Èdè Àyàn: The Language of Àyàn in Yorùbá Art and Ritual of Egúngún
Authors: Fámúlẹ̀ Oláwọlé 
Published: January 2022

Kò séní m’èdè Àyàn
Bí ení mú kò ̣ ̣ǹgó ̣ è ̣ lówọ́
No one understands the language of Àyàn Better than the drummer who holds the gong in his hand Yorùbá maxim
From the Yorùbá oral historical, mythological, and ontological, abstract lines of reasoning, Àyàn is believed to be the first Yorùbá drum maker and drummer, who, after his death, was deified as the god of Drumming (Òrìsà ̣ Àyàn, or simply Àyàn). Hence, when an experienced Yorùbá drummer plays his drum masterfully, the elders with the drum speech discernable ears (òmò ̣ ràn) that hear the drumming, even from afar commend, “may Àyàn, ̣ the god of drumming prosper/ protect you!” (Àyàn ó gbè ó!). As among other Yorùbá deities (òrìsạ̀) that live in the spiritual realm in certain but uncommon natural environments (forests, trees, rivers, streams, and mountains, among others), Òrìsà Àyàn is thought to reside in wood (Vil ̣ - lepastour 2015, 3). For this reason, Òrìsà Àyàn is emblematized by the wood ̣ with which the body of the drum (ìlù) is carved. Similarly, this deity is eulogized as “the spirit who speaks out from inside his wooded abode” (Òrìsà ̣ gbé’nú igi fohùn), in reference to the log of wood with which the drums (ìlù) are carved. It is said that Òrìsà Àyàn particularly prefers that ìlù be carved ̣ with Cordia millenii (igi òmò ̣ ), a belief that gave birth to the Yorùbá saying, ̣ “out of the entire wood species of the forests is the preferred Cordia millenii, with which gbèdụ drum is carved” (Igi gbogbo ní ńbe ̣ ní’gbó, k’átó fi’gi òmò ̣ ̣ gbé ̣ gbèdụ). Because of his position as the patron deity of drumming, which 2 Oláwọlé Fámúlẹ̀ by extension is used to accompanying sacred rites in honor of virtually all the Yorùbá òrìsạ̀, Òrìsà Àyàn is thought to be their mouthpiece, as they all speak ̣ through the drums that he emblematizes. Another emblem of Òrìsà Àyàn that ̣ is even worshipped is a shallow hemispherical drum with a single fixed head, which is worn on the chest with a strap around the neck and beaten with leather straps held in each hand (gúdúgúdú ) (Bascom 1952, 4). The gúdúgúdú symbol of Òrìsà Àyàn also goes by the praise name (oríkì) “gúdúgúdú with its distinctive uneven and undulated back shape” (Gúdúgúdú, ab’è yìn jákan- ̣ jàkan). The component parts that formed this uneven and surged-back shape [of gúdúgúdú] include kúseré and apìràn. Kúseré is a circular metal object affixed onto the drum’s wooded base, and apìràn is an array of wooden pegs that hold the kúseré securely onto the base of the instrument. At the exoteric and practical level, Àyàn also refers to any Yorùbá traditional and professional drummer, who plays the drum (ìlù), often with the use of a gong (kòṇ̀ gó).̣ The Yorùbá professional drummers share the name àyàn with Òrìsà Àyàn since they are the human agents who play the drums (ìlù), ̣ emblem of Òrìsà Àyàn, and through which the deity speaks. The ̣ Yorùbá incantation “the day that the drummer drums with his gong/drumstick is the very moment that the Àyàn god of drumming speaks out that which is in his mouth” (Òòjó ̣ tí kòṇ̀ gó ̣ Àyàn bá f’ojú ba ìlù ni Òrìsà Àyàn ̣ ńpo ̣ t’enu rè ̣ ̣ sí’lè) ̣ best illustrates the interconnection of the drummers (àyàn) with god of drumming, Òrìsà Àyàn. As succinctly corroborated by Amanda Villepastour, “the ̣ drummer in action becomes Àyàn.” Another Yorùbá term for a drummer (àyàn) is onílù. 1 With their drumming (or drum music) that mimic the human speech, the Àyàn or Onílù verbalize words/speeches (òrọ̀ ) that is or are intelligible to the ears of their ̣ patrons, often the dance performers (oníjó). For that reason, ìlù, to the Yorùbá, is an instrument that acts as a speech surrogate (i.e., substitute). That the Yorùbá refer to ìlù as “the talking drum” underscores this assertion. In fact, they strongly believed that if handled by a skillful drummer (àyàn/onílù), ìlù, just like humans, can speak words or communicate effectively to those who understand the language of the drum. The Yorùbá phrase “a lifeless goat that speaks just like a human” (òkú-ewúré tíí fo ̣ ’hùn bí ènìyàn ̣ ), a euphemism for the goatskin fixed single- or double-headed hourglass drums that mimic human speech when drummed, is a testimony to ìlù as a true “talking drum.” Another Yorùbá saying that illustrates that ìlù is an instrument of language substitution is “that the gángan drum could speak in a human nasal tone of 1 Onílù is formed from two Yorùbá words oní and ìlù (literally, “owner of the drum” or “one who plays the drum”), a euphemism for the drummer. Thus, anybody that plays drum is an onílù. But those Yorùbá traditional professional onílù, like the dùndún and bàtá drummers, are specifically referred to as àyàn. Èdè Àyàn: The Language of Àyàn in Yorùbá Art and Ritual of Egúngún 3 voice is not without the help of the drummer’s own tip of the fingernails” (àti rán’mú gángan kò s’ẹ̀ yìn èékáná ̣ ). In Yorùbá traditional festivals, ritual performances, and religious practices in general, the role of àyàn whose drumming or drum music imitate and code the natural language (Yorùbá), cannot be overemphasized. The Yorùbá aphorism “without drum music, there is no way to celebrate” (láì sí’lù, taní jé ̣ s’eré òkúrùgbe!̣) is a testimony to the indispensable role of ìlù in the context of traditional Yorùbá visual and performance arts. A clear example is the Yorùbá art and ritual of Egúngún, the theme of this study. Paradoxically, many Yorùbá art scholars often make very little or no effort to explore the relevance of ìlù in their studies on Yorùbá visual culture, such as Egúngún. This has continued to make it become virtually impossible for a deeper understanding of Yorùbá art in particular and African art as a whole. Ironically, the same scholars prefer to invest their energy, searching outside of the art’s cultural origin to fulfil their primary goal of “appreciating” the African art, rather than searching within African culture, language and values, the very driving forces that gave rise to this art, and thus a catalyst to understanding it.2 It is on that note that I believe the question that scholars of African art should begin to ask themselves is: when will African art scholarship––unlike Western art studies that often demand intellectual rigor and professional thoroughness––rise above its present art “appreciating” status vis-à-vis African art? In my opinion, as this present study is aimed at confirming, the understanding of African art critically requires that scholars be fluent or at least confident in the reading, writing, and speaking of the language of the people whose art they study. Also heightening the problem of the lack of “understanding” of Yorùbá art is the very unique nature of it (as with other African art), in which an isolated work of art in context is a rarity. Thus, the present study examines the very indispensable roles of Àyàn drummers in the performance context of the annual Egúngún festival (odún Egúngún) in a Yorùbá community in Òkèigbó in Nigeria’s Ondo State. As a native speaker with access to Yorùbá philosophy, values and history, and who is fully aware of the fundamental importance of language in African art studies, I aim in this study to examine the mutual relationship existing between the Àyàn and Egúngún from the vantage point of the Yorùbá language, the medium through which the said Yorùbá philosophy, values and history are stored and expressed. It delves into the very root of Egúngún within the Yorùbá cultural context, where traditions and history are preserved and recorded not in the western-type of writing, but rather in the Yorùbá language, ritual performance and ceremonies. It is hoped that this study will facilitate a deeper understanding of Egúngún along with the 2 Personal communication with Professor Rowland Abíodún on April 2, 2017. 4 Oláwọlé Fámúlẹ̀ àyàn within the art and ritual performance context of the Odún Egúngún. The study illustrates the interconnection of the àyàn and Egúngún by first providing an overview of Yorùbá drums and their ritual contexts. This is followed by a close study of the Yorùbá ontological concept of Egúngún, one of the most valued patrons of Àyàn (the drummers), as an important form of Yorùbá religious beliefs and practices. Using the Egbé ̣ ̣ Òjẹ̀ ̣ (Cult of Egúngún) of the ancient Yorùbá town of Òkèigbó as a case study, the study concludes with an in-depth analysis of the role of Àyàn (Drummers) in Yorùbá art and ritual of Egúngún.