Yoruba Research Paper

Yoruba means a to a group of cultures connected by a common language. The origin of the Yoruba religion and people, is in the South-Western part of Nigeria (Metalgaia). The Yoruba beliefs mainly focus on self-exploration, finding your destiny, interacting with sprits, and most important of all getting yourself right with the almighty creator Olodumare (Metalgaia). In the beginning of the 16th century, the slave trade became prominent in Africa. Thousands of the Yoruba people were being sent as slaves to the Caribbean and America. From there the religion of Yoruba spread across the world (Robinson). In the Yoruba religion, their god is Olodumare. This is a genderless being; the Yoruba people believe that Olodumare is not a “he” or “she,” but

The Yoruba people were heavily targeted, and contributed to a significant amount of culture spread the Atlantic slave trade. The Portuguese explores “found” the Yoruba cities in the 15th century, even though these cities had already been there for over hundreds of years. The Yoruba culture spread throughout the Atlantic Ocean, except in America (Munoz). The Portuguese hunted many of the European slaves took millions of African people forcefully, and transported them on ships known as negrero boats, heading towards America (Munoz). While being traded, and sold in slave trade, towards the end the slavery the Yoruba people took part in this. In the 19th century Yorubaland became one of the most important slave exporting regions in Africa (Munoz). They usually sold enslaved Yoruba’s, which were usually captured Prisoners of war, and or criminals. They were widely distributed throughout the Atlantic world. Yorubaland did not become a major slaving region until after1790 (Munoz). Yoruba slaves were sent to different colonies, such as English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. In parts of the new world, some of these areas the Yoruba belief survived and continued. In many parts of the world today there are evidence of influences of the Yoruba religion and influences. In Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti, there are religious ceremony of the Yoruba’s, belief in their music and myths which are glorified in these areas (Munoz). The slavery in the United States was very different from the other colonized regions. The culture and language of the captive Yoruba’s and other African people were cruelly eliminated. They would receive the capital punishment for showing and practicing their beliefs