THE FORM AND CONTENT OF IYARA HUNTERS’ POETRY

THE FORM AND CONTENT OF IYARA HUNTERS’ POETRY

Abstract:

Until now, the oral art of Iyara-Ijumu people in Kwara State has received no serieus academic attention. The present research work is born of the strong need to explore a specific art form – the traditional poetry of Iyara hunters – among the people. The work focuses on the complex and fascinating relations between form and content in the traditional poetry of Iyara hunters. This enables us to appreciate the phonaesthetic and intellectual patterning of the art, along with its functional values in society. The first chapter provides a sociological framework for some major forms of Iyara oral poetry; this helps to establish some general patterns which are useful for evaluating the performance context of the hunters1 poetry. Also in this chapter, there is a statement of the research methodology employed. Chapter two reviews some theoretical approaches to the study of oral poetry in order to give us an insight into the state of oral poetry and provide a sound basis for the researcher’s own approach. Chapter three is a detailed critical analysis of the form and content of the hunters’ poetry. The first part of chapter four examines the issues relating to the education and career of the hunter poet , while the second part of the chapter contains the concluding remarks. In the appendix, the full length of the chants is set down as recorded during the work.

THE FORM AND CONTENT OF IYARA HUNTERS’ POETRY

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