Yoruba

E10121

The Yoruba are one of West Africa’s largest and most influential ethnic groups, known for their rich cultural heritage, complex religious traditions, and historic kingdoms centered in what is now southwestern Nigeria and neighboring countries.

All labels observed (15)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (86)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ethnic group
people
artTradition Ife bronze and terracotta sculpture
colonialHistory incorporated into British Nigeria in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
continent Africa
culturalInfluenceOn Afro-Brazilian religions
Candomblé
Santería
Vodun traditions in the Americas
foundedKingdom Egba Kingdom
linked to: Egba

Ife Kingdom
Ijebu Kingdom
linked to: Ijebu-Ode

Oyo Empire
hasFestival Eyo Festival
Olojo Festival
Osun-Osogbo Festival
hasSubgroup Awori
Egba
Ekiti
Ijaw-Yoruba (Ilaje, Ikale)
linked to: Ijaw

Ijebu
linked to: Ijebu-Ode

Ijesha
Ondo
linked to: Ondo State

Oyo
historicalCenter Egba
Ibadan
Ijebu-Ode
Ile-Ife
Oyo
linked to: Kano
kinshipSystem patrilineal descent with strong extended families
knownFor beadwork
complex religious traditions
dance
drumming
masking traditions
rich oral literature
sculpture
urbanized precolonial kingdoms
language Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
languageBranch Volta–Niger languages
languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
locatedIn West Africa
majorReligion Christianity
Islam
majorStatesInNigeria Ekiti State
Kogi State
Kwara State
Lagos State
linked to: Lagos

Ogun State
Ondo State
Osun State
Oyo State
musicTradition bata drum
dundun ensemble
talking drum
originMythCenter Ile-Ife
pantheonIncludes Ogun
Olodumare
Orunmila
linked to: Ifa

Oshun
Oya
Shango
Yemoja
populationEstimate over 40 million
primaryCountry Nigeria
region Southwestern Nigeria
linked to: Western Nigeria
significantDiasporaIn Brazil
Cuba
United Kingdom
United States
significantPopulationIn Benin
Ghana
Ivory Coast
linked to: Côte d'Ivoire

Togo
traditionalPoliticalSystem city-states
hereditary monarchies
traditionalReligion Ifa
Orisha worship
Yoruba religion
traditionalRulerTitle Alaafin of Oyo
Alake of Egbaland
linked to: Egba

Awujale of Ijebu
Ooni of Ife
urbanizationHistory long history of walled cities and towns
usesDivinationSystem Ifa divination
linked to: Ifa
writingSystem Latin alphabet

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (433)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Nigeria ethnicGroup Yoruba
Nigeria nationalLanguage Yoruba
Yoruba language Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Bola Tinubu ethnicGroup Yoruba people
linked to: Yoruba
Bola Tinubu languageSpoken Yoruba
Afrobeats typicalLanguage Yoruba
Nollywood language Yoruba
Ibadan languageMajority Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Samuel hasLanguageForm Yoruba
Western Nigeria predominantLanguage Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Western Nigeria dominantCulture Yoruba culture
linked to: Yoruba
Benin nationalLanguage Yoruba
D'banj languagesSpoken Yoruba
David Oyelowo ethnicOrigin Yoruba
Olodumare language Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Ijebu-Ode languageSpoken Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Alaafin of Oyo language Yoruba
Eyo Festival language Yoruba
Ife Kingdom hasLanguage Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Oyo State majorEthnicGroup Yoruba
Oyo State culturalGroup Oyo Yoruba
linked to: Yoruba
Benue–Congo languages hasNotableLanguage Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Ikorodu languageSpoken Yoruba
Ifa hasLanguage Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Ooni of Ife language Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Epe primaryLanguage Yoruba
Egba language Yoruba language
linked to: Yoruba
Awujale of Ijebu language Yoruba
Afrobeat lyricLanguage Yoruba
Tiwa Savage languageSpoken Yoruba
Wuse commonLocalLanguages Yoruba
Bola Tinubu languageSpoken Yoruba
subject linked to: Bola
Garki languageUsed Yoruba
Ekiti ethnolinguisticGroup Yoruba