music etc. They're like Jews they dont let just anybody all up in the crib lol

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

Right right even the Ifa that I practice is basically a creolized Ifa, its not perfectly fit in with what they do today in Naija because it was isolated. Yea that would be cool someone on here mentioned this guy on YouTube, TheMedicineShell for Odinani. Show me whatever you can. Theres this app called Drops that teaches both Yoruba and Igbo but I have little to no idea about Igbo culture compared to Yoruba movies, music etc. They're like Jews they dont let just anybody all up in the crib lol

I was just going to mention medicine shell but you already know about that lol

Here's a youtube podcaster I follow a good majority of his podcasts aren't really in english but you might be able to find some gems that are goodluck

https://www.youtube.com/@igboheritage6496

 

[Cuban Pete]

Igbos didn’t liaise with Oyo directly (traders might have). But all southern peoples in West Africa use the same divination system and same numerology.

You call it Ife. We call it Afa.

Might be because the ethnic groups of southern Nigeria come from the same ancestral root some 3,000 years ago

Right in Porto Novo, Benin they just call it Fa but what I was curious on was how Igbo culture is so radically different from both Edo and Yoruba culture, cause even the Igbo traditions thats in Cuba is literally a secret society for men like a freemason level thing. Seems like yall are a more "serious" culture traditonally from the outside looking in.

 

[Still Benefited]

Some say the Yoruba were the Cannanites,aka the real jews who got kicked out of their land. Only to have the so called jews take over and erase their history as instructed. So the OP himself could easily be Yoruba and just not know. Knowledge often has a way of finding its way back to the rightful owner.

 

[MischievousMonkey]

I can tell you about Odinani (religion/philosophy) but then you would have to understand Umenani (culture/tradition) but if you're looking for books or info you are going to be pressed because a strong majority are not english but I can point you in the direction of a few youtube channels

I'm also interested please

Edit: saw the recommendations, thanks

 

[Breh Obama]

How many of you know about the Biafra war?

 

[tuckgod]

nikka there are Yoruba people on this board at the very moment you could have talked too. You needed a YouTube video for this

Most young Africans are way too cocky in their cac knowledge to get accurate ancient history from them

 

[MischievousMonkey]

Double

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

I'm also interested please

https://youtube.com/@TheMedicineShell?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

https://www.youtube.com/@igboheritage6496

Most young Africans are way too cocky in their cac knowledge to get accurate ancient history from them

Understandable but most of the posters I mentioned at least 30+ and were in Nigeria at some point

How many of you know about the Biafra war?

Yeah my dad was in it