The Yoruba are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, native to southwestern Nigeria and adjacent parts of Benin and Togo, with a long-documented history of urbanized city-states predating European contact, including the sacred city of Ile-Ife and the historical Oyo Empire. Yoruba social organization combines patrilineal descent, chieftaincy titles and a rich religious system (Ifa divination and the orisha pantheon) that has spread globally through the Atlantic slave trade into Afro-diasporic religions such as Santeria and Candomble. Contemporary Yoruba society spans traditional monarchies, a large Christian and Muslim population, and one of West Africa's most extensive urban trading networks.
Facts
Group TypeSourced to the subject's own account Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountWest Africa (southwestern Nigeria, with communities in Benin and Togo) 1 Primary LanguageSourced to the subject's own account Subsistence ModeSourced to the subject's own accountHistorically an urbanized agrarian and trading society organized around city-states (Ile-Ife, Oyo, Ibadan and others), with farming, craft production and long-distance trade. 1 Disputed
Population Estimateestimated 40 to 47 million 1 Sourced to the subject's own accountNigeria's national census does not publish ethnic breakdowns, so Yoruba population figures are extrapolated from regional demographic surveys and language-speaker counts, producing a wide cited range. Population Band (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Group Type
Group Type (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Subsistence Mode
Subsistence Mode (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Subsistence Mode (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Connections
Associated With
Yoruba facial and body scarification, known as ila, traditionally marked lineage, tribal, and status identification and remains among the best-documented African scarification traditions.
In Rule Category
Source Countries and Their Cultures (Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Gale): Yoruba - Kinship
In the Other Atlases
Used In
Also in Language Atlas: which uses this subject.
Source Wikipedia: YorubaLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 3Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
The Yoruba people ( YORR-uub-ə; Yoruba: Ìran Yorùbá, Ọmọ Odùduwà, Ọmọ Káàárọ̀-oòjíire) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, a region collectively called Yorubaland.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Yoruba
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
The Yoruba people are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, a region collectively called Yorubaland.
Countries and Their Cultures (Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Gale): Yoruba - Kinship
Countries and Their Cultures (Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Gale)In Rule Category: Bilateral Descent, Kin Groups and DescentQuote, In Rule Category: Bilateral Descent, Kin Groups and Descent
There are strong bilateral tendencies, but agnatic ties are emphasized among northern Yoruba, among whom descent groups once were largely coterminus with residence, but not among southern Yoruba, who tend to have more dispersed residences and stress cognatic ties.
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