Ile-Ife in the history of the Yoruba nation is symbolic to their origin and culture. SINA FADARE in this report x-rays the importance and significance of the ancient city.
Ife is a symbol of Yoruba and the king of the ancient town is not only revered but seen as the mouth piece of the almighty God on earth.
Though, there are two schools of thoughts that traced the origin of Yoruba to Ile-ife in different circumstances, but the fact still remained that the ancient town is believed by as the origin and cradle of Yoruba and her progenitor.
The mythology
The first school of thought argued that the first settlers came all the way from the present Mecca and eventually settled in ile-ife. When there was crisis in Mecca, a powerful ifa priest was said to have been consulted and he told them to migrate to a place where the ground is flat. It was at the present Ile-Ife that the ground was flat and Oduduwa who is believed to be the father of Yoruba settled down. That was why the place was named Ile-Ife, a place that the ground was flat. This account was corroborated by archeological excavations of terracotta’s, carved figures, brass castings, stools and monoliths in granite and quartz found in several parts of the town. All these gave the suggestion that the Yorubas have the similarity of cultural origin with Egypt.
However, the second school of thought however argued that at the creation of the earth, God (Olodumare) ordered a deity ‘Obatala’ to create the earth but could not achieve it because he got intoxicated through excessive drinking of palm wine.
The prevailing situation prompted his younger brother ‘Oduduwa’ to take over from him. He took the three items of creation from him including a cockerel. Oduduwa climbed down from the heavens on a chain and threw a handful of earth on the ocean and got a cockerel to assist him spread the sand to form land on which Ile-Ife and the world thrive today.
According to historians, the town’s habitation can be traced as far back as 350 BCE The meaning of the word “ife” in the Yoruba language is “expansion;” “Ile-Ife” means in reference to the myth of origin “The House of Expansion”
It is also believed that all dead bodies have a ‘stop over’ in Ile-Ife before going to the world beyond, in some Yoruba burial rites, it’s often recited that the dead person should not stay too long in Ile-Ife but proceed straight to the other world. It is also believed that till date there is a path in Ile-Ife that leads straight to the other world which is only accessible by the dead.
However the common ground in all the various historical narrations of the origin of the Yoruba race is the undisputable acceptance of Oduduwa as their founder and progenitor. This has been the unbreakable bond of unification among the Yorubas.
Spiritual home of all Yoruba
Ile-Ife is the ancestral and spiritual home of all Yorubas, bonafide in Nigeria and the diaspora. The spiritual headship of the Yoruba race by the Oni cannot be queried either. Ile-Ife is well known as the city of 401 deities. It is said that every day of the year, except one day, which is not known to the general public, the traditional worshippers celebrate a festival of one of these deities. The most celebrated of the deities is the Ogun festival, which is named Olojo festival, when the king only appears in public, wearing a special crown called ‘Are’ and uses the occasion to bless his subjects.
Discovery
During the colonial era, a notable artefact known as Ori- Olokun which has been existing over a thousand of years was purportedly said to have been discovered by that renowned German archaeologist Leo Frobenius in 1910. The pure-copper sculpture took the entire arts world by storm at the time of its discovery to the extent that experts from the West argued that the artefact was a mystery that was too sophisticated to have been an handiwork of any African man.
However, after a thorough search of the ancient town it was discovered that there are other sophisticated arts work around the ancient town. It was then that the world accepted the facts that the people of Ile-Ife are advance in production of notable artefacts. They have the expertise of wielded the technology to turn iron to alloy but also of moulding abstract artworks out of the product. Consequently, it is now accepted by the curatorial community that the advanced artistic techniques used to create the sculpture were more advanced than those of Renaissance Italy, and comparable to those of Donatello (renowned artist). That was why the ancient city was referred to as ‘source’ of civilization.
Also, Ile-Ife is the site or Opa Oranmiyan that stands over five meters tall in moopa area of the town with a fenced wall. Few symbolic trees are scattered around the staff with some dotted marks, which the custodian says are marks of bullet during the several wars fought by Oranmiyan. High chief Johnson Owoyemi, the Akogun of Ife is the current custodian of the Opa Oranmiyan – a staff that Oranmiyan, the grandson of Oduduwa used to take to war. The staff made of granite obelisk with iron stud stands within the Oranmiyan shrine manned by Chief Eredumi as chief priest who is believed by Yoruba as the link between the dead and the living.
Ooni as the father of Yoruba
The palace of the Ooni is a monument of the highest order while the monarch himself is a symbol of Yoruba existence. The Oòni otherwise known as Arole Oodua, is traditionally considered the 401st spirit (Orisa), the only one that speaks. The royal dynasty of Ife traces its origin back to the founding of the city, more than two thousand years ago.
In the days of old the palace of the Ooni of Ife was a structure, built of authentic enameled bricks, decorated with artistic porcelain tiles and all sorts of ornaments. To show the highest respect the people have for the stool, the Ooni of Ife occasionally appears in the public and if he does his face is always covered with a special crown that has veils decorated with ornaments and beads.
To demonstrate how revered and highly placed the place of Ooni in the Yoruba Empire was , in 1903, the British Colonial government invited the then Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Olubuse ll, the great grand fathers of the immediate past Ooni, Oba Sijuwade Olubuse to testify in a case between the Akarigbo of Remo and Elepe if any of them qualify to wear the beaded crown In those days, no one could look in the face of the Ooni. All Yoruba kings under his authority and who domiciled along the route the Ooni was to pass to Lagos moved out of their bases and they did not return until the Ooni returned to Ile-Ife.
The aura, candour and the opulence surrounded the Ooni stool embedded with core values of Yoruba culture make whoever occupies the place to abhor speaking English within and outside the country, especially in public fora. That was why the late Ooni, Sijuwade engaged the service of an English lady secretary any time he was outside the country who translate for him and Funmilola Olorunisola was always available in the country to do same.
His Royal Highness claimed that the irumoles forbade him to speak any other language, other than his mother tongue, Yoruba. He is always maintaining the strict posture in commune with the gods, the irumoles and his ancestors.
