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c h a p t e r t e n  Authority and Discourse in the Orin O . dún O .̀ s .un Diedre L. Badejo This essay explores the cosmological and socio-cultural idiom of authority and its discourse in the orin o .dún O .̀ s .un, that is, the festival songs of the Yorùbá deity O .̀ s .un. It examines the historical and contemporary themes and inspirations located within the sacred and secular liturgy of Yorùbá orature (oral literature). It also illustrates how this culturally-bound cosmic premise authorizes the position of women politically, socially, and economically within the Yorùbá worldview and social praxis. It should be noted here that the central feature of this cosmic authority is its validation of complex human interactions which explore the notion of gender dichotomy in the form of gender functionality. By gender functionality , I refer to the linguistic and cultural deference to social role rather than biological gender as the primary determinant in social function. Indeed, the traditional oral record and the Yoruba language itself are at odds with the ideological tools of Western colonialism, cultural, and religious hegemony that are used to critique it. Symptomatic of the protracted struggle against foreign cultural dominance, it is necessary to discuss Yorùbá women’s authority as an element of distinction within Yorùbá studies discourse. Four of the festival songs that I have chosen confirm women’s source of authority and autonomy within the orin o .dún O .̀ s .un. Two other songs reflect contemporary themes in Yorùbá social discourse. I will briefly discuss the scope of meaning of power and destiny, and how the Yorùbá definition of power and destiny provide the foundation for understanding these festival songs and their contemporary themes. The Source Às .e . (Power) and Àyànmo .́ (Destiny) Most human organizations validate their socio-cultural mandates and behaviors with some theological or cosmological premise. Collective historical experiences and memories interwoven between divine revelation and human need often create the ontological nexus of authority in which human groups validate their social discourse. The Yorùbá people of western Nigeria, from pre-colonial, pre-Islamic, and pre-Christian times, reveal their own sources and nexus of authority in diverse oral genres. Woven among the rich layers of verbal virtuosity are the golden threads of an extensive Yorùbá epistemology which includes Ifá (divination poetry), orin (songs), orı́kı̀ (praise names and poetry), itan (stories), and ijálá (hunters’ poetry for Ogun), among others. Images and themes that allude to the spectrum of power and authority underscore the existence of a cornucopia of literary, material, and artistic culture, in short, a treasure trove of knowledge and a worldview of acknowledged distinction. Scholars such as ’Wande Abimbola, Rowland Abiodun, Sandra Barnes, Joseph Murphy, Jacob Olupona, and Robert Farris Thompson attest to the fortitude as well as historical and cultural dynamism of Yorùbá culture and its global offspring.1 To fully appreciate the meaning of these O .̀ s .un songs, one must acknowledge that for the Yorùbá, nothing exceeds life itself. The orature, the annual festivals, the panoply of ceremonies and rituals that mark the diverse phases of life are life’s insurance policy against short and purposeless living. Life for the Yorùbá is defined by an infinite continuum intertwined through ancestral life, earthly life, and unborn life, all actualized within and through the womb. As a matrix of mystery and awe, the womb is the source and point of departure for the vagaries of life, its potentialities, and its destinies. Longevity is achieved not only through long life on earth, but also long life in the memory of one’s descendants. Likewise , to become an ancestor, one must be born and then remembered by those born after one’s death. In both cases, women are the conduit through which all life flows. Giving and nurturing life is one aspect of the source of and validation for women’s authority generally. As the owner of the beaded comb, Olóòya-iyùn, which she uses to part the pathways of human life, O .̀ s .un’s authority, and validation specifically, lies within this complex ontological nexus (Abiodun 1989: 3; Bádéjo . 1996a: 7–10). The other source of authority and destiny lies in the power of the metaphysical (Barnes 1989: 1–26). In Yorùbá thought, like most theological or cosmological ordinances, authority...

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