THE YORUBA AND THEIR ARCHERY

Records of Captain Clapperton's Last Expedition to Africa: With the Subsequent Adventures of the Author, Richard Lander (1830)

“The Bow and arrow, which, before the introduction of fire-arms into the country, was the chief military weapon, is still retained by the militia; and the facility with which they use it is truly surprising. At a considerable distance they can launch a light arrow with a deadly certainty that is not to be equalled by the musketeers of the same nation.”
“The arrows themselves are small, light, and frequently tipped not merely with a barb of iron but with a potent, dark poison derived from local herbs, rendering even a slight wound fatal within a short time. Their bows are simple, yet powerful, often constructed from the wood of the palm, requiring great strength to draw. The warriors carry these weapons in a quiver of leopard-skin or woven grass, holding fifty or more shafts, ready for rapid deployment. This traditional armament, though overshadowed by the glamour and noise of imported muskets, proves its terrifying efficacy when employed in the dense forests or during swift skirmishes where the discharge of a gun would betray the location and speed of the force.  Their reliance on the bow, therefore, speaks less to a lack of modernization and more to a pragmatic understanding of native warfare and terrain.”

The Yoruba 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Ẹdan Ògbóni

Image
Understanding Ẹdan Ògbóni  Ògbóni; Ògbóràn  Erelú; Àbíyè Eríwo yà!; À yà gbó, À yà tó!  The old ones; Increase with age. Titled female elders; May children be born to live The Lord of secrets, descend!; For longevity and prosperity! Ẹdan Ògbóni is a pair of male and female brass figures with iron stems, usually joined at the top by an iron chain. It is an emblem of membership in the Ògbóni society, which wielded considerable political, judicial, and religious powers among the Yoruba in precolonial times and still does, to some extent, today.  In the past the society (known as Òṣùgbó among the Ẹ̀gbá and Ìjẹ̀bú Yorùbá) functioned as a town council, a civic court, and an electoral college for selecting a new king and dethroning a bad or unpopular one. It imposed curfews in times of crisis and also executed serious offenders. Much of the society's authority derives from its role as the vital link between the community and the Earth that susta...
Read more

Justice System in Yorubaland

I have said it before, when a man fails to know the value of the WÚRÀ he holds in his hand, some covetous  children of other men will visit him with PÁNDA to give him in exchange of WÚRÀ. Whereas WÚRÀ is GOLD, not very beautiful to behold when in it's crude form but which can become a most glittering, everlasting and very expensive piece of jewelry when processed polished. Whereas PÁNDA is an imitation, a combination of adulterated and inferior metals melted together and made to appear very beautiful to the eyes but they can remain only beautiful for a short time. When you call something CUSTOMARY, it evidently comes from CUSTOM! Our forefathers had CUSTOMS FOR JUDICIARY. People, friends, families, neighbours, villages, even husbands and wives will always have quarrels and disagreements amongst themselves, it is natural, but there was a mechanism available to settle ALL DISPUTES. We had a FAR MORE RELIABLE SYSTEM OF DEMOCRACY in Yoruba land before we were drawn into the new order. ...
Read more

Iya ni Wura

Image
Iya Ni Wura  In the 1800s Books and travellers' accounts described Yorùba women as powerful traders, warriors, priestesses, mothers and political voices. They held down families, towns and trade networks.  Finance & Economy – Yoruba Women dominated local markets, from kola nuts to textiles. Some became wealthy merchants, controlling trade routes that linked the Yoruba to coastal ports. Spiritual Authority – As priestesses of Òrìṣà like Ọṣun, Yemoja, and Ọya, women carried immense influence in guiding communities through rituals and festivals. Family & Society – A Yoruba woman was the backbone of the extended family system. She was both nurturer and strategist, raising children, managing farms, and ensuring survival during wars and displacements of the 1800s. Resilience in Crisis – During wars and slave raids, women organised escapes, rebuilt settlements and town as well as negotiating peace in some regions. European visitors often wrote with surprise about how independ...
Read more