The Details surrounding Yoruba Riddles and Jokes in Jege PDF

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This Essay is a compulsory assignment given to 300 level students in the Department of English Language, University of Lagos.

The aim of the assignment is to familiarise with your roots and ancestry. Every student is given a corresoponding theme to write or expand upon....

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Riddles and Jokes in Jege by Rotimi-Williams, David Sierra. 170102077

ENG 315: ORAL AFRICAN LITERATURE 2019/2020 [2021] LECTURER[S]: DR. FELICIA OHWOVORIOLE; DR. AWELEWA.

Abstract African literary art remains one that is primarily performative in nature. The reason for this simply traces back to decades of long rich history and culture passed down orally. A substantial amount of Yoruba culture and history has been passed down from generation to generation through creative means such as oriki (eulogies), folktales, songs, chants and even incantations. This means of preservation, although lacking in credibility serves as a sustainable way to preserve and share knowledge or experiences. Just ask monks. People are far less likely to forget songs, chants and extraordinary stories concerning ordinary or fantastical characters. These are forms of expression that have been parlayed into performance arts and books. The purpose of this essay is to look into the topic of riddles and jokes specifically how they exist and inform parts of Jege’s culture.

Jege and Yoruba culture Jege is a small town located in Kogi state, Nigeria. Jege also falls under the Yagba East Local Government Area. The native language spoken in Jege is referred to as Yagba, a variation of Yoruba. As such, the ways of people that reside in Jege are heavily influenced by Yoruba culture, even directly passing down parts of the culture undiluted. Culture can be described as a way of life. Indeed, the culture of a people refers to how they act and react. Culture is the social behavior of a set of people, their norms, taste in art, music, food, clothing and several other aspects. Despite people existing individually, with inherent, discrete values, culture tends to escape the trappings of individuality, spreading through to a wider audience within geographic or communal boundaries. If you were to leave any living organism in a particular place with other organisms for a stretch of time, they will develop a culture. We can see this on microbes, human cells and finally in humans themselves. The culture of a people represents customs, beliefs and ideas that have been passed down from generation to generation.

The Yoruba culture is extremely rich and belief based. A major part of Yoruba culture is driven by the belief in the existence of the spirit beings or deities (Orisha) who work with Olodumare, who is the Almighty or as some people like to say, God. Traditional Yoruba culture is deeply entwined with conceptions of divination as well as a myriad of customs and rules that guide everyday life. Within Yoruba communities the theory of cause and effect is exceedingly popularised. People believe in phenomena like karma, blessings, and curses. These beliefs inform many of the elements of Yoruba culture. Here is a list of the major elements of Yoruba culture as well as brief descriptions: Folktales, Ifa, Traditional Art, Clothing, Traditional rites, Chants and incantations, Festivals and Music.

Folktales Folktales are usually traditional and they involve social customs of a culture. They tell the story of a people. They are part of the oral tradition of communities. Yoruba folktales are narratives that can and often employ the use of animals to spin tales of deceit, trust and adventures. These tales often have a didactic lesson in the resolution with the hero usually defeating the enemy. They bear similarities to moonlight tales.

Ifa Ifa was the traditional religion of the Yoruba people before Christianity and Islam were introduced to the people. Ifa is also a means of divination. A central point within the practices of the Ifa is the existence of Olodumare who is seen as the Almighty. The existence of other spiritual bodies or deities called Orisha (who are spirits who sometimes embody values or turn out to be great humans who died) is also important. Examples of Orisha include Ogun, Sango, Esu, Osun and so on.

Traditional Art Traditional art refers to works of art like sculptures and carvings that are important to the community. Statues, small sculptures of gods and goddesses, the staff and crown of the king and paintings all fall under traditional art.

Clothing The Yorubas often are seen to have a penchant for fashion, grooming, and patterns. A huge part of any community's culture is in how they dress. The dressing involves the material and the accessories. For Yorubas, materials like Adire (tie and dye) and Aso Oke (directly translates to “Top cloth” denoting apparel of high class or status) showcase the beautiful artistry of Yoruba’s clothing and heritage.

Traditional rites Traditional rites are events that certain people pass through when they want to achieve a certain thing. For example, certain rites are done before becoming a king or going to war.

Chants and incantations Chants, incantations and praises are very important aspects of Yoruba culture. For example, Oriki is a poem eulogising a particular name (be it a person’s name or family name). In the same vein, Yorubas also perform chants or incantations when going to war or crowning a new king.

Festivals/Events, Music and Dance Festivals are a large part of Yoruba culture as the people love to celebrate and throw events. They embody several parts of Yoruba culture accompanied with music and dance. The Eyo festival in Lagos State, the Oro rites in Ikorodu, the Arugba in Osun are examples. This is a part of the culture of a people. Music, naturally, is used during these festivals, especially the drums. Let’s dive deeper into subsections of Yoruba folklore that this essay

concerns itself with namely jokes and riddles:

Jokes Most forms of oral African literature do not fall under the “art for arts sake” rhetoric. These narrations tell stories that usually have didactic or purposeful intent. They often include moral lessons intended to educate people and inform their way of living or show disparity between bad and good. Jokes in Yoruba culture usually serve two purposes; as a means of entertainment and a means of percolating values and beliefs through didactic messaging. Anthropomorphism (the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object) is a literary tool employed across a wide variety of Yoruba folklore and it is also parlayed into jokes as well. A popular character that features in Yoruba folklore (and jokes) is the tortoise (ijapa). The tortoise is often positioned as a mischievous, cunning, and downright vile character in some cases. It’s important to note that all of his actions are aimed at provoking thought.

Samples Let's take a look at one of many popular folktales that feature the tortoise: Long ago there was a banquet at the tortoise's in-laws (who lived in the heavens) and all the animals were invited. Prior to the banquet, tortoise demanded that he be addressed as Gbogboyin (which directly translates to “Everyone”) both in the intervening days before and at the banquet. On getting to their destination, the animals spread out along the long table and food was stated to be shared to “everyone.” Everytime this statement was made, the tortoise would eagerly grab the food meant for everyone happily stating that since they had called out

his name, he was entitled to it all. It didn't take long for the animals to catch on to the tortoise's ploy. However, all they could do was watch in fury. After the banquet they plotted to teach him a lesson. Since the banquet was in heaven they would all get down with the provided rope and make sure it wasn't available when it got to the tortoise’s descent. The tortoise ended up hurtling towards earth, onto a host of hard and sharp items, breaking his shell in the process. There are a hundred and one variations of tales that explain tortoise’s rough shell. This one in particular deals with the topic of greed. While the story seems funny in its own right, there's definitely inklings of a deeper moral lesson, specifically one centered around the ills of trickery and greed; What goes around comes around. Another example of the tortoise’s mischief can be found in the story of the hippopotamus and the tortoise: Many years ago the hippopotamus, whose name was Isantim, was one of the biggest kings on the land; he was second only to the elephant. The hippo had seven large fat wives, of whom he was very fond. Now and then he used to give a big feast to the people, but a curious thing was that, although everyone knew the hippo, no one, except his seven wives, knew his name. At one of the feasts, just as the people were about to sit down, the hippo said, "You have come to feed at my table, but none of you know my name. If you cannot tell my name, you shall all of you go away without your dinner." As they could not guess his name, they had to go away and leave all the good food and tombo [palm wine] behind them. But before they left, the tortoise stood up and asked the hippopotamus what he would do if he told him his name at the next feast. So the hippo replied that he would be so ashamed of himself, that he and his whole family would leave the land, and for the future would dwell in the water. Now it was the custom for the hippo and his seven wives to go down every morning and evening to the river to wash and have a drink. Of this custom the tortoise was aware. The hippo used to walk first, and

the seven wives followed. One day when they had gone down to the river to bathe, the tortoise made a small hole in the middle of the path, and then waited. When the hippo and his wives returned, two of the wives were some distance behind, so the tortoise came out from where he had been hiding, and half buried himself in the hole he had dug, leaving the greater part of his shell exposed. When the two hippo wives came along, the first one knocked her foot against the tortoise's shell, and immediately called out to her husband, "Oh! Isantim, my husband, I have hurt my foot." At this the tortoise was very glad, and went joyfully home, as he had found out the hippo's name. When the next feast was given by the hippo, he made the same condition about his name; so the tortoise got up and said, "You promise you will not kill me if I tell you your name?" and the hippo promised. The tortoise then shouted as loud as he was able, "Your name is Isantim," at which a cheer went up from all the people, and then they sat down to their dinner. When the feast was over, the hippo, with his seven wives, in accordance with his promise, went down to the river, and they have always lived in the water from that day till now; and although they come on shore to feed at night, you never find a hippo on the land in the daytime. This story is characteristic of many other stories that show the trickster to be small and nifty when compared to his huge, overbearing adversaries. The classic pitting of brawn against might. It’s all an attempt at showing that might i snot the end all be all and pride always precedes the fall.

Riddles Over time the word ‘Riddle’ has seen variation in definition especially by scholars. One popular assumption held is that a riddle often comes with two components: A question or statement that is proposed and an answer that is often related to said question by way of semantic fit. However, this is not always the case as some riddles

have both components existing in song form. Another assumption is the presence of two parties involved; A proposer (facilitating the ‘questioning’) and an audience (facilitating a response). However, again, this is not always the case. Setting aside the peculiarity of riddles and their various forms, what exactly is a riddle? That is, in relation to pure semantics.

What is a Riddle? A Riddle is defined as “statement, question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved.” [1] Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and conundra, which are questions relying for their effects on punning in either the question or the answer.[2] Riddles often deal with familiar objects and topics. Essentially metaphorical contrasts produced by the keen observation of nature or natural processes are very good examples of riddles. By this very fact (that riddles deal with real objects), very rarely do riddles dabble in abstract themes and the like if at all.

Riddles in Yoruba culture Riddles have been characterised as "one of the most important forms of oral art in Africa." [3] In his book, Orature and Yoruba Riddles, (using C. M. Doke’s spec) Akinyemi Akintunde highlights the three types of riddles that occur in Yoruba culture: the simple riddle, the problem or dilemma tale-riddle, and the song-riddle. The simple riddles are identified based on the first assumption; One person poses a question or challenge and another (from a group of participants) offers an answer. The standard procedure in this type of riddle, referred to in Yoruba as àlọ àpamọ, is for one person in the group to offer himself or herself as a proposer, and for another individual from the audience to step forward as the respondent. The proposer often begins with “I have a riddle to tell” ( Ààlọ o). The other responds, Ààlọ—or “Yes, bring the riddle” or “Yes, go ahead with the

riddle.” If the respondent is able to solve the riddle, the proposer puts forth another until one of the participants is completely baffled. If a particular participant is unable to provide the correct answer, the riddle proponent calls on a different participant. If no one in the group is able to solve the riddle, the proposer demands from all other participants a formal “surrender” asking them to grunt three times ( Ẹ ṣe kùn-ún-ùn lẹẹmẹta). It is only after full compliance to this request that the proposer provides the solution to the riddle. The song-riddle, a slightly different phenomenon, follows two patterns: the monochoral group performance and antiphonal group performance. During monochoral performances, all participants sing the song-riddle texts (like Jáńpẹ-jánǹpẹ) together from beginning to end. The important element in antiphony, on the other hand, is that one party provides a “call” and the other a “response” as in the example of ìmọ song-riddle. This may take the form of “question and answer,” or “problem and solution” pairs, but more frequently it is a device allowing performers to take turns in highlighting various aspects and dimensions of a single subject. The question-answer sequence of songriddle is on the whole fixed. In many cases each text of the song is memorized and generally known to members of the community where it is performed. As a result, everybody sings along during the performance. However, unlike the simple riddle that invites participants to display imaginative power in identifying an unnamed object described in coded language, the primary objectives of song-riddle include playing games, general entertainment, and language training. The last and final type, the dilemma tale-riddle, constitutes a class of narratives in which a storyteller creates a problem, and efforts are made either by the storyteller or any other member of the audience to resolve the riddle or puzzle through a narration logically presented. Dilemma tale-riddles are clever and popular, and they exercise problem-solving skills. They are not only intellectual puzzles that sharpen one’s wit and promote discussion, but they also point out that in human affairs there are often no answers, only difficult choices. This aspect of the human condition calls into play conflicting moral values. Dilemma tale-riddles constitute a large, diverse, and widespread class of folk narratives. They leave the

listeners with a choice among alternatives, such as which of several characters has done the best, deserves a reward, or should win an argument or a case in court. The choices are difficult ones and usually involve discrimination on ethical, moral, or legal grounds. Most often, it is the riddle proponent who resolves the dilemma after other participants have argued their conflicting points of view—but not always. Even those dilemma tale-riddles with standard answers can evoke spirited discussions. Like many other types of folk narratives, their content is often didactic. However, their special advantage is that they inherently train participants in the skills of argumentation and debate and thus prepare individuals for participating effectively in the adjudication of disputes, whether within the traditional family, or lineage, or in formal courts of law. It is the dilemma tale-riddles’ intellectual function and relevance to ethical standards, rather than any literary merit, that lend them interest. No elaborate plot or surprising denouement is necessary to present a dilemma tale-riddle, and some examples barely qualify as folktales. This accounts for why William Bascom (1975) could not differentiate between the Yoruba dilemma tale-riddles and folktales, and claimed, “There was no opportunity to observe the telling of dilemma tales . . . among the Yoruba of Nigeria.” The dilemma tale-riddle is also indicative of how important riddles are to social functions, and how they pass on messages and lessons to all participants.[4]

Samples [Translated to English]

Èèsì abẹ ìrókò A-jó-ọmọ-jó-ìyá. [Answer: Ebi] (The nettle under the ìrókò tree Which stings child and mother. [Answer: Hunger]) The nettle in the riddle above serves as a metaphor for hunger which afflicts people regardless of age, race, or religion.

Àgbà márùún sin Olú Ifẹ lọ sí ogun; Olú Ifẹ rá, Àwọn àgbà máràrún padà. [Answer: Òkèlè àti ìka ọwọ máràrún] (Five elders accompany the king of Ifẹ to battle; The king of Ifẹ disappears, All five of the

elders return. [Answer: The morsel of food and the five fingers]) The five elders are a metaphor for the five fingers on a person’s hand.

A gbẹ ilẹ, gbẹ ilẹ. A kan oníṣègùn rúgúdú kan tòun tàdó. [Answer: Ẹ ta iṣu] (We dig the ground for a long time. We come upon a roundish medicine man with a medicine gourd. [Answer: The yam tuber]) In this riddle, the yam tuber is a metaphor for a ground-dwelling medicine man who possesses a gourd with healing herbs. The roundish form calls up the image of a gourd.[5]

More Samples Leader: Here is a riddle to solve. All: Yes, go ahead; tell it. Leader: A small house full of pegs. Participant 1: Mouth and teeth. Leader: Yes, you are right.

Leader: Here is a riddle to solve. All: Yes, go ahead; tell it. Leader: Ancient ditch of my father, Ancient ditch of my father, If a small young boy enters it, it reaches his neck, If an elderly man enters it, it reaches his neck as well. Participants 1 and 4: I know it (same time). Leader: You, tell us (pointing at Participant 4). Participant 4: It is the necklace. Leader: No, it is not the necklace. Now, you, tell us (pointing at Participant 1). Participant 1: It is the garment. Leader: Yes, that is true.

Leader: Here is a riddle to solve.

All: Yes, go ahead; tell it Leader: The fat old woman; she trades in rags. Participant 5: The cobra. Leader: No, it is not cobra. Participant 2: It is bamboo. Leader: No, not bamboo. Participant 1: Please tell us. Leader: Let all of you grunt thrice. All: Kùn-ún-ùn; kùn-ún-ùn; kùn-ún-ùn. Leader: I generously splash it on your face. The one who trades in rags is the banana plant. Participant 4: That is true.

Leader: Here is a riddle to solve. All: Yes, go ahead; tell it. Leader: My father’s old yam; it has a single leaf, and a single root. Participant 2: Teeth. Leader: No, it is not teeth. Participant 6: I know it; it is [the] mushroom. Leader: You are right. [6]

References [1] Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddle; [2] Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddle; [3] Lyndon Harries, "The Riddle in Africa", The Journal of American Folklore, 84 (1971), 377–93; [4] Akíntúndé Akínyẹmí, “Orature and Yorùbá Riddles”, (Palgrave Macmillan US, 2015), 12-14; [5] Akíntúndé Akínyẹmí, “Orat...