Religion and Nature in Yorùbá Oral Poetry: A Study in Ecocriticism
Keywords:
Religion, Nature, Ecocriticism, Oral poetry, Cultural ecologyAbstract
In Africa, oral poetry is designed among other uses, to evoke proper spiritual perception and action on religion and nature. However, an eco-poetic study of religion and nature in Yorùbá literary criticism seems to be scanty. The objective of this paper therefore, is to examine the role of oral poetry in shaping religion and nature- related perceptions and practices from the point of view of the Yorùbá society. The research methodology is descriptive and content analysis of data. Data were collected from adherents of indigenous religion, oral poets and the selected poems were subjected to analysis within the theory of Eco-criticism, a theory that gives dynamic signal generated by concern for the health of the earth and its resources. The major finding was that oral poetry such as ifá literary corpus, praise- poetry, ìjálá chant and proverbs among others are used to inculcate the consciousness of one’s responsibility to maintain harmony with the cosmos. The paper concluded that oral poetry promotes scientific understanding of religion and nature but man should reduce dangerous activities, which destroy the earth.
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