Oba (ruler)

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Oba (ruler)

Oba, (pronounced Or-ba, means King or ruler in the Yoruba

Yoruba

Yoruba may refer to:* Yoruba people, a West African ethnic group* Yoruba language, the language spoken by the Yoruba people* Yoruba religion, the traditional religion of the Yoruba people...
language). Obas are the traditional heads of Yoruba

Yoruba people

Yoruba people are one of the largest ethno-linguistic group or ethnic groups in west Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language ....
settlements. The Yoruba word, 'oba', has also been adopted by some non-Yoruba ethnic groups.

Yoruba settlements are often composed of three main generations:

The first and most of the second generation towns are those with Obas, who generally wear beaded crowns; the rulers of the 'second generation' settlements are also often oba's.

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Oba, (pronounced Or-ba, means King or ruler in the Yoruba

Yoruba

Yoruba people

The first generation is made up of founding towns and cities of the origin or capitals of Yoruba states/kingdoms.
The second generation is those created by conquest, diaspora
Diaspora

The term diaspora refers to the movement of any population sharing common ethnicity identity who were either forced to leave or voluntarily left their Settler territory, and became residents in areas often far removed from the former....
or/and resettlement.
The third generation is those that emerged after the Yoruba wars.

The first and most of the second generation towns are those with Obas, who generally wear beaded crowns; the rulers of the 'second generation' settlements are also often oba's. The third generation settlements tend to be only headed by a Baále (literally meaning 'father of the land' in Yoruba), who do not wear crowns. Except from the Oba of Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is the most populous conurbation in Nigeria with 7,937,932 inhabitants at the 2006 census. It is currently the second most Largest cities in africa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa , immediately following Bamako....
(formerly called Eko

Eko

Eko or EKO may refer to:* Mr. Eko, a character from the TV series Lost* Eko guitars, an Italian guitar company, a German military term...
, Yoruba oba's bear titles related to the cities or ethnic groups. There are two categories of Yoruba obas:

the oba's of Yoruba ethnic groups. For example, the oba of the Egba bears the title of Alake of Egba
Egba

The Egba are a subgroup of the Yoruba people who live in western Nigeria. Many Egba live in the city of Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State....
land, whose capital is Abeokuta, the Oyo oba bears the title of Alaafin of Oyo, the .
the kings of Yoruba towns. Example: the king of Iwo
Iwo

*International Workers Order was the acronym of the International Workers Order, a pro-Communist fraternal organization and insurance company.*Iwo Jima, a small island in Japan, site of the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II....
, a town in Osun State
Osun State

?ṣun State is an inland States of Nigeria 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....
, bears the title Olu'wo (Olu of Iwo).

As previously mentioned there are some non Yoruba

Yoruba

Yoruba may refer to:* Yoruba people, a West African ethnic group* Yoruba language, the language spoken by the Yoruba people* Yoruba religion, the traditional religion of the Yoruba people...
speaking African ethnic groups who are also ruled by obas. The most well known is the Oba of Benin

Oba of Benin

The Oba of Benin, or Omo N'Oba, is the oba or king of the Edo people or Benin Kingdom, the current capital is Benin City in modern day Nigeria, from 1180 until 1897....
.

Oba (ruler)

See also