History of oduduwa pdf

Therefore, most cultural history with the ancient egyptians would have been lost. The heaven realm is the domain of olorun, a sun god. They were under a federation of three groupsake, okeona and gbagura scattered over 150 towns and including the modern city of ibadan, oyo and ijaye. One of the largest and oldest towns of the yoruba kingdom, historical evidence dates the holy citys origin to as far back as 500 bc. The yorubas and the history of oduduwa realnews magazine. This version of history contends that oduduwa was a mortal king, under whose leadership yorubaland was conquered towards 600 bce and the kingdom of ife was established. In the context of yoruba history and politics, the elite comprises individuals who. He takes an active role in the affairs of both heaven and earth. Oduduwa was the first divine king of the yoruba people, and obatala fashioned the first human beings out of clay. Origin of the yoruba and the lost tribes of israel dierk lange abstract. How and where this is done began with the arrival from ileife of prince oranmiyan, the son of oduduwa of uhe, about 1170 years ago according to modem historians. What is the true oduduwa story as it relates to other parts of the country.

Oyo empire, yoruba state north of lagos, in presentday southwestern nigeria, that dominated, during its apogee 16501750, most of the states between the volta river in the west and the niger river in the east. The origin of oduduwa and position of ileife and other. Samuel johnson tells us on page 149 5th paragraph that oko, was the seat of government of yoruba land for quite a while before it was moved to oyo during the reign of sango. Obatala is sometimes known as oduduwa in ife oduduwa the first oni if ife, fathered sixteen sons who founded the sixteen original kingdoms of the yoruba regarded in ife as the orisa who created dry land and performed feats elsewhere attributed to obatala the oral history of the yoruba describes an origin myth. Bini history precedes oduduwas by at least 1,240 years because 31 ogisos ruled igodomigodo between 40 bce 1200 ce. Decontaminating yoruba history by remi oyeyemi of recent, the lack of history lessons in our schools has been having very negative effects on what the people know to be the facts of history. Nevertheless, ancestral cultures directly related to the yorubas bloomed to the north of niger. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Queen moremi was the wife of oduduwa who applied wisdom and wits to defeat the marauding invaders of ife land during her time. Olokun presides over this watery abyss, an aquatic realm populated by sea spirits. The history of yoruba people is probably one of the most fascinating ones out there. There must have been many dynasties in ife, as ife legends put pre oduduwa monarchs at more than ninety.

History of the yoruba people the history of the yorubas is not yet well established. There are so many versions of igbo origin and it is very difficult, or probably impossible to say which is the most real or most acceptable. The story in question revolves around oduduwa, who is said by the yoruba to be the founder of the monarchy at ileife, the town which is widely regarded as the cradle of their civilization. Nonetheless, ileife remained as the historical origin of the yoruba people, and indeed the entire world. Download a history of the yoruba people ebook free in pdf and epub format. When baba king came to brazil, this was the opportunity to live in the western world. He could choose uk or usa, but he was attracted to brazil because someone told him, that there are a lot of ori s a devotees and that yoruba culture is strongly active in brazil. Oduduwas relatives established kingdoms in the rest of yorubaland. The yoruba people believe that oduduwa was sent by god from heaven to create the earth and the human race. This puts ileife as the site for the creation of the world. This kingdom was founded by the deities oduduwa and obatala, who are believed to have created the world.

They number over 4 million in the western region of nigeria. Thats what will usually come up when you get a reading. At the beginning of yoruba mythology, the universe was composed of two elements, the ethereal sky above and a watery chaos below. Oduduwa, the ancestor of the crowned yoruba kings oduduwa, phonetically written as oduduwa, and sometimes contracted as odudua, oodua, is generally held among the yoruba to be the ancestor of the crowned yoruba kings. On top of that the efa edo people conquered the yoruba 500 years after oduduwa, therefore current yoruba culture is more closely associated with bini culture than anything else. Pdf the formation of yoruba nation and the challenge of. The yoruba are one of the leading peoples of west africa. The second wave, the oduduwa migration, is the best known in tradition. May, 20 the oral history of the yoruba describes an origin myth, which tells of god lowering a chain at ileife, down which came oduduwa, the ancestor of all people, bringing with him a cock, some earth, and a palm kernel.

Oduduwa the story of the yoruba okiojos chronicles book 1 kindle edition by adeniji, adeniyi, akinboye, sunkanmi, ekwueme, harriet, anjorin, tunji, banigo, oriteme. In this article i explore how these arts both inform and are enriched by early ife history and the leaders who shaped it. For a long time as propagated by early writers of yoruba history, like the. The yoruba are the second largest ethnic group in nigeria, with a population of about 30 million, and occupy most of what we refer to today as south western nigeria. Oduduwa later went down to earth to rule over the yoruba people, becoming their first king, ancestral folk hero and legendary home improvement expert. The beninife connection it is during the preparation for his coronation that the future oba chooses the title or name he is to be known as at his coronation.

At the east and the north, the yoruba culture arrives at its limits in the niger river. The orisha and the 12 gods of yoruba mythology ancient code. One of the particularly interesting elements is the history of oduduwa. One of oduduwas sons, oranmiyan, took the throne of benin and expanded the oduduwa dynasty eastwards. The history of ileife, the ancient yoruba kingdom with. In addition, the use to which the oduduwa factor has been put in contemporary yorubaland and nigeria as a whole confirms this observation. He was not only the first ruler of a unified ife, but also the progenitor of various independent royal dynasties in yorubaland and ancestor of their numerous crowned kings. Ife arts and the history of this important southwestern nigerian center, key aspects of this code can now be discerned. Indigenous yoruba populations can also be found in the republic of benin and togo 1. According to the yoruba account, oduduwa migrated to ileife from the middle east or a region located to the northeast of the atlantic coast and sent his. Oduduwa, whom yoruba historians claim to have created the world, is said to have undergone this work of creation at ileife.

Several legends concerning the origin and ancestry of oduduwa abound in yoruba and benin mythology. Check out this article to find out more about who or what oduduwa was. Yorubaland is the cultural region of the yoruba people in west africa. According to legend, the civilization currently known as yoruba started in ancient ileife. Obatala fashioned the first humans out of clay while. The throne of the osile oloko w as first occupied by oba oranyan l ast born of the seven ruling houses of oduduwa of yoruba land. There must have been many dynasties in ife, as ife legends put preoduduwa monarchs at more than ninety. Its premodern history is based largely on oral traditions and legends. Most of the acceptable traditions of yoruba origin. Several legends concerning the origin and ancestry of oduduwa abound in yoruba and benin. On the basis of comparative studies between the dynastic tradition of the.

May 20, 2017 emergence of oduduwa as the supreme high priest in elu posted on may 20, 2017 january 29, 2020 by oloolutof ileife, the city of the survivors where the dawn of the day was first experienced, head of the whole universe, the land of the most ancient days. Mar 04, 20 oduduwa, olofin adimula, emperor and founding father of the yoruba people, phonetically written by his people as oduduwa and sometimes contracted as odudua or oodua, is generally held among the. Oduduwa s relatives established kingdoms in the rest of yorubaland. Based to a large extent on the dynastic tradition of the formerly dominant oyo clan, it is presently in the process of reevaluation. One of oduduwa s sons, oranmiyan, took the throne of benin and expanded the oduduwa dynasty eastwards. Queen moremi ajasoro, wife of oduduwa, freedom fighter. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading oduduwa the story of the yoruba okiojos chronicles book 1. In oyo empire great yoruba ancestor and hero, oduduwa, who likely migrated to ileife and whose son became the first alaafin. They boast a rich culture which has influenced many other. I too, am not a historian, but rather an educated engineer who is a witness to history.

All the various tribes of the yoruba nation trace their origin from oduduwa and the city ile i fe. It was the most important and authoritative of all the early yoruba principalities. According to tradition he was the holder of the title of the. In this discourse, oduduwa is seen as the founder of the yoruba monarchical system, or at least, a founder of a prominent dynasty in yoruba history. Oduduwa was the first ruler in all of yoruba land and was seen as the yoruba spiritual progenitor. We would attempt to examine the influences on the language, dressing, food and cultural practices and norm of the yoruba people, in an attempt to reach a befitting conclusion as to the history of the yoruba, we would also include some folk lore and stories, to enable you the readers reach a strong conclusion. The history of ileife, the ancient yoruba kingdom with africas most. The history of the yorubas dates back to an era that existed before the ancient oyo empire of the 17th century. The benin traditional history claimed that the mythical ogiso or the god of the sky descending from heaven like oduduwa. Egba people are direct descendants of orafiyan, son and successor of oduduwa, the progenitor of yoruba people. The history of oduduwa temple in brazil started thirty years ago. The origin of the igbo people is a mystery and a subject of greater controversy, more controversial than that of every other ethnic group in nigeria and probably in africa. Egba people were parts of the famous precolonial african oyo empire kingdom in.

The personality of oduduwa has suffered many attacks in recent times. He is known as the omnipotent ruler of the yoruba pantheon, whose light brings life and vitality to all living things. Mar 15, 2010 in this discourse, oduduwa is seen as the founder of the yoruba monarchical system, or at least, a founder of a prominent dynasty in yoruba history. Oduduwa is frequently confused with the female goddess odudua but, so far as we can tell, they are utterly different deities. This article aims to shed more light on the origin and history of the yoruba people. Yoruba and benin kingdoms edo nation history and culture. By naiwu osahon a lot of dust was raised in the press in 2004 over the oduduwa issue. The greatest and the wellknown empire that ruled the region before the british arrived was the benin empire whose ruler was known as oba of benin. The inevitable starting point is their traditional accounts.

Ife was founded by the deities oduduwa and obatala when they created the world. There are so many versions of igbo origin and it is very difficult, or probably impossible to say which is the most real or most. Therefore, i would like to examine the history of lagos and who owns it. Ileife, also known as ife, ifelodun, or the kingdom of ife, is world famous for its clay ceramic, or terracotta heads, and copperalloy and bronze ornaments. For me, it is often when politics, religion, or ethnic history is being discussed. In fact ile i fe is fabled as the spot where god created man.

The history of nigeria can be traced back to as early as 11,000 bc when a number of ancient african communities inhabited the area that now makes nigeria. Ileife, also known as ife, ifelodun, or the kingdom of ife, is an ancient yoruba city situated in osun state in southwestern nigeria. O ownership dudu black in ifa, there are 16 major odu. He was not only the first ruler of a unified ife, 1 2 but also the progenitor of various independent royal dynasties in yorubaland and ancestor of their numerous crowned kings.

Saburi biobaku director of the yoruba historical research schzme, nigeria the history of the indigenous peoples of west africa is ripe for intensive research. The oduduwa myth and the farce of yoruba unity brunel. From those 16 major odu we can derive 256 combinations. It spans the modernday countries of nigeria, togo, and benin. Every now and then, one reads an article that makes one laugh and think seriously at the same time. The yorubas believe he is the father of the yorubas and progenitor of all yoruba obas and the oba of benin. Yoruba and ancient near eastern history, the present article argues that yoruba traditions of provenance, claiming immigration from the near east, are basically correct. Sep 07, 2012 the beninife connection it is during the preparation for his coronation that the future oba chooses the title or name he is to be known as at his coronation. The yoruba people, of which there is at the present time more than 25 million, occupies the western south corner of nigeria, by all the edge of dahomey and it extends until he himself dahomey. In oyo empire great yoruba ancestor and hero, oduduwa, who likely migrated to ileife and whose son became the first alaafin alafin, or ruler, of oyo. None ever disputed the fact that oranmiyan the last born of oduduwa also ruled the benin kingdom. History of osun state according to the oral history, oduduwas father lamurudu came from the east. Pdf a history of the yoruba people download ebook for free. The controversies on oduduwa are finally put to rest in this writeup.

Oduduwa, phonetically written as oduduwa, and sometimes contracted as odudua, oodua, is generally held among the yoruba to be the ancestor of the crowned yoruba kings. Decontaminating yoruba history by remi oyeyemi sahara. Linguistic evidence suggests that two waves of immigrants came into yorubaland between 700 and, the second settling at oyo in the open country north of the. Brief history of yoruba people, culture, religion and. Oduduwa had sixteen children we were told and the eldest was orangun of ila and the egbas in abeokuta were descendants of the female child of oduduwa named alaketu. Oduduwa therefore descended with his lieutenants and landed at ileife with a chain. The benin traditional history claimed that the mythical ogiso. Director of the yoruba historical research schzme, nigeria. According to tradition he was the holder of the title of the ooni of ileife, the yoruba holy city. This article brings you some interesting facts about the yoruba tribe in nigeria, and well be looking into their history, culture and religion the yoruba tribe is one of the three largest and most powerful ethnic groups in nigeria. According to yoruba religion, oduduwa became the ancestor of the first divine king of the yoruba. The origin of oduduwa and position of ileife and other yoruba cities and towns in history. She made a huge sacrifice using her son as a pledge to gain access to victory and liberate.

I will also look at the history of the yorubas, particularly the story of oduduwa and his ife kingdom. All students of history must carefully preserve this historical record as a reference point. History of oduduwa in yoruba land updated 2019 legit. Oduduwa the owner of the black womb oduduwa means the black one. Sources cannot agree whether he came from arabia, present day southern sudan, benin, egypt or ethiopia, but they do agree that he was an important prince in his land. Oduduwa children, alafin, moremi ajansoro, orangun ile ila, alara, ajero, oni sabe of save kingdom in benin republic, oba of benin, even oni of ife a guidance of ife shrine so alafin is the most imperial majesty in yoruba land, cc i may not good in history o but i always when the elders speak about our land. Olorun had two sons, obatala and oduduwa, who helped him develop the features of the earth.