Rough Diamond Entertainment

25/03/2024

I LOVE THE ÌBÀDÀN OBASHIP SYSTEM

I know every system has its pros and cons. Also, no matter how good or bad a system is, some people will like it while some won't. In Ìbàdàn, the kings are usually old before they ascend the throne. Therefore, many do not reign for long. This has made many people criticize this system and call for its review but I want to tell you why I feel this system is very beautiful.

There are two lines which are the Ọ̀tún (civil line) and the Balógun (military line). So, it's like a queue that keeps moving. When one Olúbàdàn ascends to be with the ancestors, the next person in line ascends the throne. Here's why I think the system is very good one.

1. You know who the next king is. Since the last Olubadan was from the civil line, the next would be the highest ranking high chief from the military line (Balógun)

2. Each and every Olúbàdàn would have been properly groomed into the traditions of the line. As a Mọ́gàjí, which is like the qualifying stage, your behaviour must begin to exude royalty. There's a statement in Ìbàdàn that a Mọ́gàjí in Ìbàdàn is bigger than the kings of many places. Now, imagine the lines they have to climb after a Mọ́gàjí is promoted to Jagun (Check the picture attached). They would have gained so much knowledge and experience about the land and her traditional fabric.

3. The rulling is not just rotated between some two or three houses. As long as you're a true Ìbàdàn indigene (male), you have a right to the throne. The first step is to be made Mọ́gàjí of your compound.

4. Misbehaviour and desecration of the Olúbàdàn throne is reduced to almost non-existent. Age and wisdom is on the Olúbàdàn's side. He also knows he probably won't be there for too long. The longest reigning Olúbàdàn, Olúbàdàn Okunola Abass ruled for 16 years.

5. It ensures that the throne goes round different individuals from different compounds. Each would be able to contribute his quota towards the development of Ìbàdàn Land.

These are just the five pros I can think of now. The only con is that Olúbàdàns don't reign for long, unlike other Ọbas of Yoruba lands. Presidents and governors don't also reign for long. The maximum is 8 years. The only difference is that they don't necessarily have to die to vacate the seat of power. If you ask me, I'd say that the pros of Ìbàdàn ruling system far outweigh the cons.

Tainkyu 😊

25/03/2024

The Oduduwa Legend says that the ancestor of Oranmiyan, a son of Oduduwa.Upon an invitation from the Edo elders who ruled the kingdom after the demise of the Ogiso dynasty.

According to traditional history among the followers of Oduduwa were Ogeriso (Ogiso in Edo) who founded Ile-Ibinu now called Benin. When Ogeriso got to Ile-Ibinu (Benin),he met strong opposition from earlier settlers called Ogiamve and his subjects used to revolt against Ogeriso. The rulership was not easy but he managed through until he died. After his death, Edo elders sent to lle'Ife for an Oba, but he must be a royal blood of Oduduwa.

Oduduwa sent Oranmiyan to Edo to be their king and re-establish the monarchy.Oranmiyan found the Edo people very difficult to rule and left them, but meanwhile he had married an Edo girl, who gave birth to a son, Eweka. Eweka then became the ancestor of the present lineage of Edo monarchs.Since then,Edo monarchy had looked up to Ile-Ife as the source of its culture and as its origin.

Read the book entitled, Nigerian Peoples and Cultures edited by Professors Akinjide Osuntokun and Ayodeji Olukoju page 57,paragraph 2. The Oduduwa legend was very strong, even in modern days; during the Colonial rule; the British employed his influence through his ancestors to bring the Edo ruler and the Yoruba kings together under the indirect rule system. Oranmiyan was born and bred as the youngest and last son of Oduduwa in Ile-Ife where he reigned as the Ooni of Ife.

Sent by Ramoni Temitope

This is published as part of our initiative to allow Yorubas to tell the history as they know it. Stories are the personal opinion of the sender. Not the position of Historical Africa.

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24/03/2024

ORÍKÌ (The Yoruba golden way of nomenclature)

Do you know that before slave trade, Yoruba don't bear surname as part of their own name? Before then, everybody bears his own name in a unique way.

Bearing ones father's or grand father's name as surname actually began when the British came to Nigeria,and father's name became mandatory to be added as surname during primary school registration.

Instead, yoruba name an individual child in a unique way that is never seen anywhere else in the world. It is a format of 3 names i.e ORÚKỌ ÀBÍSỌ(personal name), ORÍKÌ (epithet), ORÍLÈ (ancestral totem name). For instance, Adekola Ajani Ìkọ́ or Oladele Alabi Ọ̀kín. Let us look into each name identity and what it represents.

ORUKO ÀBÍSỌ: Oruko abiso is a personal name given to an individual based on family nobility or identity. ẹ.g royal families name their children with prefix like Ade or Oye, warriors name Akin, noble family name Ola, the family of Egungun worshipers name their children Ọ̀jẹ̀ etc

ORÍKÌ: Oriki is a personal name given to individual to be used to praise him or her, it is an epithet. ẹ.g Anike, Akande, Alake, Ajao etc Oriki is a personal pet name.

ORÍLẸ̀: Orílẹ̀ is the Oriki of the ancestral lineage of an individual's family, clan or race. The name is used to identify him or her with the family lineage and to praise such person as a true son or daughter of the family. With the totem name, one can easily trace a person to the source, the town where his forefathers originally came from

ORILE are represented by their own name, anyone bearing such name is traceable directly to the town where their family originally migrated from. For instance:

Ẹ̀rìnmòjé:- They are from Ẹrinle, Erin Osun, Erin Ijesha. Àwọn ni Erinmoje ọmọ sàádà.

Ẹwú:- They are from Ìkire or Ejigbo in Osun State. The two towns were founded by brothers. Àwọn lomo Ẹwú nínwìnrín ọmọ a dale gbogbo Yi wọn ká. Ẹwú nínwìnrín ọmọ adàlẹ́ gbin ewura. Ẹwú file hànmí fọ̀nà hànmí, ẹwú kò ní fabuja Ile Ìkire han baba ẹnìkan.

Ayerounfę:- They descended from Saki, Eruwa, can also be found in Ondo

Elese/ Oko Irese:- They are originally traceable to have come from Igbaja or Oko. Àwọn ni Oko Irese ọmọ wòyírà. Wòyírà ki I ma baa Ra ẹrú kẹ́rú.

Arẹ̀sà :- The people bearing Aresa or praised as Iresa are actually descendants of the ancient town of Iresadu or Iresapa in Osun State. They are brother's, Aresa Dudu l'ẹ̀gbọ́n pupa l'aburo. Àwọn ni ìnáòdí ọmọ ajílálà ọ́sọ́, ọmọ ajífọjọ́ gbogbo Dara bi egbin.

Sometimes a particular family has an object, a totem to represent them, such an object is used as the third name (the totem name) of the person.

Throughout the world, it is only Yoruba that bear such unique nomenclature to identify a person. We will here look into some ORILE totems and the family race they represent.

Ọ̀kín:- This is the totem identity of the Olofa of Ofa and the Oloro of Oro both now in Kwara State. The royal families of Olofa and Oloro are the popular families bearing this totem. Anyone bearing this totem (e.g Alabi Ọ̀kín, Ajao Ọ̀kín) descended from either of these two families. Àwọn ni Ìyẹ̀rú-ọ̀kín ọmọ Ọlọ́fàmọyọ̀, Ọlalọmi ọmọ abísujórúkọ, ìjàkadì l'oro Ọ̀ffà.

Ìjí:- This is the Totem name of the Onígbẹti. People having this Totem are originally from Igbẹti, the totem being that of the Onigbeti of Igbeti. A popular family bearing this totem is the family of Adegoke Adelabu (Penkelemesi) of Ibadan. Another example was Sango, when he was alive, Sango was called Ajala Iji, telling us that the god of thunder is originally from Igbeti. Sango is praised as Ajala Ìjí, Olufiran, Ina loju, ina lẹnu, sángiri, làgiri, alàgirikàkà fi igba ẹdun bọ̀.

Òpó (post) :- This is the totem of a noble Oyo family. This shows that people having this totem name are originally from Oyo-Ile. . A popular family belonging to this family is the family of the Emir of Ilorin family. Though they are Fulani on their father (Alimi)’s side; the family adopted the totem of their mother, a Yoruba-woman who though being Alimi’s second wife produced the first two sons of Alimi, and her lineage had been producing the Emirs of Ilorin to the exclusion of the sons of the Fulani wife who was the first wife ever since. Òpó people are praised as: Òpó rósọ, òpó gbàjá, Òpómúléró mọjaàlekan

Ẹ̀lọ́:- This is the totem of the Ẹlẹ́rìn. People bearing this totem are originally from Ẹ̀rìn-Ilé, it being the Totem of the Ẹlẹ́rìn. The families of the Ẹlẹ́rìn of Ẹ̀rìn-Ilé in Kwara State and the Ẹlẹ́rìn of Erin-Osun in Osun State are some of the families bearing this totem.

Àró:- This is the Totem of the Aare Latoosa family of Ibadan who was the last Aareona Kakanfo of Yorubaland to fight a war.

Ọ̀gọ̀:- This is the Totem name of some Ijesha families. People bearing this totem are originally from Ijeshaland. Prince Sunday Adegeye (King Sunny Ade) is one popular person I know bearing this totem, so originally his family must have come from Ijeshaland, even though he now claims Ondo as his place of origin.

Ògún:- This is the Totem of the family of the Bashorun of Oyo-Ile; however Alaafin Abiodun Adegoolu whose mother was of the Bashorun of Oyo family adopted the totem of his mother (the Bashoruns of Oyo being then in the ascendant during the reign of Bashorun Gaa) and since then this totem has also been the totem of all descendants of all Alaafins of Oyo from Alaafin Abiodun Adegoolu downward. The ruling families of Oyo who are now exclusively of Alaafin Atiba lineage and the families of the Bashoruns of Oyo are some of the families bearing this totem. So anyone bearing this totem is either from Alaafin of Oyo or Bashorun of Oyo families.

Erin:- This is anciently the totem of the old lines of Alaafins before Alaafin Abiodun Adegoolu. All the families bearing this totem descended from the old lines of Alafins of Oyo before Alaafin Abiodun Adegoolu. So anyone bearing this totem is from the old lines of Alaafin of Oyo.

Ade:- This is the totem of the Onikoyi. Anyone bearing this totem is originally from Ikoyi, one of the principal towns in the Ekun Osi Province of old Oyo. The status of the family is now greatly reduced and the family carries on their existence in a town of that name in Osun State. Anyone bearing the totem is originally from Ikoyi of the Ekun Osi Province of old Oyo Empire.

Ẹ̀rí:- This is the totem name of the Oloyan. Anyone bearing this totem is originally from Oyan in Osun State. The royal family of Oloyan are the popular people bearing this totem.
Other totems are

Ìkọ́:- the Totem of the Olokunesin family of Oyo. It is the official duty of the title-bearer of this family to hold the reins of the horse of the Alaafin whenever he wants to mount or dismount his horse. Anyone bearing this totem is originally from the family of Olokunesin of Oyo.

In summary, this Yoruba way of naming is uniquely deep and explains why praising a Yoruba son or daughter with their Oriki is deep and is beyond mere calling of name. We will continue to research and showcase the beauty of Yoruba cultural identity. And I can tell you, it is the most beautiful.

Ire o.

Author:
Daniel Ayodele Adeniran

24/03/2024

A 19th century Timi of Ede

Ede is one of the older towns of the Yoruba people. It is traditionally said to have been founded about 1500 by Timi Agbale, a hunter and warlord sent by Alaafin (King) Kori of Old Oyo (Katunga), capital of the Oyo empire, to establish a settlement to protect the Oyo caravan route to Benin (127 miles [204 km] to the southeast), a purpose similar to that of other Nigerian towns. Nearby towns include Awo, Iragberi and Oshogbo.

Its traditional ruler is known as the Timi Agbale, popularly referred to as Timi Agbale Olofa-Ina. According to myth, he is the man whose arrows bring out fire.

The present Ede was established by Timi Kubolaje Agbonran around 1817 along with his siblings: Oyefi, Ajenju, Arohanran and Oduniyi, all being the descendants of Lalemo. The former Ede is known as Ede-Ile.

Photo source: undetermined.

24/03/2024

Union Trading Company Ltd. building, on Lagos Island. The right side of the building runs along Apongbon Street to the Marina,

Circa: 1940s

UTC was established in Nigerian in 1932 and was formerly registered as a limited liability company in 1968, it sold shares to the public in 1971. A conglomerate, it had divisions in agriculture and engineering such as UTC Stores that was a chain of Supermarkets, UTC Motors, Dorman Long, Amalgamated Metal Containers, Imo Hills Ltd and UTC Industries. In 1994, the company divested the non - food processing divisions to concentrate on its food processing business, marketing brands such as Chopsy, Bell and champ.

In Nigeria, UTC's profit margin began to dip in the 1980s. The firm diversified its engineering business in the 1990s to concentrate on food processing but by 2014 it was taken over by its creditors.

On May 2, 2017 the company was delisted from the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Image Credit: Duckworth, E. H., 1894-1972 (Photographer)/ Herskovits Library of African Studies

24/03/2024

Mythical origins of Oyo Empire

The origins of the Oyo Empire lie with Oranyan (also known as Oranmiyan), the last prince of the Yoruba Kingdom of Ile-Ife (Ife). Oranyan made an agreement with his brother to launch a punitive raid on their northern neighbors for insulting their father Oduduwa, the first Ooni of Ife. On the way to the battle, the brothers quarreled and the army split up.[2] Oranyan’s force was too small to make a successful attack, so he wandered the southern shore until reaching Bussa. There the local chief entertained him and provided a large snake with a magic charm attached to its throat.

The chief instructed Oranyan to follow the snake until it stopped somewhere for seven days and disappeared into the ground. Oranyan followed the advice and founded Oyo where the serpent stopped. The site is remembered as Ajaka. Oranyan made Oyo his new kingdom and became the first “oba” (meaning ‘king’ or ‘ruler’ in the Yoruba language) with the title of “Alaafin of Oyo” (Alaafin means ‘owner of the palace’ in Yoruba). He left all his treasures in Ife and allowed another king to rule there.

At one time, Oyo-ile was at war with the Bariba of Borgu, who wanted to subjugate the new city still under construction. Orangun Ajagunla of Ila, Oranmiyan’s elder brother, stormed in with his men to assist. Not long after the war was won, Oranmiyan had a son, Ajuwon Ajaka; much later Arabambi was born by the woman from Tapa (Nupe). It is believed that the name “Sango” was given by his maternal grandfather or he adopted it from the local name for the God of Thunder. Either way the royal family was devoted to The Spirits of Thunder (Jakuta) and War (Ogun).

Written by Samuel Oba for Medium

24/03/2024

She got married at the age of 14, and at the age of 20, she became a single mother. The first female millionaire who made a fortune with her 10 fingers.
She entered the Guinness Book of Records as the first woman to become a millionaire independently, without inherited money.
Sara Breedlove was born in 1867 in the south of the USA, in the state of Louisiana. Her parents, older brothers, and sister were slaves in the cotton fields. But Sara was born free. When she was 7 years old, she lost her parents. After her parents died, she moved in with her sister and her husband.
As a child, Sara worked as a housekeeper and did not have time for schooling. She later shared that she only had 3 months of formal education when she attended Sunday school.
She was only 14 when she married Moses McWilliams. She didn't do it because she loved him. The truth was that her sister's husband was a very violent man, and marriage was the only way for Sara to escape from that family. Four years later, Sarah and Moses had a daughter, Alleluia. Two years later, Sarah's husband dies. So Sara became a single mother and a widow at the age of twenty.
In 1888, Sara moved to St. Louis. Her brothers worked there as barbers. She started working in a laundromat and as a cook to pay for her daughter's education in a public school. Sara earned about $1.50 a day.
Like all the workers in the laundry, Sara got sick from chemicals: skin disease, lack of water, and heating in the house made Sara almost lose her hair. Thanks to her brothers, she learned the basics of hair care. A little later, Sara learns about the Eni Malon series of hair products, and later meets Eni in person. He starts selling her products on the street.
Still working for Malon, Sara, now at the age of 37, moves to Denver with her daughter and begins to think about her own line of cosmetics for African-American women. After many experiments, she succeeds. He starts building his own business.
In 1906, Sara married Charles J. Walker and later became famous under his surname. Charles becomes her business partner: He did advertising and helped his wife with promotion.
Sara went door to door trying to sell her products, but also to teach women how to care for and style their hair.
In the same year, Sara decided to expand her business, so she and her husband traveled around South and East America. Her daughter had grown up and graduated from school, so she helped her mother with all the shipments from Denver.
Two years later, Sara moves to Pittsburgh. The family opens a beauty salon, but also a school that trains people to know everything about hair care so that they can apply Sara's products.
In 1910, Sara moved to Indianapolis, where she opened the headquarters of the company Madam C. J. Walker.
He builds a factory with a laboratory, a hair salon, and a beauty school where he teaches his sales agents. By 1917, Mrs. Walker employed about 20,000 women. Her agents earned from 5 to 15 dollars a day. Sara wanted African-American women to be financially independent, so she encouraged women to open their own businesses and taught them how to handle money.
The richer she became, the more time she spent on charities and giving. She gave lectures, fought against social injustice, and donated money to funds. Before she died, she donated more than 100,000 dollars to the poor and various organizations and social institutions.
In her will, she stated that 2/3 of her future profits should be given to charity.
She died at the age of 51. She was considered the richest African-American woman. When she died, her fortune was thought to be between $500,000 and $1 million. During her lifetime, Sara was not a millionaire, only 2 years after her death, her wealth increased, but while she was alive, she hoped that she would be. And not because she needed the money, but because she wanted to do more good deeds.

24/03/2024

For those speculating about his name. It's not an Edo name. His real name is Òrìṣàráyíbí Ògúndàmọ́lá. He was nicknamed Ogendengbe as a child, a Yoruba onomatoepic name originating from his unique fighting style which involved lifting enemies up above his head. He was later given the name Agbógungbọ́rọ̀ after his time in war, meaning "one who craves war as festivals. Citation: Adeniji, B. F. (1998).

24/03/2024

In the 14th century, the Oyo Palace Compound was established, and Oranyan, the first oba (king) of Oyo, was succeeded by Oba Ajaka, the Alaafin of Oyo. However, Ajaka was deposed due to his lack of Yoruba military virtue and his tolerance for too much independence among his sub-chiefs. Leadership was then transferred to Ajaka’s brother, Sango, who would later be deified as the deity of thunder and lightning. After Sango’s death, Ajaka was restored to the throne, and he returned as a more warlike and oppressive ruler. His successor, Kori, managed to conquer the rest of what historians would later refer to as metropolitan Oyo.

The heart of metropolitan Oyo was its capital, Oyo-Ile (also known as Katunga or Old Oyo or Oyo-oro). The city featured two essential structures: the ‘afin,’ which was the palace of the Oba, and the Oba’s market, known as ‘Oja-oba.’ The palace was situated at the center of the city, close to the Oba’s market, Oja-oba. The city was surrounded by a tall earthen wall with 17 gates, emphasizing the importance of the king in Oyo.

At one point, Oyo experienced a period of decline due to the Nupe occupation. Oyo had become a formidable inland power by the end of the 14th century, expanding at the expense of its neighboring states. However, during the reign of Onigbogi, Oyo suffered military defeats at the hands of the Nupe, led by Tsoede. Around 1535, the Nupe occupied Oyo, forcing its ruling dynasty to seek refuge in the kingdom of Borge. The Nupe’s occupation of the capital led to Oyo’s decline as a regional power until the early 17th century.

The Oyo Empire employed both local and tributary forces to expand its territory. The structure of the Oyo military underwent several changes to accommodate its growing empire. It included the Eso, a semi-standing army of specialist cavalry soldiers, consisting of 70 junior war chiefs appointed for their military skills. The Eso were led by the Aare-Ona-Kakanfo, who served as the supreme military commander. During Oyo’s imperial period, the Aare-Ona-Kakanfo personally led the army in the field during campaigns.

Within metropolitan Oyo, the Bashorun, a leading member of the Oyo Mesi, commanded forces. Metropolitan Oyo was divided into six provinces, each divided evenly by a river, and provincial forces were grouped into two armies, under the Onikoyi and the Okere for the east and west sides of the river, respectively. Lesser war chiefs were known as Balogun.

Tributary leaders and provincial governors were responsible for collecting tribute and contributing troops to the imperial army during emergencies. These forces were occasionally used in Oyo’s distant campaigns along the coast or against other states.

Commerce played a vital role in Oyo’s prosperity. It became the southern emporium of the Trans-Saharan trade, exchanging goods such as salt, leather, horses, kola nuts, ivory, cloth, and slaves. The Yoruba people of metropolitan Oyo were highly skilled in craft making and ironwork. In addition to trade taxes, Oyo derived wealth from taxes imposed on its tributaries. For instance, taxes on the kingdom of Dahomey alone brought in an estimated annual amount of 638 thousand dollars.

This historical account is sourced from the Oranyan Festival Brochure. Written by Samuel Oba for Medium

23/03/2024