(Obafemi Awolowo University, 1987) Awotayo, Atolani; Olajubu, O.; Oyelaran, O.
The present study fills a gap in the study of the Yoruba Oral Literature by providing a systematic survey and characterisation of the poetic genres among the Igbomina people.
The study classifies the poetic genres among; the Igbomina with respect to their provenance and functions in correlation with socio-economic groups.
After a preview of poetry generally and the cultural background to Igbomina people end literature, the study presents a survey of all accessible sub-genres of the local poetry and the elucidation of their themes and functions. An analysis of the aesthetic aspects of the poems follows.
The various sub-genres are found to have originated from Orin Elewe (a distinct chant in its own right). This argues that the Igbomina people are more related to Oyo than to other Yoruba sub-ethnic groups. The classification of Igbomina oral poetry in this work extends our horizon on the nature of Yoruba literature in general.