There was an existence of standardized indigenous cultural values in various Yoruba communities, which are handed down to generations, in the form of a legacy. In stereotyped values; They are norms and rules that govern the existence of the Yoruba, in the sense that a deviation from such norms can lead to a sanction by the community. Socialization through contact with the Western world exposed Yoruba communities to another facet of life. However, the facet of life was new and very strange, but people were so influenced that it served as a catalyst that stimulated an action. The action, in its entirety, can be termed as a change, which was unavoidable at the time, but, rather, it was a way forward to survive the bleak new existence. However, the changes identified in this work were grouped into periods of occurrence and, subsequently, discussed under a triumvirate, in order to carry out an adequate analysis.
Culture, according to the Oxford Advanced Student Dictionary, is defined as the customs, beliefs, arts, ways of life, and social organization of a particular country or people. It can also be seen how human behavior and general ways of life that are passed down from one generation to the next inform legacy. Socialization, on the other hand, is an act of being social through contact. The socialization of Yoruba culture is defined within the context of this discussion as those aspects of indigenous Yoruba cultural values that have undergone some notable changes as a result of contact with foreign or foreign cultures of the Western world or Europe.
The identified changes are grouped into event periods and then discussed under a triumvirate, namely the Pre-Colonial, Colonial, and Post-Colonial/Age of New Assumptions. It is proven, based on historical facts, that some parts of the Yoruba communities, especially Lagos, had contact with Western or European adventurers and traders report bilateral trade through the exchange of goods report barter system. In this period, furs and skins, ivory, cocoa beans, and other agricultural products were exchanged for goods such as watches, mirrors, tobacco, gunpowder, etc. The trade later led to slavery or the slave trade; a situation in which able-bodied men were transported in chains and shackles across the sea through the then-colony of Lagos and the Badagry axis. Slavery arose as a result of the fact that labor was desperately needed as direct labor in Britain, the United States, and all of Europe to farm their vast farmland to meet the growing demands in industries that depend on it. largely of agricultural products as raw materials.
The philosophy and psychology of most of these slaves changed to that of their masters. For example, they (the slaves) believe what the masters believe, do what the masters do, dress like the masters, eat what they eat, soak up their new cultures, learn their language, to name just a few. However, the hegemony of the Europeans over the new ‘slavery’ Society was somewhat experimental. The slaves in turn acted in accordance and compliance with the dictates and wishes of the masters. The culture of the masters, although very strange and extremely new came into fashion, everything Yoruba in nature became matters of the past. Thus, this forms the first phase of the cultural change inflicted on the indigenous Yoruba heritage through contact with the Western world as a result of bilateral trade and slavery.
Religion and Education form the root of the second phase of the changes identified in the indigenous Yoruba culture. Religion can be considered as the main aspect of Yoruba culture that has undergone tremendous change as a result of socialization that occurred as a result of inevitable contacts with the West. It should be remembered in this instance that everything in the Yoruba communities is based around the belief system of the people, nothing can be done or addressed regardless of the religion and beliefs of the people, for example, the last name, the festivities, betrothal and marriage. , agriculture, the achievement of puberty and adulthood, clothing, secret societies, etc., are deeply embedded in the belief system of people through religion. Surnames are used as means of identification in terms of religion, occupation, bravery, royalty, economics, among many others.
If a Yoruba man names a child ‘Akinola’; the compound name ‘Akin’ suggests the fact that the family from which the boy hails is known for his bravery and prowess, possibly his great-grandfather was a mighty warrior. ‘Ayankunle’ is another name that shows by its compound name ‘Ayan’ that the family that bears the name is known for an ancient profession of drumming. ‘Ade’ and ‘Oye’ are names that represent chieftainship and royalty, ‘Ode’ is that of hunting, while ‘Ona’ is another compound name that suggests arts and creativity etc. It is pathetic today that the Yoruba no longer know what is in a name, since indigenous names are no longer used. The few that are still functional are changed daily and replaced with Islamic and xtian baptismal names. Similarly, many of these names are modified to synthesize them in Western cultures, so their pronunciations may sound foreign.
There was an established indigenous education system in various Yoruba communities prior to contact with the Western world. The Western educational system was later introduced by Christian missionaries, in the mid-19th century, through the Badagry axis, although the progress of Western education in Yoruba communities was actually a feat accomplished by Christian missionaries. In the school’s curriculum, the teaching of the arts as one of the subjects in missionary schools was deliberately omitted initially, to discourage new converts from using their abandoned religion (i.e., indigenous culture) as a point of entry. reference. Another implication of this was that anything cultural or Yoruba in nature was seen as a fetish.
It is a fact that, a typical Yoruba cannot be easily separated from his arts, the arts serve as vital materials of his religion and belief system. Art is an important aspect of Yoruba culture; everything is incorporated and embedded in cultural values. Today it is very difficult for a man to identify or appreciate his own indigenous culture because his mentality has been lost to the West. He believes what a white man believes, as a result of this the Yoruba language, for example, is fading fast as his teachers and parents seriously forbid new or future generations to speak the language at home/ school. A Yoruba man believes that he is both civilized and socialized if he speaks a foreign language, imbibes a foreign culture and behaves in a foreign way while he regards his own cultural values as forbidden, barbaric, inferior and highly unrefined.
The third aspect of the triumvirate, which is the Post-colonial/Age of New Assumptions, is actually the manifestation of the first two principles of the triumvirates discussed above. By this time, all aspects of Yoruba culture had undergone remarkable physical and psychological changes to the extent that, a Yoruba man living in his native community, however, seems far removed from his own indigenous cultural values and stereotyped. The aspect of physical change involves those aspects of Yoruba culture that are seen or felt in daily use. Good examples are dress, language, greetings/exchange jokes, moral standards, norms, etc. A Yoruba child of this generation, born and raised in the Yoruba community, due to the changes that the culture has undergone in a holistic way, does not know how to properly greet his parents. He or she prefers to greet the parents by standing up, or possibly giving them a handshake.
On the other hand, prostrating or kneeling to greet the elderly in Yoruba culture is considered by many to be very conservative and barbaric. Speaking of the Yoruba language is seen as a sigh of regression within Yoruba communities, and that is why today, a Yoruba man cannot conveniently speak his own language for thirty minutes, meanwhile, he speaks any chosen foreign language for hours. easily and with great enthusiasm. The indigenous Yoruba form or process of betrothal has also been relegated to the background, due to its unrefined nature. Many people who get married today, in such communities, no longer really know the essence and importance of traditional marriage, they opt for other types of marriage just to satisfy their search for other people’s values.
In conclusion, all the issues discussed in this paper can be considered only as a fractional part of the totality of traditional Yoruba cultural values that had undergone tremendous changes and bastardization due to socialization. All of this makes it very difficult for a Yoruba man, born and raised in his immediate community, to appreciate, evaluate, identify with, and by extension be proud of his own culture.