The Awotiku Family House is a bungalow with a deep-hipped gabled front orule (roof; or the house covering), an ote (ridge cap), and eaves of corrugated iron sheets protecting external walls and allowing the collection of run-off water. This traditional family house has a raised frontage and faces an earthen road. The house consists of many rooms and parlor units, including the women's courtyard section at the back. The number of rooms speaks to the wealth of the Awotiku family for in Yoruba architectural tradition, the quantity of rooms in a house correlates with the owner's wealth. The iyara (parlor) opens into the oruwa/ odede or oode (family living lobby), an indigenous exaggerated corridor for meeting extended family and visitors (oruwa means "there are words for discussion"). The iyara leads into the iyewu (private room): the smallest house module and the space for private activities and sleep. The bed in the iyewu is the akete-ibusun (raised mud bed), intricately tucked for space efficiency. Within and on-top of the oruwa is the aja (roof/ceiling loft) with strong papa (cane-rope) holding in suspension large quantities of maize cobs and other farm products.The aja (loft) is supported by wooden opo-ile/ eke (house-posts/column): cemented ornately crafted traditional pier walls made from earth in the courtyard. The internal walls are plastered with adobe, and the external igun/ origun ile (house corners-walls) act as load-bearing walls. Three heritages of African architecture are observed in the circulation spaces: a combination of an impluvium courtyard, an indigenous oruwa with a low arched architrave wooden, and an Ilekun (Door) that is derived from Nigerian Islamic building traditions.

Artifacts in the house include: amu, an oval shaped and narrow-necked medium size water-pot used for water storage and cooling. It is found next to an isasun (a small size cooking-pot) to keep snails for meals. Pepe/Para (shelf) is a wooden side-hung shelf storage space.The Abajade ona-ehinkule (the back door outlet) leads to the ehinkule (backyard); an open family outdoor activities space. Detached from the building at the ehinkule are other walled structures including the ile-idana (kitchen), the baluwe (bathroom), the ile-iyagbe (pit latrine), the clothing-line, and the animal pens.

facebook., December 11, 2020

Edited By Jola Idowu

REFERENCES

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