Incantation and the Yoruba Art of Speaking Reality into Being Opening Ọ̀rọ̀ tí a bá sọ, a kì í fà á padà (the word once spoken cannot be pulled back). A Yoruba elder does not say this the way an English speaker says “you can’t unring a bell.” The English version is a warning about consequence: be careful, your words […]
Yoruba praise poetry, lineage memory, and the art of being called by name CHAPTER ONE The Sound of Your Own Name Ilé la ń wò, ká tó sọ ọmọ lórúkọ. We look at the home before we give the child a name. Somewhere tonight a grandmother is holding a restless child and chanting over it. She is not singing a […]
THE LIVING WISDOM OF THE YORUBA: BOOK ONE Pronunciation Guide Yoruba is a tonal language, and the marks over the letters change meaning as much as the letters themselves. This guide is not a substitute for hearing the words spoken. It gives you enough to read the page without stumbling. Word Rough pronunciation Meaning Orí oh-REE Head; the spiritual head […]