Yoruba Art and Language

Seeking the African in African Art

Rowland Abiodun

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9781139990554
• Subtopic: Archaeology
• Index: Social Sciences

The Yoruba was one of the most important civilizations of sub-Saharan Africa. While the high quality and range of its artistic and material production have long been recognized, the art of the Yoruba has been judged primarily according to the standards and principles of Western aesthetics. In this book, which merges the methods of art history, archaeology, and anthropology, Rowland Abiodun offers new insights into Yoruba art and material culture by examining them within the context of the civilization's cultural norms and values and, above all, the Yoruba language. Abiodun draws on his fluency and prodigious knowledge of Yoruba culture and language to dramatically enrich our understanding of Yoruba civilization and its arts. The book includes a companion website with audio clips of the Yoruba language, helping the reader better grasp the integral connection between art and language in Yoruba culture.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title page
• Copyright information
• Dedication
• Table of contents
• List of illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Orthography and Phonological Notes
• Introduction: On the Centrality of Africa in African Art Studies
• 1 Orí: No Òrìṣà Blesses a Person without the Consent of His/Her Orí
• 2 Àṣẹ: The Empowered Word Must Come to Pass
• 3 Ọ̀ṣun: The Corpulent Woman Whose Waist Two Arms Cannot Encompass
• 4 Ọ̀rúnmìlà: Henceforth, Ifá Priests Will Ride Horses
• 5 We Greet Aṣọ before We Greet Its Wearer
• 6 Àkó: Re/Minding Is the Antidote for Forgetfulness
• 7 Ilé-Ifẹ̀: The Place Where the Day Dawns
• 8 Yoruba Aesthetics: Ìwà, Ìwà Is What We Are Searching for, Ìwà
• 9 Tomorrow, Today’s Elder Sibling
• Appendix A. Chapter 3, Ọ̀ṣun
• Appendix B Chapter 6, Àkó
• Appendix C Àkó Performances in Ọ̀wọ̀ District
• Appendix D Chapter 9, Tomorrow, Today’s Elder Sibling
• Glossary
• Notes
• Works Consulted
• Index