An Expository Analysis of Ujjamese Religious Chants of the Ekiti- Yoruba
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Date
1981-12
Authors
Olutoye, Omotayo.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Lagos
Abstract
The study of Ùjaamèșè chants is an attempt at opening up a new area of Yoruba research, viz. research into the genes of Yorùbá oral poetry of the Ekìtì - Yorùbá on which very little work has been done hitherto, whereas there have been postgraduate studies on Ijálá, Rárá Ifá, and Sángó-Pìpè of the ὸyȯ- Yorùbá, The study is in three parts. Part one which consists of three chapters, gave a comprehensive background to the material. Chapter 1 presents the extent and climate of the area of study, its people, their occupations and the type of oral poetry performed and enjoyed by them. In chapter 2, the religious background of the chants is described and the deity relevant to the chants, viz. Qlύa, is briefly portrayed. There is an account of the worship of Qlύa in ótan-Ayégbajú, Igédé-Ekìtì, Igbàrà-Odȯ; and Idȯ, Igbolé, Ilógbὸ, Osì and Ùsi-Ekìtì. At the end of the chapter, the establishment of distinct position for Qlύa in the hierarchy of Yorùbá deities and divinaties, is essayed. Chapter 3 contains a description of the Ekìtì- Yorùbá dialect used in the chants. In part two, also made up of three chapters, the subject matter of Ùjaamèșè is copiously discussed. Chapter 4 deals with the religious content of the chants- the invocation and supplication to Qlύa. Chapter 5 treats the orìkì of selected clans, groups and inividuals as they occur in the chants; while chapter 6 is devoted to the didactic sayings in Ùjaamèșè. The form of Ùjaamèșè is examined in details in the first two chapters of part three. Chapter 7 deals with the inner form of the chants, while chapter 8 concentrates on the outer form. Finally, chapter 9 presents the conclusion to the thesis. Representative examples of the texts of the chants as transcribed from tape recordings made in ìdó, Igbόlé, Ilógbό, Ȯsi and Ùșì- Ekiti respectively are provided in Appendix A. The Yorùbá texts and their English renderings appear on opposite pages.
Description
Keywords
Poetry , Literature , Religion , Tradition , Chants , Yoruba-Language
Citation
Olutoye, O. (1981). An Expository Analysis of Ujjamese Religious Chants of the Ekiti- Yoruba. A Thesis in the Department of African Languages and Literatures Submitted to the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lagos.