Oríkì
Encyclopedia
Oríkì, or praise
poetry
, is a cultural
phenomenon
among the Yòrùbá
-speaking people of West Africa
.
It is not always clear what was preeminent in the mind of the person who named a child with the shorter praise names e.g. traditionally a boy born with the umbilical cord
around his neck is called Òjó (there are exceptions; the Ijebu sub-culture
names a boy or girl Àìná), yet the name Òjó has praise poetry that does not even mention this occurrence but implies that the child would be the darling of ladies and might be a little impatient.
from a strong, accomplished patriarch or matriarch, and it is not uncommon to find this person's accomplishments recited in the longer version of the oríkì of all of his or her progeny. An excerpt from praise poetry for the name Òjó would be:
Praise
Praise is the act of making positive statements about a person, object or idea, either in public or privately. Praise is typically, but not exclusively, earned relative to achievement and accomplishment...
poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, is a cultural
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
among the Yòrùbá
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
-speaking people of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
.
Oríkì Characteristics
Oríkì varies in length depending on whether it's the name given to a child to describe the future portents of his or her life or a recital of the accomplishments of a person's clan. It is invoked when praising a child for bringing pride to the parents or when attempting to evoke virtuous character traits of bravery, fortitude and perseverance that are believed to be innate in a person due to his or her pedigree.It is not always clear what was preeminent in the mind of the person who named a child with the shorter praise names e.g. traditionally a boy born with the umbilical cord
Umbilical cord
In placental mammals, the umbilical cord is the connecting cord from the developing embryo or fetus to the placenta...
around his neck is called Òjó (there are exceptions; the Ijebu sub-culture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
names a boy or girl Àìná), yet the name Òjó has praise poetry that does not even mention this occurrence but implies that the child would be the darling of ladies and might be a little impatient.
Oríkì and surnames
Usually a family derives its last nameFamily name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
from a strong, accomplished patriarch or matriarch, and it is not uncommon to find this person's accomplishments recited in the longer version of the oríkì of all of his or her progeny. An excerpt from praise poetry for the name Òjó would be:
Examples of Oríkì
Examples of oríkì middle names and their meanings (m and f denote the gender thereof):- Àjoké - meant to be taken care of by all. - f
- Àlàké - to take care of her as a result of victory over circumstance. - f
- Ànìké - own's property to be taken care of. - f
- Àshàké - selected to be spoiled (with good things) - f
- Àbèní - begged for (from God or, more traditionally, the gods) - f
- Àríké - meant to be spoiled on sight - f
- Àdùké - people will fight over the privilege to spoil her - f
- Àbèbí - begged for to be birthed (probably a difficult birth) - f
- Àdìó - not sure what this means - m
- Àjàní - fought to have this child - m
- Àkànní - met only once to have this child - m
- Àjàgbé - fought to carry this child - m
- Àlàó - not sure what this means - m
- Àkànde Àgàn - favourite of the prince - m
- Akanni - first male child - m
External links
- Oríkì Ilé-Ifẹ̀, YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Retrieved 09-03-2011. - Oríkì Ọyọ, YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Retrieved 09-03-2011. - Oríkì Èkó, YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Retrieved 09-03-2011. - Isiri: Inspiration in Yoruba Language
- Oriki Radio, Oríkì, Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....