Onígbógi

Extended Meaning

'My grandmother and uncles generally understand the name to mean "akíkanjú ènìyàn" (i.e. a very brave person). This semantic interpretation might be partly hinged on the fact that my great-great-great (don't know the exact one, really) was a "great" warrior. They also argue that the full stretch of our own name is: Olúgbogí-Àrán ("àrán", being velvet, a kind of highly valued fabric, serves in this context as an extended metaphor for a sophisticated person (whether as a hunter or as a wealthy fellow)). Taken together, these ethnographic sources suggest to me that the name Gbogí may roughly mean "a very brave and/or sophisticated person" or put differently “a person of high status in a town”. Compare Yorùbá “Gboogi” which roughly translates as “important.” ' - Tósìn Gbógi (via email) This is the maiden name of my grandmother, which in turn was the name of my great-grandfather Onígbógi, which was shortened to Ogbogi. We are from Ìlárá-Mokin in Ondo State. Based on what I've learned, Onigbogi translates to one who is experienced or matured in their respective jobs. Also, láti gbó means to be brave, so it could also translate to someone that is brave in their livelihood. - Stephen Ogunbiyi

Morphology

oní-ìgbógi

Gloss

Geolocation

Common in:

Variants