THE EFFECT OF TABOOS ON THE HEALTH OF AFRICAN WOMEN:
THE YORUBA EXPERIENCE
Oyeronke Olajubu
The Yoruba is guided by an unwritten constitution cutting across all
sphere of the individual’s life. Rules of life and conduct are most times
embedded in the culture of the people in Africa; such aspect of culture
includes prayers, proverbs, wise sayings, and taboos. Taboos can be
described as the don’ts of the society. This could be perceived from two
different angles, what must not be done because the society says so, and
what cannot be done. Taboos touch every aspect of the individual’s life in
Yoruba society. For example, there are professional taboos; health taboos,
religious taboos, moral taboos and sexual taboos to mention a few.
The aim of this paper is to examine and assess the taboos relating
and restricted to women in the Yoruba society and to see the effect of
these taboos on the health of women in Yoruba land. In the course of
writing this paper, I will also make an attempt to offer explanations; based
on current findings of science and technology especially in the health
sector; on why these taboos were probably given in the Yoruba society.
It is hoped that at the end of the paper, a better understanding of
taboos relating to women would have been achieved. It is also hoped that
the effect of these taboos on women in Yoruba land would by then help the
reader appreciate the thinking of the society in giving these codes of
conduct within the society.
THE AFRICAN WOMAN
The African woman has been given various descriptions by scholars
and non scholars alike, depending on the individual’s personal perception.
She has been described as the bearer of human beings; some see her as
being placed in a special position by God because she nurtures life from
her womb; others regard her as a special specimen of the human race
because of the various roles she combines in the society; while others see
her as nothing but the chattel of men, to work and have children.1 Others
yet see her as the source through whom kinship and succession is
determined;2 and to some she is powerful pivot within the society who has
power but presents the picture of one who is weak both on the domestic
and societal level. From whatever angle the African woman is considered
there are some roles she plays in the society that are fundamental and
indisputable. She is a mother, she is a wife, she is a daughter, she is a
worker and also a religious being.
As a mother, the African woman views motherhood as a joy and
privilege. Pregnancy to her is a mark of favour from her Creator and she
constantly prays against barrenness or miscarriage. The pains of childbirth
to her are a gateway to the exalted realm of motherhood and thus are
welcomed; the attitude of the society on the same pedestal with hers. She
is pampered and given a lot of care both during pregnancy and immediately
after delivery. Hence the Yoruba say “Omo Lere Aiye” meaning “Children
are the benefits of life”. A barren woman is abhorred in the society and it is
believed that she has lost all there is to gain life, the level of her material
wealth not withstanding. The African woman in her position as a mother
offers to the child throughout life succors, comfort, love and care at all
times. She is the one and true friend on whom the child can rely any time
1
2
R. Patai (ed), Women in the Modern World, The Free Press, New York, 1967, p. 319.
Ibid p. 320
and every time; hence the Yoruba say “Iya ni Wura” meaning “Mother is
Gold”.
The African woman is also a wife, most often than not in a
polygamous setting. She helps the husband on the farm, cares for his food
and bears his children. Her situation at the domestic level is a mixture of
power and subjection. She is the property of her husband with little or no
recognized rights yet with the co-operation of her co-wives, there is little
they cannot make the husband do if they so wish. This is the confession of
polygamists in the traditional Yoruba setting. According to them, once all
the wives agree on a certain point, the husband knows within himself that
he has to do it; if for nothing, at least for his peace of mind3. The African
woman as a wife is therefore not totally powerless as some would have us
believe.
As a worker, the African woman is not lazy. She combines so many
roles that sometimes one is forced to agree with those who describe her as
a special specimen of the human race. She is a cook, laundry woman, she
sweeps and scrubs, and sometimes with pregnancy or with a baby
strapped to her back, or both; she is a trader and manufacturer. She makes
items like the traditional black soap, palm kernel oil, shea butter, palm oil,
brooms, baskets etc.
In the religious realm, her impact is effectively felt. She is a priestess
a medium, and sometimes a medicine woman with some knowledge of
divination. She cares for the cleanliness of sacred places of worship
thereby maintaining holiness. Women also constitute the sustaining factor
in the cult of the divinities. Men, children and women may be present at the
3
Such women are usually excluded from sexual relationships. Examples include the Arugu Osun in Osogbo who
must be a virgin and remain one throughout her tenure. Also, the YeyeOsun, who is past childbearing age and
regarded as being married to the divinity.
annual or monthly worships in these cuts as the case may be but daily
offerings are usually done by women. Some cases of women who
dedicated their lives to a particular divinity have also been recorded in
Yoruba land.4 This can be either by personal choice and devotion or by
election which is usually done through divination by the Ifa priest. Ifa is the
divinity in Yoruba land.
SPECIFIC TABOOS ON WOMEN
In Africa the mother/wife is probably the most important member of
the family because she is the centre of the family. This is very true of the
Yoruba setting; her general welfare especially her health is therefore a
societal concern. Be it during pregnancy, childbearing or at the time of
passing childbearing age, there are certain codes of conduct instituted by
the society to protect the woman from dangers, based on their perception
of life. Such dangers could be caused by others or the woman herself.

In Yoruba land, it is generally believed that secrets must be kept
away from women, because women are incapable of keeping secrets
due to their emotional make-up. Hence cults like Oro, Egungun,
Ingunnu etc. maintain that their secrets must always be kept away
from women. The Oro cult is mainly a men’s affair. They usually have
their outings in the dead of the night, swinging an instrument with a
birdlike sound round their heads. It is forbidden for women to witness
this outing. Egungun on the other hand masquerades are actually
ancestors visiting the abode of the living in disguise. They are usually
in bright coloured regalia with carved images on their heads. These
4
Such women are usually excluded from sexual relationships Examples include the Arugu Osun in Osogbo who
must be a virgin and remain one throughout her tenure. Also , the Yeye Osun, who is past childbearing age and
regarded as being married to the divinity.
carved images are sometimes frightening. They dance round the
town during the Egungun festival with lots of singing and drumming.
Women may follow them but the secrets if the cults are kept from
them. The Igunnu on its parts can be likened to the Egungun, the only
difference being that the Igunnu has the power and ability to increase
the height of his limbs to unnatural heights at will. The secret of this is
also kept from women.
It is a taboo for a woman in Yoruba land to climb a palm-tree or wear
a man’s cloth, particularly trousers, else she will die. It is a taboo for
her to eat too much kolanut because her children will die prematurely
if she does so i.e. Abiku5. Women are forbidden from entering the
meeting house of the Ogboni known as Iledi, to avoid death6. It is
forbidden for her to whistle especially in the hot sun or at night, else
the spirit of the Oro cult will carry the woman away. In the same vein,
no woman should look at the Engungun masquerade’s face to avoid
the ancestors carrying her away to the heavenly abode. It is forbidden
for a woman to urinate while standing instead of squatting, if she
does, she will die; she is also forbidden to somersault to avoid death.
There are Taboos in Yoruba land meant for women as wives, usually
in a polygamous setting. For example it is forbidden for a new wife to pass
over a river on her way to her husband’s house, to avoid seeing a reflection
of herself in her wedding dress, else she will die. She is forbidden to see
her reflection in the mirror while wearing her wedding dress, also to avoid
death. It is a taboo for wives of the same husband to fight each other to
avoid the death of their husband. A wife must not burn the husband’s
5
6
Explain Abiku
Explain Ogboni
clothing in fire out of anger, if this happens, the husband will forever be
poor. It is forbidden for a wife to swear at her husband while naked. If she
does, such utterances must come to pass in the husband’s life. It is
forbidden for a wife to take money from her husband’s pocket to avoid
giving birth to children who steal.
There are taboos peculiar to pregnant women in Yoruba land. For
example, a pregnant woman must not sleep on her back to avoid damaging
the eyes of the baby; she is not to take any photograph of any kind to avoid
death. She is not to eat plantain or oranges to avoid difficulties during
childbirth. A pregnant woman is forbidden from walking about in the hot sun
or at night, to avoid having the baby in her womb being exchanged by evil
spirits. A pregnant woman’s legs while sitting must not be crossed by
anybody, else the baby will look exactly like the person who crossed her
legs. It is forbidden to beat a pregnant woman for any reason to avoid the
marks of the cane showing on the baby at birth. She must not eat straight
from the traditional cooking pot to avoid having a baby with excessively
dark buttocks. It is a taboo for a pregnant woman to eat snails to avoid
giving birth to a baby who spit all the time.
She is not to eat snake meat to avoid having a baby who crawls on
his/her chest when born. She must not drink straight from the bottle to
avoid giving birth to a drunkard. She must not sleep on her belly else the
baby will die. Any man who indulges in a sexual relationship with a
pregnant woman will die. It is forbidden for a pregnant woman to sit or
stand at the door post of a house to avoid difficulties during delivery. She
must not hear a bottle containing oil on fire to avoid having a baby with dark
buttocks.
In Yoruba land some families have taboos for women, immediately
after they give birth. Usually such taboos are arrived at, after an unpleasant
experience in the past by a wife in the family where the slave-wife is
forbidden to eat salt for twenty-one days after delivery; she may curse
every wife in the family throughout all generations with the same fate.
Hence it is believed that any woman who marries into such a family and
violates such a practice is likely to die or her baby may die. Examples of
such taboos include families where the new mother is forbidden to eat oil
and slat for the first seven days after delivery. Similarly some families
prescribe that the new mother must eat the lizard meat only for the first
seven days after delivery, in some case it is frog meat. In Yoruba land, it is
a taboo for the new mother and baby to go out of the house until forty (40)
days after delivery.
A CRITICAL APPRAISAL
The rational explanation for the prohibition of women from knowing
secrets of cults in Yoruba land has to do with the belief that women are
weak emotionally. Hard jobs in the society are seen as jobs for men, while
the easy ones belong to women. This belief is taught to the Yoruba man or
woman from birth; prohibition of women knowing secrets of the Egungun,
Oro Igunnu or Ogboni cults therefore is to save them from traumatic
experiences. Such traumatic experiences could lead to shock or a sudden
rise in blood pressure and heart beat. This kind of situation could be quite
dangerous for a pregnant woman or a woman in the post-natals period.
This taboo is therefore given with the aim of safeguarding the health of the
woman and to ensure a stable and balanced emotional composition in the
woman’s psychological life. In the contemporary Yoruba society, the claim
that women are weak emotionally is contested. For example, a woman is
now a member of the Ogboni cult i.e. the Erelu.
Taboos given in the Yoruba society concerning physical exercise of
the women are to prevent her from injuries based on her nature or
sometimes on her mode of dressing. For example, forbidding women from
climbing palm trees or somersaulting is to avoid injuries. Moreover such
strenuous exercises are seen as being to difficult for women. Forbidding
the woman from urinating while standing is to maintain hygiene, this is
because most often than not the urine would stain the woman’s body which
may result in an undesirable smell or infections. Taboos preventing women
from quarrelling in a polygamous setting are meant to ensure peace of
mind for the women by enforcing discipline. The Taboo against a woman
swearing at the husband while naked is most probably based on the
sacredness of a woman’s duty as one who carries and nurtures life in her
womb and at the same time cares and maintains the growth of the baby
after birth through breastfeeding.
Taboos that concern pregnant women are given mostly for the safety
of the woman and the baby; but sometimes some of the taboos were given
out of the mysterious nature of gestation. For example the pregnant woman
must not sleep on her back on her belly this is based on the belief that the
fluid in the amniotic sac surrounding the baby may get into his/her eyes if
the mother sleeps in these positions. The claims have however been
debunked by scientific research. She is to avoid photographs because she
may become scared by the size of her tummy before delivery which may
not auger well for her during delivery. This is obviously a modern taboo
arising out of the initial fear of photography as such. She is forbidden to
walk in the hot sun or late in the night because, the hot sun will make her
tired and weak easily, while darkness at night may prevent her from seeing
well. She could fall into a ditch or collide with others on the road which
could harm the baby in her womb. She is not to sit at doorpost because
those coming in and out could injure her in the process. No man should
have sexual intercourse with her to safeguard the baby from harm and
enable the pregnant woman have enough rest before delivery.
Some of the taboos for pregnant women that concern her diet not
seem to have nay rational base. For example, the pregnant woman is not
to eat plantain and oranges to avoid difficulties during delivery. This claim
has no scientific base whatsoever. On the contrary, pregnant women are
encouraged by modern medical research to take fresh fruits regularly for
the benefit of mother and baby. The same thing is true of the prohibition
against eating snails and snakes meat. Science has nothing against such,
neither is there any reason to conclude that such could be harmful to either
the mother or baby. It is clear that some of these taboos could have
adverse effect on the health of the mother.
Fro example, in a situation where she is forbidden from eating salt
and oil for seven days after delivery; these elements are essential items in
food with benefits for the body; lack of these may affect the new mother’s
health negatively. The new baby and his/her mother are not to leave the
house until forty days after delivery to facilitate adequate rest for both of
them, especially the mother.
Critically viewed therefore, taboos concerning women in the Yoruba
setting have both positive and negative effects on the health of women.
Where any of the taboos militate against the health of women, it is out of
concern that has no scientific base rather than an outright deprivation or
oppression of womanhood. It is therefore imperative that enlightenment
campaign through the media be carried out to educate the public about the
negative effects that some of these taboos could have on women.
The campaign could also be carried to the various maternity clinics
and centres, where pregnant woman for medical attention regularly, to
educate them on the truth concerning taboos for pregnant women in the
traditional Yoruba society. It is hoped that with such efforts a time will come
when the fear surrounding these taboos will be clearly dispersed by the
floodlight of awareness through proper and adequate education.
CONCLUSION

In this paper, I have attempted a brief look at who the African woman
is. Taboos concerning her in the Yoruba traditional setting were
considered and critically evaluated to see what effect they have on
her health either positively or negatively. The discourse shows that
the health of the woman is a concern of the society at large and is so
treated.
Taboos are decreed to ensure good health for the woman anf to
eliminate any chances of her getting hurt in any way. Taboos that
have negative effect on the health of the woman are intended to be
negative. The only remedy for this as suggested in this paper seems
to be adequate education of the people. It is hoped that this will
change the negative taboos for the good health of women in the
Yoruba traditional setting.
NOTES AND REFERENCES:
1. R. Patai (ed), Women in the Modern World, The Free Press, New York,
1967, p. 319.
2. Ibid p. 320
3. Interview with the Traditional ruler of Osogbo, the capital city of Osun
State, Oba Ataoja Matanmi November, 1992.
4. Such women are usually excluded from sexually relationships.
Examples include the Arugu Osun in Osogbo who must be a virgin and
remain one throughout her tenure. Also the Yeye Osun, who is past
childbearing age and regarded as being married to the divinity.
5. Explain Abiku
6. Explain Ogboni
7. Thorpe (Mrs.), Awon Eewo Yoruba, Onibonoje Press, Ibadan, 1973, pp
4 – 31.
8. Explain Erelu
9. Interview with Dr. Niyi Olanrewaju March, 1993
10.
Ibid Interview
11.
Ibid Interview.