TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN KPAKPA- JIALA BURIAL RITES MUSICOF THE BENIN MIGRANT COMMUNITY IN ITAOGBOLU, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Kpakpa-jiala is a traditional music performed as part of celebration to honour departed elders with deserving traditional burial rites of Benin migrant community inItaogbolu, Ondo State, Nigeria. Existing studies on funeral rites in Itaogbolu have focused more on their socio-religious modes and engagements than on the performance of traditional funeral music as represented by Kpakpa-jiala. This study, therefore, examined Kpakpa-jiala music andanalysed its performance practice with a view to identifying its established traditions in terms of compositional techniques, functional roles as well as points of departure by way of innovation precipitated by modernism.

The ethnomusicological research was anchored on interculturalism.Eight in-depth interviews and 14 key informant interviews were conducted with elders andmusic performers respectively, while five focus group discussionswere held with notable custodians of Kpakpa-jiala music tradition, including Benin migrantsin Itaogbolu. Participant observation was utilised through attendance of eight Kpakpa-jiala burial ceremoniesduring which recordings of music performances were made. Data were subjected to descriptive and musicological analyses.

The origin of Kpakpa-jiala was traced to Udo, a Benin district in Edo State; based on its etymology, the genre was linked to Okpakpaozighalamusic of Benin migrants in Itaogbolu. Conformity to prescribed tradition was expressed in strict adherence to seven song repertories at the wake-keep, interment and ijahue(notification of final burial) ceremonies, with a view to ensuring a smooth passage of the departed to the ancestral world. Song texts indicated attempts to encourage and energise the youths in their responsibility of interring the remains of the dead. Duringeach music performance, all participants joyfully sing and dance to celebrate and re-enact the benefits and importance of parenthood. Predominant compositional features in Kpakpa-jiala include: use of melodic repetition for choral section, undulating ascending and descending movement of melodies, adoption of simple duple and compound quadruple metres, and occasional hemiola rhythmic patterns. Structural forms of the music are mainly characterised by call and response, lead and chorus, and speech rhythm with traditional performance style favouring lead singer’s liberty to select songs from prescribed repertory. Words are syllabically fitted to rhythmic patterns dictated by accompanying instrumental section during performance. The musicians have re-created different versions of the song texts through parody, while retaining their old melodic characteristics. Observable changes were also seen in the Benintraditional musical instruments, such as emanoghua, emaneghere, ukuse and egogobeing substituted with the Yoruba’s iya-ilu,omo-ilu, sekere and agogo respectively.Kpakpa-jiala performances, at present, are predominantly presented by organised groups rather than its spontaneity nature as common at inception. Modernism is further expressed in the people’s reliance on western sound system to boost musical output.

The performance ofKpakpa-jiala funeral music of Benin migrant community in Itaogbolu, Ondo State displays an interface between tradition and modernity. Though presented as a status symbol, its response to changes as expressed in introduction of new forms and performance style reinforces its dynamic nature as a living art.