The Yoruba-Speaking Peoples

Record summary

A. B. Ellis's The Yoruba-Speaking Peoples, widely circulated in editions around the target period, describes Yoruba deities, priests, divination, omens and religious explanations of dreams. It is useful as a historical comparison point for systems in which specialized interpretation transforms private experience into actionable knowledge. The work predates many later anthropological standards and includes broad racialized generalizations, so it should not be read as neutral documentation. Researchers should verify the edition, distinguish Ellis's synthesis from reported practice and consult later studies of Ifá and Yoruba religion.