Yoruba mythology is a rich tradition from West Africa. Yoruba myths share stories of gods, heroes, and the power of nature.
Ochosi, the Yoruba god of hunting and archery.
The Yoruba people have a rich history that spans over 1,500 years with a population over 40 million people. The Yoruba are one of the largest ethnic groups or tribes in Nigeria. The country of the Yoruba people (Yorubaland) consisted of present-day Southwest Nigeria, a smaller part of Benin Republic and still a small part of Togo Republic. During ancient times, the Yoruba people believed that their gods used bow and arrows, not just for hunting, but also to protect and guide them. Ochosi, the Yoruba Orisha (i.e., demi-god) of the hunt and his archery skills help him to fight evil and maintain peace. Archery in Yoruba mythology symbolizes more than just skill and protection. For example, it represents communication with the spiritual world. Arrows, for instance, are not just weapons but also messages from the gods, guiding and protecting people.
Ochosi is responsible for teaching people how to hunt to avoid starvation. He never kills for sport or for pleasure. The life of an animal must only be taken to support another life, never for mere pleasure. The hunt for pleasure is cruelty and abominable as it destroys creation. The hunted animal feeds another animal, feeds a person, or is sacrificed to call the Orishas, then eaten by the congregation. There is no cruelty in hunting for survival. In fact, Ochosi often works with Orisha Osian (i.e., God of healing) in the forests. Osian heals, and Ochosi uses his knowledge of herbs to poison the tips of his arrows to bring down wild game painlessly. The swiftness of Ochosi is as rapid as the speed of justice reaching the wronged. It was Osain who taught Ochosi the medical usage of all the plants in the forests.
Ochosi is responsible for bringing criminals to justice. Wild game never escapes Ochosi, especially evildoers. Ochosi not only hunts on land, but also at sea. He is the greatest fisherman. Nothing escapes Ochosi when he is called to hunt. Ochosi, along with Orisha Eshu (i.e., God of the crossroads) and Ogun (i.e., God of War) abide in the woods. Together, they protect the forests and jungles of the world because both the forests and jungles are sanctuaries to them.
The Yoruba people are some of the best bowmen in Africa.
In 1826, Englishman Richard Lander made his second visit to Oyo-Ile (capital of the Oyo Empire, present-day Southwest Nigeria, West Africa) in Yorubaland. After he journeyed through the countries of the African ethnic groups or tribes such as the Bariba, Hausa and Nupe people, he commented that the Oyo (Yoruba) people:
“… have the reputation of being the best bowmen in Africa; and the young men soon become excellent marksmen by frequent practice and steady perseverance. They amuse themselves daily by attempting to discharge arrows through a small hole made for the purpose in a wall, at a great distance from the standing ground, and I have frequently seen individuals accomplish this difficult task three successive times … from a distance of up to one hundred yards…. It requires great and unceasing practice to attain to so much perfection.”
Today, Yoruba people continue to celebrate archery in their rituals and stories. They remember the ancient myths and the lessons they teach about strength, precision, and spiritual guidance.
Hunters in Early Yoruba Civilization
In ancient and medieval Yorubaland, hunting developed into a distinct profession. Although all men continued to be involved in farming the land and doing some hunting, using the greatly improved tools like iron-bladed machetes, knives, arrows, spears, traps, etc. Over time, some men came to be more employed in hunting than farming, and the group of professional hunters ultimately came into existence.
From Yoruba folklore and rituals surrounding the profession of hunting, hunters were highly regarded from the beginning. Not only did the hunters contribute to the meat supply for Yoruba settlements, but they also served society in some other ways. For example, people depended on hunters to help find in the forests good clay deposits for the potter and the iron smelter, as well as springs and brooks, sources of good water supply. But most importantly, according to Yoruba traditions, hunters provided security for their settlements. Closely allied to this, if a group or settlement needed to move and relocate, it usually depended on its hunters to find a good relocation site and the easiest path to it. The group of hunters in every settlement early became a highly regarded professional organization or guild which developed its own unique folklore, its own chants, music and dance, and acquired a near-sacred public image, almost akin to that of the iron smelters or blacksmiths.
Another important development in Yoruba religion and cosmology was the belief in the afterlife. For example, the Yoruba believed that the dead went to live in another place of existence (i.e., the realm of heaven), and from there they could see, interact with, and help humans in the earthly realm. For this reason, articles of clothing and of personal adornment, articles of food and of domestic value, were buried with the dead, in order to help them settle in their new other-world homes. The newly dead was believed to be welcomed “home” by family members who had transitioned earlier. The quality of life that one would have in the afterlife was believed to be determined by the good or evil life that one would had lived in one's earthly life. For this reason, Yoruba society thought of its aged members as typically honest and trustworthy, in preparation for the afterlife. But there were also ways in which the living could assist their dead into a place of status and honor in the afterlife.
One way a big, expensive and prestigious funeral, and the objective was to put on a show (to both the realm of the living and the afterlife) displaying the wealth and status of the deceased, as well as his or her success in having many prosperous children.
If the deceased had been a great hunter in his earthly life, another kind of help was commonly given. This was made necessary by the belief that the spirits of the animals that the deceased had killed as a hunter could ambush and harass him on his journey to heaven, and this would make the deceased journey to heaven unpleasant. To prevent this, the hunter’s children would mount a standing, life-size statue of their deceased father, dressed in his clothes, and the belief was that the animals would fix all their attention on the statue as if it was the hunter, and with the help of the hunter’s children, he would now be able to journey to the heavenly realm undisturbed. This Yoruba practice was known as epade or ipade, which means meeting.
These Yoruba stories keep the tradition of hunting and archery alive, reminding everyone of its power and importance of Yoruba culture.
Sources:
Akintoye, S. A History of the Yoruba People. Amalion Publishing. (Jan 1, 2010). Aug. 29, 2024. p.50-51, 68-69, 361, 527.
Avid Archer. Yoruba Mythology and Archery from West Africa. Avid Archer. June 10, 2024. Aug. 29, 2024. https://avid-archer.com/yoruba-mythology/
Aye, O. God’s Mysteries: Lwas and Orishas. African Output LC; 1st edition. (Nov. 29, 2017). Aug. 29, 2024. p. 122-123.
Yoruba Plug. Yoruba Art. Yoruba Plug. Pinterest. Aug. 29, 2024. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/673288213077669254/sent/?invite_code=d3cee2d2427545738030caf275af44b5&sender=690739799006539387&sfo=1
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