Yoruba Bata in Nigeria

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

Yoruba Bata in Nigeria http://www.batadrums.com/background/yoruba.htm This website focuses mostly on Cuban or Lukumi styles of bata drumming, but the bata come from the Yoruba culture in what is today called Nigeria and Benin. Click here to see the Nigerian Bata Issue of 'El Tambor: The Batadrums.com Newsetter' from May, 2004. Yoruba Culture and Religion As of 1999, there were about 110 million people in Nigeria, and about 25 million Yoruba in Nigeria and neighboring countries. For an introduction to Yoruba culture, which has rich and complex traditions, see the Egbe Isokan Yoruba website or the article "Who Are the Yoruba?" on the Egbe Omo Yoruba site (National Association of Yoruba Descendants in North America). There are photos of Yoruba Orisha religion in an exhibit by Indiana University. Also, check out Yoruba House in Los Angeles, which is more related to drumming. See information on finding books on Yoruba culture (there are lots of them). If you want to learn spoken Yoruba language, there are good resources, but it's a hard language to learn. In the Washington, DC area, Yoruba Language Classes (Eko Ede Yoruba) are taught by Prof. Akinsola Akiwowo. Study Subjects include ABD Yoruba (Yoruba Alphabet), Oro ede Yoruba (Words in Yoruba), Gbo Ohun Ede Yoruba (Sentence in Yoruba), Girama Ede Yoruba (Grammar), and Ewi Ijaa Oriki (Introduction to Yoruba Chants). Classes are taught at the Black History Museum in Alexandria, Virginia on Saturdays from 9:30-11:30. For more information, call (703) 519-6005. Recordings of Yoruba Bata Drumming Click here for 'Nigerian Bata: Selected Discography' in the Nigerian Bata Issue of 'El Tambor: The Batadrums.com Newsletter' from May, 2004. The Discography has links to a number of excellent Nigerian Bata CDs available at our online Shop. Short sound sample (300k, wav format, 14 seconds long) of ceremonial Yoruba bata recorded 12/26/81 by Victor Manfredi. I picked this clip because it sounds to me a lot like today's Cuban version toque for the Ibeji from the oru seco. A fast section from the same recording. Sound sample of Yoruba prayers to Shango (860k, wav format, 40 seconds long), with accompanying bata, also recorded in 12/26/81 in Nigeria. Notice how the priestess says, "kabiesi(le) oba koso" at the start of this clip. Some have translated this as "welcome to the house, your majesty (Shango). The king did not die/ lives on." Others have translated it as, "The king cannot be questioned (is always wise and correct). King of Koso (name of a place Shango ruled)." Sound sample (300k) of dundun and bata playing together, accompanying songs - hear how the dundun speak Yoruba. Sample of bata from a woman's funeral (900k mp3) in Gbongan, Nigeria, 7/16/85. Very intense syncopation and groove. From Andy Opel. Sample (650k) from the Orisha festival in Ikirun, Nigeria, 7/15/85. Longer sample. From Andy Opel. Sound samples of Nigerian National Troupe performing in the U.S. In the 1990s: short clip for Shango (200k wav), longer faster clip for Shango (30 seconds, 660k wav). Short samples from the CD of Yoruba bata from Sakete, Benin - for Shango: obakoso, omenega, oke, and ajagunan. Yoruba carved staff showing Shango priest on bottom holding traditional sword and axe, small figure of bata drummer with drum in middle, and female devotee on top with Shango's sacred stone axe rising from her head. Photo from the Smithsonian Museum's 'African Voices' exhibit. The AyanAgalu bata group led by Lamidi Ayankunle. They toured the US in 2001. Their CD is now available. toshogbo2.jpg (11208 bytes) Photograph of Lamidi's drummers in Oshogbo, Nigeria, 1984. Photo by Steve Bloom yorubagroup1.jpg (34769 bytes) The Ayankoso bata group from Oyo. toshogbo1.jpg (4694 bytes) Yoruba Bata Drummer in Osogbo, Nigeria Photo by Steve Bloom Origins of the Bata Drums Bata drums were introduced or developed in Yoruba land, what is now Southwestern Nigeria, about 500 years ago, perhaps as much as 800 years ago. They were introduced by Shango, who was both an actual king in Yoruba history and the deity, or Orisha. They probably have roots (according to Ortiz and others) in northeastern Africa or the middle east or even India, where double-headed drums also exist. Their ancient relatives were most likely in Sudan or Egypt. Darius Thieme described Yoruba bata drums and their origins in his unpublished dissertation at The Catholic University of America, A Descriptive Catalogue of Yoruba Musical Instruments. Here is a section from that paper, on the history of Yoruba bata: Most traditional sources agree with one or another of the following statements given by [David] Adeniji [a Nigerian] regarding the origins of the bata drums: Some said that it was shortly after the reign of Sango that Bata was made to mark his reign or Coronation, some said that it was when he was to start (to) perform his Juju means to attract lightning that he used the said drum as a part of the materials he used for his conjugations [conjurations?]. Some said that they sent it to him from Tapa (i.e., Nupe) Land from where his material (i.e., maternal) parents sent it. Let one or all be correct, but undoubtedly Bata was invented during the reign of Sango and it was his royal drum just as kosho was the drum to his brother Ajaka and which he used to mark the funeral of his father- Oranmiyan (Oranyan). A variant, heard in Ado Awaiye, was that Sango's mother brought the adamo bata [a short, small version of a bata drum] with her from Nupe land to the Yoruba capital of Oyo Ile (Old Oyo). The other bata drums then were made for Sango, the oba. [According to I.O. Ojerinde of Ado Awaiye, 1965 interview]. Two other versions of the possible origin of the bata drums also must be mentioned. King theorizes that the bata drums evolved from the koso model. The tensioning thongs of the latter drum may have been bound in to the body of the drum and another membrane added... The Timi of Ede states: "Alekuso another native of Ibariba was the first to make and use the bata. Again, this statement also makes no reference to historic events. Furthermore, it may be remembered that in the above discussion concerning Sango reference was made to the words Oba koso or Oba Kuso, excerpted from his oriki.One of the possible interpretations of this excerpt was given as a reference to a place, Koso or Kuso, where Sango may have ruled [Sango was the fourth Yoruba king, or Alafin of Oyo. He was at Koso later in his life according to Ortiz]. The name Alekuso may be similarly interpreted, as a reference to a person from a place named Kuso. Thus, the reference could be a person from a the town where Sango ruled prior to assuming the Oyo throne... ...if one accepts the evidence of the traditional sources, the bata drum family is about five centuries old, and perhaps older [dating to somewhere between the years 1250 and 1550 A.D., probably closer to 1500]. © Batadrums.com