VEJOH - VERITAS JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES

Before modernity, oral narratives were invaluable means of solving ecological challenges, to which the woman’s image is integral. Existing studies on mythical stories among the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria focus on folkloric and cultural realities that underscore the sociohistorical experiences of the people, but little attention has been paid to the ecofeminist experiences foregrounded in the oral narratives. Therefore, this study examines selected Yoruba narratives, highlighting the effects of climate change on humans and non-humans and how the reinvention of gender roles can preserve the environment. The study adopted the Ecofeminist Theory to examine ecological and gender issues foregrounded in the oral narratives under study. The sampled oral texts Moremi and the Egunguns and Tortoise and the Allied Hornbill were transcribed, translated, and subjected to critical, qualitative analysis, highlighting indices of environmental degradation and the reinvention of gender roles that are appropriated in them. The analysis revealed the interplay of femininity and ecological sustainability and the effect of famine caused by environmental degradation on humans and non-human entities as depicted in the oral narratives of the Yoruba people. The evaluation of the oral texts also shows that migration is a “slow violence” that aids food scarcity and may be a propensity for violent attacks among immigrants and their hosts. Furthermore, the study examined how suitable environmental ethics can help preserve and conserve the environment. In all these, the goddess’s personality is portrayed as an image of womanhood and mothering, which manifests in how she protects the characters in the narrative. Thus, climate change, environmental changes, and cosmic disruptions can be avoided when specific conservative measures hinged on the reinvention of thoughts and practices are integrated into mainstream contemporary ecological and gender policies and services.

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