Values and Social Ethics in Practice

Yoruba social ethics na wetin people dey do with action pass wetin dem just dey talk with mouth. The philosophical part, ìwà as character, orí as destiny, the metaphysics of personhood, dey for section 04. This file dey focus on the behaviour side: wetin Yoruba person actually dey do when e jam another person, wetin those actions mean, wetin dem dey call person wey perfect and wetin dey inside that character, and wetin dey happen to person wey fail to meet up.

The main point na say Yoruba ethics na reputation system wey dey run inside society where everybody position clear to everybody. No be say person dey look am with bad eye. E mean say wetin make people dey behave well na because dem know say people go see dem and remember wetin dem do, especially people wey their opinion get real effect on their life, no be only say na personal conscience or institutional punishment alone dey control am. The deep way greeting set up na the daily way dem take dey maintain that system.

Greeting

Yoruba greeting get many levels pass almost any other system wey person fit compare am with, and this deep arrangement dey carry information, no be just for decoration. Every greeting dey show clear decision about who senior pass who, and person must make that decision before e fit greet, which mean say Yoruba person no fit greet if e never first place the other person for social level. The language itself dey force am, because the pronoun system dey separate social standing and the formal wọ́n na the default when person never know who senior pass.

The body styles. How men dey lie down flat for ground to greet na ìdọ̀bálẹ̀, wey come from combining dọ̀ and ilẹ̀, the earth (ground), so the term mean to meet or touch ground, and dem dey do am by lying flat with legs stretched for back while the body weight dey rest on the hands or the lower arms 1. How women dey kneel down na ìkúnlẹ̀ 1. Simpler forms dey and na dem be the normal thing for most modern settings: half bow, to bend knee small, or to touch hand for ground.

Wetin e mean and wetin e no mean. This action na to show respect for social position, no be worship, and this difference dey important because missionaries back then misread am well well, and some Yoruba Christians wey no dey comfortable with am still dey misread am today. Young person wey prostrate, people dey see am as person wey get good home training 1, wey make the meaning clear: the greeting first dey talk about how dem train the person wey dey greet before e talk about whether the person wey dem dey greet reach am.

E dey follow position, no be only age. People dey prostrate for people wey young pass dem if that younger person hold position for community, so respect no need say person must old before dem give am 1. The clearest example na the ọba: king, no matter how young e be, everybody must greet am with the highest respect including people wey old pass am far far, all men go prostrate and all women go kneel down, and the way dem dey call am na Kábíyèsí ó 1. Kábíyèsí na short form of kí a bí i kò sí, "nobody dey to question am", so the greeting itself dey declare the constitutional power of kingship, wey dem discuss and explain properly for Political Structure.

The spoken forms. Yoruba get special greeting for plenty different situations, and how dem plenty reach na the main point. Greeting dey for different times of the day, for person wey dey work, for person wey dey chop, for person wey sit down, for person wey travel, for person wey dey come back from farm, for person wey just wake up, for person wey dey mourn, for person wey escape accident, for person wey do well, for person wey dey carry load. The prefix ẹ dey show respect form, and the normal familiar forms dey for juniors and mates.

The greetings dey carry specific meaning inside. Ẹ kú iṣẹ́, to greet person wey dey work, dey recognise the work. Ẹ kú ìjókòó, to greet person wey sit down, dey recognise say the person dey wait. Ẹ kú ẹ̀wù, to greet person wey escape danger, dey recognise say e escape. Kú àárọ̀, kú ọ̀sán, kú alẹ́ dey mark different times for day. Ó dàbọ̀ and ó dìgbà dey mark say person dey go. The system no get one general greeting wey be like "hello", and this lack of general greeting dey structural: Yoruba greeting dey call the exact situation wey the person dey inside, and that mean say you must first notice wetin the person dey do.

Person must answer greeting. If person fail to greet, or fail to answer greeting, na serious matter and dem dey see am as either lack of home training or sign of hostility. As greeting dey circulate everyday, na so compound dey take maintain the daily verification say everybody still dey in good terms with each other.

Wetin Ajé mean. The Yoruba name for Monday, Ajé, mean wealth or prosperity, and the Monday greeting wey dey call am, together with the other day names wey dem turn to local form wey dem discuss for Time and the Calendar, na small proof say the greeting system dey carry traditional meaning put inside structures wey come from outside.

Respect and seniority in practice

Seniority, wey dem treat structurally for Kinship and the Compound, dey show for daily conduct as specific set of behaviours.

Na the junior dey greet first. The junior dey stand up when senior enter. The junior no dey sit down when senior dey stand, no dey chop before senior, no dey talk before senior for formal meeting, no dey call senior by first name without address word, no dey collect something with left hand, no dey look senior straight for eye when senior dey correct am, and no dey cut senior for mouth. The forms of address, bàbá, ìyá, ẹ̀gbọ́n, ẹ̀gbọ́n mi, ántí, ọ̀gá, and how dem dey use family titles call people wey no be family, dey place strangers properly on the seniority map.

Onadeko record the way this thing work inside court: person wey dey present case dey squat if na man and dey kneel if na woman to show respect to the elders, and nobody dey present case while sitting down or standing up 2. So this respect posture na proper procedural requirement for the actual administration of justice, and the same way person take dey greet elder for compound na the same posture person wey dey court dey take present case.

Two clarifications dey important to state so dat people no go read am wit romantic eye. To show respect dey go together wit disagreement, and Yoruba tradition get well-developed indirect ways to disagree, especially proverb, satirical song, and silence wey get meaning. And to show respect fit dey instrumental instead make e dey sincere: as Bakare-Yusuf observe, junior person fit acknowledge senior person authority because e favor wetin e dey find, so di respect na just outward show instead of say di elder truly deserve di status, and senior person fit quietly leave seniority for junior person wey get money pass am 3. Seniority na system wey people dey navigate, no be only sometin wey dem dey just obey.

Hospitality

Dem treat di duty of hospitality under Food for e material form. Di moral meaning na say wen stranger land, dat one don create duty, say di duty dey on di whole household instead of just one person, and say if person refuse am, na serious failure. Kola nut na di minimum way to fulfill am, and to give visitor obì na di formal act of welcome.

Di ideal wey follow am na say person wey get standing na person wey people dey enter e house, and di way Yoruba people dey describe wicked or stingy person as person wey dey chop alone, e hard well well. Àjẹpani, wey roughly mean di food wey dey kill person, and di general way proverbs take look down on solitary consumption dey show say food wey person hold back na relationship wey person hold back.

Ọmọlúàbí

Ọmọlúàbí na di Yoruba name for person wey complete, and na im be di target of di whole educational and social system.

Di etymology. Dem analyse di word as compound word: ọmọ + tí + Olú-ìwà + bí, "di pikin wey di master of ìwà born", where ọmọ na pikin, tí na dat or wey, Olú-ìwà na di chief or master of ìwà (character), and bí na born or begotten 4. So di direct meaning na say ọmọlúàbí na person wey character itself born, wey put di ideal inside ìwà instead of inside birth, wealth or position. Scholarly literature note say di morphology na reconstruction and say dem don propose oda origins, so make people hold am as standard analysis instead of settled fact.

Ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́. Di ọmọlúàbí dey show ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́, gentle or good character, wey be di foundation of moral behavior for Yoruba culture and di main attribute wey dey define ọmọlúàbí 5. Ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ na Ifá concept before e become social one, and Ifá literature treat am as di tin wey dey make person destiny fit happen, wey be why di philosophical analysis belong to section 04. Di proverb ìwà lẹwà, character na beauty, na di short form of di claim, and e dey show say aesthetic judgment and moral judgment na di same judgment.

Di parts wey dey inside. Literature agree on list of virtues wey make am up, wey dem usually list as 6:

• Ọ̀rọ̀ sísọ, spoken word: to sabi use language wit skill and sense. Yoruba people dey give big respect to expert speech, na why to sabi use proverb na moral accomplishment, no be just rhetorical skill.
• Ìtẹríba, respect: di deference wey dem describe for up, wen person give am properly.
• Inú rere, directly good inside: goodwill, to get good mind toward oda people.
• Òtítọ́, truth, truthfulness.
• Ìwà, character, as general disposition.
• Iṣẹ́, work, for di fuller form iṣẹ́ àṣekára, thorough work: industry and to complete wetin person start.
• Àkínkanjú, bravery, courage to face wetin person must do.
• Ọpọlọ pípé, complete brain: intelligence, sound judgment.

ọmọlúàbí na person wey combine all of dem 6. Di list dey instructive for wetin dey inside and wetin no dey inside. E include intelligence and eloquence as moral qualities, wey Christian virtue list no go include; person wey no get sense no fit be ọmọlúàbí. E include work as virtue on e own right. And e no talk anytin about belief, so person religious position no dey among di criteria. Di ideal pure on top conduct and capacity, wey be big part of why e survive di religious transformation of Yoruba society intact, and Yoruba Christians and Muslims dey call am freely just like anybody else.

E social function. Di virtues wey dem mention na di ones wey dey promote cooperation, solidarity, interdependence toward common goal, and peace among people 7. Dis na communitarian ethic and e clear well well about am. Di matching Yoruba framing, say person worth dey show among people, na di ethical counterpart to di structural fact say person dey located inside community instead of to dey autonomous.

Caution. Dem dey use di ọmọlúàbí concept plenty for contemporary Yoruba public discourse, for university mottos, political speech, and cultural advocacy, and people frequently dey deploy am to claim say Yoruba society once dey morally perfect before e spoil. Dat kind framing na rhetoric instead of history, and dis work no adopt am. Society wey produce Efúnṣetán Aníwúrà slave trading, Bàṣọ̀run Gahà terror, and di nineteenth-century wars get di same distribution of conduct like any oda society. Ọmọlúàbí na ideal wey society express, wey be evidence of wetin dem value, no be evidence of how dem actually behave.

Shame, reputation and communal obligation

Di way dem take dey enforce am na shame, and shame for dis context na technical term instead of emotional term: na loss of standing for di eyes of people wey dia opinion get consequence for you.

Ojú. Yoruba get rich vocabulary wey dem build on ojú, face and eye. Ojútì na shame or bashfulness, from face and sometin like to break. Ojú kòkòrò, insect eye, na greed. Di face na di organ of social exposure, and di Yoruba conception of misconduct dey heavily visual: wetin matter na wetin people see and wetin dem fit talk about you aftawords.

Reputation dey join body with the lineage. Na this feature make the system fit work everywhere. If one person misbehave, e dey spoil the name of the ìdílé, na im make the lineage get direct reason to discipline their members. The way Onadeko explain collective legal responsibility na the formal version of this thing: the descent group na like one knot of collective legal responsibility wey stand between the individual and the higher judicial authority of the kingdom 8. The informal version na say family go deal with member wey dey embarrass dem long before any court go put mouth, and na why the lowest level of the judicial hierarchy manage plenty cases.

Na the oríkì be where dem dey keep reputation. The praise poetry of a lineage na im public record wey don accumulate, and if your name enter inside, e mean say you don enter there permanently.

Alájọbí. Yoruba people dey take shared blood as something sacred, and their goal na never to do anything wey go harm person wey dem share blood with. Where one member desecrate the shared blood, alájọbí, the family go gather together to appease the common ancestors 9. Na this sanction bite pass, because e put the consequence of hurting kin inside metaphysical mechanism wey dey work whether people find out or not. Alájọbí na the belief say the bond of shared descent dey punish person wey betray am, and na the internal enforcement mechanism wey reputation alone no fit give.

Communal obligation. The real obligations big well well before, and dem still big today: to contribute money for family burial, wedding and naming ceremony; to support kin person wey get dispute; to host relatives; to pay school fees for brother children; to send money come home if person don succeed; to join town development association. The ẹgbẹ́, the èsùsù, the age grade and the town union na the institutional forms of the same principle, wey dem treat for Economy and the Market.

The load of this thing need honest talk, no be just to dey celebrate am. The obligation to carry large kin network from single salary na real and heavy load wey the person wey succeed for family dey mostly carry. Dem don document am say e dey drag down how person take accumulate capital, and e dey bring vexation well well. Na im still be the reason why Yoruba person wey lose work or fall sick hardly dey empty completely. E be like mutual insurance scheme wey the premium high well well but the payout real, and na like that dem suppose judge am.

Wetin don change

The patterns reduce but dem no disappear completely. To lie down flat on the ground no common again for city areas, and the way e dey reduce na live topic wey people dey complain about for Nigerian press, wey dem dey paint as loss to civilisation or modernity 10. The smaller forms still dey almost everywhere, the spoken greetings remain as dem be, and the way dem dey show seniority when dem dey address person no change.

The reputation system don weak for areas where the conditions wey sustain am don change. The system depend on person being known, staying for one place permanently and no fit move comot, but city anonymity, migration and diaspora don remove all the three for many people. Wetin replace am for some areas na Pentecostal Christianity, wey dey provide internal conscience and reputation community wey base on church congregation. E good to note say Yoruba church congregation dey do many of the work wey compound dey do: e know you, e dey support you with material things, e dey discipline you, and e go attend your funeral.

If anything, Ọmọlúàbí even gain more ground as explicit concept, precisely because to explain one value dey necessary when people no dey automatically pass am down again. Na so the general pattern be for this section: the practices wey people no dey talk before, na im dem dey name now, dey teach intentionally and dey defend, wey show say the thing dey reduce and na still way to make am continue.