A-ARTs: Ancient diaspora connection to Yorùbá name origin

J. Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture and History, Onikan, Lagos.

By Tajudeen Sowole

IT'S doubtful if any people's name origin has generated so much interest as that of theYorùbá. In this publication, searching for the people's ancestry also leads to the sources of their name origin.

The Yoruba, geographically, belong in the southwest of Nigeria, as part of many ethnic nationalities within the country. While the Yoruba of southwest Nigeria has the largest population of the ethnic group, the diaspora spread cuts across some countries in West Africa, and parts of the Caribbean as well as South America.

The controversy about the origin of Yoruba and the name may have started a long time ago. However, the 21st century dynamics of digital communication has exploded the controversy more, compared to the last century.

While the oral argument of those who said the Yoruba origin had been in the current southwestern Nigeria persists, this publication's probity of related history suggests a lead into the ancestry of the people. From the perspective of historical context that, rightly or wrongly, links Yoruba origin to Semitic or Egyptian ancestry, there is a part that indirectly supports the argument that the people had their base in the current western Nigeria before linking with ancient Yoruba diaspora. This is one crucial part of the debate that has been rarely explored, which is being focused in this publication.

Did the ancestors of Yoruba, through trade and migration, journeyed from the southwest of today's Nigeria through the Nile axis to Egypt, further to the Middle East? And at what point did the ancient diaspora Yoruba's generational spread started returning to Yorubaland base, southwest of what would later become Nigeria? These questions are worthy of attention in critical analysis of ancient Yoruba migrations.

In my previous article on the subject, dated March 13, 2021, and titled 'How Yoruba meaning linked ancient Arab patriarch, Ya'rub, other Nile Tribes', I established that the name origin of Yoruba was not given by the Hausa or Fulani of northern Nigeria as wrongly speculated. The publication tracked the Yoruba name origin back to the inter-tribal migration and journey of a Nile ancient tribe, possibly Yuuba or Yarba. The publication also suggested that the Yoruba name origin, possibly, had link to ancient Yemeni patriarch known as Ya'rub.

For clarification, some of the responses received on the 2021 publication misunderstood the context, arguing that the Yoruba people and Arab have no shared-genealogy. Did the publication link blood or ancestral connection between Yoruba and the Arab? Absolutely no, as the connection mentioned in the publication only tracked the shared location, and possible etymology between ancient Yoruba and some tribes of Semitic descents. It's well known that ancient peoples who did not share common genealogy had reason to be in shared-environment, culture and perhaps similar languages as a result of long history of togetherness in trading and migrations of the past.

Did the migrations of the Yoruba people, over several generations, start from the current southwest of Nigeria before connecting the Nile, and Middle East? Between the Yarba tribe history, written by fifteenth century Arabic scholar, Jurist, Ahmad Baba (1556-1627) of Timbuktu, Mali; similar story by monarch of Sokoto, Sultan Muhammad Bello, (reigned 1817-1837); the Yuuba tribe, described by Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilori (1917-May 3, 1992) in one of his presentations; and oral Oduduwa history from Yoruba traditionalists, lies the crucial source to uncover name origin of the Yoruba people. Although Al-Ilori disagreed with the Middle East origin mentioned by Ahmad Baba and Sultan Bello, there are two common factors among the three scholars. Each scholar either mentioned Middle East and Egypt-Nile, which adds to the traditional Yoruba narratives of southwest Nigeria origin, to form important basis in the search for 'Yoruba' as a name and the people's ancestry.

Why are these three scholars of Islamic knowledge that lived many generations apart important in tracking Yoruba origin? Historians of African descents in pre-European era of Africa were people lettered only in Arabic texts. Apart from Arabic texts, the only other form of literacy in most parts of Africa then was the Ajami (Arabic adaptation for parts of West Africa). Before Europeans came to Africa with English, Roman, Portuguese and French literacy, Arabic texts had been on the continent for more than a millennium. Before Arabic literacy was introduced to Africa, ancient indigenous African means of communication in pseudo-letters were not developed into literary knowledge beyond signs and symbols. –

Apart from Ethiopian Ge'ez letters – sparsely used then, even till date – no other African indigenous letters survived the test of ancient and modern literacy. Ironically, Ge'ez, which gave birth to Amharic is less in circulation comparatively to the latter. Amharic is second most widely spoken and written Semitic language after Arabic.

Africans didn't go beyond oral tradition in documenting their history in pre-Arabic texts eras. Close to Ethiopic letters were the Egyptian hieroglyphics, which also did not survive the test of modern literacy. Despite the challenge of lack of developed-indigenous African letters, in documenting the peoples' history, there are some merits in oral traditions. In this publication, those merits of oral tradition in documenting history are being merged with preserved literary works to arrive at possible origin of Yoruba name. The preserved literary works being referenced are in Arabic, from which other English authors got their sources.

From the work of Capt. Clapperton (Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, 1822-1824), Reverend Samuel Johnson's The History of the Yorubas – published posthumously in 1921 – referenced the narration by Sultan Bello. After describing "Yarba as an extensive province," Bello, according to Clapperton, explained what he knew about the people. "By the side of this province there is an anchorage or harbour for the ships of the Christians, who used to go there and purchased slaves," Sultan Bello was quoted by Clapperton. "These slaves were exported from our country and sold to the people of Yarba, who resold them to the Christians."

It's important to note that Bello was describing European slave merchants of that period as "Christians." And when he said "slaves were exported from our country...," Bello referred to the northern part of today's Nigeria. There was no entity known as Nigeria at the period Bello mentioned.

From Clapperton's book, the Yarba land that Sultan Bello described as a province with water and anchorage appeared like today's Yorubaland or other parts of Southern Nigeria. The closest areas to Sokoto that could have water with ship anchorage would be coastal lands of Southsouth or Southwest of present day Nigeria.

Bello, most likely inherited the narrative about the origin of the 'Yarba' people from the fifteenth century Malian Ahmad Baba. "The inhabitants of this province (Yarba) it is supposed originated from the remnant of children of Canaan who were of the tribe of Nimrod," Johnson quoted Clapperton on page 6 of his 1921 book The History of the Yorubas. "The cause of their establishment in the West of Africa was, as it is stated, in consequence of their being driven by Yar-rooba, son of Kahtan, out of Arabia to the Western Coast between Egypt and Abyssinia." Baba’s work on the Yoruba people link to Yar-rooba seems weak to be taken in reliable historical context, so suggests many factors.

Yoruba as a collective identity existed before 1800s era

From the work of Clapperton as quoted by Johnson, the argument that the name Yoruba was not known as a collective ethnic identity until the 1800 cannot stand the test of history. From Baba to Bello, and Clapperton to Johnson, the works referenced showed that for hundreds of years during the Transatlantic trade in humans, there were facts that some people were identified as 'Yarba'.

Nearly every scholar, across cultural divides agree that the earliest documented of the name 'Yarba' or 'Yoruba' appeared in Ahmed Baba's 1614 essay Mi'raj al-Sujud. The work was making caution to Muslims about dealing with non-Muslims, and listed many tribes in West Africa as "these are unbelievers remaining in their unbelief until now." The texts of Baba listed, among others, "Mossi, or Gurma, or Bussa, or Borgu, or Dagomba, or Kotokoli, or Yoruba, or Tombo..." as unbelievers (non-Muslims) in West Africa.

Al-Ilori's narrative is different from that of Bello. The cleric stated that black tribe of Yuuba produced Bagda and Adakawa, among whom were people with Yoruba style face marks. He noted that the remnants of the ancient black Arab tribe of Yuuba still exist in parts of Sudan. His argument differs from Baba and Bello whose literary works, among others, were also on the history of the Yoruba. Al-Ilori insisted that the history of the Yoruba started from Egypt, and not Middle East.

Speaking to his audience in Yoruba language, Al-Ilory explained how Yoruba of that era "ti won le kuro ni oko Egypt," (Yoruba people driven from Egyptian farmland), mixed with others of similar ancestry from North Africa, East Africa and northeast, moved downward with other black tribes. Disagreeing with Bello, Sheikh Al-Ilory argued that there was no record that the Yarba, Yuuba or Yaruuba people of that era crossed any water during their “adorun ojo” (90 days) journey. He emphatically insisted that the Yoruba people did not come from Mecca or Iraq. “Ti o ba se pe lati Mecca ni, bawo ni won se fo odo?” (If they came from Mecca, how did they cross the water?)

However, Al-Ilory's argument about the ancient Yoruba not crossing water from Middle East to Egypt can't stand ancient and modern test of navigation science. In fact, thousands of years before the possible era of the Yuuba, Yarba or Yaruuba tribe mentioned, humans have been moving across the red sea, crossing from Africa. Early humans travel out of Africa, according to U.K-based Natural History Museum. "For a long time, our species was exclusively African," the museum stated on its website. "But over hundreds of thousands of years, Homo sapiens started to push out into Arabia, Asia and eventually the rest of the world."

The central focus of all the researchers and scholars, in their works was about an ancient Negroid tribe (Yarba, Yuuba or Yaruuba) that passed through Egypt, Nile axis and settled in what is now western Nigeria. One difference among the works of these scholars is that of Al-Ilori, who in his presentation mentioned how the Yuuba tribe were "driven from Masar (now Egypt) and moved to Sudan", on their way to the West Africa, current location of the Yoruba.

However, Bello and Al-Ilory agreed on the remnants of the ancient Yarba or Yuuba found in parts of the Nile, especially Sudan. "From that spot they advanced into the interior of Africa till they reach Yarba where they fixed their residence," Bello continued his track of the people from western Coast between Egypt and Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Here is where Bello and Al-Ilory converged about the Sudan factor of the ancient Yoruba people. "On their way they left in every place they stopped at a tribe of their own people. Thus, it is supposed that all the tribes of the Soudan who inhabit the mountains are originated from them as also the inhabitants of Ya-ory." More interesting, Clapperton, according to Johnson, quoted Bello in what exposed the similarities between Yoruba of today and Nupe (Tapa) people. "Upon the whole, the people of Yarba are nearly of the same description as those of Noofe (Nupe)," Sultan Bello stated.

Irrespective of the accuracy or inaccurate works of Bello as regards insistence on Middle East origin of the Yoruba, the Sultan, just like Al-Ilory too, did not leave out Egypt and the Nile axis, as part of the people's journey to the current southwest Nigeria location. Adding the Nile axis factor, mentioned by these two Islamic scholars and authors, to oral narrations of indigenous Yoruba perspective has exposed quite an interesting lead into the search for Yoruba origin and name.

According to Yoruba oral tradition, Oduduwa has no link to the Middle East. In fact, the Lamurudu (Namrud or Nimrod) story of being driven from Mecca as father of Oduduwa, according to some Yoruba traditionalists, "is fictitious." On the contrast, other Yoruba traditionalists believe the Arabia part of the history. For example, in a March 10, 2016 Premium Times publication, Rufus Adebowale, a prince from the Okukenu ruling house of Egbaland, asserted the connection of Oduduwa and the Middle East. "Our progenitor father is Oduduwa who came from Saudi Arabia," Prince Adebowale was responding to the issue of seniority between Ooni of Ife and Alaafin of Oyo. "When he was coming from Saudi Arabia, he came with an aide who was later named Ooni, by the time he was dying, he left all he had in the‎ possession of Ooni; Omonide, his wife; and Okanbi, the only surviving son." More interesting, the Alake of Egba, according to Yoruba history is one of the indirect descendants of Oduduwa. Prince Adebowale's position confirmed the complexity of the Oduduwa origin among the descendants of the Ife ancient King.

Trashing the perspective of Mecca origin of Lamurudu, Oduduwa and Yoruba connection is the fact that no Islamic record of Prophet Muhammad era or post-Muhammad period mentioned such names. Lamurudu (Nimrod) or Oduduwa conflict with Muslims was never mentioned in all the battles of those eras fought with non-Muslims. Also, there was no Islamic history or record of any tribe led by Oduduwa, or who were chased out of Arabland. Every event of Prophet Muhammad era as well as the conflicts of post-Muhammad period during the spread of Islam were well documented and nowhere was Oduduwa mentioned.

Given the controversy over the Lamurudu connection with Yoruba and Oduduwa, it's safer to stay with the majority of the oral traditions that insist that no Nimrod or Lamurudu had any link to do with the people's history. According to the oral tradition, Oduduwa was born in Ife, (date unknown), but reigned as King of Ife in estimated period of (800-1000CE). However, Oduduwa did not come, or was born into empty land; some people were already in existence on the land. Were people from the land that Oduduwa was born into already migrating or having inter-tribal trades with others, to as far as the Nile and Egypt before or during his era?

With the suspicion of falsehood over Oduduwa-Saudi Arabia link, this publication is working on two verified and non-controversial oral traditions: Oduduwa's period, both as King and patriarch during his reign in Yorubaland; and the history of the Ijebu, who are said to have come from Sudan. Collectively, the oral histories of Oduduwa and that of the Ijebu appear to offer a strong lead into the roots of the southwest Nigeria people and the name origin of what is now known as 'Yoruba'. A critical view of the Ijebu connection with Oduduwa suggests that some Yoruba people of pre-Oduduwa era emigrated from the then Yorubaland in West Africa to Egypt and other parts of the Nile axis.

In 2010, during the 50th anniversary of Awujale of Ijebu, the monarch, Oba Sikiru Adetona (10 May 1934-13 July, 2025), asserted his earlier claim that Ijebu people came from Wadai, in Sudan. Much earlier, in the defunct Concord newspaper of January 4, 1981, Oba Adetona had declared that a powerful Ijebu man known as "Olu-lwa came all the way from Wadai, a small town around Sudan, accompanied by many followers including his daughter, named Gborowo, Ajebu, Olode, Osimore, and Afin, among others" to settle in Ijebuland.

Oba Adetona explained Ijebu connection with Oduduwa, narrating that when passing through lle-lfe, Olu-lwa received warm reception from Oduduwa. And in appreciation of the reception, Olu-lwa gave his only daughter to Oduduwa as a wife, and continued his journey to the current location of Ijebuland.

Is there anywhere known as Wadai, in Sudan? Many search sources show that Wadai Sultanate was a seventeenth century monarchy that lasted till 1912. Located then in East of the present Lake Chad, but most likely was considered as partly a border town near Darfur, Sudan, according to Britannica. From oral tradition of the Ijebu — during the patriarch Olu-Iwa era — inherited by Oba Adetona and others before him, the geographical area of Wadai must have been taken to be under Sudan. "Long subordinate to Darfur, it became independent by the 1790s, and began a period of rapid expansion...," Britannica states on its website.

Apparently, there should be no argument about the existence of a place known as Wadai during the referenced period of the oral tradition that Oba Adetona inherited. Also, it's doubtful if there has been any counter claims among the Ijebu people as regards the Wadai, Sudan oral narrative by Oba Adetona.

Of what etymology were the Ijebu of the Wadai era before Olu-Iwa started his journey that ended in Ijebuland, southwest of current Nigeria? The language of the Ijebu of the Wadai era, most likely, reflected in the names of Olu-Iwa, his children and other entourage that followed him during the journey. These names, though may have Ijebu dialect variant, but they have phonology of Yoruboid. The names are no doubt etymologically of the people known as Yoruba of present day.

Was Yoruba language a part of the etymology of the Wadai natives of the era that Olu-Iwa lived? Perhaps, Olu-Iwa's Ijebu or Jebu of Wadai were ethnic minority who held onto their native language in the midst of other majority ethnic groups of that era.

Ancient Yoruba migration from Yorubaland and return

It's important to note that the Olu-iwa example is being used in this publication to confirm the fact that, perhaps, other sub-Yoruba ethnic groups of ancient eras also embarked on similar migration and return to Yorubaland base. Were the parents or great-grandparents of Olu-Iwa migrated to Wadai from the geographical area known today as Yorubaland? Were the Ijebu of Wadai era among the Yoruba people written by Ahmed Baba, the Yarba tribe that Sultan Bello also mentioned? These questions are crucial in finding out how Olu-Iwa inherited the Yoruba language before his journey to southwest of today's Nigeria. "...all the tribes of the Soudan who inhabit the mountains are originated from them (Yarba)..," Sultan Bello told Clapperton. It's important to note that the pronunciation of most people from the North of Nigeria always omits or replace certain vowels to reflect their native mother tongue. For example, when Sultan Bello used Yarba to replace Yoruba, it's the same mother-tongue influence that made him referred to Nupe as “Noofe.”

Key members of the Oshugbo society in Ijebu-Igbo. Photo: William Fagg, 1959. © Royal Anthropological Institute, Photographic Collection, London, U.K.

The common sub-Saharan trade routes of West African peoples were most likely also used by the Ijebu or Jebu in crossing from the Nile (Egypt and Sudan) axis to the present day Yorubaland. The Ijebu or Jebu, and Yuuba or Yarba or Yaruuba that possibly became known as Yoruba, were very deliberate about their destination after leaving Egypt or Sudan. It was possible that each of these sub-ethnic groups from the Yoruba, who were of shared-etymology arrived at the present day Yorubaland separately through the same routes, but at different periods.

Why didn't any of these sub-ethnic groups choose to settle in other places within Sudan, Chad, northern Nigeria on their way to the Yorubaland? They were very deliberate about their final destination in Yorubaland. Probing into the reason for being so deliberate about the Yorubaland destination, the logical result could be that these sub-ethnic groups of the larger Yoruba never lost touch with their physical and geographical roots during their diaspora sojourn, lasting many generations, and of hundreds or thousands of years.

The Ijebu link with Sudan exposed the possibility that ancestral connections with the Yorubaland root was passed across many generations among the ancient Yoruba diaspora of that era. Late Awujale, Oba Adetona couldn't have brought his Ijebu sub-ethnic group connection with Wadai from the fabrication of conjectures; he inherited the oral tradition and history, perhaps passed across generations before him.

In etymology, names get corrupted or changed from generations to generations. Yoruba of today, possibly, started as Yarba or Yuuba or some other name of similar phonology. For example, a British ethnologist, Richard F. Burton (1821-1890) asserted that the name derives from 'Ori Ooba' (head of a king), confirming that the phonology also shares similarity with Yoruba. Burton's argument that Ori-Ooba' was corrupted to Yoruba can be found in his 1893 book 'Abeokuta and the Cameroons Mountains'.

Also, the alleged coinage by Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1809-1891) that gave birth to Yoruba as a name strayed into one's research. It has been alleged that the Oyo people of old and Baruba tribe inspired Crowther's coinage from (O)yo (Ba)ruba) to arrive at 'Yoruba'. The Baruba are people spread across Northern Benin Republic, Nigeria and Niger Republic.

Indigenous roots of 'Yoruba' as a name and identity

Perhaps, the name Yoruba has indigenous roots to the people before they migrated to the Nile axis from Yorubaland and returned to their roots after many generations. The meaning and root of each of these variants can't be determined by sentiment, entitlement mentality without scientific or historical supports. The 'Yariba' factor pronounced by people of northern Nigeria, in place of Yoruba has its roots in the Hausa tongues of pronunciation. "Yarba is the same as the Hausa term Yarriba for Yoruba," Rev Johnson wrote on page 7 of his referenced book. Also, Sultan Bello, in his narration to Clapperton called the Nupe people "Noofe." These and similar corrupt pronunciations of names are common among the people of Northern Nigeria.

As mentioned earlier that the earliest major sources of West African histories were in Arabic texts, the possibility of Semitic connection in arriving at Yoruba as a name can't be ruled out. Perhaps, Burton's argument that 'Yoruba' as a name being derived from 'Ori Ooba' has its merit.

If migrations and emigrations started in Yorubaland to and from the Nile, among the different sub-ethnic groups, leading to trade interactions over the centuries, the Semitic or Arabic mix with Yoruboid was a clear possibility. The Ijebu link to Wadai, in Sudan was a clear example of the possibility of ancient Yoruba diaspora's etymology-mix by interactions with the Nile and the Arab world in that axis.

Trading and other links such as migration have etymological potential to corrupt names, irrespective of difference in genealogy and ancestry of the people involved. Arab and Yoruba have no common genealogy as the Semitic ancestry of any West African tribe has not been scientifically proven. It's also not so simple to argue that Arabic words exist in Yoruba language; rather more safer to say both languages grew within the Semitic variants. In place of what has been described as "loan words", it's fair to describe those etymological link as shared-words, and not 'Arabic loan words'.

Arabic has some shared etymology with quite a number of African languages, Yoruba inclusive. However, Arabic has been more widely used, perhaps better developed, because of its literacy spread. The inability of African languages, including the Yoruba, to develop their own letters makes Arabic appeared like an influence or source.

For the same literacy edge of Semitic etymology, what has been described as "Arabic loanwords" exist in many European languages, including English. There are over 1000 Arabic loanwords in English, about 8% in Spanish, among other European languages with Semitic etymology. Overall, Arabic loanwords are present in some languages across the world for the fact that the Semitic languages were the first to be developed into literary usage, thousands of years ahead of any European language.

For the Yoruba language, there are many shared words of Arabic and Yoruba – not loan – that, perhaps, have been in existence long before the era of the Olu-Iwa patriarch who led the earliest Ijebu people to Yorubaland. Whatever dialect or Yoruba variant that Olu-Iwa came with from Wadai, to Yorubaland must have gotten something in common with Yoruba people of the Oduduwa era.

Even by Biblical accounts, people of black or dark skin known as Kushite were already having Semitic mix as far back as Moses era. "Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married," reads Numbers 12:1 of the Bible. The people known as Kushite or Nubians are within the Northern parts of Egypt and Ethiopia, and parts of Sudan. The possibility of the ancestors of Olu-Iwa sharing etymology with the Nubians or Kushite, even as far back as the era of Moses is worth focusing in search of the Semitic link to Yoruba name origin. In fact, shared words in Yoruba and Arabic languages could be traced to the Semitic link that had Africans sharing similar spaces with Arabs.

Common shared words (not loanwords) in Arabic-Yoruba are too crucial and many in language expression to dismiss them as coincidence. More importantly, it's not true that the shared words of Arabic and Yoruba came through Songhai era or during spread of Islam to West Africa.

Some of the shared words, with similar phonology, between Arabic and Yoruba that don't exists in any of the Songhai or Hausa variant languages include: alẹ́ (night) in Yoruba, al'layl same meaning in Arabic; Ààrá (thunder) for Yoruba, Ar-Racad in Arabic; abẹrẹ (needle) for Yoruba, Ibrah in Arabic; Òmùgọ for Yoruba, Ḥamuqa for Arabic meaning (stupid) for both languages; and alààyè for Yoruba, al-Ḥayyu, (living person) for both. Among other shared words include iwaju (front) for Yoruba and Arabic; Baálé/Baálẹ (husband'/ lord) same meaning for Bacal in Arabic; Èébú in Yoruba, and cAyb for Arabic (Abuse); Iná for Yoruba, and An-Nār in Arabic (Fire); Iṣẹlẹ, Ḥasala for Yoruba and Arabic respectively (occurrence); and Wákàtí in Yoruba, Waqt in Arabic for (Time/Hour).

Conclusion:

The origin of the identity known as 'Yoruba' has its roots in migrations and emigrations of ancient Yoruba diaspora. The ancient Yoruba diaspora people, possibly, emigrated from Yorubaland with an indigenous identity known very close in phonology Yuuba, 'Ori-Oba' or something similar. After mixing with Semitic culture in the Nile areas and across the Arab Peninsula where shared etymology was generated, over many generations and centuries, Yuuba or Ori-Oba became known as Yoruba.

-Tajudeen Sowole is a Lagos-based Art and Culture critic.

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