Àbíkú Songs in Yorùbá Land

8/10/2019 bk Songs in Yorb Land

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bk Songs in Yorb Land

This ethnographical work examines the Yorb concept of "bk"(lit. born-to-die)1by analysing their songs. Thestdy begins with the analyses !arios "bk"names seen in their songs by looking at their interpretations fromsociological perspecti!e. "t del!es into classification of bkamong Yorb drawing line of demarcation from

!arying attribtes gi!en as their characteristics for categori#ation. The paper discsses the social contextof bksongs in the Yorb indigenos religios system. "t pro!es that regardless of $estern scientific medical

%stification that pro!es the non-existence of bk& The Yorb still belie!e in its existence p to the moment.Thogh the context of bksongs and ritals associated with it had gi!en way to moderni#ation and foreign

religions. 'till& the practices of domesticated religions-"slam and hristianity athenticate the Yorb beliefin bksyndrome. This work concldes with the examination of some bksongs by categori#ing them into

ropitiatory& "ncantatory& 'atirical and raise.

Introduction

'ong is part of Yorb cltre. "t is a form of poetry or !erbal art that has become integrated into their li!es. Yorb

people lo!e to express the intent of their hearts inclding thoghts or feelings of %oy or of sadness in songs. They se

songs to express %oy& happiness& sadness& protest& resentment& worship& in!oking of spirits& among others. *any

scholars ha!e worked on Yorb poetry especially songs. +mong them are ,lko% (1/)& 0eier (1)& ,gnba

(12)& latn%i (134)& 5idal (134)& "lesanmi (132)& +gba%e (12) and +kinymi (13). +ttempts ha!e been made

to classify Yorb songs and the widely accepted classification based on tilitarian as criteria is that which classifies

them into religios and seclar. This classification may not be regarded as all embracing6 neither is it all

encompassing. This is becase it is difficlt to pt a clear-ct demarcation.

7b8k9 songs fall into religios category. Thogh the songs of :b8k9 and ritals associated with it had gi!en way tomoderni#ation and foreign religions still the practices of domesticated religions-"slam and hristianity also

athenticate the belief in :b8k9syndrome in Yorb land. + close obser!ation of the prayers and deli!erance ser!ices

of the +frican "ndigenos hrches (+") pro!es that the Yorb belief abot :b8k9 still exists. *any of their

prayers and deli!erance especially for a barren woman or a pregnant woman focses on prayers against :b8k9 and

deli!erance from the spirit of :b8k9. The idea of dissociating an :b8k9 andem;r; (y8yo k9r< l=gb=) from their

hea!enly mates in the traditional practice by the "f priests is e>i!alent to deli!erance from the spirit

of :b8k9 and em;r; by the deli!erance ministers and preachers in the "ndigenos hrches in the contemporary

society. They adapt this Yorb belief in order to fit the new beliefs. This idea of spirit-children among the

hristians in Yorb land is not limited to prayer and deli!erance ser!ices& it is finding its way in the hristian

home !ideos. The apti!e of the *ightyprodced by *ike 0amiloye& a poplar Yorb hristian dramatist is a good

example that illstrates the belief of Yorb hristians in the existence of :b8k9?em;r; e!en in the contemporarysociety. Ths& it is a way of re!itali#ing the Yorb indigenos cltral forms.

Who are the bk Children?

@eath is not a strange phenomenon among the Yorb. Aowe!er& prematre death is considered mysterios and

tragic. This is called


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reincarnation se!eral times and being born each time by the same mother or another depending on circmstances.

Therefore& when a woman loses her infant children se!eral times conse>ently not long after birth& it is belie!ed

that it is the same child that has come to the world se!eral times. This belief in reincarnation is reinforced if the new

child bears resemblance to the deceased. "dow (1/E 12) spoke abot :b8k9 thatE

There is a strong belief abot another crios category of spirits. "t is not certain whether these began as spirits of

deceased persons or not. 0t they are the spirits known to the Yorb as 7b8k9 or to the "gbF as ,gban%eE that is&spirits Gborn-to-dieG. The belief here is that there are wandering spirits who speciali#e in the sadistic mischief of

finding the way into wombs to be born in order to die.

Hrom the abo!e& it is clearly e!ident that the concept of B:b8k9B& that is& Gborn -to-dieG children is prominent among

the Yorb. Iot only this& the belief that some children are born to die is not limited to the Yorb people. The

phenomenon is also pre!alent among the "gbF people of Dastern Iigeria. "t has also been sggested that B:b8k9B are

wicked spirits who engage in the mischie!os enterprise of coming to this world se!eral times to torment the

parents by dying yong.

Jadele et al (13KE 3) pro!e that B:b8k9B are spirit children and that they are common among small children.

Hrthermore& areB:b8k9B belie!ed bot Lod-gi!en bt that they originate from the @e!il (Ms& the Yorb Trickster

@eity) with the co!enant to troble the mother who gi!e birth to them in the world. *adka (13E 1) opines

that B:b8k9B is an aspect of Yorb religion dealing with the beliefs in reincarnation and predestination. Ae

describes the B:b8k9B asE

The child& who is generally a paragon of beaty& constittes a constant sorce of anxiety to his?her parents becase

of his?her idiosyncratic beha!ior& which may manifest itself in any form of mental or physical illness. The parents

make frantic efforts to perform ritals (normally sper!ised by specialist priests?doctors) in order to break the bond

of kinship of the B:b8k9B and the kindred spirits.

"n his contribtion& *adka makes s to reali#e that the sadistic acts of these spirit-world children constitte a

psychological problem to the earthly parents. Iot only this& their earthly parents take !arios precation to pre!ent

frther occrrence inclding !isiting traditional healers.

+nother scholar& $enger (1NE 23-2) has also carried ot stdies on B:b8k9B. ,n them& she saysE

7b8k9 are children who are so emphatically concerned with experience of their Bplaymates in hea!enB (i.e. their

distracted sbconscios emotional complexity) that they mostly die yong& so as to retrn to them. 0t& they do so

only to long again for their earthly parents& allowing them to gi!e birth to them again& only to desert them soon

again. ,ne performs rital to the sacred central instance of gb& where with one may find the remedy for this

calamity. ,ne also inflicts scares on the little dead body& with which they are often reborn (as a fact). These scars

then help as a psychic focs in the forthcoming ceremonies& destined to make the mischie!os BangleB stay...

+ccording to (Aawley 12E /N)& 7b8k9 are regarded as spirit children who are gi!en special treatment sch as

special %ewellery and foods prepared to tempt them to choose life rather than retrn to their playmates in Bhea!enB.

+bimbla (12E 2) describes B:b8k9B as a sitation& O$hen a mother loses her yong children& one after the other&

she is belie!ed to be trobled by a certain kind of wicked children who are born only to die sooner or later. 'ch

children are known as B:b8k9BP

+bimblaGs explanation of B:b8k9B also corroborates othersG explanation on B:b8k9B that they are special children

wielded with power to die and come again.

"n this work it has been fond ot from "f priests and traditional healers that there are different categories


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of B:b8k9B. Iot only this& they ha!e been gi!en !arios names that show Yorb cosmological beliefs abot these

strange children. Jooking at these !arios names that 7b8k9 is called will shed more light on their personality and

attribtes.

Appellation of bk

+part from the common name B:b8k9B& there are abot se!en other names by which they are called. These areE -

Dm;r; - The one who takes?ses the profit

Dl=r;= - The one who exhibits mysterios attitde

Mr;= igbF - *ysterios being who li!es inside the bsh

,n8p::r: - The one who repeats !isits

gbrn - The society in hea!en

Ms;k9 orn - The Hairy beings in hea!en.

Dgbe ;we - The society of little children.

These are not or8kC (!erbal saltes?praise descripti!e poetry?panegyric) bt proper names& thogh6 they cold form

part of theiror8kC. 7b8k9 is synonymos to the abo!e names hence they are sed interchangeably. They are alsocalled BMr=B& which is a short form of Mr;= igbF .

,ne cold obser!e that these names gi!e insights into the personality of the B:b8k9B as concei!ed in the philosophy

of Yorb people.4"t is noted that B:b8k9B children are from hea!en or the spirit-world& who sally case grief to

their earthly parents in the world by making them to spend their profits on nprodcti!e !entres. They are also

seen as a formidable grop or society in the spirit-world with the power to shttle between the spirit-world and

earth whene!er they liked with their earthly parents being the !ictims of their shenanigans. "n fact& there is a

Yorb saying that confirms the peopleGs belief that 7b8k9 children ha!e powers abo!e that of traditional healers

and herbalists. B7b8k9 s olF


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childbirth or the stillbirth (:sb8).

This grop also incldes those affected by abortion and miscarriage. Those in this category are not regarded as

belonging to the spirit world (:b8k9 gbrn).

$itches are members of female secret clts who possess irresistible powers. They are belie!ed to ha!e power of

second or spirital sight and are able to see the foets inside the womb and inflict sch with death marks. They

sally troble people with different mishaps sch as barrenness and pre-matre death among others (Thompson13E ). They are belie!ed to be the sorce of :%=-s -Fn-d:b8k9 children. +gain& those in this grop are not

members of children of the spirit world (:b8k9 gb=rn ). Their deaths cold be traced to witchcraft throghdi!ination.

The third category is the :b8k9 gb=rn also called B7b8CbB./They are belie!ed to belong to a strong and

ncon>erable society and reside& meet and operate in and from the spirit world. They operate independently and

whate!er effort made by their !ictims they wold not stop ntil they are ready to go to somewhere else. They are

gi!en !arios names to demonstrate despite for them and !arios BpnishmentsB are inflicted on their corpses in

order to deter them from re!isiting their !ictims. Rsally& all these are to no a!ail.

This categori#ation confirms that the spirit-world :b8k9 are those in the third category. ,r analysis of :b8k9 is

worthwhile in that it shows s that the third category are the original :b8k9 in Yorb belief& those who arewondering spirits& who ha!e their company or clt. The songs wold apply specifically to this category. The

categori#ation is also sefl as it corroborates the claims of modern medicine to a great extent& confirming that

medical inade>acies might be the sorce of high or incessant infant mortality rate in particlar families& among the

Yorb before the ad!ent of orthodox medical care and among the poor hoseholds. 0t it does not nllify the

Yorb philosophy and belief in :b8k9 in their cosmology.

The Social Context of bk Songs among the Yorb

"t is pertinent to know that there are three social contexts of performance of :b8k9 songs in the indigenos Yorb

society. "n the past in Yorb land (and e!en to the present in certain remote places) sacrifice is made to appease

these mysterios children. + shrine is sally made for them in the bsh in the otskirts of the town. "n Ssogbo& a

commnity in Ssn state of Iigeria& there is:b8k9 shrine located in the main shrine of Ssn& which is the ci!il deity

of this commnity. "t is called gb= shrine as seen in the pictre below.

+ day is dedicated to :b8k9 children dring the period they are worshiping :npnn.2They are also worshiped

weeklyKat the same spot with items like he-goat (


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rmi tutu sogn bk - the one who uses ritualised cold water to cure bk

5arios songs ha!e been de!eloped among the Yorb to addressing the :b8k9 for the prpose of entreating or

warding them off. This is the second social context of prodcing :b8k9 songs. There are mas>erades (Dg9ng9n) in

many Yorb commnities that are sed for the prpose of warding off epidemics and bane forces and spirits

inclding the spirits of :b8k9. They belie!e that the deities (SrCs:) and ancestors in the form of Dg9ng9n throgh

piety& ritals and sacrifices can help to pre!ent or a!oid the wrath of bane forces in their commnities. The deities

gi!es the benefit of sond health& wealth and blessings of children and at the same time they pnish neglect andbreaking of social and religios taboos. This idea reinforces their attitde of !enerating the deities and ancestors to

help them ward off the wicked spirits and powers that are inimical to their existence. @ring this kind of occasion

many songs are rendered the mas>erades that is chorsed by the spectators to ward off :b8k9 and other pernicios

spirits. The type of drm designed for the mas>erade sally accompanies the song. 0t 0:t drm is the

commonly sed drm by many mas>erades. +s they sing they dance with the hope of being !ictorios o!er these

forces.

+nother context of performance of :b8k9 songs among the Yorb people is dring the preparation of a prospecti!e

cople for the marriage ceremony. "n the past among the Yorb& e!ery step in marriage contract in!ol!es different

types of di!ination with the ltimate aim of enhancing peacefl and fritfl marriage. This di!ination in!ol!es

knowing throgh oraclar consltation the type of person a prospecti!e wife wold be. "f "f oracle forecasts that

the wold-be wife belongs to the children of the spirit world (:b8k9 or Dm;r;) there is the need to ndergo a rital

whereby they will prepare a type of sacrifice called r k


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Satirical Songs

'atire ser!es as correcti!e measre for people who are in dire straits of social misbeha!ior. "t impro!es the moral

standard that sstains the society. "t expresses dislike for a particlar de!iant beha!ior in a person& grop of

people& idea& opinion and instittion. This is concomitant to Lilbert (1K4E 4/1) who maintains that satire Owonds

and destroys indi!idals and grops in order to benefit society as a wholeP.

"t is the belief of Yorb people that when they gi!e certain names or make some statements to ridicle or lampoonthe :b8k9 it cold help to discorage them from perpetrating their !ices. Iames in this category inclde 7kCtn-

ky8 (the dnghill has re%ected this)& Qests known to her

thogh she is not !isible. +nother song in this category goes thsE

b "r o - pay homage tor

r, mo 'b o -r, pay homage to you!

(m)! & k)rin - $hen a child is singing!


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* 'b "r o - %e#she must pay homage to "r!

r, mo 'b -r, pay homage to you!

*r#gb #!#m)y)y) - &ellow in the bush who is accompanied by plenty children!

+o # - 've beautified the house!

+o ss" - 've performed wee(ly ritual!

+ ! mi r - )on't harm me!

-)m) mi fn mi - Give me my children!Vitals accompanied by praises are of great importance in the worship of the 7b8k9 children. This is becase of the

peopleUs belief that the Jeader of these mysterios children is at present with them at the scene. They will dance to

her& and make genflexions to re!erence her so that she can grant them their re>ests. "t is a form of performance

that cold be regarded as clt drama and each phase is symbolic. Till today& this rital process of appealing to their

society in the spirit world for their fa!or and mercies is still in operation. "t has not gi!en itself to modernism or

technological in!entions for people still hold reference to beliefs in mystical beings and powers. D!en& the incrsion

of "slam and hristianity has not scceeded in eroding this traditional belief from the people. "nstead& these

domesticated religions reinforce it in some ways.

Incantator" and !ro#itiator" Songs

The next category of :b8k9 songs is incantatory and propitiatory songs. +s noted earlier& the Yorb belie!e that it is

rare for the power of Yorb traditional healers to crb the acti!ities of the :b8k9. Therefore& they try to employ

incantations& which they belie!e can ward off these strange spirits. This idea is reflected in a song rendered by a

mas>erade called [email protected] mas>erade comes ot annally dring eg9ng9n festi!al in a town called

Dkosin.+s the mas>erade sings rond the town many items inclding& blood of he-goat& grondnts& wine& kola

nts& bitter kola and honey. This pot will be thrown in a flowing ri!er called Sgn& located at the otskirts of the

commnity. +s they mo!e rond the town& these children will be singing after the mas>erade thsE

./ n bk ) n" y% o 0oo/ 1o!#y, bk wi 2e#se from t3is #n!

gb"/ n )m) '"r" )m)4)n r */ 1o!#y, #rents wi 3#5e rofit from t3eir 23i!ren./ n em"r" ) n" y% o 0oo/ 1o!#y, 6m"r" wi 2e#se from t3is #n!

gb"/ n )m) '"r" )m)4)n r */ 1o!#y, #rents wi 3#5e rofit from t3eir 23i!ren

Thogh the abo!e song is a kind of incantation& bt it is also a form of prayers. "t is meant to ward off e!il&

inclding :b8k9 spirits& and to prophesy into the commnity that parents who ha!e been sffering from

the :b8k9 menace wold begin to experience the %oy of parenthood. This is becase the children wold li!e to ripe

old age and scceed their parents. That children are expected to otli!e their parents is frther confirmed in

another Yorb pro!erb that says& B m k< lyerade and :b8k9. The Yorb word for the mas>erade is either eg9ng9n or ar


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calabashes and clay pots and it is carried to a dnghill where the rital takes place. The "f priest will be reciting the

incantation as they pt the articles of ritals on the grond thsE

*r run gb y"w %ost of heaven consider this

$b) %k r" o *his is sacrifice for long life

*r run gb y"w %ost of heaven consider this

*r run "y%n! %ost of heaven from him#her

$b) '%ogb" )m) n mi r" o *his is'%ogb"sacrifice*r run "y%n! %ost of heaven abstain from him#her

s"k run "y%n! s"kof heaven abstain from him#her

s"k run "y%n! s"kof heaven from him#her

$b) '%ogbe )m) n mi r" o! *his is the'%ogb"sacrifice of my son!

The Yorb belie!e that the inner sel!es of these spirit children ha!e control o!er their heath and their willingness&

either to li!e or to die. Therefore& the incantation-like song is sed to address the inner sel!es (,r8 in9) of these

spirit children in order to secre their li!es.

Thogh the Yorb employ incantation as a means of sol!ing the problems of :b8k9 in their commnities& yet they

ha!e fond ot that they need to entreat the :b8k9 rather than resort to force. That is why Yorb will say B;b; l:

b acy of sing charms and incantations to crb

their acti!ities. This is why some :b8k9 bear names that sggest they are being propitiated sch as M0MJ[QZ1N

(trans6 the only thing left is to treat the child). ,ne sch song is rendered thsE

+olo 1# e s"r n#7 - $ho is capable to worshipr7

All +## ser" - will worshipr

+olo bk) b' - $ith fat calf


+olo 8kk) ggr - $ith a tall or hefty fowl


+olo Ow or" wwo - $ith big plenty of money


All r s%n $ni t s"r & t#nr# r" ' - *he person who refuses to worshipris deceiving him#herself!

The abo!e song shows that Yorb people regard :b8k9 as ob%ects of worship. +lso materials sed in worshiping

them are seen mentioned in the song. These inclde fatted calf& fowl and money. $omen sffering from 7b8k9

syndrome wold present the items. @e to the special natre of these children& only special materials cold be sed

in worship and not the ordinary or reglar ones. This is reflected in the ad%ecti!es describing those materials

inclding BfatB& BheftyB& and BplentyB. The song concldes with an important warning that it is complsory to

worship :b8k9 children who operate mainly in the spirit world. "t is not that they are physically seen when called bt

they are belie!ed to be present at their shrine.

These children are regarded as mysterios and terrible and they can pt their parents into shame de to

childlessness or grief o!er their loss. Aence they appeal to them in a song like thisE

9m) m ' n t o - .hild, don't put me to disgrace

/m0 gb1b1 mi - .hild, accept my plea

/m0 m j2 n t o - .hild, don't put me to disgrace
http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/ntama/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167%3Aabiku-songs-in-yoruba-land&catid=66%3Aarticles&Itemid=29&showall=1#footnote_anchor_10http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/ntama/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167%3Aabiku-songs-in-yoruba-land&catid=66%3Aarticles&Itemid=29&showall=1#footnote_anchor_10


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"t implies that they need to be entreated so that they will not nip the %oy of their parents in the bd by dying

prematrely. "t is the belief of the singers of this song that the inner sel!es of the :b8k9 child hears the re>ests of

the mother and consent to them. hildlessness brings a lot of reproaches to women in indigenos Yorb society

and e!en till now. That is why a Yorb woman does all she cold in order to ha!e child that last. "n the philosophy

of the Yorb people a woman is not seen as a bonafidemember of her hsbandUs family nless she has child. +

typical Yorb woman wold therefore prays that& OQ8 lFrn %= k8 n r8dC8 %Fk


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worshiped like any other god or goddess in Yorb pantheon of SrC:. The mother (,l9p;=de) is considered

important and worthy to be called pon in order to show mercies on women sffering from child loss throgh

the :b8k9 syndrome. "t is obser!ed that women sholder almost all responsibilities for child-care. That is why they

are fond entreating :b8k9 children. "t is belie!ed that the spirit of mother Mr= orXn%:s is present at the place of

worship. $hate!er ridicle cannot achie!e6 it is possible that praises can do.

Hrom this song& different materials sed in offering sacrifice to the mother ofbkchildren in the spirit world arementioned. These are twenty bitter kola nts& forty kola nts& fine bean cak=& a fat calf& and a hge fowl.bkareworshiped like any other god or goddess in Yorb pantheon of r. The mother (Olpde) is considered

important and worthy to be called pon in order to show mercies on women sffering from child loss throghthe bksyndrome. "t is obser!ed that women sholder almost all responsibilities for child-care. That is why they

are fond entreating bk children. "t is belie!ed that the spirit of motherrorJnjsis present at the place of

worship. $hate!er ridicle cannot achie!e6 it is possible that praises can do.

$e gathered from or field work that many Yorb people still belie!e that :b8k9 exist p till today and that when

they are properly entreated they will stay with their mother on earth. "n Ssogbo& many of these children who

belie!ed that they belong to this grop of spirit children sally come together at the main shrine of Ssn dring

the annal commnal worship of this ci!il @eity to sing with pride that they belong to the grop. 0elow is an

example of their songs.

* 'ogn nn gb - we have inheritance in our society,

* 'ogn nn gb o - we have inheritance in our society,

Or%s 'ogn ' - t is the 9btworshippers that inherit the lead,

* 'ogn nn gb - we have inheritance in our society!

This grop of women are still !isible dring the performance of Ssn festi!al in Ssogbo. "t shows that the belief in

this mysterios grop of children still exists.

Conclusions

This stdy examined the Yorb philosophical concept of :b8k9 by analysing their songs& which forms an integral of

Yorb cltral practices. The stdy has broght ot the !arios names gi!en to the :b8k9 and the meanings in

relation to their characters in Yorb cosmography. This work also attempts a classification of :b8k9 taken both the

scientific or modern healthcare %stification and the Yorb biosocial into consideration. 0y highlighting the

performance of :b8k9 songs among the Yorb people& " extend the analysis beyond the text in order to inclde the

social context and extra-textal components sch as the rital ob%ects. "t also attempts a classification

of :b8k9 genre based on their attribtes and identified the !arios categories of songs rendered to them. These are

propitiatory& incantatory& satirical and praise songs. The stdy showed that propitiatory songs form the largest

nmber of songs. The pecliarity of :b8k9 children as powerfl and special children makes this possible. "n

conclsion& the phenomenon of :b8k9 among the Yorb has not gi!en way to modernism and domesticated

religions in their society6 instead& they reinforce this belief in a different dimension& sol!ing the problem with a

different approach.

+X\0]@^& LD,VLD ,JR',J+& h@&

D-mailEsola%ibade_yahoo.com

@epartment of +frican Jangages and Jiteratres&

Haclty of +rts& ,bafemi +wolowo Rni!ersity& "le-"fe& ,sn 'tate&
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Iigeria.

$ral Sources

1. a ytF


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bafemi +wolowo Rni!ersity& "le-"fe& Iigeria.

Heyisetan& 0.X. et al. 12. Bltral 0eliefs& erceptions of the +etiology of hildhood @iseases and Aealth 'eeking

0eha!ior +mong the YorbB& aper presented at the "nstitte of ltral 'tdy& bafemi +wolowo Rni!ersity& "le-

"f& n 'tate& Iigeria. *ay 1-1& 12.

Lilbert& A. 1K4. The +natomy of 'atire& rincetonE Rni!ersity ress.

Aawley& X.. 12. B0en ,kriGs spirit-childE 7b8k9 *igration and postmodernityB in Vesearch in +fricanJiteratres& 4K. (1)E /N-/.

"dow& D.0. 1/. +frican Traditional Veligion& + definition& JondonE ' * ress Jtd.

"lesanmi& T.*. 132. BAearthstonesE + ltral 'tdy of songs in "%esalandB& @octoral Thesis& @epartment of

Jingistics and Iigerian Jangages& Rni!ersity of "badan& "badan& Iigeria.

Jadele& *.& +wFrCnd=& ,.& ld:p. 13K. 7kF%p WwdC8 W%Cnl 7: Yorb& IigeriaE *acmillan.

Jefe!re& A. 11. riti>e of D!eryday Jife& 5ol. 1& Translated by Xohn *oore& 5erso& Iew York.

*adka .T. 13. B+frican Veligios 0eliefs in Jiterary "maginationE ,gban%e and 7b8k9 in hina +chebe& X..

lark& and $ole 'oyinkaB in Xornal of ommon wealth Jiteratre& 44. (1)E 1-/N.

Iwoga& @. 13K. $est +frican 5erse& JondonE Jongman.

,de%obi& .,. 12. BWhn ,rin M=b9 I8 "fB& *.+. Thesis 'bmitted to the @epartment of +frican Jangages and&

Jiteratres& bafmi +wolw Rni!ersity& "le-"fe& Iigeria.

&ootnotes

1. "n this work& 7b8k9& which is the Yorb word for the stdied sb%ect& is sed synonymosly as born-to-die

children. The plrality marker cannot be indicated. "n "gbo langage :b8k9 is called ,gban%e. 7b8k9 is also

called Mr=.back

4. eople here refer to the informants who are mainly Traditional Aealers& old people& and "f riests.back

/. 7b8Cb is another names for a class of :b8k9. Jiterally& it means died before another one is born. This refer to thecondition whereby a woman !ictim of :b8k9 will ha!e a small baby and carrying another pregnancy bt shortly

before she deli!ers the new baby& the small baby is nrsing will die. The new baby will not meet the baby already

born.back

. They also ha!e society called B gb=B. That is why gb-related names sch as gb=bnmi-the society ga!e?dashed

me& gb=f9nmik=- the society has gi!en me this to nrse?pet& gb=dn9nn8-'ociety is good to ha!e and so on are

fond among the Yorb.back

2. :npnn is also called bal9ay= who kills children with small pox. back

K. Their own week is se!enteen days. "t means that they are worshiped on e!ery se!enteenth day in many Yorb

commnities& e!en till today in many rral places.back

. "f speaks a lot abot 7b8k9& myths of 7b8k9 cold be fond in some "f !erses& sch as Sf9nrosn& ,gb;s& Wrtk&

and so on.back3. X7@QZ means a thg. This is the name of a mas>erade specifically designed for the prpose of warding off e!il

from Dkosin ommnity.back

. + ommnity is ,d


13/13

14. Dksin as earlier pointed ot in this work is one of the locations where this research was carried ot. back

1/. This cake is made from beans. "t is the cake made from gronded raw beans withot adding palm oil as in case

of *8n-m8n. otassim Aydroxide (Qn9n) is added to it.back
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Àbíkú Songs in Yorùbá Land