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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Ancestor worship is an essential aspect of Yorùbá culture. For worshipers of deities like Oranmiyan and other
Yorùbá pantheon gods known collectively as the òrìsà, festivals serve as a connector of the social world of the
Yorùbá to the unseen world.[1] The Yoruba pantheon consists of hundreds of gods, worshiped for an immense
variety of purposes, each representative of some natural or spiritual element or human emotion. Some gods
existed before the creation of the earth and others are heroes or heroines from the past that became gods after
their deaths. Other gods are natural objects in their environment such as mountains, hills and rivers that have
influenced people’s lives and cultural history. Important to the Yoruba religion are storytelling and the
journey of life, and these are connected to many sacred rituals.[2]
In Oyo, these gods are honored, reverenced and worshiped particularly during festivals which often begin with
the retelling of a Yorùbá myth. This is evident during Oranmiyan festival which explores Oyo history in order
to explain its foundation and the ultimate destiny of Oyo Empire.[3] Oranmiyan worship establishes a body
of relationships and transformations with the adherents. These includes maintaining a relationship between an
individual and the past history of his or her lineage; Learning and teaching of incantations, traditional dances,
songs, and ontology; and establishing continuity in the cultural tradition of Oyo town.
Many traditional festivals are celebrated in Oyo town, and are as old as the people, they are being celebrated
in different ways and specified period of the year. A quick classification of these festivals into three categories
further establishes the nature of traditional worship and festivals in Oyo town. First are festivals used to
celebrate agricultural products such as the New Yam festival. Another festival is celebrated in memory
of some powerful and historical figures in a particular community, who had achieved and fought for that
community and made history. Festivals are thereby organized annually to celebrate them. Examples of
such festivals in Oyo include Ogun festival, Shango festival, Oranmiyan festival, etc. The third category
falls under historical festivals which are organized in remembrance of a particular incident that happened
in a community be it good or bad.[4] Thus, rituals are carried out to honor those who have passed on to the
world of the ancestors and provide a space where people may explore the profound and experience
phenomena.
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The central aim of this research is to investigate the various ways in which Yoruba Indigenous identities are
constructed in the contemporary time specifically through Oranmiyan cult and Oranimiyan festival in Oyo
town up to 2013. The study also seeks to explore the spiritual and socio-economic dimensions of Oranmiyan
festival in such constructions within the larger context of dominant global culture. The study intends to
explore the extent to which colonialism together with Christianity and Islam has marginalized and constrained
Yoruba traditional belief system. In effect, the research seeks to explore and establish Yoruba Indigenous
identities through cultural festivals and decolonize the minds of many Yoruba about the traditional practice of
Oranmiyan worship.
A CONTEMPORARY HISTORY OF FESTIVALS IN YORUBALAND: CASE STUDY OF ORANMIYAN FESTIVAL
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