Oba, Nigeria
Encyclopedia
Oba-Igbomina is an ancient Igbomina
town in northeastern Yoruba
land of Nigeria
in Isin
Local Government Area of Kwara State
. It is one of the five related Yoruba towns named "Oba", the others being
The original Ọ̀bà was capital of an ancient Ọ̀bà Civilization
, a kingdom reputed in oral history
of the region as a center of great wealth and enterprise. Most of the extant Oba towns claim to be the original Oba or claim to be the oldest derivative of the ancient civilization.
, anthropologists
and archeologists of the Arizona State University
, USA and the University of Ibadan
, Nigeria); of the region's contemporary and later settlements suggest that Ọ̀bà was founded between the 9th and 10th centuries. The cyclic conflicts with the neighbouring Nupe
resulted in cycles of abandonment and reoccupation of the Òbà mother city.
British colonial records of Oba-Igbomina, indicate that the ancient Ọ̀bà kingdom uses the "iron crown and rod" as the insignia of the king, perhaps as a result of their early involvement with iron-smelting and iron-working technology. Oratures makes references to "idẹ" which is brass not "irin", which is iron. Therefore, the "iron" crown and rod are more likely to be made from some alloy such as brass or bronze. Subsequent Yoruba kingdoms (perhaps including Oba), used beaded "crown and rod" insignia, (possibly because precious stones and glassware replaced metalware as the symbol of high rank and wealth).
s which influenced several other Igbomina and non-Igbomina Yoruba kingdoms and towns. The earliest Diaspora from the ancient Oba Civilization is constituted by the five towns in Yorubaland
with the name "Oba" (not to be confused with the differently pronounced Oba
, a river in Yorubaland): two in Osun State
, Oba-Ile near Ikirun, Oba-Oke near Ikirun adjoining Oba-Ile; one in Kwara State
Oba-Igbomina - generally called Oba without the Igbomina or the historically recent Isin tag; and two in Ondo State
, Oba-Ile near Akure, and Oba-Akoko. Although none of these is the original Oba, but that they are diapora settlements of Oba people from the more ancient Oba.
Several of the clans that migrated away from the ancient Òbà kingdom retained oratures which refer to their ancestry from the ancient Ọ̀bà. One of such Ọ̀bà-diaspora clans is that of the royal Oba'lumo
lineage whose ancestor Oba'lumo founded a new city-state called Isedo
. This is a separate Diaspora of smaller segments from Oba although this was the only known kingdom established by Oba emigres.
A third diaspora sequence occurred in the 18th Century resulting from attacks from the Nupe kingdom to the north of Oba Igbomina. Examples of Igbomina and non-Igbomina towns (in Kwara
and Osun
states of Nigeria) with large concentrations of people from Ọ̀bà diasporas include the following: Oke-Ila Orangun
(Isedo-Oke), Ila Orangun
(Isedo), Ora-Igbomina
, Ipoti-Ekiti, Isanlu-Isin, Oke-Onigbin, Omu-Aran, Rore, Oyan, Inisha, Ipee, Oke-Ode, Babanla, Ajase-Ipo, Omupo, Esie, Oro, Ijomu-Oro, Iddo-Oro, Idofin, Ado-Eku, Oreke, Sanmora, and Pamo.
Ago Oba (Camp of the Oba), the Oba diaspora community in the Owu section of Abeokuta
in southwestern Nigeria is also a separate diapora but further research of the oral history is necessary to clarify if this was a migration with Owu people as a result of the 19th Century Yoruba wars, or whether Ago Oba migrated separately from another Oba location.
Igbomina
The Ìgbómìnà are a tribe of the Yoruba people occupying the north-central portion of the Yoruba region of southwestern Nigeria....
town in northeastern Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
land of 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...
in 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...
Local Government Area of 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 :...
. It is one of the five related Yoruba towns named "Oba", the others being
- Oba-Ile, OlorundaOlorundaOlorunda is a Local Government Area in Osun State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in Igbona, on the outskirts of the state capital Osogbo.It has an area of 97 km² and a population of 131,761 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 230....
LGA, Osun StateOsun StateỌṣun 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...
, located about 15 km northwest of OsogboOsogboOsogbo is a city in Nigeria, the capital of Osun State and a Local Government Area.The Local Government Area has an area of 47 km² and a population of 156,694 at the 2006 census; the postal code of the area is 230.-Infrastructure and demographics:Osogbo lies on the railway line from Lagos to...
, - Oba-Oke, Olorunda LGA, Osun State, located north-northwest of Osogbo,
- Oba-Ile Akure SouthAkure SouthAkure South is a Local Government Area in Ondo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Akure.It has an area of 331 km² and a population of 353,211 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 340....
LGA, Ondo StateOndo StateOndo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...
, located just east of AkureAkureAkure is a city in the southwestern region of Nigeria, and is the largest city and capital of Ondo State. The city has a population of approximately 387,087...
, on Akure-Owo Road, - Oba-Akoko Akoko South-WestAkoko South-WestAkoko South-West is a Local Government Area in Ondo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Oka.It has an area of 226 km² and a population of 229,486 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 342....
LGA, Ondo State, located northeast of OwoOwoOwo is a town in the Ondo state of Nigeria. Between the years 1400 and 1600 AD it was the capital of a Yoruba city-state.-Etymology:According to Owo historian Chief Ashara, the name Owo derives from the first ruler, or Olowo, named Ojugbelu...
.
The original Ọ̀bà was capital of an ancient Ọ̀bà Civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
, a kingdom reputed in oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
of the region as a center of great wealth and enterprise. Most of the extant Oba towns claim to be the original Oba or claim to be the oldest derivative of the ancient civilization.
History and Archaeology
Recent archaeological research results (and published works of oral history expertsOral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
, anthropologists
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and archeologists of the Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, USA and the University of Ibadan
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
, Nigeria); of the region's contemporary and later settlements suggest that Ọ̀bà was founded between the 9th and 10th centuries. The cyclic conflicts with the neighbouring 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:...
resulted in cycles of abandonment and reoccupation of the Òbà mother city.
British colonial records of Oba-Igbomina, indicate that the ancient Ọ̀bà kingdom uses the "iron crown and rod" as the insignia of the king, perhaps as a result of their early involvement with iron-smelting and iron-working technology. Oratures makes references to "idẹ" which is brass not "irin", which is iron. Therefore, the "iron" crown and rod are more likely to be made from some alloy such as brass or bronze. Subsequent Yoruba kingdoms (perhaps including Oba), used beaded "crown and rod" insignia, (possibly because precious stones and glassware replaced metalware as the symbol of high rank and wealth).
The Great Oba Diasporas
The ancient Ọ̀bà kingdom produced a series of diasporaDiaspora
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 which influenced several other Igbomina and non-Igbomina Yoruba kingdoms and towns. The earliest Diaspora from the ancient Oba Civilization is constituted by the five towns in Yorubaland
Yorùbáland
Yorubaland, or Yorùbáland , is a cultural region in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo that includes the indigenous territory and cultural reach of the Yoruba people.- History :-Settlement:Oduduwa is regarded as the legendary progenitor of the Yoruba...
with the name "Oba" (not to be confused with the differently pronounced Oba
OBA
Oba or OBA may refer to:* Oba , an African ruler or king* Oba , in Yoruba mythology* Oba, an island in the North Maluku province of Indonesia* Oba-Igbomina, a town in Nigeria...
, a river in Yorubaland): two 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...
, Oba-Ile near Ikirun, Oba-Oke near Ikirun adjoining Oba-Ile; one in 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 :...
Oba-Igbomina - generally called Oba without the Igbomina or the historically recent Isin tag; and two in Ondo State
Ondo State
Ondo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...
, Oba-Ile near Akure, and Oba-Akoko. Although none of these is the original Oba, but that they are diapora settlements of Oba people from the more ancient Oba.
Several of the clans that migrated away from the ancient Òbà kingdom retained oratures which refer to their ancestry from the ancient Ọ̀bà. One of such Ọ̀bà-diaspora clans is that of the royal Oba'lumo
Obalumo
- Oba'lumo as Prince of the Ancient Oba Civilization:Ọbalúmọ̀ or Ọba'lúmọ̀ , , is the titular name of the founder-king of the ancient Ìsèdó-Olúmọ̀, city-state, an ancient monarchy of the Igbomina-Yoruba...
lineage whose ancestor Oba'lumo founded a new city-state called Isedo
Isedo, Nigeria
- Location :Ìsèdó is an ancient Igbomina kingdom in northeastern Yorubaland of Nigeria. Ìsẹ̀dó was founded as a new city-state several centuries ago by Ọba'lumọ, a Prince of the ancient Oba civilization - Location :Ìsèdó (Ìsẹ̀dó or Ìsẹ̀dó-Olúmọ̀) is an ancient Igbomina kingdom in...
. This is a separate Diaspora of smaller segments from Oba although this was the only known kingdom established by Oba emigres.
A third diaspora sequence occurred in the 18th Century resulting from attacks from the Nupe kingdom to the north of Oba Igbomina. Examples of Igbomina and non-Igbomina towns (in Kwara
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 :...
and Osun
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...
states of Nigeria) with large concentrations of people from Ọ̀bà diasporas include the following: 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....
(Isedo-Oke), Ila Orangun
Ila, Nigeria
Ìlá Òràngún, is an ancient city in Osun State, Nigeria that was capital of an ancient city-state of the same name in the Igbomina area of Yorubaland in southwestern Nigeria...
(Isedo), Ora-Igbomina
Ora-Igbomina
Ora-Igbomina is an ancient Igbomina town in Ifedayo Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria. With Oke-Ila Orangun, it constitutes the 2 major towns in the local government area....
, Ipoti-Ekiti, Isanlu-Isin, Oke-Onigbin, Omu-Aran, Rore, Oyan, Inisha, Ipee, Oke-Ode, Babanla, Ajase-Ipo, Omupo, Esie, Oro, Ijomu-Oro, Iddo-Oro, Idofin, Ado-Eku, Oreke, Sanmora, and Pamo.
Ago Oba (Camp of the Oba), the Oba diaspora community in the Owu section of Abeokuta
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
in southwestern Nigeria is also a separate diapora but further research of the oral history is necessary to clarify if this was a migration with Owu people as a result of the 19th Century Yoruba wars, or whether Ago Oba migrated separately from another Oba location.