International African Institute

Praise Poems as Historical Data: The Example of the Yoruba Ork

Author(s): Bolanle Awe
Source: Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Oct., 1974), pp.
331-349
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African Institute
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[33I]

PRAISE POEMS AS HISTORICALDATA:

THE EXAMPLEOF THE YORUBA ORIfK
BOLANLE AWE
HE importanceof oral traditionsin the reconstructionof the history of nonliterate peoples has virtually ceased to be a matter for debate and is now
generallyacknowledged.Indeed, within the last few years, historicalresearch,based
on such traditionshas made possible histories of many societies in Africa.' But in
spite of this generalacceptance,the diversityof oral traditionshas not been so fully
recognizedas to make possible the analysisof each type as historicaldata.2In this
regard,the historyof the Yorubaprovidesa good example.Their culturehas accumulated around it a rich variety of oral traditionswhose study has made significant
contributionstowardsthe understandingof their past. For the earlierperiod of their
history,their historianshave had to rely mainlyon oral traditions;even for the latter
period,in spite of the existenceof writtendocuments,oraltraditionshave still proved
very useful in giving a balancedview of events. The tendency,however,has been for
the historiansof the Yorubapeople to regardoraltraditionsas no more than personal
recollectionsand generalizedhistoricalknowledge.In the main, they have failed to
give cognizanceto oral literature;3experienceelsewhere,however,has shown that a
meaningfulutilizationof oral traditionsin historicalreconstructioncannot affordto
neglect this third category,4which is for historians of non-literatesocieties what
literatureis for the culturaland social historiansof literatesocieties. Moreover,the
Yorubathemselvestreat some forms of oral literatureas quasi-historicalrecords.
Yorubaoral literatureconsistsof very many types, rangingfrom the fables, myths,
legends, etc., of proseliteratureto the religious,social, and other contributionsof the
poetic genre. Of these, students of Yoruba oral literatureare agreed that the latter
constitutes the largest and most importantsingle item;5 for almost every aspect of
Yorubalife finds expressionin poetry, and poetry is the most popularliteraryform
for marking important occasions-weddings, births, funerals, naming ceremonies,
festivals, etc.-in Yorubalife. It is thereforeimportantthat in any considerationof
Yorubaoral literatureas historicaldatasome attentionshould be given to its poetry.
The bulk of this poetry is the oriki, generallytranslatedas praise poem, poetic

I D. P. Abraham, 'The Early Political History

of the Kingdom of Mwene Mutapa', 850-1589,
in Historians in Tropical Africa (Salisbury, 1962).
E. J. Alagoa, A History of the Niger Delta-an
historical interpretation of the Ij9 oral tradition
(Ibadan, 1972).
2 See Ruth Finnegan, 'A Note on Oral Tradition and Historical Evidence', History and
Theory, vol. ix, no. 2 (1970), pp. I95-201. Also
E. J. Alagoa, 'Songs as Historical Data. Examples from the Niger Delta', in Research Review
(Institute of African Studies, University of
Ghana), vol. 5, No. i (I968), pp. I-I6.
3 One notable
exception is Wande Abimb?la's

'Ifa Divination Poems as Sources for Historical

Evidence', Lagos Notes and Records, Vol. i,
No. i (June 1967), pp. I7-26. The very recent
publication-Sources
of Yoruba History, edited
by S. O. Biobaku (O.U.P., i973), has also shown
an awareness of the importance of oral literature
but has done very little to examine the value of the
different types for the historian.
4 Cf. Alagoa, op. cit.
5 e.g. S. A. 0. Babalola, The Content and Form
ljld (Oxford University Press, 1966),
of Yoriubad
p. iv; Bakare Gbadamosi and Ulli Beier, Yoriiba
Poetry (Ibadan, 1959), p. 6.

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PRAISE POEMS AS HISTORICAL DATA

332
salute, or poetic citation, which is publicly recited to an object. Virtually every object,
animate or inanimate, among the Yoruba can have an oriki; it can be about a god, illnesses, animals, food, towns, lineages, individual personalities, etc. Such an orikl
can stand as a single poem by itself or it can form part of the content of the various
types of Yoruba oral poetry such as the Ijala chants of the hunters, the tsa of the
Eguingun (Masquerades), the Odu of Ifi (Ifi divination poems), etc. The exact derivation of the word oriki is open to debate6 but it is likely that the orikz poem is a
longer form of the oriki, one of the three names7 given to a child at birth to reflect the
circumstances of his birth. The orikz poem certainly shares the same attributive
quality with the single name oriki. For the poem depicts the portrait of an object by
giving its most salient characteristics in very figurative and hyperbolic language.
For the historian, the oriki dealing with human achievements are obviously the
most relevant and it is this group of oriki with their examples that will be examined
in this paper for their historical significance. Such oriki can be divided into three
groups, viz.:
(I) oriki Zlu(towns) which deals with the foundation of a town, its vicissitudes and

its general reputation among its neighbours.

oriki oril4 (lineages) which gives the characteristics of a patrilineage by focusing
attention on a few illustrious members of the lineage whose attributes are
supposed to typify the main features of that lineage.
(3) oriki inagijf (individual personalities) which deals mainly with individuals; it
could outline those qualities that mark him out for distinction or it could be
a combination of these and his pedigree, in which case some of the oriki orilf
is included.
(2)

The significance of these three types of oriki can, however, only be fully appreciated
if they are placed within the context of Yoruba culture.
Most writers on the oriki are agreed that culturally, oriki are very important.
Their functions within the society are manifold. The oriki can serve as a simple
verbal salute from an older member of a family to a younger one when they meet
each other for the first time in a day, or just as a means of encouragement to the
younger one if he has done well. On festive occasions lineage wives can say the oriki
orilf as a verbal salute to welcome different members of the lineage; in a chief's
household, it is drummed in the morning as a kind of signal to greet him on his
waking; during the day the arrival of an august visitor to his house is announced
again by drumming the visitor's oriki long before he actually sees the chief; on festive
occasions, in public assemblies such as the meeting of town chiefs, the installation of
new holders of office, etc., the oriki is chanted, recited, drummed, and even beaten
out on a blacksmith's anvil as it were in a spirit of competition to emphasize the
importance of each chief's lineage and the achievements that have won the particular
chief fame and distinction within the society. On each of these occasions, the oriki
provides for the Yoruba a great deal of psychological satisfaction; by listening to the
oriki they are reminded of their ancestors and memories of the latters' achievements.
6 It has been
suggested in some quarters that
Oriki is derived from ori (head or origin) and kt
(cite), but this explanation has not received wide

acceptance from Yoruba linguists and others.

7 S. Johnson, The History of the Yorfibds
(I92I), p. 85.

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THE EXAMPLEOF THE YORUBAORfKl

333
Deeds and achievementsprovide them with confidencefor the present and courage
to push on for the future. Accordingto BabalQlA
in his book, The Contentand Form
the
orz'k
oril4
a feeling of solidaritywith
of
arouses
Yoruba
the
of
chanting
Ijdld,
one's blood relationsand createsa feeling of pride in one's pedigree.8
In additionorikiconstitutesome form of recordof the past of the Yorubasociety
and most informants,especiallythe professionalbards,seem to regardthem as such,
for an orikipoem dealswith the most salientaspectsof a subject'slife and in the main
representsthe popularlyacceptedview of a man'slineage'sor town's achievementsby
contemporaries.Indeed the genesis of the orikiand the methodof compositionconfer
some authenticityon the contents of the oriki and highlights its potentialhistorical
value. The orikiis not a ready-madepoem, but is composedpiecemealover the long
periodof a subject'slife; single epithets,phrases,or sentencesin hyperboliclanguage
are spontaneouslycoined about the subject by his contemporaries-friendsand foes
alike-who have had a chanceof observinghim at close quarters.Differentoccasions
give rise to such descriptions-a drinkingbout with his companions,his performance
in battle, his impressivedisplay of wealth, settlement of a quarrel,etc.; these occasions in fact form the backgroundinto which the descriptionsare woven, but on
each occasion the subject must have distinguished himself and attracted public
attention. The constant repetition of such descriptions by all and sundry attest
to their aptness in describing the subject and their wide acceptancewithin the
community. The oriki therefore starts off as an expression of public opinion, the
product of close observationof the subject, at a particularperiod of history. Since
they are said publicly and on festive occasionsthey soon becomepublic propertyand
go into the repertoireof the professionalbardswho eventuallystring them into some
kind of poem which has been aptly describedas 'a body of praiseunits'.9The format
of such a poem is usually in three parts: it starts off with a short section of appellatives which describes the subject's status, appearance,nicknames,etc., the second
part of the poem is longer and lists the subject'sachievementsand distinctions,while
the thirdpart,which is also short, dealswith commentaries,opinions,criticismsof the
subject. All over the poem there are interjectionsat suitableintervalsof some of the
subject'smore popularappellatives.
One other factor which also emphasizesthe importancewhich the Yorubaattach
to the orikias a form of recordof the past is the carewhich is takenwith its recitation
and transmission.This becomes apparentin many ways. First as indicated earlier
on in this paper,the orikiis said only on occasionswhich can be regardedas socially
significant. Second, every effort is made to ensure that there is no deliberatedistortion of the contentsof the oriki.Accordingto BabalQlait is traditionallybelieved
that the correctperformanceof the orikiin honourof a progenitorgladdenshim in the
world of the spirits and induces him to shower them with blessings. Great pride is
thereforetakenin correctrendition.I?To ensurethis those who transmitthe oriklfrom
one generationto anotherconstitute a separateclass. Foremost in this categoryare
the lineagewives. The wives marriedinto a lineage are traditionallythe custodians
and transmittersof the lineage's orikt and the oriki of the importantpersonalities
8 S. A. O. Baballai, op. cit., p. 24.
9 0. O. Qlatfinji, Characteristic Features of
Yoruiba Oral Poetry, Ph.D. Thesis, University

of Ibadan (1970), p. 131.

O1S. A. O. BabalQla, op. cit., p. 24.

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334

PRAISE POEMS AS HISTORICAL DATA

within it. They are expected to show identificationwith and pride in their adopted
lineage by learning to recite the orikzof its forebears.Apart from lineage wives,
professionalbards are also charged with the responsibilityof transmitting oriki.
Some of these bards learn them and recite them on appropriateoccasionsto induce
the audienceto showerthem with gifts of money. But in addition,chiefs and other
importantpersonalitiesmaintaintheir own drummersand singers whose repertoire
must include the orikzof their master,his lineage,his town, as well as the oriklof his
friends and acquaintances.
Otherfactorsalso ensure correctrendition.Since a large body of the orikiis to be
found in the differenttypes of Yoruba oral poetry, the same precautionstaken to
ensurethat the memoryof those saddledwith the responsibilityof transmissiondoes
not fail will obtain. For the professionalbards there is a rigoroussystem of training
and apprenticeshipbefore they are judged competent to engage in a public performance."IA novice is usually attached to a famous bard at an early age to learn
the profession as well as the repertoire of poems. Older apprentices are also
expected to spend a certain number of years with a master bard before they are
deemed to have attained some perfection. Apart from constant repetition which
makesan orikistay fixed in a bard'smemory,he also employsa numberof mnemonic
devices and charms which he believes will help against failing memory. For the
lineage wives there is no such rigoroustrainingbut the desire to become identified
with the achievementsof their adopted lineage provides a great incentive for them
to aim at correctrendition.
Althoughthe orzkidoes not fall strictlywithin Chadwick'sselect category'2of oral
traditionin which strict memorizationobtains,great care still is takento ensure that
the substanceof the orikzremainsauthentic.Indeed all writerson the orikiare agreed
that the kernelof truth is preservedno matterthe mode or mediumof transmission.13
But in spite of the care taken to ensure that the substanceremainsundistorted,
it is importantto realize that the orikl, like all oral literature,has certainlimitations
as historicaldata and these limitationsmust be noted beforeits contributioncan be
fully appreciated.First, it is importantto rememberthat the oriki is only part of a
performancewhichtraditionallyincludesa performer,a criticalandwatchfulaudience,
and sometimes accompanyingdrummers.Accordingto Vidal,'4 there is also some
singing; he maintainsthat at festivals and vigils when the orikiforms an important
part of the ceremony the song signifies the commencementof dancing; when the
chanterenters the song portion, he is joined by drum accompaniment,echoes, and
dancing from the audience. Once the orikzhas been recordedand transcribed,that
additionalguaranteeof its authenticity,the critical and watchful audience is lost,
and also with it the whole sense of realism that pervades an actual performance. In

addition, the whole exercise of recording and transcribingis a tricky one; unlike
written sources, one particularrecording cannot be regardedas the final or only
S. A. O. Babalola, op. cit., and P. 0. OgiinII
b kwale, Akdjopp (Ord tge (Lagos, I967), give
detailed information about the training of a professional bard.
I2 H. M. and N. K. Chadwick, The Growth of
Literature (Oxford University Press, 1935),
Vol. 3, p. 868.

13 e.g. S. A. 0. Babalgla, op. cit., p. I8: 'Though

the wording of the oriki varies slightly from artist
to artist, the kernel of the subject matter of the
oriki is the same in the repertoire of all expert
Ijala hunters.'
I4 Tfnji Vidal, 'Oriki in Traditional Music' in
African Arts, 3 (I), pp. 56-9 (Autumn, 1969).

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THE EXAMPLEOF THE YORUBAORfKl

335
source. When a particularorikiis recorded,it is only partof a particularperformance,
a particularversion, affected, as all oral traditionsare, by such extraneouscircumstancesas the personalidiosyncrasiesof the performer,the receptivityof the audience,
etc. It would thereforebe necessaryto collect as many differentrecordingsas possible
to get an authenticversion of the oriki.
Second, changingsocial circumstanceswithin Yorubasociety are also affectingthe
transmissionand production of orikl. The traditionaltransmittersof the oriki are
graduallydying off with very little prospectof replacement;with increasedurbanization and the modern tendency to live mainly within the smallernuclearfamily, the
compound system which brought together the old and young wives of the lineage
and provided the latter with an opportunityto learn the lineage oriki from the
former, is graduallydisappearing,and with it one of the main repositoriesof oriki
oril4.Moreover,the race of professionalpraisesingersand drummersis diminishing;
with the introductionof free primaryeducationit is getting difficultto recruityoung
apprenticesinto the profession.In additionthe positionof these professionalsis being
misconstruedand confused with that of the beggar. They are also being displaced
by a new breed of popular musicians and entertainerswhose songs, being mainly
stereotyped,are not particularand are only interestingas reflectingnew values.
The introductionof new norms of moralitywithin the society have also affected
the oriki;in particularit has had an adverseeffect on its authenticity.This is so with
the oriki'svaluejudgementson the subject. Becausethe oriklis meant to give a portrait of a subject, it has often, even while praisingthat subject, been able to criticize
it and to point out those traits which will now be consideredamoral.In a few cases
such commentshave been found embarrassingby the descendantsof those concerned
and this has tended to encouragethe suppressionof certainparts of the poem. The
case of the orikion OluiyQle,
the first real ruler of Ibadanin the nineteenthcentury,
is a good example.His orikiwhich was collectedand recordedearlyin this centurywas
published in a book on Ibadan,15by the late I. B. Akinyelewho eventuallyhimself
became the ruler of the town. After some copies of the book had been sold, Oliy'le's descendantsprotestedand about two pages, i.e. pages 35 and 36, of his oriki
were removed from the remainingcopies of the book. It has been impossible to
get any of his descendantsto recite these four pages and only aftera thoroughsearch
have the followinglines been revealed.16
I. 06 gb9dQbu, o6 gb9dQsa, ob gb9d? sr?Q e le'hin
rh

2. lfni 6 bu'Ba le'ke w9n 6' jlya

3. AsVla mu rfuwon

4. Bii t9QmBankle6

5. Iba a r6 dod6 pogo 16rifein

6. ihinkiilee Mondiu16 pos si.

i. You must not abuse him, you must not insult him, you mustn't backbitehim
2. Whoevercalls Iba a deceiverwill be punished
3. His corpse will be carriedawaywith a brokendoor
4. As was the fate of BAnk~le'sson
I5 I. B. Aklnyel6, Iwe Itan lbadan (The History
of lbadan) (Exeter, 1946).

I6 I am grateful to Pa Adeniji of Iwo who made

this text available to me.

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PRAISE POEMS AS HISTORICAL DATA

336

5. Iba who dressed in colourful robes ordered the execution of the proud
6. He killed )Q$in M~ndu's backyard.
The whole idea of this verse is to emphasize the immensity of his power, to indicate
that he was a man who had power over all and could do anything. This assertion is
illustrated by reference to the fate that befell two of his chiefs-Bankole and O)-who antagonized him; he had them killed in a most ruthless manner. The qualities
indicated here were after Oluiyle's period of ascendancy no longer popular in Ibadan
which prided itself on building up an oligarchic form of government. Hence the
anxiety of Oliuyle's descendants to excise this type of description from his oriki.
Indeed such suppression and other deliberate distortions of the oriki makes it
imperative for the historian to be conversant with the structure, form, language, and
other stylistic devices of the oriki. This type of deliberate omission for instance
shows that the structure of the orikzis characterized by a high degree of fluidity in the
arrangement of the lines and the content; in different renditions of the same oriki
some lines may be left out, praise themes may be more developed in one version than
in another, the order of occurrence of the praise themes may differ, the wording
might also change, all without being obvious to a listener or a reader unless he has had
the opportunity of looking at different versions of the oriki. The orikt also shares
certain peculiarities with other types of praise poems;17 it is given to hyperbolic
language aimed at emphasizing particular qualities in the subject; there is also a
tendency for certain descriptive stock phrases to recur in different oriki. It calls for
a good working knowledge of the language and an understanding of the background
of the culture. In addition to its special peculiarities, the oriki employs the same
stylistic devices as obtain in other types of Yoruba poetry,'8 such as repetitions,
lexical matching, wordplay, etc. Some of these, in particular such devices as the use
of non-casual language, particularly archaisms, can make the material difficult for
the historian to handle. But this could also be an advantage, especially in the case of
figurative language such as allusion to myths or historical events in the sense that in
searching for the hidden meanings new avenues are opened up for research; commentaries in such cases can provide useful historical evidence.
The three types of oriki will now be examined for their significance as historical
documents.

Oriki Ilu
The first oriki is on Ibadan town which was founded in the nineteenth century.
By Yoruba standards, it is a comparatively young settlement, but by the end of the
nineteenth century it had outstripped the other towns and become the most powerful
within the country. Its rapid ascendancy which was based largely on its break with
accepted traditions of government and general behaviour excited the comment of its
neighbours and earned it an oriki which has survived till the present day.

OrikiIbadan
I. Ibadan kuire!

2. Ibadanbereki o t6 w~ o,
I7
e.g. I. Schapera, Praise Poems of Tswana
Chiefs (Oxford University Press, I965). Trevor
Cope, Izibongo, Zulu Praise Poems (Oxford
University Press, 1968).

I8 See O. 0.
Qlatunji, op. cit., esp. pp. 21-I02,
for the various stylistic devices in Yoruba
poetry.

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THE EXAMPLEOF THE YORUBAORfKl

3. IbadanmesigQ?n'ile Oliuyle

337

4. Nibi ole 'gbe jare ol6hun;

5. lbadan kii gbe onil' bi ajeji

6. A kii waye ka ma'larun kan lara

7. ljagborolarun Ibadan

I. Hail Ibadan! Home of warriors

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Ibadan the town about which you must make investigations before you enter,
Ibadan, the child of Esi-the bush pig, the home of Olu6yle,
The town where thieves get the better of the rightful owners,
lbadan which gives more succour to the strangers than to the indigenes,
It is impossible for any being in this world not to have a defect,
Ibadan's blemish is its constant civil war.

From this oriki certain facts about Ibadan emerge; it was a home of warriors; [line
i], Oluiyle [line 3] held sway there for long enough for his name to be identified with
the town; it was troubled by man-eating wild pigs; [line 3], justice in the town was
rough; [line 4], it encouraged immigrants; [line 5], civil war was endemic in it [lines
6 and 7]. Some of this information indicates that the oriki must have been composed
during the early years of Ibadan's growth and that it depicts a portrait of Ibadan
during that period and gives an insight into some of its problems. For instance, the
oriki refers to Ibadan as the home of Oluiykle; Oluiyle was the first recognized ruler
of Ibadan and as we have observed above, he succeeded in establishing sole rule
there; but so dictatorial was he that the convention was established that no one
single person should wield power. Second, apart from the political problem, there
was also at the beginning the physical problem characterized by the invasion of the
man-eating pigs. Third, a policy of encouraging immigrants was adopted initially.
Much of the facts in the orikz can be gleaned from other oral sources but it is useful
to have them in this more permanent literary form for with changing values in
society, the Ibadan are finding these descriptions obnoxious and trying to put a
different construction on them. For instance Esi the man-eating pig [line 3] is now
translated to tsi--Answer, and so the whole line is now construed to mean the Ibadan
who know how to give the right replies (good at repartees). There is no mention of this
physical problem of the man-eating pigs in the personal recollections and generalized
historical knowledge of Ibadan but fortunately, the same information has been
corroborated in another literary source-Odu Ifa, (se Meji.19 There is also great
objection to line 5 by the present inhabitants of Ibadan who see this as an incitement
to outsiders to settle in Ibadan and prosper at their expense; the situation in the
nineteenth century was, however, different; then, the indigenous inhabitants were
driven away at the beginning of the century by refugee soldiers who made Ibadan
their home and encouraged people of the same ilk to join them in the new settlement.20
But the permanent form of the orikzhas also produced a few obscurities; the exact
meaning of kure is uncertain, though it is regarded as a form of salute: Even Esi is an
archaic word. Line 4 is obscure; it has been suggested that it was coined on a particular occasion when Ba,~run )OgunmlaS,in an effort to encourage soldiers, judged
I9
20

'Winde Abimb?lai, op. cit.

See B. Awe, The Rise of Ibadan as a Yoriuba

Power, D.Phil., Oxford, for the settlement of

Ibadan in the nineteenth century.

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PRAISEPOEMSAS HISTORICALDATA
338
right a soldier who was accused by a civilianof stealinga goat.2IIt could, however,
when might was often right and
be an indicationof the state of affairsunder OluiyQle
a braveman might get awayeven with theft. The many civil warsreferredto in lines
6 and 7 were also typical of this period, though they were not peculiarto the period
alone.
Oriki Orilf
Onikoyi,the rulerof Ikoyi, was one of the provincialchiefs in the old Oy9 Empire
which lasted till the early decadesof the nineteenthcentury.Traditionallyhe played
an importantpart in the politicaland militaryadministrationof the kingdom.It was
his responsibilityto lead all provincialkings to the metropolisat Oy9 on the annual
festivalswhen these chiefs paidhomageand tributeto the Alaafin,rulerof the empire.
It was also his duty to defend the empire againstexternalforces; he organizedthe
provincialforces for such defence and led them to battle as their Field Marshal.
His title of Onikoyiis hereditaryand is borne by membersof his lineage.
Orikz Onikayi22
I. Arqni 6 gbele, Oiukoyi6 simi ogun lilo
Gb n-nkaa

2. Iyeke Igede69m

3.
4
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
io.

Ogun 16 kaayin mOgb6

Lq daraigb6
Ogun kaayin md'an
15dero odan
Ogun kaa yin mo mokiti
1! doli eesun
i jQm9 gbele
ni
Qm9 gbe'gb~{

I i. Qm gbeju
12. Gbe'gboro.

I3. Gbori oko

14. Gb'Aaw{.
I5. Gb'Aagba

i6. Gbe K4bai

I7. Gb'6gbmQ?Q

i8. Gbele IfSn

I9. Gbe ti Kuita.
i. As long as the sun Bird remainsa migrantbird, Oliukoyiwould not cease to
wanderabout a-warring.
2. Iyeke Igede, offspringof GbQn-n-kaa.
3. When you were surprisedby the enemy in an open forest tract,
4. You changedyourselvesinto forest trees.
5. When you were surprisedby the enemy in a savannahtract,

21
22

S. Johnson, op. cit. pp. 373-4.

This extract from orik Onikoyi is taken along

with its translation from S. A. O. Babalgla, op. cit.,

pp. I24-6.

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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
i

12.
13.
I4.

I5.
i6.
17.

i8.
I9.

THE EXAMPLE OF THE YORUBA ORfKl

339
You changed yourselves into savannah grass.
And when you were surprised by the enemy in a tract full of disused ant-hills,
You transformed yourselves into ant-hill mushrooms.
You are known as people who sometimes stay at home,
Sometimes live in the open forest,
Sometimes live in 'transition woodland tracts',
Sometimes live in the street,
Sometimes live on the farm,
Sometimes live at Aawq,
Sometimes live at Aagba,
Sometimes at K?bai,
Sometimes at Ogb6m?QM
,
Sometimes at Ile Ifon,
And sometimes at Kuta.

From this particular passage a picture of the Onik6yi lineage emerges; members of
the lineage are distinguished and restless soldiers and indeed belong to the prestigious
rank of the tgs, the most outstanding and privileged soldiers in the Oy' army. But
in addition other facts can also be gleaned from this oriki; first, there is an insight
into the strategy of warfare; one Onikoyi nicknamed Iyeke Igede, son of GbQnikaa,
one of the i9S, was reputed to be good at camouflage tactics. The Onikoyi also had
many places of refuge which made it difficult for their enemies to trap them easily.
Second, by listing all the places of refuge, some information is conveyed about the
historical geography of an area where many changes took place particularly in the
nineteenth century. Many of the towns listed in this oriki were destroyed and have
had to be rebuilt.
The other significant thing demonstrated about oriki orilf which is also true of this
oriki is that they are borne by all members of the same patrilineage and by locating the
people bearing a particular oriki orilf it is possible to have an insight into migrations
within the Yoruba country, and the extent of the mobility of the population. For
instance, all over Ikiti in the north-eastern part of the Yoruba country, there are
families bearing the oriki ompOlpbd; they are to be found in ikoro, cba, ode ekiti, etc.;
evidence from other sources indeed has revealed that they were probably aboriginal
inhabitants of the fkiti country.23 In the same way, people bearing the oriki of the
onik6yi are to be found as far afield as in Ibadan, Oy ),Ogb6m$', Ikire, etc. Other
traditions indicate quite clearly that many people fled from Ik6yi after the town was
destroyed by the Fulani early in the nineteenth century. The incidence of their
oriki in all those places shows the extent of their dispersal.

OrikiInagije
Balogun Ibfkuinlewas a distinguished soldier from Ogb6m?49 who rose to become
the commander-in-chief of Ibadan forces in the nineteenth century, and was responsible for most of the conquests of the I85os that made Ibadan the foremost military
power in the Yoruba country during that period. In addition his conquests gave rise
to the Ibadan empire whose administration owed a great deal to his genius.
23

H. U. Beier, 'Before Odiuduwa', Odit, Journal of Yoriuba and Related Studies, No. 3, 1956,

pp. 25-32.

Aa

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PRAISEPOEMSAS HISTORICALDATA

34?

Oriki Baldgun bikuznle24

I. lbikunle O16ke!
2. Agbangba Ase!

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Io.
I I.

Baloguna teno bi Aje

Jagun! a to bi aila.
A $e 'yo'wubi 016'dumare
Ar6wo 16grqgqr?nileolomi;
A t6 fis$ogun ran
0 ta gbogbo 9kunrinkakalaya.
6 loko 1i'gbere
lbikunle 16ko16d6-Qna;
A bojuioko gbrenngede

12. To fi d6di Adedgun.

13. Alagb'alajayajayababa Kuije
14. Agbala Ibikuinlejoko lomiran19

I5. A bagbhalt6 k6riko6 sare tan

i6.
17.
i8.
19.
20.
2I.

Agbalanilababa Oj6-Ghn.
6 laraAra 19lohan
6 lQhan lu Ik9gusl
Darani'jababa Oguinmlai
Gbagunlojii babaA$fpa;
L'ta let' baba Osl Ibadan

22. Apewa p6l6ri ija nila

23. Baba Orowuslt6 jikqrin

24. A f6olgb6ngb6tid' bi O16'dumare
25. 6 jagun Alake, 6 p9m9 Alake,
26. 0 jagun 'Gbfin, IbikunledOr6 nigbekun
27. ( na $6m6ye, o nApati

28. O y9 'gi gb6ngbo ni'Allakkiiri;

29. O fairo, 6 jare igba,
30. O pAl1la t6 ran wQn wagun

31. O fhrangbogbojare-jare
da.
32. Obfriti!a ji p9j9Qkui
0
r6ri
$abh
1616ri4aOko,
33.
/gba
34. (0 sl tun fori $abatlke-kere
35. 6 tin fori $aba1'Alabata
36. Obiriti!yaagb6,yaajfibi $un Apara
37. Bi yio ba w9n ja, tojuitimuini fii p4n $? $?? ?
38. A pQnlo6jiija
j ri-ari!
kiribiti
Qkhnrin
39.
pi!
40. 6 ki l w4 ki lvsObi ogldan.
41. O f9wb guinmui'J~buiapa ttun
42. Adeyqw,n 9ba w9n til jAwijal !
24 This orikl is taken from I. B.
Akinyqle, op.
cit., pp. 57-62. Indeed, it is almost impossible to
get a fuller rendition of the orikt from present-

day informants. I am grateful to Mr. Islai,

School of African and Asian Studies, University
of Lagos, for its translation.

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43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.

THE EXAMPLEOF THE YORUBAORfKl

6 fgw4 guinmui'Jebuiapa Osi.
A faim? k6 t6 ma f9w9 gunmu
Jimbanfle Ilrin
A bimu u tay9 qnu.
6 pahJbu,6 riJDbu
6 riJbui hni
bi
rip6,
O rijtbuitan 6 kqjuurg s6de
Nibi w(n gbe nta yangan
A ni k6 ma'd6 nigb6

52. Bal6gun d6 nigb6, 6 bagb6 j{,

53.
54.
55.
56.
57.

A ni k6 ma'd6 ldan,
Bal6gund6 1ldan
( f~dan ya p<r<nggdV
a$9
a
ni
k6
ma'
I:ni
dAw*r'
Toko )la 16ba 19lldq,

58. 0la k6 gb9d?roko

59. Timi k6 gb9Qdrodo

60. ( 1I fun w9n daro lAgbale

16s9 mi da ba'yio!'
61. W4nni 'Ibikuinle
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.

) 19ki Baal mi hlin

) ni' Hin-Hin! Ibikunle19lo'ni
) 19ki Timi bomi sara
6 ni, 'N 6 til4 w* 16ni Ibkuinle1 !'
A gborf igbV digbb.
A gbori ogun $igun
Oguun 'J`a la di
if4n ni k6 ma' r4na 19
Balogun aingb6,6 wa di kara
Ibifknle foloib6 tffn jiyan tan;

72. A nda apepe w9n, a nda all

73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.

w9n

Awaj 1016kefi webu Ariw6

6 yara tu aba eree,
( tina b9 oroo w9n loko
0 ba$9sil' bEle'riwok6 sile
5ta k6ogo, Babak'r.
0 ja ni p6p6o L9la berin tii w6ko
Erin kb w6ko nIl9la
Ni Ilasv ni baba Kugjggbe w6ko
Jagun! A l1gb9n ikun bi Oib6
N w4n n da'gbanile Oluf4n,
Balogunni w'n fi n daruk9
N w9n nlulil lljigb6 Ok6r6
Balogunni w4n fi n daruk9
N w9n nlu kinjinnile Il9rin
Balogunni w6n fi n s9ruk9.
Okan$o$oAj'anakumingb6 kiji-kiji

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341

PRAISE POEMS AS HISTORICAL DATA

342

89. lbikunle ni 6un k6 min Igb6 mg

90. 6 ni, 'Oun ?kan$o$o
ajanaku
Ti i min gbogbo aye kiji-kiji.
92. Fni Ql1run ran nif$ pe k6 wa je.

91.

93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.

Is{ t(l9run ran Ibikinle,

je 6 si k6 t6 6 19
k6
t6
terin
i da dur6,
]w9n tpotp
Itakunt6 pe kerin ma' dana
T6un terin ni nll
Balogun!t6 ! t6 ! t6! fiiuuin!!!
Nk6 j< bu 9 le'ke laelae!
Alari 16 bi 9 le'ke

Ioo. Obfriti! o so ilu r~ dahoro!

ioi. IkQgisi 16 bui babaa mi le'ke!
102. Onflella! o SQiluu re dahoro!
103. Ajero Ajaka 16 bui 9 le'ke
104. Ar6w61oo!o sg iliu r~ dahoro!
105. Balogun! Olugbya ! mo b 9 !

io6. AgbakAleefin gba igbo!

107. Balogun mo b~ o! Olligbaya!

io8. Agbakanigbaagb?pe!
o09. Agbaki ls"
i

gb)nah!

io. Agbakalodi gbali !

I I.

Oluigbaya! mo b 9 !

II2.

Agbakalabiyam' gbajam9m9 rV.

13. Ar6w616!

114. 0 gbhyaa w9n nfl !

115. R6gi-rogbe!
II6. 0 gbayaa w9n logun.
117. Ar6w616!
118. Qk99 w9n nile,
19. R6gi-rogbe!
120. Qk99 w9n logun
121. Ori$a ti yf6o e bf ogun k6 si mQ
122.

Ojuilasan lori inuu w6n nya'kiiri,

I23. Bi k6 bayuin, w9n k6 le yuin,

Bi k6 ba rin, w9n k6 le rin,
I24.
Bi
Ibfkuinleol6ke k6 ba sf,
125.

126. W9n k6 1e da ja akatalogun.

Oib6! e ma'gun m9!

128. ltjbu ! mavwa m !
129. Bi lOb6 k6 gun, bi Ijbui k6 wa
130. tU IlbikuinleO16keto waf 16olaelae.
I27.

I3I.

nil duirodqefqnduirodeku.

132. lnif duir6dqffqn duir6dej,

133. 1fni duiro de eeguin aagangan
134. Lorun ni nfe 19.

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THE EXAMPLE OF THE YORUBA ORfKl

343

I35- Ibfkuinle1 k6 16'na ni 9 k6 ya!

136. A fi eni ti k6 nf Ondugb6yeeba 1@run

I37. Qgbaragada!QkunrintQ'4t!
138. Aw9n Kuirunmilase ija sQnU.
139. Sangba fo! Qlrhaan kun 19 bi oyin!
I40. Ibkuinle yger b'se, o seru kale
141. Orukk916 mu 19, k6 m6y6 19
I42.

0 m6'aiukaare l1w4, baba Kuej9.

I. Ibikunle,the Lord of his Quarters,(Hill)

6.
7.
8.
9.
io.

The proverbialmagnificentdoer,
The Captainthat disgracesmen as would the dearthof money
The Warrior!As regularas the Muslim afternoonprayers
A stronglywitted man with incomprehensioncomparableto that of 016'dumare.
The affluentwith enough to spend and to spare at the brewery.
A reliablemilitaryerrant,
A challengerof all men.
Ownerof farm land at Ogbere,
lbikuinlealso has a farm at Odo-Qn(a!

i i.

A wide expanse of farm land,

2.

3.
4.
5.

12.

I3.
I4.
I5.

i6.
I7.
i8.
19.

20.
21.

22.

Extensiveas far as the city (fortification)wall at Adesgun.

Fatherof Kujg', owner of a dreadlyfearsomebackyard.
Ibikunle'sbackyardis even bigger than other people's farms;
His backyardis wide enough a trackfor hyenas'full length race,
Proverbialbig backyard,fatherof 0j6-Gan.
He drove the sojournersof Ara to Ohan,
Drove 0han people against'Kogusi,
Admirableat expeditions,fatherof Oguinmkla,
Fierce-strikerat war, fatherof Asipa;
A stockistof bullet and gunpowder,fatherof Osi of Ibhdan.
Usually commissionedto subdue the Head of any rebellion.

23. Father of Orowusi the ]kerin,

24. Keeper of inseparablecudgel like Ol1'dumare.

25. He fought againstAlake'sarmyand killed his son;
26. Ibikuinlefought againstIgbein, and becamea terrorin captivity.
27. He struckat S6muy'e,struckat Apati,
28. Used a short cudgel to drive A14laabout.
29. Without stating his case, he had the judgement againstthe igba.
30. Killed Al4la that orderedthem to the expedition.
3I. Ever winning in every case.
32. Obiriti, a changerof one's fateful day.
33. Had tigba heads for erectinga hut at Ol6'ripa-oko.
34. Also used it for hut makingat Oke-kere
35. And as well used it for a hut at Alabata.
36. Oblrit--overflowing here and there like river 0$un Apara.

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PRAISEPOEMSAS HISTORICALDATA
When in fightingmood, both eyes and nose are usuallyblood red,
Alwaysin bloody mood at the theatresof war.
A reallyhefty personality.
With strong plump hand and feet of a gorilla.
41. Despiseful of the Ijebuion his right

344
37.
38.
39.
40.

42. Adeyqw4n their Awujale;

43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.

Also spiteful of the Ijebu on his left,

It is unlikelyhe may not mete the same treatmentto
Jimbain IlQrin,
The man with a disproportionately
longer nose than his mouth.
He killed Ijbui and plantedljebu,
PlantedIjebuias would plant a post;
Planted Ijbui facing outwards-

Opposite the Corn market.

was dared to camp in the forest,
He
5I.
50.

Baloguncampedin the forest and despoiledit.

He was daredto pitch his tent in the field
Balogunpitched his tent in the field,
He ravagedand rent the whole field as would a cloth.
A man that was forewarnednot to call at Awere,
He marchedthroughOla's(chiefs) farmsat $de.
Ola (chiefs) dare not move anywhere,
Timi must stay put in his palace.
His departuregave them relief at Agbale($dq).
They all in a chorus sighed 'Ibikunle has been responsible for our impoverishedstate.'
62. He departedand the Baal~,breathedan air of relief;
63. He said thank God, Ibikunlehas at last left today!
64. His departuremade Timl to have a good bath
65. Saying: 'I will have my bath today, Ibikuinl is gone.'
66. He plans for anotherexpeditionwhile still executingone
67. He barelyquells a rebellionwhile he opens fire in anotherfront.
68. He plannedfor Ij a war;
69. lf(n was pitching a blockade
70. Balogunclearedthe forest and dug trenches,
71. Ibikunle pounded and ate away the yams of the aristocraticMffn in an uncaringmanner;
72. Pillagedtheir apepe yams, pillagedtheir al?lQyams
73. Even the sproutingyam sets of Ariwocompletelywent in for it too.
74. Emptiedthe grain granariesin a jiffy,
75. And set fires to all their poisons in the village.
76. He nakedlyenteredthe house with Ele'riwo
77. An enemy of K6ngo, fatherof K'r':
78. He lightningly fought in Lola's open field with the resemblanceof an
elephant
79. The elephanthardlyravagedIlola field
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
6i.

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THE EXAMPLEOF THE YORUBAORfKl

345
80. Kuij4's father,reallyplunderedthe field in llais.
8I. The warrior!Witty as a European.
82. When agba drums are sounded in Oluif4n'shouse,
83. It was alwaysin praiseof Balogun.
84. When they beat the drumsin Ejigbo-Okoro,
85. It was also in praiseof Balogun.
86. When Kinjin drumsare even sounded in ll9rin
87. It was in praiseof no one else but Balogun.
88. A lone elephantthat rocksthe jungle.
89. Ibikinle has given up the idea of just rockingthe jungle
go. He says he is a lone elephant
9I. That rocksthe whole world to its foundation.
92. A God-sent for the fulfilmentof a mission.
93. The missionthat God gaveto Iblkuinle,he executedthe samebeforehis death.
94. A chainwith the thicknessof a palmtree is incapableof stoppingan elephant.
95. Any creeperthat aims to obstructthe elephantfrom crossingthe road
96. Will surely follow the elephantin its trail.
97. Balogun!my unendingrespectsfor you!
98. I will never chargeyou for a liar for ever.
99. Alarathat took you for a liar.
Ioo. Obiriti!the result was the subsequentdespoilationof his town.
IoI. Ik9g,gsi that took my father'swords for falsehood,
I02. Onilel9lai!his town was thus in complete ruins.
I03. Ajero-Ajakathat took your words for lying,
104. Arowolo! his town became a completelydesertedplace.
I05. Balogun! Oluigbayt! I implore thee

io6. The smoke screen has often spreadround the jungle.

107. Balogun I beseeech thee, Olugbaya.

io8. The climbingrope has often retrievedthe palm tree.

109. The sole of the feet has alwaysled the path,
Iio. The city has alwaysbeen surroundedby the town fortificationwall.
i iI. Olugbaya!
112.

The nursing mother usually ties the shawl for carryingthe baby securely
round her and the baby.

13. Ar6w6olo!

You outwit them all in town.

II5. Ro-gi rogbe
II6. Masterin battlefield
II7. Ar6w6ol
I 4.

18. Terrorin the battlefield.

I 9.

Rogi-rogbe!

20o. Terror in battlement.

There is no deity that can excel )guin:

Othersarejust full of mere affront.
his leadership,they cannot move an inch
Without
I23.
Without
his
124.
accompaniment,they cannot confidentlymarchon.
I21.

122.

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346
125.

I26.
127.
128.
I29.

130.
I31.
132.

I33.

I34.
I35.

136.
I37.
I38.
I39.
140.
141.
142.

PRAISE POEMS AS HISTORICAL DATA

If bikuinle, Lord of his quarters is no more,
They cannot even challenge the jackal to a duel.
Europeans may stop sailing and disembarking;
Ij~buimay even boycott coming with their wares.
If the Europeans stopped sailing and Ijbui ceased to come,
The inexhaustible stock of gun-powder of Ibikuinl Lord of his quarters, is
there for our everlasting use.
Whoever dares the elephant dares death.
Whoever dares the buffalo dares its charge
Whoever dares the matchet-carrying masquerade,
Desires a free invitation to go to heaven.
tblkinle is in the opposite direction and one fails to clear the way,
May be the man desires to join Ondugboye in heaven.
Ogbaragada (goliat), the man,
Who broke asunder Kurunmi's defence gate in an instant.
What a lamentable thing! all sighed for sympathy with echoes of the honey-bee
Ibikuinle has let down the cargo-he is no more!
He is gone with his name and left his title.
The father of Kuejy has left with his head pad.

The aim of this orikl is to convey in the usual hyperbolic language the idea of
lbikunle's bravery, wealth, and outstanding qualities as the leader of Ibadan forces.
It has succeeded in building him up as one without equal during this period, and this
is as it should be as he was the commander-in-chief of Ibadan forces.
In the process of citing bikuinle's outstanding qualities, much information of
historical value which is not often explicit in other traditional oral sources can be
elicited. Many interesting facets of warfare in Ibadan are revealed. First, the qualities
which are expected of those anxious to assume military leadership are indicated.
According to the non-literary traditional sources, the hallmark of a military leader is
that he must be a distinguished soldier, and, indeed, many of the pasages in the
oriki underline this attribute; but in addition, the oriki makes it quite clear that there
is more to military leadership; for instance such a leader must be able to command
extensive economic resources (lines 9-I6): he must have large farms in various parts
of the town, he must have a large compound where he could house his retinue of
relations, supporters, and slaves, he must be able to spend lavishly, for instance at
the brewery (line 6), he must have a good supply of ammunition (line 21) (lines I2730). Indeed, the various attributive names given to Ibikunle'-(line 102) Onile Qla
(One whose house is full of riches), (line 104) Ar6w6ol (A man who always has money
to spend), (line I05) Olugbaya (One who shields another from insult)-illustrate too
well those qualities. Second, the oriki gives an insight into the position of and what is
expected of the balogun, commander-in-chief; as a balogun he must always be in a
fighting mettle, either at war or preparing for war (lines 66-7). He must also always be
at the head of every major expedition undertaken by Ibadan (line 22), indeed it was
his responsibility to declare war (lines 123-6). The oriki mentions all his distinguished
contemporaries such as Oguinmgla, Ashipa, Or6wusi (lines I9-23) to emphasize the
fact that within the military hierarchy he was the leader. This type of information is

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THE EXAMPLE OF THE YORUBA ORfKl

347

useful in correcting the popularly accepted tradition which tended to regard the
obstreperous(tuin BalogunOguinmlai,his second in command,as the most powerful
chief of his day.
Third, in describing the expeditions against the ?kiti towns, etc. (lines 68-8o),
one of the militarytactics adoptedby the Ibadan during this period is revealed.In
the expedition against Vf?n, the surroundingforest was cleared and trenches dug
round the town; Ibikinle then attackedand laid waste their farms,eatingwhat could
be eaten and destroyingthe rest. He also destroyed their sources of poison. The
effect of these wars on some of these towns is also indicated(lines 99-I04). Some of
them were completelydestroyed,while otherswere desertedbeforeIbadanapproach.
But this orikigives other types of informationbesides the militaryone; it gives an
insight into some aspect of Yoruba politics; it hints at the relationshipbetween
Ibadan and some of its neighbours,particularlythe jbbui(lines 4I-5) and the tgba
(lines 33-5) who were its traditionalenemies; the treatmentof captives from these
two groups seems brutal by present-daystandardsof behaviour,but at that time
such ruthlessnessby Ibikuinl only served to emphasizehis greatnessas a leader. It
is also interestingto note that under Ibikuinle'sleadership,the Ijbui were broughtto
heel; this is in sharp contrastto the relationshipthat existed between them and the
Ibadan later on in the nineteenth century, when with their control of the shortest
route to the source of ammunitionin Lagos, they dictatedterms to the Ibadan.
There are also some interestingdetails which the researcherwould not normally
come by in non-literaryoral traditions.The referenceto the destructionof the tfi?n
yams (lines 72-3) shows a high degreeof crop specializationamongYorubafarmers;
the descriptionof the Europeansas witty (line 8i) indicates a certain amount of
contact with them by this period; the referenceto the regularityof Muslim prayers
(line 4) is a pointer to the growinginfluenceof Islam within the town; this is an interesting developmentbecause, earlieron in the century, Oliuy?ledid not allow the
Muslims to practise their religion publicly. The two masquerades,Ondugb6ye,
Alagangan(lines 136-7) are no longer in existence, but the referenceto them in this
oriki throws some light on the type of functions performedby the Eguingun(masquerades) in traditional Yoruba society. For biographicalwriting too, the oriki
gives some idea of lbikuinle'sstature and appearance;he was described as huge,
round,andfiercelooking(lines 39-40). Althoughthe orikitext containsmanyallusions,
e.g., to Kongo in line 77 and to Ilola in line 79 and archaisms,e.g., in Ase (door),
Kinjin, a kind of drum, which cannot now be adequatelyexplained,there are also a
few current ones whose use probably reflects changes in the environmentwhich
might not be mentionedin the direct historicaltraditions;a good exampleis olomi,
brewery;this is an archaicword which has virtuallybecome obsoletebecausetraditional brewerieshave given place to the modern breweriesmanufacturingbeer, etc.
CONCLUSION

It is quite obvious from these examplesof the three types of oriki, that the oriki
constitutes significant source material for the reconstructionof the Yoruba past.
It does have many limitations,however: unlike other oral traditionsit does not tell
a story; it only delineatesa portraitwhich is often an incompleteone; such a portrait
only highlightsthose aspectsof a subject'slife which contemporariesthink important,

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PRAISE POEMS AS HISTORICAL DATA

348
and does this sometimes in such succinct, highly figurative, and compressed language
that translation often presents a problem and hints from other historical sources
become necessary. But in spite of these drawbacks, the oriki can still be a useful
source material. Since it is, like other praise poems, an expression of public opinion,
it constitutes a fruitful source for the currently authorized interpretation of historical
facts. In a world of changing values, its slightly more permanent poetic form makes
it a more reliable source than most other traditional sources. Information derived
from the oriki can therefore be used to corroborate or disprove evidence from another
source.
As a praise poem, too, it reflects the values of the particular period during which it
is composed; it highlights what is acceptable behaviour and the qualities that are
praiseworthy. For instance, in the three poems which we have examined, one recurrent
theme is the insistence on military achievement as a mark of distinction.
But the oriki deviates from the general run of praise poetry in the sense that it
possible to get from it direct historical information which might not be readily
available in the other traditional sources. For instance, it could provide significant
economic and social information which is often absent from the essentially political
histories and received traditions of the Yoruba country. In the attempt to describe a
subject the oriki paints the social and economic background against which the subject
has developed. The orikt of lbikuinle which has been examined provides a good
example of what is possible when the researcher poses the right type of questions and
examines the text quite closely. In addition, some of the allusions and archaisms in the
oriki can provide points for further historical research which might reveal hitherto
unknown information.
But the extent to which each of these three types of oriki can be valuable as a historical source varies very greatly. The first two types-orikz ilu and oriki oril-can,
like most praise poems, give the more generalized historical information; for instance,
the oriki oril4 which singles out distinguished members of a lineage and uses their
attributes to illustrate the characteristics of that lineage tends to be sketchy; it
cannot, because of its scope, give much particularized historical information. The
oriki ilu is slightly more rewarding in this respect, but its subject is a particularly
large one, and it can do no more than highlight some of its facets; in the process some
other useful historical information may come to light, but these are often no more
than leads for further investigation. Oriki inagijf on the other hand, could be a very
fruitful source for historical reconstruction, particularly, if as in the case of Ibikuinle,
it is the oriki of a distinguished man. Because its scope is more limited in the sense
that it concentrates on one individual and therefore covers a relatively shorter period
of history, the oriki can give detailed and direct information which can be more
easily fitted into available historical evidence on the period. Indeed, a collection of the
oriki of such distinguished individuals from a particular town can give extremely
valuable and useful insight into its history. The only drawback is that this type of
oriki is not always easily available for the more remote period of Yoruba history;
most of the fuller oriki poems deal largely with nineteenth-century figures. But even
for this period oriki inagijf shares with the other two types the same problems-one
of survival and collection; many of those who remember these oriki are gradually
dying out, and the need for collection is therefore becoming imperative. For the

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THE EXAMPLE OF THE YORUBA ORfKl

349
historian in the field this is no easy task; orikl often are best said spontaneously on
festive occasions amidst a great deal of background noise of singing and drumming.
As I have indicated earlier, it is possible to have many versions-long, short, distorted, etc.-of the same oriki. It would therefore be necessary to collect as many
versions as possible and synthetize them where necessary to give some degree of
authenticity.
Resume
PO;MES DE LOUANGE EN TANT QUE DONNgES HISTORIQUES:
L'EXEMPLE DES ORIKI YORUBA
LESYORUBA
possedent une litteratureorale etendue, mais la forme litterairela plus importante pour marquer les evenements tels que mariages, naissances,funerailles,ceremonies
d'attribution de noms, fetes, etc., dans la vie yoruba, est la poesie. La majorite de cette
poesie est constitu&epar l'oriki,traduit generalementcomme poeme de louange, salutation
poetique, ou citation poetique recitee en public pour un but specifique. N'importe quoi
peut fournirle sujet d'un oriki, qui peut se presentercomme un poeme isole, ou faire partie
du contenu des differentstypes de la poesie yoruba,tels que chants de chasseurs,poemes de
divination, etc. Pour l'historien, les oriki traitantdes realisationshumaines sont manifestement les plus pertinentset c'est cette categoried'orikiqui est etudiee dans le present article.
De tels orikisont divises en trois groupes, traitantde villes, de lignages et d'individus.

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