IJEBU ORIGIN & HISTORY CONTINUED

THE Ijebu People inhabit the South-Central part of Yoruba land - a territory that is
bounded in the North by Ibadan, in the East by Ondo, Okitipupa and the est by
E!baland" The Southern frin!e is open to the sea #ith the $oastlines of Epe,
Ejinrin and Ikorodu" %espite the politi$al di&ision #hi$h has these three to#ns in
'a!os #hile the (ain part of Ijebuland is O!un State, the people ha&e al#ays
re!arded the(sel&es as one entity e&en #hen the i((i!ration le!ends #hi$h
ha&e often been $ited point in different dire$tions"
There are i((i!ration le!ends #hi$h tend to link the Ijebu #ith the bibli$al
)ebusites and Noah *hen$e O(olu#abi -- o(o ti Noah bi -- the $hildren of Noah+
but these are farfet$hed" Other i((i!ration le!ends tra$e the ori!in of Yoruba
people, and by i(pli$ation, the Ijebu to ,e$$a #here Odudu#a, the le!endary
an$estor of the Yoruba, #as said to be the son of -in! 'a(urudu" Odudu#a,
a$$ordin! to the le!end, had to be e.pelled fro( ,e$$a #hen he resorted to
idolatry" This is another una$$eptable story in that it i(plied that the Yoruba
(ust ha&e $o(e into e.isten$e as a !roup after faithful ,usli(s e.pelled
Odudu#a so(e /,011 years a!o"
Ijebu traditional historians tend to sti$k to the (i!ration le!end that the people
(i!rated to their present territory fro( a re!ion of Sudan $alled addai #hi$h
(eans that the Ijebu had a parallel (i!ration #a&e just like other Yoruba #ho
belie&e they $a(e to their present abode &ia Odudu#a" That $lai( see(s to be
$orroborated by a publi$ation by one Haile(aria( #hi$h states that 2the (ost
po#erful people that the Ne!ede Orit *an$ient Ethiopian i((i!rant into 3fri$a+
(et in East 3fri$a #ere the )ebus"2 Their -in! #as $lai(ed to be so influential
that he appointed the !o&ernors of Ye(en" If that kin! #as the sa(e Olu-I#a, the
le!endary first 4uler of Ijebuland, #e do not kno#"
There is a lot of e&iden$e in support of the fa$t that the Ijebus (i!rated into
Ni!eria fro( Sudan" The (ost ob&ious is the Sudanese tribal (ark #hi$h, thou!h
&aried, is dupli$ated all o&er Yoruba land" In parti$ular, the three &erti$al (arks
on both $heeks are the national (arks in Ijebu" ,oreo&er, in the border bet#een
South Sudan and Ethiopia, the ori!inal lan!ua!e #hi$h 3rabi$ lan!ua!e has
superseded is &ery si(ilar to Ijebu diale$t" Na(es of people su$h as Saba, Esi#u,
,eleki *$orruption of ,enelik+ and (any others are still $o((on in Ijebu and the
South of Sudan" 3 kind of flute #hi$h #as for(erly used durin! the $oronation
$ere(ony of the 3#ujale is still used in Ethiopia and South of Sudan" In the
se$ond pla$e, the passa!e 5uoted fro( 6Ethiopian History6 by Haile(aria( at the
be!innin! of this essay sho#s that Ne!ede Orit #hi$h entered Ethiopia se&eral
$enturies before -in! Solo(on and the fa(ous ,akida, 7ueen of Sheba *about
811 9"C"+ (et the Ijebus on the east Coast of Southern Sudan"
The an$estors of the Ijebus #ho no# inhabit Ijebu-Ode and distri$ts $a(e into
Ni!eria fro( the an$ient -in!do( of O#odaiye of Ethiopia #hi$h $a(e to an end
as a result of 3rab supre(a$y in ,iddle East and the Sudan #here O#odaiye #as
situated" The -in!do( of O#odaiye #as bounded in the North by Nubia: in the
East by Ti!re and the -in!do( of 3.u(: in the est there #as no $lear
boundary, #hile alon! its South-Eastern border, it #as bounded by the land of
Punt" ith these people the Ijebus share their $ulture and reli!ion" ith the
Ti!rians and an$ient 3.u(ites the Ijebus share their tribal (arks #hi$h are (ade
up of three &erti$al (arks on the $heeks #hile #ith the E!yptians, the Nubians
and Puntite people, the Ijebu share (any of their funeral rites, the 3!e(o $ult
and the Erikiran"
The Yorubas in Nubia #ere the nearest people to the Ijebus in O#o aiye" E&en
the Ijebus differ fro( the Yoruba in (any respe$ts" ;or e.a(ple, #hile the (ain
Yoruba !roup pra$ti$e $ir$u($ision on both (ale and fe(ale (e(bers of the
fa(ily, the Ijebus ne&er pra$ti$e it on the fe(ale (e(bers: the Yorubas used to
bore the lo#er part of the ear in both (ale and fe(ale #hile the (ale ne&er bore
in Ijebu"
The first (ajor #a&e of Sudanese that entered Ni!eria #as led by I#ase #ho
$a(e to Ife se&eral $enturies before the (ajor Sudanese i((i!rations under
Odudu#a and Olu-I#a" The I#ase !roup of i((i!rants $a(e durin! the rei!n of
Esu(are of Ife Erinrin" The ne.t !roups of Sudanese i((i!rants #ere the Ijebus
and the kindred peoples under Olu-I#a, #ho entered the $ountry at about the
sa(e ti(e as the Yoruba under Odudu#a" There are (any reasons to belie&e
that they arri&ed before the (ain Yoruba !roup" The (ost i(portant reason #as
stated in a Yoruba tradition that #hen Odudu#a #as ali&e, he be$a(e partially
blind and #ent to $onsult 3!bonnire!un, an Ife Priest, #ith a &ie# to findin! out
#hat he (ust apply to his eyes to re!ain his si!ht" Agbonniregun re$o((ended
brine and so Odudu#a had to send one of his sons, Obokun, to the sea to brin!
hi( sea #ater" The latter #andered for (any years in &ain until he $a(e to the
-in! of Ijebu for help" This kin! sent a (essen!er to !uide hi( to the sea and on
Obokun6s return to Ijebu, the -in! of the ljebus *'e#u 'e!usen+ !a&e Obokun
(edi$ines for Odudu#a6s eyes" 3nd #hen Odudu#a applied the brine and the
(edi$ine, he re!ained his si!ht" The abo&e tradition sho#s that the ljebus #ere
in Ni!eria before the (ain Yoruba sto$k be$ause the kin! of Ijebu referred to was
the fifth Awujale. In appre$iation of this ser&i$e, Odudu#a deter(ined to &isit the
-in! of Ijebu, but he died about fifteen (iles east of Ijebu-Ode" His follo#ers
settled do#n at Idofe, a to#n #hi$h has no# be$o(e e.tin$t"
The Ijebu le!end tra$in! their ori!in to addai (ust ha&e brou!ht the kno#n
ri&alry bet#een the( and other Yoruba people" If, indeed, 'a(urudu and
Odudu#a des$ended fro( O(u, the youn!er brother of Olu-I#a, there is so(e
sense in the $lai( that the Ijebus are senior to other Yorubas and $annot,
therefore, a$$ept the junior position that put the( under the Ooni of Ife or 3lafin
of Oyo"
The bulk of Yoruba people re!ard the ljebus as peripheral Yoruba #hile the ljebus
the(sel&es do not hide the fa$t that the $ohesion bet#een the( and others #ho $all
the(sel&es $entral Yoruba has been the result of $ultural and politi$al intera$tion
o&er the $enturies" Ti(e itself has taken $are of these le!ends as the &arious !roups
of people in estern Ni!eria ha&e $o(e to a$$ept a $o((on Nationality as Yoruba,
be they Ekiti, Ijesha, E!ba, Ondo, Ijebu, et$"" E&en a(on! the Ijebus, there are
$onfli$tin! $lai(s to the sour$e of ori!in dependin! on the politi$al intention of those
$on$erned" Irrespe$ti&e of these $lai(s, the Ijebus are united under the leadership
of the 3#ujale of Ijebuland and this unity is the stren!th of the people as e.hibited
by their a$hie&e(ents in the past <= years of the rei!n of Oba Sikiru 3detona,
O!ba!ba II"
DEITIES IN IJEBU
AGEMO
;ore(ost a(on! the deities in Ijebu is the 3!e(o #hi$h is jointly $elebrated by
Ijebu $o((unities in )une>)uly of e&ery year" The 3!e(o is a rallyin! fa$tor
a(on! the $o((unities that (ake up Ijebu state" It is belie&ed that the idea
#as initiated by the Obanta hi(self as an annual asse(bly of his priests
*3la!e(os+ at I(osan to $urb an unusual in$iden$e of re$al$itran$e durin! the
dispersal of to#nships" He #as said to ha&e su((oned the 3!e(o priests fro(
/? different lo$ations to Ijebu-Ode for heart-to-heart *frank+ dis$ussion"
The Obanta prepared #ell for his &isitors #ho( he feted and had" %is$ussion *oro
a#o+ #ith" These priests too, as it #as nor(al #ith the(, $a(e #ith their
instru(ents of po#er *and defense+" 3nd to pre&ent a possible atta$k on the
people, Obanta (ade the (eetin! (ore business-like so that none of their po#ers
$ould filter to the people"
The Agemos *in the order of dan$in! at 3!bala I(osan @ Ijebu Ode+ areA
Ta(i *Odo!bolu+, Olu(oro *I(oro+, Serefusi *I!bile+, Posa *I(osan+, ,oko
*Okun+, 3lofe *Ijesa-Ijebu+, Onu!bo *Okenu!bo+, Iju *I(osan+, 'apen *Oru+,
,a!odo *3iyepe+, 9ajelu *I(uku+, 'uba(isan *3!o-l#oye+, Petu *Isi#o+, O!e!bo
*Ibon#on+, ldobi *3!o-I#oye+, Nopa *I(ushin+"
Other fetish Agemo Priests that o !ot "erform a!#i!g rites are$
Onija!bori *I(osan+, 3die *3!o-I#oye+, O!i *Ido!i, Ijebu-Ode+"

The 3!e(o festi&al has sin$e follo#ed the for(at #ith people $elebratin! it #ith
po(p and pa!eantry" The 3la!e(os usually follo# a per(anent festi&al route
durin! #hi$h #o(en are $o(pelled to stay indoors" The 3#ujale is the one that
no# re$ei&es the 3la!e(os throu!h their head *Ta(i+ #ho( he *3#ujale #ill
re$ei&e at Ipebi before the usual 2e e ke e e2 is $hanted to si!nify the arri&al of
the other 3la!e(os"
ORO
Oro festi&al is also $o((on to Ijebus #here it is used to $leanse the $o((unities
of bad o(en" It usually $o(es up before the 3!e(o festi&al as a strate!y of
preparin! !round for the 3la!e(os to ensure that the $o((unities ha&e been rid
of e&il spirit as #ell as epide(i$s" It is belie&ed that $o((unities are safe after
Oro festi&al *I!balu+ and so 2Eiye a ke bi eiye and Eran a ke bi eran"B o(en are
not allo#ed to #itness Oro #orship #hi$h is usually a se&en day pro!ra(" In
Ijebu-Ode, the Oro $o(es out in the ni!ht #hen #o(en (ust not only stay in-
doors, but (ust e5ually not atte(pt to peep at all, #hile in so(e Ijebu &illa!es
#o(en are kept in-doors throu!hout the day"
EBI %O&i!ri! O'o()*
3lso $elebrated is the Obinrin ojo#u *Ebi+ #hi$h usually falls bet#een ;ebruary
and ,ar$h of e&ery year *be!innin! of plantin! season+" The Olo#u is priest of
Obinrin Ojo#u #ho dire$ts the rites and takes responsibility for its #orship"
9efore the Obinrin Ojo#u $elebration, the Olo#u #ould ha&e had to $onsult #ith
the 3#ujale and se$ure his $onsent on three different o$$asions" He #ill then pass
death senten$e on do!s that ha&e no pal( fronds around their ne$ks" The Iroko
tree at Odo-Esa is &ery i(portant to Obinrin Ojo#u festi&al as so(e rites are
perfor(ed under it and a do! is usually killed and hun! on it throu!hout the year"
3lso asso$iated #ith the festi&al is the oro $arni&al *#hi$h usually takes people
round the $o((unity+ and the pra$ti$e of youths testin! ni!ht and le&el of
enduran$e #ith $ane $o(petition" They en!a!e the(sel&es *in t#os and beat
ea$h other until one !i&es up *by han!in! his $ane+"
+EGURU
The (onth of 3u!ust is usually de&oted to the #orship of 'e!uru *althou!h this is
no lon!er popular+ in re(e(bran$e of the bra&ery of the Onise(u 'e!uru, #ho
&olunteered to sa$rifi$e self to sa&e Ijebu Ode fro( bein! taken o&er by the
la!oon #hi$h then o$$upied so(e areas in the to#n"
Cn$onfir(ed reports ha&e it that the to#n #as then fa$ed #ith the threat of the
'a!oon takin! o&er the #hole pla$e, and as #as predi$ated, the to#n #ould only
be$o(e a port *not habitable as it is presently+" The (an, it #as said, #as a
fore(ost priest #ho de$ided to bra&e the sa$rifi$e #hen Ifa talked about the !ra&e
i(pli$ation of retainin! the #ater in the to#n" 4eports ha&e it that 'e!uru hi(self
perfor(ed the di&ination and #as then not prepared to $han!e or t#ist the fa$ts as
re&ealed by Ifa that he *'e!uru+ #as the one that $ould sa&e the to#n by sa$rifi$in!
hi(self" People still $lai( to hear hi( perfor( di&ination *under #ater+ around a
portion of the 'a!oon at Epe"
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