Melanin Drops: A POC Book

💡 Something I Learned: My Heritage

If you guys did already know, I am Nigerian and I am Yoruba. So, earlier today I was just looking at books about Yoruba people and I came across a reference in the Howard University online library and I was like, hey that's pretty interesting considering we are a huge part of the African slave trade and even if you aren't Yoruba or you don't know it's a part of African history very much so. (Also, I am considering doing a chapter next about African-American history so stay tuned for that.)

First I want to talk about the Yoruba faith. The Yoruba people are descendants of a variety of West African communities. Many years before the African Slave Trade, they were inhabited in an area that stretched along the coast of West Africa and then inward and down to Angola in South West Africa.

From the late 1500s to late 1800s, millions were forced out of Africa and their numbers dwindled and so did the land coverage. And like I have mentioned earlier maybe two times, European powers, Britsh, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese all divided the "continent" of Africa into many different countries with new languages.

The Yoruba people, my ancestors were divided and placed in places all over the Americas that now speak Spanish, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and English.

As for the Yoruba culture in the Americas, during African slavery, millions of Africans were forced into the Americas and into plantations. Spanish plantations in South America, Central America, Cuba, and Hispaniola. British plantations in English speaking Carribean. American in American South. Dutch in Dutch Carribean and South America. French in Carribean (especially Haiti).

As slaves, they weren't free anymore and not even in the land of the free... hm, I wonder why. Anyways, back on track, they were allowed to practice their religion which requires a drum or engage in any other religious Yoruba practice. Instead, they were forced in European religions which were Catholicism and other forms of Christianity but they kept their true religion under Catholicism/Protestantism.

The modern Yoruba belief in African is slightly different than how it is in the Americas because of the Christian influences but the basic beliefs remain the same.

The basic Yoruba beliefs include ritual practices that is much of what I see in some churches today. From singing, dancing, drumming, spirit possession, ritual healing, respect for ancestors and divination.

So, if you can go to a typical Baptist church versus a Black church, you'll see the differences and how much of African culture has seeped through. I mean they basically took everything so it's nice how something kind of found its way through but what I think is how much? I mean it really makes me question my whole way of living. You definitely can't trust anything at all and learning that is just, I don't know, it has me thinking.

And I will end with a question ..

What is something you know about your heritage?

love,

black girl ki.

🌀SELF PROMO🌀

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A/N: Guys, for chapters like this or anything that is written like a class project, I put a lot of time, work and effort because I want the most accurate and most clearly understanding work I can make so please leave comments and votes, thank you.