Kingdoms of the Yoruba

by Robert Sydney Smith

This third edition of what has been described as 'this minor classic' has been extensively revised to take account of advances in Nigerian historiography. The twenty million Yorubas are one of the largest and most important groups of people on the African continent. Historically they were organised in a series of autonomous kingdoms and their past is richly recorded in oral tradition and archaeology. From the fifteenth century onwards there are descriptions by visitors and from the nineteenth century there are abundant official reports from administrators and missionaries. Yoruba sculpture in stone, metal, ivory and wood is famous. Less well-known are the elaborate and carefully designed constitutional forms which were evolved in the separate kingdoms, the methods of warfare and diplomacy, the oral literature and the religion based on the worship of a 'high god' surrounded by a pantheon of more accessible deities. Many of these aspects are shown in the drawings and photographs which have been used -- for the first time -- to illustrate this distinguished work.

Genres: Africa, History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

it helps to be Nigerian

It's true that I had only the sketchiest idea of Yoruba history. I knew that they were a people living in the southwestern section of Nigeria, that they had produced some great art and a number of talented writers of whom Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Prize winner, is the most famous. Nigerian music does not have to be explained ! The Yoruba have a good part in that too. But what were the antecedents ? I bought this book many years ago, in Australia, to help get a picture, but never read it till 2011. I must say that my knowledge, though increased, is still rather confused. It could be due to the fact that the Yoruba never lived in one, sole kingdom, but always in a welter of competing states and towns, rising and falling according to leadership or opportunity. That means that there are an enormous number of names (not exactly familiar to denizens of New England !) to remember. Names not only of the kingdoms, but of towns, regions, rivers, rulers, and warriors, names of peoples beyond the Yoruba world as well. The Nupe, Bini, Fon (Dahomeyan), Hausa and Fulani were the most formidable of these latter peoples. Mind-boggling confusion ensued for me as I tried to acquire an overall picture of what happened between say 1200 A.D. and the early 19th century when the first serious reports were written. (The Portuguese had mentioned people who could have been Yoruba some time earlier.) The rulers of each kingdom took a different title, i.e. the Alafin of Oyo, the Ijoko of Kesi, the Ore of Otun, and so on. Try to remember all of them ! Comings and goings, battles, changes of town sites, betrayals and retreats--it was tough going. There are three maps which, under usual circumstances, I would say were pretty good, but the outside reader needs far more. "Help !" I cried, but no one came to the rescue.

The major problem in Yoruba history seems to have been that they didn't write. Smith, the author here, had to rely on oral histories, the recitals of tradition. He openly admits that this has its weaknesses. Mainly, nobody knows when events happened, when certain rulers ruled or if they even existed, when battles were fought or cities founded. It's all dependent on the memories of tradition-tellers. Well, fair enough, that's the material we have to deal with and Nigeria is hardly unique here. But as I look back on what I learned, I'm not sure whether such and such happened in the late 18th century or in the mid-16th. This is quite a discrepancy. That's the second reason I'm still rather confused. The 19th century wars, slave raids, and missionary activities are covered rather briefly, though more material would have been available. I concluded that Smith wrote primarily for Nigerian university students, who needed a textbook that would sum up what was known at the time. Perhaps you can find a more up-to-date volume. If you are Nigerian, or someone going to do detailed studies of West African history, this book could prove useful, if a bit lacking in a wide overview. Cultural or economic life, any hint of anthropology, are almost entirely absent

[Milton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book on the Yoruba Kingdoms. The author spent too much time being vague on exact dates of the origin of the kingdoms. He was very hesitant to support those dates because they were based on oral history. However, once past that the book gives a rich account of the kingdoms and the conflicts existing between them. Smith also does an excellent job describing the interaction of the Yoruba Kingdoms with other kingdoms in the region, something that is rare in African history books. A requirement for those interested in pre-colonial African history.

[Rudi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Yoruba are one of West Africa's most important ethnic groups, and Robert Sydney Smith's short volume is a fine introduction to Yoruba civilization and history. The going can get a little rough for readers who aren't acquainted with Nigerian and west African history, and even those who are nuanced might feel a bit lost in the swirling orbits of multitudes of Yoruba kings, towns and events surrounding them. Despite the attention to details, one can grasp the historical trajectories of the Oyo empire, the Emirate of Ilorin, and Ibadan as well as satellite Yoruba kingdoms and their non-Yoruba neighbors. Smith highlights important elements of Yoruba kingship and mythology, the impact of war and slavery, and introduces the influence of freed Yoruba repatriates from the New World during the colonial period. Smith's narrative clearly shows that the Yoruba were never a unified entity throughout their history despite deep cultural affinities. Students of West African and Nigerian history might find this book a useful introduction.