Igbomina
Encyclopedia
The Ìgbómìnà are a tribe of the Yoruba people
occupying the north-central portion of the Yoruba region of southwestern Nigeria
.
They speak a dialect also called Ìgbómìnà
or Igbonna, classified among the Central Yoruba of the three major Yoruba dialectical areas. The Ìgbómìnà spread across what is now northern Osun State
and eastern Kwara State
. Peripheral areas of the dialectical region have some similarities to the adjoining Ekiti, Ijesha
and Oyo
dialects.
and hunting
prowess as well as their woodcarving, leather art, and the famous Elewe masquerade, an Egungun representing the ancestors during special festivals.
areas (LGAs) of Kwara State: Irepodun
, Ifelodun
, and Isin
LGAs, as well as two local government areas of Osun State: Ifedayo
and Ila
LGAs.
The major Ìgbómìnà cities in Osun State
are Oke-Ila Orangun
, Ora, and Ila Orangun
, while the major Ìgbómìnà cities in Kwara State which has most of the Ìgbómìnà land and population include Òbà
, Ajasse Ipo
, eleju of eju-land, Eku-Mesesan-Oro, Oke-Onigbin
, Isanlu Isin
, Omu-Aran, Esiẹ
, Omupo
, Igbaja
,Oke -Ode, owu - isin, Oro-Ago, Aran-Orin, Arandun, Share, Oke-Aba, Owode Ofaro, and Iddo-oro, Iludun-Oro.
Ìgbómìnàland is adjoined on the west and northwest by major neighbours such as the Oyo-Yoruba region, on the south and southwest by the Ijesha
-Yoruba region, on the south and southeast by the Ekiti-Yoruba region, on the east by the Yagba-Yoruba region, and on the north by the non-Yoruba Nupe region south of the Niger River
. Other minor neighbours of the Ìgbómìnà are the Ibolo sub-group of the cities of Offa, Oyan and Okuku in the west.
in western Igbomina, Ijara
and Ofaro villages. It is not known who created the sculptures, but they appear to have been created around 1100. A.D.
Archaological and linguistic evidence suggest that the Ìgbómìnà people may have predated the surrounding peoples except perhaps the Nupe and the Yagba. Ìgbómìnàland definitely predated the Oduduwa
era as evidenced by oral traditions of royal and non-royal migrations from Oduduwa’s Ile-Ife which met existing dynasties in place but displaced, subsumed or subjugated them. It appears that aside from more recent conflicts in the last two centuries, the Oyo
, Ijesha
, and the Ekiti may have in more ancient times, pressured the Ìgbómìnà, captured territory in the plains and restricted them into the more rugged and lower-quality land of the Yoruba hills. The Ìgbómìnà, on the other hand, appear to have pressured the Nupe
and the Yagba and taken territory away from them in places, but also losing territory to them in other places.
Major upheavals, conflicts and wars as well as epidemics have resulted in major ancient dispersals and migrations
such as the Òbà diaspora
s documented in the oral history, oral poetry
and lineage praise songs of several Ìgbómìnà clans.
By 1800, the Alafin (supreme ruler of Yoruba) had consolidated his power over the Igbomina and placed an Ajele (Governor) in Ilorin to safeguard his interests.
The Sudan Interior Mission came to Oro Ago in 1911, to Agunjin before 1918, and to Oke Oyan, Igbaja, and Oke Aba in the 1920s. Starting in the 1930s, primary and secondary schools were established, resulting in changes to the traditional ways of life.
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
occupying the north-central portion of the Yoruba region of southwestern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
They speak a dialect also called Ìgbómìnà
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
or Igbonna, classified among the Central Yoruba of the three major Yoruba dialectical areas. The Ìgbómìnà spread across what is now northern Osun State
Osun State
Ọṣun State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria. Its capital is Osogbo. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east partly by Ekiti State and partly by Ondo State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west by Oyo State. The state's current governor is Rauf Aregbesola, who was...
and eastern Kwara State
Kwara State
Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.- History :...
. Peripheral areas of the dialectical region have some similarities to the adjoining Ekiti, Ijesha
Ijesha
The Ijesha , are a sub-ethnic of the Yoruba. This group is predominantly from the city and environs of Ilesha and the historic state of Ilesha in the same area....
and Oyo
Oyo
- Places :In Nigeria* The Oyo Empire or Kingdom, a former West-African empire that covered parts of modern-day Nigeria and Benin* Oyo State, a present-day state of Nigeria named after the Oyo Empire...
dialects.
Traditional Trades & Occupations
The Ìgbómìnà are renowned for their agriculturalAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
prowess as well as their woodcarving, leather art, and the famous Elewe masquerade, an Egungun representing the ancestors during special festivals.
Geographical Spread
Ìgbómìnàland consist of three local governmentLocal government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
areas (LGAs) of Kwara State: Irepodun
Irepodun, Kwara State
Irepodun is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Omu Aran.It has an area of 737 km² and a population of 148,610 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 251....
, Ifelodun
Ifelodun, Kwara State
Ifelodun is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Share.It has an area of 3,435 km² and a population of 206,042 at the 2006 census....
, and Isin
Isin, Nigeria
Isin is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State was created from the old Irepodun Local Government Area in 1996 with the headquarters at Owu-Isin...
LGAs, as well as two local government areas of Osun State: Ifedayo
Ifedayo
Ifedayo is one of the 30 local government areas of Osun State in southwestern Nigeria. It is one of the most recent local government areas to be created.Its headquarters are in the town of Oke-Ila Orangun....
and Ila
Ila
ILA or Ila may refer to:* MV Ila, ship in service 1947-52Places:* Ila, Georgia, community in United States* Ila, Trondheim, borough in Norway* Ila, Nigeria, townPersonal names:...
LGAs.
The major Ìgbómìnà cities in Osun State
Osun State
Ọṣun State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria. Its capital is Osogbo. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east partly by Ekiti State and partly by Ondo State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west by Oyo State. The state's current governor is Rauf Aregbesola, who was...
are Oke-Ila Orangun
Òkè-Ìlá
Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún is an ancient city in southwestern Nigeria that was capital of an ancient Igbomina-Yoruba city-state of the same name....
, Ora, and Ila Orangun
Ila
ILA or Ila may refer to:* MV Ila, ship in service 1947-52Places:* Ila, Georgia, community in United States* Ila, Trondheim, borough in Norway* Ila, Nigeria, townPersonal names:...
, while the major Ìgbómìnà cities in Kwara State which has most of the Ìgbómìnà land and population include Òbà
Oba, Nigeria
Oba-Igbomina , is an ancient Igbomina town in northeastern Yorubaland of Nigeria in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State...
, Ajasse Ipo
Ajasse Ipo
Ajasse Ipo is an ancient town in Igbomina-Yoruba land of Kwara State. Ajasse Ipo is sometimes spelt as Ajase Ipo and is also known as Ajasse or Ajasepo. It is one of the prominent towns in Irepodun Local Government Area of the Kwara State...
, eleju of eju-land, Eku-Mesesan-Oro, Oke-Onigbin
Oke-Onigbin
Oke-Onigbin lies at the heart of and is the major community in Isin Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria. It is mostly inhabited by Igbomina people.-Traditions:...
, Isanlu Isin
Isanlu Isin
Isanlu Isin or Isanlusin is an ancient town in Igbomina-Yoruba land of Kwara State. It is one of the prominent towns in the Isin Local Government Area of the State. Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State was created from the old Irepodun Local Government Area in 1996 with the headquarters at...
, Omu-Aran, Esiẹ
Esiẹ
Esiẹ is a town in Kwara State in Nigeria.The town was founded by prince Baragbon. The dialect of Yoruba spoke in Esiẹ is predominantly Igbonna.It is home to the Esiẹ Museum which was the first museum to be established in Nigeria....
, Omupo
Omupo
Omupo or Omu-ipo is an ancient town in Igbomina-Yoruba land of Kwara State. It is one of the prominent towns in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State. It is situated in the northeastern part of Yoruba land in northcentral Nigeria...
, Igbaja
Igbaja
Igbaja is a community in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria, at an elevation of 349 m. It is about 40 km southeast of Ilorin, and is in Igbomina country....
,Oke -Ode, owu - isin, Oro-Ago, Aran-Orin, Arandun, Share, Oke-Aba, Owode Ofaro, and Iddo-oro, Iludun-Oro.
Ìgbómìnàland is adjoined on the west and northwest by major neighbours such as the Oyo-Yoruba region, on the south and southwest by the Ijesha
Ijesha
The Ijesha , are a sub-ethnic of the Yoruba. This group is predominantly from the city and environs of Ilesha and the historic state of Ilesha in the same area....
-Yoruba region, on the south and southeast by the Ekiti-Yoruba region, on the east by the Yagba-Yoruba region, and on the north by the non-Yoruba Nupe region south of the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
. Other minor neighbours of the Ìgbómìnà are the Ibolo sub-group of the cities of Offa, Oyan and Okuku in the west.
Archaeological Chronology & Ancient History
Over 800 carved stones, mostly representing human figures, have been found around EsieEsiẹ
Esiẹ is a town in Kwara State in Nigeria.The town was founded by prince Baragbon. The dialect of Yoruba spoke in Esiẹ is predominantly Igbonna.It is home to the Esiẹ Museum which was the first museum to be established in Nigeria....
in western Igbomina, Ijara
Ijara
Ijara is a town in the North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is capital of the Ijara District. Ijara is a very remote town; it is located 100 km north of Lamu and 180 km south of Garissa....
and Ofaro villages. It is not known who created the sculptures, but they appear to have been created around 1100. A.D.
Archaological and linguistic evidence suggest that the Ìgbómìnà people may have predated the surrounding peoples except perhaps the Nupe and the Yagba. Ìgbómìnàland definitely predated the Oduduwa
Oduduwa
Oduduwa Omoluabi, Olofin Adimula, Emperor of the Yoruba, phonetically written by his people as Odùduwà and sometimes contracted as Odudua or Oòdua, is generally held among the Yoruba to be the reigning ancestor of the crowned Yoruba kings....
era as evidenced by oral traditions of royal and non-royal migrations from Oduduwa’s Ile-Ife which met existing dynasties in place but displaced, subsumed or subjugated them. It appears that aside from more recent conflicts in the last two centuries, the Oyo
Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today southwestern Nigeria. The empire was established before the 14th century and grew to become one of the largest West African states encountered by European explorers. It rose to preeminence through its possession of a powerful cavalry and wealth...
, Ijesha
Ijesha
The Ijesha , are a sub-ethnic of the Yoruba. This group is predominantly from the city and environs of Ilesha and the historic state of Ilesha in the same area....
, and the Ekiti may have in more ancient times, pressured the Ìgbómìnà, captured territory in the plains and restricted them into the more rugged and lower-quality land of the Yoruba hills. The Ìgbómìnà, on the other hand, appear to have pressured the Nupe
Nupe
The Nupe, traditionally called the Tapa by the neighbouring Yoruba, are an ethnic group located primarily in the Middle Belt and northern Nigeria, and are the dominant group in Niger and an important minority in Kwara State.-History:...
and the Yagba and taken territory away from them in places, but also losing territory to them in other places.
Major upheavals, conflicts and wars as well as epidemics have resulted in major ancient dispersals and migrations
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
such as the Òbà diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
s documented in the oral history, oral poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and lineage praise songs of several Ìgbómìnà clans.
Recent history
The Ilorin Provincial Gazetteer (1918) dates the settlement of Igbaja, one of the Igbomina towns, as late 17th or early 18th century, while the Igbaja District Gazetteer (1933–35) puts it about 1750 AD.By 1800, the Alafin (supreme ruler of Yoruba) had consolidated his power over the Igbomina and placed an Ajele (Governor) in Ilorin to safeguard his interests.
The Sudan Interior Mission came to Oro Ago in 1911, to Agunjin before 1918, and to Oke Oyan, Igbaja, and Oke Aba in the 1920s. Starting in the 1930s, primary and secondary schools were established, resulting in changes to the traditional ways of life.