THE ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE ANIMAL TALES AMONG YORUBA PEOPLE: THETALE OF THE TORTOISE AND THE DOG DURING DROUGHT AS A CASE STUDY

Abstract

Animal tales are popular stories suitable for young and old, and are intended to educate, dify, alert, discipline and refine in a friendly and indirect manner. They relax the mind and serve as a comfort to the hearts, a relieve for worries, and provide solutions to various social, behavioral and political problems in our divergent community. These tales have been transferred from one generation to another as they are famous among the common people and the elite. In fact, several books have been written on animal tales for the benefit of students at different levels. However, in spite of their richness in wisdom and national proverbs, they walk towards the fence of oblivion and extinction due to civilization and technological advancement, which brings concerns and worries for the elders in society, especially specialists and stakeholders that are interested in the national literary heritage in its written and spoken forms. Moreso, it is high time we revived this precious literary genre of our cultural heritage on one hand, and to show its high values and its splendor and beauty to Arab readers on the other hand. Therefore, this article seeks to study the animal tales in Yoruba literature, analyze selected models from them in a bid to showcase their literary and artistic values as well as their social, political, moral and educational significance. The study adopted both the historical and analytical methods to analyze selected tales in Yoruba culture. The study reveals that animal tales are inseparable from people's mind, most especially the younger generation. This is so because the information and events of these tales play a pivotal role in building children intellectually, morally and psychologically, apart from serving as source of amusement for them.