Obitun: Music and dance performance documentation among public secondary school students in Ondo kingdom

Abstract

Obitun is a major traditional dance of the Ondo people endowed with high level of aesthetic. In the modern age this aesthetic reflects the cultural identity of the people. The cultural identity is often demonstrated in the use of the highly rated traditional attire of different kinds among the people for various social engagements. The contemporary purpose of the musical performance is in contrast to the age-long practices of it. Obitun music and dance performance, as a rite of passage for ladies of puberty stage to marital stage, is on the brink of extinction as a result of civilisation and religious organisations. The resuscitation of the art in the modern time has given the musical art a new shape, crossing from rite of passage to an ordinary artistic form for mere entertainment. Ethnomusicological method was adopted in this study by observing the pre-field, field and post-field activities with the use of participant observation and in-depth interview for data collection. This study, therefore, embarked on the contextual analysis of the music used in Obitun musical art performance as they occur at the secondary school level in Ondo city, using the staff notation of the music as a means of documentation, with a brief explanation on the ancient ritualistic free performance of the musical art. The musical art among the Ondo people is then taken to be the embodiment of their cultural background and it has been a cogent instrument for enlightenment and entertainment. Cultural education provided by the musical art among the people should be sustained through documentation in the face of modern civilisation to ensure its continuity especially among students.