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alcheringa:1-2:the_oriki_of_alajire [2021/06/16 01:45] – [Commentary] haleyelizabethrosealcheringa:1-2:the_oriki_of_alajire [2021/10/05 13:39] (current) – aaron_heinrich
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 ====== The "Oriki" of Alajire ====== ====== The "Oriki" of Alajire ======
  
 +{{ :alcheringa:1-2:the_oriki_of_alajire-alcheringa_1-2_summer-1971_1_-2.pdf |}}
 ===== Overview ===== ===== Overview =====
-This piece is a Yoruba praise poem specifically addressing Alajire, the god of suffering and disease. The subject of this poem involves appreciating the might and wrath of Alajire. This praise-poem also recognizes that, through suffering, humans can gain wisdom and be strengthened through the suffering brought about by Alajire. +This piece is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_people#:~:text=The%20Yoruba%20people%20(Yoruba%3A%20%E1%BB%8Cm%E1%BB%8D,35%20million%20people%20in%20Africa.&text=To%20the%20east%20are%20the,groups%20in%20mid%2Dwestern%20Nigeria.|Yoruba]] praise poem, called an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Or%C3%ADk%C3%AC|oríkì]] in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_language|Yoruba language]], specifically addressing Alajire, the god of suffering and disease. The subject of this poem involves appreciating the might and wrath of Alajire. This praise-poem also recognizes that, through suffering, humans can gain wisdom and be strengthened through the suffering brought about by Alajire. 
  
 Alcheringa does not include a transcription of this praise poem in the original Yoruba language and I was unable to find a copy of the poem in the original language anywhere online. Alcheringa does not include a transcription of this praise poem in the original Yoruba language and I was unable to find a copy of the poem in the original language anywhere online.
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 I also found it very interesting that Alajire is considered a wrathful deity who is believed to inflict diseases like smallpox and even AIDS as a punishment for wrongdoings, but is still seen as a guide to wisdom with the ability to teach the Yoruba people grace and strength through their suffering.  I also found it very interesting that Alajire is considered a wrathful deity who is believed to inflict diseases like smallpox and even AIDS as a punishment for wrongdoings, but is still seen as a guide to wisdom with the ability to teach the Yoruba people grace and strength through their suffering. 
  
-During the rest of the poem there is the repetition of certain lines such as +During the rest of the poem there is the repetition of certain lines, such as:  
    "Alagire, you fall gently like a withered leaf"     "Alagire, you fall gently like a withered leaf" 
-   and the imagery of a lion mangling its prey, a raging fire devouring a forest, and the smell of corpses are also recurring themes within the poem  + 
-   Not only do these lines and themes add a certain horrifying and threatening dimension to this praise poem, but they also seem like they could have been used as a device to aid the memorization of this praise poem to help the speaker recite it. +The imagery of a lion mangling its prey, a raging fire devouring a forest, and the smell of corpses are also recurring themes within the poem.  
 +Not only do these lines and themes add a certain horrifying and threatening dimension to this praise poem, but they also seem like they could have been used as devices to aid the memorization of this praise poem to help the speaker recite it. 
  
  
 ===== Context ===== ===== Context =====
 +The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_language|Yoruba]] language is spoken mainly in West Africa by the Yoruba people. Praise poetry, called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Or%C3%ADk%C3%AC|Oríkì]] in Yoruba, can be centered around a range of subjects including individual common people, Gods/deities (called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orisha|òrìṣà]] in Yoruba), and [[alcheringa:1-1:praises_of_the_bantu_kings_26|kings]]. The praise poems can involve strings of names inherited from ancestors, new names given to someone for a special occasion or accomplishment, or long strings of attributes and characteristics about the subject of the praise poem, as in the case of The Oriki of Alajire. 
  
 +Praise poetry is customarily spoken aloud, usually either performed by the poem's subject of praise, or in their presence. Praise poetry about òrìṣà is also performed aloud, much like an oral prayer. The praise poetry performances can be chanted or sung and have varying timbres, pitches, tempos, etc. depending on the subject of the poem.
 ===== Bibliography ===== ===== Bibliography =====
  
 +Adeniji-Neill D. (2014) I Will Chant Homage to the Orisa: Oriki (Praise Poetry) and the Yoruba Worldview. In: van Wyk B.
 +
 +Beier, Ulli. “Alajire, God of Suffering.” African Poems, africanpoems.net/gods-ancestors/alajire-god-of-suffering/. 
 +
 +“Orisha.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orisha. 
 +
 +“Oríkì.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Or%C3%ADk%C3%AC. 
 +
 +'Tunji Vidal. “Oriki in Traditional Yoruba Music.” African Arts, vol. 3, no. 1, 1969, pp. 56–59. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3334460. Accessed 16 June 2021.
 +
 +“Yoruba Language.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 June 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_language. 
 +
 +=== Metadata ===
 +{{tag>Yoruba Susan-Wenger-translator Oshogbo West Africa praise-poem oral}}
  
 +=== Topics === 
  
 +{{tag>Alajire corpse disease fire god(s) lion orisha suffering wisdom}}
  
 + --- //[[tbfx@iup.edu|Haley E. Brown]] 2021/06/29 20:50//

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