The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate (Classic Reprint) - Couverture rigide

Samuel Johnson

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1334997853 ISBN 13 : 9781334997853

Editeur : Forgotten Books, 2016

Synopsis

Reverend Samuel Johnson is a rare and precious historian of his own native continent in The History of the Yorubas. African history is told constantly by western historians so the more integrated gaze of a missionary who sought to take his people with him towards Christianity is a refreshing change. The book relies on centuries old oral traditions and the testimony of elder members of the Yoruba elders and historians of the court. Official history everywhere comes from the roots of retained custom, cultural myth, oral accounts but it is a benefit to see those voices come through so clearly in Reverend Johnson’s work.
The Yoruba live dispersed across an enormous area from Portugal to Nigeria and their history is rich and storied. Johnson goes back to the accounts of distant kings and leaders but his work becomes substantially more detailed as we near the period of the British Peace. The image of the Reverend tracking across the land, searching for the equivalent of hereditary bards and village elders is a welcome search for the truth of tribal peoples, as opposed to the paternalistic slant often found in other works.
As is often the case, the Yoruba’s history is scattered with the debris of war and the author covers this in depth from the early conflicts that splintered parts of the community and spurred migration to the more recent and bitter conflicts with outside entities. Johnson describes the language, the origins and the customs of the Yoruba people and the institutions these have given birth to in the diaspora.
The History of the Yorubas is an unmissable perspective on a fascinating people.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections pre

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

What led to this production was not a burning desire of the author to appear in print as all who are well acquainted with him will readily admit but a purely patriotic motive, that the history of our fatherland might not be lost in oblivion, especially as our old sires are fast dying out. Educated natives of Yoruba are well acquainted with the history of England and with that of Rome and Greece, but of the history of their own country they know nothing whatever !T his reproach it is one of the authors objects to remove. Whilst the author cotild claim to be a pioneer in an untrodden field, he can by no means pretend to have exhausted the subject ;but he hopes by this to stimulate among his more favoured brethren the spirit of patriotism and enquiry into the histories of the less known parts of the country. It may be that oral records are preserved in them which are handed down from father to son, as in the case of the better known Royal bards in the Metropolis, such records though imperfect should surely not be under-rated. In the perusal of this feeble attempt, the author craves the forbearance of his readers ;he deprecates the spirit of tribal feelings and petty jealousies now rife among us. In recording events of what transpired, good or bad, failures and successes, among the various tribes, he has endeavoured to avoid whatever would cause needless offence to anyone, or irritate the feelings of those specially interested in the narratives, provided only that the cause of truth, and of public benefit be faithfully served. With respect to the ancient and mythological period he has stated the facts as they are given by the bards, and with respect to the History of comparatively recent dates, viz., from the time of King A biodun downwards, from eye-witnesses of the events which they narrate, or from those who have actually taken part in them. He has thus endea
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Forgotten Books
• Date d'édition: 2016
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1334997853
• ISBN 13: 9781334997853
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 739
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Copytech (UK) Ltd, Trading as Printondemand-worldwide.com; gpsr@podww.com; ; 9 Culley Court; Orton Southgate; Peterborough; Cambridgeshire; PE2 6WA; Royaume-Uni
• Personne responsable: Easy Access System Europe Oü, 16879218; +358405003575; gpsr.requests@easproject.com; ; Mustamäe tee 50; Tallinn; 10621; Estonie