Oke Ora

Ancient community and archaeological site

Oke Ora

Òkè Ọ̀rà

Shown within Nigeria

Location| Ilode II, Ife East Local Government Area, Nigeria
Region|  Nigeria
Osun State
Coordinates| 7°30′28″N 4°37′36″E﻿ / ﻿7.50778°N 4.62667°E﻿ / 7.50778; 4.62667
Altitude| 650 m (2,133 ft)
History
Founded| Late Stone Age[1]
Abandoned| 900CE (?)
Cultures| Early Yorubaland
Associated with| Oranfe, Oduduwa
Site notes
Excavation dates| 1977
Archaeologists| Omotoso Eluyemi [2][3]
Condition| Abandoned. (A small hamlet at the foot of the hill continues to bear the name)
Early Yoruba community,
The origin of Oduduwa and Oranfe[4]

Oke Ora (Yoruba: Òkè Ọ̀rà) is an ancient community and archaeological site situated on a hill about 8 km (5 miles) east of Ufẹ̀ (Ilé-Ifẹ̀), in between the city and the small village of Itagunmodi. Two important characters in the early history of Yorubaland; Oranife (Oramfe) and Oduduwa came from Oke Ora. Several stories and legends of the Yoruba people surround the site, and today, it continues to play an important role in certain religious rites of the Ife people, most siginpificantly, in the coronation rituals of the Owoni (Ooni), king of Ifẹ̀.[5][6]

## Name[edit]

The name Oke Ora owes its etymology to two separate words; Òkè and Ọ̀ra. In the Yoruba language, Òkè means a mountain or hill, while Ọ̀ra is a deity, who is one of the highest ranking in Ife, and said to be an avatar of Orishala[7]

## Site[edit]

Oke Ora is the most important landmark in a chain of seven hills surrounding the sites of the ancient Ife confederation (The Thirteen clans/provinces, Yoruba: Ẹ̀lú Mẹ́tàlá), which sat in their central depression like the middle of a bowl stretching some 20 km across.[8] Because of the water streams flowing downhill into the center of the bowl, the middle of the Ife bowl was seasonally flooded and swampy.[9] The six other hills are; Oke-Obagbile, Oke-Ipao, Oke-Ijugbe, Oke-Onigbin, Oke-Araromi and Oke-Owu.[10]

Archaeological work in the area has produced artefacts such as; hand tools i.e. axes, broken pottery fragments, charcoal, stone sculptures, ancient road pavements and clay figurines. Some of the pots have holes in their rims for ropes to hang them from palm trees in the collection of palm wine, all evidence of early human habitation by the ancestors of the modern people of Ife and its immediate environs.[11]

Close by Oke Ora was Igbo Ore, a site which is associated with a character in early Ife known by the name Oreluere.[12] The grove has also yielded several artefacts such as the Idena and Olofenfura (Olofinfura) human stone sculptures.[13] These sculptures have been estimated to date to the period in between the 8th and 10th centuries CE.[14] British Archaeologist, Paul Ozanne stated in his 1969 preliminary survey of the Ife area that; "Many settlements were already established on ground in the Ife country by at least the 4th century BC (350BCE) in the latest."

## History[edit]

The history of Oke Ora is directly related to the history of early communities of Ife, and by extension the entirety of Yorubaland- the vast majority of which directly relate to Ife through dynastic migrations of people, royals and ideas. According to Ife accounts, it was from the settlement atop this hill that Oduduwa and his followers descended into the midst of an ongoing political imbroglio that had engulfed the thirteen confederal communities (Ẹ̀lú Mẹ́tàlá) in the Ife valley/bowl headed at the time by Obatala. On ground in the Ife area, he met Sixteen extant elders known as the Ooye Merindinlogun which included; Agboniregun (Orunmila), Oluorogbo, Oreluere, Elesije, Obameri, Esidale, Obagede, Obasin, Obalejugbe, Ojumu of Iloran and others. He took advantage of the ongoing disharmonious political situation to enter the fray.[15]

The thirteen communities/provinces/clans (Elu) that formed the Ife federation were:

Map showing the relative positions of the Thirteen ancient communities or clans present in the area of ancient Ife pre unification.

* Iloromu
* Imojubi
* Ideta (Idita)
* Oke-Oja
* Parakin
* Ido
* Iwinrin
* Odin
* Ijugbe
* Iraye
* Oke-Awo
* Iloran
* Omologun

Out of their number, Ideta was the largest[16] In addition to these, certain community names for various reasons (such as time of establishment) also often come up in other sources as a part of the original thirteen confederacy, and sometimes not. These include; Ita Yemoo (Yemowo), Orun oba Ado, Ilara, Igbo Olokun and Idio. Each village complex was further composed of its own sub-village (hamlet) groups. Ijugbe consisted of four villages, namely: Eranyigba, Igbogbe, Ipa and Ita Asin, while the Ideta complex had three: Ilale, Ilesun and Ilia villages, headed by the Obalale, Obalesun and Obalia respectively, local hamlet heads who were subservient to Obatala, lord of Ideta. All thirteen clans/provinces had their Obas, who were all said to report to the Obalejugbe, lord of Ijugbe[17] The Ile-Ife confederacy was a loose political association with no centralized government, powerful Oba or seat of permanent power.[18]

Over time, leaders of the original clans and their people pitched their support with either side. There grew an armed confrontation between the two factions that had developed in the Ife valley (The Obatala group and the Oduduwa group), which resulted in a devastating civil war. Pitching their tents in the Obatala camp were; Obamakin, Obawinrin of Iwinrin, Oluorogbo, and the two great warriors; Oshateko and Oshakire. While in the Oduduwa camp were Obameri of Odin, Obadio, Apata of Imojubi, Obalora and others.

## Emergence of the Ugbo[edit]

The civil war that engulfed ancient Ife forced Obatala and Obawinrin to abandon the Ideta and Iwinrin settlements respectively and flee across the Esimirin river to establish a new settlement with their people. The new settlement was called Ideta oko (I.e The Ideta camp as opposed to the actual Ideta ile or 'home Ideta'). After a time period when the situation had simmered down, a peace agreement was brokered between the victorious Oduduwa party and the Obatala faction by Ojumu of Iloran, one of the Ooye Merindinlogun elders. The agreement allowed for the return of Obatala and Obawinrin and their people to the ruins of Ideta and Iwinrin under the new leadership of Oduduwa in the newly unified settlement of “Ile-Ife” where Ooduwa was now in full control. Oduduwa became the first Ọba of a unified Ife. The era of the 13 semi autonomous clans (Elu) was gone for good.

However, not all members of the Obatala faction were pleased with the new terms of agreement/settlement. The dissatisfied minority led by Obawinrin vowed never to return, stayed out of the city and migrated further away from Ideta Oko to a place called Igbo Ugbo. They launched clandestine bouts of guerrilla attacks, arson, stealing, terror, kidnapping, farm attacks and other vices on Ife from there up until the Moremi Ajasoro saga which put an end to the attacks from the Ugbo for good.[19] Obatala himself is known as Oba Ugbo (King of the Igbo) - While the Igbo people are also known as the Oluyare or people of Igare.[20]

## Significance of Oke Ora[edit]

The legendary descent of Oduduwa from Oke Ora is apotheosized in Yoruba religious/philosophical circles as a literal 'descent' from the heavens/abode of the Orisha.[21] The ritual significance of Oduduwa's descent from Oke Ora is usually demonstrated in the coronation rituals of every new Ooni Ife. After spending twenty one days at Ilofin (seclusion),[22] he then proceeds to visit the site of Oke Ora,[23] home of his ancestor with members of the Isoro chiefly class, where he has a symbolic crown made for him by the Onpetu of Ido before his name is eventually announced at Enugeru.[24]

## Ife Post Unification[edit]

After the unification of Ife, the city developed based on six major historic quarters overseen by the major chiefs of the Ihare class who were originally six in number and led by the Obalufe who could be comparable to a traditional prime minister, namely;[25]

* Iremo (remo) - By Obalufe (Leader)
* Ilode - By Obaloran
* Ilare - By Waasin
* Okerewe - By Akogun
* Imore (moore) - By Obajio
* Iraye - By Obalaye

## See Also[edit]

* Ife Empire
* Oduduwa
* Obatala
* Ile Ife
* Primacy of ife

## References[edit]

1. ^ Bondarenko, Dmitri (1 January 1999). "Benin prehistory: The origin and settling down of the Edo". Anthropos: 4. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
2. ^ "West African Journal of Archaeology". West African Journal of Archaeology. editorial board of WAJA (Volume 24): 62. 1994. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
3. ^ Shennan, S. J. (20 May 2003). Archaeological Approaches to Cultural Identity. Routledge. p. 207\. ISBN 978-1-134-86629-8. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
4. ^ Ajayi, J. F. Ade; Crowder, Michael (1976). History of West Africa. Columbia University Press. p. 213\. ISBN 978-0-231-04103-4.
5. ^ Nigeria, Guardian (28 August 2015). "Ife coronation rituals and the primacy of history". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
6. ^ "New Ooni of Ife presented with traditional Ade-Are crown - P.M. News". PM News Nigeria. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
7. ^ "'Traditional leaders need to be more sensitive to history'". Tribune Online. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
8. ^ Babalola, Abidemi Babatunde. "Archaeological Investigation at Ile-Ife, Southwest Nigeria: A Preliminary Report on the 2010 Test Excavations, Pg.35" (PDF). Rice University. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
9. ^ Ogundiran, Akinwumi (January 2023). "Classic Ilé-Ifẹ̀: A Consideration of Scale in the Archaeology of Early Yorùbá Urbanism, ad 1000–1400". Journal of Urban Archaeology. 7: 77–94. doi:10.1484/J.JUA.5.133451. ISSN 2736-2426. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
10. ^ Aderinto, Saheed (24 August 2017). African Kingdoms: An Encyclopedia of Empires and Civilizations. ABC-CLIO. p. 123\. ISBN 978-1-61069-580-0. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
11. ^ Shennan, S. J. (20 May 2003). Archaeological Approaches to Cultural Identity. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-86629-8. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
12. ^ "Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria". Historical Society of Nigeria. 1978. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
13. ^ Ajayi, J. F. Ade; Crowder, Michael (1976). History of West Africa. Longman. p. 210\. ISBN 978-0-582-64187-7. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
14. ^ Falola, Toyin; Jennings, Christian (2004). Sources and Methods in African History: Spoken, Written, Unearthed. University Rochester Press. p. 46\. ISBN 978-1-58046-140-5. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
15. ^ Adebayo, Akanmu (6 February 2018). Culture, Politics, and Money Among the Yoruba. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-52419-3. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
16. ^ Akintoye, Stephen Adebanji (1 January 2010). A History of the Yoruba People. Amalion Publishing. ISBN 978-2-35926-027-4. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
17. ^ Usman, Aribidesi; Falola, Toyin (4 July 2019). The Yoruba from Prehistory to the Present. Cambridge University Press. p. 49\. ISBN 978-1-107-06460-7. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
18. ^ Elaigwu, J. Isawa; Erim, E. O.; Uzoigwe, G. N.; Akindele, R. A. (2001). Foundations of Nigerian Federalism: Pre-colonial antecedents. Institute of Governance and Social Research (IGSR). p. 27\. ISBN 978-978-30738-4-5. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
19. ^ Bascom, William Russell (11 March 1991). Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa. Indiana University Press. p. 515\. ISBN 978-0-253-20638-1.
20. ^ Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria. Historical Society of Nigeria. 1978. p. 165. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
21. ^ Abiodun, Rowland (29 September 2014). Yoruba Art and Language: Seeking the African in African Art. Cambridge University Press. p. 353\. ISBN 978-1-107-04744-0.
22. ^ "Ooni-Elect, Ogunwusi Leaves Ilofi for Crowning Today". Allarica.com. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
23. ^ "New Ooni Of Ife Presented With The Aare Crown Worn Once A Year". Information Nigeria. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
24. ^ Adebayo, Akanmu (6 February 2018). Culture, Politics, and Money Among the Yoruba. Routledge. p. 390\. ISBN 978-1-351-52419-3. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
25. ^ "Ooni: The storm that rocked the palace". Get Current News in Nigeria- Latest breaking news update. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2023.