oriki

Yoruba

Alternative forms

Etymology

From orí +‎ kíkì, ultimately from orí (“head, destiny, conscience”) +‎ kì (“to recite, praise”), literally “The act of praising one's existence”.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ō.ɾí.kì/

Noun

oríkì

  1. A form of Yoruba oral praise poetry, (ewì), it is characterized by long epithets praising and acknowledging the traits, accomplishments, and or attributes a specific person, family or lineage, town, animal, òrìṣà, subethnic group etc.
    • This form of oriki is known as oríkì jáǹtìrẹrẹ, and are normally chanted or sang.
    Synonym: oríkì jáǹtìrẹrẹ
    Oríkì ní ó gbajúmọ̀ jù nínú gbogbo ohùn-ẹnu Yorùbá ― Oriki is the most popular of the Yoruba oral poetic genres
  2. A class of Yoruba names, this form of oriki known as oríkì ṣókí, it consists of short single Yoruba praise names or nicknames.
    • It is often given by one's grandmother or older relative, similar to a cognomen. These often are informal and not part of the official name of a person.
    Synonyms: oríkì ṣókí, oríkì ọlọ́danni
    a kì í pe orúkọ ẹni k'á báni wí; a kì í porúkọ odò k'ódò gbéni lọ; bẹ́ẹ̀ náà ni a kì í sọ oríkì ọmọ kínúu rẹ̀ má yọ̀ síni
    We do not call someone's name and begin to reprimand him; we do not cite the name of a river and get drowned by it; similarly we do not recite the praise name of a child and he does not rejoice at it
    (proverb on the importance of an oríkì name)
  3. definition
    Synonym: oríkì nǹkan

Derived terms
  • oríkì orílẹ-èdè (“national oriki”)
  • oríkì ọlọ́danni (“personal oriki names”)
  • oríkì àfìtọ́kamọ̀ (“referential definition”)
  • oríkì ìdílé (“oriki poetry of a family or clan”)

References
  • Adétọmíwá, Àánúolúwapọ̀ A. ÀTÚPALẸ̀ ÀṢÀYÀN EWÌ OLÓYÈ SULAIMAN AYÍLÁRÁ ÀRẸ̀MÚ AJÓBÍEWÉ , 2015
  • Awoyale, Yiwola (2008 December 19) Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0‎, number LDC2008L03, Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, →DOI, →ISBN
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