AN EXPLORATION OF INDIGENOUS PERFORMANCES IN Ọ̀WỌ̀ KINGDOM, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Ọ̀wọ̀ Kingdom in Ondo State, Nigeria is regarded as a hub of indigenous culture, considering the number of festivals and other indigenous performances that are commemorated periodically in the community. Some of these are used to address sociological issues and aid the organisation and general equilibrium of the society. Extant studies have been carried out extensively on diverse aspects of indigenous festivals and performances of the Yoruba ethnic group of Southwest, Nigeria. However, many of these studies are selective and the indigenous festivals and performances of Ọ̀wọ̀ Kingdom are yet to receive adequate scholarly attention, thereby creating knowledge gap in African performance studies. Employing the Qualitative research design and espousing Ethnography, Interview (key informant and in-depth), as well as Non-participant Observation methods, the study identified some Ọ̀wò festivals and indigenous performances with a view to examining their performances and identifying the categories of people that perform in them. Additionally, some videos were recorded, photographs were taken and Data were analysed. The study found Àjọ, Ùlabì, Ugbáàtẹ and Ùpèlí to be popular performances in Ọ̀wọ̀ Kingdom. Furthermore, six categories of performers were found; Ọlọ́wọ̀ (King), Priests, High chiefs, Ayóyos, Ọ̀pàtẹ-Ògún and Participant-audiences. The study concluded that the performances were purposive and distinctive; therefore, academic focus should be directed at them.