ARCHETYPES IN IGALA ORAL NARRATIVES
Keywords:
Architypes, oral narratives, theme, motif, collective unconsciousAbstract
This paper investigated and established the presence of archetypes, especially the archetypes of theme and motif in Igala oral narratives. Its objectives are to reiterate archetypes as universal elements in literature and attest to them as veritable sources for assessing and discovering the “collective unconscious” patterns in Igala folklore. This study has collected and analysed ten Igala oral narratives drawn from three Local Government Areas of Kogi Eastern Senatorial district, with the intention to investigate the presence of archetypes to validate them as basic cultural idiosyncrasies. The researcher combined two theories: archetypal and mythical theories with the intent to establish the presence of primordial themes and motifs. The work adopted the qualitative research design; it gathered data from the field and the library. It also used both participant and non-participant observation methods of data collection. Three Igala elders, experienced in the art of storytelling were consulted; two of whom are male and the third, a female; all of whom are within the ages of 65 to 75. The study revealed that Igala oral narrative paradigm encodes several primordial elements, especially themes and motif. Similarly, this research also affirmed that Igala oral narrative has the capabilities to transmit the Igala culture, behaviour, values, experiences that can convey archetypes from one generation to another. Nonetheless, this research is a frantic attempt to collect and preserve the Igala oral narrative paradigm to make it readily available for further scholarship. In all, the research made available to the literary critic the opportunity to understand the underlying meanings in literature through the recognition of archetypes.
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