Africa, African Anthropology - General Resources
By peoples
The peoples of Africa are often described in terms of their ethnic background or their languages. There are several thousand ethnic groups in Africa, ranging in physical stature from the short Pygmies to the tall Maasai, each with its own cultural traditions. Here are only a few of them.
Akan Akuapem Akye Anyi Aowin Asante Babanki Baga Bali Bamana Bamileke Bamum Bangubangu Bangwa Baule Beembe Bembe Berber Bidyogo Bobo Bushoong Bwa Chokwe Dan Diamande Dogon Eket Fang Fante Fon Frafra Fulani Hausa Hemba Holoholo Ibibio Idoma Igbira Igbo Ijo Kabre Karagwe Kassena Katana Kom Kongo Kota Kuba Kusu Kwahu Kwere Laka Lega Lobi Luba Luchazi Luluwa Lunda Luvale Lwalwa Maasai Makonde Mambila Mangbetu Manja Mbole Mende Mitsogo Mossi Mumuye Ngbaka Nkanu Nok Nuna Oron Owo Pende Pokot Punu San Senufo Shambaa Shona Songo Songye Suku Swahili Tabwa Tuareg Urhobo We Wimiama Wodaabe Wolof Woyo Wum Yaka Yombe Yoruba Zaramo Zulu
Please note: Some of the peoples and associations presented here are so closely related that more than one topic heading may apply. For example, The Akan people are given a page of their own, yet the Asante ( Ashanti ) are also an Akan people, as are the Akuapem. So, a full search for the 'Akan' may involve looking at pages dedicated to sub-groups as well. Some sub-group pages may contain only a link or two, but they are still part of a much larger picture.
You will find a similar relationship among some of other peoples listed here. This is a case where a little advanced knowledge of the subject may be an advantage when using these pages.
Egbe Omo Yoruba: National Association of Yoruba Descendants in North America __ Learn about this organization and its activities. - From yorubanation.org - http://www.yorubanation.org/
Oduduwa Heritage Organization __ "This is the website of Oduduwa Heritage Organization. We are a cultural group of the Yoruba people based in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area." Learn about the organization, scholarship information, culture, events and more. - From oho.org - http://www.oho.org/
The World of the Yoruba __ "Yoruba is the second largest language group in Africa, consisting of over 20 million people. The term "Yoruba" encompasses about twenty-five separate groups, each one culturally different from the next. Islam, Christianity, and the "traditional" Yoruba pantheon, the orisa, are all embraced in Yorubaland. The bond shared by all Yoruba peoples is the centrality of ritual to special occasions, as well as to everyday life." You can learn about that world in this fairly ranging website. - From Franklin and Marshall College - http://www.fandm.edu/departments/Anthropology/Bastian/ANT269/yoru.html
Yoruba __ An overview of Yoruba history and culture. "The Yoruba people live in Southwest Nigeria and Benin. They have developed a variety of different artistic forms including pottery, weaving, beadwork, metalwork, and mask making. Most artwork is made to honor the gods and ancestors and since there are more then 401 known gods to the Yoruba there is much sculpture and artwork made. Because of the vastness in the number of gods, the Yoruba have been compared to the ancient Greeks in the amount of gods and in the similarities between the structures of the gods." - illustrated - From The Africa Guide - http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/yoruba.htm
Yoruba Bata in Nigeria __ "This website focuses mostly on Cuban or Lukumi
styles of bata drumming, but the bata come from the Yoruba culture in what is
today called Nigeria and Benin." Now while it might focus on Cuban drumming, you
will find a good overview of Yoruba culture and history with links to other
excellent resources. There is an audio element as well. - illustrated - From
batadrums.com -
http://www.batadrums.com/background/yoruba.htm
Yoruba History __ A good overview of Yoruba history beginning with the Oduduwa
Dynasty and the Founding of the Nation. - From yorubanation.org -
http://www.yorubanation.org/Yoruba.htm
Yoruba History Page __ "The Yoruba People, of whom there are more than twenty-five million, occupy the southwestern corner of Nigeria along the Dahomey border and extends into Dahomey itself. To the east and north the Yoruba culture reaches its approximate limits in the region of the Niger River. However ancestral cultures directly related to the Yoruba once flourished well north of the Niger." A general overview. - From cultural-expressions.com - http://www.cultural-expressions.com/ifa/ifahistory.htm
Yoruba King: Yoruba Crown -Symbol of Power __ "The most important part of a Yoruba king's regalia (costume or clothing) is the crown (ade in Yoruba). the beaded fringe shields the face of the ruler, not only to hide his identity, but also to protect the viewer from the power of the king's direct gaze." - A paragraph describing the king's regalia. - illustrated - from princetonol.com - http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/yoruking.htm
Yoruba Kingdoms and Benin __ "As far as historical memory extends, the Yoruba have been the dominant group on the west bank of the Niger. Of mixed origin, they were the product of the assimilation of periodic waves of migrants who evolved a common language and culture. The Yoruba were organized in patrilineal descent groups that occupied village communities and subsisted on agriculture, but from about the eleventh century A.D., adjacent village compounds, called ile, began to coalesce into a number of territorial citystates in which loyalties to the clan became subordinate to allegiance to a dynastic chieftain." An interesting history. - From Library of congress - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ng0015)
Yoruba Legends - Index __ Several click-to-read myths and legends of the Yoruba - From sacred-texts.com - http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/yl/index.htm
Yoruba Mask History and tribal culture __ "The history traditonal and tribal significance of African masks from the Yoruba tribe located in South Western Nigeria" - illustrated - From rebirth.co.za - http://www.rebirth.co.za/yoruba_mask_history_meaning.htm
The Yoruba Page __ A website: "To cherish, uphold, and project the honor and
dignity of Yoruba culture, language and tradition in Africa and the Diaspora."
You will find information and resources. - From yoruba.org -
http://www.yoruba.org/
Yoruba People __ "The arts of the Yoruba are as numerous as their deities, and many objects are placed on shrines to honor the gods and the ancestors. Beautiful sculpture abounds in wood and brass and the occasional terracotta. Varied masking traditions have resulted in a great diversity of mask forms. Additional important arts include pottery, weaving, beadworking and metalsmithing." You will find material related to art, culture, history, religion, political structure and more. - From University of Iowa - http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Yoruba.html
Yoruba Religion __ Information detailing some of the syncretized belief systems of traditional Yoruba religion and Christianity. - From Unknown - http://members.aol.com/ishorst/love/Yoruba.html
The Yoruba Tribe __ A brief review of Yoruba history and culture. - From
Margaret chase Smith School -
http://tinyurl.com/8jkhu
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