Ilé-Àṣà
A living archive of Yoruba language and culture.
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Why Ilé-Àṣà
A language lives in the people who speak it.
Every generation, Yoruba words, names, proverbs, and the stories behind them become harder to find. Much of this knowledge has never been written down. It lives with elders, in families, and in everyday speech.
Ilé-Àṣà, the house of culture, is being built as a living archive. It is a careful, community-led home where Yoruba language and memory can be recorded, understood, and passed on with the context and respect they deserve.
How we work
Slow, careful, and led by the community.
Listen first
We start with speakers, elders, and families. Their knowledge, their voices, and their meanings come before any database or feature.
Record with consent
Nothing is archived without clear, informed permission. Contributors decide how their words and recordings are credited, shared, and used.
Keep the context
A word is more than a translation. We document tone, pronunciation, origin, and the stories around it, so meaning is never flattened.
Starting with Orúkọ
Our first collection is names.
In Yoruba culture, a name (orúkọ) is rarely just a label. It can carry the circumstances of a birth, a family's history, a prayer, or a hope for the child's future.
Orúkọ will document Yoruba names with their correct tone marks, pronunciation, meaning, and the stories families tell about them. It is a small, focused beginning for a much larger archive.
Adéwálé
/a-dé-wá-lé/
- adé
- crown
- wá
- has come
- ilé
- home
The crown has come home.
Often given in families of royal or chieftaincy lineage, marking the return of honour to the household.
Build it with us
There is room for many hands.
Speakers & elders
Share names, words, proverbs, and the stories behind them, in your own voice and on your own terms.
Researchers & linguists
Help us document tone, dialect, and etymology accurately, and review entries before they are published.
Technologists & designers
Help build tools that are fast, accessible, and respectful of the language on every device.
Institutions & partners
Universities, cultural bodies, and funders who want to support long-term preservation work.
Let's talk
We would love to hear from you.
Whether you want to contribute, collaborate, or simply ask a question, send us a note. You can also write to asa@ileasa.org.