What’s in a name? – A look at Yoruba’s views of some birds’ names! by Dele Daramola

On a discussion panel with some colleagues sometime last week, we came up with the dearth of Yoruba language and then, to proverbs and their English translations. A mention was made of “Igun’ and ‘Akalamagbo’ birds, and the search for their English names.  We drifted to Eagle and its Yoruba name. We were divided by ‘Awodi’ and ‘Idi’ nomenclatures, though, close enough (since we know that Yoruba language could shorten a name and still mean the same thing even with a slight difference in pronunciations). For example; Alapata (butcher) is same as Apata and Adekunle as Dekunle or Kunle.

‘Eye Awodi’: the Eagle, has kept me wondering since then.

The Nigerian Coat of Arms (our National bird) has an Eagle standing on top of the shield. We are made to believe that it represents ‘Strength’. The Eagle is present in the national emblems of both ancient Roman Empire and modern United States of American civilizations. Nigeria, aspiring to be ‘Giant of Africa’, probably adopts the Eagle too while our constitution was also modeled along America’s, a country that has ‘Liberty’ and ‘In God we Trust” as their motto, so also is Nigeria’s ‘Peace, Unity, Freedom’, changed in 1978 (we didn’t fight for any freedom they must have reasoned) to ‘Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress’.

 

‘Awodi jeun epe san’ra’ – Eagle merriments in curse!

Let’s examine this within the Yoruba idiom and its translation to Nigerian situation. Why must our symbol signify merriment in curse? Are we not doing many things imaginably insane? crude?, and wicked, yet, sentimentally, alluding all kinds of reasons why we should forge ahead in questionable “unity and faith”.  

How explainable is the ‘quota system’ that qualifies a candidate in Gombe with 58 points or Kebbi with 9 points while Lagos candidate should score 133 to gain admission into the same University system in a test of 200 questions? The helpless boys and girls from eastern fringe are worse affected under a supposed nation in search of “peace”!

Some students from supposedly educationally-backward states would later rapidly get promoted to ranks of director, permanent secretary and later federal minister or legislator based on ‘quota system’. They will make laws that shape destinies of millions! 

It is perhaps only in Nigeri that a head of a major federal institution, allegedly exposed as abusing his office and tax payers’ money to womanize and all he could offer by way of defense was that he did not have a hand in the employment of the woman and that in any case, they were both adults. Really? No shame in reveling in a curse? 

Ai le w’oju Awodi l’oje k’Aladie so o di Oosa – [Because of fear, Fowl owner turns Eagle to a deity!]

The likes of retired Generals Obasanjo and Babangida and other shameless leaders under whose watches Nigeria became a very corrupt country are still relevant because they have many Nigerians still worshiping them in the rottenness that has become Nigeria and Nigerians’ lot.  While Obasanjo and Babangida and others may be old school, there are younger ones in and out of power but who remain very much in control of vast resources and despite their being known for the same corrupt practices of the earlier leaders, are still venerated as demi-gods simply because of the crumbs we can get from them.

 

‘Awodi nfo ferere, o l’ohun fe m’Oluwa. Ibi ti yio fo de ko ye mi o, o fe s’eleya ni’ (Juju musician General-Prince Adekunle)– 

[The eagle soars relentlessly to high heavens expeditiously in reaching God’s enclave, but shame shall its lot be!]

How over ambitious! ‘Giant of Africa” and “Big Brother” are some of the puffed-up labels we pride ourselves in during recent times. We strive to outdo each other as if we are permanently in a competition. At bus-stops, in Churches, at social gatherings, we want to be noticed and feel ‘Me and only me first syndrome’. That he has 3 (three) houses, I want to have 10 (ten) and even more that no one can beat. Nigeria gives neighbors grants and electricity when the home front is hungry for the same items, all just for pride and to look big!

While we may not realize it, these are the same sentiments that drive the corrupt government officials into so much excess that sees a local government chairman suddenly becoming a multi-millionaire soon after getting into office. 

‘Awodi nra baba, inu al’adie nbaje’ –  [As eagle hovers, owners of chickens grieve in nervousness.]

Nigerians are ridiculously becoming more perfumed as thieves and untrustworthy. It takes extra personal effort to shed the toga anywhere in the world because a’ genuine hard-working and honest Nigerian carries a big red letter ‘419’ and ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ (an acronym for scams in Nigeria) which some unscrupulous Nigerians have earned for all Nigerians.  

 

We even cheat the name ‘Eagles” when we compete.  Just last week, a Nigerian soccer star (a twin) celebrated his 25th birthday in the U.K while the other had his 33rd in Nigeria!  How low are we going to fall before the country fights back, not by “rebranding” through expensive advertisements in foreign papers but through re-education of the masses and, most especially, through working hard at eradicating corruption. 

 

 

Our leaders are truly Awodis –Eagles, how? 

 

Emi ‘o le j’oye Awodi ki nma le gb’Adie.  [I can’t be conferred a chieftain, titled; Awodi, if I can’t steal a fowl!]

 

So, no wonder they are concerned only about what they can steal. 

 

A kii ko adie re apata loju awodi [No one exposes fowls on top of rocks in the sight of an Eagle.]

 

Where are we headed in Nigeria an NGO on voters’ registration awareness was frustrated because all they got as response from street and local voters was “how much are you going to pay so we can go to registration centers?”  The words in the street: “you better get what you can get anyhow from them before the election”.

 

That’s the level to which the masses have sunk who have come to equate the power of votes (fowl) and the Awodis! 

 

Awodi re ibara, won se bi eye ku – [The Eagle went home and his adversaries thought he was dead.]

 

With all the Eagle symbol that has good meaning and many advantages among which are success, power, triumph, royalty (imperialism) or social status, and omniscience, I think we are only displaying one out of many:  resilience which, in English may denote hardiness, never-say-die, etc. but in Nigeria denotes ‘suffering and smiling’.

Finally, if we ever have the chance to sit together for a true National Reform, it will make sense to take a long hard look at our name, symbol and motto:

 

Ile ni a nwo ki a to s’omo l’oruko; [family antecedents or values dictates the name of the child.]  

Let us look deep into Yoruba culture and we may come to a realization that some of these motto/name/symbol, etc., including the name of the capital city, Abuja which means “short cut” in Yoruba language – need to be reconsidered.

90 million people in Argentina, Benin Republic, Brazil, Cuba, France, Germany, Haiti, Jamaica, Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago can’t be wrong, I think.

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013.  5:09:41 p.m. [GMT]

UPDATE:  September 16, 2013.

Idì is eagle. Igún is vulture. Àsá is kite

RAYO.

And special thanks for including the accents.  That is very helpful. TOLA.

Submitted on 2014/06/05 at 5:04 pm

Awodi is eagle, asadi is hawk, igunugun is vulture, asa is kite, alapandede is swallow, adan is bat.

BADHOO