Oríkì
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Oríkì, or praise poetry, is a cultural phenomenon among the Yòrùbá-speaking people of West Africa.
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[edit] Oríkì Characteristics
Oríkì varies in length depending on whether it's the name given to a child to describe the future portents of the child's life or as a recital of the accomplishments of a clan. It is invoked when praising a child for bringing pride to the parents/clan or when attempting to evoke virtuous character traits of bravery/fortitude/perseverance believed to be innate in a person due to his pedigree.
It is not always clear what was preeminent in the mind of the person who named a child with the shorter praise names e.g. traditionally a boy born with the umbilical cord around his neck was called Òjó (there are exceptions; the Ijebu sub-culture names a boy or girl Àìná), yet the name Òjó has praise poetry that does not even mention this occurrence but implies that the child would be the darling of ladies and might be a little impatient.
[edit] Oríkì and surnames
Usually a clan derives its last name from a strong/accomplished patriarch/matriarch and it is not uncommon to find their accomplishments recited in the longer version of the oríkì as well as those of prominent progeny. An excerpt from praise poetry for the name Òjó would be:
| “ | Òjó ò sí nlé, omo adìe d'àgbà t'ó bá wà ńlé, á ti pà Ìyà è je.... |
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[edit] Examples of Oríkì
Examples of oríkì middle names and their meanings (m or f denotes names gender):
- Àshàké - selected to be spoiled (with good things) - f
- Àbèní - begged for (from God or more traditionally the gods) - f
- Àríké - meant to be spoiled on sight - f
- Àdùké - people will fight over the privilege to spoil her - f
- Àbèbí - begged for to be birthed (probably a difficult birth) - f
- Àdìó - not sure what this means - m
- Àjàní - fought to have this child - m
- Àkànní - not sure what this means - m
- Àjàgbé - fought to carry this child - m
- Àlàó - not sure what this means - m
- Àkànde Àgàn - favourite of the prince - m
