What Is Meaning of Abobaku in Yoruba tradition explained: The death of a Yoruba emperor, be it an Oba or Alaafin, usually sparks hilarious social media discussions about an Abobaku fleeing or hiding. There are many people who are searching to know the meaning of Abobaku in Yoruba tradition. The word Abobaku is one top searches on search engines. People have been looking for its meaning. The word has been trending at this time and this made us find information about the word. After lots of searches, we get some information about the word that we have mentioned below in this article so keep reading this space. Follow More Update On GetIndiaNews.com
What does Abobaku mean?
Abobaku is a term that is from ancient Yoruba tradition and used to refer to a king’s servant whose duty is to die with him when he joins his ancestors. The actual meaning of the Abobaku title is “He who dies with the king”. As per the tradition, when the king is alive and living and enjoys his life, the Abobaku also enjoys everything and always moves around with him but at the time of his king’s death, the Abobaku is also burnt along with the king.
It has been said that if it doesn’t happen, a big disaster comes to the kingdom such as a plaque, unexplained death of livestock or people, poor harvest, and so on. Some sources have also claimed that the Abobaku tradition in Yorubaland dates back to more than 400 years ago and was very important in the Old Oyo Empire at the time. The old Yoruba tradition is normally required a king and his Abobaku to be buried within 7 days following the passing of the king.
Is the Abobaku tradition still in practice now?
As per the recent reports that we gathered, it says that the Yoruba tradition of burying an Abobaku with the king has been ended and is no longer practiced. According to the source to whom we spoke, the tradition has ended to exist for a very long time now. Some also said that the king is now buried with one big cow instead of a person.
However, we still get some reports whereby the tradition of burning an Abobaku with the dead king is still in practice strictly in Yorubaland but now it happens secretly. One of the reports also says that not only an Abobaku is buried alongside the king but some Yoruba traditions also require a late monarch to be burnt with a number of virgins and servants. Stay tuned with us for more updates.
