Types and Functions of Oral Literature in Nupeland

Abstract

This article in on types and functions of oral Literature in Nupeland. It examines the cultural and aesthetic phenomena among Nupe in Nigeria. The focus of the article is on the categories of the oral aesthetic structures that exist within Nupe society. These aesthetic categories expose Nupe worldviews, aspirations and ideologies signalized in the cultural and aesthetic practices of the people. The question is what is the mode of production of the Nupe oral literary aspects ? Ritual performance; involving poetry, drumming, singing, chants, incantations, innovations and prayers, for example, is examined and reviewed in many instances in different parts of Nupeland. The sample Nupe areas are Kusogi, Bida, Gbado, Lampai, Patigi, Lafiagi, Zambufu, Rogun and Kusomunun in Niger and Kwara States. This research discovers that the practices in these sub-regions are similar. The article argues that oral materials are inevitable resources in Nigerian settings using Nupeland as a case study here.