Tribal marks are scarifications that are made on the body in several Nigerian ethnic communities. Mostly seen on the cheeks, the marks are also made on the forehead, chin, abdomen, back, arms and hands. Presently considered by many people as a barbaric and unnecessary practice, tribal marking in the past was sometimes done for good…
Hadiza Ladi Kwali born in c.1925, was a Nigerian potter, the best known one in her time whose work won international acclaim for its ingenuity and beauty. Ladi Kwali was a native of Kwali village in the Gwari region of Northern Nigeria. Growing up in a community where pottery was a common craft for the…
Aso Ebi (also called Ashebi), which literally means ‘family cloth’ originated with the Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria, as can be deduced from the name. It refers to a piece or set of clothing that is chosen and worn by members of a family at a social function, especially if they are the celebrants. Its…
Ojubo Osogbo, a component of the Osun Groove, is ancient, older than the town of Osogbo (which is not older than 400 years, according to Chief Olugunna’s research). The statue of Osun where the river bends at Ojubo Osogbo is from the hand of Saka. It is a reverent replacement for the one which fell…
Deji; of Akure, traditional title of the Oba of Akure. Royal lineages in Akure trace a common ancestry to Asodeboyede, the first Oba of Akure, who reigned from 1150 A.D to 1180 A.D. As believed by a session, there should be only one Ruling House in Akure. And this had been since 1576 A.D, until…
The central figure in Ifa divinity is Orunmila, the God of wisdom who, in Yoruba myth, was witness to earth’s creation. There is no going further in human history than that. Oduduwa’s link with immortality comes from his sometimes being equated with Orunmila in Yoruba myth. Orunmila uses his special insight as a witness to…