“Àbíkú sọ Olóògùn di èké” – “Child mortality mis-portray the genuineness of the Herbalist”

Ìgbàgbọ́ Yorùbá yàtọ̀ si ohun ti àwọn Ẹlẹko-Ijinlẹ fi hàn ni ayé òde òni. Ni igbà àtijọ́, bi obinrin/iyàwó bá bi ọmọ, ti ó kú ni ikókó tàbi ki ó tó gba àbúrò, ọmọ ti wọn bá bi lẹhin rẹ ni wọn ma fún ni orúkọ “Àbíkú” pàtàki ti ó bá tó bi meji, mẹta ki ọmọ tó dúró. Yorùbá gbàgbọ́ ninú àpadà-wáyé, ni igbà miran, wọn á fi ibinú fi àmin, bi ki wọn kọ ilà si ara ọmọ ti ó kú tàbi gé lára ẹ̀yà ara ọmọ yi lati mọ bóyá yio padà wá. Bi ìyá ti ó bi Àbíkú bá bímọ lẹhin ikú ọmọ ti wọn fi àpá si lára, àpá yi ni wọn ma kọ́kọ́ wò lára ọmọ titun. Bi wọn bá ri àpá yi, wọn o sọ ọmọ naa ni orúkọ Àbíkú. Orúkọ àbùkù ni ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ orúkọ Àbíkú – ó lè jẹ́ orúkọ ẹranko, orúkọ ti ó fi ìbẹ̀rù hàn, tàbi orúkọ fún ìmọràn.

Àbíkú jẹ́ ikú ọmọdé àti ìkókó titi dé ọmọ ọdún marun. Ẹkọ-Ijinlẹ fi hàn pé, ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ikú ọmọdé ti Yorùbá mọ̀ si Àbíkú yi ti ìpasẹ̀ wọnyi wá: àrùn tó ṣe-dádúró, oúnjẹ-àìtó, omi-ẹlẹgbin, ilé-iwòsàn ti kò pé tàbi ai si ilé-iwòsàn, àrùn àti àjàkálẹ̀-àrùn, ọmọ ti ó ni iwọn-kékeré nigbà ìkókó. Owe Yoruba ti o ni “Àbíkú sọ Olóògùn di èké” fi ìgbàgbọ́ Yorùbá hàn pé, kò si oògùn ti ó lè dá Àbíkú dúró. Ìmọ̀ Ijinlẹ fi hàn pe ki ṣe gbogbo ọmọ ti ó kú, ni ó yẹ ki ó kú, nitori lati igbà ti àtúnṣe àwọn ohun ti ó nfa ikú ọmọdé yi ti wà, Àbíkú din-kù – nipa ìpèsè omi ti ó mọ́, ilé-ìwòsàn ọmọdé, ilà-lóye àwọn obinrin nipa ìtọ́jú aboyún àti ọmọdé

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Yoruba belief is different from what the Scientists have revealed in the modern time. In the olden days, when a woman/wife gave birth, and the child died at infancy or before a junior sibling was born, a child born after the demise of the baby/child is regarded as “Abiku – meaning Child mortality”, particularly after two or three births before the child survived. Yoruba believe in re-incarnation hence, in annoyance, sometimes, marks are engraved or the body of the dead baby or mutilated to identify him/her in case of re-incarnation. If the woman that suffered child mortality gave birth again after the baby had been given a mark or mutilated, the first thing was to check the body of the new baby for the marks/mutilation. If a sign is seen, it became a confirmation that the dead baby has returned and then given special names for re-incarnated babies such as – named after an animal, name that showed fear of uncertainty or advisory name.

Child mortality means the death of children and infants under the age of five. Science showed that, child mortality regarded by Yoruba as “Abiku” was as a result of: preventable diseases, malnutrition, dirty drinking water, inadequate healthcare or non-existence of healthcare, diseases, infectious diseases, low birth weight. Yoruba proverb that said “Child mortality turned the Herbalist to fake” showed the Yoruba belief, that no medicine can prevent “Abiku” or Child mortality. Science on the other hand showed that, child mortality is preventable because since the improvement on the causes of death, child mortality has greatly reduced – by provision of: clean water; specialist child healthcare, enlightenment of women on pregnancy care and children.

Originally posted 2014-09-19 21:51:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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“Àbíkú sọ Olóògùn di èké” – “Child mortality mis-portray the genuineness of the Herbalist”

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