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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Between Tradition and Record: A Search for the Legendary Woodcarvers of Old Oyo
Author:Kalilu, R.O. RomISNI
Year:1992
Periodical:Ufahamu
Volume:20
Issue:2
Pages:49-63
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:Oyo polity
carving
Architecture and the Arts
History and Exploration
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Abstract:Old Oyo or Oyo-ile is the name by which the most northern of the Yoruba kingdoms and its capital are referred to. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, Old Oyo was the wealthiest and the strongest of these kingdoms. Indirect information and eye-witness accounts by early European travellers, as well as oral traditions, indicate that the Old Oyo metropolis was a very rich centre for art, especially woodcarving. In the records, however, not much attention is paid to the woodcarvers. This paper traces the legendary prodigious carvers at the Old Oyo metropolis from the 18th century to 1836, when it was abandoned. In particular it deals with the carvers who produced the carvings mentioned in the eye-witness accounts. The paper also looks at traditions concerning woodcarving and the woodcarvers' lineages in Yorubaland, especially in the extant Old Oyo provinces in Nigeria. Note, ref.
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