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Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity - Culture - Nairaland

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Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by yorubaamerican(m): 1:32pm On Sep 05, 2013
Wait! Hol' up! Today someone told me there's a difference between tribe and ethnicity.

I know tribe as a word that was initially used by Europeans to describe Africans. ...A group of monkeys may be commonly referred to as a tribe or a troop.

The term "tribe" is almost exclusively and, very indifferently, applied to peoples of Native American or African origin. It is a label which emerged with imperialism in its application to those who were non-European and lived in a "colonial or semi-colonial dependency... in Asia, Africa and Latin America" (14). As we are attempting to discard the prejudices of imperialism it is in our best interests to discard the use of the term "tribe" when referring to the ethnic groups of Nigeria.

I was taught that we shouldn't use the word.

What do you think? Speak/write on it!
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by Rexphobia(m): 1:36pm On Sep 05, 2013
One and same... Synonyms

And you got this meaning from which dictionary?
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by yorubaamerican(m): 1:48pm On Sep 05, 2013
Rexphobia: One and same... Synonyms

And you got this meaning from which dictionary?

It's an article in a scholarly journal. And that's the easier answer -- "one in the same." Most people say that that isn't the case -- there's a difference. I was under the impression that they are the same. We may be wrong, according to many Nigerians I'm interviewing now.

For what it's worth, I don't totally agree with them. But I do know that Africans didn't identify themselves as tribes before you-know-who showed up.
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by yorubaamerican(m): 1:57pm On Sep 05, 2013
yorubaamerican: Wait! Hol' up! Today someone told me there's a difference between tribe and ethnicity.

I know "tribe" is a term that was initially used by Europeans to describe Africans. ...A group of monkeys may be commonly referred to as a tribe or a troop.

The term "tribe" is almost exclusively and, very indifferently, applied to peoples of Native American or African origin. It is a label which emerged with imperialism in its application to those who were non-European and lived in a "colonial or semi-colonial dependency... in Asia, Africa and Latin America" (14). As we are attempting to discard the prejudices of imperialism it is in our best interests to discard the use of the term "tribe" when referring to the ethnic groups of Nigeria.

I was taught that we shouldn't use the word.

What do you think? Speak/write on it!
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by macof(m): 5:20pm On Sep 05, 2013
Tribe is a group of socially, politically and ethnically similar people. Ethnicity refers to a group of people that have common racial, religious and cultural origins. Going by this definition in Nigeria, for example- Yoruba is an ethnic group not really a tribe. Tribe best describes Ekiti, Ijesha, Awori, Egba etc

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Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by yorubaamerican(m): 10:13am On Sep 06, 2013
macof: Tribe is a group of socially, politically and ethnically similar people. Ethnicity refers to a group of people that have common racial, religious and cultural origins. Going by this definition in Nigeria, for example- Yoruba is an ethnic group not really a tribe. Tribe best describes Ekiti, Ijesha, Awori, Egba etc

Funny enough, a friend of mine says that it's the other way around. Yoruba is the tribe and Ekiti, Ijesha, Awori, Egba are the ethnic groups. Everyone is giving me different answers ... interesting.
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by macof(m): 10:34am On Sep 06, 2013
yorubaamerican:

Funny enough, a friend of mine says that it's the other way around. Yoruba is the tribe and Ekiti, Ijesha, Awori, Egba are the ethnic groups. Everyone is giving me different answers ... interesting.

Am sure ur friend has his own point of view but that's mine. Before British colonialism in yorubaland. Egba, Ekiti, Ijebu etc. were referred to as tribes, the Yoruba as a whole race. more so all Yoruba trace their origin to ile-ife meaning they were one community/tribe before expanding. So what word do u call a group of people who have a common culture and origin?
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by macof(m): 10:35am On Sep 06, 2013
yorubaamerican:

Funny enough, a friend of mine says that it's the other way around. Yoruba is the tribe and Ekiti, Ijesha, Awori, Egba are the ethnic groups. Everyone is giving me different answers ... interesting.
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by yorubaamerican(m): 10:51am On Sep 06, 2013
macof:
Am sure ur friend has his own point of view but that's mine. Before British colonialism in yorubaland. Egba, Ekiti, Ijebu etc. were referred to as tribes, the Yoruba as a whole race. more so all Yoruba trace their origin to ile-ife meaning they were one community/tribe before expanding. So what word do u call a group of people who have a common culture and origin?

I think I'll go with ethnic group. But I've yet to find two people who say the same thing. By the way, where is your evidence for use of the word "tribe" before Lugard and Viscount?
Re: Is Tribe Different From Ethnicity by macof(m): 12:53pm On Sep 06, 2013
yorubaamerican:

I think I'll go with ethnic group. But I've yet to find two people who say the same thing. By the way, where is your evidence for use of the word "tribe" before Lugard and Viscount?
well obviously the word "tribe" wasn't used by yorubas, but the period before colonialism and also during colonialism Ekiti and the rest were referred to as tribes by the Europeans. I've heard people several times say "there are over 200 ethnic groups in Nigeria and majorly 3 tribes" but honestly going by what I read it's over 200 tribes and majorly 3 ethnic groups

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