Category: African History

 Sogidi Lake is a mysterious, sacred and mythical Lake in Awe; a town very close to Oyo town in Oyo state, Nigeria. The lake is reputed to have healing powers and people are forbidden from killing the fish in the lake or serving them as delicacies.

When the natives of Awe migrated from Ile-Ife they stayed under a tree called Igi Aruwewe, which they later shortened to Igi Awe, the place is reserved today for the coming generation to see.

There is a tree which had been in Awe since 1750, and it is still surviving; it is called “Igi Ogogo”. It is old and has holes in it but it never gets dry.

Introduction

The environment was dead quiet and cool with lush green-leafed tall trees enveloping the surroundings. Aside from the ornamental and colourful walls, the trees stood tall and created a kind of fence demarcating the site as a kind of forbidden and sacred groove. Mere looking at the environment; it’s enough to be scared and if alone you will most likely turn back.

The loosely constructed picaresque fairy tales contain many folklore elements: spirits, monsters, gods, magic, and witchcraft as described in D.O Fagunwa’s book “Igbo Irunmole” (Translated to “The Forest of a Thousand Daemons” by Prof Wole Soyinka) was all I could think of.

As I stood afar staring at the scary and supposedly sacred site, feeling reluctant and on the verge of turning back with my tails between my legs out of reserved fear, my guide saw through my mind, smiled calmly and said: “E ma bo, ko si iyonu” (come and have a closer look, there is no cause for alarm).

My guide gave me some warnings which I listened to earnestly, determined to put on my best behaviour, I moved towards the famed Sogidi Lake with my early biblical lessons rushing back with gusto and reminding me that “to obey is better than sacrifice”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI4dBeB_zrY

The Origin Of Sogidi Lake And How The Name: Sogidi Was Formed

The lake, Sogidi is as old as Awe town. The lake was discovered in 1750 when the town was founded.

When the founding monarch, Ilemolu and his entourage first arrived to found Awe, the monarch sent some hunters under the leadership of one “Metio” to search for water to quench their thirst.

Along the line, while in the bush, one of the hunters sighted some monkeys in trees and they pursued them. As one of them corked his local rifle, ready to shoot, another hunter discovered a pool of water under the tree where the monkey was.

The hunters stopped their partner from shooting, having found what they were looking for; water. They believed it was due to the assistance of the monkeys that they discovered the water.” The discovered water is a lake later named Sogidi.

As the hunters were celebrating the discovery of water, they also noticed some cherry fruits (agbalumo) by the lake, they tasted the cherry fruits and said it was a real fruit, and having found it tasty and delicious they cried out in their local dialect that it was a real fruit, “Eso gidi”, this was later shortened to Sogidi, which later became the name of the lake till date: “SOGIDI”.

Sogidi Mermaid

According to history, the aborigines of Awe insist that the Sogidi Lake has a mermaid. It was believed that the mermaid used to come out in the afternoon when everywhere is hot. Some claim the Sogidi mermaid comes out In the middle of the night up till now due to some signs discovered by the lake every morning.

The mermaid is believed to have a woman’s head down to her waist and the rest of her body is that of a fish with a big tail wagging. Local men insisted that the Sogidi Mermaid used to appear in November when celebrating Awe Day. It is believed that the mermaid does not come out again because of the dirtiness of human beings.

However it is believed that the Sogidi mermaid still shows herself that she is still around. Anytime a doubting Thomas wants to cause a stir at the lake or doubt her or mock her, the person would experience a lot of things such as he could have his head being too heavy and unable to move or one may hear strange things or objects being thrown into the lake producing strange sounds! Most times, the water on one’s head could be turning or foaming, all these show that the mermaid is still in the vicinity.

Another clear piece of evidence is that the mermaid requests for sacrifices which she takes in whole overnight up till date.

Forbidden Fishes

In the lake are fishes of all sizes and shapes swimming, splashing water and jumping. However, it is forbidden to kill the fish, many are believed to have lost their lives and their loved ones for trying it.

The fishes are strange. Some are as big as a human lap, others are tiny, but it is forbidden for anyone to kill or eat it as a delicacy. Nobody must kill the fish no matter how spiritually strong the person is, the fishes may die on their own in the lake as a result of old age while some bigger ones always swallow the smaller ones but no one must kill and eat them, the Awe indigenes know this and would not even try it.

It is believed that whoever kills the fish he or his family members are bound to die mysteriously! Such has happened before; there are two popular accounts as accounted for below.

It is also said that an Igbo man killed some of the fish and took them home for cooking but they were not done, he reportedly returned them again into the lake. The Igbo man faced lots of calamities till he died.

Also In 1973 when soldiers had their Barracks in Awe and Oyo, one of them had the effrontery to challenge the taboo. He went ahead and killed some of the fish, and when he cooked them they didn’t get cooked. Some even believed that the fishes were talking back to the soldier and out of fear, the soldier quickly returned the uncooked and speaking fishes back into the Sogidi lake. Seven days later three of the soldier’s children died, they were then living in Asalu’s compound, in Awe.

Sacrifice At The Sogidi Lake

Up till now, when it is prayer time or when the town is facing a calamity, the traditional worshippers offer prayers by the lake. It’s a mysterious thing that the animals offered as sacrifices to the lake disappear overnight.

According to the words of my tour guide: “If it demands a goat or a cow, what it demanded is tethered on one of the trees at a spot there. What surprises us is that before the next morning, the animal would have disappeared mysteriously.

Nobody would go there to take it, and nobody dare try it and that is Sogidi for you. And again if there is a need to offer a special sacrifice to the lake by the indigenes, each house will have to contribute money no matter how small and buy the cow or goat and when it is slaughtered no matter what, all the indigenes must partake in having their own share, no matter how small the size given out, every household must have their fair share.”

Spiritual Powers Of Sogidi Lake

From afar, the Sogidi water looks dirty and contaminated but when you move closer, and you take some to examine it, it is as clear as crystals. Sogidi water could appear rough but it is clean, healthy and good for drinking as well as being highly medicinal.

The water tastes like any of the well-treated and bottled water. The mystery is that as a lake which does not flow nor does any flow into it, it is good. However, during the rainy season, it overflows its banks. Since 1750, there has never been any record of cholera breakout in the town as a result of drinking the water.

As early as 7 a.m. women come out to sweep the surrounding and keep it clean. According to Ojedele, Nobody is allowed to go into the compound with shoes or sandals on, that is the rule. Aside from that, nobody is allowed to scoop the water with a bowl, but buckets are dipped into it in order to fetch it (the water). In the olden days, gourds were the only acceptable thing used to fetch it, but nowadays buckets are allowed, and this is dipped in once.

Aside from the fact that Sogidi Lake is a good tourist attraction for all activities, it is a gift from the above for Awe indigenes and visitors. People visit the lake for spiritual reasons and in search of spiritual breakthroughs from life problems.

Testimonies From Beneficiaries Of The Spiritual Powers Of Sogidi Lake

My tour guide recounted how one of those whose prayers had been answered by the power of the lake had returned to thank Sogidi and assisted in painting the wall, as a sign of appreciation.

According to a woman who is in her 90s claimed to used the Sogidi Lake water when she was looking for a child. “I know many would say because they are Christians or Muslims they would not believe, but it is what had happened and it is still happening today.

While those who had benefitted from the mysterious water would be feeling too shy to own up but in the wee hours of the day they would secretly come there to take the water. It is real. I have delivered seven children through the assistance of Sogidi Lake.”

Mrs. Maria Okediwura, an indigene of Awe also testified to the healing and medicinal powers of Sogidi water. She said, “Many come from Oyo town, Lagos and from overseas to take from the water for healing and lots of people used to come irrespective of their religious affiliations.

They will bring assorted cans, bottles and plastic bottles to take the water, in fact, some send for it from overseas. I can testify to it that many women who used the water while looking for the fruits of the womb got children, and some too got healing,

We are happy that even the so-called pastors do come there to scoop from the water and pray on it for their followers or for those seeking for God’s favour. The Muslims, Christians and Aladura people come there too.”

Testifying further to the efficacy and spiritual healing of the water, 88-year-old Chief Oguntobi Joseph; who is one of the high chiefs in Awe described the lake as a gift to the town. “I am old now. I cannot tell you all but go and ask the custodian of the place he will tell you all about the mystery of Sogidi. It is a good tourist attraction for all activities, it is a gift from the above,” the old man said with total conviction.

A Neglected Tourist Site

Though it was once in a thick forest, Sogidi Lake has become part of the town, as buildings have been erected in the area. It is now very accessible. Unlike in those days when nobody could near the vicinity around. Today, to an extent one is free to go there at any time of the day, with no more fear.

Gossip chairs were erected in front of the Sogidi Lake where Indigenous youths and men sit in the evening to have casual chats, play games and drink concentrated palm wine (emu ogidi).

In spite of all the stories on Sogidi, the place has not been given proper care, according to the custodian, Pa Stephen Adebayo Ojedele, “The Oyo State government has not done enough to make the place be a tourist centre as it should be, though some years back they came to assist and they built these brick moulded benches and also provided the fence to make it secure but since then it had been abandoned and left alone. We as individuals are the ones taking care of the place, it is painful, that it is no longer appreciated by the government.”

 

 

Ile-Ife, as a religious and cultural matrix of the Yorubas and its cradle, has unique importance in its history. Many, if not all Obas in Yorubaland, left Ile-Ife for their various settlements.

Derin Ologbenla was the 45th Ooni of Ife (1880 – 1894), a paramount traditional ruler of Ile Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorubas.

He succeeded Ooni Ooni Orarigba and was succeeded by Ooni Adelekan Olubuse I

DERIN OLOGBENLA

Aderinsoye Ologbenla, an Ooni-elect, who had reigned in Ile-Ife for eight years and continued in this capacity until his death.

Ooni Derin Ologbenla was a scion of the Giesi ruling house, Ile-Ife; same with the current ruling Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

His name was Aderinsoye, but popularly called Derin. The short form of his name; Aderinsoye. “Ologbenla” is one of his praise names, meaning-”a person who inflicts heavy wounds.”

After Derin Ologbenla’s army, in his war expedition, had conquered the Ondos, he left Ondo to pitch his army in Olori-Igbo, seven miles to Ondo.

Later, his army decided to found a town, in memory of their conquest and chose the present Okeigbo site, where they first passed their fateful night; “let’s move to this hill in the bush.”(Oke Igbo). Okeigbo is a hilly and thickly forested environment.

DERIN OLOGBENLA: A FIERCE AND RENOWNED WARRIOR

After conquering Egba Agbehi, It was said that Derin became Balogun under Maye when Ibadan was founded after maye was overthrown in revolt organized by the Oyos and Egbas. Based on this, Derin left Ibadan back to Ile-Ife

He built a strong army composed of stalwarts whose stock in trade was to carry out war expeditions in aid of those who were being unjustly attacked and were weak.

His first war expedition was to aid Ijesa against their Oyo enemies.

Derin’s method of fighting war was so unique that whenever he got to the war front, he would invoke charm and become invisible to his enemies and began to apply his sword in such a miraculous way that people began to see heads and bodies in hundreds lying on the ground and blood flowing like water in the streets without seeing the people doing the beheading.

As a result of this, so many community leaders invited him to help them in fighting their enemies; because of his various victories in wars, his army decided to found a town in memory of their conquest and close to the present Okeigbo site where they first pass the night.

They named the new settlement Okeigbo! that is (a hill in the bush). It was here Derin Ologbenla became famous throughout Yoruba-land, due to the influence Derin wielded in those days, many other immigrants from various places such as Abeokuta, Ijebu, Ifewara, Ilesa, Ofa and many other towns too (numerous to mention) came to settle in Oke-igbo.

HOW DERIN OLOGBENLA FOUNDED OKE IGBO

Derin Ologbenla the founder of Okeigbo as mentioned earlier was a warrior from Ile-Ife whose trade was to prosecute war on behalf of the poor and the oppressed.

It was through one of his efforts to liberate people that he founded what we know today as Okeigbo.

Although, no official date could be given as when precisely Okeigbo was founded but history has it that the period between 1830 and 1840 are most likely to be the period that Okeigbo was founded.

Derin Ologbenla was said to have received an invitation from Ajibike, an Ifa consultant to Ooni Adegunle Abewela between the periods of 1839-1849.

Ajibike was also serving Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Arilekolasi who as at that time was deeply engrossed in a battle with his own subjects.

Derin being a friend of Ajibike was invited to liberate the Osemawe from the shackles of his subjects who are bent on killing him.

Derin Ologbenla who as that time was in Ijesha after he has assisted them to win a war deflected his army from Isoroge to Ondo.

Although, the decision did not go down well with the Ijesha, he went ahead to pursue his purpose of liberating Osemawe.

Initially, he sent three spies to go to Ondo and bring back the situation report and assess the strength of the Ondos.

After, they came back with their report, he was said to have assembled other notable war veterans who included: Ife prince, Are, Sowo from Egba Owu, Adumbu from Origbo, Onileowo from Origbo, Ebi from Ijesha, Esubi from Offa and Jarogungbo from Origbo and Kuole an Oyo man who had settled in Origbo.

The journey to Ondo from Ife was through uninhabited jungle traversed by only powerful hunters.

The journey to Ondo began as Ooni Derin Assembled 75 soldiers who carried their weapons through the thick forest, hills, rivers and streams on their way to Ondo.

It was on their way to Ondo that they arrived at a place where they met one Ife hunter who goes by the name ‘Ojoge’.

Ooni Derin was said to have persuaded his soldiers to pass the night at that place which later became what we know today as Okeigbo.

Another thing was said to have happened mid-way in the night was the disappearance of Ojoge, the Ife hunter.

The next morning when he appeared, he was said to have been interrogated and it was discovered that his defection in the night was to inform the Ondo people about an invading army.

Upon the discovery of his betrayal, he was executed at a place that is today the current site of Saint Andrew’s Primary School, Okeigbo.

Although, Ojoge was executed for his betrayal, a stream he discovered was named after him and today it is known as ‘Odo-Ojoge’ in Okeigbo.

As expected, the Ondo people who have been informed about an invading army had assembled at Odosida, a well prepared army ready to rout the Derin’s gendarme.

As the war progressed, Derin was said to have invoked charms and incantations which made him automatically invincible for the Ondos and aftermath of this, the Ondo soldiers in their hundreds were murdered by Derin who was said to have used his sword to unleash hell on the Ondos who were subsequently defeated.

After the victory of Derin and his soldiers he was said to have told his men that they should go back and to that place ‘Okeigbo’ meaning ‘over the bushes’ at a place were they had earlier settled and that was how ‘Okeigbo’ was born.

History further has it that the Osemawe who Derin and his soldiers came to liberate was killed by his people before Derin could reach to him, but he was said to have been given a befitting burial and Derin installed another head for the town.

The Town is said to have five ruling quarters, ‘The Ologbenla’, the ‘Aare agedegudu’ , Ajibike, the ‘Odo Eleyowo’, and the ‘Kuole’

ILE-IFE AND OKE-IGBO

Okeigbo Town is in Ileoluji Local Government Area of Ondo State. Popularly Known as ‘the small jerusalem, different people from different source co-opt the Town.

Okeigbo people are essentially ife in customs and traditions, the grouping of okeigbo with Ondo province at the beginning was for administrative convenience of the British Government who would not want their district officer to travel the distance from Ife to Okeigbo, about 30miles away when one was stationed at Ondo 10miles away.

The people of Okeigbo then were farmers, prosperous ones at that, the largest producers of cocoa in ondo province. Okeigbo-Ondo road was built in 1916-1919 and later 1950s Ife-Okeigbo road was constructed.

Okeigbo that was a cosmopolitan town was divided, one part moved to present Osun State, Ifetedo, just a stone throw to Okeigbo and now the headquarters of Ife South Local Government Council.

DERIN OLOGBENLA FOUNDATION

A foundation chaired and most likely founded by Prince Adedoyin Derin-Ologbenla with the motto: “OUR GIFT FROM GOD, A GIFT TO HUMANITY”

The foundation focuses on rendering service to humanity by empowering youths. After they carried out a survey, they discovered some youths are willing to learn hand work to become entrepreneurs but couldn’t afford the financial requirement.

DERIN-OLOGBENLA FOUNDATION (DOF) has helped in providing 50% financial involvement in learning hand work and craft in the following fields: Fashion Designing, Hairdressing and Catering for lucky youths within ile – ife.

•••

 

 

QUEEN LUWOO GBAGIDA; THE FIRST AND ONLY FEMALE OONI OF IFE

The Ooni of Ife is seen as the most supreme or paramount sovereign in Ile Ife, which is regarded as the source of the Yoruba race.

Generally, he is recognised by his subjects as their spiritual leader and Chief Custodian of traditions. 

The Ooni dynasties can be traced back to hundreds of years and it was perceived that men have always occupied the revered stool. 

There was no date to give an exact clue to how long she was on the thrown for. Dating only started from the 38th Ooni Akinmoyero 1770 – 1800, yet some historians claim that Ooni Luwo Gbagida reigned around 1100. 

Also, this revelation tells forgotten story of women involvement in contributing to the society, not just as workers but as a leaders.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Ilè-Ifẹ̀ is a town in Osun state seen as the cradle and ancestral home and source of the Yoruba race, making any presiding ruler, the Ọọ̀ni, a reverred and very powerful leader.

Because Nigerian ancient history was mostly passed down through oral tradition, transcribed lists of the previous Oonis differ and sometimes, contradict each other. 

However, most accounts have stated that a female, Ooni Luwoo Gbagida, was the 21st Ooni of Ife, the supreme traditional ruler of Ile Ife. She succeeded the 21st Ooni of Ife, Ooni Giesi and was succeeded by the 22nd Ooni of Ife, Ooni Lumobi. 

Ooni Luwo Gbagida was crowned spiritual leader, and chief custodian of the source of the Yoruba race around 1100CE.

As reported, she was a woman of immense physical beauty – a proper “slay queen” who took pride in her attractiveness.

Though she was once the most paramount sovereign of Yoruba land, history has not been kind to her legacy.

www.legit.ng 

Lúwo Gbàgìdá, descendant of Otaataa from Owode compound, Okerewe. She was the first and only female to take the crown as Ooni after the demise of Ooni Giesi. 

She was said to have been married to Chief Ọbalọran of Ilode and became the mother of Adekola Telu, the founder and Oluwo of Iwo town.

(Some historical piece claims that Obaloran was also a king not a chief; there were many obas in Ile Ife, apart from the Ooni).

LUWOO GBAGIDA: A BEAUTIFUL, CLASSY AND CIVILIZED QUEEN

It is reported that the female Ooni was a beautiful and sophisticated queen who took pride in her physical appearance and that of her surroundings.

She was also known to be the one to commission unique Yoruba custom of construction of decorative pavements; open-air courtyards paved the pottery shreds.

She was also known to commission the unique Yoruba custom of construction of decorative pavements and open-air courtyards paved with pottery shreds.

The streets of Ile-Ife were paved with quartz pebbles and broken pottery as punishment for anyone who committed an offence.

The offenders were ordered to bake the clay, and afterwards use their bare hands to break it into pieces and then lay it on the floor for the queen to walk on.

She was so sophisticated and finicky that she refused to walk on the bare floor, and some of the hand-made clay tiles she walked on while she reigned are still available in parts of Ife and other parts of Yoruba land she visited while on the throne.

OONI LUWOO GBAGIDA’S PRINCIPLES

Ooni Luwo Gbagida was said to hate injustice and cheating, she was just and punished erring townspeople accordingly, she was very hardworking and expected the best possible contribution from everyone.

Queen Luwoo was said not to spare the menfolk when they offend her or her constituted authority.

She was noted to ride erring men as horses for violating laws. She was a terror to lazy people.

But because of her principles, she was perceived as wicked and a terror to the Yoruba people and deemed “uncontrollable” and “high-handed” by the elders of the land. 

After her reign ended, the council of Obas came together and vowed to never make a woman the Ooni of Ife again.

WRONG MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT QUEEN LUWOO GBAGIDA

It’s intriguing that Ile-Ife once had a female Ooni. There must be very good reasons Queen Luwoo was trusted to be crowned in her time – a concept known as “gender equality”.

Also, this revelation tells forgotten story of women involvement in contributing to the society, not just as workers but as a leaders.

There was no record of luw Gbagida marrying plenty of husbands just because she can, afterall kings are known for their taste in multiple women once they assume the throne.

 Like many kings of that era, not much was written about Queen Luwoo except that she was another person to grace the throne.  

While working on this historical piece, My Woven Words came across different online platforms and books that described Ooni Luwo Gbagida as a merciless and harsh queen.

They failed to mention how she was hardworking, just, neat, innovative, efficient, civil and smart.

She is known to birth a great king among others; Oluwo Adekola Telu. She started a dynasty that has thrived for centuries.

The current Oluwo of Iwo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Dr. AbdulRasheed Adewale Akanbi is from her bloodline. 

REFERENCES:

• Dayo, Ologundudu (2008). The cradle of Yoruba culture. Nigeria: Centre for spoken words. p. 206. ISBN 0615220630. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
• www.osundefender.com
• www.oldnaija.com
• www.pulse.com
• www.legit.ng
• folakemiodoaje.com

Drop your opinion in the comment session below

 

 

•••

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2019 by My Woven Words: No part of this published blogpost and all of its contents may be reproduced, on another platform or webpage without a prior permission from My Woven Words except in the case of brief quotations cited to reference the source of the blogpost and all its content and certain other uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, contact the admin on admin@johnsonokunadea.com, or WhatsApp/Text him on 07036065752

 

Oba Sir Adesoji Aderemi was a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael & St. George (KCMG), Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), the first African Governor of Western Nigeria and the late Ooni of Ife.

Brief Introduction

During the colonial era, the Oba Ooni gained a considerable amount of power due to the colonial policy of indirect rule and being labelled a first-class Oba among traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

The policy of indirect rule was used to ensure native awareness and consultations about colonial policies affecting the regions. The British leaned on existing native political structures and hierarchy, particularly the Nigerian traditional rulers, for political consultation and tax collection.

Later on, the Ooni with the consent of the leading Yoruba political leaders used his position to close the gaps of exploitation of divisional differences among Yorubas and tried fervently to rally the Yoruba towards a common goal.

In 1962, the king acting as governor, used his power to remove the premier of the region, sensing the premier did not have the support of the majority members of the House of Assembly. The event escalated the political rivalries in the region.

The Birth Of Oba Sir Adesoji

He was born on the 15th of November 1889, during the turbulence of the Yoruba civil war to Prince Gbadebo of the Osinkola ruling house of Ile Ife and Madam Adekunbi of Ipetumodu, Ife north local govt, in the absence of his warrior father, who was on a war expedition; he was named Adesoji Aderemi.

On Prince Gbadebo’s return, Adesoji’s older sister Ibiyemi, unable to contain her excitement at the news had to be held back from initial physical contact with her war-weary and juju-laden father.

Until he had rid himself of his protective war attire by appeasing his gods, then was it safe to embrace his family. Prince Gbadebo being an Ifa priest, presented his newborn to his Ifa Oracle demanding to know what the future holds for the new baby Aderemi.

The father was told to bow to his son. The Ifa predicted that baby Aderemi, was going to wear the crown of his ancestors, that his reign would be known far and wide, and he would come in contact with strangers in faraway places.

Prince Gbadebo told his wife to get coral beads to dress his son as was customary for royalty. In the belief of the oracle, mother-Adekunbi went into protective mode, always washing Aderemi in herbs, until he outgrew her methods.

Having lost his father at eight years of age, he was subsequently raised by his mother. The emergence of Christianity dissuaded his mother from the traditional family worship of Ifa, hence his enrollment at the new local Christian primary school of St. Phillips, Ife, as one of the first students in Ife to attend a local school in 1901.

The Young Prince Aderemi’s Resolute Vision

The young Prince Aderemi had a vision. His objection to farming with his much older and beloved brother, Papa Prince Adeyemo, led to his enrollment at the Anglican primary school at Aiyetoro, Ile-Ife.

Under the tutelage and mentorship of Revd Canon J Adejumo, aka Baba Aiyetoro, who later became his father-in-law. He had an affinity for the law profession and could have travelled to the United Kingdom for the law programme, with his contemporaries of the day – Bashiru August.

Not Aderemi, he had a date with Destiny – the Ife Crown. Despite losing his father Prince Gbadebo so early, he kept his ambition on track, thanks to the beady eye of his mother.

Oba Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi As The Governor Of The Western Region

Oba Aderemi was the first African Governor in the British Empire and Commonwealth. His reign as the governor of the Western Region of Nigeria was a very interesting one.

During colonial rule, the Ooni gained a considerable amount of power due to the colonial policy of indirect rule and being labelled a first-class Oba among traditional rulers in Yoruba land.

The policy of Indirect rule was used to ensure native awareness and consultations about colonial policies affecting the regions.

The British leaned on existing native political structures and hierarchy, particularly the traditional rulers for political consultation and tax collection.

Later on, the Ooni with the consent of the leading Yoruba political leaders used his position to close the gaps of exploitation of divisional differences among Yorubas and tried fervently to rally the Yoruba towards a common goal.

In 1962, the king acting as governor, used his power to remove the premier of the region, sensing the premier did not have the support of the majority members of the House of Assembly. The event escalated the political rivalries in the region.

Ascension To The Throne As Ooni Of Ife (1930-1980)

Prince Aderemi’s wealth and exposure made him the clear candidate to rise to the throne of Ile-Ife.

Upon the death of Oba Ademiluyi Ajagun, his predecessor, he became the outstanding contestant for the throne.

On the 2nd of September, he became the 49th Ooni of Ife. He was widely dubbed the first literate Ooni.

Oba Aderemi quickly acclimatised himself to his new environment, at 40, he was one of the youngest of the Yoruba Obas at the time.

Oba Aderemi with the aid of the traditional Ife elders, (Obalufe, Obajio, Obaloran, Wasin, Obalaye, Akogun, Jagunosin, Ejesi), formed the administrative set-up that transformed the ancient town in the next decade.

Oba Aderemi championed Education during his reign as Ooni, which was the sentiment behind the foundation of Oduduwa College in January 1932.

Oba Aderemi personally funded the construction of the Secondary School, a model institution at the time; Oba Aderemi believed that the surest way to facilitate and sustain modernisation was through education.

A great landmark of his reign pertaining to education was the foundation of the University of Ife, which many attributed to Oba Aderemi’s influence in the ruling Government, with the Ooni tenaciously proposing Ife as the ideal location for the foremost institution to be situated.

Oba Aderemi constructed the main building of his palace, which remains a mainstay of the Ife palace to date – with its unique colonial style. Ooni Aderemi served as the permanent chairman of the council of Obas from 1966-1980.

In June 1948, after responding to a request from some Yoruba students abroad for the establishment of an Egbe Omo Oduduwa in Nigeria, the Egbe or group was formally inaugurated in Ife.

The group was created to unite the disparate sub-ethnic Yoruba groups. Aderemi also found himself in the midst of a disagreement between the people of Ife and Modakeke.

The disagreement arose when a Modakeke progressive union began to protest unfair charges by land owners from Ife.

After some disturbances, the case was transferred to the courts but the then-highest court of appeal ruled against Modakeke. However, a rival group, the Egbe Omo Ibile Ife also arose causing disturbances in the town.

His reign as Ooni was remarkably peaceful, with his innovative ideas in business creating a pathway to wealth for a lot of indigenes, especially in the agriculture industry, where he was a business leader himself.

Oba Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi’s Legacy

Oba Adesoji Tadenikawo Aderemi (1889-1980), was an exceptional leader.

Ooni Aderemi was a core protagonist of the Yoruba Renaissance and a hero of Nigerian nationalism.

Below are some of the positions and responsibilities he assumed between 1930 and 1980.

• Ooni of Ife – 1930-1980
• Permanent Chairman, Yoruba Council of Obas 1937-1951
• Member, Legislative Council of Nigeria 1946- 1951
• Delegate to African Conference, London – 1948
• Member of the Nigerian Federal House of Representatives 1952-1954
• Minister in the Central Government- 1952- 1954
• President, Western House of Chiefs – 1952- 1960
• Head of the Nigerian Delegation to the Coronation of the Queen – 1953
• Delegate to Various Nigeria Constitutional Conferences- 1953-1958
• First Black African Governor (Western Region of Nigeria) – 1960-1962
• Permanent Chairman Western/Oyo State Council of Obas- 1966-1980

It’s astonishing how he managed to keep his large home of a harem of 13 wives, 63 children and numerous related dependents on one hand, the institution of the seat of Oduduwa which is the most revered position in Yoruba land for fifty glorious years that could be said to be the apogee of development of Ife land.

More intriguing was his ability to be a friend of the colonial masters, represent them on one side and on another hand be at the forefront of nationalism and lead other active politicians without losing focus or losing dignity.

Ooni Aderemi was on the star list of the fifty eminent Nigerians that were honored at the fiftieth Independence anniversary of Nigeria in October 2010.

CONCLUSION

Consummate politician, astute businessman, a diplomat second to none, and a natural ruler, who knew instinctively, that power hinges on the strength of a monarchy being able to reinvent and evolve itself, so as to keep moving into the future.

He was ahead of his time. He built his today, with his tomorrow in focus.

Oba Adesoji Aderemi was a traditional ruler, the spiritual head of the YORUBA people and a public figure, having been the Sole Administrator of the IFE NATIVE AUTHORITY during colonial rule, a minister in the first central government of Nigeria constituted in 1951, a member of all the constitutional conferences leading to Nigeria’s independence and the first black governor in the English commonwealth upon his installation as the governor of the Western Region of Nigeria in 1960.

He had many firsts, which included being the first indigenous governor in black Africa and the British Commonwealth, (before Nigerian independence in October of 1960) whilst still holding down his spiritual job, as the Ooni of Ife and running successful produce, commodities trading, mining and transport businesses.

He eventually joined his ancestors on 3rd July 1980, after 50 glorious years on the throne of Ile-Ife, the cradle of Yoruba culture and civilization.

“The labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain.”

SOURCES:

• Onigegewura
• BBC: https://www.bbc.com/yoruba/afrika-48527988

Written By Johnson Ade Okunade

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2019 by My Woven Words: No part of this published blogpost and all of its contents may be reproduced, on another platform or webpage without a prior permission from My Woven Words except in the case of brief quotations cited to reference the source of the blogpost and all its content and certain other uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, contact the admin on admin@johnsonokunadea.com, or WhatsApp/Text him on 07036065752

 

Ogbomoso (also pronounced Ogbomosho) is one of the major cities in Nigeria. A Yoruba land located in South-Western Nigeria, the city was founded around the mid-1600s by the five earliest settlers; Aale of Okelerin, Ohunsile of Ijeru, Orisatolu of Isapa, Akandie of Isale-Afon and Ogunlola of Igbo Igbale under the Ajagbon tree.

Introduction

Geographically, Ogbomoso is located approximately between latitude 8° 15 North of the equator and longitude 4° 11 East of the Greenwich Meridian.

In terms of boundary location, Ogbomoso in the olden days lies between the terrain of powerful ancient kingdoms of Igbon, Ikoyi, and Iresa and is bounded in the South by Ede and Iwo.

Ogbomoso is mainly in the Savannah and land with isolated forest within it.

Ogbomoso people predominantly belong to the Yoruba ethnic group According to the 2006 census the population was approximately 645,000 emerging as the second largest city in Oyo state and the twelfth largest city in the whole of Nigeria. In recent times the population has climbed to more than one million people.

The 1963 Census findings positioned Ogbomoso as the third most populous city in the Western Region and the fourth in the entirety of Nigeria.

Situated as a border town between the West and the North, Ogbomoso held significant importance within the ancient Oyo Empire, experiencing a surge in population following the Empire’s decline.

Its illustrious history and strategic geographic position made Ogbomoso a focal point for both local and distant populations. Notably, the Ogbomoso people achieved a decisive victory over the Alimi Jihadist forces from the north, showcasing the town’s strength.

This strength was further evident in its remarkable feat of producing five different Aare Onakakanfo, the Generalissimo of the Yoruba land, surpassing all other towns in the region.

According to a pioneer Baptist Missionary who recorded his travel in The Romance of Missions in Nigeria;  Rev. S. G. Pinnock described the town in these words: “Ogbomosho in 1891 was a walled city, the gates of which were closely watched by day and securely closed by night. There was little or no communication between it and Oyo and Ilorin which were only thirty miles to the north and south.

The town, picturesque and well-watered was isolated from the rest of the Yoruba towns. Political relations were maintained with Ibadan, for the country depended on its security on the warriors of Ogbomosho and Ikirun. The strength of Ogbomosho lay in the wall and moat surrounding the town, and the warriors made full use of it by sitting close and tight”

Farming, agriculture and general commerce form the backbone of Ogbomoso’s economy. Agricultural products include yams, cassava, maize, and tobacco remain notable agricultural products of the region. The main street in Ogbomoso is the Oyo-Ilorin road.

One of the prominent landmarks is the central mosque, which towers over the traditional walled compounds of private houses and the parts of the old wall that remain. Ogbomosho has other mosques, and several churches and is the headquarters of the American Baptist Church of Nigeria and its theological seminary.

The closest airport to Ogbomoso is Ilorin Airport which is approximately 42 miles away.

The Five Early Settlers

Ogunlola was of Ibariba descent. He came to the area now known as Ogbomoso in pursuit of his hunting profession. He stayed under the ajagbon tree (still by the side of the palace) and used the branches for hanging gears.

The whole place was at this time (around the middle of the seventeenth century), a dense jungle. He Ogunlola was an expert archer and brave hunter. Later he and his wife, Esuu, built their hut by the side of the ajagbon tree.

Ogunlola noticed smoke oozing from some nearby locations. He took courage and approached these places and discovered other hunters.

The first one named Aale was a Nupe elephant hunter who had his camp in a place known today in Ogbomoso as Oke-Elerin (Elephant Hill),

Second called Onsile at the site now known as Ijeru quarters was an Otta Prince who left his place because of a chieftaincy dispute. His descendants became Baales of Ijeru,

The third Orisatolu a hunter who had camped at Isapa quarters. the fourth rarely mentioned in history is Akandie of Akandie quarters. The descendants of the first three of these hunters are still today the Bales of Oke-elerin, Ijeru and Isapa quarters respectively. There is no more Bale Akandie.

He later went to invite them to his camp. Ogunlola established his supremacy over these hunters because his wife was very good at preparing tobacco snuff and corn-wine which always attracted the tree hunters to his camp. Apart from that, disputes were always settled in Soun Ogunlola’s camp as the settlement became bigger.

Ogunlola was a very fierce man. Esuu feared what might be her fate whenever she offended her husband; particularly when there was no one near their hut to act as a check on him. She, therefore, designed a mound near the hut and by consensus, they decided that whenever

Ogunlola wanted to beat up Esuola, if she could escape and embrace the mound, whatever the nature of the offence, he must spare her. This mound is named Lorungbekun (Olorun-gbo-Ekun) meaning God listened to cries in English and is still within the Abata enclosure in the palace. Esuola became known as Esuola Lorungbekun because of this mound.

After the discovery of these hunters, Ogunlola took the initiative to invite them to form Egbe Alongo (The Alongo Society). The primary objectives of the society were:

• Defence against Sunmoni (slave prowler) raids
• Group hunting of wild animals, and
• Mutual assistance.

Esuu, the wife of Ogunlola introduced the worship of Orisapopo to Ogbomoso. This object of worship is the same as Orisala and is worshipped in different towns under different names. The worshippers are distinguished by white beads worn around their necks and wearing only white dresses. Drinking of palm wine is forbidden to them.

The name orisapopo was probably derived from the fact that Ogunlola’s hut was on the north-south route, therefore, the Orisala being worshipped in the hut was named “Orisapopo” (idol by the highway).

The importance and influence of ‘Orisapopo’ among the citizens of Ogbomoso is immense. It can be described as the patron “Orisa” of Ogbomoso.

How Ogunlola Became the First Soun of Ogbomoso

Ogunlola Ogundiran was lucky to have a wife like Lorungbekun Esuola. Lorungbekun Esuola, the wife of Ogunlola Ogundiran, was equally found not only to be enterprising in terms of preparing good meals or food and drink (of Sekete wine) prepared from sorghum or millet or guinea corn but was also very accommodating to those who visited her husband.

One is not sure but it is likely that because Ogunlola provided some Leadership qualities, the Alongo society and indeed other later arrivals began to recognize his leadership style and suzerainty, or was there a consensus agreement to make him assume a leadership role?

At any rate, what became obvious and certain was that he was recognized as their leader and probably because he married Aresa’s daughter and gave birth to a baby, Aresa sent his emissary to Igbo-Igbale, his son-in-law’s place with the message: “Ile gbogbo, Ile Owo ni, awa o ma sehin, ki eyin ma se ohun” literarily meaning: “You take care or to take charge of that place and we shall take care of this place.”

According to some historians, the “ki eyin ma se ohun” saga happened to Ogunlola Ogundiran’s father known as Gboorungunle. They insist that it was Soun’s father, Gboorungunle that married Aresa’s Daughter.

To an extent, this was the beginning of the turning point of favourable development to favour Soun. Thus from the onset of Soun’s arrival, historical development began to turn to his side. It is instructive to note that Ogunlola’s little settlement; “Se ohun” was even at this time still relatively unknown, but the settlement became known somehow.

That was the prevailing situation when Ogunlola Ogundiran was accused of murder. There are two versions of the stories of the murder case on Ogunlola. One version of the story was that passers-by on a trade mission via his hut had a quarrel and in what followed, Ogunlola took sides with one of the parties and killed an Ijesa man on the other side of the divide.

The other story was that Ogunlola’s wife, Lorungbekun Esuola was indebted to an Ijesa itinerant trader and was unable to pay off her debt. Trouble ensued between Ijesa Itinerary creditor and Ogunlola Ogundiran, the husband of Lorungbekun Esuola who subsequently killed Baba Ijesa.

The Incident was reported to Olugbon as it was the practice, who in turn sent Ogunlola, the offender to Oyo-Ile to face the music since murder cases were decided by Alaafin but as will be seen turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

It was while Ogunlola was serving his prison punishment that he heard of the notorious, dreaded Elemoso who was tormenting, terrorizing and interrupting the free flow of trade in the Oyo empire. Ogunlola promised if allowed to face Elemoso at the Ogbooro war, he would eliminate him, a feat which he eventually achieved.

It was said that this was around 1680. Thus the indomitable Bariba Elemoso who had become a thorn in the flesh of Oyo traders and Oyo military men, having carefully studied his tactics, positioned himself, shot and beheaded Elemoso through the use of his poisoned arrow. This prowess amazed Alaafin Ajagbo who pardoned Ogunlola Ogundiran of his offence when he vanquished the troublesome Elemoso.

It is said that he asked Ogunlola to stay in Oyo but he declined and returned to his settlement. In compensation, Alaafin ordered Soun Ogunlola to control his former abode, and Soun’s request to stay yonder was granted, thus, “Ido eniti o gbe Ori Elemoso” literarily meaning: “the abode of one who carried Elemoso’s head” later contracted to “Ogbori Elemoso” now Ògbómòsó.

Recent research stories recall that Alaafin Ajagbo gave Soun Ogunlola clothes, beads and a staff of office or sword of victory and made him Baale. It is not out of place to say that the sword of victory over Elemoso at Ogbooro war recognized by Alaafin of Oyo was a mark of absolute independence of Ògbómòsó and indeed a mark of equality with any ancient town under metropolis if the Old Oyo Empire.

The victory of Soun over Elemoso created the Soun dynasty. This feat as demonstrated by Soun Ogunlola was the turning point and without any doubt of ambiguity helped him to ascend to the throne as Baale (Mayor) or Oba and accelerated the influx of new Yorùbá migrants on a trade mission to Ògbómòsó.

How The Name Ogbomoso was Formed

The most popular and most acceptable explanation centres around the decapitation by Soun Ogunlola Ogundiran of Elemoso which has been explained already. It is equally backed by the writing of Professor Emmanuel A. Ayandele, the learned Professor of History, who is also a son of the soil.

Thus, Soun Ogunlola, the brave warrior’s place of abode was nicknamed “O gbe Ori-Elemoso” (one who carries Elemoso’s head), with the passage of time, it was shortened to Ogbomoso.

The point, therefore, is that the coming back of Soun, the great archer and conqueror from the sword of death in Oyo with his celebrated victory over Elemoso was a landmark not only in the history of Oyo but that a new town was firmly established and firmly consolidated as an autonomous town.

By the turn of the 17th century and the time of Soun Ogunlola’s death, all clans and settlements in the vicinity of Ògbómòsó; Alapa of Okin-Apa, Onikoyi of Ikoyi, Olugbon of Orile-Igbon and Aresa of Iresa the father of his mother because of his military skill and ingenuity already discussed and noted, all were either trying to woo him but most importantly began to recognize his suzerainty.

They could no longer claim superiority. In fact, Soun Ogunlola’s fame had spread far and beyond to towns places like Ajagusi, Aolu of Ajase Ipo and Olufon of Ifon.

Most of the early settlers who came from these places were to produce the first set of warlords like Aareago and Jagun and most importantly, because the early arrivals – Aale, Ohunsile, Orisatolu and Akandie together with all their offsprings either lost out or completely failed to exercise their authority in all forms at this time in question.

Before the death of Soun Ogunlola, his wife, Lorungbekun Esuola was said to have established the worship of a deity known as “Orisa Popo”.

The first Soun gave birth to many children including Lakale, Kekere Esuo, Eiye Agannaganna, Arapasopo and Jogioro but was actually replaced on the throne by his first Male child, Lakale.

Soun Ogunlola Ogundiran also had a daughter called Saderin.

The Ogbomoso Anthem / Ogbomoso Song (Yoruba)

Composed by: Late Mr. D. Oladele Ajao
Former Senior Tutor, Baptist College, Iwo
(Harmony done by Rev A. B. Adeleke)

Other Relevant Ogbomoso Articles

READ ALSO: The History of Ogbomoso

READ ALSO: Ogbomoso is Our Own Jerusalem

SEE ALSO: Download the Audio (Mp3 Version) of the Ogbomoso Anthem (Lyrics Included)

READ ALSO: Eulogical Facts About Ogbomoso

READ ALSO: Ijapa Alagba: King (Soun) of Ogbomoso’s World Oldest Tortoise

READ ALSO: Ogun Ojalu Ogbomoso: The Story Of Invincibility

READ ALSO: Late Chief (Dr.) David Adebayo Amao Alata: A World-Class Industrialist

READ ALSO: Prof N.D Oyerinde: The Ogbomoso Man That Was the First Nigerian Professor

READ ALSO: Biography of (Sir) Chief (Hon.) Samuel Ladoke Akintola (GCON)

READ ALSO: Biography of Chief Lere Paimo (Mfr): A Rare Breed Called Eda-Onile-Ola

READ ALSO: Toyeje Akanni Alebiosu: Doubled As King Of Ogbomoso and Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland

READ ALSO: Ojo Aburumaku: Doubled as King Of Ogbomoso and Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland

READ ALSO: The Arrival of Dr. and Mrs George Green In Ogbomoso

READ ALSO: The History of Okin-Apa

READ ALSO: Interview with Oba Prof. Akinola John Akintola: Alapa Of Okin-Apa

Reference

• Iwe Itan Ogbomoso (Ogbomoso History) by Late Professor N.D. Oyerinde
• Pa Ogunleye
• Ogbomoso – The Home of the Brave [www.ogbomoso-city.org]
• Chief Oyebisi Okewuyi; Ogbomoso in the Early Times, Modern Era and in Today’s Contemporary World; Johnny Printing Works; 2013
• The history of the Yorubas: from the earliest times to the beginning of the British Protectorate; Johnson, Samuel, d. 1901; Johnson, O. (Obadiah)
• Chernow, Barbara A; George A. Vallas, eds. (1993). “Ogbomosho” . Columbia Encyclopedia (5th ed.). Columbia University Press; 1997.

• 

Ile-Igbon is a town between Ibadan and Iwo in Lagelu Local Government Area. Olunloye, the founder came from a 14 Kilometre on Ogbomoso- Ilorin road. Orile-Igbon was one of the seats of the three provincial kings of Oranmiyan Empire. Orile- Igbon was one of the seats of the three provincial kings of the Oyo Empire.  The demise of the incumbent Olugbon ushered in a new Olunloye. Olunloye decided to find his town somewhere else. Ifa was consulted and it was revealed that the oracle was in support of his decision. The place of settlement was decided by the oracle. The oracle revealed that he will cross the Oba River twice on the journey and in which the entourage should journey southwards of Igbon. The Oba River rises from an evergreen forest which is at the backyard of Olugbon’s Palace.

By tradition, Igbon people claim that the River belongs to them. Olunloye with his entourage crossed the River, an area now turned into a foodstuff market in Ogo Oluwa Local Governement Area of Oyo State. He was directed from the oba River by the oracle till he reached a virgin land chosen by the oracle. There, he found a town called Ile-Igbon.

Olunloue bore Talabi who begat three children.  Lanloye, a son of Talabi was ranked among the high ranked military officers who enlarged the Ibadan army.

Reference

Lawuyi, Ogunniran (1997). The History of Olugbon Olunloye.

By Ogunleye Oluwakorede

Ogunleye Oluwakorede writes mainly on Entertainment, History and Political matters. He has previously released works like album reviews and content information. He is also a music critic and analyst particularly on Nigerian music Entertainment.

About Me

Instagram: omo_baba_ogunleye

Twitter: horluwakorex_

Whatsapp: 08144651530

Visit my Column: Omo Baba Ogunleye

The Yanomami are an indigenous tribe (also called Yanamamo, Yanomam, and Sanuma) made up of four subdivisions of Indians who live in the tropical rainforest of Southern Venezuela and Northern Brazil. Each subdivision has its own language. They include the Sanema who live in the Northern Sector, the Ninam who live in the southeastern sector, the Yanomam who live in the southeastern part and the Yanomamo who live in the southwestern part of the Yanomami area.

The Yanomami depend on the rain forest; they use “slash-and-burn” horticulture, grow bananas, gather fruit, and hunt animals and fish. Yanomami frequently move to avoid areas that become overused, a practice known as shifting cultivation when the soil becomes exhausted.

The Yanomami are known as hunters, fishers, and horticulturists. The women cultivate plantains and cassava in gardens as their main crops. Men do the heavy work of clearing areas of forest for the gardens. Another food source for the Yanomami is grubs. The practice of felling palms to facilitate the growth of grubs was the Yanomami’s closest approach to cultivation. The traditional Yanomami diet is very low in salt. Their blood pressure is characteristically among the lowest of any demographic group. For this reason, the Yanomami have been the subject of studies seeking to link hypertension to sodium consumption.

Today about 95% of the Yanomami live deep within the Amazon forest as compared to the 5% who live along the major rivers.

Compared to the “forest people,” the “river people” are much more sedentary and subsist by fishing and trading goods such as canoes and hooks with other villages. The “forest people” are horticulturists as well as hunters and gathers. They will spend up to two hours of their day “garden farming” which is quite a labor intensive process. Some of the crops grown include sweet potatoes, bananas, sugar cane and tobacco. However, as horticulturists the Yanomami do not get sufficient protein from their crops. Therefore, the Yanomami will spend as much as 60% of their time trekking.

YANOMAMI MYTH: THE ORIGIN OF EATING THE DEAD

Poreími was a talented, generous Yanomami with a magnificent intelligence. He is the one who gave the Indians stone axe blades. All the stone axe blades that are found at ancient sites are from Poreími. At that time, there was a terrible scarcity of food in the world and the Yanomami had to eat meat raw, as they did not possess fire yet. At that time, Poreími went to the jungle and built a magnificent house to live in with his wife Poreímiyoma.
One day some Indians came to visit them, and as a gift, they left different kinds of plantains, including a very large variety called “pareamu”. That is what the one they were presented with is called. Later, Poreími received another visit from Wayaromi, who as a present left “wabu”, a fruit that is eaten when better foods are in short supply. As ‘wabu” is poisonous in its natural state, Wayaromiriwa (the spirit of Wayaromi) showed Poreími how it should be prepared, cutting it into small slices with a tortoise shell.
Then Wayaromi turned himself into a bird.

Later, some other Yanomami arrived at Poreími’s house. Not with presents this time, but with… empty stomachs. They brought with them a frightful hunger. Poreími, moved by their plight, gave them abundant food to eat and on saying goodbye gave them several kinds of plantains, urging them to plant many, especially the “pareamu”. He also gave them the “wabu”.
The vistors then returned to their village. In their gardens they planted many plantains, harvested them in great quantities and since then have not suffered hunger any more. Grateful for the precious presents they had received they sent a delegation to pass on their thanks to Poreími.
Arriving at his house they found him very upset: his son had died. At that time the Yanomami used to bury their dead. Poreími told his guests how he had carried out his son’s funeral: he had burnt the body, collected the bones, ground them to ash and eaten the ashes in a soup of “pareamu” plantains.
When he said goodbye, he urged them to do the same with their own dead. Since then, the Yanomami no longer bury the dead but burn them and consume their ashes mixed with plantain soup.

 THEY EAT YOUR ASH TO SAVE YOUR SOUL – YANOMAMI DEATH CULTURE

Unless we are talking about bizarre rituals we are not able to accept and to understand. But, we are still interested to find out more about the controversial moments of one society and its own taboo practice. We are simply addicted to open the covered stories and to smell the burning of the human’s innocence for the sake of primitive and animal fears.

The cultural and religious conviction of the Yanomami rests on the belief that the soul needs to be protected after death, a belief that appeared in European antiquity as well. The soul could enter another life form. Due to this, the Yanomami do not hunt special kinds of birds, which are seen as a possible container for the souls of dead tribe members. Following the religious beliefs of the Indians, the soul is only able to achieve a full salvation if the dead body is burnt after death and if the ash is eaten up by the family and the relatives of the dead person. So, in contrast to the funeral rites which are practiced all around the world, the Yanomami do not bury the corpses. In a ceremony the dead body is burned down and the remaining ash and bones are collected by the remaining relatives. During this ceremony, they cry and sing sad songs, while their faces and bodies are blackened by grime. After the burning, the bones are crumbled and, together with the ash, the remains are put into some kind of pot, where they are kept until the second part of the funeral ceremony. Between these two phases there could be a long time span, because the Yanomami delay the second step until there is a festivity. As a part of this festivity, bananas, which comprise the most common dishes of the Indians, are cooked and the resultant banana mush will be mixed with the ash and bone of the dead tribe member. Then, all of the relatives gather to eat up the mush. The reason for that is the religious belief. The soul of the former tribe member is absorbed by the tribe again and freed by this procedure to be ready for salvation. If this ceremony was not carried out, the soul of the Indian would not be able to be freed and would be damned to remain in the world between life and death. As a consequence of this religious belief, the Yanomami care for their dead tribe members in a special way.

In times of war, the most humiliating and dangerous situation appears if a tribe member is killed in the forest and the others are not able to locate his corpse. This would be a burden for the remaining relatives as well, because they would not be able to save the soul of their loved one. In view of this fact, it does not seem strange that enemies threaten each other with remarks of not eating up their adversaries. This is a really dangerous threat, because the souls of the Yanomami warriors would become lost, caught in the world between life and death. This religious belief of an unsaved soul seems to be comparable to the catholic belief in purgatory, where Christians who have committed suicide are captured until they have served a sentence for their sins. In contrast to this Christian point of view, the Yanomami have no chance to get saved by a higher power. Only the ceremony of ash eating can save their soul. If one takes into consideration the fact that the Indians are not even willing to speak their real names in public because of the fear of losing their souls, one will understand that the meaning and importance of the soul forms the centre of the Yanomamis’ religious thoughts and beliefs. Even the sporadic contact with white settlers and gold-seekers and the fact that many Indians died as a consequence of the diseases the encounter with modern civilisation brought them did not make them change this strong belief in the irreplaceable importance of this death ceremony, which had been misunderstood by the first settlers who met the Indians as some weird kind of cannibalism. Only the more thorough research of anthropologists could explain this ritual and make this unknown exotic custom known, as well as understandable, for the common settlers, who lived on the boarders of the Yanomami territory. As a consequence, we are able to better understand the reasons for this uncommon ritual of ash eating and with a better insight into the daily life of the now well-known Indians, they have lost their horror. They are just small Indians, semi-nomadic hunters, who eat the ash of their dead comrades to render a service to these former members of their own community. Furthermore, the story of the Yanomami and their death ceremonies show us that religious misunderstandings could have hazardous consequences in relationships between people. Sometimes, it seems to be advisable to find out the reasons for religious practices and beliefs instead of establishing immediate and fast prejudices. It is better to learn about the cultural aspects of a new, and at first unfamiliar, environment. This would save people from conflicts over religion all around the globe. Who, for example, would have thought that some Indians in the rain forest were saving the souls of their dead loved ones by eating up their ashes and bones?

THE YANOMAMI TRIBE TODAY

Since most outsiders have invaded the Amazon via the large rivers, the Yanomami have been able to live in isolation until very recently. Because of this they have been able to retain their culture and their identity which many Indians of the Amazon have lost. Men usually make up the hunters and the women the gathers. Men will go on long distant hunts that may last up to a week. The fact that just about all of the Yanomami live deep within the forest has been quite significant for their survival.

In Yanomami society, marriage ceremonies are almost non-existent and are not celebrated in any way. Polygamous marriages are common, meaning husbands can have many wives. A girl can be promised to a man at an age as young as five or six, however cannot officially be married off until after her first menstrual period.

After a Yanomami girl receives her first menstrual period, she is literally handed off by one of her parents to another man, usually a relative. Cross-cousin marriages, which are marriages between the girl and the son of a maternal uncle or paternal aunt, are the most common form of marriage. Most prefer to marry within that Yanomamo tribe, for fear of violent breakouts between different tribes. The female goes to live with her spouse, and must perform the chores and duties she previously did for her mother.

Violence and abuse between couples in Yanomami culture is very common, and if a woman feels she can no longer bear to live with her husband, she may flee to live with her brothers.

Polygamy is commonly practiced in Yanomami culture, and women are expected to accept this. The elder wife in a marriage usually has precedence over the others, and can act as a boss or a superior over the other wives. She usually no longer has sexual relations with her husband, however she can give the most unpleasant chores to the wife she chooses. The husband is not supposed to show favorites, due to jealousy between the wives.

What is your say about this culture? DROP A COMMENT BELOW!

REFERENCES

1. Yanomami Death Culture by Dr. Frank Jacob
2. http://venezuelanindian.blogspot.com
3. https://sarahmaxresearch.wordpress.com
4. www.jointhegoodproject.com
5. google.com

By Johnson Okunade

©️ My Woven Words 2018

THE FEARLESS AND GALLANT AMAZONS OF DAHOMEY

From daughters to soldiers, from wives to weapons, they remain the only documented frontline female troops in modern warfare history. The Dahomey Machete remains a great weapon of reference.

A sub-Saharan band of female terminators who left their European colonizers shaking in their boots, foreign observers named them the Dahomey Amazons while they called themselves N’Nonmiton, which means “our mothers” in Fon, the language of the Fon people of Dahomey, now in present-day Benin.

Some European historians and observers called them the Dahomey Amazons as they reminded them of the mystical and powerful all-women’s army called Amazons in Greek mythology.

Fon Woman. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Protecting their king on the bloodiest of battlefields, they emerged as an elite fighting force in the Kingdom of Dahomey in, the present-day Republic of Benin. Described as untouchable, sworn in as virgins, swift decapitation was their trademark.

The Dahomey Amazons are the only documented all-female official front-line combat arms military unit in modern history. Tough, uber-intense ass-kicking women single-mindedly devoted to hardening themselves into ruthless instruments of battlefield destruction, this Dahomey Machete-wielding, musket-slinging lady terminators.

They were rightly feared throughout Western Africa for over 250 years, not only for their fanatical devotion to battle but for their utter refusal to back down or retreat from any fight unless expressly ordered to do so by their king.

If you were some poor conscript douchebag militia soldier hanging out around your barracks and you saw these scary-as-fuck kill-chicks suddenly start charging out of the woods in your direction, screaming their war chants with their muskets barking fire and their signature double-edged two-foot-long Dahomey Machetes brandished threateningly over their heads, you had one fleeting moment to overcome your crippling panic and defend yourself.

Because if you failed to kill them – and I mean if you failed to kill every single last one of them, some
the murderous woman was going to club your unconscious with a musket butt, drag you back to her capital, chop off your head with one swing of her Dahomey Machete, boil the skin off of your decapitated face, and then use your skull to decorate the royal palace.

Created around 1645 by the Dahomey King Ada Honzoo, the Amazons weren’t initially designed to serve as frontal assault shock troops sent in to crush the enemy’s spirits (and skulls) in a frenzied wave of bloodlust fury.

Instead, they started out as a small team of women who specialized in bringing down elephants, and who would go out on organized, efficient pachyderm hunts while the men were out fighting in wars. Eventually, possibly due to a lack of manpower or possibly because of their ruthless efficiency, Ada Honzoo promoted them to his personal bodyguard unit, expanding the unit to 800 women warriors with spears, bows, and war clubs, which in turn grew in size to an elite military unit of over 4,000 warriors.

As a shout-out to their roots, the Amazons chose to honor their heritage by naming their first battalion the Elephant Destroyers. The second battalion, it should be noted, were known as the Reapers – women who ditched those pesky flintlock muskets and instead went to battle armed with a razor-sharp three-foot Dahomey Machete they wielded with two hands.

Theories suggest they started as a corps of elephant hunters who impressed the Dahomey King with their skills while their husbands were away fighting other tribes. A different theory suggests that because women were the only people permitted in the King’s palace with him after dark, they naturally became his bodyguards.

Whichever is true, only the strongest, healthiest, and most courageous women were recruited for the meticulous training that would turn them into battle-hungry killing machines, feared throughout African for more than two centuries.

A French delegation visiting Dahomey in the 1880s reported witnessing an Amazon girl of about sixteen during training. After beheading a prisoner, she wiped the blood from her Dahomey Machete and swallowed it, while her fellow Amazons screamed in frenzied approval.

Only the strongest and most courageous women were recruited into the group which bound the women legally to the king in a vow of chastity. As such, they were disallowed to marry or have children. Some women joined out of their own volition, but others were enrolled to become soldiers by husbands who complained that they were uncontrollable.

These women, called the Ahosi of Dahomey, Mino, or the Dahomey Amazons, were famous for their incredible ability to fight men. From the start, they were trained to be strong, fast, ruthless, and able to withstand great pain. Exercises that resembled a form of gymnastics included jumping over walls covered with thorny acacia branches.

Sent on long 10-day “Hunger Games” style expeditions in the jungle without supplies, only their Dahomey Machete, they became fanatical about battles.

To prove themselves, they had to be twice as tough as the men. Often seen as the last (wo)men standing in battle, unless expressly ordered to retreat by their King, the Dahomey women fought to the death– defeat was never an option.

Joining the group required mercilessness. One recruitment ceremony involved testing if potential soldiers were ruthless enough to throw bound human prisoners of war to their deaths from a fatal height.

COLONIZATION OF DAHOMEY AND THE END OF THE AMAZONS

The N’Nonmiton (our mothers), as they fondly called themselves, often fought to the death unless expressly ordered to retreat by the King. After the Franco-Dahomean Wars, in which many French soldiers died for underestimating the Amazons, the legionnaires wrote about the “incredible courage and audacity” of the Amazons.

Even after French expansion in Africa in the 1890s subdued the Dahomey people, their reign of fear continued. Uniformed French soldiers who took Dahomey women to bed were often found dead in the morning, their throats slit open.

Of the 4,000 Dahomey Amazons under King Behanzin’s command, nearly all of them were killed hurling themselves fearlessly into battle. Only 50 women survived, and most of them, awesomely enough, went to the United States and joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

They fought bravely, nobody can deny that battling the French in 24 pitched battles between 1890 and 1894, but ultimately their sword-swinging mayhem was no match for a modern industrial world power with top-of-the-line weaponry.

Their charges were beaten off by intense gunfire, and in hand-to-hand combat, the twenty-inch French rifle bayonets had roughly twice the reach of the Dahomey knives and Dahomey Machetes.

The French conquered Dahomey in January 1894, driving King Behanzin into exile. The group was disbanded in the 20th century as part of the French colonial expansion. Nawi, the last surviving Dahomey Amazon, died in 1979 at the age of 100.

TRIBUTE TO THE AMAZONS

A Dahomean who grew up in Cotonou in the 1930s recalled that he regularly tormented an elderly woman, who used to be an Amazon he and his friends saw shuffling along the road, bent double by tiredness and age. He confided to the French writer Hélène Almeida-Topor that:

one day, one of us throws a stone that hits another stone. The noise resounds, a spark flies.
We suddenly saw the old woman straighten up. Her face is transfigured. She begins to march proudly…
Reaching a wall, she lies down on her belly and crawls on her elbows to get around it.
She thinks she is holding a rifle because abruptly she shoulders and fires,
then reloads her imaginary arm and fires again, imitating the sound of a salvo.
Then she leaps, pounces on an imaginary enemy, rolls on the ground in furious hand-to-hand combat, flattens the foe.
With one hand she seems to pin him to the ground, and with the other stabs him repeatedly.
Her cries betray her effort. She makes the gesture of cutting to the quick and stands up brandishing her trophy….
She intones a song of victory and dances:
The blood flows,
You are dead.
The blood flows,
We have won.
The blood flows, it flows, it flows.
The blood flows,
The enemy is no more.
But suddenly she stops, dazed. Her body bends, hunches, how old she seems, older than before! She walks away with a hesitant step.

She is a former warrior; an adult explains…. The battles ended years ago, but she continues the war in her head.

In 2015, a French street artist, YZ, begun her own campaign to pay tribute to the fierce female fighters of the 19th century. Working in Senegal, south of Dakar, she pastes large-format photograph prints she found in local archives of the warrior women.

While they were also said to be the most feared women to walk the earth, they would also change how women were seen and respected in Africa and beyond.

Sources:

1. www.google.com
2. face2faceafrica.com
3. wikipedia.org
4. www.smithsonianmag.com
5. www.messynessychic.com
6. www.brooklynstreetart.com
7. www.badassoftheweek.com

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2021 by My Woven Words: No part of this published blogpost and all of its contents may be reproduced, on another platform or webpage without a prior permission from My Woven Words except in the case of brief quotations cited to reference the source of the blogpost and all its content and certain other uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, contact the admin on admin@johnsonokunadea.com, or WhatsApp/Text him on +2347036065752