The Exhibition

Geography & Economy Video

This is a video of what trading at the market looked like in Ile-Ife.

Beaded Work In Ile-Ife (Geography & Economy)

This is a picture of what beaded work would look like in Ile-Ife. The color red represents hot and blue and black represent cold. We made a series of necklaces and bracelets to show you a glimpse of what kind of beadwork men and women would produce and then sell at the market. The beadwork was expensive and powerful, so only special people such as the political and religious leaders could wear it.

~Picture taked by Clarissa
~Beaded work created by Roobvia , Lydia and Clarissa.

The Arts In Ile-Ife

Ile Ife people had many arts in their culture. They had dance, beadwork, sculpting, music, and storytelling. Their arts contributed to everyday life.

"Dance is one way that helps open communication between passed and present." That’s what the Yoruba people believed. Thus, dance was a big part of religion and arts in lle-lfe. They danced to honor people in the spirit world. In one of the dances they honored the ancestors. This was called an Egugun dance. Watch a video clip of a modern Egungun dance in Nigeria. As you can see costumes for the dance were elaborate often consisting of multi-layered cloth and monkey skulls.

Another dance they did was when they worshiped Osun, the goddess of the rivers. When they worshipped her they wore all white. The Ile-Ife way of worshipping gods and goddesses through dance spread to the Americans and is done today in Brazil as Candomble, in Cuba as Lukumi and in Puerto Rico as Santeria. Here's a video we made explaining this information more from our own perspective.

Another art they had was the sculptures which were later found by a German ethnographer in 1911. The sculptures found reflected images of people and animals and, according to the German ethnographer, they had a way of creating the sculptures that involved many steps and time. The people would first make a clay model that would have the shape of what they had in mind whether it was an animal or a person. After the clay dried, they would pour a thin layer of beeswax and then carve all the details into the sculpture. After completing that, they would put several more layers of clay on top of the beeswax so that they could bake it and harden it. They would create fire around in a circle and put the sculpture in the middle, letting it stay overnight until it completely hardened. Having that done, they took the following step of having the melted beeswax taken out of the sculpture and in there they would pour bronze. Finally, after the bronze dried up they would carefully crack the outer layer of clay revealing the true sculpture inside. It would be amazing the detail and time taken to create this. However, look at the results. Here's an example of a sculpture from Ile-Ife.








Another very important art was beadwork. Beadwork was used a lot in Ile-Ife. Making beadwork took a lot of time a skill. Beadwork usually had a lot of color, designs, and shapes. Beadwork was usually put on clothes, crowns, and jewelry. That’s why it was as expansive as it was. Not everyone could afford beads. Only kings, queens, rulers, judges, priests, and other powerful people could afford them.


Besides beadwork, in Ile-Ife music was a very important art form. So the musicians had specific jobs while playing each one of their instruments. For example, when a dancer performs there is a drummer present to help guide the dancer while he/she performs. When I say guide, I mean the rhythms the drummer play tell the dancer how to move. The key purpose is for the drummer to help guide the conversation between the dancer and the other world. In addition, there would be other musicians present playing other types of drums, basically backing up the lead drummer. Moreover, there are some connections on how music is viewed between today’s society and Ile-ife. For instance they believed the drummers helped guide the dancers as they perform, and in today’s society people believe that musicians in general help tell a story when someone is performing a piece. Another connection between Ile-Ife music and today's society, is that some of our most popular music got some of its rhythm from that society. Salsa is one for example. If you love salsa, click on this video clip of local salsa dancers.



Storytelling was one of their popular cultures. One reason why they told stories is to show kids lessons from doing wrong. These stories were told by the women. The reason is because the men were too busy to tell stories because they had other jobs.


In conclusion, ile-ife had many different art forms that are used in America today. The art forms included music, dance, sculpture, storytelling, and beadwork. In addition, Ife accomplished a lot with their artists. The artists created masterpieces with different materials; all of this was natural to them and was on the high lines of art. The Yoruba art form dancing inspired a new style of dance called salsa to come alive in other countries like Cuba, and other Latin countries. Then when it comes to music, Ife created their own unique sound that has just vocals and different types of percussion. Finally, their handcrafting has paved the way for technology to change and for there to be machines that can do what an artist can.



Sources (Lord Of The Dance Movie, Djenaba Kouyate, Roslyn Adele Walker)

Geography and Economy of Ile-Ife

Did you know back then in the Ife economy their jewelry and such was made out of beads and string? Beading, along with weaving, hunting and the geography itself helped make a good economy for Ile-Ife.

Back in Ile-Ife, which is now Nigeria, it was a sweaty, hot place, covered with many types of natural resources such as water, trees, vegetables, animals, and so much more. The water that came to the area always happened in huge rainstorms, though not happening very often, which caused droughts. But the landscape didn’t just include climate, there were also a vast numbers of animals that roamed the grounds.

In hunting, they would create various weapons from the branches found on the ground for crossbows, longbows, clubs and such. They would use the weapons for taking control of their animal prey, animals such as bush babies and bushbucks to lions and leopards.

With all these animals they must of used them for something, so of course they would hunt them for their meat and leather. Leather was made into things like bags and clothes, and the food was cooked and prepared for eating. As a side note, the indigo plant that came from the land was used in the cloth dyeing that was made.


Another thing that was important in the Ile-Ife was female roles in the economy. Woman in Ife-Ife would weave cloth then dye it to trade and sell in the market. They also made accessories such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings which they called beading. The woman went once a week to the market in order to sell or trade the products that they produced. These are some of the ways the woman helped the economy in Ife-Ife.

Finally one important thing that the males did was hunting. They hunted herbivores. Herbivores are plant eaters like cane-rats, giant rats, squirrels, variety of duikers (small antelope) and monkeys, bush cows, porcupine, and other herbivores. They also hunted wild animals like buffaloes, lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and elephants. To kill the animal they used hunting tools like a wooden club. The wooden club was the first weapon they had. They also used cutlasses, which are small swords. These tools were made from branches off trees. But of course the men didn’t just go out at any time. They had certain times to go. They knew an animal was around if there a narrow tunnel-like passage.

In conclusion, man and woman in Ile-Ife both contributed to the success of their economy. Men hunted while women beaded and weaved. The geography was an important feature to help the economy as well. So the next time you hear about economy remember it was not only one group that helped; every member in the society distinguished this complex economy.

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Sources: Rural Economies: Hunting and Fishing. Rural Economies: Craft Industries, Adire Eleko Cloth of Nigeria, Johnson,Revernened. The History of the Yourba. London: Lowe and Brydone Limited, 1973

We Are Family!

The typical Ile-Ife family usually includes a grandfather (a Bale), his sons, their wives, daughters, sons and more grandchildren. In this picture of a current day Ile-Ife family, there is a mother, father, daughter, son and grandparent.

Everyone in the family has different roles and responsibilities they do everyday based on their gender, age and skills. The males have certain privileges that they get from seniority. However, all males had privileges over females. The responsibility they had was farming and hunting. The responsibility of females was to gather food from the tropical rain forest, to prepare the food that the males brought from hunting, to dye cloth and to make bead work. They also had to watch and teach their kids how things work and what they had to do in the future. The role of the children had been they had to respect their elders and listen to what their parents say. and they had to follow all customs and traditions.

CHILDREN

Children were considered gifts in Ile-Ife. When a child is born they are no named until eight days later. The name of a child has a specific reason behind it and a special meaning behind the name as well. Certain names are given for many differen reasons, from when the child was born, how the child was born and what order you were born in (first child, second, third- etc).

Something both Ile-ife and the U.S have in common is that names are gender neutral.
Here are some examples of Ile-Ife names:
Ona- Art,
Onafeko- Art needs learning
Ode- Warrior
Osun- The goddess of the river

Ile- Ife had the highest rate of twin births. It was said that children were a gift and joy. Twins are double the joy, double the happiness, double amounts of sleepless nights. Twins are "special beings" that bring love and magic into the already crowded home. The first born twin is actually considered the younger twin. An old folk tale says that the "older" twin kicked the first twin out to see if the coast was clear. Each child has a special name due to when they arrived. The first born twin is called Taiwo. The twin that arrived shortly after is called a Kehinde.

Once a child in Ile-ife is born, it is sprinkled with water. Then it is shaken three times and hung upside down. To the United States that may seem cruel and unusual. However, in Ile- Ife it was a greatly respected tradition to make the baby strong and brave. Once the baby is born the mother and child MUST remain inside of their home for six to eight weeks (six weeks for a baby girl, eight weeks for a baby boy). When a baby is born ONLY women are allowed to attend the birth;if a male were to attend the baby's birth would be delayed. Also it was said that if a male were to attend it was disrespectful and heinous. However, a male doctor can be present ONLY if there were any problems concerning the baby's birth.

A tradition that children had was to hear folktales that their elders would tell them. Some major characters are the hare, turtle and the elephant. Watch an example of a story. I created it based on the kind of Yoruba folktales I studied.



MALES

In Ile- Ife males are greatly respected, they have many important roles and responsibilities as the head of the family. In an Ile-Ife family the Bale is the most important person. Everyone relies on him to make decisions for them. When there is an argument the Bale has to be there to break it up. The Bale of the family always has to be a male. If the Bale passes away, the next eldest male member of the family is now the Bale. The other males are divided into three groups based on seniority. All the elder males depend on themselves and make their own decisions, and the younger groups depend on their fathers. When it is time for them to eat, the oldest male, being the Bale, gets served first and the biggest portion of food. The next eldest male member gets served second and it continues until the last person is served. So in Ile-Ife the males are in charge of the family.

WOMEN

Women in Ile-Ife were a very vital part in their families. Women were important for some specific reasons. One reason is because they were the ones, besides the Bale, who really worked hard for and held the family together. Women worked hard through the birthing of their children, gathering of foods, cooking, taking care of and teaching the children, etc. Women also worked hard because they never really took a break from their work unlike the males in the families who took time off of their work a lot. Women are not looked at as the important family member in many societies but just like in Ile-Ife they often deserve to be recognized more often.

ARCHITECTURE

The houses that the Yoruba families lived in were called Agbo'ile. The Agbo'ile are made out of mud walls that raised up to 7 to 8 feet tall, and the roofs were covered with tall grass. They used various tall grasses which were Sege, Bere, and Ekan. Kira was attached in the back of the Abogo Ife.




Ile- Ife people grooving to the sound of their own traditions. Those traditions are passed down from generation to generation. Family is the way they keep their traditions alive in the hearts of everyone.






Resources:

Johnson, Reverend. The History of Yoruba. London; Lowe and Brydone Limited, 1973.
Anda, Michael. Yoruba. Rosen Publishing Inc. New York.

To See Music Video: "WE ARE FAMILY" by Sister Sledge click "FAMILY" up above.

Family in Ile-Ife was extremely unified. It might remind you of that famous Sister Sledge tune "We are Family."

Religion of Ile Ife

Ever heard of a place called Ile-Ife? Way before the time of cars, television, and cell phones. In Ile-Ife, spare time was used to worship, in their very strong and cultured religion. By music, dancing, and art, their faith is expressed. This whole kingdom mainly revolved around religion. Similar to Greek mythology, there are multiple gods and goddesses with distinct purposes. Everything in the world that occurred was usually associated with the god or goddess’s will. Imagine the logic of the mind set of Ile Ife.
The male gods, or referred to as orishas, had distinct powers over affairs in Ile-Ife. Shango, for example, was the god of thunderstorms. He was believed to strike a bolt of lightning to the individuals who chose to disrespect him, or just to show off how powerful he really is. Or, there are gods, like Ogun, who is associated with blacksmiths, making him the god of tools, weapons, and metals. All gods were very powerful.

There were very few goddesses being worshipped in Ile-Ife compared to male gods.

Some are known to be very fierce like Oya the wife of Shango. She is also known as “ The wife who is fiercer then her husband.” Oya had power over the whirlwinds and she got angry easily , was not patient and very demanding. Oya was not the only popular orisha, there was also Oshun the goddess of love. Female orishas can be really fierce but they also can be kind and gentle.

So, with the knowledge of the divine lives of the orishas, and the communication and guidance of the Babalow, the kingdom of Ile-Ife had great hope for the after life, as well as great faith in their creator and providers, the orishas. This religion made a great foundation for their way of life because they lived in either fear, or respect for the orishas. So, instead of other wasteful, past times we have today, the kingdom of Ile-Ife used their time wisely, in religious activities.

In the Yoruba religion,the babalawo is a person who tells the future and helps people talk with the gods. In order to talk to the gods he uses a tray and palm nuts or a chain. In the life and religion of Ile-ife i broken into two world. The real world and the spirit world. The spirit world if full of different types of gods (orisas). There is Ogun. He creates and clears paths for the other orisas to go to the spirit world. Another orisa in Ile-ife is Shango, the thunder god in Yoruba. He hurls stones with electricity at the earth.
Also there are female orisas such as Oya a female goddess the wife of shango, called “the wife who is fiercer than the husband”.a symbol of the orisa shango

The way people connect to the real world to the spirit world is by dancing to the sounds of the drum. The drums tell you to move left, right, or around.

Government

Is the government structure of Ile-Ife different from the one we have today? Yes!!! The Ile-Ife had a monarchy government, very similar to the late kingdom of England. The government of Ile-Ife was made up of a king (Oni), many councils, and province and village chiefs.

The overall government of Ile-Ife was very complex for its time. It was very much like England, in that they had a king, but there were also councils (parliament in England’s case) who, at many times had as much power as the king. This would balance out the power in the nation, making it a democratic-monarch hybrid. Ile-Ife was also very much like are government insofar that Ile-Ife was made up of provinces and there were chiefs appointed to these provinces to rule them, just like our governors. Ile-Ife also had many towns and villages where lower chiefs called Bales would rule. Ile-Ife had a very advanced government and a few its only privations were the lack of a nationwide electoral vote for the head of state and a term in power.

The King (which was called the Oni) had the most power over the land. He had a very powerful role in the religious world. The Oni had a special connection between the other world and the real world. The Oni was considered God on Earth because they were descendent of Oduduwa. Oduduwa was the creator of Earth and he was the first Oni. Every Oni after Oduduwa was related to him. So therefore, Oduduwa was considered as the father of Ile-Ife.

Ile-Ife, as explained in the last paragraph, had a very strong connection between government and religion. Both of these two parts of their society were very complex and they worked well together for the Yoruba for a long time. This setup of government was one of the main reasons the civilization lasted so long, and ruled as the greatest nation of West Africa for more then a millennia.

Click here to listen to an audio track.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ile-Ife

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_people

http://www.edo-nation.net/origin.htm