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Oriki

World Traditional Verse Forms

Oriki, or praise poetry, is a cultural phenomenon among Yoruba speakers of West Africa.

Facts
Place of Origin
West Africa, among Yoruba speakers 1
Notable Example
A long-form oriki verse addressed to a child named Ojo, quoted in the Long form section as an example of the genre's indirect, everyday imagery 1
Defining Trait
Combines single praise names with long strings of attributive epithets that may be chanted in poetic form 1
Sources
1. Oriki (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)
  • Lead paragraph
    Oríkì, or praise poetry, is a cultural phenomenon amongst Yoruba-speakers of West Africa.
  • Long form section
    When Ojo is not home, the chick grows to become a hen, if he was at home, he would have made soup of it.
  • Characteristics section
    Oríkì includes both single praise names and long strings of 'attributive epithets' that may be chanted in poetic form.
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