Ase (Yoruba)

Ase (or àṣẹ or ashe) is an African philosophical concept through which the Yoruba of Nigeria conceive the power to make things happen and produce change. It is given by Olodumare to everything - gods, ancestors, spirits, humans, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and voiced words such as songs, prayers, praises, curses, or even everyday conversation. Existence, according to Yoruba thought, is dependent upon it.

In addition to its sacred characteristics, ase also has important social ramifications, reflected in its translation as "power, authority, command." A person who, through training, experience, and initiation, learns how to use the essential life force of things to willfully effect change is called an alaase.

Rituals to invoke divine forces reflect this same concern for the autonomous ase of particular entities. The recognition of the uniqueness and autonomy of the ase of persons and gods is what structures society and its relationship with the other-world.

Ase and Yoruba Art

Yoruba

Yoruba may refer to:

See also

Yoruba people

Coordinates: 7°27′58″N 4°33′58″E / 7.466°N 4.566°E / 7.466; 4.566

The Yoruba people (Yoruba: Àwọn ọmọ Yorùbá) are an ethnic group of Southwestern and North central Nigeria as well as Southern and Central Benin in West Africa. The Yorùbá constitute over 40 million people in total; the majority of this population is from Nigeria and make up 21% of its population, according to the CIA World Factbook, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language, which is tonal, and is the Niger-Congo language with the largest number of native speakers.

The Yorùbá share borders with the Borgu in Benin; the Nupe and Ebira in central Nigeria; and the Edo, the Ẹsan, and the Afemai in mid-western Nigeria. The Igala and other related groups are found in the northeast, and the Egun, Fon, Ewe and others in the southeast Benin. The Itsekiri who live in the north-west Niger delta are related to the Yoruba but maintain a distinct cultural identity. Significant Yoruba populations in other West African countries can be found in Ghana,Togo,Ivory Coast,Liberia and Sierra Leone.

-ase

The suffix -ase is used in biochemistry to form names of enzymes. The most common way to name enzymes is to add this suffix onto the end of the substrate, e.g. an enzyme that breaks down peroxides may be called peroxidase; the enzyme that produces telomeres is called telomerase. Sometimes enzymes are named for the function they perform, rather than substrate, e.g. the enzyme that polymerizes (assembles) DNA into strands is called polymerase; see also reverse transcriptase.

The commonly used -ase suffix for naming enzymes was derived from the name diastase.

See also

Ase

Ase may refer to

See also

Ase (Nigeria)

Ase (pronounced Assay) is a town on the shores of the Ase Creek, off River Niger in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. The Ase Creek derives its name from Ase town. Ase Town is an idyllic countryside with a spectacular and breathtaking natural beach, evergreen rainforest vegetation with overhangs the Ase Creek. Ase is a serene natural tourist resort waiting to be exploited. Ase shares common boundaries with Ibedeni, Aviara, Uzere, Patani (all in Delta State) and Trofani (in Bayelsa State). In the colonial era, Ase served as the commercial and administrative Headquarters for the colonial administrators. Relics of colonial presence still dot the landscape. John Holt and UAC are some of the companies that had trade offices in Ase. The town is made up of descendants from Ndokwa speakers who have intermarried with the Isokos and Ijaws over the years. The Ase dialect of the Ndokwa language (a dialect of the Igbo language) is spoken by the Ase people. The Ase people are of the same ancestral origin with Asazaga, Asemonite, and Aseomuku.