The Yoruba are described as the largest ethnic group in West Africa, with more than 20 million speakers of the Yoruba language in the period covered by the source. Accounts of their beginnings differ. One tradition places their origin at Ile Ife, where the mythical king Oranyan is said to be buried, while other theories locate their earlier origins in Egypt or Saudi Arabia before migration to Ile Ife.

Yoruba political organization changed over time. The group is said to have unified with a kingdom in the eighteenth century and later divided into four states. Cities such as Benin and Oyo developed separate Yoruba groupings, and further divisions followed the British seizure of Yorubaland. The source nevertheless emphasizes a continuing common bond and heritage among roughly twenty-five Yoruba subgroupings.

Yoruba religious life may include Christianity or Islam, while many people also maintain Orisa, a ritual tradition practiced for centuries. Orisa is presented through two central ideas: “play,” understood as a serious and wisdom-bearing form of spontaneity and trickery, and the journey through life, associated with personal growth and understanding of mind and body. Celebrations provide an important setting for this ritual expression.

Yoruba cultural identity is also expressed through clothing. Women may wear the colorful gela headpiece, while both men and women may wear the loose-fitting buba. Men may add the fila cap and, on special occasions, the floor-length agbada. The source also notes extensive Yoruba migration to North America and Europe, as well as the forced transportation of some Yoruba people to European colonies in the New World.