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Orature and Yorùbá Riddles takes readers into the hitherto unexplored undercurrents of riddles in Africa. Because of its oral and all too often ephemeral nature, riddles have escaped close scrutiny from scholars. The strength of the Yorùbá as the focus of this study is impressive indeed: a major ethnic group in Africa, with established connections with the black diaspora in North America and the Caribean; a rich oral and written culture; a large and diverse population; and an integrated rural-urban society. The book is divided into six chapters for readers' convenience. When read in sequence, the book provides a comprehensive, holistic sense of Yorùbá creativity where riddles are concerned. At the same time, the book is conceived in a way that each chapter could be read individually. Therefore, those readers seeking understanding of a specific type of riddle may target a single chapter appearing most relevant to her/his curiosity

Conflict management and resolution strategies often do not pay enough attention to traditional methods emanating from local cultural traditions. Many conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa are not responsive to contemporary approaches born in the West and implemented in conflict zones across the continent. In this article I specifically focus on the myths of the Yorùbá ethnic group in Nigeria as a way to demonstrate how myths from a given society can be helpful in crafting local solutions to local conflicts. After providing a brief overview of the relationship between myth and conflict, I will summarize and analyze five Yorùbá myths that provide cultural context to the Yorùbá experience, and then conclude with some lessons that can be applied to the conflict resolution process in general.

Divorce rates among the northern Yoruba are not only higher than one might expect in patrilineal societies, but little different from those of the southern Yoruba, with cognatic descent groups. This initial observation challenges the hypothesis that divorce rates are directly correlated with the line of descent. Data on over 300 divorces were collected in four Yoruba towns—two with agnatic and two with cognatic descent groups. The divorces were classed by the length of the terminated marriage and its fertility, and the distribution of the types of divorce were then compared in the four towns. The results suggest that the rate of divorce is primarily correlated with the degree to which a woman is alienated by marriage from her own descent group. But a number of secondary factors seem to be important, and these may cumulatively raise or reduce the divorce rate to a marked degree.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Part I | Introduction -- 1 | Writing a New History -- Part II | Birth of the Yorùbá Community of Practice, ca. 300 BC-AD 1420 -- 2 | The Emergence of a House Society -- 3 | Knowledge Capital and Referentiality -- Part III | Atrophy and Regeneration, ca. 1400-1650 -- 4 | Atrophy -- 5 | Regeneration and Restoration -- Part IV | Atlantic Entanglements, 1630-1840 -- 6 | Merchant Capital Revolution -- 7 | Sociality of Merchant Capital -- 8 | Perennial Inequality -- 9 | A House Divided -- Part V | Conclusion -- 10 | The Past in the Present -- Appendix 1 -- Appendix 2 -- Notes on Orthography and Glossary of Yorùbá Words -- Bibliography -- Index.

"Soziale Beziehungen bei den Yoruba wurden von jeher durch Sprichwörter, Redewendungen und Lieder (re-)strukturiert. In ihnen spiegelt sich das Denken der Gruppe wider. Dies zeigt sich insbesondere beim Blick auf die Beziehungen zwischen Patron und Klient und den Erwartungen, wie diese Beziehungen aussehen sollten. Durch die Analyse von Sprichwörtern, Redewendungen und Liedern der Yoruba wird gezeigt, wie indigenes gesellschaftliches Denken Werte, Normen und Erwartungen in klientelistischen Beziehungen festlegt." (Autorenreferat)

In der traditionellen Gesellschaft der Yoruba-Völker wird der Egungun (der zurückgekehrte Tote) verehrt. Nach der Tradition kehren die Ahnen aus dem Jenseits zurück, um verehrt zu werden. Der Glaube an die Auferstehung der Toten wird nach unterschiedlichen Riten gepflegt. Im vorliegenden Buch erklärt der Autor Egungun in der Variante der Oyo Yoruba. Obschon er selbst an dem Kult aktiv teilnimmt, versucht er eine objektivierende Haltung einzunehmen. Er zeichnet die Herkunft des Kultes nach, beschreibt die jährlichen Festivals, erklärt die verschiedenen kultischen Handlungen und ihre gesellschaftliche und soziale Bedeutung. (DÜI-Sbd)