Ọmọ Oódua
The oral history of the Yoruba describes an origin myth, which tells of God lowering a chain at Ile-Ife, down which came Oduduwa, the ancestor of all people, bringing with him a c**k, some earth, and a palm kernel. The earth was thrown into the water, the c**k scratched it to become land, and the kernel grew into a tree with sixteen limbs, representing the original sixteen kingdoms. The empire of Oyo arose at the end of the 15th century aided by Portuguese guns. Expansion of the kingdom is associated with the acquisition of the horse. At the end of the 18th century civil war broke out at Oyo, the rebels called for assistance to the Fulani, but the latter ended up conquering all of Oyo by the 1830s. The Fulani invasion pushed many Yoruba to the south where the towns of Ibadan and Abeokuta were founded. In the late 1880s, with the help of a British mediator, a treaty was signed between the various warring factions. Yorubaland was officially colonized by the British in 1901, but a system of indirect rule was established that mimicked the structure of Yoruba governance. Oduduwa, Olofin Adimula, oba and founder of the Yoruba people, phonetically written by his people as Odùduwà and sometimes contracted as Odudua or Oòdua, is generally held among the Yoruba to be the ancestor of the crowned Yoruba kings. The Yoruba people live on the west coast of Africa in Nigeria and can also be found in the eastern Republic of Benin and Togo because the majority of the slaves brought to the Americans were from West Africa. Yoruba descendants can also be found in Brazil, Cuba, the Caribbean, and the United States. There are also many Yorubas currently living in Europe, particularly Britain, since Nigeria was once a British colony. The Yorubas are one of the largest cultural groups in Africa. The Yorubas have been living in advanced urban kingdoms for more than 1,500 years. They created a strong economy through farming, trading, and art production. Their outstanding and unique artistic traditions include woodcarving, sculpture, metal work, textiles, and beadwork. Yoruba in Ọyọ State.
Ọyọ State is the largest Yoruba speaking state in terms of population and landmass, the state derived its name from old Ọyọ Empire which is represented by the present Ọyọ-Alaafin. The state is divided into three senatorial districts: Ọyọ-Alaafin/Ogbomọsọ, Oke-Ogun and Ibadan/Ibarapa with thirty-three local governments, and its administrative headquarters located at Ibadan.
Ọyọ in the Beginning
Linguistically, Ọyọ State has more ancient cities with varied historical origin than any Yoruba speaking states, these towns and villages are about the oldest in Yoruba land. From records, some kingdoms existed side-by-side with Ọyọ Empire – which was founded by Ọranmiyan (Ọranyan), a prominent son of Oduduwa around 13th or 14th century. According to history, two defunct Ọyọ metropolitan townships had existed at different times they were: Ọyọ-Ile or (Katunga), Ọyọ-Igboho; the present Ọyọ-Alaafin (Agọ-Ọja) was established in 1830s, when Ọyọ Igboho was destroyed by the Fulani army. HISTORY
Several legends concerning the origin and ancestry of Oduduwa abound in Yoruba and Benin mythology. The Yorubas believe he is the father of the Yorubas and progenitor of all Yoruba Oba's and the Oba of Benin. The Bini believe that he is a Benin prince called EKALADERHAN who was banished by his father, the Ogiso of Benin. His name, the Binis claim, is derived from 'Idoduwa", a Bini word meaning fortune's path, symbolizing the painful exile from his ancestral home. In support of this, they claim, Oduduwa's son Oranmiyan later returned to Benin to rule the Empire around 1,000 AD. Oduduwa is believed to have had several sons (16 in number) who later became powerful traditional rulers of Yoruba land, most notably Alafin of Oyo, Oni of Ife, Oragun of Ila, Owa of Ilesha, Alake of Abeokuta and Osemawe of Ondo. Yoruba tradition holds that Oduduwa fled from Mecca to Ile-Ife, bringing with him the Ifa religion which was under persecution in Mecca. He established it firmly in Ile-Ife and founded the Ogboni cult to protect the ancient customs and institutions of his people. The Oduduwa shrine is still worshipped today in Ile-Ife as the cradle of Yoruba culture.
