One of Nigeria’s three largest ethnic groups is the Yoruba; They can be found in the country’s southwest. Benin Republic and northern Togo also have significantly smaller, dispersed populations.
In Yorubaland, there are various occupations. The Yoruba people refer to a person’s occupation as “ise owo.” Yorubas call people who don’t have a job a useless and lazy member of society and refer to them as “ole” (lazy) or “ole a lapa ma sise” (lazy who has hands but won’t work).
Some women work, while others stay at home to care for their families. It is important to note that some Yoruba women who choose to stay at home to take care of their families may also be involved in trades that don’t require them to leave their homes.
Some even raise animals inside their homes, which, of course, increase their families’ income or provide them with meat when they need it.
Agbe farming is the most widely practiced and frequently the most profitable of all Yoruba traditional occupations. Yoruba men often work as farmers. On farms, women and children are employed as laborers, which is why many farmers adopt a polygamous lifestyle.
They have as many as three, four, or even six wives in order to have many children who will work on their farms. A small number of farmers employ paid laborers. In Yoruba society, farmers are wealthy and respected.
Palm Wine Tapping (Emu Dida).
Another widespread Yoruba traditional occupation is palm wine tapping. They are known as “ademu,” which means “palm wine tapper” in English.
Emu oguro, or tapped palm wine, is sold at the market or in palm wine sheds. The Yoruba revere palm wine; For celebrations, ceremonies, and gatherings, kegs of palm wine are purchased. The tapper could have built his own shed where palm wine could be purchased and consumed.
Blacksmithing, also known as agbede, is another widely practiced occupation in Yorubaland. It is difficult, if not impossible, to locate a female blacksmith in Yoruba country due to the physical demands of this occupation.
In Yorubaland, the most difficult and stressful jobs are typically reserved for men. Alagbede, or blacksmiths, make weapons for their communities to defend themselves against wars and attacks. Additionally, they manufacture farming tools like cutlasses, hoes, and others.
Because of their constant use of iron, all blacksmiths in Yorubaland worship Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron.
(Ode) Hunting is also common among Yoruba men. Because they risk their lives to provide the community with meat, hunters are respected. During hunting expeditions, hunters face numerous challenges.
In the forest, hunters are said to encounter strange things like talking antelopes, demons, and spirits, according to numerous accounts.
After a hunter kills an animal, certain rituals are performed to ward off any evil that might befall him, his family, or the community. A portion of the meat is consumed by hunters, who are known as “ode” or “oluode,” and their families. The remainder is sold at the market.
Fishing (Ise Apeja) The Yoruba’s occupations will remain incomplete without fishing. Yorubaland has a lot of people who work as fishermen, but they only live in places close to the water or the sea. They are referred to as “apeja.”
Wood Carving (Ise Ona) Another important occupation in Yorubaland is wood carving. Experts known as “gbena gbena” carve the idols that are used in shrines. The majority of palace decorations are made of carved wood, with about 40% made of animal skin and iron.
In Yorubaland, masquerading (Egun) is also a profession. Because it involves things like communicating with the spirit world, it is thought to be a spiritual career.
A type of masquerade known as egungun involves dressing up in a spooky costume known as eku and dancing to special chants and drumming.
Poetry (Ewi Kike) Yoruba society is also home to poets, or akewi. The akewi is paid to perform his ewi, or poetry, during weddings, namings, coronations, and other events. In addition, the akewi perform the king’s panegyric in the palace, where they also work.
Other occupations in Yoruba land include trading (owo sise), drumming (ise ayan), and native medicine (awo). Pottery, weaving, dyeing, hairdressing, trading, and other crafts are all practiced by Yoruba women.