So today is about customs that should never die
I was strolling out this afternoon when I saw a woman I know facially, my neighbor actually, walking towards me so I remove the earpiece from my ears and greeted her "good afternoon ma" and 'koi' at the same time. For those who don't follow, koi is the thing we ijaws do when greeting elders. it's a gesture that suggests you want to kneel but change your mind half way through and get up. It's the Yoruba version of kneeling to greet an elder. Koide actually means my knee is on the ground.
so my mind runs back to the numerous times I have greeted my elders in that same manner regardless of the occasion and felt totally normal...i felt proudly cultured for a second. How all those things we were taught as kids have gone thus far
Then I remember my aunty, a successful oil company manager working mother. we went to her neighbor's (called grandma) house and aunty T kneels like a school girl under punishment to greet grandma 'ekaso' ma, so do I and Kayla. It felt honourable.
Or is it when Tayo came for hols from America and knelt down to greet my dad until he begged her to get up. Or when my kid 5 year old sister does 'koi' anytime she gives me water to drink...
As small and insignificant as these gestures may seem, they are the nitty gritties that keep our customs from phasing out
Let's pass the baton...
Let's keep our customs alive...
I was strolling out this afternoon when I saw a woman I know facially, my neighbor actually, walking towards me so I remove the earpiece from my ears and greeted her "good afternoon ma" and 'koi' at the same time. For those who don't follow, koi is the thing we ijaws do when greeting elders. it's a gesture that suggests you want to kneel but change your mind half way through and get up. It's the Yoruba version of kneeling to greet an elder. Koide actually means my knee is on the ground.
so my mind runs back to the numerous times I have greeted my elders in that same manner regardless of the occasion and felt totally normal...i felt proudly cultured for a second. How all those things we were taught as kids have gone thus far
Then I remember my aunty, a successful oil company manager working mother. we went to her neighbor's (called grandma) house and aunty T kneels like a school girl under punishment to greet grandma 'ekaso' ma, so do I and Kayla. It felt honourable.
Or is it when Tayo came for hols from America and knelt down to greet my dad until he begged her to get up. Or when my kid 5 year old sister does 'koi' anytime she gives me water to drink...
As small and insignificant as these gestures may seem, they are the nitty gritties that keep our customs from phasing out
Let's pass the baton...
Let's keep our customs alive...
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