15/08/2015
The King and The Abobaku; A short Story:
The alleged case of Ooni of Ife’s Abobaku is one to reflect on, although there has not been anything like Abobaku since 1959. The news about the Abobaku absconded is a cooked up news that should be ignored. Abobaku is a traditional practice in the ancient Yoruba Empire, particularly the Oyo Empire. To become an Abobaku is a matter of choice; people compete to occupy the position of Abobaku just as other positions, because the Abobaku enjoys all the power, respect and the affluence that the king enjoys. Abobaku is literarily translate to mean “the one who dies with the king”
The short story behind Abobaku goes thus: In the Ancient Oyo-Yoruba Empire, it was constitutional for Aremo to be Abobaku, he is to be buried with his father. After the Owu War in 1827, there came the creation of Ibadan and Ijaye in 1829 and 1830 respectively.
Ogunmola headed Ibadan as Kurunmi who later became Are Ona Kakanfo became the leader of Ijaye. Alaafin Atiba succeeded Alaafin Oluewu in 1837, but at the demise of Alaafin Atiba in 1859, Adelu who was Aremo and supposed to be Abobaku refused to be buried with the king and wanted to succeed his father. And because of the benefits Ibadan enjoyed under Alaafin Atiba, they wanted continuity by supporting Aremo Adelu to become Alaafin against the tradition.
On the contrary, Ijaye did not want the continuity and wanted to protect the culture of the kingship, there started a war of superiority between Ibadan’s combatants and Ijaye’s warriors in which Ibadan came out victorious and Aremo Adelu became Alaafin Adelu in 1859. This was how the doctrine of Abobaku ended in Oyo-Yoruba Empire.
Our society has changed drastically that such practice is seen as barbaric, why should a man be buried alive because a dead king would need company and help during his journey to the life after? Whether it has truly been abolished is also another question that needs answer.
Yoruba @ large we need to wake up and stop bn foolish
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