Saturday, October 6, 2018

Email spoofing



Email spoofing is the creation of email messages with a forged sender address. Because the core email protocols do not have any mechanism for authentication, it is common for spam and phishing emails to use such spoofing to mislead the recipient about the origin of the message.

Technical detail

When an SMTP email is sent, the initial connection provides two pieces of address information: MAIL FROM: - generally presented to the recipient as the Return-path: header but not normally visible to the end user, and by default no checks are done that the sending system is authorized to send on behalf of that address.RCPT TO: - specifies which email address the email is delivered to, is not normally visible to the end user but may be present in the headers as part of the "Received:" header. Together these are sometimes referred to as the "envelope" addressing, by analogy with a traditional paper envelope, and unless the receiving mail server signals that it has problems with either of these items, the sending system sends the "DATA" command, and typically sends several header items, including:


From: Joe Q Doe < joeqdoe@example.com > - the address visible to the recipient;

but again, by default no checks are done that the sending system is authorized to send on behalf of that address.

Reply-to: Jane Roe < Jane.Roe@example.mil > - similarly not checked

and sometimes:

Sender: Jin Jo < jin.jo@example.jp > - also not checked.

The result is that the email recipient sees the email as having come from the address in the From: header; they may sometimes be able to find the MAIL FROM address; and if they reply to the email it will go to either the address presented in the From: or Reply-to: header - but none of these addresses are typically reliable, so automated bounce messages may generate backscatter.


Use by spam and worms

Malware such as Klez and Sober and many more modern examples often search for email addresses within the computer they have infected, and use those addresses both as targets for email, but also to create credible forged From fields in the emails that they send, so that these emails are more likely to be opened.

For example:

Alice is sent an infected email which she opens, running the worm code.

The worm code searches Alice's email address book and finds the addresses of Bob and Charlie.

From Alice's computer, the worm sends an infected email to Bob, but forged to appear to have been sent by Charlie.

In this case, even if Bob's system detects the incoming mail as containing malware, he sees the source as being Charlie, even though it really came from Alice's computer; meanwhile Alice may remain unaware that her computer has been infected.


Fooling media

It has happened that the media printed false stories based on spoofed e-mails.

In October 2013, an e-mail which looked like it was from the Swedish company Fingerprint Cards was sent to a news agency, saying that Samsung offered to purchase the company. The news spread and the stock exchange rate surged by 50%. It was later discovered the e-mail was a fake.

Legitimate use

In the early Internet, "legitimately spoofed" email was common. For example, a visiting user might use the local organization's SMTP server to send email from the user's foreign address. Since most servers were configured as "open relays", this was a common practice. As spam email became an annoying problem, these sorts of "legitimate" uses fell out of favor.

When multiple software systems communicate with each other via email, spoofing may be required in order to facilitate such communication. In any scenario where an email address is set up to automatically forward incoming emails to a system which only accepts emails from the email forwarder, spoofing is required in order to facilitate this behavior. This is common between ticketing systems which communicate with other ticketing systems.

The effect on mailservers

Traditionally, mail servers could accept a mail item, then later send a Non-Delivery Report or "bounce" message if it couldn't be delivered or had been quarantined for any reason. These would be sent to the "MAIL FROM:" aka "Return Path" address. With the massive rise in forged addresses, Best Practice is now to not generate NDRs for detected spam, viruses etc. but to reject the email during the SMTP transaction. When mail administrators fail to take this approach, their systems are guilty of sending "backscatter" emails to innocent parties - in itself a form of spam - or being used to perform "Joe job" attacks.

Identifying the source of the email

Although email spoofing is effective in forging the email address, the IP address of the computer sending the mail can generally be identified from the "Received:" lines in the email header. In many cases this is likely to be an innocent third party infected by malware that is sending the email without the owner's knowledge.

Countermeasures

The SSL/TLS system used to encrypt server-to-server email traffic can also be used to enforce authentication, but in practice it is seldom used, and a range of other potential solutions have also failed to gain traction.

However a number of effective systems are now widely used, including:

  • SPF
  • Sender ID
  • DKIM
  • DMARC

Although their use is increasing, estimates vary widely as to what percentage of emails have no form of domain authentication: from 8.6% to "almost half". To effectively stop forged email being delivered, the sending domains, their mail servers, and the receiving system all need to be configured correctly for these higher standards of authentication.

As modern countermeasures prevent spammers from spoofing the envelope-from address, many have moved to utilising the header-from address as seen by the recipient user rather than processed by the recipient MTA. Proprietary implementation beyond the scope of the SPF schema is required to protect against certain header-from spoofing implementations.

© From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Trip to the IP of the scams. (Vol 2)

Trip to the IP of the scams.



USA (64.57.176.82) :


Aruba (201.229.99.118) :


Cyprus (78.135.24.25) :


Taiwan (61.57.159.141) :

Friday, February 24, 2017

Trip to the IP of the scams. (Vol 1)

Trip to the IP of the scams.



Japan (153.149.230.25) :


Poland (85.128.137.104) :


Sweden (176.61.138.111.png) :


USA (64.68.124.162) :

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Escroqueries par carte bancaire

Escroqueries par carte bancaire sur le réseau internet


De plus en plus, des personnes se voient prélever des sommes sur leurs comptes bancaires concernant des achats sur Internet ou des abonnements à des sites Web alors qu’elles ne possèdent ni ordinateur, ni connexion internet, ou qu’elles ne soient jamais allées sur ces sites. Si vous êtes concernés, il vous faut déposer plainte auprès de la brigade de gendarmerie ou du service de police de votre lieu de domicile en fournissant le relevé bancaire indiquant les prélèvements incriminés.

Allez voir votre banquier et dites lui que vous vous opposez formellement au paiement de l’opération en question.

S’il ne veut rien savoir et vous dit que vous êtes entièrement responsable des achats faits avec votre carte, rappelez-lui la recommandation de la Commission des Clauses Abusives numéro 94-02 du 17 décembre 1991 qui vous dégage de cette responsabilité pour des demandes de paiement faites sans votre signature ni votre code secret.


Les précautions à prendre

  • Ne pas laisser traîner votre carte bancaire à la vue d’autres personnes, ni la laisser dans votre voiture ou tout autre lieu sans protection.
  • Après chaque achat, penser à reprendre votre carte bancaire.
  • Ne jeter pas vos tickets de caisse sans les détruire totalement, votre numéro de carte bancaire y figure.
  • Ne jamais communiquer votre numéro de carte bancaire à une tierce personne.
  • Ne pas laisser le numéro de code secret avec votre carte bancaire.
  • Votre carte bancaire doit porter votre signature au dos.

NDLR : http://www.clauses-abusives.fr/recommandation/contrats-porteurs-des-cartes-de-paiement-assorties-ou-non-dun-credit/

Le Vishing

Compte tenu de la méfiance des internautes face au phishing, les cyberfraudeurs s'attaquent maintenant à des victimes par l'entremise du vishing appelé aussi hameçonnage vocal. Le vishing est l'utilisation de la technologie VoIP (voix sur IP) dans le but de duper quelqu'un en lui faisant divulguer de l'information personnelle et/ou financière.

Manière d'opérer des fraudeurs


Première méthode:

Un automate téléphonique est utilisé pour contacter les victimes potentielles en composant au hasard des numéros de téléphone fixe dans une région géographique déterminée. Lorsque la victime potentielle décroche, un message préenregistré supposé provenir de sa banque la prévient que des opérations inhabituelles ont été récemment effectuées sur son compte bancaire. Elle est par la suite invitée à composer un numéro de téléphone généralement surtaxé pour vérifier la situation de ce dernier. Ce numéro correspond à une boîte vocale, un message demande alors à la victime de fournir ses identifiants bancaires (les 16 chiffres et la date de validité de sa carte bancaire). Ces informations pourront ensuite être utilisées pour effectuer des achats frauduleux sur Internet.

Seconde méthode:

Une personne appelle une victime potentielle en se faisant passer pour quelqu'un du département de sécurité Visa, Master Card ou simplement de son établissement bancaire. Elle lui signale que sa carte de crédit a été utilisée pour un achat plus que douteux et lui demande si elle est à l'origine de cette opération. Sa réponse étant négative, elle lui attribue un numéro de contrat de fraude, donnant ainsi à l'appel un aspect réaliste, puis lui demande de communiquer les coordonnées de sa carte bancaire afin de vérifier qu'elle est toujours en sa possession. Une fois la conversation terminée, la personne ajoute n'hésitez pas à nous rappeler si vous avez d'autres questions et raccroche.


Comment s'en protéger

Les fraudeurs jouent sur une vulnérabilité psychologique du consommateur en créant en lui un stress et un faux sentiment d'urgence lié à la possibilité d'avoir été fraudé. Si un message vous demande de rappeler tel numéro, ne le composez pas. Prenez le temps de retrouver le véritable numéro de téléphone qui vous a été donné par l'émetteur de votre carte de crédit et utilisez-le. Par ailleurs, il faut savoir qu'aucune banque ne vous demandera par courrier électronique, télécopie ou téléphone ce genre de renseignements. Dans le doute, contactez votre établissement bancaire dans les plus brefs délais. Si, victime de ce type de fraude, vous l'avez déjouée, il convient également de prévenir votre établissement bancaire.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

iTunes Gift Card Scams

iTunes Gift Card Scams


Be aware of scams involving iTunes Gift Cards.

A string of scams are taking place asking people to make payments over the phone for things such as taxes, hospital bills, bail money, debt collection, and utility bills. The scams are committed using many methods, including gift cards. As the fraudsters are sometimes using iTunes Gift Cards, we want to make sure our customers are aware of these scams.

Regardless of the reason for payment, the scam follows a certain formula: The victim receives a call instilling panic and urgency to make a payment by purchasing iTunes Gift Cards from the nearest retailer (convenience store, electronics retailer, etc.). After the cards have been purchased, the victim is asked to pay by sharing the 16-digit code on the back of the card with the caller over the phone.

It's important to know that iTunes Gift Cards can be used ONLY to purchase goods and services on the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, or for an Apple Music membership. If you're approached to use the cards for payment outside of the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, or Apple Music, you could very likely be the target of a scam and should immediately report it to your local police department as well as the FTC.


Please do not ever provide the numbers on the back of the card to someone you do not know. Once those numbers are provided to the scammers, the funds on the card will likely be spent before you are able to contact Apple or law enforcement.


Tips to avoid becoming the victim of a scam

  • If you are NOT purchasing an item from the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, or an Apple Music membership, do NOT make a payment with iTunes Gift Cards. There's no other instance in which you'll be asked to make a payment with an iTunes Gift Card.
  • Do not provide the numbers on the back of the card to someone you do not know.
  • Immediately report potential scams to your local police department as well as the FTC (ftccomplaintassistant.gov).

Contact Apple

If you have additional questions, or if you've been a victim of a scam involving iTunes Gift Cards, you can call Apple at 800-275-2273 (U.S.) or contact Apple Support online.

More information

AARP Scam Alert: iTunes Gift Cards the Latest Go-To Tool in Many Gotchas
FTC: Scammers push people to pay with iTunes gift cards
IRS: IRS Warns Taxpayers of Summer Surge in Automated Phone Scam Calls; Requests for Fake Tax Payments Using iTunes Gift Cards

Friday, June 17, 2016

IMF Welcomes Nigeria's Decision on Exchange Rate [Information]

WASHINGTON—

The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it welcomed the decision by Nigeria's central bank to abandon its currency peg and adopt a flexible exchange rate policy, saying this was important to reduce fiscal and external imbalances.

IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told a weekly news briefing that the fund wanted to see how effectively the naira exchange market functions once the new float system is put into effect on Monday.


Nigeria's central bank governor said in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari that the bank expects the naira to settle at around 250 to the dollar after it abandons the peg of 197 to the dollar it has supported for 16 months.

"I think the announcement yesterday to revise the guidelines for the operation of the Nigerian interbank foreign exchange market is an important and welcome step," Rice told reporters. "It will provide greater flexibility in that market, the foreign exchange market."

Senior IMF officials, including Managing Director Christine Lagarde, have urged Nigerian officials to allow the naira to fall to absorb some of the shock to the economy from a plunge in oil prices and revenues. OPEC member Nigeria is a major oil producer.

IMF officials have said that Nigeria has not requested IMF financial assistance, but has been in consultation with the fund on dealing with budget shortfalls.

"As we have said before, a significant macroeconomic adjustment that Nigeria urgently needs to eliminate existing imbalances and support the competitiveness of the economy is best achieved through a credible package of policies involving fiscal discipline, monetary tightening, a flexible exchange rate regime and structural reform," Rice said. "Allowing the exchange rate to better reflect market forces is an integral part of that."

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Phishing attempt on bitcointalk email addresses

Greetings,

We know that some of you have accounts on bitcointalk.org and we wanted to let you know that a phishing attempt was made on bitcointalk email addresses earlier today.
If you received an email with the subject Mtgox.Claim assessment process, delete it and do not click on the link it contains! This email did not come from Kraken, but was spoofed to look as though it came from our support email (support@kraken.com).

We do not know how the bitcointalk email addresses were obtained, however the bitcointalk database has been compromised in the past. You can be assured that this incident was not the result of any breach in Kraken’s database and your personal information with Kraken is safe.

Even if you did receive the email, you are safe so long as you do not click on the link (just delete the email and you will be fine). If you did click on the link and are concerned about it, please contact us at: support@kraken.com.

Stay safe,

The Kraken Team

Friday, March 18, 2016

New tools by Scam.cz

New tools by scam.cz


IP



Because I wanted to obtain my IP the simply way with curl, with no widgets.



Maps



Because I wanted a direct access to maps :



Scam Report




Because you can communicate with Scam.cz when something goes wrong with an email to declare a scam, a phishing, a threat or a virus.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Nelson Mandela



Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Nelson Mandela

1918-2013

Monday, December 2, 2013

R7.com Spam

1) O que é spam?

Spam é o termo usado para uma mensagem eletrônica não solicitada enviada ao seu e-mail. Geralmente, os spams são envio de e-mail em massa e com mensagens publicitárias não autorizadas.

2) Como ativar o antispam?

O @R7 tem o serviço de antispam, capaz de bloquear ou desbloquear mensagens. Ele já vem ativado na criação da sua conta. Você pode definir sua sensibilidade através da ferramenta de filtros.

3) Como tirar mensagens da pasta de spam?

Se você recebeu um e-mail que foi classificado erroneamente como spam, é só movê-lo da pasta SPAM para qualquer outra pasta. O simples ato de retirar o e-mail da pasta SPAM já ensina o sistema que e-mails como aquele não devem ser classificados como SPAM.

4) Há uma política antispam?

O @R7 está sempre trabalhando para melhorar seu serviço antispam e impedir que e-mails desconhecidos, gerados automaticamente por máquinas, cheguem à sua caixa de entrada. O antispam também armazena automaticamente mensagens consideradas inseguras à pasta SPAM. Existem inúmeras políticas antispam usadas pelo sistema de correio do @R7. Além do controle do @R7, é importante que cada usuário mantenha a sua própria base do que é definido ou não como spam. O processo de configuração dessa base é feito pela movimentação das mensagens de/para a pasta SPAM.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Email Scam




Protect yourself from scam

NFIU Vision and Mission

NFIU Mission and Vision

Like any focused and result driven organization, the NFIU has goals and objectives. These goals are underpinned by the country's AML/CFT Strategy.

Our Vision

To be amongst the leading financial intelligence organizations in the world.

Our Mission

To safeguard the Nigerian financial system and contribute to the global fight against money laundering, terrorism financing and related crimes through the provision of credible financial intelligence.

Our Values

* Professionalism, integrity, fairness, innovation, respect, cooperation & trust;
* Maintain highest ethical standards;
* Fair, flexible, safe & rewarding workplace
* Act with care and diligence in the course of employment;
* Comply with the laws of the land;
* Comply with lawful and reasonable directives given by constituted authorities.

Some achievements so far

* Got Nigeria out the of NCCT List in June, 2006;
* Moved from Observer to Full Membership Status in Egmont Group by 1st Qtr 2007;
* Promoted enhanced quality of STRs submitted by reporting entities;
* Implementation of online reporting system for STRs and CTRs;
* Achieved Increased awareness of FIU activities within designated non-Financial Institutions;
* Seamless exchange of Intelligence Information with FIUs worldwide;
* Contributed to Increased number of ML/TF Investigations and Prosecutions, through qualitative intelligence.

Confidence trick

A confidence trick (synonyms include confidence scheme and scam) is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their confidence, in the classical sense of trust. A confidence artist (or con artist) is an individual, operating alone or in concert with others, who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty, honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naïveté, or greed.

1 Terminology
2 Stages of the con
3 Vulnerability to confidence tricks
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links

Terminology

The perpetrator of a confidence trick (or "con-trick") is often referred to as a confidence (or "con") man, woman or artist, or a "grifter". The first known usage of the term "confidence man" in English was in 1849 by the New York City press, during the trial of William Thompson. Thompson chatted with strangers until he asked if they had the confidence to lend him their watches, whereupon he would walk off with the watch. He was captured when a victim recognized him on the street. A confidence trick is also known as a con game, a con, a scam, a grift, a hustle, a bunko (or bunco), a swindle, a flimflam, a gaffle or a bamboozle. The intended victims are known as "marks" or "suckers", and when accomplices are employed, they are known as shills.

In David Mamet's film House of Games, the main con artist gives a slightly different description of the "confidence game". He explains that, in a typical swindle, the con man gives the mark his own confidence, encouraging the mark to in turn trust him. The con artist thus poses as a trustworthy person seeking another trustworthy person.

A short con is a fast swindle which takes just minutes. It aims to rob the victim of everything in his or her wallet.[2] A long or big con is a scam that unfolds over several days or weeks and involves a team of swindlers, as well as props, sets, extras, costumes, and scripted lines. It aims to rob the victim of thousands of dollars, often by getting him or her to empty out banking accounts and borrow from family members.

Stages of the con

In Confessions of a Confidence Man, Edward H. Smith lists the "six definite steps or stages of growth in every finely balanced and well-conceived confidence game." "One follows the other with absolute precision. In some games one or more of these acts, to use a theatrical comparison, may be dropped out, but where that happens the game is not a model one. The reference to the stage is apt, for the fine con game has its introduction, development, climax, dénouement and close, just like any good play. And this is not the only analogy to the drama, for the scenes are often as carefully set; the background is always a vital factor. In the colorful and mirthful language of the bunko man, all these parts of the game have their special names. I give them with their definitions:

Foundation Work

The preparations which are made before the scheme is put in motion, including the elaboration of the plan, the employment of assistants and so forth.

Approach

The manner of getting in touch with the victim—often most elaborately and carefully prepared.

Build-up

Rousing and sustaining the interest of the victim, introducing the scheme to him, rousing his greed, showing him the chance of profit and filling him so full of anticipation and cupidity that his judgment is warped and his caution thrown away.

Pay-off or Convincer

An actual or apparent paying of money by the conspirators to convince the victim and settle doubts by a cash demonstration. In the old banco game the initial small bets which the victim was allowed to win were the pay-off. In stock swindles the fake dividends sent to stockholders to encourage larger investments are the pay-off.

The Hurrah

This is like the dénouement in a play and no con scheme is complete without it. It is a sudden crisis or unexpected development by which the sucker is pushed over the last doubt or obstacle and forced to act. Once the hurrah is sprung the victim is clay in the schemer’s hands or there is no game.

The In-and-In

This is the point in a con game where the conspirator puts some of his money into the deal with that of the victim; first, to remove the last doubt that may tarry in the gull’s mind, and, second, to put the con man in control of the situation after the deal is completed, thus forestalling a squeal. Often the whole game is built up around this feature and just as often it does not figure at all.

In addition, some games require what is called 'corroboration', which means what it says. This is important in games where a banker or other shrewd customer is to be the victim."

Vulnerability to confidence tricks

Confidence tricks exploit typical human characteristics such as greed, dishonesty, vanity, opportunism, lust, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, desperation, and naïvety. As such, there is no consistent profile of a confidence trick victim; the common factor is simply that the victim relies on the good faith of the con artist. Victims of investment scams tend to show an incautious level of greed and gullibility, and many con artists target the elderly, but even alert and educated people may be taken in by other forms of confidence trick. Accomplices, also known as shills, help manipulate the mark into accepting the perpetrator's plan. In a traditional confidence trick, the mark is led to believe that he will be able to win money or some other prize by doing some task. The accomplices may pretend to be strangers who have benefited from performing the task in the past. A greedy or dishonest victim may attempt to out-cheat the perpetrator, eventually realizing that he or she had been manipulated into losing from the beginning.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Yoruba people

 Yoruba

The Yoruba people (Yoruba: Àwọ̀n ọ́mọ́ Yorùbá) are an ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria and southern Benin in West Africa. The Yoruba constitute over 35 million people in total, the majority of this population is from Nigeria and make up 21% of its population, according to the CIA World Factbook, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language which is a tonal Niger-Congo language. The Yoruba share borders with the Borgu in Benin; the Nupe and Ebira in central Nigeria; and the Edo, the Ẹsan, and the Afemai in mid-western Nigeria. The Igala and other related groups are found in the northeast, and the Egun, Fon, and others in the southeast Benin. The Itsekiri who live in the north-west Niger delta are related to the Yoruba but maintain a distinct cultural identity. Significant Yoruba population in West Africa can be found in Togo, Sierra Leone (where they have blended in with the Saro and Sierra Leone Creole people), and Ghana. The Yoruba diaspora consists of two main populations which includes recent migrants of which the majority moved to the United States and the United Kingdom after major economic related migrations stemming from the 1970s; the other diaspora is a much older population dating back to the Atlantic slave trade whose ancestors had arrived in the Americas through slave ships to be used as slaves and indentured servants. The former population are of Yoruba descent through their enslaved ancestors and are found in the majority in Cuba, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Contents

Name

As an ethnic description, the word 'Yoruba' was first recorded in reference to the Oyo Empire in a treatise written by the 16th-century Songhai scholar Ahmed Baba. It was popularized by Hausa usage and ethnography written in Arabic and Ajami during the 19th century, in origin referring to the Oyo exclusively. The extension of the term to all speakers of dialects related to the language of the Oyo (in modern terminology North-West Yoruba) dates to the second half of the 19th century. It is due to the influence of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther was himself a Yoruba and compiled the first Yoruba dictionary as well as introducing a standard for Yoruba orthography. The alternative name Akú, apparently an exonym derived from the first words of Yoruba greetings (such as Ẹ kú àárọ? "good morning", Ẹ kú alẹ? "good evening") has survived in certain parts of their diaspora as a self-descriptive.

Yoruba language

The Yoruba culture was originally an oral tradition, and the majority of Yoruba people are native speakers of the Yoruba language. The number of speakers is roughly estimated at about 30 million in 2010. Yoruba is classified within the Edekiri languages, which together with the isolate Igala form the Yoruboid group of languages within the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo phylum. Igala and Yoruba have important historical and cultural relationships. The languages of the two ethnic groups bear such a close resemblance that researchers such as Forde (1951) and Westermann and Bryan (1952) regarded Igala as a dialect of Yoruba.
The Yoruboid languages are assumed to have developed out of undifferentiated Volta-Niger group by the 1st millennium BC. There are three major dialect areas: Northwest, Central, and Southeast. As the North-West Yoruba dialects show more linguistic innovation, combined with the fact that Southeast and Central Yoruba areas generally have older settlements, suggests a later date of immigration for Northwest Yoruba.
The area where North-West Yoruba (NWY) is spoken corresponds to the historical Oyo Empire. South-East Yoruba (SEY) was probably associated with the expansion of the Benin Empire after c. 1450. Central Yoruba forms a transitional area in that the lexicon has much in common with NWY, whereas it shares many ethnographical features with SEY.
Literary Yoruba, the standard variety learnt at school and that spoken by newsreaders on the radio, has its origin in the Crowther's Yoruba grammar compiled in the 1850s. Though for a large part based on the Oyo and Ibadan dialects, it incorporates several features from other dialects.
History

History of the Yoruba people

The African peoples who lived in Yorubaland, at least by the seventh century B.C.E, were not initially known as the Yoruba, although they shared a common ethnicity and language group. The historical Yoruba develop in situ, out of earlier (Mesolithic) Volta-Niger populations, by the 1st millennium B.C.E. Oral history recorded under the Oyo Empire derives the Yoruba as an ethnic group from the population of the older kingdom of Ile-Ife (see also Yoruba mythology). Archaeologically, the settlement at Ife can be dated to the 4th century B.C.E, with urban structures appearing in the 12th century (the urban phase of Ife before the rise of Oyo, ca. 1100-1600, is sometimes described as a "golden age" of Ife). Oyo and Ile-Ife The settlement at Ife appears to have entered a "golden age" with the appearance of urban structures by the 12th century. This seems to be the formative period of the Yoruba people as reflected in oral tradition and continues to be seen as the "spiritual homeland" of the Yoruba. Ife was surpassed by the Oyo Empire as the dominant Yoruba military and political power in the 17th century. The oba or ruler of Ife is referred to as the Ooni of Ife. The Oyo Empire was active in the African slave trade during the 18th century. The Yoruba often demanded slaves as a form of tribute of subject populations, who in turn sometimes made war on other peoples to capture the required slaves. Part of the slaves sold by the Oyo Empire entered the Atlantic slave trade. The oba or ruler of Oyo is referred to as the Alaafin of Oyo. Most of the city states were controlled by Obas (or royal sovereigns with various individual titles) and councils made up of Oloyes, recognised leaders of royal, noble and, often, even common descent, who joined them in ruling over the kingdoms through a series of guilds and cults. Different states saw differing ratios of power between the kingships and the chiefs' councils. Some such as Oyo had powerful, autocratic monarchs with almost total control, while in others such as the Ijebu city-states, the senatorial councils held more influence and the power of the ruler or Ọba, referred to as the Awujale of Ijebuland, was more limited. Yoruba settlements are often described as primarily one or more of the main social groupings called "generations"

The "first generation" includes towns and cities known as original capitals of founding Yoruba states/kingdoms.
The "second generation" consists of settlements created by conquest.
The "third generation" consists of villages and municipalities that emerged following the internecine wars of the 19th century.

Pre-colonial government of Yoruba society

Monarchies were a common form of government in Yorubaland, but they were not the only approach to government and social organization. The numerous Ijebu city-states to the west of Oyo and the Ẹgba communities, found in the forests below Ọyọ's savanna region, were notable exceptions. These independent polities often elected an Ọba, though real political, legislative, and judicial powers resided with the Ogboni, a council of notable elders. The notion of the divine king was so important to the Yoruba, that it has been part of their organization in its various forms from their antiquity to the contemporary era. During the internecine wars of the 19th century, the Ijebu forced citizens of more than 150 Ẹgba and Owu communities to migrate to the fortified city of Abeokuta. Each quarter retained its own Ogboni council of civilian leaders, along with an Olorogun, or council of military leaders, and in some cases its own elected Obas or Baales. These independent councils elected their most capable members to join a federal civilian and military council that represented the city as a whole.Commander Frederick Forbes, a representative of the British Crown writing an account of his visit to the city in the Church Military Intelligencer (1853), described Abẹokuta as having "four presidents", and the system of government as having "840 principal rulers or 'House of Lords,' 2800 secondary chiefs or 'House of Commons,' 140 principal military ones and 280 secondary ones." He described Abẹokuta and its system of government as "the most extraordinary republic in the world."

Leadership

Gerontocratic leadership councils that guarded against the monopolization of power by a monarch were a trait of the Ẹgba, according to the eminent Ọyọ historian Reverend Samuel Johnson. Such councils were also well-developed among the northern Okun groups, the eastern Ekiti, and other groups falling under the Yoruba ethnic umbrella. In Ọyọ, the most centralized of the precolonial kingdoms, the Alaafin consulted on all political decisions with the chief/prime elector or president of the House of Lords (the Basọrun) and the council of leading nobles known as the Ọyọ Mesi.

City-states

The monarchy of any city-state was usually limited to a number of royal lineages. A family could be excluded from kingship and chieftaincy if any family member, servant, or slave belonging to the family committed a crime, such as theft, fraud, murder or rape. In other city-states, the monarchy was open to the election of any free-born male citizen. In Ilesa, Ondo, Akure and other Yoruba communities, there were several, but comparatively rare, traditions of female Ọbas. The kings were traditionally almost always polygamous and often married royal family members from other domains.Ibadan, a city-state and proto-empire founded in the 18th century by a polyglot group of refugees, soldiers, and itinerant traders from Ọyọ and the other Yoruba sub-groups largely dispensed with the concept of monarchism, preferring to elect both military and civil councils from a pool of eminent citizens. The city became a military republic, with distinguished soldiers wielding political powers through their election by popular acclaim and the respect of their peers. Similar practices were adopted by the jẹsa and other groups, which saw a corresponding rise in the social influence of military adventurers and successful entrepreneurs. The Ìgbómìnà were renowned for their agricultural and hunting prowess, as well as their woodcarving, leather art, and the famous Elewe masquerade. Groups, organizations and leagues in Yorubaland Occupational guilds, social clubs, secret or initiatory societies, and religious units, commonly known as Ẹgbẹ in Yoruba, included the Parakoyi (or league of traders) and Ẹgbẹ Ọdẹ (hunter's guild), and maintained an important role in commerce, social control, and vocational education in Yoruba polities.There are also examples of other peer organizations in the region. When the Ẹgba resisted the imperial domination of the Ọyọ Empire, a figure named Lisabi is credited with either creating or reviving a covert traditional organization named Ẹgbẹ Aro. This group, originally a farmers' union, was converted to a network of secret militias throughout the Ẹgba forests, and each lodge plotted to overthrow Ọyọ's Ajeles (appointed administrators) in the late 18th century. Similarly, covert military resistance leagues like the Ekiti Parapọ and the Ogidi alliance were organized during the 19th century wars by often-decentralized communities of the Ekiti, Ijẹsa, Ìgbómìnà and Okun Yoruba in order to resist various imperial expansionist plans of Ibadan, Nupe, and the Sokoto Caliphate.

Yoruba culture

In the city-states and many of their neighbors, a reserved way of life remains, with the school of thought of their people serving as a major influence in West Africa and elsewhere. Today, most contemporary Yoruba are Christians and Muslims. Be that as it may, many of the principles of the traditional faith of their ancestors are either knowingly or unknowingly upheld by a significant proportion of the populations of Nigeria, Benin and Togo.

Traditional religion and mythology

The Yoruba faith, variously known as Aborisha, Orisha-Ifa or simply (and erroneously) Ifa, is commonly seen as one of the principal components of the syncretic pool known as the African traditional religions. It largely survived the so-called middle passage, and is seen in a variety of forms in the New World as a result. Ife bronze casting of a king dated around the 12th Century, currently in the British Museum. Orisa'nla (The great divinity) also known as Ọbatala was the arch-divinity chosen by Olodumare, the Supreme, to create solid land out of the primordial water that constituted the earth and populating the land with human beings. Ọbatala descended from heaven on a chain, carrying a small snail shell full of earth, palm kernels and a five-toed chicken. He was to empty the content of the snail shell on the water after placing some pieces of iron on it, and then to place the chicken on the earth to spread it over the primordial water.

Traditional Yoruba religion

The Yorùbá religion comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practices of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in Southwestern Nigeria and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo, a region that has come to be known as Yorubaland. Yorùbá religion is formed of diverse traditions and has no single founder. It has influenced or given birth to thriving ways of life such as Lucumí, Umbanda and Candomblé. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories and other cultural concepts which make up the Yorùbá society. One of the most common Yoruba traditional religious concepts has been the concept of Orisha. An Orisha (also spelled Orisa or Orixa) is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of God in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system. This religion has found its way throughout the world and is now expressed in practices as varied as Candomblé, Lucumí/Santería, Shango in Trinidad (Trinidad Orisha), Anago and Oyotunji, as well as in some aspects of Umbanda, Winti, Obeah, Vodun and a host of others. These varieties or spiritual lineages as they are called are practiced throughout areas of Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, Togo, Brazil, Cuba, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Uruguay, Argentina and Venezuela among others. As interest in African indigenous religions (spiritual systems) grows, Orisha communities and lineages can be found in parts of Europe and Asia as well. While estimates may vary, some scholars believe that there could be more than 100 million adherents of this spiritual tradition worldwide.

Mythology

Oral history of the Oyo-Yoruba recounts Odùduwà to be the Progenitor of the Yoruba and the reigning ancestor of their crowned kings.
His coming from the east, sometimes understood by some sources as the "vicinity" true East on the Cardinal points, but more likely signifying the region of Ekiti and Okun sub-communities in northeastern Yorubaland/central Nigeria. Ekiti is near the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, and is where the Yoruba language is presumed to have separated from related ethno-linguistic groups like Igala, Igbo, and Edo. After the death of Oduduwa, there was a dispersal of his children from Ife to found other kingdoms. Each making their mark in the subsequent urbanization and consolidation of Yoruba confederacy of kingdoms, with each kingdom tracing its origin to Ile-Ife. After the dispersal, the aborigines became difficult, and constituted a serious threat to the survival of Ife. Thought to be survivors of the old occupants of the land before the arrival of Oduduwa, these people now turned themselves into marauders. They would come to town in costumes made of raffia with terrible and fearsome appearances, and burn down houses and loot the markets. Then came Moremi on the scene; she was said to have played a significant role in the quelling of the marauders advancements. But this was at a great price; having to give up her only son Oluorogbo. The reward for her patriotism and selflessness was not to be reaped in one life time as she later passed on and was thereafter immortalized. The Edi festival celebrates this feat till date.

Philosophy

Yoruba culture consists of folk/cultural philosophy, religion and folktales. They are embodied in Ifa-Ife Divination, known as the tripartite Book of Enlightenment in Yorubaland and in Diaspora.
Yoruba cultural thought is a witness of two epochs. The first epoch is an epoch-making history in cosmogony and cosmology. This is also an epoch-making history in the oral culture during which time Oduduwa was the head, the Bringer of Light, and a prominent diviner. He pondered the visible and invisible worlds, reminiscing about cosmogony, cosmology, and the mythological creatures in the visible and invisible worlds. The second epoch is the epoch of metaphysical discourse. This commenced in the 19th century in terms of the academic prowess of Dr. Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the first African Anglican Bishop.
Although religion is often first in Yoruba culture, nonetheless, it is the thought of man that actually leads spiritual consciousness (ori) to the creation and the practice of religion. Thus thought is antecedent to religion.
Today, the academic and the nonacademic community are becoming more and more interested in Yoruba culture. Thus more and more researches are being carried out on Yoruba cultural thought, as more and more books are being written on it—embossing its mark and advancing its research amongst non-African thinkers and political scientists who are beginning to open their doors to other cultures, widening their views.
One thing to remember is that Yoruba thought is mainly narrative in form, explicating and pointing to the knowledge of things, affecting the corporeal and the spiritual universe and its wellness. Yoruba people regale in hundreds of aphorisms, folktales, and lore, and they believe that any lore that widens people's horizons and presents pabulum for thought is the beginning of a philosophy.

Yoruba music

The music of the Yoruba people of are perhaps best known for an extremely advanced drumming tradition, especially using the dundun hourglass tension drums. Yoruba folk music became perhaps the most prominent kind of West African music in Afro-Latin and Caribbean musical styles. Yorùbá music left an especially important influence on the music used in Lukumi practice and the music of Cuba

The Talking Drum.

Yorùbá music is regarded as one of the more important components of the modern Nigerian popular music scene. Although traditional Yoruba music was not influenced by foreign music the same cannot be said of modern day Yoruba music which has evolved and adapted itself through contact with foreign instruments, talents and creativity. Interpretation involves rendering African, here Yoruba, musical expression using a mixture of instruments from different horizons.

Christianity and Islam

The Yoruba are traditionally a very religious people and can be found in many types of Christian denominations. There are also a large number of them engaged in Islam and the traditional Yoruba religion. Yoruba religious practices such as the Eyo and Osun Oshogbo festivals are witnessing a resurgence in popularity in contemporary Yorubaland. They are largely seen by the adherents of the modern faiths, especially the Christians and Muslims, as cultural rather than religious events. They participate in them as a means to boost tourist industries in their local economies. There are a number of Yoruba Pastors and Church founders with large congregations, e.g. Prophet Moses Orimolade Tunolase of Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim C & S, Samuel Bilehou Joseph Oshoffa of Celestial Church of Christ CCC, Joseph Ayo Babalola of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church World Wide also known as Winners Chapel, Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter rain Assembly, Prophet T. B. Joshua of Synagogue of All Nations, William Folorunso Kumuyi of Deeper Christian Life Ministry.

Twins in Yoruba society

A pair of female ere ibeji twin figures (early 20th-century) in the permanent collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.Yoruba people have the highest twinning rate in the world. The Yoruba present the highest dizygotic twinning rate in the world (4.4% of all maternities). The Yoruba have the highest rate of twinning in the world, at 45-50 twin sets (or 90-100 twins) per 1,000 live births, possibly because of high consumption of a specific type of yam containing a natural phytoestrogen which may stimulate the ovaries to release an egg from each side. Twins are very important for the Yoruba and they usually tend to give special names to each twin. The first of the twins to be born is traditionally named Taiyewo or Tayewo, which means 'the first to taste the world', this is often shortened to Taiwo, Taiye or Taye. Kehinde, or Kenny for short, is the name of the last born twin. Kehinde is sometimes also referred to as Kehindegbegbon which is short for Omokehindegbegbon and means, 'the child that came last gets the rights of the eldest'.

Benin

The Yoruba are the main group in the Benin department of Ouémé, all Subprefectures; Collines Province, all subprefectures; Plateau Province, all Subprefectures; Borgou Province, Tchaourou Subprefecture; Zou Province, Ouihni and Zogbodome Subprefecture; Donga Province, Bassila Subprefecture and Alibori, Kandi Subprefecture.

Nigeria

The Yoruba are the main ethnic group in the Nigerian federal states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Kwara and Oyo; they also constitute a sizable proportion of Kogi and Edo south west states.

Togo

There are immigrant Yoruba settlers from Nigeria who live in Togo. Tottenham Hotspur player, Emmanuel Adebayor is an example. They can be found in the Togo department of Plateau Region, Ogou and Est-Mono prefectures; Centrale Region and
Tchamba Prefecture. The chief Yoruba cities/towns are Ilesa, Ibadan,Ilorin, Fiditi, Orile Igbon, Eko (Lagos), Oto-Awori, Ejigbo, Ijẹbu Ode, Abẹokuta, Akurẹ, Ilọrin, Ijẹbu-Igbo, Ijebu-Oru, Ijebu-Awa, Ijebu-ife, Odogbolu, Ogbomọṣọ, Ondo, Ọta, Ado-Ekiti, Ikare, Ayere, Kabba, Omuo, Omu-Aran, Egbe, Isanlu, Mopa, Aiyetoro - Gbedde, Sagamu, Iperu, Ikẹnnẹ, Ogere, Ilisan, Osogbo, Offa, Iwo, Ilesa, Ilaje, Esa-Oke, Ọyọ, Ilé-Ifẹ, Iree, Owo, Ede, Badagry, (Owu, Oyo), (Owu, Egba) (ife-olukotun), Ilaro, Oko, Esie, Ago-Iwoye, Iragbiji, Aagba, Ororuwo, Aada, Akungba and Akoko. Traditionally kingship and chieftainship were not determined by simple primogeniture, as in most monarchic systems of government. An electoral college of lineage heads was and still is usually charged with selecting a member of one of the royal families from any given realm, and the selection is then confirmed by an Ifá oracular request. The Ọbas live in palaces that are usually in the center of the town. Opposite the king's palace is the Ọja Ọba, or the king's market. These markets form an inherent part of Yoruba life. Traditionally their traders are well organized, have various guilds, officers, and an elected speaker. They also often have at least one Iyaloja, or Lady of the Market, who is expected to represent their interests in the aristocratic council of oloyes at the palace.

Cuisine

Yams are said to be one of the important food for the Yoruba. Plantain, corn, beans, meat, and fish are also chief choices. Some common Yoruba foods are iyan (pounded yam), Amala, eba, semo, fufu, Moin moin (bean cake) and akara. Soups include egusi, ewedu, okra, vegetables are also very common as part of diet. Items like rice and beans (locally called ewa) are part of the regular diet. Some dishes are also prepared for festivities and ceremonies such as Jollof rice and fried rice. Other popular dishes are Ekuru, stews, corn, cassava and flours - e.g. maize, yam, plantain and bean, eggs, chicken, beef and assorted forms of meat (pumo is made from cow skin). Some less well known meals and many miscellaneous staples are arrowroot gruel, sweetmeats, fritters and coconut concoctions; and some breads - yeast bread, rock buns, and palm wine bread to name a few.

Yoruba cultural dishes

The language spread of Kru, Igbo and Yoruba in the United States according to US Census 2000

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