UDC: 781.7(6) COBISS.SR-ID 33165065 _________________
Received: Sept 15, 2020
Reviewed: Oct 04, 2020
Accepted: Dec 05, 2020
#1
ANALYSIS OF SELECTED ONDO TRADITIONAL SONGS
AS CARRIERS OF CULTURAL LEGACIES:
EXTRAPOLATING CULTURE FROM SONG TEXTS
Olusakin Oluniyi
The Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts,
Adekunle Ajasin University,Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.
[email protected]
[email protected]
The Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts,
Adekunle Ajasin University,Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.
[email protected]
[email protected]
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Citation: Oluniyi, Olusakin. 2021. "Analysis of Selected Ondo Traditional Songs As Carriers of Cultural Legacies: Extrapolating Culture From Song Texts." Accelerando: Belgrade Journal of Music and Dance 6:1
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Abstract
Every musical work, recorded, and/or performed as pre-planned live or spontaneously staged, is decorated, in-filled and typified by cultural trait-values. These values may be typically embedded, direct, reflective, borrowed or mixed. In the light of the aforementioned, this paper seeks to explore Ondo traditional songs as a template towards extrapolating the Ondo people. Anchored on ethnomusicology theory propounded by Nketia (2005, 83), the research used Ondo traditional song repertory, interviews and bibliographic modes of enquiry to achieve its goals. The result showed, through the employed means, that every culture is duly represented in the lyrics of their song text and that such cultures could be comprehended through these songs. The paper concludes that these traditional songs carry more contents than just melody and any other musical properties or direct meaning of text. Hence, the songs, put together, are carriers of cultural legacies and a veritable tool to extrapolate a people for cultural traits, values, ethics, beliefs and practices.
Keywords: cultural study, traditional African songs, song text analysis, cultural legacies, trait-values, Ondo people |
Introduction
Music in Africa has been defined as an accompaniment to the people of African terrain. It has been well concluded as an accompaniment to life, hence its usage in Africans‟ rite of life. The above statement had been well established by various researchers especially the African scholars. Nevertheless, African music can be engaged to “explain” life. In this context, music is employed to provide the values and ethos of a given people through the instrumentality of song text. This means that it is possible to extract people’s culture from the music that emanates from them. An attempt to study music for what it carries, what it could explain, what can be deduced and what can be understood from its source through song text is a study directed at looking into the social aspect of music. By this, it is meant that music can proffer solutions to social questions among African cultural people.
Over the years, music study has been undertaken with a view to expound music as an object. Studies have projected just musical ideologies on various grounds, what music can afford humanities, what music means to the people and what music offers humanities. But the other side of music that actually represents the music makers is somewhat still hidden to a large extent. Music is capable of providing more information beyond the music as heard and performed. It could explain life if studied under cultural perspective. This study intends to feel the lacuna.
Employing song text meanings as presented in African music will allow music to be used as a tool to decipher and extrapolate people’s way of life as different from the study of music as an object. This refers to the study of music from the cultural perspective (Herndon & McLeod 1982, 1-133) and now, the study of culture from musical perspective. The latter is being solicited in this write-up. Therefore, studying the traditional song texts from Ondo people will enable readers to have a deep insight into the culture of the people as painted in their music. For this purpose, the scope of the research was limited to Ondo kingdom and its resources limited to Ondo traditional songs while not ignoring the effect of further research using more musical concepts from the same region in the future.
This paper intends to solicit the active engagement of music to explain life, by extracting cultural values from music and with a view to understand a people from their musical projections, especially through textual analytical interpretation. The research was engaged by using Ondo traditional song repertory, interviews and bibliographic modes of enquiry to achieve its goals. A few women and men were interviewed as authored works were equally used.
The discourse here is subjected between music and culture. Nevertheless, the study only engages to excavate culture from music. Hence, culture defines identity and identity typifies a people. On the issues related with culture and identity, Idang (2015) asserts that the culture of a people is what marks them out distinctively from other human societies in the family of humanity (Ibid, 97). Every group of individuals who are guided by the same underlying principles of life would always be seen as people of the same culture. This translates that culture is, in most cases, the unwritten principle of living by a set of people. However, the culture of any group of people will always parade itself in every endeavor of such a people. It dictates for the people on how to go about so many dealings within their society. Cultural identity is thus found in the peoples’ clothing, delicacies, language and music as well. This refers that as culture defines music, music expresses culture in a dynamic way, hence, the possibility of extrapolating a culture from its music especially the song text.
This study is based on a theoretical postulation described as a “cultural approach factor” (Nketia 2005, 83). The postulation is a discourse based on how to balance ethnomusicological research works and studies between what is “cultural” and what is “musical”. The theory thus stated as follow:
"…cultural factor approach…proceeds on the assumption that cultural analysis needs not take us away from music. It should (rather) enhance our understanding of it by drawing attention to other dimensions of music beyond those of description of structure." (Ibid. )
He further states that
"The cultural factor approach in ethnomusicology similarly emphasises abstractions of cultural principles from the musical complex through observation of music making in different contexts. It focuses on ways of making music that are characteristics various individuals and performing groups in a given society, the range of resources to which these ways of making music are applied and the problem of cultural selection, the procedures that are used in structuring music, in forming rhythm patterns, in creating melodies characteristics of the culture, in improvising or elaborating on given melodies." (Idem., 84)
From the foregoing, music can be authoritatively used to decipher a peoples’ way of life, firstly from performance in different contexts, secondly defining individuals or groups within a given society, thirdly through procedures and more importantly, creating melodies that carry cultural legacies. Therefore, the research work is directed to dissect song text in order to excavate the cultural values of Ondo people from their song texts.
On the subject of textual analysis, cultural impression on music and otherwise, many research works have been carried out some of which would be commented on in this paper. Generally, many academic discourses on song text have dwelled on theoretical (rudimental) inclinations (Agu 2011), Social discourse (Onyeji 2005, Adekola 2018, Grenier 1990), utilitarian purposes-messages and communication media (Vidal 2009, Daramola 2014), psychologically conative (Akporobaro 2012) and a lot more.
Furthermore, scholarly works on music and text have also taken into consideration some other aspects such as music and text dyslexia (Hebert et al. 2008, 369-381) where difficulties in music reading is the core, the discourse, textual forms, content and function (Iwoketok 2009, 147-157; Fiagbedzi 2009, 1-349) and musical meaning in culture as social symbol and meaning creation. (Widdess 2012, 88-94) From the above, music has been expounded from human activities as a cultural being, hence, there is a great need to employ music in the study of or to extract a people’s culture from their music through song text. This is the major argument of this paper. Analysis of Ondo Culture from Ondo Traditional Song-Texts
These songs, being traditional songs, have no specific titles. Some of them are simply referenced from the very first word while others are just without any title. However, the writer adopted befitting titles as much as possible based on the content and context of each song.
Song 1
Adé J’adé lo (Crown Supersedes crown) Òní a mò, òní a mò, òní a mò b’adé j’adé lo o [Today we would know that crown supersedes crown] 
Example 1. Adé J’adé lo
Cultural trait-values analysis
The song Adé J’adé lo (Example 1) is usually rendered during the Òramfè festival while the Òramfè priest, known as Sòrà takes the town round for ritual processes. Actually, many songs are involved during Òramfè festival, but this was chosen to demonstrate the hierarchical status and recessional culture between the Òsemàwé and the Òramfè priest (i.e. Sòrà). Historical facts have it that the Òramfè crown which originated from Ilé-Ifè was brought into Ondo at a time of widespread epidemic that was beyond the people of Èkímògún at that time. Querying into why a crown supersedes another brought history to limelight. It revealed the status of Òsemàwé’s crown as flexible for a period, because it goes into recess whenever Sòrà wears his crown; hence the song as it is rendered to actually tell Òsemàwé that Sòrà’s crown supersedes even if for the moment only. This song carries historical highlight, it revealed, just in a sentence, the cultural hierarchy between Òsemàwé’s crown alongside Sòrà’s. However, this superiority does not include political status in effect. It is only, according to practice, religious and for the period of Òramfè ritual activities. Yet, during this period, every indigene who are aware of this fact give higher reverence to Sòrà‟s crown and whatever is done by the Òramfè priest at this period is binding.
Cultural legacies
Analysis of the song Adé J’adé lo had revealed historical record, social status between Òsemàwé and Sòrà, political order and cultural hierarchy.
Song 2
Oba o Ko ko (What a dreadful King) Oba o koko, Oba o koko, Oba lani, adimu la, Oba o koko [What a dreadful king, he's wakes up today the royal dynasty is alive] 
Example 2. Oba o Ko ko
Cultural trait-values analysis
This traditional song (Example 2) actually explained the respect, authority and honor bestowed on the „Oba‟ (Yoruba traditional ruler). The word “koko” could be translated to so many things in Yorùbá language. But in this context, it is an exclamation of the dreadfulness of Òsemàwé with reference to his socio-political status among his subjects. Research revealed that whenever the song is being rendered, the singer is never up-standing; they must be in a lowered position which symbolizes worship or great reverence in Yorùbá culture. It also symbolizes the proper way of greeting or saluting the Yorùbá Oba. This is done not as any written or unwritten law but unconsciously in the spirit of reverencing Òsemàwé. This explains the psychological meaning and effect of the word “koko”. Furthermore, its performance usually heightens the spectacle of the singers and it has the capacity to capture the entire present spectator. There are two notable calls in the song. The first one is stable and standard while the second is with variances.
As the lead singer improvises new words into the second call, the mood of the performance is heightened. The song celebrates the Oba’s witness of a new day, new fortunes and new lucks, hence the rendition of the song in honor of the Oba and as dreaded by his subjects. Here, music is revealing culture.
Cultural legacies
This song carries the following cultural effects: beliefs, social status, political order, cultural hierarchy and reverence.
Song 3
Òsemàwé Yo Lokere (Òsemàwé is far-approaching) Òsemàwé yo lokere, irawo yee loke [The Arrival of Òsemàwé is like that of the million stars in the sky] 
Example 3. Òsemàwé Yo Lokere
Cultural trait-values analysis
This is another song (Example 3) usually used to express Òsemàwé’s perceived grandeur, splendour, pomp and pageantry by his subjects. It is supposedly a processional song. The song reveals how much magnificence attached to Òsemàwé by the subject. The song reveals the cultural value placed on the stool of Òsemàwé. It compares the Òsemàwé to that of a million stars in the sky. It shows that Oba occupied the highest point of esteem among the subject. He is valued to be higher than anything on the surface of the earth, as bright as the million stars combined. The picture in this song actually radiates the position of any Oba in Yorùbá land generally.
Cultural legacies
Òsemàwé yo lokere carries the people's lifestyle, social status, political order, cultural hierarchy and reverence for Òsemàwé.
Song 4
Mo dibo hun omo (I vote for my child) Mo tori tay eyin mo dibo hun „mo mi /2x B’omo mo se mi mei rojo po o B’omo mo se mi o mei d’ejo a le buje B’ul oyinbo sogun apo omo mi afube ayubo e e Omo ma afube ayunbo o [I, considering the old age, vote for my child I won’t, for his offences, send rain on my child I won’t, for any offence, set a snake as trap to bite him If going overseas cost any amount, my child must get there, and return For sure, he must get there even to return 
Example 4. Mo dibo hun omo
Cultural trait-values analysis
This song in Example 4 is usually and most fondly raised by Ondo women. Its meaning underscores the lifestyle and the psyche of a typical Ondo woman’s thought towards children. Research revealed that an Ondo woman is ever ready to do anything in order to raise their children to a desired position in life. Many things are the outpour from this attitude that was painted inside this song. There are three main ideals in the song. First is „voting for one’s children‟, second is „pardoning offences‟, and third is “sending children overseas‟. Analysing these three points truthfully revealed the psyche of Ondo women about children. Most Ondo women are always ready to bear the family burden: simply, they wanted their children to become somebody, to have a good life. From the interview conducted, 108 women were interviewed, 93 were ready to comply with the three variables/ideals in this song, 9 were not ready for all especially the second principle, while 6 were undecided on the first as well as the second principles.
Expounding the first ideal
Every woman interviewed was ready to stand by their children, to support them on their journey of life till they become useful in life. They confessed – it will be useful for them, the family and the nation at large. They were ever ready to go any length to fetch money so as to provide basic needs such as shelter, clothing, food and most importantly education for their children. Some even confessed that it takes them to get married to a wealthier man or by having an Oluku (Oluku means “friend” in eastern axis of Yoruba land and some of the Oku area and Igala.)
Explicating the second ideal
From the songs reveals that Ondo women will never neglect their children because of any wrongdoing. There is always room for forgiveness, they can always make amends in some other ways instead of the disowning them. A typical Ondo woman will keep trying her best until her last breath. „A child is a child" an Ondo woman will say. This does not translate that they do not frown at misbehavior. Actually they do. The only thing is that an Ondo woman will still recognize, align and accept the child no matter the level of wrongdoing, even at crime situations.
Elucidating the third ideal presents to us a lifestyle that has now become a tradition in Ondo and its environs. Having a child at least in any overseas country is a mark of success. Therefore, the target of every family is to send their children abroad for education, job search and ultimately to return after many years of escapade in the unknown land. This is rampart. Research revealed that almost every nuclear family has, at least, a child oversee.
Finally, this women song is a true reflection of Ondo women lifestyle which has now become a culture to the people.
Cultural legacies
Independence, gender exposition, self-determination, spirit of hard-work, lifestyle, beliefs, social status and self-esteem. Conclusion
Having studied the diverse roles music can play in the life of a specified ethnicity, from the perspective of lyrical content and contexts, it is imperative to look at it not as just a vehicle for entertainment or just a cultural display within context but as a medium for extrapolating the people‟s way of life, beliefs and practices. If songs like Adé J'adé lo (Crown Supersedes crown), Oba o Ko ko (What a dreadful King) and Òsemàwé Yo Lokere (Òsemàwé is far-approaching) can reveal so much about the royal status of Òsemàwé among his subjects and also demonstrate the hierarchical status and recessional culture between the Òsemàwé and the Òramfè priest (i.e. Sòrà), then the song as used and rendered by the Ondo people is more than just music. It explains a lot of cultural practice among the Ondo people.
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References
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Belgrade Center for Music and Dance is the publisher of Accelerando: BJMD
Belgrade Center for Music and Dance is the publisher of Accelerando: BJMD
