Oduduwa was the first divine king of the yoruba people, and obatala fashioned the first human beings out of clay. These events weakened the southern yorubas in their resistance to british colonial and military invasions. The people who lived in yorubaland, at least by the seventh century bc, were not initially known as the yoruba, although they shared a. Precolonial state formations, political systems, and the relationship between spiritual beliefs and power structures. The people who lived in yorubaland, at least by the seventh century bc, were not. At the centre of such elaborate sociopolitical structure in precolonial yorubaland was a strong economic base. It provided sustenance for the administration and the citizenry. In other words, different types of state systems and societies existed. Ecology, trade and states in precolonial africa james fenskey abstract.
Before the advent of the british in yoruba land, yoruba kingdoms maintained an orderly and unified political system which is still in effect till today. Production systems in pre colonial africa erik green. Precolonial political administration in yoruba land oldnaija. Colonial nigeria was the era in the history of nigeria when the region of west africa was ruled by great britain in from the midnineteenth century until 1960, when nigeria achieved independence. Precolonial political system in nigeria yoruba traditional. Monitoring participation of women in politics in nigeria paper presented by mrs. In spite of their size, many yoruba settlements fail to meet the criteria of urban status as defined in the more developed countries of the world. Pdf state formation in precolonial zambia chilufya. Mar 16, 2014 nigeria before colonialism pre colonial administration in nigeria ever before the commencement of colonialism, the people of what later became known as nigeria were living under different administration or political arrangements. Dickinson defines a town in western europe and north america as a compact settlement engaged primarily in nonagricultural occupations 1. At the same time, there was no centralization in pre colonial administration in yorubaland, so politicians at different levels could share power and follow the famous checkbalance principle that allowed them checking and even nullifying the acts and things performed by other politicians, without following the hierarchy.
The colonial and precolonial eras in nigeria this project is based on the goal of explaining an event in the relatively recent past by working progressively further into the past to uncover more and more information that seems to bear on the issues. S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 1 these were states or societies which existed in africa before the coming of the europeans. How productive was africa before the colonisers came. Instead, political institutions were performing similar or. Ehret 2002 emphasizes the diversity and long history of precolonial social and political formations, whereas curtin, et al.
One cannot fully understand justice administration in yorubaland without first understanding the. Precolonial history of southern africa south african. To this definition other writers have added such criteria as specialisation of economic. Pre colonial political administration in yoruba land. Whether in the state or stateless societies, african pre colonial political organisations had some. We shall discuss the political administration of the traditional yoruba society with particular reference to oyo kingdom. Pdf state building in precolonial subsaharan africa. Yoruba traditional adjudicatory systems researchgate.
This paper examines the nature of traditional administration in precolonial. The precolonial development of yoruba towns springerlink. Hausafulani precolonial political system can be credited to the holy jihad fought by uthman danfodio in 1804. The system of government adopted is monarchical in nature popularly regarded as a highly centralized method of administration.
Unesco eolss sample chapters world civilizations and history of human development african civilizations. An overview pre colonial nigeria the first point to note is that the pre colonial epoch was not a static era during which all social and political systems existed in a finished and final form. Government, judicial administration, lesson note, political administration, pre colonial political system in nigeria yoruba traditional system, religion, yoruba. If you are not a descendant of the oduduwa you cannot be allowed to be an oba in the yorubaland. Overview this portion of the webpage draws upon the research of multiple scholars of nigerian history in order to present a general overview of this regions precolonial settings.
I reflected that here and if i had made a mistake in assuming they were pre colonial because the source i got them from told me this then there are really other ways to say this rather than coming up here as a firsttime commenter and telling me that im wilfully distorting history. In chapter 4 we describe zambias political and economic systems, and analyse the emerging class structure of the society. One cannot fully understand justice administration in yoruba land without first understanding the elements of democracy that are featured in pre colonial and traditional yoruba social and. Yoruba precolonial political system nigerian history. The africans consider the impact of colonization on them to be perhaps the most important factor in understanding the present condition of the african continent and of the african. Mar 09, 20 he argues that throughout precolonial history, yoruba acted as a panregional and unified identity 2005, 25. Nigerian peoples and culture acknowledgements nigerian peoples and culture is in eight units and was produced by a team of nigerian national trainers, who were trained and supported by experts in blended learning pedagogy from odl, nuc and the open. Pre colonial history shows us evidence of progress because of african pioneering abilities. Different nigerian ethnic groups used to be autonomous hundreds of years ago, so read more about yoruba people now. Colonial rule, economy, education, and identity chapter 14 the.
Nigeria before colonialism precolonial administration in nigeria ever before the commencement of colonialism, the people of what later became known as nigeria were living under different administration or political arrangements. Production systems in precolonial africa erik green. Historical background oduduwa according to legend is the founding father of the yoruba race. The precolonial political administration in yoruba land is one of the most popular among the precolonial systems administrations in nigeria. Precolonial political administration in yorubaland old oyo empire. As a result of the existence of many political institutions in igbo land, there was no centralization of power among the igbo. More specifically, we present an overview of the indigenous, quranic and the westerntype education before and after independence. From the precolonial to the modern day toyin falola and tyler fleming encyclopedia of life support systems eolss people have lived in africa for more than three million years, and thus it possesses a.
They can be found in the northern part of nigeria covering areas like kaduna, sokoto, kano, zaria, etc. Precolonial ethnic institutions and contemporary african. The yoruba kingdom developed an efficient governmental system. Several traditional rulers tried to protect and preserve the political organisation of their kingdoms or empires but later gave up after much pressure and threat from the colonial masters. The documented history of the yoruba people begins with the oyo empire, which became. This paper, which begins to close that gap accounts for state building and transformation in. The pre colonial traditional administrative and political organization in yoruba land is centralised. There is a huge gap between the archaeological finds of igbo ukwu, which reveal a rich material culture in the heart of the igbo region in the 8th century, and the oral traditions of the 20th century. At the centre of such elaborate sociopolitical structure in pre colonial yorubaland was a strong economic base. The british dependencies of northern and southern nigeria were merged into a single territory in 1914, and a legislative council, initially with limited african representation was created in 1922. However, thepre colonial nigeria symbolises the methods or ways by which nigerians govern themselves before the.
The democratic structure of yoruba politicalcultural heritage. These continuities are far stronger than has hitherto been acknowledged. At first the bsac administered its territory north of the zambezi in two parts, northeastern and northwestern rhodesia. Oduduwa gave birth to 7 sons, who became obas in the 7. Generally, the evidence suggests that between 200 bc and ad 200 the ancestors of eastern bantuspeaking people moved out of this homeland into east and southern africa.
Precolonial political administration in yorubaland. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to british subjects in 1807. Criminal justice in the precolonial, colonial and post. Political system of administration in igbo land before the coming of the europeans into nigeria, the various ethnic groups were autonomous and had developed their traditional governmental systems in such a way that it reflected the culture, beliefs and traditions of the different areas. Pre colonial state formation and indigenous governance systems in africa in the pre colonial era there were certain areas where state building and indigenous governance systems had taken on higher and sophisticated forms. According to historical linguistics, the bantu language family originated in west africa, along the border of present day nigeria and cameroon. Pdf precolonial african societies robert mutongole. The precolonial political administration in yoruba land is one of the most popular among the pre colonial systems administrations in nigeria. State building in pre colonial subsaharan africa is a muchneglected subject in historical sociology. Women and their role in the economy of precolonial ilorin, northern nigeria dr a. Precolonial elitism academic journals athens institute for. The oba of the oyo kingdom has a special name known as the alafin.
Nigeria before colonialism precolonial administration in. Pre colonial political systems in nigeria hausafulani political system the fulani took over the political leadership of the habe hausa states in the early 19 th century. Precolonial political systems african studies oxford. If you have been attentive while studying the history of nigeria, youll remember that the territory of our country was occupied by different ancient civilizations. The proper coordination of the varied economic processes or practices in pre colonial yorubaland was the direct responsibility of the guild system. Yoruba precolonial political administration precolonial. Thus, this chapter analyzes the development of african administration from the pre colonial era up to the present.
State building in precolonial subsaharan africa is a muchneglected subject in historical sociology. Zimbabwes precolonial history zimbabwe and related topics. Yoruba precolonial political administration nigerian scholars. Mar 30, 2014 hausafulani precolonial political system can be credited to the holy jihad fought by uthman danfodio in 1804. The weakness of a popular theory that igbos were stateless rests on the paucity of historical evidence of pre colonial igbo society. Traditional native rulers, however, administered various territories under the supervision of the colonial authorities. Ibini ukpabi the long juju of arochukwu and a passage of no return.
This paper examines the trend in the educational development of nigeria from pre colonial times to the present, with a view to highlighting the progress made and problems encountered on the way. There were empires in yoruba land, but he most politically significant, centrally organised and administratively coercive was the old oyo. Archeological escavations were carried out, and the earliest known fossil found in west africa was discovered at iwoeleri which is situated in the western region of nigeria. The pre colonial political administration of the benin empire, like that of the yoruba empire, was monarchical. Aspects of precolonial indigeneous sic science and technology among the etsako of edo state b. Pdf the democratic structure of yoruba politicalcultural. Such families may propose one of them to the oba for his ratification and. The alaafin is the administrative and political head of the empire. He runs the empire with the help of the council of 7 chiefs called the oyomesi headed by the bashorun. Some of them later moved to oyo, which became the political headquarters.
One cannot fully understand justice administration in yoruba land without first understanding the elements of democracy that are featured in precolonial and traditional yoruba social and. A kingdom or empire in precolonial yoruba land, for example the old oyo empire oyoile, was made up of a headquarter called oluilu and. Contrary to the view that traditional yoruba society and other african. Women and the economy in pre colonial nigeria gloria thomas emeagweli. That is the tradition of the nonhegemony nature of these societies and the concept lineage that show significant traits in africa.
Feb 20, 2018 the early birds aka our ancestors of the pre colonial era, were known to have settled in territories in what is today called nigeria about,000 years ago. The colonial and pre colonial eras in nigeria this project is based on the goal of explaining an event in the relatively recent past by working progressively further into the past to uncover more and more information that seems to bear on the issues. Of course, a general overview obscures many details of historical complexity, and thus the purpose of this presentation is to offer entrance to precolonial nigerian history and. From the precolonial to the modern day toyin falola and tyler fleming encyclopedia of life support systems eolss people have lived in africa for more than three million years, and thus it possesses a rich and varied history. Precolonial political systems in nigeria hausafulani political system the fulani took over the political leadership of the habe hausa states in the early 19th century. This kingdom was founded by the deities oduduwa and obatala, who are believed to have created the world. The two colonial systems undermined the traditional defense and legal systems that prevailed during the pre colonial period. Indigenous systems of governance and postcolonial africa. The british set up different types of administration in yorubaland. Women and economic activities in yorubaland in the nineteenth century o. Precolonial political systems in nigeria hausafulani.
Pre colonial political system in nigeria yoruba traditional system. Hausafulani precolonial political system in nigeria. The result indicates that colonialism is a subspecies of oppression and that the severity of punishment changes in the nigerian law during the colonial era that is, changes from the personal injury and property crimes of the pre colonial era to the political crimes of the colonial era was geared to the maintenance needs of operation. World civilizations and history of human development african civilizations. The system was based on checks and balances in which the various organs of government checked the activities of one another to avoid dictatorship. The travails of kingship institution in yorubaland. Colonialism and colonial administrative system in africa. The yoruba political administration had a decentralized structure i. The jihad that followed this occupation was seen as a religious one as well as political. Precolonial economic history of nigeria in searchworks. African political systems are described in a number of textbooks and general books on african history. Political structure of the yoruba land the yoruba kingdom developed an efficient governmental system which existed for centuries before the coming of the europeans into nigeria. Precolonial political administration of the benin empire.
Pre colonial judicial administration the judicial system in nigeria has evolved and metamorphosed over the decades depending on the. Prior to the colonial era, the yoruba practiced a democratic system of government where. Of all the kingdoms and empires in yorubaland, the oyo political system was. An overview precolonial nigeria the first point to note is that the precolonial epoch was not a static era during which all social and political systems existed in a finished and final form. Pre colonial political administration in yorubaland july 1, 2015cultures and traditions, government studies, history, yorubaculture, pre colonial systems in nigeria, pre colonial era of nigerian. Colonialism and the african experience chapter 4 introduction colonization of africa by european countries was a monumental milestone in the development of africa. The colonial legal institutions had a duty to amend laws, acts and ordinances in order to affect and to felt the colonial administration influenced or as a result of social, political and economical change in the colony. Women in the economy of pre colonial benin joseph i. Health sector development in precolonial, colonial and post colonial africa dr. Precolonial economic history of nigeria in searchworks catalog. A study in traditional model of governance in akokoland by olusanya faboyede this paper examines the nature of traditional administration in pre colonial akokoland. We investigate the role of deeplyrooted precolonial ethnic institutions in shaping comparative regional development within african countries.
Pre colonial systems in nigeria witnessed a lot of alterations at the advent of the british colonial masters. They first settled at ileife that is still believed to be the spiritual headquarters of the yorubas. A few images of precolonial west african women the. To download this course unto your device, please click the following link gst201. In 1911 these were united to form northern rhodesia, with its capital at livingstone, near victoria falls. Pdf state building in precolonial subsaharan africa is a muchneglected. However, theprecolonial nigeria symbolises the methods or ways by which nigerians govern themselves before the. Precolonial political administration in yoruba land. We combine information on the spatial distribution of ethnicities before colonization with regional variation in contemporary economic performance, as proxied by satellite images of light density at night. Among a population of perhaps one million, there were about 1,500 white residents. What was pre colonial administration in nigeria like in the olden days. Colonial justice administration this period can be further classified into the pre amalgamation and postamalgamation period. For example, by tradition, some chieftancy titles belonged to particular families or wards who always had the right to fill such stools. The oba a title used for the king of benin was the theoretical and political leader of the empire with absolute authority no one dares to challenge.
The africans had tried to forge political, social, and economic institutions for proper management of their. Usman dan fodio led the fulani jihad and took over the political leadership of. I test bates view that trade across ecological divides promoted the develop ment of states in precolonial africa. The african civil service has its roots in pre colonial institutions on which european powers relied to build the colonial state and consolidate their administration. Precolonial nigeria and the europeans fallacy abayomialli mayowa1 abstract in other to achieve colonialism and political subjugation by the europeans in nigeria, the british lead government represented mainly by trade companies set about to proselytize the people to a new politics and ruler ship. Precolonial zimbabwe before zimbabwe was colonized by the british in 1923, zimbabwe had an interesting culture and history.
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