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8 January 2021

Unraveling the Role of Storytelling Among Nigerian Tribes

Nigeria has numerous tribes that possess rich cultural heritages. Storytelling is one of the

oldest modes of interaction and communication in the history of human beings. In the ancient

world, when there was no written word, compelling stories were used among Nigerian tribes to

transfer historical events to future generations. Nigerian civilization has historical and cultural

values that people hold dear and transmit through the oral tradition of storytelling. As an

instructional approach, storytelling has broad applicability in human learning both for children

and adults. Storytelling among Nigerian tribes has been manifested in many ways. Among the

roles of storytelling among Nigerian tribes include educating both children and adults,

entertainment, the transference and preservation of cultural values, and to illustrate the natural

order of things.

One of the roles of storytelling among Nigerian tribes is educating both children and

adults. According to Tshiwala-Amadi (92), storytelling and folktales among many African tribes

are used to educate the young and help to establish social norms. Among the key lesson, children

learn from storytelling are good morals, attitude, faithfulness, and their history. Adeyemi (115),

observes that they can inculcate in the Yoruba tribe children virtues such as humility, respect for

elders and constituted authority. Education is one of the human rights that influence the

development of society. Amali (91), supports this by stating that education is a life activity,

which entails passing through learning processes and acquiring knowledge and other skills for
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positive development. According to Amali (91), Idoma moral tales were used to teach moral

values and consequences of indulging in wicked acts. Omosoto (724) asserts that there are

affiliated teaching values attached to telling and retelling stories. This can be illustrated by major

African folk authors, such as Chinua Achebe, who are products of the rich storytelling culture of

Igbo. Oduolowu (101), states that the goals of primary education in Nigeria is the inculcation of

permanent literacy and the ability to communicate effectively. He observes that skill of listening

is the most dominant communication skill in the classroom and everyday life and can be

developed through storytelling. Through the application of stories, adult learners can gain

knowledge that will be useful for undertaking life’s arduous tasks. Storytelling acts as a fantastic

teaching tool, imparting lessons of life to individuals of all ages. To emphasize this Cajete (68)

argued, “Story forms the basic foundation of all human learning and teaching. Through story, we

explain and come to an understanding of ourselves”. By using storytelling as an education tool

among Nigerian tribes, both children and adults learned to be good citizens who can stand and

work towards successfully achieving their life goals.

Storytelling was also used as a means of entertainment among Nigerian tribes. According

to Omosoto (724), storytelling was one of the most effective ways of entertaining Yoruba

children before the introduction of schooling and western civilization. When there was no

electricity, Nigerian parents used to gather their children together after dinner to tell stories for

the enjoyment of the children. According to Ogbu (150), after a hard day’s work villagers would

gather at particular village square at night time under the moonlight and listen to stories told by

the Sages. “The participatory nature of the narration of the stories accompanied by singing,

dancing, drumming and clapping makes it even more captivating and interesting to young ones”

Ogbu(150).
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Storytelling also plays an important role in the transference and preservation of cultural

values. Ogbu (152) asserts that there are no records of ancient written traditions in Nigeria, the

understanding Nigerian have of their traditions, cultural codes, value systems, and tenets are

passed from generation to generation in oral form. There was no written language, yet ancient

stories and mythical creations were kept alive through storytelling. The storytelling has been

used for millennia in Nigeria in the oral tradition, which continues even with the evolution of

written stories. Storytelling is one of the ways the Indigenous people preserved and conveyed

their experiences and history from generation to generation. According to Oraule (8), the Oríkì

among the Yorubas is an indigenous way of celebrating ancestral achievements through the

giving of names and titles to a family. It is meaningful to families and community members by

serving as a reminder of the historical roles and accomplishments of the family, throughout one’s

life. Families have Oríkìs, special names, and titles that reflect the historical roles and

accomplishments unique to that family, and mothers recite to their babies to calm them down. It

is evident that during the period when writing was unknown, the oral medium served the people

like a bank for the preservation of their ancient experiences and beliefs. Therefore, the evidence

related to the history of Nigeria could be found in oral tradition only. The oral tradition, which

evolved to include written literature, allows the Nigerian people to ensure the preservation of

history and culture. “Storytelling is universal and is popular in many cultures where it became

the medium the people used to preserve their beliefs, social values, wisdom, and cultural

experiences as well as to transfer them from one generation to another” Edosomwan (92).

Storytelling is useful for members of the African diaspora not just to remember their own

history, but to adapt to their new homes. Thus, the art of storytelling was not only used to
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transfer traditional values only but to preserve Nigerian cultural values from one generation to

another.

Another important role of storytelling is to help Nigerian society to illustrate the natural

order of things. According to Amali (94), the Idioma tribe used tales to explain events that are

conveyed in the stories by giving reasons why certain events occur or why other things are what

they are. Paul (12) asserts tales explain the origin of man, his ancestors, his religion, his life, and

death. He states that stories try to explain why and how certain things happen or come into being.

Storytelling thus gives Nigerian tribes historical reasons for events happening in the present.

In conclusion, the important role of storytelling among Nigerian tribes cannot be over-

emphasized. Storytelling among Nigerian tribes is a prized art form as well as a crucial social

tool and teaching method. Children learn their social history through bedtime stories and fireside

tales, and villagers absorb cultural values through stories narrated repeatedly at the village

square. The Nigerian tribes today could not exist without the influence of past generations.

Nigerian tribes as habit and tradition, hand down lessons and knowledge from one generation to

another. They take pride and honor on leaving a legacy of knowledge and experience for their

descendants to utilize. Today’s society's ability to learn from the past decisions of their ancestors

and utilize that information to give them an insight into their own problems gives them an

advantage of a communal knowledge pool. The tradition of storytelling among Nigerian tribes

facilitates this transfer of ideas and experience. The value storytelling holds as a source of

inspiration and as a teaching tool makes it the most important tradition mankind possesses.

Therefore, storytelling remains to this day the single most important tradition Nigerian tribes

participate in. The most important reason for this being that every story contains a lesson to
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instruct the audience and teaches them important moral and cultural values by fulfilling a crucial

need of the society of providing exemplary role models.

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Works Cited

Adeyemi, Lere. "Nigerian Folktales and Its Contributions to Early Child Care Development and

Education." Centrepoint. Ilorin. University of Ilorin, 1997, pp. 109- 122.

Amali, Halima I. "The Function of Folktales as a Process of Educating Children in the 21st

Century: A Case Study of Idoma Folktales.". International Conference On 21St Century

Education, 2014, pp. 90-97, Accessed 23 Feb 2020.

Cajete, Gregory. Look to The Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education. First Edition.. 1st

ed., Kivaki Press, 1994.

Oduolowu, Esther, and Eileen Oluwakemi Akintemi. "Effect of Storytelling on Listening Skills

of Primary One Pupil in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State,

Nigeria". International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol 4, no. 9, 2014, pp.

100-107., Accessed 23 Feb 2020.

Ogbu, Silk Ugwu. "Deconstructing the Role of Storytelling in the Preservation of Indigenous

Nigerian Traditions". Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, vol 5, no. 148-156,

2018, Accessed 23 Feb 2020.

Olaore, Augusta Y, and Julie Drolet. "Indigenous Knowledge, Beliefs, And Cultural Practices for

Children and Families in Nigeria". Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social

Work, 2020, pp. 1-18., doi:10.1080/15313204.2016.1241973. Accessed 23 Feb 2020.

Omotoso, Sam. "Storytelling: A Cherished Cultural Heritage in Nigeria". National Council of

Teachers of English, vol 55, no. 6, 1978, pp. 724-727., Accessed 23 Feb 2020.

Paul, Wabare. Notes on Bassa Folklore. Research and Documentation Division, Abuja Council

for Arts and Culture., 1992.

Tshiwala-Amadi, R. "The African Folklore.". Nigeria Magazine, 1980, pp. 89-93.

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Wiessner, Colleen Aalsburg, and Nancy Lloyd Pfahl. "Choosing Different Lenses: Storytelling

to Promote Knowledge Construction and Learning". The Journal of Continuing Higher

Education, vol 55, no. 1, 2007, pp. 27-30. Informa UK Limited,

doi:10.1080/07377366.2007.10400106. Accessed 23 Feb 2020