H I S T O RY OF T H E

Y O R U BA S
From t he E arlie s t Times to t he B eginning o f t he
B rit is h P rb t ec t o ra t e

The R EV . SA M U E L JO H NSON
Pas t o r o f 9y?

EDI TE D BY

DR . 0 .
JO H NS O N , Lagos

C M S
. . .
( N I G E R I A ) B OOK SH OP S
L A GOS
 A U T H O R S P R E F A CE
’

WH AT led to this production was not a burning desire of the author

to appe ar in prin t — as all wh o are well acquainted with him will
readily admit — but a pu rely patriotic motive that the history of ,

our father l and might not be l ost in obl ivion especially as o ur old ,

sires are fast dying out .

E ducated natives of Yoruba are well acquainted with the

history of E ngl and and with that of R ome and Greece ,but of the
history of t h eii own country they know nothing whatever This
’
reproach it is one of the author 5 obj ects to remove .

Whil st t he author co uld claim t o be a pioneer in an untrodden

fie l d he can by no means prete n d t o have exhaus ted the subj ect ;
,

but he hopes by this to st imulate among hi s more favoured brethren

the spirit of patriotism and enquiry into the histories of the less
known parts of the country It may be that oral records are
.

preserved in them which are handed down from father to s on ,

as in the c as e of the better known R oyal bards in the Metropolis ,

such recor ds though im perfect should surely not be under rated -

.

In the perusal of this feeble attempt the auth or craves the ,

forbearance of his readers he deprecates t h e spirit of tribal

feelings and petty j eal ousies now rife am ong us In recording .

events of what t ranspired good or bad failures and successes

, , ,

among the various tribes he has endeavoured to avoid whatever

,

would cause needless off ence to anyone or irritate the feelings of ,

those speci all y interested in the narratives provided only that the ,

cause of truth and of public benefit be faithful ly served

, .

With respec t to the ancient and mythologi c al period he has

stated the facts as they are given by the bards and with respect ,

to the H istory of compar atively recent dates viz from the t ime ,

of K ing Abi odun downw ards from eye witnesses of t he events

,
-

which they narrate or from those wh o have actu all y taken p a rt

,

in them H e has thus endeavo ured to present a reliable record of

.

events .

H e is greatly indebted especially to the honoured D avid K ukom i ,

t h e patriar ch of the Ibadan Church (the now sainted father of ,

the R ev R S Oyeb g d e) K u kom i was a young man in the days

. . . .

of King Abi odun and it was h is f o rt un e (or misfortune) to take

,
‘

par t in the wars and other nation al movements of the period as

a common soldier and was thus able to give a clear and reliable
,

account of the sayings persons and events of those stirring times

, , ,

being a cool man of j udgmen t observant and remarkably , ,

intelligent .
 A UTHO R S '
P RE F A CE

Also t o J osiah On i an intrepid trader in those days an active

, ,

and inte ll igent observer wh o was well acquainted with al most

every part of the country and took part in some of the most stirring
,

events of a later period .

And last though n ot least to his highness the venerable La g un j u ,

the renowned Timi of Ed e s o well known all over the country as a

,

gifted and trusty historian of the Yoruba Country .

And t o others al so wh o are n ot here mentioned by name .

The histories of all nations present many phases and divers

features which are brought out by various writers in the lines in
,

which each is interested the same method we hope will be pursued

by writers in this country until we become possessed of a fuller
H istory o i t he Yorubas .

S J O HN S ON
.
,

OY o , 1 8 97 . A fi la n m
.
 E D I TO R S P R E F A C E
’

A SI N G U LA R misfortune which happily is not of everyday

occurrence b ef el the or i gin al manuscripts of this history in
, ,

consequence of which the author never lived to see in print his

more than 2 0 years of labour .

The manuscripts were forwarded to a we ll known E nglish -

publisher thr ough one of the great Missionary S ocieties in 1 8 99 and

—m ir a bile d ict a — nothing more was heard of them
The editor wh o was all along in collaboration with the author
had occas ion to vi s it E ngland in 1 900 and cal l ed on the ,

publisher but could get nothing more from him than that the
,
'

manuscripts had been misplaced that they coul d not be found , ,

and that he was prep ared to pay for them T his seemed t o the
editor and al l his friends who heard of it s o strange that one coul d
n o t help t hi nking that there was more in it than appeared on the
surface especial ly because of other circ umstances connected with
,

the s o called l oss of the manuscripts H owever we let the subj ect
-
.
,

rest there The author himself died in the foll owing year
.

and it has n ow f al l en t o the lot of the editor t o rewrite the whole

history anew from the copious notes and rough copies left behind
.
,

by the author .

B ut f or many years after hi s death partly from discouragements ,

by the events and p ar t ly f r om being appalled by the magnitude

'

o f the task the e di tor shrank from the undertaking but circum
, ,

stances n ow and again cropped up showing the need of the work ,

and the necessity for undertaking it besides the almost cri m inal
disgrace of all owing the outcome of his brother s many years of ’

labour t o be altogether lost N o one wh o has never made the

.
,

attempt can have the faintest idea of the great di fficulties that
,

attend the e ff orts t o el icit facts and accuracy of statements from

an illiterate people : they are bewildering with repetitions proli x ,

in matters irrelevant while facts germane to the subj ect in hand

,

are more often than not pas sed over they have to be drawn out
by degrees patiently and the chaff has t o be constantly sifted from
,

the wheat In no sphere of labour is patience and perseverance

.

more required than in this I t shows strongly the magnitude of

.

the labours of the original author labours undert aken along with ,

the unremitting performance of his substantive duties .

When all this had to be done with the daily exactions of a bus y
profession and other demands on his time friends wi ll j udge the
, ,

editor lenient l y for having taken such a long time t o repair the loss
sust ai ned many years a g o S ome chapters had to be rewritten
.
,
 E DI TO R S
’
P RE F ACE

some c urtailed ot hers ampli fied a iid new ones added where
, ,

necess ary .

B ut this history has a histor y of its own for apart fro m the ,

mishap that b ef el t he origin al manuscripts as above det a ile d its ,

v icissitudes w ere n ot y et over When at l as t the task of r e writing

.
-

it was com plete d it was forwarded to E ngland by the Appam

, ,
"

which left Lagos on the z u d of J an uary 1 91 6 Th e App am was

, .

at first supposed t o be lost b ut was afterwards found i n America

, ,

having been cap t ured by the raider Moewe Nothing was he ar d .

of the man uscri p t s agai n f or nearly t wo years when they were at

last delivered t o the prin t ers B y that time pape r h a d becom e
so dear 1 n E ngland t hat i t was deeme d advisable t o wa it till after
the War before printing The man uscripts w ere next sent bac k by
.

request t o the editor who 1 n or d er to obviate a fut ure l oss under

, ,

took to have it typewritten but i n the meant ime even t ypewriting

m
,

paper beca e diffi c ult t o obtain All these drawbacks were success
.

f ul ly overc om e in the en d as well as the d ifficulties 1 1 1 p as sing the

,

work thr ough the press .

H e n ow lets the h ook go forth t o the public in the, hope that it ,

will fulfil the earnest desire of the origi n al author .

0 . J OHN S ON ,

Aj ag be Og un .
 CONTE NTS

PA RT I
TH E PE O PLE C O U N T R Y A ND
, , LA N G UAG E .

I N T RO D U CTI O N . x ix
TH E Y O R U B A L A N G U AG E .

A S K E T C H 0F Y O RU B A GR AM M A R xx xiii

C H APTE R I
O R IGI N A N D E A R L Y HIST O R Y

C H APTE R I I
TH E O R IGI N OF T HE TRI B E S

C H APTE R I I I
RE LIGI O N
C H APTE R I V
GO VE RN M E N T

C H APTE R V
Y OR U B A NAM E S

C H APTE R V I
Y O RU B A TO W N S A N D V ILL AG E S

C H APTE R V I I
T II E PRI N C IPLE S OF LA N D LA w
C H APTE R
A N D CU STO MS
S ocial po lity
F acial marks
D iet
D ress
Marriage
Trades and profes sions
Lea rning
Wealthy Personages
The I wof a system
Distraining for debt
War
Funerals
 xii T
C ON E N S T
PA RT I I
F I R ST PE R I OD
MYT H O LO GICA L K I N GS A ND D E I F I E D H E ROE S
C H APT E R I —T H E FO UND E R S O F T H E YO RU B A NATI O N
.

O d u d uwa
Qr a fiya n
Aj uan alias Aj aka
S ango alias Ol u fir a n
A j a ka s second reign
’

S E C O ND P E R I OD
G ROWT H P R O SPE R ITY A ND O PP R E SSI ON
,

C H APTE R I I — HIST O R I C AL K I N GS
.

§1 . A ga n j u
§2 . Kg ri
§3 . Ol u a so
§4 . On ig b ogi .

§5 . Ofinr an

C H APTE R I I I —T I I E KI N GS . OF QY Q I G B O H O
§1 . E g ug fioj u
§2 .
Qr orn p ot g
§3 . A j ib oyed e
’

§4 . A b ip a or O b a m or g

C H A P TE R I V — A S U CC E SSI O N
. or D E SPOTI C K I N GS
§1 .
Ob a l okun Agana E rin
A j a g oo
'

§2 .

§3 . Od ar a wu
§4 . K ar an
§5 .
J a yir}
§6 . A y1 b 1
§7 .
Qsifiya go
§8 . Oj igi
§9 . Gberu
§I o . A m un iwai ye
§1 1 . Onisile

C H APTE R V .
—B A S O R U N GA I I A A N D H IS AT R O C ITI E S A N D
A B I QD U N
’
S PE A C E FU L RE IG N
§1 . Labisi
§2 . A won b ioj u ali as Od u b oy e
§3 . A gb ol u aj e
§4 . Alaj e ogbe
5 Abi odun alias A d egol u
’

§6 . Abiodun s peaceful re i gn
 C O N TE N TS
T H I RD P E R I OD
R E VO L UTI O N A R Y WA R S A ND D IS RU PTI ON
C H APTE R VI T H E R E VO L U TI O N
.
-

§1 . A g l e s urnamed A r og ang a n
’

§2 . The King s enemies

§3 . The rebel l ion of the Oy o Chiefs

j
§4 . The rising of O o A g unb am b ar u
§5 . Maku

C H APTE R V I I — T H E RIS E O F T H E F U LA N IS To P O W E R
§1 . The spread of anarchy and fall of Afonj a
§2 . The first attempt t o recover Ilorin B attle of Ogele .

§3 . The second attempt : The Mugh a mugh a War

§4 . The B attle of P a m g

C H APTE R V I I I —
CON S E Q U E N CE S
. OF T H E RE VO L U TI O N
§1 . The Owu War
§2 The Las in m i War
S tate of the Capital at thi speriod
.

§3 .

C H APTE R I X — F U R T H E R D E V E LO PM E N T OF T H E AN A R C H Y
.

§1 E vil days for the Capital

.

§2 The t hird attempt to recover I l or l n

. The Kan la war .

§ 3 The vici s situdes of Ikoyi

.

§4 The Gbogun War

.

§ 5 The Pol e War and death of A b u d us ala m i

. .

C H APTE R X — S P R E A D O F T H E AN A R C H Y
.

§1 . D evastation of Egba towns and villages

§2 . Foundation of Ab eokuta
§3 . Th e Egb a d o Tribes
§4 . The founding of Modakeke

C H APTE R X I — T H E R E V O L U TI O N I N T H E E P O DIST R ICTS

.

§1 .The destruction of the E pos and death of Oj o A m ep o

,

§2 .The occupation o f I ] aye and end of D ado

§ 3 H ow Ibadan became a Yoruba town The Gb an am u a n d
. .

Er um u Wars
§4 The S ettlement of Ibadan
.

C H APTE R X I I —W A R S . C O N S O LI D ATI O N
F OR T H E A ND
-
BALA N C E
OF P O W E R

§1 . The evacuation o f Op o m u and OWiWi War .

§2 . The fall of Ilaro and Ij ana

I fiv C O N TE N T S
C H APT E R X I I — (cont in ued)
§3 . The Om yef un War
§4 . The A r a kang a or J ab a ra War
§5 . The Onid ase and Oke I sero Wa rs
§6 . The Iperu War
§7 , The fall of Ot a

C H APTE R XI II —T H E L AST
. OF KAT U N GA
§1 . F inal efforts to throw o ff F ula ni yoke
§2 . The E led uwg War

C H APTE R XI V —T HE I NT E R R E G N U M
'

§1 . Civil war at A b em g
§2 . The destruction of A b em g .

F OU RT H PE R I OD
A RRE ST OF D I SI N TE G RATI ON I N TE R T RIBA L WA R S .
-

B RI TI S H P R OTE CTO RATE ‘

C H APTE R XV —T H E N E W C ITY NE W G O VE RN ME NT I L QR I N
.
, ,

C H E C KE D
§1 . Prince Atiba early life and history
,

§2
’
. A t ib a s accession
§3 . Conf erring of titles
§4 . Th e O sogbo War
§5 . The expulsion of E l epo f rom Ibadan

C H APTE R X VI —F RAT R I C I D AL WA R S
.

The Osu War Aaye and Otun

,

The Egbas and Eg b a d os

Ibadan an d I j aye The B a t ed o War
.

Abeokuta and Ab aka

The Ile B ioku expedition and the end of E l epo
S agaun and Igbo Or a

C H APT E R X VI I —SU B J U GATI O N OF T H E

. I J E§ A S AN D E KI T I
'
S
S O C IAL RE FO R MS
§1 . The Opin War
§2 . S ubj ugation of the I j es as
§3 . The fir st Dah o m ian I nvasion of Abeokuta
§4 . The A r a War an d relief of Otun
§5 . Ra ids by minor chiefs of Ibadan
§6 . S ocial reforms
 C O N TE N TS XV

C H APTE R XVI I I —
A G LO R I O U S
. E ND A N D A G O R Y DAW N OF
T wo RE IG N S
The deat h of King Atiba
§1
W
.

§2 . Circumstances that led to the I j a ye ar

§3 . When Greek meets Greek

§4 . Fam ine an d the sword
C H APTE R XI X —S E Q U E LS To . TH E I JA Y E WA R
§1 The Awaye War
.
355
§ 2 The
. Iperu War 3 5 6
§3 The I korodu War 3 6 0

a
.

§4 The
. second D a h o m ia n I nv sion of Abeokuta 3 6 1

§5 The
. atonement 3 6 3
C H APTE R X X — T H E C LO SE A N D T H E O P E N I N G C A R E E R S O F
.

T wo H E ROE S
365
’

§1 Ogunm ola s admin istration

.

§ 2 The Igbaj o campaign 3 6 8

I
.

§3 The
. late O gu nm ola B as or u n of badan 3 7 1

§4 Og ed em gb e and the fall of Ile sa

.
377
C H APTE R XXL—TWO AD MI N I ST R ATI ON S or OPP O SIT E P O LI C I E S
§ Or owus i sadministration 383
’
1 .

§2 . Ibadan under a K a ka n f b 387

§3 . An unprovoked war A d o .
390
§4 The Ar g s administration
’
.
391
§5 . The Em ur g War 394

C H APTE R X X I I —A NE W RE IG N A N D E VIL PR O G N O STI C ATI O N

.

§1 The end of A DE LU the A L AF I N of QY Q

.
396
§ 2 The n uti expedition
.
4 03
§ 3 The new policy
.
4 05
§ 4 The civil murder of A 1 ] gn ku the F Qh okg
.
4 07
§ 5 Plot against the S eriki I ya p é
.
41 0

C H APTE R X XII I —T H E C O M ME N C E M E N T OF
. T HE 1 6 YE A R S’
WA R
§1 . The B okofi expedition 41 3
§2 . The first act of war 41 4
§3 . I nsurrection against the A r g and the death of S eri ki I ya p o 41 7
§4 . F urther raiding expedi tion on Egba farms 42 0
§5 . The revolt of the E kiti tribes 42 3
C H APTE R XX I V — CO NF LI C TS I N T H E N O RT H
.

§1 . The celebrated battle of I kirun or the J al um i War

§2 . The res ul ts of the J al um i War
§3 . The E kiti p ar ap os i

§4 . The begin nin g of t h e a ct ual conflict

§5 . The A r e t o the front
xvi C O N TE N TS
C H AP T E R XX V — I B A D A N AT ITS E XT R E MITY
.

§1 .
Home defences
§2 . Cl osure o f roads and the results
§3 . D istressing episodes .

§4 . N ew developments clouds and sunshine ,

C H APTE R XXV I FAI L U R E S AT RE C O N C ILIATI O N

.
-

§1 . The A l fifin s e f forts f or peace

§2 . The A l afin s mess enger
’

§3 The Governor s delegates

’
.

§4 . The lion at bay

C H APTE R X X V II —A RI FT I N . THE C LO UD
§1 . A t urning point
§2 . R ambling t al ks of peace
§3 . D esperate movements
C H APT E R XX V I I I .
-
TH E R E V .
J . B W O OD A N D
. THE
AOK . . .

§1 . The visits o f the R ev J B Wood to the cam ps . . .

§2 . The death of Lat os is a the A O K . .

§3 . The vicissitudes of war

C H APTE R XXIX — T H E I N T E R VE N TI O N O F T H E B R ITIS H

. .

G O V E RN M E N T
§1 Measures by Governor Moloney
.

§2 The I l gr in s and peace proposals

. .

§ 3 The messengers and preliminary arrangements

.

§4 The treaty of peace

.

§ 5 The reception of the treaty by the Kin gs and Chiefs

.

C H APTE R XXX .
-
DISP E R SAL O F T H E C O M B ATA N TS BY S PE C IAL
C O MMISSI O N E R S
§1 . S pecial Commissioners sent up
§2 . The Commissioners at Kirij i
§3 . The Proclamation of Peace and firing of the camps
§4 . The Commissioners at Mo d a kgkg F ailure .

C H APTE R XXX I —DIST URB A N CE I N E V E R Y PA RT O F

. THE
C O UN T R Y
§1 . intrigues and the fall of Of a
I l gr in
§2 . R evolutionary movements at I j gb u
§3 . A mild treaty
§4 . The exploits of E san an d the controversy thereupon
 C O N TE N TS x vfi

C H APTE R XXXI I —A B O RTIVE M E AS U R E S

. To T E R MI N AT E
WA R
§1 . The mission of Alvan Millson
§2 . S ubsi d iary e f forts of the R ev S J ohnson . .

§3 . The A L AF I N s dipl omacy

’

§4 . Correspondence and a treaty

§5 . The A L A F I N 5 measures for peaceand the I ssues
’

§6 . The 1 1 01 ms at Ilobu
§7 . The conduct of the chiefs at I kirun

C H APTE R XXX II I —T H E DA R K B E FO R E
. THE DAW N
Liberation of the E g b a d os
Troubles at I j gb u
S trained relations with the I b a d a n s
D eath of A liku the E mir o f I l gr in
I j gb u excesses and infatuation
Causes that led to the I j gb u War
F urther causes that led to the I j gb u War
The I j gb u campaign
E ffects of the Cam pai gn

C H APTE R XXXI V T H E E N D o p
.
-
TH E WA R
§1 Governor Carter s progress up country
’

§2 . The return home of the I b a d ans

§3 . The return of Governor Carter to Lagos
§4 . Local opinions about the war
§5 . Constitution of the Ibadan Town Cou n cil

C HAPTE R XXX V — T H E E STA B LIS H M E N T O F

. THE BR ITIS H
PR OT E CT O RAT E T H E S E Q U E L
.

§1 Ab eokuta
.

§2 Ibadan
.

§ 3 I is sa
.

§ 4 The E kit is
.

§ 5 If 9 and Mo d a kgke
.

§6 I lg r in
.

APP E ND I X A
TR E ATI E S A N D A G RE E M E N TS
§1 . A b go kut a
§2 .
QY Q
Ibadan (an agreement )
§4 .
Egba (boundaries)
§5 . A b go k ut a (railway)
§6 . Ibadan (r ai lway)
x viii C O N T E NTS
A P PE N DI X A —( nt inu d)
co e

§7 .
Ij esa (human sacrifices)
§8 . E kiti
§9 . I fe
§1 0 . Between E ngland and France for the Wes t Co as t
§1 1 . Porto N ovo
§1 2 . Proclamation

APP E ND I X
§1 . Yoruba K ings B asgr uns
, , et c .

§2 . Ibadan C hi ef n ilers
§3 . Ab eokuta lea ding chiefs
§4 . E m irs of Il orin

IND E X
Map of the Yoruba Coun t ry
 1 . I NT R OD U CT I O N

TH E Yoruba country li es to the immediate West of the River

N iger (below the confluence) and S outh of the Quor r a the
Western branch of the same R iver above the confluence) having ,

D ahomey on the West and the Bight of B enin to the S o u th I t

, .

is roughly speaking between latitude 6 and 9 N orth and longi ° °

,

tude 2 30 and 6 3 0 E ast

° ’ ° ’
.

The country was probably first known to E urope from the

N orth t h rough the explorers of N orthern and Ce ntral Africa for
, ,

in Ol d records the H ausa and F ulani names are used for the country
”
and its capital thus we see in Webster s Gazet teer Y A R R I B A ’

West Africa E ast of D ahomey area

, sq miles pop ulation two , .
,

millions capital K AT UN GA These are the H ausa term s for

, .

Y O RU B A and f or QY Q .

The entire south of the country is a network of lagoons connect

ing the de ltas of the great R iver N iger with that of the V olta an d ,

into this lagoon which is belted with a more or less dense mangrove
swamp most of the rivers whi ch fl ow through the country N orth
,

t o S outh pour their wat ers .

It wi ll thus be seen that the country is f or the most part a t able

land : it has been compared t o half of a pie dish turned ups ide
down R ising from the co as t in the S outh gradually t o a height
.

o f some 5 — 600 ft in more or less dense forest into a pl ai n di versified

.
,

by a few mountain ranges continuing its gentle rise in some parts ,

to about ft above sea level it then slopes down again t o the

.
,

banks of the N iger which encloses it in the N orth and E ast

,
.

In a valuable letter by the R ev 8 A Crowther (afterwards . . .

Bishop) to Thomas J H utchin son E s q H er B ritannic Maj esty s

.
,
.
,
’

co ns ul f or the Bight of Biafra and the Island of Fernando Po

'

published as Appendix A t o the book entitled Impressions of

”
Western Africa 1 we find the following graphic description of
,

the cou ntry

This p ar t o f the country of which Lagos in the Bight
of B enin is the seapor t is generally known as t h e Yoruba country
, ,
’
extending from the B ight t o within two or three days j ourney to
the banks of the N iger 2
This country comprises many tribes
.

governed by their own c hi efs and ha ving their o wn laws At one .

time they were all tributaries to one S over eign the King of Yoruba , ,

including B enin on the E ast and D ahomey on the West but are
'

, ,

now independent .

L o n g m a n s G r ee n Co 1 85 8
—
.
,
a
A t t h e t im e o f wr it in g Ed . .
xx I N T RO D U CTI O N
The principal tribes into which this kingdom is divided are as
follows
The Eg b a d os : This division includes Qt t a and Lagos near the
sea coast forming a belt o f country on the banks o f the lagoon in
,

thc forest t o Ketu on the border of D ahomey on the West then

,

the J eb u on the E ast on the border of B enin ; then the Egbas of the
forest n ow known as the Egbas o f Abeokuta .

Then comes Yoruba proper northwards 1 n the plain Ife Ij esha , , ,

I iam o Ef OH Ondo Idoko I g b o m in a and Ado near the banks o f

, , , , ,

the N iger from which a creek or stream a litt l e below Iddah is

,
”
ca l led Do o r Iddo R iver .

The chief produce o f this country is the r ed p alm o il

oil m a
,

de from the kernel shea butter from nuts o f the shea trees
, ,

ground nuts b en is eecl ah d cotton in abundance and ivory— all

, ,

these are readi l y p r o cii r ed f or E uropean m arkets

,

The present seat o f the King o f Yoruba I s A g g other

wise Called Oy o after the name o f the o l d capital visited by Clap .

p er t o n and Lander .

A King is acknow l edged and his person is held sacred his wives ,

and children are highly respected Any attempt o f violence .

against a King s person o r o f the R oyal family or any act of

’

wantonness with the wives o f the Ki ng is punished with death , .

There are n o written laws but such laws and customs that have ,

been handed down from their ancestors especially those respecting ,

r ela t ive duties have become estab l ished laws

, .

The right t o the throne I s hereditary but exclusively 1 n the m al e ,

line or the m al e I ssue of the King 5 daughters ’

.

The Government is absolute but it has b een m uch modified ,

Since the kingdom h as been divided into many independent states

by slave wars into what may be called a limited monarchy
,

P hy s ica l f ea t u r es — The country presents generally t wo distinct

.

features the forest and the plain ; the former comprising the
,

southern and eastern portions the latter the northern central and , ,

western Yoruba Proper lies chiefly in t h e pl ai n; and has a

.

small portion of forest land The country is fairly w ell watered .

but the rivers and streams a r e depen d ent upon the annu al rains
an impassable river in the rains may become but a dry water course -

in the dry seas on .

There are a few high mountains in the north and west but in ,

the east the prevailing aspect is high ranges of mountains from

whi ch that part o f the country derives its name E K ITI —a mound
—being covered as it were with N at ure s Mound
,
’
.

The soil is par ticularly rich and most suitable f or agricul t ure , ,

in which every man i s more or less engaged The plain 1 5 almost .

entirely pasture land Minerals apparent l y do n ot exist t o any

.

appreciable ext ent expect iron ores which the people work them
,
“

selves and from which they formerly manufactured all their

,

implements of husban dr y and war and articles f or domestic us e .

xxii I N T R OD U C TI O N
—it has been noted— are not unlike the E nglish in many of their
traits and characteristics It would appear that what the one is.

among the whites the other is among the blacks Love of inde .

p en d ence a fee l ing of superiority over all others a keen commercial

, ,

spirit and of indefatigable enterprise that quality of being never

, ,

able to admit or consent t o a defeat as final ly sett l ing a question

upon which their mind is bent are some of those qu al ities pec ul iar ,

to them and no matter under what circumstances they are placed

, ,

Yorubas will displ ay them We have even learnt that those of .

them who had the misfortune of being carried away to foreign

c l imes s o displayed these characteristics there and assumed such ,

airs o f superiority and leadership over the men of their race they
met there in such a m atter of fact way that the attention of their
,

m asters was perforce drawn to this type of new arrival s And

from them they selected overseers Thes e traits will be clearl y .

discerned in the narratives given in this history B ut apart from .

the general each of the l eading tribes has special characteristics

,

of its own thus dogged perseverance and determination cha racter

ise the I j gb us l ove of e as e and a quickness to adapt new ideas the
,

Egbas the I j gsas and E kit is are posses sed of a m arvellous amount
,

of physical strength remarkable docility and simplicity of manners

, ,

and love of home .

Among the various families of Yorubas Proper the I b ar a p as ,

are laborious farmers the I b g l gs are rather docile and weak in

,

comparison with others but the E pos are hardy brave and rather
, , ,

turb ulent Whilst the n s of the Metropolitan province are

remarkably shrewd intell igent very diplomatic cautious al most
, , ,

to timidity provokingly conservative and withal very masterful

, ,
.

The whole people are imb ued with a deep religious spirit ,

reverential in manners showing deference to superiors and respect

,

t o age where they have not been corrupted by foreign intercourse

,

ingrained politeness is part and parcel of their n ature .

The early history of the Yoruba country is almost exclus ively

that of the n division the others being then too small and too,

insignificant t o be of any import but in later years this state of

things has been somewhat reversed the centre o f interest and sphere ,

of importance having moved sout h w a rds especially since the ,

arrival of E uropeans o n the coast .

S uch is the country and such are the pe ople whose history
, ,

religion social polity manners and customs et c are briefly given

, , ,
.
,

in the fo llowing pages .

 TH E Y ORU B A LA N G U A G E

T H E Yoruba language has been classed among the unwri tten

Afri can languages The earliest attempt to reduce this language
.

i nto writing was in the early forties of the last century when the ,

Church Missionary S ociety wi th the immort al R ev H en ry V enn

, .

as S ecretary organ i zed a mission to the Yoruba country under

,

the leadership of one of their a gents the R ev H enry Town send , .

,

an E nglish Clergyman then at work at Sierra Leone and the ,

R ev S amuel Aj ayi Crowther t h e fir st African Clergyman of the

.
,

al so at work in the same place .

After several fruitles s e f forts had been made either to in vent

n ew ch a racters or ada pt the A rabic which was al ready kn own to
, ,

Moslem Yorubas the R oman character was nat urally adopted n o t

, ,

onl y beca use it is the one best acqu ai nted with but als o because it ,

wo ul d obviate the di ffi culties that m ust necessar ily arise if

missionari es were first t o learn strange characters before they could
undertake scholastic and evangelistic work With this as basis . ,

speci al adaptation had to be made for pronouncing som e

words n o t to be found in the E nglish or any other E uropean
language .

The system or rather want of system existing among various

, ,

missionary bodies in Africa and elsewhere emphasized the need of

a fix ed system of orthography It was evi dently essenti al for the .

vari ous bodies to agree upon cert ai n rul es for reducing i lliterate
l an guages into writing in R oman characters not only because t h is ,

would facili tate co operation but al so because it wo uld render

-

books much cheaper than when separate founts of type must needs
be cast for every separate system (scienti fic or otherwise) that each
body may choose to adapt for one and t h e s am e purpose .

In this e f fort the Committee o f the C M S were ably assisted

, . . .

by certai n philologic al doctors as Professor Lee of Cambri dge , ,

Mr N or ris of London and notably by Professor Lepsius of Berli n

.
, ,

t o Whom was entrusted the task of establishing a complete form

of alphabetic system to which all hithert o unwritten languages
coul d be a dapted .

The following remarks are largely derived from the second edition
of Prof Le psius work
.
’
.

The Professor cons ulted earlier e f forts that had been m ade in
India and elsewhere t o transliterate foreign (E astern) characters
into the Roman and out of the chaos then existing he established
,

x x iii
xxi v TH E YO RU B A LA N G U AG E
on a fir m scientific basis the S TA N D A RD A LP H A B E T in which the
Yoruba l anguage is now written This was adopted by the .

C M S in 1 8 5 6 B y t h is system therefore former trans l ations h ad

. . . .

to be trans literated under certain fixed rules .

The number of l etters in the S tandard A lphabet is necessarily

very large as i t was designed to meet the requirements of all
,

nations but wi th diacritic marks on cognate sounds and accents ,

an d the introduction o f three characters from the Greek the ,

R oman characters furnish all that is necessary from which every

unwritten l angu age can draw .

It is very unfortunate indeed that the sys tem has not been
f ai thful l y followed by all for reasons we regard as inadequate and
,

i nconclusive This h as provoked the caustic remark of the d istin

.

g uis h ed philologist D r R N Cust that

, . . n o Cl ass of man
.
,

kind is s o narrowminded and opinionated as the missionary except

the linguist ”
For even in the Yoruba whi ch professed t o have
.

adopted Lepsius S tandard certain particulars (as we shall see)

’

have been departed from by no means f o r the better Keen was

, .

the controversy on these points between the E nglish and German

missionaries of the Yoruba Mission in its early days In the .

foll owing pages the style commonly used in the familiar Yoruba
'

translations is departed from in some important particulars as ,

they present some pec uliar defects which ought to be rectified .

We shall endeavour to follow Professor Lepsius S tandard A l phabet ’

as closel y as possible .

The Professor himself has conceded that shades of sound can

be adapted therefrom t o meet specia l requirements witho ut depart
ing from the pr inci ples lai d down S ays he in his second edition : .

The exposition of the scientific and practical principles

accor ding t o which a suitabl e al phabet f or universal adoption in
foreign languages might be constructed has (with few exceptions
above m entioned) remained unaltered These rul es are founded .

in the nature of the subj ect and therefore though they may admit
,

o f certain carefully limited exceptions they can undergo n o change ,

in themselves they serve as a defence against arbitrary proposal s

which d o n o t depend upon uni versal laws they will explain and
recommend the application which has been made of them already
t o a se ri es of languages and wi l l serve as a guide in their application
t o new ones .

B ut we have not concealed from the very beginning that it

is not in every person s power to apprehend wi th physio l ogical
’

and linguistic accur acy the sounds in a foreign language or e ven

those of his own so as to apply with some degree of cert ai nty the
,

p rinciples of our alphabet to a new system of sounds containing

 THE Y O RU B A LA N G U AG E XX V

i ts own peculiari ties A few only of our most distinguished .

gr ammar ians are possessed of a penetrating insight into the living

organisms o f sounds in those very languages they have discussed
much less can i t be expected of missionaries who are often obliged ,

witho ut previous preparation to address themselves t o the reduction

and representation of a foreign language that everything whi ch ,

belongs t o a correct adj ud ication o f particul a r sounds (frequent l y

apprehended only with great di ffi cul ty even by the ear) or t o
their connection with one another and with other systems of
”
sounds sho ul d present i tsel f spontaneously to their minds
, .

Cert ai n rul es of transcri ption are imperative for a correct

scienti fic method of proced u re Whatever m ay have been the .

di ffi culties encountered in the ancient w ritten l an g uages s o far as ,

the Yoruba and other unwritten languages are concerned the ,

field li es clear .

The E ngli sh mode of pronouncing the vowels had t o be rej ected

in favo ur of the Italian or continental mode .

The fol lowing rules or principles have been laid down

1. The power o f each l etter as representing cert ai n soun ds as
handed down from anti quity should be retained .

2 .The orthography of any l anguage should never use (a) the

s ame letter for d ifi er en t sounds nor (b) d i f ferent letters for the ,

same sound .

In vi olation of (a) note the force of the letter g in the E nglish

words gi ve gin of a in man name what of ea in treat tread
, , , ,

of ei in weight height of the consonants ch in archbishop arch

, ,

angel ; of a ng h in slaughter laughter ; also the sound o f ch in ,

chamber champagne chameleon where the same letters are used

, ,

f or di f ferent sounds .

In vi olation of (b) note the last syl lables in the words atte n t ion ,

omiss ion fas hion where di f ferent l etters are used f or the same
, ,

sound .

3 E very simple soun d is to be represented by a sin gle S ign

. .

Thi s is vio l ated by writing s h to represent the rushing sound

of s This as we sh al l see below is quite un necessary in the
.
, ,

Yoruba langu age H ere we find an application of the principle

.

that where a new sound is not found in the R oman al phabetic

sys tem a diacri tical m ark on the nearest graphi c sign shoul d be
used A di acri tical m ark therefore over 8 will more fit ly represent
.

‘
the E nglish sound of s h This is al s o in accordance wi th the
.

s i n and s h in in the H ebrew and Arabic where the dif ference ,

1
P ub lishe rs N ote I t m us t be noted however that in prin ting
’
.
, ,

this work s has been used throughout to represen t the sh sound .

xx vi THE YO RU B A LA N G U AG E
between the soft and the rushing sound is indicated by diacr i tic a l
points e g , . .
,

H eb .
in tfi Arab .

Ag ai n the letter h is a sign of aspiration (as the s piritus as per

in the Greek) as in it hit ; at hat ; owl howl etc It woul d , , , , .

therefore be unscientific to accord i t a new meaning altogether

by such a use o f i t in violation o f r ule 1 .

Apart from this is the fact that the letter s with a di acritical
mark over it has been empl oyed about twenty years previo usly
by oriental scholars transcri bing Indian letters into the R oman .

4 E xpl osi ve letters are n o t to be us ed to express fricative

.

sounds and vi ce ver s a e g the use of ihk as f where p is clearly, . .

,

an explosive letter .

5 The last r ul e is that a long vowel should never b e represented

.

by doubling the short This method seems t o have foun d favour .

with some transcribers there being no fixed system of transcri ption, .

T HE ALP H A B ET
In a purely scientific al phabetic system i t would seem more ,

correct that the a l phabets be arranged accor di ng t o the organ

most concerned in the pronunciation of the letters e g all sounds , . .
,

proceed from the fauces and are modified either at the throat , ,

by the teeth or by the lips ; hence they m ay be classified as

,

guttural dent al or labial B ut nothing is gai ned by al tering

, , .

the order which came down to us from remote antiquit y as the

R omans received i t from the Greek and these from the ,

Ph oenicians etc , .

T H E V O WE LS .

The vowels in Yoruba may

be buil t upon the three funda
mental vowels a i u with the , , , ,

t wo subsidiary ones e forme d ,

by the coalescence of the first

t wo a a nd i and 0 by the coal,

es c ence o f a and u from which

we have a e i o and 11 These a r e the recognised pri ncipal

, , ,
.

vowe l s and a r e pronounced after the It a lian method (ah ,

but Whereas in the E nglish language the

'

aye ee 0
, , ,

short sound of e is wr i tten eh and that of o as a w these sounds .

,

according to the standard system in accordan ce with rul e 3 are ,

represented by a dot or dash under the cogn ate sounds hence we ,

 THE Yo RU B A L A N G U AG E xx vi i

have e and o A complete representation of the vowels 1 11 Yoruba

.

therefore is as f ello ws — a e e i o Q 11 (pronounced ah aye , , , , , , , ,

eh ee oh aw
, the o r iginal taking precede nce of the di acri tic
, , , .

N ote that u is not t o be p rono unced as you but as 00 in food ‘" '
.

N as a liza t ion The clear vowe l s are capable of a p ec ul i ar

.
-

alteration which is produced by uttering the vowel t h r o irgh the

nasal canal There is no consonantal element brought into
.

play but i t is an al teration entirely wi thin the vowel N as ali zation

, .

i s very largel y used in the Yor uba and consequently i ts ortho ,

graphy sho uld be free fro m any ambigui ty In the S tandard Alpha .

bet the circumflex is pl aced over the nasal iz ed vowel to indicate

such a so un d Unfort unately the Yoru ba as w ri tten b
.

y mi s sion

aries substit ute the lett er n for this sign a ca us e of some ambigui ty ,

in wri ting certain wor ds as Akano Akin ola Mo rin a t u Q b uneko , , , ,

where the letter n stands between two vowels and is li able to be ,

pronounced wi th the T atter e g A ka no A ki n9 la M 97 ri na t u , . .

,
- -

,
- - -

,
- -

Q b u ne ko g but fol lowing the S tandard Alphabet the words

- -

should be wri tten Ak ao Qb fieko j ust as Th e Portuguese , ,

names are wri tten S em ao A d fio Jo ao etc Indeed cert ai n , , , .

secti ons o f the Yoruba tri bes that use nas ali zation very
spari ngly do pronounce these words as wri tten wit hout any sign
o f nasali zation T h e n therefore is n o t only unnecessary b ut i t
.

is also misleading .

In the following pages the Stan dard System will b e adhered to , ,

where such ambi g uitie s are li able to occur but for the sake of .

simplicity and t o avoid the unnecessary use of diacriti cal m ar ks ,

n as a n as a l S ign ma y be used where i t cannot cause any ambiguity ,

e .
g .
,

When i t precede s a consonant as n j e ndao n ko

1 .
, , .

2 When i t Closes a word as A wg n B a sg r u n Ibadan Is eyin

.
, , , , .

As nasali zat ion is s ai d t o be caused by the dropping of a nas al

consonant suc h a limited use of n as a n asal sound m ay be j ustifie d
, .

N o pure uneducated Yoruba man can pronounce a word ending

,

in a consonant he wi l l instinctively add an i or u t o it There is, .

therefore no closed syllable in Yoruba n at the end of a word I s ,

p urely nasal .

TH E S YST E M OF C o N S O NA N Ts

There are sixteen di stinct consonantal soun ds in the Yoruba

language each having the same force and power as in the E nglish
,

alphabet ; they are : b d f g h j k l m n p r s t w y , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

N o consonan ts are used t o represent a vowel by perverting them

from their legitimate consonantal so unds as h w and y are som e , ,

times used in E nglish .

x xviii THE YO RU B A LA N G U AG E
B esides the above there are two other sounds not represented
,

in the R oman or in any other E uropean system ; they are ex

plosive soun ds pec ul i a r to the Yoruba and al lied t ri bes for med by
the lip a n d j aw viz g b and kp They are regarded as guttural
‘

. .
, ,

m odifications of b and p and as t h ey a p p ea r t o result from a ,

'

combination of two organs concerned in speech but the com ,

ponent parts o f which are s o i n timately connected they are right l y

represented by t wo l etters though n o t contrave ni ng rule 3 , .

As to kp since usage makes i t evident that the Yorubas never

,

pronounce the l etter p but as kp i t is therefore not considered ,

necessary t o incl ude kp in the Yoruba al phabet as is done in the

Ibo ; the simpl e p does perform its duty satisfactori l y .

H ere we find a fit appli cation of Professor Lepsius rem arks ’

that The general al phabet when applied to particul ar languages , ,

m ust be capable of simplification as we ll as of enlargem ent A l l .

particular diac ri tical marks are unnecessary in those language s

where none o f the bases have a double val ue we then w ri te the
simpl e base without a diacri tical mark Where two sounds . .

belong to the same base one only o f the signs wil l be wanted
, .

This is well exemplified h ere We t h er ef o r e wri t e p and not kp .

i n Yoruba .

The same may be sai d of the letter s and the sound sh referred ,

t o above The di f ference is indicated in the S tandard Alphabet

.

by a diacri tical mark e g s s (for sh) The Yorub a s can safely

, . .
, , .

dispense with the latter and for t h e sake of simplicity this ought
,

t o have been done as no di f ference as t o the m eani ng of a word

,

is suggested by the same word being pronounced soft of h a rsh .

And more a l so because in some parts o f the country notably the ,

E kun Os i district (the most northerly) the harsh sound is n u ,

pronounceable whatever ma y be written e g s h a ll s hop wi l l

,
. .
, , ,

be pronounced s a ll s op In the E p o d is t n ct on the ot h er hand

, .
, ,

i t is j ust the reverse the harsh sound wil l be pronounced instead

of the soft thus s a me s on will be pronounced s h a m e s h on
, , , .

B ut all over the country women and chi ldr en invari ab l y use
the softer sound for the same word which if th u s used by men is , ,

c onsidered a f fectatio n s except in the Ekun Os i district where the

, ,

purest and most elegant Yoruba is spok en .

S (for sh ) therefore might have been dropped from the Yoruba

alphabet with no harm resulting it is however retained because , , ,

over a great part o f the country a distinction is made between

the t wo sounds apart from the fact that it would often be
,

required in representing the sounds of some words of f or eI g n orrgrn .

From the above modifications therefore we have the Yoruba

alphabet as now used :
a b d e g f g gb h i j k l m n o g p r s s t u w y
X XX TH E YO RU B A LA NG U AGE

H e therefore proposed place the tone a ccen ts to the r ight hand to -

side of the vowel instead of over it so as to distinguish a won t ,

'

accen t from a to n e a ccen t as is done in the Chinese and other ,

cognate langua es e g wor d accent would be written h é b a

g ‘ . . .
, ,

tone accent b a b a , , .

I II this proposal the professor agrees with the Rev T J Bowen . . .

an Ame ri can Baptist

M issionary in his Yoruba Gramm ar and
Di ctionary published i n 1 8 5 8 by the S mithsonian Insti tution .

But Crowt her— a Yoruba man— did not in h is grammar make any
such distinction H e t h inks the existing accents will do well
.

eno ugh and for the best of reas ons there is no wor d accen t in
, ,

Yoruba the tone governs everything an d E ur o peans cannot speak ,

Without a word accen t .

The language moreover abounds in contractions and elisions ,

a whole syllable may be dropped but the tone rem ai ns This is .

the cr ux of di ffic ulty with foreigners trying to speak the language ,

and to what exte nt they are able to overc ome this to that extent ,

their Yoruba is s ai d to be perfect .

CO MB I N ATI O N OF TH E A CC E N TS
As r emarked a bove there are no closed syll ables in t h e Yoruba ,

language every s yl lable must end in a vowel an d every vowel

,

must beone of t he three tones represented by the accents Words .

of thr ee or fou r syllables a r e often cont r acted into two the ,

coalesc ence of the tones forming the compound v owels .

The entire scheme o f the accents or tones may be thus r ep r e

sented :
1 S imple vowels with the varied tones
, . .

a in which the tone is r ai sed : as ka t o pic k ; b a to meet ;

, , ,

1a t o lick , ,

a in whi ch the tone is e ven : as pa to kill ; b a to ambush

, , ,

ta t o kick , .

a in which t h e tone is depressed

, as r a t o buy kit to count , ,

f a to dr aw , .

1 1 Com pound vowels in w h ich a single vowel bears more

.

than one tone

A Com pounds o i the raised tone . .

in w hi ch the r ai sed tone is doubled e g A yan contracted

’
3 , , . .
, ,

from Ar fy a n i e cares worries , . .

, .

5 in which the r ai sed tone 1 s combined wi th the middl e e g ,

. .
,

K f nl a from K in il a —
-

a form of exclamation .

a in which the raised tone is combined with the depressed ,

eg bé ni from b ehe
. . m s o i t is
, , .
 TH E Yo RU B A LA N G U AG E

B Com pounds of the middl e t One

. .

a in . whi ch the mid dl e tone i s combined wi th the r ai sed ; e g . .

A y an from a h ayan a cockroach Q ri from Oriri a tomb

’ '
-
.
, ,

Whi ch the middle tone is combined with itself e g Ta ni

'

5 in
'

. .
, ,

from Ta h a ui— who is i t ? - -

in whi ch the middle tone is combined with the depressed ,

‘
E r u from er ir u spice ; k er e from keh er e a s creen
’

eg . .
, , , .

C Com pounds of the depressed t one .

it in whi ch the depress ed tone is combined with the r aised ,

' ’ '
eg . an u from ani in lI mercy ; Ot e from Otit e truth
.
,
-

, , .

A in whi ch the depressed tone is combined with the mi d dle ,

k"
kO from kOrikO a wolf
’

eg . .
, , .

a In which the depres sed tone is combined with i tself e g , . .

,

Or i contracted from Or ir l black plum

‘
.
,

In this way words of four or five syllables may by elision and ,

absorption be contracted int o two or three ; e g afin from

, . .
,

awefin the palace ; hence A l fifin from Ani a we fin Lord of the

,
- - -

royal palace .

Q en i f r o m en i which is itself a contraction of Om e ol uweni

-

, .

son of a sacrificial victim .

The consonants may be dropped the vowels absorbed but the , ,

tones are always preserved ; the first and las t syllables onl y are
essential the voice can glide over all the intervening tones for
,

the sake of shortness .

This is at once the chief characteristic and—to foreigners —the

m ai n di ffi cul ty o f the Yoruba language In order to avoid such .

complicated tone accents it wo uld be preferable to write out the

words in ful l although the contracted form may be used in
,
'
speaking or reading e g otit e for Ot g korik o for , . .
,

Words similar in form distinguished onl y by their tones , .

Words of t wo syll ables :

the arm I na fir e louse ,

a prodigal I na flogging
a scar I na a tattoo m ark
a ri ddle I di the eagle
somet hing ground I di the seat
going I di bunch of frui t
I lt I
’

a dish a town
a crash he a drum
a fishing net I lu a gimlet
a guinea fowl -

a secret
X x xl l TH E YO RU B A LA N G U AG E

a rope a mother
an elder punishment
a cannon a separation
anxiety care
, a cough
a cockroach a state messenger
a hardwood a hook or han ging
father the head
quite full shea butter
g uinea corn black plum
palm oil a post
bark a wi dow
weeds to be busy
corn chaf f a husband
di rt a hoe
the head a spear
of three syllables distinguished
a rock grass
a shield wolf
a butcher
Words of four syllables .

K el ek el e stealthily
K el ek el e circui tously
’

'

K el ek el e muddy miry ,

K el ek el e the fox
 A S K E T C H OF Y O R U B A G RA MM A R

TH E e fforts we have seen made t o produce a Yoruba Grammar on

the exact lines of an E nglish or Latin Grammar represent in our
opinion an honest labour highly commendable indeed it may be
. ,

but tota ll y in the wrong direction and li ttle calc ulated to el ucidat e
,

the genius of the language On the contrary they go a long way

.
,

to obscure i t .

The Yoruba belongs to the agglutinated order of speech not t o ,

the in fiec t io n al When therefore parti cles are used to form cas es
.
,

etc i t is mere pedantry t o talk of declensions

.
, .

It is a notorious fact that educated Yorubas find it m uch easier

to read an E nglish book than a Yoruba production —which until
recent l y are mostly translations With an e f fort they may plod
.

'

through i t but they d o not enj oy reading i t and som etim es d o

, ,

not even understand it The m ain reasons for this are

.

1 .The orthography of the language is stil l very defective .

2 .The style i n wh ich the books are wri tten This may simpl y .

be described as E nglish ideas i n Yor uba words the result is often

obscuri ty and confusion of thought .

In the Ch urch Missionary Intel ligencer f or March 1 88 0 a , ,

missionary to Japan who had experienced a Similar di ffi culty

, ,

wrote thus
There is great danger in all use of this language of thin king
, ,

that when we have rendered various E nglish words into Japanes e

we have of necessity expres sed the thoughts which the E nglish
words convey Language may correspond to langu age but the
.
,

thoughts t o which the language is the vehicle may be as distant

as the pol es Our language m ust be idiomatic or the natives will
.

fail t o see the points on which we are endeavouring to l a y so m uch

stress .

The writer has on several occ as ions read portions of Yoruba .

translations t o inte lligent but purely uneducated Yoruba men .

They woul d S how that they com prehended (not without an e f fort )
what was read to them by putting pertinent questions but then ,

they woul d add We can understand what you mean t o say but
, ,

what you read there is not Yoruba ; i t may be book l a ng uag e

( Ed e The rock of st umbling is the desire of translators to
reproduce every word and particle of the E nglish in its exact
equivalent in Yoruba regardless of idiom and thereby obscuri n g
, ,

the sense of the latter .

xxx iii
xxxiv A S KE T C H or YO R U B A G R A M M A R
In taking up a Yoruba book one is forcibly struck by the
di f ference in style b etween quotations of p ure Yoruba stor ies ,

phrases or p roverbs and the notes and observations of the writer

,
.

The forme r r uns sm ooth and clear ; the latte r appears sti f f and
obscure b ecause t h e writer wi th his knowledge of the E nglish
, ,

grammar and language wrote E nglish i deas and i dioms 1 n Yoruba ,

'

words illus t rating wh at is sai d abo ve

When such systems are employe d I n writing a Yoruba Gram mar
.
,

s uch a grammar may be useful in teaching E nglish to Yoruba

boys but that is not a Yoruba grammar
, .

We deem these observations necessary bec ause in the following

pages we shall have occ asion to render Yorub a words into E nglish
and vice ver s a ; a very literal translation will not be adhered to
when by so doing the S ense and force of the language will be
, ,

obscured and Weakened .

WO R DS TH E FO R MATI O N OF

The formation of words in Yoruba appears to be a very simple

process an y c onsonant With a vowel attach ed will form a word
(or three words accor di ng to the vari ation of the tone or accent )
, .

That word will probably be a verb ; it will cert ai nl y possess the

form of one either current or obsolete Th is word will moreover
, .
, ,

be the root of a Whole class of words B y p r efix ing a vowel t o i t .

a noun m ay be formed ; wi th other prefixes also some other

words may be formed from the same root e g d a to m ake ed a , . .
, , ,

a crea ture ; from which we have el eda creator La t o spli t ; , .

,

Hit a cut
, ela halves of a Whole al a a bo undary R 11 to carry
, , .
,
‘
en ) a load ; al a rrr a carrier ; el er u owner of a load
, , Fe to , .
,

love ; I f e love ; I f eni brotherly love charity

, , , .

Thus verbs are mostly monosyllables formed by one consonant ,

and a vowel and no uns disyllables in which the first syllable is

,

a vowel and the second a verbal root The pen ultimate vowel is
, .

sometimes strengthened by a consonant .

Adj ectives are mostly form ed from nouns (or as nouns ) by pre
fix in g the conson ant of the verb al root e g di da made or created . .
, ,

li l a fis s ur ed so also from m e to know im e knowledge m im e

, , , , ,

known .

Adverbs are gener al ly duplication of the adjective e g di dun , . .

, ,

sweet ; di dun di dun v ery sweet ; dara good ; dara dara very
-

, ,
-

good .

What is here called a verbal root may be an obsolete word or

one not generally in use but other words can be form ed from i t ,

all t h e same .

There are some primitive words the ori gin of whose roots has
 A S KE TC H OF Y O RU B A G R AMMA R X XX V

been lost e g o m i water ; ina fire ; igi wood ; a se clothes ;

, . .
, , , , ,

etc .

With rare exceptions nouns not beginning wi th a vowel are ,

either of foreign origin or onomatopoetic : this l atter being very ,

common .

There are of course except ions to the above rules but these
, , ,

will be foun d to be the funda m e n tal method s of fo rming Yoruba

words .

We cannot within the compass o f an introduction give a ,

compl ete sketch of a Yoruba Grammar but we m ay state that ,

the li nes l aid down in Crowther s V ocab ulary of the Yoruba ’

l anguage and in N otes on the Formation of Words by the Rt R e v .

. .

0 E Vid al the first Bishop of Sierra Leone i f prope rly deve l op ed

. .
, ,

and full y worked out will prove both very useful and instructive , .

P A RTS O F S P E E C H TH E
There are eight parts of speech They a r e as in the E nglish .

Grammar the Article being excepted

, .

The Yoruba language has no artic l e but when d e fin it en es s is ,

required the n umeral ka n (contracted from Qka n one ) is us ed for ,

a or a n a n d the demonstrative 1 1 5
, 1 or n i (that the sai d one) is ,

used for the defi n ite artic l e t h e .

T h e use of the num er a l o n e in place of the article is not unknown

even in E n glis h The numer a l one is an indefinite demonstrative
.

when used as the artic l e a n —Mason .

The word ka n therefore cannot be correctly ca l led an article

simply because it is made t o d o duty f o r it .

In Yoruba books trans l ated from the E ngl ish where the ,

trans l ator endeavours t o render every word and partic l e into i ts

Yoruba equivalent we O ften fin d these particles used where a ,

pure Yoruba speaking w o u l d not use an artic l e H ence the

, ,
.

Yoruba of translations often sounds rather quaint .

Literal trans l ations reg a rdless of di fferences of i di om often ,

result in ambiguity or nonsense .

In the B ri tish co l onies of Sierra Leone and Lagos where the ,

Yoruba e l ement predominates and where the E ngl ish l anguage is ,

often heard spoken with loca l accents and l oca l idioms the artic l es ,

are frequent l y left out where an E nglishman would use them ,

e.
g I see
. snake
,
for I saw a s n ake Water full
,
for t h e river is ful l .
,
.

H ere the loca l E n gl ish sounds rather quaint because the speaker ,

simpl y expresses his Yoruba ideas in E nglish words without the

article Again we may say in Yoruba O j oko l ori aga ( H e is
.
, ,

sitting on a chair) 0 fim u k ok o taba (he is smoking a pipe )

No one would ever think of addi n g the particle h an after ag a or
xxxvi A S K E TC H OF Y O RU B A G R AMMA R
‘
ledh o t a ba by way of expressing the article a 8 0 also we may say .

M o pade Yesufu n i Od o O sun (I met J oseph at the River

Osun ) or Mo fi l o s f e j a
, (I am going t o the market ) N o one .

woul d use the particle n ci after O sun or ej a t o in di cate the article

t h e as its E ng l ish equivalent B ut we can say l n ri n n a ti de .

(the man is come) Mo pade l n rin n a ( I m et the man)

. .

Q m ed e kan fid ur o d e 0 (a chi l d is waiting for you) Mo pa .

ej o kan ( I have ki l led a snake) In wh ich cases d efin it en es s is .

required and consequent l y the particles representing the articles

a an and t h e are used
,
.

These exampl es are su ffi cient to show that the articles do not

exist in the Yoruba l anguage but where d efin it en es s is required , ,

e quival ents can be found .

We deem these illustrations necessary as in books on Yoruba

Grammar the article forms one of the Parts of S peech .

NOU N
N ouns generally in their simplest form are formed by p r efixin g
a vowel to a verba l root as b e t o shear a b e razor d é to cover
\ , , ,

( the head ) ; a d e cro wn ; (1 51 to cease ; ed a drought ; se t o

, , , ,

o f fend ese sin 8 0 a l so the verbal s al e going a b e coming fro m

, .
, , ,

19 t o go
,
and b e t o com e , .

B u t the prefixes have certain peculiarities of their own Thus .

a prefixed indicates an agent one wh o does a thing e g ke to cut , , . .

, ,

a k e an axe— a n agent for cutting wood

,
D a t o break ; ad a .
,

a c utlass y 11 n t o fi l e ay un a fi l e Or a saw
‘
.
, , ,

0 or Q the sam e as a but rest r icted in their use e I n to bore

, g ,
. .
,

olu a gimlet 1 9 t o grind ;

,
a grinder ; we to swi m owe
, , ,

a swimmer d e t o hunt e d e a hunter , , .

e prefixed indicates a noun in the concrete e g 1 11 to carry ; , . .

, ,

en ) a load
'
,
mi ; to breathe em i the breath spirit , , .

2 prefixed denotes a noun in the abstract eg m o to know ; , . .

,

im O knowledge ; ri to see ; iriri experience

, , , .

The vowe l s e and u are rarely used .

Gen d er —T h e Yoruba language being n o n in flec t ive genders

.
-

cannot be distinguished by their termina l syl lables but by pre ,

fixin g the words a h g male and a bo fema l e to the common term , , , ,

and som etimes okon r in a man and obirin a woman ; e g a kg , ,

. .
,

e sin a horse stall ion ab o esin a mare a k e m al fi a bull abo

, ,
-

,
-

m a l fi a cow O m c o k on r in a b o y i e a man chi l d

, .
em e birin
o

, ,
. .
,
-

a gir l .

In on e case the masculine see ms t o be formed from the feminine ,

eg
. Iyawo a bride e ke iyawo a bridegroom
.
, , ,
-

, .
xxxviii A S KE TC H 0F Y O RU B A G RAMMA R
Aw en e ken r in n a ti 1 9 (the men have gone away) The bells are .

ringing— Aw e n agogo n a n lu Aw e n however is rare l y used with .

, ,

things without life When the plural nouns are indefinite that is
.
,

to say without the definite article the demonstrative awon is

, ,

omitted e g Walaha okuta m ej i— two tab l es of stone

C a s e —T here are three c as es the nominative obj ective and
. .
, , .

, ,

possessive as in the E nglish language ; but in none of them is

,

there a chan ge of form The nominative precedes and the obj ective .

follows after the transitive verb and preposition as usual but in ,

the c as e of the possessive the thing possessed stands before the ,

possessor wi th the particle t i expressed or understood between

them e g M oses book Iwe ti M usa in which the particle t i
’
. .
, , , ,

is expressed Iru esin the horse s t ai l in which the particle t i

.
,
’

is understood B ut although the partic l e t i is not expressed yet

.
,

its middle tone is preserved by lengthening t h e tone of the final

vowel of the thing pos sessed Thus we may say : Iwe (e) Musa .
,

the book of M oses I r u (u) esin the tail of the horse Qr e(e )
.
, .

Q l er u n the word of God

,
A g b al a (a ) Ob a the court of the Ki ng .
,
.

Oko Or e(e) mi My friend s f ar m

’

, .

The so u nd of the added tone is sometimes so slight as to be

al most imperceptible but i t is always there and is one of those , ,

fine points which are s o di ffi cult for the ear of foreigners t o catc h ,

and the absence of which m arks out their defective accents .

B ut when the noun in the possessive case stands alone the ,

particle t i m ust be expressed e g D avid s Ti D an d a Moses s , . .

,
'

,
.
’

T i M ns a It is J oseph s Ti Y es uf u n i
.
’

, .

AD JE C T I VE S
Adj ectives are general ly placed after the nouns they qualify ,

as E sin dudu a black horse om o rere a good chi l d

,
They are , .

placed before the nouns when some special attribute of that noun
is t o be emphasized e g agi d i e m e a stubborn child ; a p a em e
, . .
, , ,

a slovenly child ; al agbara ek en rin a brave fellow a k e okuta , ,

a very hard stone .

These are really substantives used attributively They m ay .

m ore correctly be regarded as nouns in the construct state and ,

not pure adj ectives e g a brute of a man is a m ore emphatic

, . .
,

expression than a brutish man This Vi ew of showing the .

identity of a substantive with an adj ective is clearly shown by

Mason 2
The adj ective was origin ally identical with the noun which in ,

the infancy o f lan guage named objects by naming som e attributes ,

by which they were known .

In course of time the adj ective was developed into a separate

 A S K E TC H OF Y O RU B A G RA MMA R xx xi x

part of speech ; the function o f which was to attach itself to the

noun even n ow i t is sometimes di fficult t o draw the line between
them as nouns are som etimes used attributively and adj e ctives
,

pass by va ri ous stages into nouns .

C O MPA R IS O N O F AD J E C TIVE S
D egrees of comparison cannot be form ed from Yoruba adj ectives .

The words f it and j u lQ whic h are generall y used in Yoruba books

and tran s lations and even stated in som e gramm ars as form ing
,

the comparative and superlative degrees are real l y adverbs ,

signifying a g r ea ter or les s deg r ee t h a n and as such m ay give

a co mp a r a tive s en s e on ly t o the adj ectives to which they are

attached The superlative is really non e xisting it can on l y be

.
-

gathered from the context The word j et is only used in an el liptical .

s ense for j a lg when a com parison is being m ade and it often appe a rs ,

in the form of tmesis Ile r e tobi j n ti emi lg — Your house is

larger than mine where lg is separated from j n by the words t i
,

em i , and m ay be omitted without a f fecting the sense When us ed

otherwise i e wi thout an y idea of com parison fi t is purely an
, . .
, ,

adverb sign ifying too t oo m u ch or too litt le e g 0 g a j u it is, , . .

,

too high ; 0 kere j u i t is too small B ut a comparative idea , .

can be gathered only from the context and also whether the ,

compari son is between two or m any and it is in that way alone ,

a comparative and a superlative degree can be m ade out If .

’
we say John is t a ller than all the other boys in the class we
, ,

express the s am e relation as to height b etween J ohn and the rest

as if we sho uld say John is t h e t a ll es t boy in the clas s
, B ut in .
’

the former case John is considered a pa r t f r om the other boys of

the class so that the t wo obj ects whi ch we have in mind are j oh n
,

and th e ot h er boy s in t he cla s s When the superlative degree is .

used J ohn is considered as on e of th e g r oup of boys com pared

with each other M a s on .
-
.

This latter sense is what cannot be expressed in Yoruba and

therefore the language cannot be sai d t o possess a superlat ive
degree The s up er l a t ive id ea can only be gathered from the context
. .

It would be absurd to thus compare the adj ective tal l :

Positive g a (tal l) comparative g a j n (t oo tall ) ; superlative
, , ,

a j n lg
(more tall than ) which are n o t adj ectives in the compara
‘

g
tive and superlative sense at all .

T o use words li ke these a ogo j ul e for the Most High or , ,

‘
O WI I mi b eh e pup e j ul g for I am m ost pleased at it is t o speak ,

vile Yoruba N o pure Yoruba m an uncontaminated with E ngli sh

.

i deas would speak in that Wa y at al l .

As the geni us of the Yoruba language the working of the ,

xl A S KE T C H OF YO RU B A G RAMMA R
Yoruba mind i ts ideas and i diosyncracies do not run in an Anglo
,

S axon channel it is not to be expected that the mode of expression

,

will a gree in every partic u lar S ome teachers of the Yoruba .

language often fall into this error in their endeavours to fin d the

exact e qui valent in both languages .

TH E F O R MS A ND U SE S OF AD J E C TIVE S
E v ery adj ective h as t wo forms the att ri butive and the pre d ica ,

t ive each depending upon the us e thereof a g z

, , . .

A hi gh mountain (attributive) Oke giga , .

The mountain is high (predicative) Oke n a g a , .

In Yo ruba the attributive is form ed from the pre d icative by

,

reduplicating the initial consonant wi th the vowel i e g strong , . .

,

p r int 1 e a,t t r i b lile ;

, sweet p r ed d un a tt r i b di
. d u
,n ; h o t pr ed , , ,

gbona a ttr ib gb ig b ona ; good pr ed dara ; a ttr ib did ar a etc

, .
, , .
, , .

D isyll ables with the vowel n as a rul e undergo no change e g , .

tutu cold dudu black f un f un white etc (the n being purely

, , , , .

nas al ) Although not in use the s am e rule even here may al so

.
,

be applied .

P R o NO U N s .

Pronouns ar e used in the same sense as in E nglish They are .

I Person al I I R elative and I I I Adj ective there is no distincti on

, ,

in genders in any of the forms .

The Personal includes the R efle xive .

I Personal Pronouns
. .

(a) N ominative Case .

Singul ar Plural
I st Pers . I E m i m o (m e mi ) 11 , , We Awa a ,

2 nd thou I we o (9 ) , , you eyin e ,

3r d he she it Ofi O (9)

, , , they Aw en win ,

The full forms (sing ) emi iwe ofi (plural) awa eyin aw en .

, , , , , ,

are used when emphasis is t o be l ai d on the person but ordi narily ,

the second forms (sing ) mo 0 O (plural) a e wen are used .

, , , , , ,
.

Those in brackets (m e mi e O) are mer e provincialisms f o r the , , ,

former .

N in the r s t person is used only wi th the incomplete and future

tenses e g 11 1 9 for emi yio 1 9 or Mo fi l e I am going No 1 9 for
, . .
, , , ,

E m i yio 1 9 I shall go ,
.

H e when used in an indefinite sense is en i as Eni ti 0 b a se e

, , , ,

H e that doeth it Eni ti 0 b a wa S i ih in H e who comes here . ,

.
 A S K E TC H OF Y O RU B A G R AMMA R x11

(b) Possessive Case .

Singular Plural
rs t Pers . Ti emi O urs ti awa
2 nd Ti iwe or ti ir e yours ti eyin
3r d Ti o il or ti ir e thei rs ti aw en
It will be observed that the possessive forms are simply the .

nominatives wi th the particle t i (meaning of) prefixed ; s o that

li terally they are of m e of y ou of him etc In ordinary speech , , , .
,

however the vowel of the particle always su f fers elision in the

,

singular number but in the plural it is the initial vowel of the

,

pronoun that is eli ded Thus we have .

S ing
’ ’ ’ ’
. t emi t iw e or t ir e t o fi or t I r e
, ,

P lu r a l : ti wa ti yin t i wen
’ ’ ’
.
, ,

The apost rophe mark of elision is generally dispensed with in

writing e g we write temi tiwa t iwen etc
, . .
, , , , .

S pecial notice shoul d be taken o f the forms t ir e and tir e in

the 2 n d and 3r d pers Singular the di fference li es o nl y in the tone
.

(or accent ) in the 2 n d pers the tone of the fi r st syllable is de .

pres sed the second is middl e i t is vice vers a in the 3r d person

, ,
.

(c) Obj ective Case .

Singular
1 st Pers me mi us
2 nd thee 0 you yin
3r d him her i t a e
, , , , e, i o , , e, u them wen
The obj ective case as may be seen consists o f fragments of ,

the nominative It is really the terminal syllables of the first

.

second and thi rd persons singul ar and plural The third person ,
.

singular calls f o r special remarks :

I t consists of the whole of the vowels but the particular vowel ,

made use of in each case is that of the transitive verb which pre ~

cedes the pronoun and governs the case e g O p a a (he killed i t) , . .

, ,

M o p é é (I called hi m ) Wen t ee (they bent i t) A b 9 0 (we covered

, ,

i t) etc Where the verb ends in a nasal sound the vowel is also
, .

nasal e g O kan a (he n ai led it) A fun f1 (we gave him ) etc
,
. .
, , , .

The tone of the pronoun in the obj ective case is influenced by

that of the verb whi ch governs it when that of the verb is raised
the obj ective m aintains the middle tone e g O 1 9 9 (he twisted , . .
,

it) Mo kit a ( I picked i t) and vice ver s a when that of the verb is
,

middle that of the obj ective is raised e g 0 se é (he d id i t)

, , . .
, ,

0 pa 5 (he ki lled i t) 0 kan mi (i t aches m e)

. Agai n when the
, .

t one of the verb is depressed th at of the pronoun is raised , ,

x lii A S KE TC H 0F Y O RU B A G RAMMA R
e .
g .
, O kan mi (it touched me) Mo , ka a ( I counted it) A , p é wen
(we call ed them) .

TH E RE F LE X IVE
The word tik ar e incorporated Wih the personal forms is used , ,

t o in d icate the R eflexive I t is placed between the nominative

.
.

a n d possessive cases eg , . .
,

Singular Plural
I s t Pers E m i t ika r a mi Awa t ikar a wa .

2nd I we t ika r a r e Eyin t ika r a yin

3r d Oh t ika r a r e Aw en t ika r a wen
'

The harsh r is generally softened into I s o that instead of t ikar a

we say tikala but in a flowing speech the l is dropped o ff altogether
and the two a s blended and lengthened so we often hear
’

E m i tik a mi 011 t ikzi r e Awa tik a wa

'

.
, ,

I I R elative Pronouns
The R elative pronoun who whose whom which what or that , , , , ,

in Yoruba is the simplest in any language It consists sole l y

'

, .

of the particle t i and is used for every number gender person or , ,

case e g I who ca l led thee E m i ti 0 p ie 9 The man who m I

, . .
, ‘ ,
.

saw Oko n r in t i m o ri The birds wh ich fl ew Aw en eiy e t i wen f O

, .
, .

I I I Adj ective Pronouns .

These are —(a ) Possessive ; (b) D emonstrative ; (c) Dis t ri bu

tive ; (d) Indefini te ; and (e) Interrogative .

(a) Possessive Singular Plural

My mi Ou r wa
thy re your yin
his her i ts r e thei r wen , ,

N ot e — Like adjectives they come af t er the nouns they qualify

.
, ,

eg . My king eb a mi your childr en aw en em e yin their cattle

.
, , , ,

aw en eran os in wen -
.

D — Singul ar
( )
b emonstratives Plural
this y i e y I en i these w enyi iwen yi , , ,

that n i eyi mi n a those w enni iwonni , , ,

N ot e — The simple forms yi n i w enyi w enn i are used with the , , , ,

nouns t h ey qual ify e g This man eken r in yi that book iwe n i

‘

. .
, , , ,

these chi l dren aw en om o de w enyi those houses i l e w e nn i

,
’

, .

B u t when the nouns a r e not expre sed the forms wit h a vowel s
,
.

prefixed are used e g This is not good eyi kO dara this very one , . .
, , ,

eyi y i these are n o t ripe iwen yi kO p en ; those are very good , ,

iwen ni dara j ej 9 N 5 refers to something spoken of or understood

. .
 A S KE TCH or Y O RU B A G R AMMA R liii
x

(c) Distributive
each o l u kul u ku , en ika n ka n
every en ika n , or gbogbo
either en ikan
neither ko si en ika n

N ot e .
—The Yoruba use of
the di strib u tives is rather idiomatic .

E ach is olu ku lu ku but when used in the sense of one by one

,

i t is en ikan ka n F or every one . the Yoruba is g bog bo i e , .

a ll e g
,
. i t touches every one of us (In Yoruba) It touches all o f
.
, .

us Gbogbo wa ll 0 kan
,
E ither of them is one of them
.
, .

E ither of us may g o Qkan ninu wa l e 1 0 , .

(d) Indefinite
A ll On e
Any O ther
Both Anot h er
Cert ai n On e another
ara W 9“
E ach ot h er
d ie S everal pup e
n l g p g u
p p O S ome , d ie (a f ew)
pup e Op e S uch
, bayi
ko si en ikain Whole e t et e gbogbo ,

The Yoruba language 5 very defective in disti nctive terms

expressive of the indefinite pronouns On e word m ust do service .

f or di f ferent terms in whi ch there is a shade of di f ference of

m eaning e g , . .
,

Gbog bo is used for all whole , .

P np g or £2159 for many m uch several , , .

En ika n for certain one , .

N on e is expressed by there is no one .

(6 ) Interrogative :
Who ? Tahani ? contracted to t ani ?
Wh ose ? Tit ah an i ? contracted to tit ani ?
Which E wo ? wo
Whom Tani ? eni t i ?
What Kini ?
N o te — The n in kini is often converted or rather softened into
l in S peech What shall we d o ? Kini awa yio se ? is softened
.

into Ki 1 a 0 se ? ’

VE R B s
V erbs are transitives and intransitives There are n o auxi liary .

verbs as known in the E nglish and other languages certain

particles are used t o m ark out the m oods tenses and other form s , ,
Xl l V A S KE T C H OF Y O RU B A G R AMMA R
for which au xiliary verbs are used conse quently the verb t o be ,

as an auxili ary is wanting .

I n the E ngli sh l anguage there are six auxili ary verbs viz , .
,

be have shall will m ay do each of them m ay be used as the

, , , , ,

pri ncipal verb and also as an auxiliary t o other verbs when they
,

he l p to form the m oods and tenses ; but the partic l es that are
u s ed in Yoruba for such purposes are n o t verbs and cannot be ,

used as such and therefore cannot be correct l y term ed auxili ary

,

verbs as som e compilers of Yoruba grammars have tried to make

out F or example the particle t i placed before a verb denotes a
.
,

completed action e g Aj ayi ti l g Aj ay i h as or had gone The

, . .
, , .

par ticle y io in the same way points out a future tense ; e g Aj ayi . .
,

yi o l e Aj ayi will go Th e n as al n prefixed to any verb shows an

, .
‘

i ncomplete action as Aj ayi fil e Aj ayi is going , .

There being n o auxi l iary verbs as such the Passive V oice ,

cannot be formed in the usual way the fi r st or third person plural ,

o f t h e verb transitive is used for the passive voice e g A snake is , . .

,

killed will be A pa ej o kan or We n pa ej o kan Or i f we say , .

The snake was killed by Joseph the Yoruba wi l l be A ti owo

Yesufu pa ej o na which is literally We by the hand of Joseph ,

kill ed the snake but usually the active transitive is preferred

, ,
”
viz Yesufu li 0 pa ej o n a It is Joseph that killed the snake
.
, , .

As was observed above the maj o ri ty of Yoruba verbs in their ,

simplest form consist of m onosyl l ables —a consonant and a vowel ,

eg
. . ka to pick led to count r el to buy lg t o go wa to come
, , , , , , ,

s u n t o S leep e tc They are non in flect ive and do not S how any
, .
-

distinction in number or pers on .

Disyllabic verbs are almost invari ably compound words

resolvable into their component parts ; t h ey m a y be a verbal ,

root compounded wi th a preposition a noun or an adverb (some ,

roots however have become obsolete) e g B awi t o scold from

, , ,
. .
, , ,

ba with and wi t alk

, ,
D ahun to answer from d a t o utter
, .
, , , ,

o h un a voice D ap e t o mingle from d ot to pour or mix and

,
.
, , , ,

together S u n ku n to weep from t o S pring and k

fi g ,
. s un e nn , , , , ,

tears .

S o m e are transitives others intransitives , .

The noun or pronoun governed by the transitive verb is in

variably placed between the component parts e g Bawi t o scold ,
. .
, , .

0 b a mi wi H e scolded m e , .

Pade to close 0 pa il eku n de H e closed the door

,
.
,
.

H ere the m i is placed between the ba and the wi It is not . .

0 bawi mi for H e scolded me but 0 ba m i wi , .

S o also il ekun is placed between p a and d e not 0 pade il ekun , ,

but 0 p a ilekun d e for H e closed t h e door .

xl vi A S KE TC H OF Y O RU B A G R AM MA R

] eor h i or j eki implying permission e g J e ki 0 l g or ki 0 l g

, , ,
. .
, ,

let him go .

L e implying permission
, 0 1e l g he ma y g o .
, .

M ti or M a s e implying proh i bition (authori tative)

, .

M a h a implying permission (authori tative) e g Maha l g be going

, , . .
, ,

Y io often contracted to 0 Sign o f the fut ure e g Yio l g he

, , , . .
, ,

will go E m i 0 l g I wil l go .
, .

A l i or n i a t i softened into la ti implying an intention e g

, , ,
. .
,

Ati l g to go Lati j eun to eat (intending to)

, .
, .

N or ng Sign o f incomplet e action e g E m i nl g I am going

, , . .
, ,
.

Oj o fi r e i t is raining , .

Ti a sign of the past tense e g 0 ti l g he has gone

, , . .
, ,
.

From these particles the Moods and Tenses are formed .

M OO D S
The Indicative S ubj unctive Potential Imperative In fini tive
, , , ,

and the P ar t icip al Moods can be we ll expressed in Yoruba an d ,

all but the first can be formed by the use of one or other of the
above particles .

The Indicative is the verb in i ts Sim plest form e g l g to go ,

. .
, .

E m i l g I went, Oj o s a re Oj o ran .
, .

The S ubj unctive is formed by p r efixin g the conj unction bi (if)

before the subj ect of the verb wi th or without the particle ,

ba e g Bi emi l g or Bi emi b a l g If I were to g o

,
. .
, B i emi b a , .

f e l g If I wish t o go
, .

The Potential is formed by adding the particle l e before the

verb e g E m i l e l g I may go (lit I am able to g o)
, . .
, , . .

The Imperative is formed by the permissive Sign J e ki e g , .

J e ki emi l g Let me g o !B esides the direct forms l g (go thou ) 1

, .
,

9 1 9 (g0 yel l
The In finitive is formed by adding the particles a ti or la ti before
the verb e g A t i lg to go L a t i m g to know
, . .
, , .
,

The Participle is formed b y p r efixin g the particle f 1 (or n g) to

the verb e g file goin g ; nbg coming
,
. .
, ,
.

TE N S E S
There are only three tenses in Yoruba ; properly S p eaking the ,

preteri te the incomplete and the future

, , .

An action j ust done is a completed action and is therefore past

on e doing is incomp l ete consequently what may be considered ,

present m ay be merged in the compl eted action and is therefore ,

taken as preterite or in the incompl ete as the sense m ay re quire

, ,
.

T h e simple verb is always expressed in the past indefinite or

 A S KE TC H or Y O RU B A G R AMMA R xl vii

preterite tense e g Mo l g I went Mo we I washed 0 r erin , . .

, , , .
,

he laughed or laughs O j oko he sat or sits , .

The c omplete tenses past o r prese nt are expressed by p r efixing , ,

the particle t i before the prete ri te e g Mo ti we I have o r had

.
, . .
, , ,

washed 0 ti l g he has or had gone

.
, .

The incomplete tense is formed by p r efixin g the particle if (or rig) t o

the verb e g E m i ii we I am washing E m i fir erin I am l aughing
, . .
, , .
, .

The future t ense is formed by pl acin g the partic l e y io (c ontracted

t o 0) before the verb e g E m i yio we I S hall wash E mi 0 lg , . .
, , .
,

I shal l go Awa o maha y g We S h al l be rej oicing

.
, .

The future complete (or second future) tense is forme d by

adding the partic l es in dicating the future and the compl ete tenses
t o the verb e g E m i y io t i we I shall have washed . E m i 0 ti l o
.
, , .

I sh a ll have gone .

AD V E R B S
Adverbs are used in the same way as in the E nglish to modify ,

or limi t the meaning of a verb an adj ective or another adverb , , ,

and are general ly placed after the words they qualify e g O s g r g , . .

,

daradara H e spoke well 0 soro j gj g I t is very di ffi cult After

, .
, .

an intransitive verb they com e directly after the verb as 0 s un , ,

fanfan H e S lept soundly 0 sure tete H e ran swiftly B ut

, .
, .

after a transitive verb they come after the noun or pronoun

i n the obj ective case e g M o m g Yesufu daj u daj u I know , . .
,
-

Joseph wel l 0 1e wgn s ehin s eh in H e drove them far back

.
-

, .

Adverbs of manner quality and degree are mostly formed by a

‘

reduplication of the word (especially an adverb or a verb) e g , . .

,

O s gr g daradara H e spoke very well 0 duro sinsin H e sto od , , ,

firm l y Daj u d a j u evi dently Mo f eran r egi di gi di I love h im we ll

.
, .
, .

Adverbs o f tim e place and quan tity are used I n the same way ,

as in the E nglish and call f o r no special remarks We m ay note , .

,

however that in these words of more than one syll able n o t

, ,

onomatopoetic in ori gin are capable of being resolved into thei r

e l ementary parts — usually into a particle (a preposition) and a
noun e g, . .
,

Nigb a g b og b o a lway s can be resolved into n i (at ) igba (time)

, , , ,

gbogb o (all ) t e at a l l times , . .

, .

N ig b o ee wh en can be resolved into n i (at or in ) ig ba (time)

, , , ,

t i (which ) 0 s e (it happened) i e at the time when i t happened

, , .
,

i e when
. .
, .

Nih iyi h er e n i (at ) i h in (here) y i (this ) at this place

, , , , , .

Loke up wa r ds n i or li (at ) oke (the top)

, , ,
.

Nib o m ir a n els ewh ere n i (at) i bi (place) amir a n (another) at

, , , , ,

another place .
xl viii A S K E TC H OF Y O RU B A G R AMMA R
B ut there is al so a use of adverbs pec uliar to the Yoruba lan
guage an onomatopo etic idea is often connected with it and
, ,

consequently i t is always formed to s uit t h e word it qualifies and ,

thus intensify the idea conveyed by the word A form that is .

a pp licable t o one verb or adj ective may n o t be applicable t o

another and t h erefore adverbs of degree or quality can n ot be
,

enumerated F or instance : .

Th e adverb g og or o can only apply to height as 0 g a g og Or O , ,

I t is very high A reduplication o f the word can further intensify

.

the i dea 0 g a gog or o gogoro It is very very high In the sam e

, , , .

way the word gb ag ed e can only appl y t o something of a huge

si ze an d a reduplic a tion o f i t g b ag ad a g b a g a d a intensifies the
, , ,

idea Also the word r ep et e or r ap at a rapata impl ies n o t o nl y a

.
-

large Size b u t al so a massive o ne one in which the S pace covered

, ,

is much more than the height .

Apart from intensifying the ideas other quali ties can also be ,

expressed by the character of the adverb made use of in other

words the adverbs often suggest some other ideas inherent in the
qu alit res they describe although they cannot be s o expressed in
E nglish e g we may say 0 p gn f O O It is bright red
, . .
, H ere the , , .

adverb f O O besides being aptly applying to what is red al so

, ,

suggests the wa r m t h of the colouring S o also 0 p in roro It is .

,

deep red ; O p gn r o kir o ki i e It is bright red al most yell ow , . .

, ,
.

In the last t wo exampl es r or o and r okir oh i refer Simply to the

depth of the colouring 1 .

On e or t wo more i l lustrations wi l l develop the above ideas

full y In the matter of l ength we may say 0 gun t unu t unu
.
, ,

It is very long This can on l y apply t o a long road the idea of

.
,

distance being impli ed O gun g b gr g g b g r g It is very long This .

-

,
.

conveys an idea of a long pole or a rope or a serpent or the li ke , ,

.

S o also with respect t o height we may say 0 g a f io f io It is very , , ,

high This can only appl y t o something on the top of a great

.

height or the top of a high obj ect — as a tree standing on the

, ,

ground 0 g a t ia n t ia n It is very hi gh This can on l y apply to

.
-

, .

an obj ect at a great height n o t connected with the ground as a , ,

bird flying at a great height .

In a ll these exampl es the adverb very is used t o qual ify the ,

adj ectives in E ngl ish no other i d eas being conveyed ; in this ,

respect the Yoruba is more expressive .

PR E P O SITI O N S
Prepositions are partic l es pl aced before n o un s o r pronouns to .

S how their re l ation t o other words in the sentence .

See Vidal s N otes t o Crowther s Yoruba Grammar

’
1 ’
.
 A S KE TC H OF Y O RU B A G RAMMA R xlix

In Yoruba they are mostl y monosyl lables e g S i n i fun de ,

. .
, , , , ,

etc as O 1 0 s i ile H e goes into the house 0 wa n i O ko H e is

.
, ,
.
,

in the farm 0 kg ile f u n B aba H e has built a house f o r the

.
,

father D uro d é mi Wait for me

.
, .

Words of more than one syllable when used as prepositions are

capable of being resolved into their component parts e g O n b g ,
. .
,

lehin mi H e is coming behind me

, H ere the preposition l ebi n is .
,

resolvable into li (at ) and ehin (the back) 0 wa let i ile H e is .

,

near the house let i is resolvable into I t (at ) and et i the ear or , ,

the edge that is within the hearing or at the edge o f the hous e .

Under V erbs we have already considered those pec uliar forms

compounded wi th prepositions .

C O N J U N CTI O N S
Conj uncti ons are particles which serve to connect words or
sentences ; they are copulative and disj unctive .

Copulative .

A l i and or both
, A l i B aba a ti 0m g Both father and son . The ,
.

initial a m ay be omitted e g Tiwo tir ef or ati iwo ati ir e ,

. .
,

(you and he ) .

on and or both 0 l g t o h ti e m g H e left both himself and

’

, .
,

chi l d It m ay be noted that on is never used to copulate

.

pronouns o f the 1 s t and 2 n d persons .

B i if , Bi 0 j e se g m g If he would be a child (This is used

. . .

for a n o bedien t ch ild ) .

N it or i because N ito r i t emi Because of m e

, .
’
,
.

Nj e then Nj e o yio 10 ? Then will you g o ?

, .

D isj unctive .

S ugbgn but 0 de ile s ng bon ko b a mi H e called but did no t

, .
,

meet me at hom e .

T a bi or E m i tabi iwg I or you

, .
, .

B ikose unless B iko s e p e o j uba r e U nless he pays regard to

,
.
,

A dialthough Adi o n g b g gbogbo r e Although he hears i t all

, .
, .

A m gpe idiomati c for be i t known

,
.

I N T E R JE C T I O N S
Interj ections are any form of exclamation or ej ac ulation ex
pressing S ome emotions of the mind Any words m ay be used .

for the purpose b ut Very few convey any meaning apart from,

the tone in which they are expressed .

‘
E xclam ations of surp rise : Y é l O p ér em g hep a
E xclamations of disgust : SO Siy g l
 A S K E TC H OF Y ORU B A G R AMMA R
I t is rather curi ous that t ri bal peculi ari ties are marked i n some
forms of exclamations .

Favour ite expressions of n s H a Kinla E m gd e Gbaga

dari 1
Favourite expressions of E gbas and I j eb us : H ere or herek e
h ep a rip a p a y en t iwa
The usual exclamation in law courts for silence is Atot o
lit enough of your noise !
,

Ka gb o h un l lit l et us hear the sound of a (single) voice

, .

The tone of voice thrown into the exclamation in particular

marks the expressions of grief surp ri se admiration or contempt
, , .

We close this porti on with the exclamati on usually addressed

t o kings — K a biyes i May long life be added I
N U M E R A LS
N umerals in Yoruba although formed on a de finite plan yet
, ,

are more or less complicated ; the t one (or accent ) plays an im

po rtant part in them .

All numerals refer to some noun (person or thing) expressed or

understood They are Cardinal and Ordinal or S erial
. .

The Cardinal has three forms viz ( )

I simple enumerati
, . o n

( )
2 numeral ad j ectives and ( )
3 nu m is m atics To these may be .

added a d verbs of number and of time .

1 S IMPLE E N U M E RA TI O N
Ej l lelog un
Et al elo g un
Er inl elog un
E d g gb g n
Erin d il gg b g n
E t a d i l o g b gn

E j id il gg b on
Qkan d il ggb gn
n gn

A r u n d il o g on
Oii
A r un d il a d g t a
Adota
A r un d il g g g t a
Og g t a
Ar un d il a d g r in
Ad or in
Ar un d il gg or in
Og g r in
Ar un d ila d or un
Ad gr un
 A s r cn o r Y O RU B A G R AMMA R 1i

S IMPLE E N U M E RATI O N — C on t in u ed .

Ar u n d il og or un E g b aj i
Qg g r u n Ed eg b a t a
Igba Egb a t a
Q d un r u n E d egb a r in
I r in wo Eg b a r in
E d eg b et a E d eg b a r u n
Egb eta I O , 000 Eg b ar un
E d eg b er in Egb awa or
Eg b er in l kan i e one bag (of . .

E d eg b er un cowries ) .

Eg b er un H igher numbers as
Eg b awa etc being s o many bags . .

Eg b ed og un
2 . Q U A N TITATIVE 0R N U M E RAL AD J E CTIV E S
O kan Twent y nine Mokan d il gg b gn
-

Méj i Thirty n g n

M ét a Thirty five -

Ma r un dil o g o j i
M ér in F orty Oj i
M arun F orty five -
M a r un d il a d o t a
M efa F ifty At a
M ej e Fifty five-
M ar u n d il o g o t a
M éj g Sixty Qt a
M és a n Sixty five-

Ma r u n d il a d g rin
M ewa S eventy A d or in
‘

M é ka n l a S eventy five Ma r u n d il g g gr in
-

M ej ila E ighty Q g g r in
M ét al a E ighty five Ma r un d il a d g r un
-
. .

M er in l a N ine ty A d g r un
”

Med o g un N inety five -

Mer in d il o g un One hundred Qr I I n

’

M et a d ilo g un On e hundred and ten A d gf a

Mej idil o g u n twenty Qg g f a
M o ka n dil o g u n t h irty A d oj e
Ogun forty Og o j e
M eka n l el o g un fifty Adgjg
M ej il el o g un sixty n jg
Met a lel o g un seventy Ad osan
M er in lel o g u n eighty n san
M ed g gb on ninety
M er in d il g g b g n Mewa d in ig b a
M et a d il g g b gn T wo hundred Igba
Mej id il g g b g n etc etc .
, .

3 N U MI SMATI S
. C
On ecowry O (Ska n l
Three cowrie s
Two cowries E é j i1 Four
1
M t one money two monies
, cowry shells being used for m oney .
I ii S KE T C H OF YO RU B A G R AMMA R

N umI S M A T I c S —C ont in ued

F ive cowries E -
ed eg b et a
S ix Eg b ét a
S even E -
ed eg b er in
E igh t
'

91 9 Eg b ér in
N ine Eé s an E ed cg b ct u n
-

Ten E ewa E g b er un
E l even O oka n l a
-

Egb éf a
Twelve E é j il a E j
-
ed eg b e e
Thirteen B etal a E gb ej e
Fourteen E er inl a E ed s g b éig
-

F ifteen E ed o g u n Egb eig

S ixteen E er in d il o g un E -
ed egb s an e
S eventeen cowries Eét a d ilo g u n Eg b es an
E ighteen E ej id il o g u n Egb a din g g g r u n
N ineteen O oka n d il o g u n Egb awé
Twenty O k owo Egb okan l a
Twenty five -

E ed g gb gn E g b é j il a
Thirty n gn wo Eg b et al a d in og or un -

F orty Ogoj i Eg b et al a
F ifty A adot a -

Eg b er in l a
S ixty Qg g t a E gb eéd o g un
S e venty A a d or in
-
E g b ej id il o g un
E ighty Qg g r in din Qg g r un -

N inety A a d g r un
-

E gb ej id in l o g u n
O n e hundred Qg g r un Egb a ii
I I o cowries A a d gf a
-

Eg b et al el ogun
1 20 Qg g f a din Qg g r un
I 30 A a d oj e -

Eg b ed g g b g n
I 40 Ogo j e E gb et al el g g b gn
I 50 A a d gj Q
-
din gg g r un
1 60 9n 9 Eg b a t a
I 70 A a d gs a n
-
E d egb a r in
I 8O Q g gs an Egb a r in
I 90 E wa d in ig b a E d egb ar un
2 00 I g b iwo Egb a r un
210 E wal er u gb a E d egb aig
220 Og u n l u g b a Eg b a ig
2 30 Ogb gn wol er ug b a Egb as an
2 40 Oj u l u g b a Egb awa ( l kan)
2 50 A a d ot a l er u g b a
-

E ed ogun -

2 60 Q t al ug b a Er in d ilo g un
2 7o A a d or in l er u g b a
-

Et ad ilog un
2 80 Q r in l u g b a E j i d il o g u n ~

2 90 A a d o r u n l er u g b a
-

Qkhn d il o g un
3 00 Od u n r un Egb ag un (l m ej i)
4 00 I r in wo
 l iv A S KE TC H OF YO R U B A G R AMMA R
A D VE RB S 0F —
T IM E C ontin ued
S even times Erin mej e S eventy times Igba a d g r in - -

E ight Erin m ej o E ighty Igba Qg g r in - -

N ine Erin m gs an N inety Igba a d gr un - -

Ten Erin m ewa H undred Igba og oru m -

The sam e to nineteen times Thus Erin is prefixed t o all .

Twen ty times Igba ogun the numera l s but the mul tiples -

Thirty Igba gg b gn of ten take Igba b efore them -

.

F orty Igba ogoj i N ot e Erin is usually -

.

Fifty Igb a ad ota softened t o ee e g eeka n QEm ej i -

, . .
, ,

S ixty Igba gg gt a and so forth -

.

AN ALYSIS OF THE N U M E R ALS

F R O M one to ten di f ferent t erms are used then for 2 0
, , , 30 , 2 00 and
4 00 ; the rest are m ultiples and compounds Thus I I 1 2 I 3 .
, ,

and I 4 are reckoned as ten plus one plus two plus three and , ,

plus four ; 1 5 t o 2 0 are reckoned as 2 0 less five less four less , ,

three less two less one and then 2 0

, , , .

In the same way we continue 2 0 and one to 2 0 and four and , ,

then 3 0 less five less four and so on to 30 and so for all , ,

figures reckoned by tens .

There is no doubt that the digits form the basis of enumeration

t o a large extent if not entirely so Five ten twenty i e the
, .
, , , .

digits o f one hand of t wo and the toes included and their , , ,

m ultiples form the di fferent stages of enumeration .

Beginning from the first m ultiple of 2 0 we have o go p a con t r ac ,

tion of ogun m ej i i a two twenties Qg g t a three twenties

, . .
, ,

Qg grin four twenties (8 o) Qg gr u n five twenties

, and so on , ,

to ten twenties when the new word I g ba is used .

The interme di ate numbers (30 having a d istinct: terminology) ,

5 0 7 o 90 1 1 0 1 3 0 to I 90 are reckoned as : 6 0 les s ten

, , , ,
80
less ten a hundred less ten and so on to 2 00 .

The figures from 2 00 to are reckoned as m ultiples of 2 00

( 4 00 however
, which is 2 0 x ,2 0 the squ are of al l the di gi ts has a , ,

distinct terminology I rin wo or E r in wo the elephant of

, ,

fig ur es — meaning the highest coined word in calculation the rest ,

being m ultiples) .

Thus we have Egb eta a contr action of Igba m eta i a three ,

-

, . .
,

two hundreds Egb erin from Igba merin f o ur t wo h u n d r ed s

'

- - e
, ,

Egb er in five two hundr eds ,

and s o on t o Eg b awa
-

t en two hundreds -
which in its turn forms the b a sis of
still higher c al cul ations .

Th e intermediate fig ures of 3 00 5 00 7 00 900 to , , , ,

are reckoned as 1 00 less the m ul tiple above them via Qd un r un , , ,

 A S KE TC H or Y O RU B A G R AMMA R 1v

contracted from Qr un din n i ir in wo i a 1 00 less than 4 00 - - -

, . .
,

Or t m din n i egb erin

’

Qr fin din u i egb eta 1 00 less than 600

- - -

,
- - -

1 00 less than 8 00 (7 00) and so on to

B y a system of contraction elision and euphoni c assimilation , , ,

for which the Yoruba language is characteristic the long term ,

Or I I n din mi (Egb eta or Egb erin and so on ) is contracted t o Ed é

’
- -

or Qd é e g Ed egb et a
, . .
Ed egb er in
, Ed egb er un (900)
and so on .

B ut the m ultiples of 2 00 do not end with ten times ,although

that figure is the basis of the higher calculati ons i t goes on to ,

the perfection (or m ultiple) of the digi ts m z twenty times (two ,

hundr ed) thus we have Eg b g kan l a that is Igba m okan l a , , ,

I I two h undreds
-
E gb ej il a twe l ve two hundreds ,
-

and so on to twenty two hun dreds or E gb a j i that is twice two -

, ,

thousand
With this ends the m ul tiples of 2 00 The intermediate figures .

of are rec koned the same way as before ,

viz
. 1 00 less than the next higher multiple .

A S al ready mentioned Egb awa (or Egba) forms the basis

, ,

of still higher calc ul atio n s ; the mu l tiples of E gba are Egb aj i ,

two t wo t h ousands -

Eg b a t a three t wo thousands ,
-

Egb a rin four t wo thousands

,
on to Egb a wa ten two
-

t housands which in its t urn forms the basis of th e highest

calculations .

The intermediate fig ures of

onwards are reckoned as less than the m u ltiple above them .

The more familiar t er m s f or and however are 1j3n

'

do g un or fifteen two hun dr eds and Eg b ed g g b on 2 5 two —

,
-
hundreds , ,
.

For those figures beyond the contracted for m s which ar e

general l y used are Qkan l a (for Eg b a m oka n l a ) I I two thousands -

Ej il a B t al a on to E gb ag un i a 2 0 two thousands i e forty

,
'

, . .
,
-

, . .
,

thousand .

S u mm a ry — Thus we see that wi th n umbers that g o by tens

five is used as the intermedi ate fig ure— five less than the next
higher stage In those by 2 0 ten is used as the interm ediate
.
«
, .

In those by 2 00 1 00 is used and in those of , I 000 is used , ,

.

The figure that is made us e of f or cal c ul ating indefinite n umbers

‘

is Eg b a wa and in money c alcul ation especi a l ly it is termed

,

l kan i a one bag (of cowries) Large numbers t o an indefi n ite

, . .
, .

amount are so many bags or rather bags in so many places .

TH E H I STO R Y OF TH E YO R U B A S

PA R T I
 CH APTE R I

O R IGI N A ND E A R LY H IS TO R Y
The origin of the Yoruba nation is involved in obscurity Li ke .

the early history o f most nations the commonly received accounts

are for the most part purely legendary T h e people being u m .

lettered and the l anguage unwri tten all that is known i s from
,

traditions careful ly handed down .

The N ational H istori ans are certain famili es retained by th e

King at Qy o whose o ffice is hereditary they also act as the King s ’
,

bards d rummers and cymbalists it is on them we depend as

, ,

far as possible for any reliable I nform ation we now possess ;

b ut as m ay be expected their accounts often vary in several
,

imp ortant particulars We can do n o more than relate the

.
.

traditions whi ch have been uni versally accepte d

The Yorubas are s ai d to have sprung from L am ur ud u one of
the kings o f Mecca whose o ff spring were —Od ud uwa t h e ancestor , fi

o f the Yorubas the Kings of G o g o b ir i and of the Kukawa

, t wo ,

tribes in the H ausa co untry It is worthy of remark that these

.

two nations notwithstan di ng the lapse of tim e Si nce their separa

,

tion and in spit e of the di stance from each other o f their respective
localiti es still have the same di stincti ve tri bal marks on their
,

faces and Yoruba travellers are free amongst them and vice ver s a
,

each recognising each other as of on e blood .

At what pe ri od of tim e L a m ur u d u reign ed I S unknown but .

from the accounts given of the revolution among h is descendants

an d their di spersion i t appears to have been a considerable tim e
,

after Mahomet .

We gi ve the accounts as they are related :

The Crown Pr inc e O d ud uwa relapsed into idolatry during his
father s reign and as he was poss essed of great influence he drew
’

, ,

many aft er him Hi s p urpose was to transform the stat e religion

.

into paganism and hence he converted the great mosque of the

,

city into a n i d ol tem ple and this Asara h is pri est who was himself
, , ,

an image maker studded with idols , .

3
 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B A S
Asara had a son called Braima wh o wa s brought up a Moham
m e dan D uring hi s minority he was a seller of his father s i dols
‘
’
.
,

an occ upation wh ich he thoroughly abhorred but which he was ,

obliged t o engage in But in o ffering for sale his father s handi

.
’

work he usually invited buyers by c alling out :

, Who would
purchase falsehood ? A premonition this of what the boy will
afterwards becom e .

B y the influence of the Crown Prince a royal mandate was issued

'

ordering all the m en to go out h unting for three days before the
annual ce l ebration of the festi vals held in honour of these gods .

When B raima was old enough he seized the opportuni ty of on e

of such absences from the town of those who might have opposed
h im to destroy the gods whose presence had caused the sacred
mosque to becom e desecrated The ax e with which the i dols .

were hewed in pieces was left hanging on the n ec k of the chi ef i dol ,

a huge thing in human shape E nquiry being made i t was soon .

,

discovered who the iconoclast was and when accosted he gave , ,

repli es which were not unli ke those which Joash gave t 0 the '

Abiezri tes who had accused his son Gideon of having performed “

a similar act (see J udg es vi 2 8 S ai d Braima Ask that huge

,
'

i dol who did it The men replied C an he speak ? Then "

.
, ,

sai d Braima Why do you worship things which cannot speak ?

H e was imm edi ately ordered t o be burnt ali ve for this act of gross
im piety A thousand loads o f wood were collected for a st ake and
. ,

several pots of oil were brought for the purpose of firing the pile .

This was signal for a ci vil war E ach of the two parties had .

powerful followers but the Mohamm edan party whi ch was hi therto
,

suppressed had the upper han d and vanquished their opponents , .

La m u r ud u the King was sl ain an d al l his c h ildren with those who

,

sympathi zed with them were expelled from the town The Princes .

wh o became Kings of Go g o b ir i and of the Kukawa went west wards

and Od u d uwa eastwards The latter travelled 90 days from
.

Mecca and after wandering about finally settled down at Ile

,

I f e where he met with Agb o n ir eg un (or S et ilu) the founder of the

-

Ifa worship .

Od ud uwa and his children had escaped wi th t wo i dols to Ile

I f e S ahibu being sent with an army to destroy or reduce them
.

to submission was defeated an d amongst the booty secured by ,

the vi ctors was a copy of the Koran This was afterwards pre .

served in a temple and was not only venerated by succeeding

generations as a sacred relic but is even worshi pped to t his day,

under the name of I di signifying Som ething tied up

, .

S uch is the commonly received account among this intelli gent

although unlettered people But traces of error are very apparent
.
6 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
originated from them as also are t h e inh a b it a n t s of Y a ory U pon -
.

the whole the people of Yarba are nearly of the sam e descri ption
,

as those of N o o f ee (N upe) 1 ”

In the name La m ur u d u (or N a m ur u d u) we can easily recognize

a dialectic modification of the nam e N imrod Wh o this N imrod .

was whether N imrod s urnam ed the strong the s o n of H a s ofil

, , ,

or N imrod the mighty hunter of the B ible or whether both ,

descriptions belong t o one and the sam e person we cannot t e ll , ,

but this extract not only confirms the tradition o f their origin but
also casts a Side light on the legend Arabia is probably the .

Mecca of our tradition I t is known that the descendants o f .

N imrod (Phoenicians) were led in war to Arabia that they s ettled ,

there and from thence they were dri ven by a religious persecution
,

t o Africa We have her e also the origin of the t erm Yoruba

.
,

from Yarba their first permanent sett l em ent in Africa Yarba

, .

is the s a me as the H ausa term Y ar r ib a for Yoruba .

It is very curious that in the history o f Mahom et we read of

a similar flight of his first converts from Mecca t o the E ast Coast
of Africa (the first H egira) due also to a religious persecution ; ,

this fact will serve t o S how that there is not h ing im probable in
the accounts as received by trad ition Again that they emigrated .
,

from U pper E gypt to Ile I f e m ay also be proved by those sculptures

comm only known as the I f e Marbles several of wh ich may be ,

S een at Ile l ie t o this day s ai d t o be the handiwork o f the early ,

a ncestor of the race They are altogether E gyptian in form. .

Th e m ost notable of them 1 5 what 1 5 known as the Qp a Qr a fiy a n ,

(Qr an ya n S sta f f) an obelisk standing on the sit e of Qr a fiyan s

’ ’

supposed grave having characters cut i n it which suggest a P h o eni

, :

cian origin Three or four of these sculpt ures may n ow be se en

.

in t h e E g yp t ian Court o f the B r itish Museum showing at a glance

'

t h at they are among kindre d works of art .

From t hese statements and traditions whether authentic or ,

mythologic the only safe deductions we can m ake as to t he m ost

,

probable origin of the Yorubas are :

1 That they sprang from U pper E gypt or N ubia
.
,
.

2 That they were subj ects of the E gyptian conqueror N imrod

. ,

wh o was o i Phoenician origin and that they followed him in h is

'

wars of conquest as far as Arabia where they settled f or a tim e ,

.

H o w subj ects term themselves ch ildren or o ffspring of their

1
V id e N a r r a t ives o
f T r a vels a ndby Maj or D enh a m
D is cover ies ,

and C apt C l a p p er t o n .
, 1 82 6 . S ec I V
App endix X I I . .

A T r op ica l D ep en d en cy
'

,
by Flora L Shaw ( Lady Lu g ar d) 1 905
.
, ,

pp 2 2 —
7 228
. .
 O R IGI N A ND E A R LY H IST O R Y 7

sov ereigns is t oo well— known in this country as we shall see in the ,

co urse of this history .

3 T hat from Arabia they were dri ven on account of their

.
,

practising there their own form of worshi p which was either ,

paganism or more li ke l y a corrupt form of E astern Ch ristianity

( wh i ch all owed of image worshi p— s o di stasteful to Moslems ) .

Again the nam e of the pri est Asara is a l so a peculiar one

,

i t is so m uch li ke A n as a r a a term which Mos l ems generally

applied t o Ch r ist ians (which signi fies followers of the N azarene ) ’

as t o m ake i t probab l e that the revolution spoken of was in con

n ec t io n rather with Mohamm edanism and the corrupt form of ,

Ch risti anity of those days .

Last l y the sacred relic called I D I from its being bound up and
,

pres erved and which is supposed t o have been a copy of the

,

K o r a n is probably another error

, Copies of the K or a n abound .

in this country and they are n o t venerated thus and why shoul d
, ,

this have becom e an obj ect of worshi p T h e sacred book of th e

party opposed t o them On e can hardly resist coming to the
conclusion that the book was not the K o r a n at all but a copy of ,

the H oly S criptures in r o lls the form in which anci ent m anuscri pts
,

were pres erved The K o r a n being the only sacred book known to
.

later generations wh ich have l ost all contact with Christianity

for centuri es after the great emigration into the heart of Africa ,

i t is natural that their hi storians should at o n Ce j um p t o the

conclusion that t he t hing bo u n d up was the K o r a n It might .

probably then be shown that the ancestors of the Y orubas hailing ,

from U pper E gypt were either Coptic Christians or at any rat e

, ,

that they had som e knowledge of Ch risti ani ty If so i t might o ffer .

,

a solution of the problem of h o w it cam e about that tra ditional

sto r i es of the creation the deluge of E lij ah an d other scri ptur al
, , ,

ch ar act ers are current amongst them and in di rect stori es of our ,

Lord t erm ed son of Mo r em i

, .

B ut let us continue the story as gi ven by tra di tion Od ud uwa .

and hi s sons swore a m ort al hatred of t he Moslems of their country ,

and were determined to avenge themselves of them but the form er

d ied at Ile I f e before he was powerful enough to m arch again s t
them . Hi s eldest son Q kan b i commonly call ed I d eko ser oa ke
,
'

al so di ed there leaving behind hi m seven pri n ces and p ri ncesses

,

who afterwards becam e renowned F rom them sprang the various .

tribes of the Yoruba nation H i s fir s t born was a princess who.

-

was m arri ed to a p r i est an d becam e the mother of the famous

,

Olowu the ancestor of the Own s

, The second child was also a .

princess wh o becam e the mother of the Al a ket u the progenitor ,

of the Ketu people The third a prince becam e king of the

.
, ,
 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
B enin people T h e fourth the Qr an g un becam e king of Ila ; the
.
, ,

fifth the On isab e or king of the Sab es the sixth Olup op o or king
, , , ,

of the Popos the seventh and last born Or a fiy an wh o was the pro , ,

genitor of the Yorubas proper or as they are better distingui shed ,

OY o s .

All these princes becam e kings wh o wore crowns as disti nguished

from those who were vassals wh o di d not dare to wear crowns ,

but coronets called A koro a high crowned head ge ar embroi dered ,

- -

with silver .

B u t i t m ay be rem arked that the Ol o wu s father was a commoner

’

and not a prince of the blood and yet he becam e one of the crown ed ,

heads The following anecdote will expl ai n how this cam e about
. .

The Yoruba princesses had (and still have) the liberty of

choosing husbands according to their fancy from any rank in life
the King s eldest daughter chose to m arry her father s pri est for ’
’

whom she had the Olowu .

’
This y ou n g p rin c e w as one day playing on hi s grandfather s
'

knees an d he pulled at the crown on his head ; the indulgen t

,

parent thereupon placed i t on the child s head but li ke som e spoiled ’

children he refused to gi ve i t up when req uired and so i t was left

, ,

with him the gran dfather putting on another The child had the
, .

’
crown on his head until he fell asleep in his m other s arms when ,

S h e took it o ff and ret urned i t to her father but the latter told her ,

to keep i t for her son as he seem ed so anxious to have it H ence the

,
.

right of the C low n t o wear the crown li ke h is uncles The sam e .

right was subsequently accorded to the A la ket u i e the progeni tor , . .

,

of the Ketu people .

It was stated above that Qr a fiy a n was the youngest o f Od u d uwa s

’

gran dchildren but eventually he becam e the richest and most

,

renowned of them all H ow t his cam e about is thus told by .

tradition
On the death of the King their grandfather his property was , ,

unequall y di vided among his children as fo llows

The King of Benin inheri ted hi s money (consisting of cowry
shells ) the Qr an g un of Ila his wi ves the King of Sab e hi s cattle
, , ,

the Olu p op o the beads the C lown the garm ents and the A l a ket u ,

the crowns and nothing was left for Qr a fiy an but the land S om e
,
.

assert that he was absent on a warli ke expedition when the parti tion
was made and s o he was shut out of all movable properties
,
.

Qr a n y an was however satisfied with his portion which he pro

, , ,

cee d e d forthwith to turn t o good account with the utmost skill .

H e held his brothers as t enants li ving on the land which was his
for rents he recei ved money wom en cattle beads garm ents and , , , , ,
’
crowns which were his broth ers portions as all these were m ore
, ,
 O R IGI N A ND E A R LY H IST O R Y 9

or less dependent on the soil and were deri ving sustenance from
,

i t And he was the one selected t o succeed the father as King in

.

the di rect line of succession 1

To his brothers were assigned the
.

various provinces over which they ruled more or less independent l y ,

Qr a fiy a n himself being placed on the throne as the A L AF I N or Lord

of the R oyal Palace at Ile I f e .

According to another account Qr a fiy a n had only a bit of rag ,

left him containing earth 2 1 pieces of iron and a cock The whole
, , , .

surface of the earth was then covered with water Qr a fiy an lai d .

his portion on the surface of the water and placed on i t the coc k , ,

whi ch scattered the earth with his feet the wide expanse of water
becam e fil led up and the dry land appeared everywhere H is
, .

brothers preferring t o live on dry land rather than on the surface ‘

of the water were p ermitted to do s o on t h eir paying an annual

tribute for sharing with their younger brother hi s o wn portion .

It will be noticed that both traditions attribut e the land t o

Q r a fiy an hence the common saying A lafin l oni ile (the A lafin
“ ’

is the lord of the land) the pieces of iron representing underground

treasures and the cock such as subsist on the land
, .

The former account seems more probable the latter being little ,

else but a travesty of the story of the creation or the flood B ut .

it is f ai r t o mention that the more generally received opinion is ,

that Qr a fiy a n becam e more prosperous than his brothers owing t o

the fact of his li ving virtuously they being given up to a life of ,

unrestrained licentiousness and being also by far the bravest of

them all he was pr eferred above them and was seated on the
,

ancestral throne at Ile I f e which was then the capi tal of the Yoruba
country .

The A lake and t h e Owa of Ile § a are sai d to be nearly related t o

the A L AF I N the former was s ai d t o be of the sam e m other wi th
one of the earliest Al afin s T his woman was called Ej o who after
.

war ds t ook up her abode with her youngest son until her death :
.

hence the common saying Ej g ku Ake ljl j g di ed at Ake 2

.

The Qwa o i the I j esas claim ed to be one of the younger brothers

but his pedigree cannot now be traced ; the t erm brother
being a very elastic one in Yoruba and m ay be applied t o any
relative far or near and even to a trusty servant or t o one adopted
,

1
reason assigned f o r thi s was that he wa s born in the
Th e “

purple that i s t o say born a ft er the father had becom e King

, .

This was at one tim e th e preva i ling cust om for the Ar em o O y e ,

i e the first born from the throne t o succeed the father

. . , , .

2
E j o means a palaver T h e phrase then m eans a case deci ded
.

at A ke i s final .
I O TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O R U B AS
‘
into the family . In olden tim es when there was universal peace
throughout the country before the comm encement of the d es t r u c
,

tive i nt ertriba l wars which broke up the unity of the kingdom

and created the tribal independen ce t hi s relations h ip was ,

acknowledged by the Qwa paying a yearly tribute of a f ew heads

of cowri es m ats and som e products of his forests to the A L AF I N
,
,

wh ile the latter sent him presents of tobes and vests and other ,

superi or articles well worthy of him as an elder brother .

T hat the A LAF I N the Alake and the Qwa were chi ldren or
, ,

grandchildren of Qr a fiy a n seems probable from the fact that t o

this day none of them is consi dered properly installed unti l the
sword of state brought from Ile I f e where Qr a fiy a n was buried is
p l aced i n h is hands .

Qr a fiya n was a nic knam e of the prince hi s proper nam e being

O dede . H e was a m an of great physical powers H e fir st .

obtained renown as a mighty hunter and in proc ess of tim e he

also becam e li ke N imrod a mighty C onqueror
, , .

T he exp edit io n ag a in s t M ecca When Qr a fiy a n wa s suffici ently

.
-

strong he set o ff for an ex pedition against Mecca to wh ich he

‘

summoned his brother s t o avenge the deat h of their great grand

,
-

father and the expulsi on of his party from that cit y H e left
, .

Adim u one of his father s trusty servants in C harge of the royal

’

treasures and the charms with a strict inj unction t o observe the
,

customary worship o f the national go ds I D I and O R I § A 08 1 .

This is an o f fic e of the greatest importance pertaining to the

King himself but h o w s l aves or high servants ar e often entrusted
w i th the duties of the mast er himself is well known in this country -

as we shall see in the course of t h i s history .

It is sai d that the route by which they cam e from Mecca

and which occupi ed 90 days was by this tim e rendered impassable
,

owing to an a rm y of black ants bloc king up the path an d hence , ,

Qr a fiy a n was obliged to take another route which led through the -

N upe or Tapa Country All his brothers b ut the eldest j oined

.

him but at Igangan they quarrelled over a pot of beer and dispersed
,
-

refusing t o follow his lead The eldest brother calculating the

.

distance through the T apa country lost courage a n d went eastw ar d

promising t o make his attack from that q uarter Should his brother
Q r a fiy a n be successful in the West Qr a fiy an pushed on until
.
2

he found himself on the banks of the Ri ver N iger .

The T apas are s ai d t o have O pposed his crossing t h e ri ver and ,

as he could n o t force his way through he was obliged to rem ain ,

for a wh ile near the banks and afterw ar ds resolved to retrace his
,

1
A fuller account will be found under The ori gin of the I j es a s .

2
Th e geography of o ur historians m ay be excuse d — ED .
 O R IGI N A N IS E A R LY H IST O R Y 1 1

steps To return however t o Il e I f e was too humiliating to be

. , ,

thought of and hence he consulted the King of Ibariba near whose

t er r 1 t o r y he was then encam ping as to w
,

here he should m ake his

residence Tradition has i t that the King of Ibariba m ade a
.
,

charm an d fixed i t on a boa constrictor and advised Q r a fiy an t o

follo w the track of the boa and wherever it rem ai ned for 7 days
and t hen disappeared there he was t o build a town Qr a fiy a n, .

and his ar m y followed his di rections and went after the b o a up to

the foot of a hill called A JA K A where the reptile remained 7 days ,

and then disappe a red According t o instructions Qr a fiy a n halted

.

there and built a town c al led O Y o A J A K A

,
This was the .

anci ent city o f Q Y Q m arked in ancrent m aps as E y eo o r Katunga

(the latter being the H ausa t erm f Or Q y Q) capital of Y ar r ib a (see
Webster s pronouncing Gazett eer) This was the E y eo visited
’
.

by the E nglish explorers Cl a p p er t o n and the Landers .

Qr afiy an rem ai ned and prospered in the new home his d ecen d a n t s ,

spread E ast West and S outh west they had a free com m unic a
, ,
-

tion wi th I l e Ife and the King often sent t o Adim u for whatever
was required by h im out o f the royal treasu r es f o r the new ci ty .

In process of tim e A di m u m ade h imself great because he was

not only the worshi pper o f the national dei ties but also the ,
’
custodian and dispenser of the King s treasures and he was ,

commonly designated Adimu 01a i e Adim u of the treasures . .

,

or Adim u l a i e Adim u is becom e we a lthy

. . .

B ut this Adi mu wh o became of s o m uch consequence from h iS ‘

performing royal functions was originally the son o f a woman

condemned to death but being found at the tim e of executio n
,

to be in the way of becoming a mother she was tem porarily

reprieved until the child wa s born Thi s child at its birth was
, .

dedicated t o the perpetual service of the gods especi ally the ,

go d Q b a t al a t o whi ch his mother was t o have been sacri ficed

'

, .

H e was sai d to be honest faithful and devoted t o the King as to ,

his o wn father and therefore he was loved and trusted

, .

When Adi m u was announced to the Kings and Princes all

ar ound as the person appointed by the King to t ake charge of

the treas ures and to worship th e nation al deiti es during his

,

absence i t was generally as ked And wh o I s this Adi mu ? The

,

answer comes n O luw o n i the s o n of a sacri fici al vi ctim :

t his is contracted to QwOni (Oluwo being the term for a sacrificial
victim ) S o in subsequent years when the seat of government
.

was remo ved permanently to Q Y g but not the N ational D eities ,

Adim u became suprem e at Ile I f e and his successors to t his day

have been t erm ed the Ol or isas i e high pri ests or fetish worshi ppers . .

to the King and people of the whole Yoruba nation The nam e
, .
I 2 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
Adimu has since been adopted as the agnom en and the t erm QwOni ,

as the title o f the Kings or more properly t h e high priests of

I f e t o this day the duti es of the o ffice being not local or tri bal
, ,

but national .

'

According t o another account after the death of Q kan b i , ,

Qr a fiy an having succeeded and assumed the command emigr ated

to O ko where he reigned and where he di ed and the seat of ,

government was removed thence in the reign of S ango to n koro ,

i e the afores ai d anci ent Ci ty of QY Q

. .
,
.

Qr a fiy an m ay have actually di ed at Oko but hi s grave with an ,

obelisk over it is certainly shown at Ile I f e to this d a y It is a .

custom among the Yorubas — a custom observed to t h is day— to

pare the nails and S have the head of any one wh o di es at a con
s id er a b l e distance from the place where they would have him

buri ed These relics are taken to the place of interm ent and there
.
,

decently buri ed the funeral obsequi es being scrupulously observed

,

as if the corpse itself were buri ed there H ence although (as we have .

o n probable grounds assum ed) Q r a fiy a n may have di ed at O ko and ,

the art o f embalming lost or unknown his relics could thus have ,

been taken t o Ile I f e wher e t o this da y he i s S upposed to have been

buri ed A m ore romanti c account of his death however will be
.
, ,

gi ven in Part I I of this history .

As the Yorubas worshi p the dead and have the beli ef that ,

prayers o f fered at the grave o f deceased ancestors are potent to

procure t emporal blessings all succeeding Yoruba Kings o n their
,

acc ession and before coronation are expected to send t o perform

acts of worship at the grave of Od u d u wa and to receive the benedic
tion of the pri est The sword of j ustice known as I D A OR A N Y A N
.

Q n s sword) is t o be brought from Ile I f e and ceremoniously

(
’
a n a
r y
placed in their hands wi thout this being done th e Kin g has n o ,

authority whatever t o order an execution Qr a fiy a n s des c endants .

’

in process o f tim e wer e divi ded into four distinct famili es known ,

by their distinctive dialects and forming the four provinc es of ,

Yoruba proper viz the E kun Qt u n E kun Os i I b g l g and E p o

. ,
, ,

provinces The E kun Otun and E kun Os i or righ t and left i e

.
, .

E astern and Western provi nces ar e the towns l ying t o the E ast
and West of the City of QY g .

I The E kun Qt un or W estern provin c e included all the towns

.

al ong the right bank of the River Og un down t o Ib er e kodo Igana ,

being the c hi ef town The oth er important towns ar e

. z— Saki ,

Oke h o Is eyin I wa wun E ruwa Iberek odo etc In this provinc e

’
.
, , , , ,

two distinct dialects ar e spoken th e people inhabiting the outer

most borders are known as I b ar ap as and ar e distingui shed by a
nas al twang in their speech .
1 4 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
over the E p o district but also over a large area of the country as
,

well I t has a mixed population including every tri be of the

.

Yorubas .

I j ay e formerly an E gba town becam e peopled by n s chi efly

from the E kun Os i (Ikoyi ) dist ri cts .

A ll these i ncluding hundreds of i mport ant towns wi thi n the

area are peopled by Yorubas proper or d s as they are generally
"

c alled and constit ut e the more im portant portion o f Yoruba proper

, .

The E gbas who were f or the most part o ff shoots of these and
,
-

formerly li ving in hamlets and villages independently of one another

have through the exigenci es of thes e wars collected themselves
from 1 5 3 hamlets or townshi ps to form one town Ab eokuta , .

A further account of this wi ll be gi ven i n i ts place All th es e .

are reckoned as descendants of Qr a fi y an .

B y the advent also of the whit e m en from the coast the centre ,

of li ght and ci vi li zation has removed t o the south so that the ,

E pos m ay soon cease t o be the weeds of the country as they ,

m ay r ecei ve the i nspi rati on of ci vi li zati on from th e south instead

of from the north as hi therto .
 CH APT E R I I

TH E O R IGI N OF TH E T R IB E S
A LL the various tribes of the Yoruba nation trace their origin
from Od u d u wa and the city Ile I f e In fact Ile I f e is fabled as .

the spot where God created man W hite and black and from , ,

when ce t hey dispersed all over the earth We have seen in the .

previ ous chapter which are the principal tribes that sprang from
Od u d u wa s seven grandchil d ren viz T h e Yorubas proper from
’
.
,

Q r a fi ya n the Benins Ilas Owu s Ketus Sab es and the Popos

, , , , , , .

Some of the other tribes were offshoots of o n e or other of thes e as ,

we shall see further on Some authentic tradi tion wi ll be gi ven

.

re l ative to the f o r m at io n o f some o f the m

'

An important fact which must al so be borne in m ind is that the ,

country was not altogether unpeopled when Od u d u wa an d his

party entered i t from the E ast the probabili ty is that the abori ,

gin a l inhabitan t s were conquered an d absorbed at leas t at the ,

central if not at the remote provinces of the Yoruba kingdom .

In ancient patriarcha l times the king of a country was ,

regarded as the father or progenitor of his people This vi ew will .

to some extent explain what would otherwise appear t o be a

marvell ous (if n o t impossible ) instance of fecundity in any o n e
king e g Or a fiy a n peopling so vast a region as that attributed
, .

t o him in s o S hort a time— the more warlike the king the more
, ,

extensive h is domini on and the m ore numerous i t would seem his

, , ,

progeny .

In fact We may almost take it as proved that as Qr a fiya n and

’
his army as well as his brothers pushed on their conquests in
, ,

every direction the princes and the war lords were stationed in
,
-

va ri ous parts to hold the country and from them S prang the many
,

provincia l kings of various ranks and grades n o w existing .

T his a ls o accounts for t h e tradi tion that the Yoru ba sway once
extended as far as Ashanti and included the Gas of Accra for the ,

G as say that their ancestors came from Ile I f e; and the constitution
of the G a language is s ai d t o be more like Yoruba than like F anti ,

the language of the Gold Coast and the area in which that language
,

is S poken is strictly limited And cert ai n l y until comparatively

.
, ,

recent times the Popos and D a h o m ia n s pai d tribute reg ular l y t o

Q Y Q as their feudal head it is cert ai n therefore that the generals , ,

and war lords of Q r a fiy a n pushed on far beyond the limits of the
-

Yoruba country as now known an d although in places remote fr om

,

1 5
1 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the centre as the Benins and Sekir is in the east and the Popos
, ,

D a h o m ia ns and Gas in the west the Yoruba language is not ,

spoken yet the knowledge of i t exists among the ruling C hiefs

,

and the priestly caste wh o still maintain their connection with Ile
I f e the place of their common origin
, This view will also to some .

extent explain the mutual understanding and bond of sympathy

existing between the I fes E kit is and allied families as remnants , ,

of the largely diluted aboriginal elemen ts still having man y t h ings

in co mm on and their natural antipathy— more or less — t o the
,

d s or Yorubas Pr o per .

I t is also worthy o f remark that all the p r in cip a l rulers of the

country to S how the validity of their claims must trace their
, ,

relationship by one way or another to the A LAF I N 0 F OY o who i s the ,

direct descendant o f Qr a fiy an s o n and successor of Od u d u wa the , ,

founder ; which S imply implies that the children and o ffspring of

the conqueror are the chief rulers over the di f ferent parts of the
conquered territories .

YO R U B A PR O P E R
O r a fiy a nwas already distinguished as a brave and war like -

’
pri nce during his father s lifetime and he probably owed his ,

succession to this fact as was usual in those stormy times On

, .

his accession t o t h e throne when he set out from Ile I f e on his ,

.

famous expe di tion to Mecca t o avenge the death o f his great

grandfather he was certainly accompanied b y his conquering
,
'

hordes and if we trace his route from Ile I f e northwards to the

banks of the N iger whence he turned westward t o the borders of
,

the B a r ib as and then t o the ancient O Y o (E y eo) whic h he founded

, , ,

and where he settled and from wh ence he spread southwards ,

towards the coast we shall see that the people embra ced in this
,

vast regi on viz with the If es in the east the N ige r on the north
the B a r ib a s on the west as well as the D a h om
,
.
, , ,

ia n s and the ,

E gb a d os o n the south are those kno wn as the Yorubas Proper, ,

or as they are generally termed by the other tribes the Q Y QS ,

and are t h e s o cal l ed descendants of Q r a fiy a n and the cream of

-

his conquering army T hese then constitute Yorubas Proper

. .

We have stated in a previ ous chapter how they are divided

into four distinct provinces but there has always been among them ,

a bond o f sympathy and union apart from what they have in ,

common with the other tribes They have always retained .

their loyalty— more or less — to the successors of Q r a fiy an their ,

common father even wh en the revolution ary wars left the country
,

no longer united under one head as in the days of Sango down t o

those of Abi odun
 TH E O R IGI N OF TH E T RI B E S I 7

T H E E G B AS

The E gbas are a small o ffshoot o f the Yorubas Proper wh o ,

occupy the south —eastern districts of that province T hey origin .

ally occupied the area bounded by certain imaginary lines drawn ,

say from I j ay e t o m eet the Ogun R iver at Olokemej i and along

, ,

it to its mouth and another from the same point via Ibadan t o
,

the west of J eb u R em o down t o the coast They lived in hamlets .

and villages for the most part independently of o n e another and ,

,

never under one rule A l l t h e principal famili es of the E gb as trace

.

their origin from n hence the common saying E gbas wh o have ,

n o t their root in Q y o are slaves i e belong to the conquered ,

. .
,

aboriginal population Most of the C hiefs sprang from the E sg s .

of n I t would seem then that during the wars of con quest a

.
,

number of these warli ke Es g s under the leadership of the King s

’

half brother was detached from the m ai n army carrying their

-

, ,

arms to those regions where they subsequently settl ed in the ,

immediate neighbourhood of the Ow n s Ab eokuta as we now know .

,

i t of course had n o existence then E ach of what is n o w c al led

, .

the townships was a separate village or hamlet with its own

chief they were loosely grouped into three di visions but rather ,
’
independent of one another but a ll acknowledging the King s ,
'

brother (the Alake ) as their P R IM U S T hey were .

I E gba A gb eyin T hese were the E gbas proper and nearest

. .
,

the Ij ebu R em os The principal town s were Ake the chief tow n
.
, ,

Ij eun Kemta I p oro Igbore etc

, , , , .

2 E gba Oke Q n a i e those situated near the banks of the

. . .
,

Ri ver Od o Q u a Q ko the chief town Ikereku Iki j a Idomapa

.
, , , ,

Od o Podo etc,
T heir chi ef is call ed the Q sil e
, . .

3 E gba Agura or G b ag u r a these were situated near the Q y o

.

di stricts and indeed they cont ai n gen ui ne Qy os in large numbers

, ,

and generally they partake of their characteristics largely hence ,

they are ni ck named Q y os among E gbas

-
The principal towns .

were : Agura th e chief Ilugun Ibadan I f a y e Ika n I l awg , , , , , , ,

et c .

Th e E gbas were on the Whole few in number and occupied a ,

limited t erri tory thi s can very well be proved by the fact that ,

after a period o f more than half a century they have been ,

compell ed by stress of C ircumstances t o live together wi thin one

‘

wall and in spite of large accessions from other tribes they still
, ,

form but a Singl e large town Situated as they were then far from .
, ,

the centre of life and activi ty they were li ttle tho u ght of T hey ,
.

had no separate king because all the principal chiefs and

disting uished personages were o ffice bearers of the A L AF I N hence ,
 1 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the common saying E gba k0 l olu gbogbo nwon n i ri se bi Qba
’

, ,

(E gbas have n o King they are a ll of them like masters ) Olu wa

,

l n (T h e King is at n ) I t may be noted that every child

’

.
,

born t o a reign ing Alake must have an n facial mark and that
is s o t o t h is day In early times the Alake ranks among the
.

j unior members of the R oyal F amily f o r t h at reason there has

never been a distinct roya l fami l y a mong the E gbas The chief .

rulers in each di vision were usua ll y elected (by divi n ation ) from
any one o f the 1 5 3 townships an Ikij a man f o r instance has been
ki n g o f It esi an Ij eun man an Alake etc as we s h a l l see in the
, , .
,

Appendix In this respect a l so the G b a g u r as di f fer from the

'

others .

In later times at Ab eokuta one Jib ed e a wealthy trader and

, , ,

traveller who vai n l y endeavoured to obtain the Primacy of Ake

, ,

left children and grandchildren wh o eventua l ly attained the

cove t ed position which was a singular instance of more than one
,

member of a family becoming an Alake but then they were ,

1

all born in di f ferent townships .

T h e Q sil e is sai d to be an unfortunate tit l e bec ause more than ,

any of the other divisions the Oke Q n a people were more pr one t o ,

slaughter human victims everytime the Os il e entere d the Ogboni

house he must walk on the b l ood of a mal e victim and when he
, ,

comes o u t o n that of a female Also that Q sil es never die a natural

death when their excesses became unbearab l e they were usually
stoned t o death hence the appellation of their chief town Q ko ,

a pelti n g stone F or that reason the E gbas were reluctant

.

to resuscitate the title at Ab eokuta until Governor McC allum

o f Lagos in 1 8 97 o n the occasion of the Queen s D iamond Jubilee
’

ordered the E gbas and others t o reorganise their government and ,

fill up vacant titles .

Since the destruction of the City o f Owu (as we shall see below )
and the unification of the E gba vi l lages the Own s have domiciled ,

amongst them H ence the s o called F O U R U N IT E D K I N GS O F T H E

.
-

E G B AS : although Owu is not E gb a .

TH E I JE B U S

The origin of the I j eb us has been variously given o n e account

makes them spring from the victims o ffered in sacrifice by the
King of B enin t o the g o d of the ocean hence the term Ij ebu ,
"

from I j e ibu i e the food of the deep T h e I j eb u s themselves

-

, . .
, .

ca s e o f Gb a d eb o son of O ku ken u occurre d subsequent l y t o

1
Th e , ,

the est a bli s h ment of t h e British Protectorate .

 TH E O R IGI N OF TH E T RI B E S 1 9

clai m to have descended from Q b a nita as they say of themselves -

, ,

Og et iel e er u Q b a n it a
, i e Og et iele 1
, servants of Ob a n it a
. .
, , .

But wh o was this Q b a —nita T radi tion says he also was a victim
of sacrifice by the Ol owu or King of Own It was said that the .

Olowu o ffered in sacrifice a human being where t wo roads cross

this was termed E b Q mi ita a sacri fice o n the highway the
- -

, , .

victim bei n g mangled and left for dead he however revived at , ,

night and crawled away into the forest where he subsequently

, ,

recovered an d sur vived H e lived on fruits on the chase and

.
, ,

then did a bit of farming With an access of population being , ,

the oldest man met in those parts he was regarded as the father , ,

and subsequent generations call him their an cestor and s o the ,

Ij ebu tribe was formed and the term E b g n it a (a sacrifice on

,

the highway ) was converted t o Q b a n it a (a king on the high

way) T here was rea l ly nobody o f that name A forest is still
. .

shown near the vill a ge of A h a where he is annua ll y worshipped ,

from whence he wa s s u pposed to have ascended into heaven .

I t is rather curious that both accounts shou l d have made them

descended from victims o f human sacrifices T his latter account .

is reconcilable with the former which says they are the food o f ,

the deep for the popu l atio n of which E b g n it a was the head may
,

have been large l y augmented by the victims of the ocean so as t o

give the nam e I j e ibu t o the who l e of them
-

T here are a l so other important facts and curious coincidences

connected with the I j eb u s which have strong bearings on this
tradition o f their origin .

1 O f all the Yoruba tribes with the exception o f the I f es

.
,

they were the most addicted t o human sacrifices which they ,

practised up t o 1 8 92 when the country was con quered by the

E nglish Th e victim also usua l ly o f fered to
. O b a n it a annually
was always a human being but this was never killed ; he was , ,

however a l ways acted upon in some way or other unknown (by

,

magic art s ) that he a lways became demented an d left t o wander ,

about sheepish l y in the Aha F orest until he perished there T his , .

is no doubt due t o the fact that the ancestor E b g n it a himself

, , ,

when a vi ctim was not killed outright

, .

2 T hey were before the conquest the most exclusive and

.
, ,

inh ospitab l e of the whole of the tribes V ery few if any o u t .

, ,

siders were ever known t o have walked through the country with
impunity under any C ircumstance whatever ; not a few of those
wh o attempted t o do s o were never seen nor heard o f an y more

untranslatab l e word an onom atopoei c expressi on for

I
An ,

whatever is im mense and m agni ficent .

20 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Commerci a l transactions wi th outsiders were carried on in the
frontier or in the borders o f n eighbou ring towns .

3. And i f the latter account of th eir origin from the Own

victim be the correct one it is very Singular indeed that it was
,

m ai nly due t o the I j eb u s with their firearms that the Own s owed
"

their f al l and complete annihilation as an independent state t o

this day A ful l account o f this will be gi ven in due course
. .

The King of the I j eb us is known as the A wuj ale His o ri gi n .

was thus gi ven by authentic tra di tion the event wi th which it is ,

connected having occurred within authentic history :

There were formerly t wo important towns called Owu Ipole
and Is eyin Od o in a district between the Owu s and l ies they were
settlements from the city o f Own an d Is eyin respectively A .

quarrel once arose between them on the matter of boundaries ,

and the dispute having be en carried on for many years developed ,

into an open fight and both the Olowu and the Qweni of I f e
,

(both being interested parties ) were unable to put an end t o the

strife Messengers were now sent t o the King at Q Y g who sent out
.

a special Ilari and a large number o f atten dants t o p u t an end to

the stri fe The person of an Ilari being inviolable he came and
.
,

settled down bet ween the two co ntending parties in the midst of ,

the di sputed plot and thus compelled them to keep the p eace
, . .

T h e Ilari was named A g b ej a il e or A l aj ail e (an arbiter of landed

di spute ) This term was subsequently softene d down to A wuj e
. al l
.

This event occurred during the reign of Kin g J A Y I N .

’
As it was customary to pay royal honours to the King s mes
s en g ers out of courtesy this Ilari was accorded royal honours
,

in due form and he remained there permanently an d became t h e

,

King of that region over the I j eb us who up t o that time had

no tribal king of their own and rather held themselves aloof
from their neighbours Subsequently he removed t o Od e
. .

The A wuj al e ranks after the n provincial kings such as the

Oni koyi Ql a f a Ar esa A s eyin
, , , .

O R IGI N or THE I J E§ A S AN D E KI TI S

Two accounts are gi ven o f t he origin of the I j esas both may

practically be regarded as in the m ai n correct s o far as they are not ,

really contradictory ; for i t would appear that the I j esas of the

present day are not the same people o r rather not the descendants , ,

of the aboriginal inhabitants of that province

w
.

The first account relates to the earliest period hen the Yorubas
have j ust entered into an d subdued the country and the A LA F I N S
, , ,

l
An Ilari ti tle at d to this d ay .
22 THE H IST OR Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the Ij esas there extremely simple peaceful and unwarlike (probably , ,

the remnants and d escendants of the ol d sacrificial victims ) whilst

at home they endured much O ppression from their Q wa that ,

they there and then conceived and carried out the idea o f sett ling
on the spot at once making i t their home and of reducing into
, ,

subj ectio n t h e aboriginal inhabitants .

These obj ects were easi l y enough accomplished but they spared
the principal chief a kindly o l d gentleman wh o had an extensive
,

garden p l antation H e was cal l ed

. O b a Ila i e Okra ki ng , . .
, ,

from his Okra plantation and he was p l aced next in rank to the
,

chief of the marauders T hat nickname is continued to the present

.

time as a tit l e Q b a la and is conferred on the most distinguished

’
I

chief after the Owa of I l eea I t wou l d appear then that although
.

the term I j eea i s retained by the p eopl e of that district and those ,

who are ignorant o f the origin of the term take some pride in it ,

yet it is evident that the present inhabitants are n o t all of them

the descendants of the aboriginal settlers the food of the gods , ,

but are large l y from t h e E kit is by admixture ; the pure type

I j es as are n o w and again met with at I l e sa and neighbourh ood .

T his fact is further shown by the want of homogeneity amongst

the principal chiefs of I leea at the present day for when the town ,

was growing the sett l ers did cast about for help they sought for
,

wiser heads to assist them in the building up and the management

of their country e g from the n s or Yorubas Proper they had
, . .

the O dole from I r eh e the E s a we from Qr a the Saloro from n

, ,

l — all
(the ancient city ) and the
, S o r u n d i a so from the same city
these came with a l arge number of fo l lowers from the Ondos the ,

Loro and the Sa l osi from Ij ama in the Ondo district from the
’

E kit is the Arapat e from Ara the L ej g ka from I t aj e

, ,
and
l astly the Ogboni from the white c ap chiefs of Lagos the
, ,

only one privi l eged to have on his headgear in t he presence of the

Q wa T h e Owa himse l f is as we have seen a j u n ior member o f
.
,

the royal house of Q Y Q .

I t is a l so said that wh en the town of Ile s a was t o be laid out a

special messen ger was sent to the A LAF I N to ask for the help of
one of the p ri nces to lay out the town on the same plan as the
ancient city of O Y o T hat prince ru l ed f o r some years at Ilesa
. .

TH E E KI TI S

The E kit is are among the aborigina l e l ements of the country

absorbed by the invaders from the E ast Th e term E kiti denotes .

a Mound and is derived from the rugged mountainous feature o f

,

l
O f t en misca ll ed O banla by young I j eea s outside I l eea .
 THE O R IGI N OF TH E TRI B E S 23

t he country I t is an extensive province and well watered includ

. ,

ing several tribes and fami l ies right on t o the border o f the N iger ,

eastwar d T hey hold themselves quite di s tinct from the I j esa s

.
,

especia lly in political a f fairs Th e E kiti country is divided into .

1 6 districts each with its o wn O wa or Ki n g (Q wa being a ge n eric

,

term amo n gst them ) of which four are supreme viz , .

I T h e OwOr e of Qt u n
.
3 T h e E l ewi o f A d o .

T h e Aj er o of Ij ero T h e E lekOl e of Ikole

'

z .
4 .

Th e followin g are the minor E ki ti kings

5 . A lara of Ara I I . n jaOke of Igbo O d o
6 . Al aye of Ei g n A b aye 1 2 . n ye of d
7 . A j a n p a n d a of Akure 1 3 . Ol o m u wo of Om u wo
8 . A lag g t u n o f n t u n I 4 . Onir e of I r e
‘

9 . Ol o j ud o of I d o 1 5 . A r in j a l e of I s e
I o . Ata of Ai yede I 6 . On it a j i o f I ta j i
'

The Q r a n gu n of Ila i s sometimes classed among them but he is ,

on ly E ki ti in sympathy being o f a di f ferent fami l y

, .

An Ij esa account of the Owa o i Ilesa and some of the principal

E ki ti kings
T h e O l o fin A l afin ) king of I f e had several c h ildren grand ,

children and grea t grandchil d ren ; a mo n gst them were t h e king

, ,

o f A d o or B enin the King of n ,

the Os o m o we of On do (from a ,

daughter ) the A l ara o f A r a the Aj ero o f Ij ero the A l aye o f E f on

, , , ,

the Owo r e o f Q t u n the Q r a n g u n of I l a the A r eg b aj g of Igbaj o

, , ,

the O wa Aj aka of I l esa When the n fin became b lind from old

.

age he was much depressed in min d from this cause e fforts were
put forth to e f fect his cure a ll of which proved fruit l es s when a
, ,

certain man Came forward and prescribed f o r him a sure remedy

which among ot her ingredients contained salt water H e put the .

case before his children but none made any e f fort t o procure some
,

for him save his youngest grandson T his was a very brave and .

warlike prince wh o bore the tit l e of E s in kin amongs t the King s

’

househo l d warriors a title much al h ed t o that of the K a ka nf o

, ,

H e was surnamed A j a ka i e o n e wh o fights everywhere (on

, .
,

account o f his proclivities ) being fond o f adventures H e vo lu n

'

teered to g o and fetch some wherever procurable .

H aving been away for many years and n o t heard of the aged ,

sire and every one e l se despaired of his ever coming back s o the
King di vided hi s property amongst the remaini n g grown u p -

children A l though the A l ado (ki n g o f B enin ) was the e l dest yet
.

the Q l 9 was the most be l oved and t o him he gave the l and and , ,

told him to scour it a l l over and settle nowhere ti ll he cam e t o a

,
24 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
S lippery place and there make h is abode ; hence the term d
,

(S li ppery ) and hence d s are such slippery customers 1

After they had a ll gone and settled in their respective localities ,

all unexpectedly the young adventurer turned up with water from

,

the sea The monarch made use of it as p er prescription and

regained his Sigh t 1 H ence the I j es as who subsequently became h is
”
subj ects are sometimes termed O m o Ob okun children of the ,

brine procurer .

H a ving di st ri buted all his property he had nothing left for A j aka
he therefore gave him a S word lyin g b y h is side with leave t o attack
any of his brothers especiall y the A l ar a or Alad o and possess
, ,

h imself of their wealth b u t s h o ul d he f ai l t o retire back t o hi m

,
'
,

hence the appellation Owa Aj aka Onida r ah a r ah a (Qwa the

ubiquitous fighter a man with a devastating sword )
, .

The Q wa A j aka sett le d a li ttle wa y from h is grandfather and on ,

one occasion he p ai d him a visit an d found him S itting alone ,

with his crown on his head and— out of s heer wantonness — h e cut
o ff some of the fringes with hi s sword The old man was enraged .

by this act and swore that he would never wear a crown with
,

fringes on .
1

T h e A r eg b a j o was one of those who had a crown given to him ,

but the Q wa Aj aka paying h im a visit on one occasi on saw it

, , ,

and took it away and never returned it : hence the kings of Igbaj e
,

never wear a crown t o this day .

T h e Owa also attacked the Ol oj u d o and defeated him an d took ,

possessi on of his crown but he never put i t on On every public .

occasion however it used to be carried before him This continued

, .

to be the case until al l the tribes became independent .

’
The Qwa s mother when married as a young bride was placed
, ,

under the care of the mother of t h t oy g hence the A LAF I N of ,

O Y O often regarded the Qwa as his own son .

The Qr an gun of Ila and the Alar a of A 1 21 were his b rothers of

,

the same mother .

The Q wOn i of I f e was not a son of the Ol o fin but the son of a ,

female slave of his whom he o f fered in sac ri fice Th e Olo fin kept .

the boy a l ways by him and when he sent away h is sons this li ttle
, ,

boy took great care of him and managed his household affairs well
until h is death : hence the n y o on succeeding the father authorised
the boy to have charge o f the palace an d the city and he sent to ,

notify his brothers of this appointment So whenever it was .

asked who was in charge of the house the answer invariably was
_

1
Only t hose wi th fringes on are reall y crowns .
 TH E O R IGI N OF TH E T RIB E S 25

O m o Oluwe ni (It is the son of the sacrificial victim ) This .

has been contracted to the term QwOn i .

The Owa and his brothers used t o pay the A L AF I N annual visits ,

with presents of firewood fine locall y made mats kola nuts and
,
-

bitter kolas ; the OwOr e of Q t u n with sweet water from a cool

spri ng at Q t u n— this water the A LAF I N first spills on the ground
as a libation before performing any ceremonies The ot h er E ki ti .

Kings used a lso to take wi th them suitable presents as each could

afford and b ri ng away lavish presents from their elder brother
, .

This A j aka subsequently became the Qwa of the I j esa s .

T H E ON D o s

The custom of ki l li ng twins prevailed all over the country in

early times it has died out all over the greater part o f it s o long
ago that no one can say precisely wh en or by whom a stop was put
,

to it But it happened once upon a time when the practice still

.

prevai le d that one of the wives of the A L AF I N (King Aj aka ) gave

birth to twins and the King was loth to destroy them he thereupon
, ,

gave orders that they should be removed— with the mother — to a

remote part of the kingdom and there to remain and be regarded
as dead .

So she left with a large number o f friends and retinue t o the sit e
of the present Od e Ondo then sparsely peopled by a tribe named
,

Idoko and there settled hence the term Ondo signifyi ng the
, , ,

Settlers The people of the district knowing who the strangers

.

were yielded t hem ready obe di ence and the strangers becam e rulers
, ,

of the district .

Probably it was from this time infanticide received its death

blow— in Yoruba Proper at least It is said t o linger still at Ak ur e
.

and the adj acent regi ons but as a rule in ancient tim es whatever
, , ,

the custom set or d iscountenanced at the Metropolis the e ffect ,

thereof was r apidl y felt all over the country .

T h e Ondos are sometimes classed among the E kit is but that is

hardl y correct although l ying at the border o f the E kit is they ,

are really a mixture of d s and I d o kos a nd their sympathy is ,

with all .
 C HAPTE R I I I

R E LIGI ON

TH E Yorubas origina l ly were entirely pagans Mohammedanism .

which many now profess was introduced only since the c l ose of
the eighteenth century T hey however be lieve in the existence
.
, ,

of an A LMIG H TY G O D him they term Q L QR U N i e L O RD o f H E A V E N

, , . .
, .

They acknowledge H im Maker of heaven and earth but t o o , ,

exalted to concern H imse l f direct l y with men and their a ffairs ,

hence they admi t the existence of many gods as intermed iaries ,

and these they term Or isas .

We may note here that the term n r u n is applied to G O D alone

and is never used in the plural t o denote Or ieas Kings and the .

great ones o n earth may sometimes be termed Or iea s (gods )

by wa y o f eu l ogy we a r e also familiar with the co mmo n expression
, ,

Oyinbo ekeji O ri ga i e wh ite men are next t o the g ods (i e

. .

in their powers ) but the term O loru n is reserved for the GR E AT G OD

alone .

They a l so beli eve in a future state hence the worship of the dead , ,

and invocation of spirits as observed in the E g ii g u n festival a

'

festiva l in which masked indi viduals persona t e dead re l atives .

T hey have a be l ief a l so in a future j udgment as may b e inferred

from the f o l lo wing adage Oh un gb o gb o ti a se l aiy e li a 0
,
’

de id en a Q r u n ka (Whatever we d o on earth we shall give an

account thereof at the portals of heaven ) .

They a l so be l ieve in the doctrine of metempsychosis or tran s ,

migration o i sou ls hence they a ffii m that after a period of time

, ,

deceased parents are born again into the f ami l y of their surviving
chi l dren It is from this notion that some chi l dren are named
.

”
Babatunde i e father comes again
, . .
, Y et u n d e i e mother .
,
. .
,

comes again .

OB J E CTS or W O R S H IP
I .
— Originall y the Kori was the only obj ect of worship
T h e K or i ,
.

I t consists of the hard shel l s of the palm nut strung into beads ,

and made to hang from the neck to the knees In modern times .

it is n o l onger regarded as an obj ect of worship by adults but litt l e ,

children g o about with it t o the market places begging for a l ms .

The obj ect of worship is then worn by one of their number who ,

goes before his companions followi n g behind h im shouting the

, ,

26
 R E LIGI O N 27

praises of the ancient god Kori In this way they parade the .

market places and sel lers before whom they halt to sing m ake
, ,

them presents of money (cowries ) or whatever they may happen t o

be sell ing usual ly artic l es of food Thus the little children
, .

perpetuate th e m emory and worship of this deity hence the ditty ,

Iba m a si ewe Kori a ku 0 , .

(B u t for little children Kori had perished ) .

In later times heroes are venerated and deified of these Sango , ,

a O risa Oko may be mentioned as the chief

, , The origin of .

their worship will be noted hereafter .

2 . Or is a l a — To Or is al a are ascribed creative powers

. H e is .

regarded as a co worker with n r u n Man is supposed t o have

-
.

been made by G o d in a lump and shaped as he is by Orisa l a I ts , .

vo t a ii es are distinguished by white beads worn round the neck ,

and by their using only white dresses T hey are forbidden the .

use of pa lm wine Sacrifices offered by them are n o t to be salted

. .

A lb in o es dwarfs the lame hunchbacks and all deformed persons

, , , ,

generally are regarded as sacred t o this god ; hence they are

”
designated En i O ri ga (belonging to the god ) being regarded as ,

specially m ade so by him .

Or iea la is the common name o f the god known and worshipped

by different townships under di fferent appel l ations e g i t is ,
. .
,

cal l ed Oriea Ol u o fin at I wefin ; Or ieako at Qko Or isa kir e at I kire

Oriea giy a n at E jigbo ; Oris aeg u in at E g uin Or iea r o wu at Owu
Or isa j a y e at I j a y e and Ob a t a l a at O b a .

3 . 0r i . T h e Ori (head ) is the universal household deity

-

worshipped by both sexes as the g o d of fate I t i s believed that .

good or ill fortune attends one accordi n g to the will or decree of ,

this g o d and hence it is propi tiated in order that good luck might
be the S hare of its votary T h e r epresen ti ng image is 4 I cowries
'
.

strung together in the shape of a crown T his is secreted in a .

large coffer t h e lid of which is of the sam e form and material

, .

I t is called Ile Or i (01 1 5 house ) and in size is as l arge as the owner

'

can a f ford to make it Som e usually contain as much as 6 heads

.

of cowries and the manufacturer who is generally a worker

,

in leather receives as his pay the same amount of cowri es as is

used in the article manufactured .

A S the Kori is the children s g o d so the Or i is exclusively ’

worshipped by the adults After the death of its owner the image
.
,

of Ori with the co f fer is destroyed and the c owries spent , .

4 .Og u n — This is the g o d of war and a l l instrum ents made of ,

iron are co n secrated to it hence Ogu n is the b l acksmiths god ' ’

.
,

The representing image is the silk cotton tree specially planted ,

28 THE H IST O R Y o r TH E Y O RU B AS
beneath which is placed a piece of granite on which palm oil is
poured and the blood of sl ai n an imals — generally a dog .

.
5 E s u or E l eg ba r a —Satan the E vil On e the author of al l
.
, ,

e vil is often and specially propi tiated Off erings are made to i t . .

The representing image is a rough lateritic stone upon w h ich

libation s of palm oil are poured I t is superstitiously believed that.

the vengeance of this god could be successfully invoked upon an

o f fender by the name of the person being called b efore the image
while nut oil is being poured on it The image of a man with a .
,

horn on i ts head curving backwards carved in wood and orn a ,

m en t ed with cowri es is often carried by its devotees to beg with

,

on pub lic highways Passers b y wh o are s o disposed may give

.
-

each a cowry or two or handfuls of corn bean s or an y product

, , ,

of the field at h and as he or S h e m ay choose This curved headed

, .

fi g ure is called Qg e Elegb ar a — the devil s club ,

’
.

S gp g n a or the sma ll p ox is generally beli e ved to b e one of

t h e demons by wh ich this lower world is in fested and has its special ,

devotees The representing i mage is a broo m made fro m the

.

branches of the bamboo palm stripped of its leaves and besmeared , ,

with camwood J o invoke i ts vengeance parched corn or beniseed

'

is usuall y thrown hot upon the im age and then it is beli eved the ,

epidemic will spread But they cert ai nly have a more di rec t
,.

means of spreading the disease .

Persons dying of t h is plague are buried only by the devotees of

this god who a ccount it as their special right t o bury such corpses
, ,

being Victims of the vengeance of their god F or a propitiation .

,

they often demand from the relatives of the victims 5 head

of cowries a tortoise a snail a fowl a pigeon a goat an
, , , , , ,

armadillo a ground pig camwood shea butter a quantity of

, , , ,

pa lm oil two kinds of beads green and yellow called respectively

, , ,

Ot n t u and Op on together with all the e ff ects of the deceased

, ,

which are regarded as theirs by legi tim ate right The corpse is .

buried either in the bush or by the side of a river , .

The fo l lowing anecdote was related by a devotee H e was .

c on fir m ed — said h e—in his be lief in the exi stence of the gods an d as

hel pers in the government of the world fro m the fol lowin g incident .

Said he A young m an on ce fell into a swoon and having revived

, , ,

he related the vision which he had seen H e said he saw the GR E AT .

G OD sitting on a throne covered with a flowing garment attended

, ,

on H is right and left by Oris a la and Ifa his counse llors beh ind
him was a pit into which the condemned were cast Ogun and .

S g p on a were ministers of his vengeance to execute j ustice upon

o f fenders Ogun arm ed with
. swords (o r daggers ) went out
daily to slay vi cti ms his food being t h e blood of t h e slai n S ep g n a
,
.
30 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
I t is considered a crime to touch an n i g un dress in public ,

and disrespectful to pass him by with the head uncovered E ven .

a b oy E g ug un is considered worthy of being honoure d by his

(supposed ) surviving parents he salutes them as elderly people ,

wo u ld d o and promises the bestowa l o f gifts on the family

, .

In every town there are several A la gb as or head priests o f E g figu n

out of them a president is elected at whose ho u se all the others ,

meet on special occasions .

T h e individual wh o fi l ls the highest rank in the E g fig u n worship

is the A la p in i one of the seven great noble men of Q Y Q (the Q Y Q
,

M E SI ) H e resides always in t h e royal city of Q Y Q T here can

. .

be but one A la p in i at a tim e and by virtue of his o ffi ce he must be

,

a m on or ch is T hus qual ified he shares wi th the eunuchs in a ll

.
,
'

their privileges and at the same time enj oys the lio n s s h a r e in the
,
’

E g ii gu n department
'

In a large town every quarter has its own Alagb a in whose

,

house a special apartmen t is dedicated t o the E g ij g un worship ,

where all the E g iig un dress in that part o f the town are kept until
req u ire d for use o n special occasions or at the annual festivals .

E g fig un s are generally wors h ipped with a kind of cake made

of beans and palm oil ( Qlele) in the month of F ebruary after the ,

bean s harvest in January and the E g ii g un an n i versary is us u ally

held in the month o f May or J une T hese festiva l s are lucky .

times for the m en for on these occasions the women are m ade t o
,
”
spend largely to feast deceased relat i ves whi l e the food is ,

consumed by the m en in the A la g b a s department T h e number

’
.

of fowls and goats killed and devoured at such times is simply

prodigious Such is the force of habit engendered by b lind
.

superstition that although in reality the women are n o longer

,

deceived as regards these alleged visits of their dear departed

, ,

yet they make their o fferings with cheerfulness and with a sure ,

expectation of blessi n gs .

It has already been noted a b o ve t h a t the Yorubas believe in a _ _

future state I t can not be considered t o o far fetched to say that

.

this periodi cal r e appearance of the dead as symbo li zed in the

-

E g ii g u n mystery is an embodiment of the idea of the R esur

”
’

rection although that doctrine as taught by Christianity cannot

,

be s ai d to be identica l with what they ho l d and practise but this

festival is usually observed with all the zeal and fervour with which
Christians celebrate the Christmas and Pascha l festivals .

This anniversary is the time of re u nion among absent friends

an d relatives The town then puts on i ts best appearance the
.
,

str eets are everywhere cleaned and put under repairs and the ,

citizens appear abroad in their holiday dress .

 R E LIGI O N 31

The celebration is usual l y preceded o n the eve of the festival by a

vigil term ed in Yoruba I ku n l e or the kn eeling because the ,

whole night is spent in kneeli n g and praying in the grove set apart
for n i g u n worshi p invo ki n g the blessings and the ai d of the
,

departed parent Th e blood of fo wl s and a nim a ls o ffered in

.

sacrifice is al so poured on the graves of the ancestors .

On the m orning of the festi va l the who l e of the n i g u n s ,

includi n g a ll the pri nci pal forms accompanied by the A l ag b as

and minor pri ests form a procession to the residence of the chief
ru l er of the town they there receive the homage of the chief ,

and in turn gi ve him and the other chiefs and the whole to wn their
blessings they then spend about three hours doing honours
to t h e chief pl aying and dancing to thei r peculiar m usic and after
,

recei ving presents they disperse t o continue the play all over the
town each confining himse l f more or less t o his own quarter of the
,

town .

The festiva l is contin ued f o r seven da ys and o n the eighth day , ,

there is another gathering at the Chief A l a g b a s and the festivi ties ’

are brought to a close with games sports and a display of m a gic , ,

tri cks .

For three weeks to a month l esser E g figu ns may sti l l be s een

,

making their appearance thes e as a rule belong to poorer districts ,

which wei e backward in their preparations for the annual feast .

E veryone however still keeps to the sam e r ul e of seven days

’

, ,

appearance and disappearing li kewise on the eighth day aft er a

grand display .

T H E A DA M U OR I S A AN D TH E G ELED E .

In imi tation of the E g fig u n s som e l ittora l tribes adopt simi lar

,

forms of representation of their departed dead such are the

A d a m uo r isa amo ng the A wo r is and the G el ed e among the Eg b a d o
,

tribes .

The A d a m uor isa is sometim es called Ey e; the former term

signi fies the god with the nasal twang—o u account of the arti
ficia l voice they a f fect and the latter Ey e simply m eans Qy o
, , ,

being an imitation or parody of the Oy o s y stem of E g fig un worship .

But whereas the E g fig u n s appear annually at a fix ed period of ,

the year viz at the fe as t of the first frui ts i n June thes e are used
, .
,

as a part of the funeral obsequi es of a C hi eftain or well t o do citizen ,

- -

wh o can a f ford a carni val in connection with his funeral ri tes The .

e ffigy of the departed is set up in state in the house the imm edi at e ,

relati ves are dressed in their very best and all ho l d horse t ai l s in
.
,
-

their hands t o dance with The play lasts for one day only and
.

genera l ly ends with a big fe ast .

32 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
The G el ed e is also a human being in a m ask the head of which
is exquisitely carved i n wood and made to represent that of a ,

ma n or woman with all their trib al m arks an d som etimes any of

t h e l o wer a nimals such as the al ligator They are more generally .

of a femal e form wi th carvi ngs of pl ai ted h ai i and m agnificent

, ,

b usts ; they are elaborately or fantastically dressed bedecked ,

wi th a wealth of female ornaments of nati ve m anufacture such as ,

ear rings bangles beads etc with j ingles on their an kles they
-

, , , .
,

dance and move maj estically trea di ng heavily to the rhythmic ,

-

sound of drums and other m usical instruments .

They are much b es m ir ed with ch al k and c a mwood presenting ,

rather a frightful (if harmless ) appearance .

8 Or o
. The Or b s ystem is also s ai d by som e to have been
.

borrowed from the red monkey called I j imer e It co n s is t s o f a .

'

flat pi ece of ii o n or stick with a long string attach ed to a pole

, , .

This when whi rled swiftly in the air produces a shrill sound whi ch
is called Aj a (Oro s dog) A larger kind whi rled with .

t he hand gives a deep bass tone This is the voice of the Or b .

himself Amongst th e I j eb us and the Egbas 01 6 is much more

.
,

sacred and important than the E g figu n and is the executor of ,

c r iminals The Egb a s pay homage also t o another god called

.

Ol o gb oij eu n wh o is personated by a m an under a m ask with a

,

drawn sword in his hand .

Other gods of the sam e class are the Igis (trees ) also personified
by h uman beings masked and carrying an ima g e on the head
, .

S om e of th es e are male figures with branching horns on which ,

are car ved figures of monkeys snakes and other animals Others , .

‘
are female figures whi ch are called Ef u n gb a r o kii - -
.

Am ongst the Qy os ( Yorubas Proper) the people of Is eyin

and J abata are the p ri nci pal Or o worshi ppers S even days are .

set apart annually f or its worship E xcept for a few ho u rs during .

whi ch they are permitted to procure provisions wom en are kept ,

indoors throughout the day On the seventh day even this small
.

indulgence is not al lowed but they are rigi dly shut up the entire
,

day It is cert ai n death for any one of them to be found without

.

and this penalty is exacted whatever may be the title or wealth

'
, ,

o r position of r es p ec t a bilit y o f any wom an who ventures to have

a peep at the 01 0 .

f f a — This i s the great consul t in g oracle i n the Yoruba country

and was introduced at a late period b y King ON I G B O GI who was ,

s ai d to have been dethroned for having don e s o .

Another tradi tion says i t was introduced into the Yo r uba cou n tr y
by o n e S et ilu nati ve of the N upe country wh o was born blind
, ,
.

This was about the period of the Mohammedan invasion .

 R E LIGI O N 33

S et il u parents regretting their misfort une in having a blind s on

’
s ,

were at first of doubtful mind as t o what course they s hould

purs ue whether to kill the ch ild or spare i ts life t o becom e a burden
, ,

on the family Parenta l feelings deci ded them to S pare the C hild
. .

I t grew up a pec uliar child and the parents were astonished at his
,

extraordinary powers of di vination At the early age of 5 he . ,

began to excite their wonder and curi o s ity by foretelling wh o

wo ul d pay them a Visit in the course o f the day and with what
obj ect As he advanced in age he began t o practise sorcery and
.
,

m edicine At the comm encem ent of hi s practice he used 1 6 sma ll

.
,

pebbles and imposed successfully upon the cred uli ty o f those wh o

flocked t o him in their distress and anguish for consultation From .

thi s source he earned a comfortable li velihood Finding that the

, .

adherents were fast becoming S et ilu s followers and that even ’

respectable pri ests did not escape the general contagion the ,

M ohammedans resolved t o expel S et ih i out of the country This .

being e ffected S et il u crossed the r i ver N iger and went to B enin

, ,

staying for a while at a pl ace cal l ed Qwe thence to Ado S ub s e , .

quently he migrated to Ile I f e and finding that place more s uitable ,

for practising his a r t h e resolved to m ake i t his permanent residence

, .

H e soon becam e f am ous there also and h is perform a nces so ,

impressed the people and the re l iance pl aced in him was s o

,

absolute that he had little di fficulty in persuading them t o abo lish

,

the tribal marks on their faces such m arks of distinction n ot being ,

practised in N upe S et ilu s own country ,

’
.

In process of tim e palm n uts pi eces of iron and i vory ba l ls ,

were successi vely used instead of pebbles At the presen t day .

,

palm nuts only are used as they are consi dered more easily pro
i
p ia t ed the others req uiri n g costly sac ri fices and even hum an
t ,

blood .

S et il u initi ated several of hi s followers in t h e mysteries of

Ifa wo rship and i t has gradually become the consulting oracle
,

of the whole Yoruba nation I n order to becom e an Ifa pri est .

'

a long course o f serious study is necessary To consult Ifa in the . ,

more common and ordi nary way 1 6 p al m nuts are t o be shaken ,

together in the hollow of both hands whilst certai n m ar ks are ,

traced with the index finger on a flat bowl dusted with yam flour ,

or powdered camwood E ach m ar k s uggests to the consul ti n g

.

priest the heroic deeds of som e fabulous heroes which he d uly ,

recounts and s o he goes on with the m arks in order until he hits

, ,

upon cert ai n words or phr as es which appear to bear upon the m att er
of the applicant before him V ery often answers are given m uch .

after the m anner o f the ancient oracle at D elphi .

Ifa Wa s real ly m et in this country by the Yorubas for OD U D U WA ,

34 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E Y O RU B A S
met at Ile I f e but the worship of i t w as o fficially recog
S et il u ,

n iz e d by K I N G O F I R A N son of O N I G B OG I .

1 0 S a ng o — S ango wa s the fourth King of the Y O R U B AS and

. .
,

was deified by his friends after h i death S an go ruled over al l the s .

Yorubas including B enin the Popos and D ahom ey for the worship , ,

of him has continued in all these countries t o this day .

.

It is related o f him that being a tyrant he was dethroned by his

,

peopl e and expelled the country Finding himself deserted not

, .

only by his friends but al so by his beloved wife QY A he committed

, ,

suici de at a place called Koso H is tra gi c end becam e a proverb .

and a b y word and his faithless fri ends were asham ed on account
-

of the taunts cast upon the nam e and fam e of the unfortunate
King T o atone for their base action in deserting him a s wel l as
.
,

t o avenge the insults on his m emory they went to the B ariba

country t o study the art of charm making and also the process -

of attracting lightning upon their enemies houses ’

.

On their retu r n home t hey put to practice with a vengeance the

lessons they had learnt From the t o o frequent c on fl a g r a t io ns .

which were ta king pl ace as we l l as deaths from lightning strokes , ,

suspicions were aroused an d enquiries were set on foot Then ,

.
.

S ango s friends s ai d that the catastrophe was a ttributable to the

’

late Ki n g taking ve n geance on his enemi es on account of the

indigniti es they h a d heaped upon his memory B eing appealed .

t o t o propitiat e the o f fended Ki n g in order that h e may stay his

,

vengeance upon the land his fri ends o f fered sacri fices to him as ,

god an d hence these intercessors became the Mogba (advoc a t e)

,

and priests of S ango and to this day their descendants hold the
sam e o ffi ce .

The emblems of worship representing S ango are certain smooth

stones shaped li ke an axe head common l y taken for thunder bolts .

They are supposed t o be h urled down from the heavens when the
god wo uld ki ll any o n e wh o has incurred his displ easure .

The fol lowing is the process to b e gone through a t the initiation -

of any on e into the myst eri es o f S ango worship —The p ii es t s

demand a ram a water bird called Qs in a tortoise a snail an
, , , ,

armadi ll o a large rat cal led O ket e a toad a tadpo l e the Ot n tn

, , , ,

and n n beads the red tail o f a parrot a guinea fo wl shea butt er

, , , ,

sal t palm oi l the flesh of an elephant venison the t et e (greens)

, , ,

the l eaves of the evergreens called E t ip g n gl a Qd ii d u n and ip er eg un , ,

tree a smal l knife cal l ed a b e esu (the devi l s razor ) a white -

’

countr y c l oth of 1 0 breadths a mat ca ll ed {5 1 5 (mats made of the ,

pith of bamboo pa l m bran ches ) together with 7 heads of cowries

cowry shells) as carriage fee .

The leaves are brui sed in a bowl of water and with the infusion ,
 R E LIGI O N 35

the candidate is to puri fy himse l f H e is then seated on a mortar .

and shaved The birds and tortoise are kil l ed and their hearts
.

taken out and these wi th slices of the flesh of all the animals
,

above m entioned are p ounded together wi th the evergreens

-

and a ba l l is m ade of the compound The candi date n ow submits .

to i ncisions on his shaven head and the b a ll o f po unded articles

is rubbed into the wounds The neophyte n ow becom es a recog
.

n is ed devotee of S ango .

Important ceremonies are performed when a house is struck

by lightning The inmates are not al l owed to sleep i n a n y house
.

but in booths or blacksmith s shops u n til the s o cal led thunder

’

,
-

bolt i s dug up and removed from th e premises A garland of pal m .

leaves is genera ll y hung up at the entrance of the devoted house to

forbid any but S ango pri ests to enter A watchman is kept on .

the premises at the expense of the sufferers from the divine visita
tion a nd it is the duty of this m an to ward o ff trespassers from
,

what is now regarded as sacred ground ti l l the ceremonies shall ,

have been performed and the o ffended god appeased With the
, .

so l e exception of the great King the A LAF I N of Q Y e all the p r o , ,

vin cia l kings and ruling C hiefs in whose to wn the catastrophe

happens to take place are bound to repair to the spot to do

,

homage t o S ango who is sai d to pay a visit to earth

, .

S uch occasions are greatly prized by the worshi ppers who S warm
t o the place in numbers with their B ay ani a sort of crown made of ,

cowri es and they are a ll to be entertained at the expense of the

,

su f ferers and also by the neighbours .

The king or chief coming to pay his respects t o S ango is to

recei ve 1 1 heads of cowri es a goat an d a slave in three payments
, ,
.

In the case of a poor house a m ember of the family is seize d ,

if not quietly gi ven up and has to be ransomed at a consi derable

,

sum which must be pai d and the above m entioned articles pro
,

cured before the ceremony can be perform ed Then all being ready
, .

the priests having now assemb l ed the tete (greens ) et ip g ng la , ,

together with the evergreens Qd fi d un and p er eg u n are br uised in

a bowl of water and wi th this they p urify themselves before
,

ent ering the house They are preceded by one holding an iron
.

instrument (the divining rod) with which a search is made for the
S pot where the bo l t is believed to have entered the ground After .

some pretence they arri ve at a spot in which one of their number

had previous l y buri ed one of these sharp stones H ere the groun d .

is ordered t o be dug wi th a show of solemnity and of course the

, , , ,

thunder bolt is foun d and exhumed with well sust ai ned marks of
-
-

pi ety and re verence .

Thus the common people are deceived and imposed upo n and ,
36 THE H IST O R Y o r T HE Y O RU B A S
very f ew besides the pri ests are aware of the tricks systematic al ly
played upon their credulity .

The conclu d ing ceremony still bears hardly on the poor sufferers .

T hey are required to give over a son to the pri ests to be initiat ed
in the mysteries of the cult and further t hey are t o pay som ething
in order to obtain p er m is s wn to rebuild their houses H ence an .

accident of this kind means great calamity to any one and heavy ,

debts are incurred The unfortunat e su ff erers already deprived

.

of their all (much or little) by this sudden stroke of ill fortune are -

o ften obliged t o put their c h ildren to service in order to raise

money su fficient to m eet the demands of the greedy worshippers
of this heartless god The fines obtained are shared between the
.

king or head chief and the town authorities but the articles
,
:

purchased for the performance of the cerem on i es are perquisites

which are appro priated by the pri ests alone .

This descent of S ango on earth is never done but with a View

to S how his displeasure on persons who are guilty of perjury
and lies The town for a while is as it were placed under an
.

interdict and during that brief period the worshippers of the god
,

are allowed to seize with i mpunity whatever t h ey can com e at in

the public streets in t h e vicinity of th e catastrophe such as ,

sheep goats poultry and things of great er or less value

, ,
.

S ango Worshippers ar e forbidden to touch the large white beans

called S ese because it is used for counteracting the evil e f fects
,
’
of the agencies employed in attracting lightning on people s
hous es .

w
’

1 1 a. This a.s the nam e of S ango s fait h ful and beloved

wife S he alone of all his wives accompanied him in his flight
.

towar ds the Tapa (N upe) country his maternal hom e B ut courage .

failed her at a place called Ira her native town which S h e was,

never t o see any m ore Should love for her husband prevail t o
m ake her resolve to share with him in his destiny B ut the prospect .

o f making her hom e among entire strangers in a strange land among

a people speaking a strange tongue and of leaving parents and ,

home for ever s o overpowered her that she hesitated t o procee d

,
.

As S h e coul d not for very sham e return to Q Y Q she remained at '

Ira and hearing that her husband had committed suicide ,

she summed up su ffi cient courage to foll ow his example .

S he also was deified The river N iger is sacred to her and

. ,

hence that river is cal led a ll over Yoruba land OD O QY A after

her nam e As thunder and lightnin g are attributed t o S ango
. ,

s o tornado and vi olent thunderstorms Ten d in g trees and levelling ,

high towers and hous es ar e attributed to a They signify her .

displeasur e .
38 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
the accused t o a cave supposed t o be inhabi ted by a demon call ed
Polo In this cave Ori sa Oko practised his sorcery In cases
. .

where an accused was innocent he would return with him ; if ,

otherwise then his head is thrown out t o those aw ai ting a decision

, .

Po l o the demon executed the gui l ty The fame of Ori sa Oko .

spread and numbers resorted t o him in t aking oaths His oracle .

was regarded as infal libl e and appeals t o him were final

, .

After his death his followers practised his m ethods t aking

,

the precaution to secrete a strong m an in the cave t o act the part

o f the supposed Polo .

B ut a stri king exposure soon brought the practice into disrepute ,

and i t was abolishe d I t happened thus A man was accused

, .

and as usu al wa s taken t o the cave but he proved to be a far

,

stronger man than the supposed Polo and the res ul t was that he ,

killed the counterfeit demon and threw his head o u t of the cave
,

t o those wh o were eager l y waiting f or the decision of the g o d .

The representing image is a fife made of i vory or a flat piece o f

iron 5 or 6f t in l ength similar t o what i s given as a Sign of
.

acquittal t o those in whose favour the g o d had decided .

The E R U G IJ N mystery is o f a kind similar t o that o f the Ori sa Oko

worshi p I t al so was practised in a cave by the si de o f a mount
.

cal led the Er ug ii n mount

‘
.

The above are the principal gods worshipped by the Yorubas .

There are besi des many inferior divinities to w h om o fferings

are made In fact the whole number o f gods and goddesses
.

acknowledged is reckoned at 4 0 1 Propitiatory sacri fices are .

also o ff ered to whatever in nature is awe inspiring or magni ficent -

such as the Ocean huge rocks tall trees and high mountains T o
, , , .

t h e last named especially o f ferings are made f or the procreation

of C hildren .

M O H AM M E D A N IS M as wa s observed above was introduced ,

towards the close o f the eighteenth century ; i t numbered very

f ew adherents up t o the tim e when the F ul anis by stratagem ,

sei zed Ilorin and overran the northern provinces as we shall ,

find related in the second part of this history Th e towns in .

the plain were swept with fire and the sword with the alternati ve ,

o f the acceptance o f the Koran and submi s sion to the F ulanis ; ,

the southward progress of the conquerors however wa s stopped , ,

.

at Osogbo where the I b a d a n s m et and crushed them and in the

, ,

direction of the Ij esa and E ki ti provinces the forests and mountain ,

fastnesses o ffered insurmountable obstac l es t o these intrepid

horsemen wh o could neither fight on foot nor engage i n a bush
,

warfare hence Mohamm edanism prevailed chi efly in the north ,

but latterly i t spread southwards by peaceful means chi efly by ,

 R E LIGI O N 39

traders and i tin era n t me n dicant preachers It is n ow embraced .

by thousands as it appears to be a superior form of re ligion t o the

,

paganism of their ancestors .

C H R IS TIA N ITY Christianity wa s introduced by the Church

.

Missionary S ociety in I 8 43 first into Ab eokuta via B adagry , ,

and from thence t o Ibadan in May 1 8 5 1 and also t o I j a y e O n , .

January I O 1 8 5 2 the C M S removed their base from B adagry

, , . . .

to Lagos From Ab eokuta mission stations were plante d at the

.
,

Oke Ogun and Eg b a d o districts from Ibadan missions were planted ,

at I wo Modak ek e I f e Osogbo and I l eea Missions were estab l ished

, , , .

al so at Q Y Q and Ogbomoso before the I j aye wa r broke o u t in 1 8 60 ,

which put a stop t o the progress of missions al l over the country .

Th e i ntertri ba l wars which followed and w h ich convu l sed the

gre a ter part of the country and devastated large area s prevented, ,

i ts growth northwards but at Ab eokuta where i t was first p l anted

, ,

it grew s o rapid l y that at the time o f the B ritish occupation ,

Christi an adherents cou l d be numbered by thousands ; schoo l s

had been established and evange l istic work amo n g the surroundi n g
,

kin dred tribes systematically undertaken and was bei n g vigorously

carri ed on .

'

T h e B ib l e in the vernacular wa s the m ost po t ent factor in the

S pread of the religion Th e sincerity o f the co n ve rt s and th e
.
,

firm ho l d the re l i gion has attained have been fu l ly tested by ,

several bloody persecutions endured for the faith through which ,

they cam e out triumphant .

The f orces organized for hom e defence chiefly against the

D ah o m ia n attacks contained a compact body of Christi ans under
their own captain the esp r it d e corp s existing am on g them and the
, ,

invariable success which a l ways attended their arms won f or them ,

the respect and admiration of their pagan rulers and countrym en ,

.

This contributed not a li ttle to the cessation of persecutions and the

increase of their number .

T h e estab lishm ent o f the B ritish protectorate saw the mission ,

established at I j eb u where i t has since been spreading phenom enal l y

,

and a lso in the Ij esa and E kiti provinces It is se l f propagating .

by m eans of the peopl e l earning to read the B ible in their o wn

tongue To God be the praise
. .
 CH APTE R I V
G O V E RN M E N T
T HE entire Yoruba co untry has never been thoroughly organized
'

into one complete gover nment in a modern sense The system that .

prev ai ls is that known as t h e F eud a l the re moter portions have

'

always lived more or less i n a stat e of semi independence whilst -

loosely acknowledging a n over lord The king of B enin Was on e -

.

of the first t o be in d ep er dent of the central governm ent and was ,

even better known t o f OI eigners wh o frequented his ports in ear ly

tim es and wh o knew nothing of his over lord in the then unexplored
,
-

and unknown interior .

Yoruba Proper however was completely organi zed and the

, , ,

descri ptions here gi ven refer chi efly t o i t With som e variations .

most o f the small er governm ents were generally modelled after it ,

but in a much simpler form and solely in their dom estic a f fairs ;
,

foreign relations s o far as then obt ai ned before the period of the ,

revolution were entirely in the hands of the central governm ent

at Qy o (E y eo or Kat unga) It should be remembered that the
.

coast tribes were of much less importance then than n ow both ,

in p op u l a t io n and in intelli gence

,
light and civi li zation with the
Yorubas came from the north wi th whi ch they have always
retained connection through the Ar abs and F ulanis The centre of .

l ife and acti vity of large populations an d industry was therefore

,

in the interior whi lst the co ast tribes W ere scanty in n umber
,
'
,

ignorant and degraded not only from th eir dista n ce from the
centre of light but also through their demorali zing intercourse
,

wi th E uropeans and the transactions connected with the oversea

,

slave trade .

This state o f things has been som ewhat reversed since the latter
half of the XI Xt h century by the suppression of the slave trade
,
-

and the substitution therefor of legitimate trade and comm erce :

and more especi ally through the labours of the missionari es wh o
entered the country about the sam e tim e as the springing up into
being of the m Od ei n towns of Lagos Ab eokuta and Ibadan , , ,

through which W estern light and C i vi lization beam into the interior .

The government of Yoruba Proper is an absolut e m onarchy

the King i s more dreaded than even the gods The o ffi ce is .

hereditary in the sam e family but not necessarily from father t o

,

son: The King is usually elected by a body of noblem en known .

as Q Y Q M E SI the seven principal councillors of state

, .

40
 G O VE RN M E N T 41

The vassal or provincial kings and ruling princes were 1 060

at the time of the greatest prosperity of the empire which then
included the Popos D ahom ey and parts of Ashanti wi th por t ions
, , ,

of the Tap as and B a rib a s .

”
The word king as generally used in this country includes
a l l more o r less distinguished chiefs wh o stand at the head of a
,

clan or one wh o is the ru l er of an im portant district or province

, ,

especially those who can trace their descent from the founder ,

or from o n e of the great leaders or heroes wh o settled with him in

this country They are o f di f ferent grades correspondi n g some
. ,

what to the d i fferent orders of th e E nglish peerage (dukes ,

m ar q uises ea r ls Viscounts and barons) and t h eir order of rank is

, , ,

well known among themsel ves The Oni ko y i as head of the

-
.

E kin i Os i 01 metropolitan province was the first of these kings

and he i t was who used to head them all to QY Q once a year t o pay
homage to the A L AF I N or King of the Yorubas .

T H E A L AF I N

The A L AF I N is the suprem e head o f all the ki n gs and pri n c es

o f the Yoruba nation as he is the direct li ne a l des cendant and
,

successor o f the reputed founder of the nation T h e succession as .

above sai d is by election from amongst the m embers of the royal

family of the one considered as the most worthy age and nearness
, ,

to the throne being taken into consi deration I t might be .

m entioned also in passing that the feelings and acceptance of

the deni zens of the harem towards the king elect are often -

pri vately ascertained and assured of previously .

In the earli est days the eldest son naturally succeeded the father
, ,

and in order to be educated in al l the duties of the kingship which

must o ne day devolve upon him h e wa s often associated more or
,

less wi th the father in performing important duties and th ereby

he often p er f or m ed r o y a l f unctions and thus gradual l y he practically
,

reigned with his f ather under the title o f A R E M Q (the heir appar ent )
having his o wn official residence near the pal ace but as the age
grew corrupt the A R E M 9 often exercis ed sway qui te as much as or
,

more than the King himself especi a l l y in th e co u rse of a long r eign

, ,

when age has rendered the monarch feebl e They had equal powers .

of life and death over the King s subj ects an d there are some
’

cases on record of the A R E M Q being strongly suspected of termin

ating the father s life in order t o att ai n full powers at once I t
’

,
.

was therefore made a law and part of the constitution that as the
A R EM Q reigned with his father he must also di e with him
, .

This law had the eff ect at any rate of checking parricide I t .

continued to take e ffect up to the last century when (in 1 8 5 8)

42 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O R U B AS
i t wa s repe al ed by A TI B A one o f the later Kings in favour of his
A R EM g A DE LU The A R EM Q may n ow succeed if found W orthy
.
,

but he m ust be elected in the usual wa y but if passed over or

rej ected by the king makers he must leave the city and resort
-

t o a private retirement in the provi nces This however is not .

,

re al ly obligator y but as he must be superseded in his o ffi ce

, ,

s uch a course is inevitable un l ess he chooses of his Own accord ,

t o die with the father .

The choice m ay Sometim es fall upon one o f the poorer princes ,

in the quiet pursuit of his trade with no aspiration after the ,

throne such a one is sent for and unnecessarily i l l used f or the ,

-

last t im e to his own surprise ; t h is was done probably for the

purpose o f testing his temper and spirit H e may not be aware .

of the intentions of the OY o M E SI until he is being admonished

by them as to the duties and responsibili ties o f the exalted position
he is soon to fi l l .

The nominators are three titled m embers of the royal family ,

vi z the Q N A I so x iJ N the O N A A K A and the Q M e Q LA uncles

.
,
-

,
-

,
- -

or cousins of the King but general ly entitled the King s fathers

,
’
.

T hese have t o submit or sugges t the names t o the noblem en for

election but the B a eg r un s voice is paramount to accept or to
,
’

rej ect .

Curious and elaborate ceremonies prec ede the actual accession

t o the throne After all arrangements have been made the
.
,

ceremonies begin by a sacri fice brought f rom the house of the

Q N A I § O K U N by a body of men cal led Om o n in a r i these belong
- -

t o a fami l y special l y concerned in carrying out all menial duties

connected with the offering of sacri fices and in Wai ting upon the
King and the priests As soon as they enter the house where
”

the King elect is he is cal led out and he has to stand up wi th an

-

, ,

attendant by hi s side H e is touched on the chest and on the .

,

right and left shoulders with the bowl of sacri fice the attendant ,

in the mean tim e utte ri ng som e form of words This is the signal .

that he has been called to the throne On the evening of the same .

day he is conducted quietly into the house of the ON A I S O K I J N

,
-

where he spends the first night In order t o avoi d the crowd the . ,

attention o f the populace is usually di vert e d by a procession of the

Kings S l aves and others wi th much noise and a d o as if escorting
’

hi m whi l st the king el ect accompanied by the A r egb e d i a titled

’
-

, ,

eunuch and a f ew of the Om o ui nari come up qui etly a long way

,
- -

behind .

At the Q N A I § O K U N S house he is attended solely by the Q m e

-
'
,

n i nari
-
H e is admonished and advised by those Wh o stand to
.

him in place of a father S om e ceremonies of purification ar e gone .

 G O V E RN M E N T 43

through propitiatory sacrifices are again o f fered which are car r ied
,

t o various quart ers of the city by the n n i n ar i - -

.

The next night he passes at the house of the Q t un I wef a (the 1 -

next in rank to the chief of the eunuchs) This o fficial being a .

pri est of S ango i t is probab l e that the king elect spends the night
,
-

with him in order t o be initiated into the sacerdot al part of his

o ffi ce the A L AF I N having as m uch spiritual as well as secul ar
,

work to perform being at once King and Priest t o his people ;

,

and probably he learns there also the usages and doings of the
huge population in the inner precincts of the palace wi th which
the eunuchs are quite conversant After this he is conducted .
,

into on e of the chambers in the Outer Court of the pal ace (Qm o ile)
where he resides for three months the period of m ourning until , ,

his coronation .

The m ain gateway to the palace being closed at the demise of

t he King a pr i vate opening is ma de f or him in the outer wall
,

through which he goes in and out of his temporary residence .

D uring this time he remains strictly in pri vate learning and ,

practising the styl e and deportment of a King and the det ai ls of ,

the important duties and functions o f his o ffi ce D uring this peri od .

he is dressed in black and is entitled to use a cap of st ate

,

called Ori kO gbe o f o -

(The head m ay not rem ain uncovered)

- -
. .

The af f ai rs of stat e are at this tim e conduct ed by the B a ser u n .

C O R O N ATI O N THE
The coronation takes place at the end of three m onths really ,

at the third appearance of the n ew moon after the late King s

’

death The date is gener a lly s o fix ed a s t o have i t if possible

.

before the next great festi v al I t is attended wi th a great publi c

.

demonstration I t is a gala day in which the whole city appears

.

in holiday dres s V isitors from the provinces and representatives

.

of neighbouring states also flock into the city in numbers .

Thi s day is genera ll y known as The King s visit t o the B A R A ’

.

It is the first but most important act of the cerem oni es .

The B A R A or royal m ausoleum is a consecrated building in

the outskirts of the city under the care of a high priestess nam ed
,
-

I Y A M Q D E ; there the Kings were form a ll y crowned and there ,

buri ed The King enters i t but once in his lifetim e and that is
.
,

1
Tra d ition says that in the early tim es whi l e the Kin g e l ect -

is in the Q t u n ef a s house among other dishes brought t o

’ ’

him to partake o f is one prepared from the heart of the late King
which has been extracted and preserved After parta king of .

this he is to l d he has eaten the King H ence the origin of the .

word J e Qb a to becom e a King (li t to eat a King)

, . .
44 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S
at the coronati on with m ar ked pomp and ceremony The .

actual crowni ng does not n ow take place in the B A R A as i t seems

to have been but at Koso the shrine of S ango but the visi t t o
, ,

the B AR A is so important and indispensab l e a preliminary that i t

has becom e more closely i dentified wit h the coronation th a n that “

t o the other shrines vi sited on that occasion .

Leaving the I P A D I — h is temporary c h ambers — there are t wo

stations at which the King elect has t o h a lt before reachi ng the
sacred b uilding t h efir st is the A ba t d or area in front of the p alace
’

Where a tent of beauti ful cloths h a s been erected f o r him H ere .

he has to change his mourning dress for a pr incely robe H e then .

proceeds to the second station at the A l a p in i S mi d way on his ’

route where a l ar ge tent and an enclos ure have been er ected for
hi s reception H ere he i s aw ai ted by a vast conco urse of people
.

and W elcom ed with ri nging cheers H ere he receives t h e co n g r a t u

.

l a t io n s and homage of the princes the nobles the chiefs a n d the , ,

people and is hailed as the King S om e ceremonies are here gone

.

through al so which include distri b ution of kola nuts etc to , . ,

.

the princes and chi efs witho ut .

After this he proceeds t o the B A R A accom pani ed by the whole

concourse of people who have to remain outsi de H e enters the .

sacred precincts attende d by the Magaji I y a j in (his o ffici al elder

brother) the princesses the Qn a On se awo (an o ffi cial ) the Q t un
,
- -

wef a (the nex t to the chi ef of the eunuchs ) wh o is a pri est and
the Qm Q ui nari a set of servants Thes e l ast are to slaughter
- -

, .

and skin the ani m als to be o ffered in sacrifice .

At the B A R A he W or shi ps at the tombs of his fathers a horse , ,

a cow and a ram being o ffered at each tomb ; portions are sent
,

out to each of the noblem en princes and chi efs w aiti n g outside the
, , ,

B a s or un r eceiving the first and the lion s sh ar e o r the whole

’
.

H e invokes the bles sings of his deceased fathers and i s hereby said
to receive authori ty t o wear the crown The visit to the B A R A .

then is for the purpose of receivi ng a u t h OI i t y or permission from

his deceased ancestors to W ear the crown hence it is spoken of as ,

the coronation It is a fix ed rule that the whole of the m eat is

.

t o be tot ally consum ed at the B A R A ; under no C ircumstance should

any be taken hom e .

This over the King returns hence wi th great pom p and show
,

to his temporary C hambers ami d t h e firi ng of f en d e j oie t h e

, ,

bleating of the Kakaki trum pet drumming etc , , .

On the fifth day a fter this he p roceeds to Koso the shrine of ,

S ango for the actu al cr owning H ere he i s attended by the

,
.

Qt un wef a wh o has the charge of the shrine the Bal e (m ayor)

-

of Koso a suburban village the n n i n ari s and the I sen as

,
- -

,
.
46 TH E H IST O R Y o r TH E Y ORU B A S
po wer over all m an an d be ast but he is also consecrated a pri est
, ,

t o the nation His pers on therefore becom es sacred

.
, , .

All this having been performed it is now form all y announced ,

t o the assembled public that King A is dead (or rather has

,

entered into the va ult of the ski es — O we Aj a) an d King B

now rei gns in his stead .

D uring the interval of the late King s illness up to the tim e of ’

hi s death the busines s of state is carried on norm ally by the pal ace
,

officers the Os i w eia personating the King even to the extent of

’
-

, ,

putting on his robes and crown and si t ting on the throne when ,

such is req uired but as soon as i t is known that he is dead the

B a eor u n at once assum es the chi ef authority and nothing c an ,

b e done without h im .

The King having be en crowned he is henceforth forbidden to ,

appear in public streets by day except on very S pecial and extra ,

ordinary occasions ; he is however allowed evening strolls on , ,

moonlight nights when he m ay wal k about in cogn ito .

This secl usion not only enh ances the a we and maj esty due t o
a sovereign but also lends power and authority to his commands
, ,

and is the best s a fe guard for public order at their pres ent
-

stage of civili zation B esi des i t would be very inconveni ent

.
,

to the citizens if the Ki ng were always coming out for accor di ng ,

t o the uni vers al custom of the country whenev er a chi ef i s out , ,

all hi s subordi nates m ust g o out with him I t is an invi olable .

l aw and custom of the co u ntry and i s applicable to all whatever , ,

their ran k : thus i f the B a sor un is out a ll t h e QY Q M E SI must b e

, ,

out al so If the B al e of any town is out all the chiefs of the town
.
,

m ust be out also and if the King is out th e whole ci ty m ust b e

, ,

as tir and on the m ove all busines s suspended until he returns

, ,

into the palace .

I GB A I wA

At the comm encem ent of every rei gn the I G B A I wA or Calabashes ,

of di vination ar e brought from I LE I F E to the new King to di vi ne

what sort o f reign his wi ll be .

Two covered cal abashes of simi lar shape an d si ze b u t with ,

qui te di fferent contents ar e brought one contain ing money , ,

sm all pi ec es of cloth and other articl es of m erchandi ze denoti ng ,

peac e and prosperi ty the other contai ning mi nia t ure swords and
spears arrows powder b ull et raz or knives etc denoting wars
, , , , , , .
,

and trouble for the coun try The King is t o C hoose on e of them .

before seeing the contents an d according as he chooses so will be ,

the fat e of the Yoruba co untry duri ng his reign .

 G O VE RN M E N T 47

TH E A R EM Q

Th e very fir st o ffi ci al act of the new Ki ng af t er hi s coronation

is t o create an A r em g an d a Princess R oyal or an equiv al ent
,
.

The Ar em o is the Crown Prince The term sim ply denot es an .

heir but it is used as the title o f the Crown Pri nc e of Q Y Q

,
.

The ti t l e is conferred upon the eldes t son of the sovereign in a

form al manner the ceremony being t erm ed the christening
,

as of a newly bo rn chil d hence b e is often term ed n , (chi ld)

by wa y of di stinction Th e title o f Pri nc es s R oy al is at the s am e
tim e and in the sam e m anner conferred upon the eldes t daughter
of the sovereign as well this however is of m uch less im portance , ,

than the other Wh en the King is t o o youn g t o have a son or his

.
,

son is a minor the ti tl e is t em por ari ly conferred upo n a yo unger

,

brother or n ex t o f kin that st an ds to him in place of a son but

, ,
'

as soon as the son is of age h e m ust ass um e h is title an d be gi n to

,

act u nder the guardi anship of the eunuchs who ar e his guardi ans .

The m eth od is as follows — Both of them m ust have a S ponsor ,

or father as he is called chosen by di vination from am ong th e ,

tit l ed e unuchs thi s done the A r em e rep ai rs to the hous e of the

,

Qn a l eo kim to worshi p at the graves of the deceased A r em es wh o

‘
-

were all b u ri ed there a n d the princ ess to that of her dec ea sed pre
,

dec essor in her mother s house the Ki n g supplying them wi th a

’

bullock ea ch Th e whole day is thus S pent in festi vi ti es On their

. .

return in the eveni ng they both proceed direct to their S ponsor s ’

house where they m ust reside four days each day being m arked ,

with festivi ti es the king supplying t wo b u llocks every day and

, ,

this is f ur t h er s up p l em en t ed by the A r em g hi mself Th e feasts .

are open to the general public whoever li kes t o repair to the house ,

is a welc o m e guest po rtions are also sent out to the princ es the
, ,

noblemen and other di stingui shed personages

, At the end of the .

fo urt h day the Ar em o invested with the robes of his office an d

,

with a coronet is conducted to h i s offi ci al residenc e where h e takes

,

a p hi s pe rm anent abode an d the princ ess suitably clad li kewise

'

repairs to her own hom e .

PU B LI C A PPE A RA N C E S or TH E K IN G
The King gener all y appears in public on the three gr ea t ann ual
festi v al s o f I fa Qr un an d the B er e In t wo at least of th es e
, , .

festi vals (that of the Orun and the B er e) the B a eor un is equ all y ,

concern ed with h im .

Th es e festiv al s have cert ai n feat ur es in common al though ea ch ,

has i ts o wn m arked characteristics They are all preceded by the .

48 THE H I STO R Y or TH E YO RU B AS
W orship of (the god of war) and on the third day aft er the
Og u n , ,

firing o f a roya l s al ute and the sound of the ivory trumpet announc e
,

to the public that the King m ay n ow be seen in stat e sitting on

, ,

his throne and all loyal subj ects wh o wish to have a glimps e o f
,

his m aj esty n o w m ay rep ai r t o the palace .

The festival of I E A or MQ L E takes place in the month o f J uly ,

nin e days aft er the festival of S ango The Ifa is the god of di vin .

ation On e day in the week is generally given to th e consultation

.

or the service o f I f a but an annual festival is celebrated in its

'

honour at Q Y Q .

The O RU N festival takes place in S eptem ber At this festival .

the King and th e B a sg r u n worship together the OR I or god of fat e .

The Qr u n from which it appears the B a eor un deri ves his n a m e

and title is a curious i f not rather a m ystical r it e The word .

Qr u n signifies heaven The title in f ull is Iba Qser un i e. . .

the lord who performs the Orun or heavenly mysteries .

The King and his Qeg r un are oft en spoken o f as Q b a ai ye

and Qb a Qr un i e King terrestri al and King celestial In
. .
, .

what way H is Supernal H ighness performs the Qr un or what ,

position he assumes towards the sovereign in this ceremony is ,

not gener al ly known because it is al ways done in private B ut the

, .

rite seems to deal with a f fairs connected with the King s life I t ’
.

is to him a periodic remin d er o f his coming apotheosis and the ,

emblem of worship is said t o be a co ffin m ade of o r paved with

clay in which he is to be buried I t is kept in charg e of the Iya .

Qb a (the King s offi cial mother ) in a room in her apartments

’

visited by n o one and the ceremonies are performed in privat e

,

once a year by the King hi m s elf his mother and his Q§ 9r u n , ,

the latter taking the chief part consequently very little is actually
known o f the doings of these three august personages But this .

much is allowed to be known that the B a sor u n is to divine with ,

kola nuts t o see whether the King s sacrifices are acceptable t o

,
’

the celestials or n ot if the omen b e favourable the A L A F I N is

, - .

to give the B a s gr un presents of a horse and other valuables if

unfavourable he is to die he has forfeited his right to further
, ,

existence But there can be no doubt that under such circum

.

stances it can a l ways be managed between the m that the omens

,

be always favourable .

F rom this and other circumstances it would appear that the ,

King on this occasion occupies a humiliating position as one whose

conduct is under review hence the great privacy observed for , ,

it is a cardinal principle with Yorubas that the A LA F I N as t h e ,

re p resentative of the founder of the race is t o humble himself ,

before no mortal if such a contingency were to occur he is to die , .

50 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the fir st tim e that year Th is ceremony is brought to a cl ose
.

by pres ents gi ven to the m en an d then all S pectators di sperse

_
, .

F rom ni ne t o seventeen days are n ow allowed for harvesting

before the fields are set on fire .

The J elep a is the ceremony of setting the fields on fir e Thi s .

is performed by the B a sor un outside the ci ty wall s B ooths and .

enclosures o f palm leaves havi ng been erected for the purpose ,

the B a sor un wi th a princely tr ain rep ai rs thi ther on the day

appointed H e is m et there by a number of wom en from the
.
.

p al ace bringing a large c al ab ash dr aped with a white cloth and

c ontai ning Ql e l e (a sort of pudding made of whi te beans and
p al m o il ) and E kg (a kind of blanc mange made of soaked corn
'

flour) corn and beans being taken as the stapl es of li fe the

, ,

pri ncipal products of the field .

His S upernal Highness first o f fers a morsel of these in sacrifice

as a harvest thank o f fering for th e Yoruba nation after whi ch
-

both himself and those with him partake of the rest accompani ed
with palm wine or beer made from guinea corn th an king Go d for ,

the blessings of the fiel d This over he orders the fiel d s t o be

.
g

set on fire : but if b y an accident the fields have already been fired ,

a bundle of dry gr ass brought from home is used instead f or the ,

pur p ose of the ceremony .

The firi ng of a f en d e j oie n ow serves t o S how that the ceremony

is over and the parti es are returni ng to the ci ty This is do n e .

in stat e The B a ser un robes in one of the enclosures : he is

.

attended by hundreds of horsem en and footmen horsem en gallop ,

ing backwar ds and forwards before him the firing and the fi li ng ,

an d d rumming are quite deafening With such a right royal pro .

c ession His S upernal Highness r e enters the city On the eveni ng -

.

of the sam e day the King worships the Ogun which is a preliminary
,

t o every annual festi v al .

The follo wing day is a very busy one a t Q Y g It is a day of ’

.

payi ng tribut es of B er e grass Th e whole of the Q Y Q M E SI first

.

send theirs to the King the B a eor u n alone W oul d send about
,

2 00 bundl es the subordi nate chi efs send to the seni or chi efs every
, ,

one to his feudal lord or C hi ef each man accordi ng to his rank ,

and position and so on to the lowest grades the young men to the ,

heads of compounds s o that i t is usu al to see loads of B er e passing

,

t o and fro all over the town the whole day From the provinces .

al so tributes of B er e com e to Q Y Q later on e g from the A s eyin . .

of Is eyin the Ol uiwo of I wo the B al e of Og b o m g so and other

, ,

cities of the pl ai n where the B er e grows .

This being the recog ni zed pr incipal festival of the A LAF I N other
towns in lieu of B er e send con grat ulatory m essages wi th presents ,
 G O V E RN M E N T 51

or t ributes the I b a d an s in their marauding days used t o send

slaves from the I j esa s and E kiti countri es com e kol a nuts alligator ,

pepper firewood and other forest products Towns nearer the

,
.

coast send articles of E uropean m anufacture and so on during this ,

season .

The day after being the third day of the ceremony of j elep a a n d
,

the worship of Ogun the public festiva l takes place ,

.

TH E K I N G I N S TAT E
The King generall y appe ar s in state o n thes e three festiv e
occasions .

F acing the l ar ge quadr angle o f the outer court are the six
princip al K e bis that in the centre is what is known as the K 98 !
,

A G A N J U or throne room where the A L AF I N al ways appear s on

state occasions It is al ways kept closed and never used for any
.
,

other purpose but this .

On such occ asio ns the floor is spread all over with m ats and t h e
, ,

f r o n t o f the throne overspread wi th scarlet cloths ; the posts

.

all around are decorated wi th velvet cloths and the w al ls with ,

var ious hangings .

T h e t h r on e or ch ai r of state W as made of wood at a tim e when

the knowledge o f c ar pentry wa s n o t common in this country ;
it can not boast of any artistic m erit but it is highl y v al ued for ,

its solidity hoary age and tr a dition It is of a large size and

, , .

covered over wi th velvet .

The cr own is made of costly beads such as coral agra and the , ,

li ke which in thi s poor country stand to the people instead of

,

precious stones It is artistic al ly done up by ex perts wi th fringes

of sm all m ulti —
.
,

c oloured beads depending from the rim which serve ,

t o veil the face .

The r obes are us ually sil ks or velvets of E uropean m anufacture , ,

which were of m uch greater v al ue in earli er days when inter

co urse wi th t h é coast was n o t so comm on or ea sy as it now is .

The E j ig ba is the ch ain of o ffi ce This is m ade of a string o f .

costly beads go ng round the n ec k an d reaching as far down as

i

the knees .

The Qp a I l g ké is the sta f f or sceptre artistic al ly covered all over

with sm al l m ul ti coloured beads -
.

Th e I r ii h e e is a pe ial ly prepared cow s tail of spo tless whi te ’

r S c

whi ch the King gener al ly holds in front of hi s mouth when speaking

for i t is considered bad form to see him open his mouth in public .

H e m akes hi s speech s otto voce and i t is repeated t o the a s s em b l y in

,

a loud voice by the chi ef of the E unuchs The whit e tail is more .

over an emblem of peace and grace .

52 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Umbrellas in this country are part and
T h e S t a te U m br ella s .
.

parcel of stat e paraphernal ia In fact there Was a tim e when .

privat e indivi duals dared n o t use an umbrella ; that Was in the

days before cheap foreign ones were obt ainable The prohi bition .

was first done away with at Ibadan where the W ar boys were ,

allowed t o enj oy themsel ves in any wa y they liked and use any ,

m aterials of clothing and ornam ent they coul d afford as i t might ,

be f or o nl y a f ew days before they laid down their lives on a

battlefield .

H owever those o f a chi ef are easily distinguished n ow by their

,

si ze and quality They a r e almost always of bright colouring

.

usually of damasks The size and number are in pro p ortion t o

.

the rank of the chi ef usually of E uropean manufacture n ow , ,

though there is a distinct family o f royal umbrella makers kept at

Q Y Q wh o m ake those of the largest si ze Most of the umbrellas .

foreign or locally made are decorated with cert ai n emblems indica

ti ve 0f rank About t wo dozen or more are used on these festive
.

occasions .

M u s ic The Kobi third o r fourth t o the A g a nj u is occupied

.
,

by the musicians The m usical instruments consist of a lmost

.

every descri ption of fif es tr umpets and drums of which the i vory , ,

and Kaka ki trumpets and Ogidigbo drum are peculi ar t o the

sovereign .

The King enthroned is surrounded by his favourite wi ves one ,

of whom the Are ori it e holds a sm all silk parasol over his head
,
- -

from behind as a canopy .

About 30 or 4 0 female I l a r is with costly dress and velvet caps

on are seated on the scarlet cloth o n the right and on the left i n
,

f ront of the throne but in the open air under t wo large umbrellas
, , ,

o n e on either side a wide space being left between them

, .

Then there is a r ow o f about t en large umbrellas each o n the

right and the left both rows facing each other leaving a wi de
, ,

avenue between from the throne to the main entrance gat e under
those on the right are seat ed the Crown Prince supported by al l
the princes and the principal eunuchs under those on the left
are the younger eunuchs the I l ar is the T etus and other palac e , , ,

offi cials .B ehind these on either Si de are the crowds of

spectators .

At a considerable distance in front of the throne in the avenue ,

left between the t wo groups stand the B a eor un and the rest ,

o f the O Y o M E SI to do homage This is done by taking o ff their .

robes wrapping their cloths round their waists leaving the body
, ,

bare ; three times they have t o run to the main entrance gat e ,

S pri nkl e earth on their heads and on their naked bo di es and run ,
54 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
This usual ly ends the S how but on the B er e festival the King ,

c on t in u es h is wal k right on t o the great entranc e gate then half ,

round the quadrangle gi ving the S pectators a f ull vi e w of himsel f ,

then by a side door disappears into the inner precincts of the p al ace .

The spectators thereupon disperse .

These three festivals are concluded by a f ew m ale I l aris carrying

sacrifices t o cert ain quarters in the outskirts of the city in a stat e of
perfect nudity which is rather a tr ying tim e for them there is
,

always a rush o f the women clearing out of their wa y on the ,

app roac h o f them the perform ance being symbolic o f som e

rel igious rite If i t is vi olated by any S how of natural excite
.

ment it m us t be atoned f or and there is but one penalty

, , ,

vi z . decapitation
, B ut there is no record o f any such case ’

occurring wi thin li ving m em ory Their reward for this trying ordeal .

is that after their return being properl y d r es s ed t h ey are admitt ed

, , ,
.

into the King s presence wh o si tting in state receives them with

’

, , ,

m arks of honour .

'

This ends the ceremoni es o f th e festivals .

B ut at the B er e season one m ore ceremony rem ai ns that known

, ,

as the ceremony of T o uch ing t h e g r a s s About p m on . . .

a day appointed the King issuing from the palace is accompanied

,

by his slaves wh o have been engaged in piling into two o r three

heaps the bundl es o f b er e grass scattered about in the area i n front
of the palace including those brought from th e provinces The
, .

piles are done up in an artistic m anner 8 or r oit high in an open , .

S pace away from any risk of fire His Maj est y n ow steps forward . ,

and l ay s both hands upon each o f the heaps ma king a short speec h , ,

in k ing b l essings on the Yoruba nation congratulating himself ,

for being spared to see another year This b rings the B er e festival .

to a close .

T H E F U N E R AL O F T H E K I N G

A l though the funeral of the King cannot prop erly he said t o be

one of his publi c appearances yet it i s consi dered more conveni ent,

t o describe i t in this place along with other publi c ceremonies of

which he is the centre .

The Kings are buri ed in the B a r d The funeral usuall y takes .

pl ace at night I t is notified to the public by the sounding of the

.

Okin ki n (a m usical instrument li ke the b ugle) the i vory trumpet , ,

and the Koso drum a drum which is usuall y beaten every morning
,

at 4 a m as a signal for hi m to rise from his bed to beat i t at night

.

therefore is to indicate that he i s retiring to his final resting place

,
.

The body is removed to the B a r d on the back of those whose

o ffic e h i s to bur y the Kings the C hi ef o f whom is a titled personage
 G O V E RN M E N T 55

known as the On a on ee awo and his l ieutenants At certain

- -

, .

stations on the route between the pal a ce and the B a r d eleven in ,

al l they hal t and immolate a man and a r a m and also at the B a r d

, ,

i tsel f four women each at the head and at the feet t wo boys on
, ,

the right and on the left were usual l y buried in the sam e grave
,

wi th the dead monarch to be his attendants i n the other world ,

and last o f al l the lamp bearer in whose presence all the cerem onies
-

are performed .

Al l these pr actices however have l ong bee n abo lished a horse

, , ,

and a bu l loc k being used instead of hum a n beings .

The King is buri ed in black and whi t e dress but the crown
on his head the gorgeous robe with which he was l aid o ut in
,

s tate and wi th whi ch his corpse was decked to the B a r d and

, ,

the bracelets on his W rists and ankles are never buried with him ,

these becom e the perquisi tes of the On a of i ee awo and his - -

lieutenants .

Th e B a r d in whi ch the Kings are buri ed iS dis t in guis h ed by its

al oof situation from publi c thoroughfares in the outs kirts of the

city and having to i t as many kebis as there are Kings lyi n g there
, ,
‘
one being erect ed over each The pres ent B a r a enshrines the bones
.

of King OLU E WU the last of anci ent QY e with those of the lat e
Kings of the pr esent city I t is not open to the public several
.

of the lat e King s wi ves are sec l uded here (as in a convent ) and
’

charged with the sole duty of taking car e of the graves of their
departed husbands .

Their m other superint endent i s the I y a m ed e general l y styled

B aba (father) S he is thus style d because being entirely
.

devoted to the wors hi p of S ango one of the earliest deified Kings , ,

she is often inspired or possessed by the god and thus cam e ,

t o be regarded as the embodim ent of that famous King .

Ad di ti ons are m ade t o their number at every fresh burial ,

usuall y from among the favouri t es of the deceased husband .

These wom en must all be celi bates for life unfortunately among ,

the number are usually found som e wh o are virgins and m ust
remain so for li fe : any misbehaviour is punished with the death of
bot h c ulprits the man on the day the crim e is detected and the
‘

, ,

woman after her confinem ent

B esides those W
.

h o are immo l ated at the death o f the sovereign

there used t o be som e honourable suicides consisting of cert ai n
members of the royal family and som e of the Ki ng s wives and ,
’

others whose title impli es that they are to di e with the King when
ever that event occurs With the title they recei ved as a badge a
.

c l oth known as the death c l oth a beautiful si l k damask wrapper , ,

which they usually arrayed themselves with on S pecial occ asio n s

56 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
’
during the King s lifetim e Although the significance of this was .

well understood both by themselves and by their relatives yet i t

-

i s s urprising to see h ow eager som e of them used to be to obt ain the

o ffice with the title and the cloth They enj oyed great privileges .

during the King s lifetim e They ca n commi t any crime with ’

.

imp un ity Criminal s condemned to death and escaping to their

.

houses becom e free These are never immolated they are to d ie .

,

honourably and voluntarily .

Of the m embers of the royal family and others t o di e were :

’

I. The A r em e or Crown Pri nce wh o practically reigned with his

father enj oyed roy al honours and had equal power o f life and death
, , .

2. Three princes with hereditary titles vi z the Magaji I y a j in ,

the A g un p o p o and the Ol usami , .

3 Two titled personages n o t of royal b l ood viz the Os i wef a

’
. .
,

and the Olokun eein (m aster of the horse) who is general ly styled
-

A b e b a ku i e one who is to die wi th the King

’
. .
, .

4 The female victims were

.

I y a Qb a the king s o ffi cial mother

, Iya N aso I y al a gb en ’

(the Crown Prince s mother ) Iyale M el e (the Ifa pri estess ) the
’

Olorun ku m ef u n the I y a m en a ri the Iya l e ori (these are al l

’
- - - -

, ,

pri est esses ) and the A r e ori it e the chi ef favourit e - -

.

It will be observed that all the above m entioned are those wh o -

by virt ue of their o ffi ce are nearest to the King at all times and ,

have t h e easi est access t o his person to m ake their life dependent
on his therefore is to ens ure safety for him agai nst the risk o f
, ,

po isoning or the dagger of the a ssassin

, .

The custom is that each S ho ul d g o and die in his (or her ) o wn

hom e and among h is family The spectac l e is very affecting
, . .

D ressed in their death they issue from the pal ace to their
hom es surrounded by their friends and their drummers beating ,

funeral dirges eager crowds of fri ends and acqu ai ntances floc king
,

around them pressing near to have a l ast look at them or to say

,

the final farewell as they m arch ho m ewards The house is full .

of visitors mour ners and others some in profuse tears mournful

, ,

wai lings and funeral odes are heard on al l si des enough to break
the stoutest heart While the grave is digging the co ffi n m aking .
, ,

a parting feast is made for al l the friends and acquaintances and

as they m ust die before sunset they en j oy themselves as best they ,

can for that day by parta king of the choicest and favourite dishes ,

appearing severa l times in changes of apparel distributing presents ,

with a l avish hand around and m aking their last will disposing ,

of their e ffects When everything is ready the g rave and the

.
,

co ffi n approved of they then take poison and pass o ff qui etly , ,

.

B ut i f it fails or is t o o slow to take e ff ect and the sun is about to ,

58 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
h is l ie ut en a n t s
*
to th e sixth grade B ut thei r chi ef duty is to carry .

the r emains of the deceased monarch from the palace to the

B ar d for int erm ent .

4 T h e Qn a m edeke This is the civil counterpart o f the mili tary

.
-

ti tle of S eri ki This o fficer is the head or leader of al l the yout hs

.
,

in the ci ty and country capable of bearing arms whoever may be , ,

thei r father or master H e forms a band of th em all and is sup

.
,

posed t o trai n them in m an l y sports and C ivic duti es It is his .

prerogati ve to shi el d m embers of his band from the penalti es of

the l aw Whenever they have becom e li ab l e to such by any r a sh ,

act .

5 T h e I gug bin s
. . These are members of th e palace orchestra
. .

They number about 2 1 0 persons playing on fif es the Qkin kin ,

.

and the I vory trumpets and the special dr ums Koso and G b ed u , , ,

etc .

(a ) T he A lu kos o or Koso drumm er s chi ef duty is to wake

’

up the King ever y morning at 4 a m wit h h is drum .

'

T h e A l u d u n d u n o r the B undun drum mer H e has to .

att end at the palac e every day withi n cert ai n hours ,

including the visiting or business hours H e has one of .

the front K eb is assigned to him w h ere he s it s d is co urs in g , .

events with his drum all during his office h ours Wi th ,

.

it he pre announc es the presence of any visitor in the

'

pal ace s o that in whatever part o f the palace the King

,

may be he can tell by the sound of the drum wh o has

,

entered the court yard before the personage is actu a lly

announced This is one o f the peculi arities of the Yoruba
.

l a n g u a g e a n d the art of the drumm ers

, _
The nam es . ,

praises and attributes of every family of note are known

t o a l l drummers and m usicians and they are experts , ,

in e ulogi zing and enlarging on the praises of any one they

wish t o honour s p ea king i t with their drums If f or ,
.

instance a white man enters the palace the drum mer ,

woul d stri ke up : Oyinbo Oyinbo a h okun § e en a , ,

(the white man the white man wh o makes of th e ocean a,

hi gh wa y) In strai ns like this he woul d continue for a

.

while enlarging upon his praises .

6 . The A r g kin s
These are the rhapsodists or national historians
. ,

an hereditary title they have an apartm ent to themselves where

they repeat daily in songs the geneal ogy of the Kings the principal ,

events of their lives and other notable events in the history of the
Yoruba country .

7 T h e
. I l e m ale is the palace surveyor H e has charge of all .
 G O V E RN M E N T 59

the buildin gs wi thin that vast compound especi al ly of th e K obis , .

H e is t o see that every part is kept i n good repai r H e is also .

t o attend to the drains and the grounds especially after a heavy ,

fall of rain H e is sai d t o be the principal o ffi cer wh o is to wash

.

the corps e of the King and dress i t before i t is p l ac e d in the coffi n .

8 T h e Tet u s
. These are the sheri f fs or King s ex ec utioners
.
’
.

They are about 1 9 in number each one of them with his ,

subordinat es has speci fied duties t o perform e g it is the duty . .

,

of the 1 s t h with his subordinates to clear the grounds and dishes

after the King has entertained the Q Y Q M E SI They number .

about 1 5 0 in all .

I I T h e E u n u ch s The E unuchs are cal led I wef a or Iba afin

. .
-

(contracted to B a a fin ) i e lordl ings o f the pa l ac e

. The .princip al .

are The Qn a ef a or chi ef of the E unuchs the Qt un ef a and the

-
’

,
’

Os i ef a his principa l li eut enants and others t o the sixth grade

’
.
,

B esides these are the unti t l ed ones and boys , .

T h e Qna ef a is a high legal personage ; he hears and deci des

’

suits and appeals brought to the King whenever H is Maj esty

’
cannot sit in person and his decision is as good as the King s
,

whose legal adviser he is We have seen above the principal part .

he plays in public festivals and state c eremoni es .

T he Qtu n ef a has the charge of the suburban town of K oso

’
,

built in honour of the national g o d S ango It is his duty to worshi p .

at the shrine at stated periods on behalf o f the Yoruba people .

H e sometim es helps t o deci de cases H e is also o n e of the chief .

guardi ans o f the King s c h ildren ’

.

T h e 05 & ef a or Ol os i a l though the least of the thre e yet is the

most hon oured H e represents the King on all occasions and in
.

all matters civil as well as military H e sometim es acts as .

commander in c h ief in military expeditions he is al lowed to use

- -

the c r oxvn the state umbrel las a n d the Kakaki trumpet and to
, , ,

have royal honours pai d t o hi m On such occasions he is pri vileged .

also t o dispense the King s prerogatives His ordinary duties '

.

are : t o be near the King s person at all times having free access ’

t o every part of the palace includi n g the harem t o see that the
King s bed is properl y made b efore he retir es every night ; t o
’

visit h im at midnight and at coc k crow to see if he has had a -

restful night and t o cal l him up at 4 a m before the Koso drum

, . .

begins t o sound H e is t o head those o f the Ki n g s wives wh o

.
'

are to dance at the A kes an market once a year after the deity ,

presi ding over markets has been propitiated With n on e .

-

of the tit l ed ladies o f the palace h e has charge of the King s market ,
’

and enj oys in part the emolum en ts accruing therefrom .

Wh y these exceptional honours are bestowed upon the third

60 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
ih ra nk among the E unuchs will be told hereafter in the history
,

of one of the ear l y kings .

T h e E unuchs are a grade h igher than the I l a r is and m ust b e

respected by them however young a E unuch may be he must be ,

addressed as B aba (father) by any Ilari even the oldest .

The custom of castrating a man is sai d t o have originated from

the punishment inflicted f or the crim e of incest or o f b eas t ialit y .

The E unuchs are distinguished by the manner they wear their

gowns gathered on the shoulders leaving their arms bar e They , .

ar e n ow g e nerally chosen from boys bought with money and ,

employed first as pages to t h e King or attendants on one of hi s ,

'

wives The custom of choosing boys was in t r o d uc ed b y one of

.

the later Kings ; his reason for i t wa s that before the age of ,

puberty boys will hardly be cognizant of their loss and he woul d

, ,

thus spare himself the remorse of conscience which would follow

the muti l ation of an adult and also save his victim from a li fe long
,
-

m or t ifica t ion .

E masculat ion of
an ad ult is now only resorted t o instead of
capi tal punishment in cases of adultery wi th the wife of a ki n g
but in order that the system may not be abused provincial kings ,

are not al lowed t o resort t o this mode of punishm ent nor even to ,

keep E unuchs any one really g uilty m ust be sent to the capital
where a special surgeon is kept for the pur pose wh o is skilful in
the art .

The E unuchs are the guardians of the King s children the ’

princes and princesses as a rule are born in the house of one of the
princi pal E unuchs f o r as soon as any of the King s wives becomes ’

a mother sh e is separated from the other women and placed

, ,

under the guardians h i p of one of them and she is not to return ,

to the palace un til the child is weaned .

The titled ones among them are mas t ers of large compounds
and they also keep their ow
,

n harems as well their wives are called

A wewg i e on e with hands tied
, . . because they are doomed to _ _

be for ever chil dl ess In cases of adultery discl osed by pregnanc y

.

both the defaulters in early days were to suffer capital punishment

the m a n on the day the crim e was proved against him and the ,

woman with the issue on the day she is deli vered These extrem e .

measures however have been al lowed to di e out in favour of

, , ,

fin es or other less severe punishm ents .

The E unuchs have the exclusi ve right of seizing anything in

the m arket wi th impunity They have also the unenvi able .
'

'
pri vilege of mingling with the King s wives either in the harem
or whenever they appear in publi c on any festive occasion .

I I I The I la r is The term Ilari denotes parting of the head

.
,
 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S

5 9 Qb a li a isin 64 Ma d awo t oba lori

’
- - - -

'
6o E m i m g l O b a - -
mi 6 5 Ma u i Q b a lara- -

6 r Igba ab er e -
6 6 Maro Ob a lo b un - -

6 2 Qb a l olu 6 7 Or id a g og o
’

63 A keg b e 6 8 Apeka
E very m ale Ilari has a fem ale counterpart wh o is c al led his
compani on The I l aris themselves by courtesy cal l them their
.

”
mother They are both created at one and the sam e time and
.

’
they are supposed to seek each other s in teres t although there ,

m ust be no intimacy between them the fem ale I l aris being

denizens of the King s harem the only at tention they are allowed
’

to pay each other is to m ake exchan ge of presents at the yearly

festi val s .

E ach Ilari has a repres entati ve image made of clay c al led

S ugud u having incisions on i ts head and arm similar to his o wn
, ,

wi th the same ingredient rubbed into them .

The I la ris are to keep the head shaved on e hal f bei n g done ,

from the middl e li ne downwards alternately every fifth day except

the ci rcular patch o n the oc ciput where th e i ncisions were m ade
there the h ai r is left to grow as long as possibl ebeing always pl aited
and som eti m es dy ed black wi th indigo .

The male I l a ris are the King s body guard or The keepers of
’

his head They are of di f ferent grades including high placed

.
-

servan t s m essengers and m enials S ome of the favoured ones

, , .

are m ade m asters of large co mpoun d s the Ki n g supplying them ,

with hors es and grooms and assigning to them certain gates where
,

they collect tolls the proceeds being di vi ded between their master
,

and themselves for their m aint enanc e they are also feudal lords
of som e m asters of large compoun ds in di f ferent parts of the ci ty
who serve them in various capaciti es in war or in tim e of
‘

peac e
Al l the inm ates of their houses are f o r the most part the King s
’

slaves and every newly made Ilari is handed over to the charge
,

of on e or other of these highly placed ones -

.

‘
Thes e favoured ones ri de upon the tallest horses whenever the
King go es o u t in public forming his body guards ; others are ,

servants to these but th eir chief work one and al l is that of house
repair year by year .

On any festive occasion when the King a ppears in state as ,

m any of the male I lar is as are req uired to be present must each
one take his s ug ud u with hi m to his seat They are on such .

oc c asions t o be without a headgear or breeches with only a cloth

over the body passed under the right arm an d knotted on the left
, ,

sho ulder the arms being left bare

, .
 G O VE RN M E N T 63

It is the especi al privilege o f the I l a r is male or fem al e , , to carry

nothing on the head save their hats or caps .

LA D I E S OF THE P ALAC E
The ladies of the p alace consist of eight ti t led ladies of t h e
highest rank eight priestesses other ladies of rank besides I l a r is
, , ,

and the A y a b as or King s wi ves

’

'
The whole of them are often spoken of loosely as t h e King s
”
wives because they reside in the palace but strictly spea king the
, ,

titled ladi es and the pri estesses at le a st shou l d n o t be included

in the category Ag ai n all the ladies of ran k are O ften S poken
.
,

of as I la r is but there is a m arked di f ference between th em

,
.

The fol lowing are the ladies of the highest rank in their due
order
‘
I Iya Ob a 5 Iya fin I kl i - -

2 Iya ker e 6 I y al a g b g n
3 Iya N aso 7 Qr un ku m ef u n
- -

4 Iya m onari
-
8 Ar e o r it e -

r . T he I y a
Qba is the King s (O ffi ci al ) mother For reasons
'

stated above ( vide p 4 8 ) the King is n o t to have a natural mother

. .

If his mother happens to be l iving when he is called to the throne ,

”
she is asked to go to sleep and is decently buried in the house
,

of a relative in the city All th e inmates of that house are accorded

.

S peci al pr ivileges and enj oy m arked deference as m embers

’
of the household of the King s mother .

The King sends t o worshi p at her grave once a year On e of the .

ladi es o f the p al ace is then cr eated I y a Qba and she is supposed -

t o act the part o f a mother to him It is her pri vilege to be the.

third p erson in the room where the King and the B a sor u n worshi p
the Qr un in the m onth of S eptember every year .

S he is the feudal head o f t h e B a sor un .

2 T he I y a ker e N ext to the King s m other the Iya kere holds

.
’

the highest rank Greater deference is p ai d to the I y a Qba indeed

. ,

but the Iya kere wi elds the greatest power i n th e pal ace S he has .

the char ge o f the King s treasures The r oya l insignia are in

’
.

her ke eping and all the paraphernalia used on state occas ions
, ,

S h e has the power of wi thho l ding them and thus preventing t h e ,

hol di ng of any state reception t o m ark h er displeasure with the

King when she is o f fended We have seen above that she is the
.

person entit l ed t o place the crown on the King s head at the ’

coronation .

S he is the mother of al l the I l ar is m ale and female for i t is ,

in her apartment they are usually created she keeps in her custody
64 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
all the s ug u d us bearing the marks of each Ilari in order to
e n sure the safety of the King s life ’
.

Great and honourable as is the Olosi she ex ercises f ull power ,

over even him and can have him arrested and put in irons if he
,

o ffends S he is the feudal head of the A s eyin Ol uiwo and the

.
, ,

Bal e o f Ogbomoso With the assumption of this office she is of

.
, ,

course t o be a cel ibate for life

, .

3 T h e I y a N as o has t o d o with the worship of S ango generally

-
.

and is responsible for everything connected with it .

’
The King s private chapel f o r S ango worship is in her apartment ,

and all the emoluments and perquisites arising therefrom are

hers S he has also to d o with the sam e at Koso
. .

T h e I y a m g n a r i is the first lieutenant and assistant to the

4
-

I y a N as o I t is her o ffice t o execute by strangling an y S ango

-
.

worshipper condemned to capital punishm ent as they are not to ,

die by the sword and hence cannot be executed by the Tetus

, .

5 T h e I y a f in I kh is the second lieutenant and assistant

- -

t o the Iya N aso

’ '
S he is the King s A d o su S ango i e the King s
-
.
, . .

devotee to the S ango mysteri es As a ll S ango worshippers ar e .

t o devote one of their children t o the worshi p of the god she stands ,

in place of that to the King S he has the charge of the sacred .

ram which is al lowed to go everywhere and about the market

unmolest ed and m ay eat with impunity anything from th e
,

sellers
6 T h e I y a lag ben —The mother of the Cro wn Prince is always
.

prom oted t o t h e rank of I y a lag bgn In case she is n o t living .

whoever is promoted t o that o ffi ce acts li ke a mother to him Sh e .

enj oys great influence and controls a portion of the city , .

T h e Q r un ku m gf u n is also connected with the A r em e

7
-

. .

8 T h e A r e cr it e Thi s o ffi cial is the Ki n g s personal attendant

’
-

. . .

S he is to see that his m eals are properly prepar ed and his bed ,

properly m ade and al so to see him comfortably in bed before

,

retiring t o her own apartment S he is to hold t h e silken parasol .

over his head as a canopy when e n throned and is constantly ,

by his side t o perform sm al l services for him on state and other

occasio n s .

These eight ladies h olding responsible positions are each of

them the head of a smal l compound within the palace wall s .

THE PR I E STE SS E S
I Iya le Or i
.
’

5 . Iya Ol osun
2 Iyale M ol e
. 6 . I y a fin Osun
3 : Iya O r is an l a 7 . I y a fin E ri
4 Iya Y em aj a 8 I y a fin Qr un f fim i
-

. .
66 THE H IST O R Y or TH E Y O RU B AS
the head are not spared on these occasions if they are not qui c k ,

at catching the words or if their m emory f ai ls them .

With the assumption of this o ffi ce the I y a mede is of course , , ,

to be a celi bat e for l ife .

(2 ) T h e I y a le Od u du wa is the priestes s of O d u d uwa the supposed

’
-

founder of the Yoruba nation A special tem ple is built in the .

palace f or him where his im age is enshrined and worshi pped S he .

is the head of all Od u d uwa worshippers in the city S he r esides .

i n one of the out hous es and does not rank with the eight pri estesses ,

m entioned above .

(3) T h e Qd e is the head of all the worshippers of the god Osb s i .

On state occasions she appears dressed as a hunter (hence her nam e)

wearing o n her shoulder a b o w ornam ented with st r ings of cowri es
neatly strung .

(4 ) T h e Qbag z mt e is not regarded as having a very high po sition ,

although she represents the King in the Ogboni house on ordinary

occasions her work being strict l y connected with that frat ern ity
, .

S he ent ers the Ogboni chamber on all occasions and acts in the
’ ’

King s nam e reporting to his m aj esty the events of each day s

,

sitting Whenever the King wishes to entertain the Ogboni s

.
,

she has t o undertake tha t duty .

(5) T h e E n i gj d i s at the head of al l the devil worshi ppers in the

- -

town S he also has ch arge of t h e Ki n g s m arket and enj oys all

.
’

the perquisites accr ui ng therefrom S he wears a gown li ke a .

man on her arms the King leans on the day he goes to worship
,

at the m arket i e t o propitiate the dei ty that presides O ver

, . .

m ar kets S he has under her ( I ) the Olo si wh o h as j oint r esponsi

.

b ilit y wi th her for the market and (2 ) the Ar oj a or market keeper , ,

an o ffi cer whose duty i t i s to k eep order and arrange the manage ,

m ent of the m arket and who actually resides there ,

.

(6) T h e I y a le ag bo is a private attendant on the King having

’
-

charge of his pri vate pharm acy H is ag a u wa (powders) an d ag bo .

(infusions ) are al l in her care she is t o see that they ar e i n a

con di tion fit for use when required .

All thes e la d ies except the Qbag u n t e and I y a le m ol e although

,
’

generally styled I l aris are not really s o an d that is kn own from ,

the m anner their h ai r is done up Th ey are really above the .

I l ar is .

The Iya Ob a and Iya m od e are al ways shaven the others plai t
-

, ,

their hair in small strips from the forehea d to the top of the head
and gather the rest from the back to the top tying all into one knot ,

wi th a string This style is term ed the I ko ko r o

. .

The Od e E n i oj a I y a fin Iku Iya n s un and the Iya le

,
-

,
-

,
-
’

Od ud uwa adorn theirs wi th the red feathers of the par rot s t ai l

’
.
 G O VE RN M E N T 67

— The fem ale I l ar is are som ewhat di f ferently shaved

The I I an
'

from the m ale their incisions being m ade from the front to the
,

back of the head along the midd l e line ; the hair is allowed to
grow along the sam e line and i t is pl ai ted into two horns front and ,

back being twined with a string or thread and the sides of the
, ,

head shaved al ternately every fifth day .

The follo wing are the nam es of the principal femal e I l ar is ,

every on e of which is significant

1 Q b al o yin 1 7 Irebe 33 A r on u
2 Maj e Ob a koy e 1 8 A g b ej o 3 4 Apa O ka
- - - -

3 D idun I Q b a f e 1 9 A wu j a l e 3 5 Ina Ob a kOkI I

’ ’
- - -

4 Ire l Ob a ise 2 0 Or i r e 3 6 Agbala

’ ’
- -

5 Igba e we 2 1 Oj u r e 3 7 Ot a ko ri a y e
’
- - - -

6 Ire k ai ye 2 2 A wig b a
’

3 8 Ma dun mi de —
inu - - -

7 Ori ogbo 2 3 A l Og b o 3 9 Ql ed et u
‘

Or id ij o M a d a j o l Ob a
’
8 A r g s in 24 4O
-

9 A j in d e 25 T rj o t a y g 4 1 A j ij o f e
Oj u r e Aiye f g b a se 4 2 Ol u f oba
’ ’
26
’

10 -

‘
1 1 A lo s in 27 Aji g b o h un 4 3 I wap el e
‘
1 2 A kg s in 28 I wa d er t) 4 4 Oh u n g b o g b o
1 3 Om i s u y arin - -
29 Om u y é 4 5 Aiye der o
1 4 B arn wo wo 30 A j I gb o r e 4 6 E hin wa
-

Qb a d ar o 4 7 Mah a r o t oba
’
1 5 A f eka 31
- -

1 6 A wo d a 32 A l aa 4 8 On j uwg n
These female I la r is have the exclusive privilege of usi n g t h e
fema l e head ti es or m en s caps the ordinary A y a ba s or King s
,
’

,
’

wi ves are disti n guished by carryi n g their heads bare always ,

shaved and their head ties used as a belt rou n d the bre a sts
, .

At the demise o f the King the who l e of the I l a r is m ale and fema l e
g o into mourning by dropping their official (I l ari ) nam es a n d ,

l etting their hair grow At a new accession the whole of them .

,

S have their heads On e of th e earl iest acts of the n ew sovereign

.

after the coronation and t h e investiture of the Ar em o (Crown

Prince) and j ust before the next great festival is t o create all
the I l a r is afresh by batches every 5 days giving a n ew nam e ,

t o each and adding a n ew set of his own o n ly the lances of the

head are r e— done not those of the arm E ach batch is to rem ai n
, .

”
seven days at the Ile M ol e Th is distribution of honours is .

eager l y sought after .

M E MB E R S RO YAL FA MI LY O C C U PYI N G RE SP ON SI B LE
OF TH E
P O SITI O N S
As a rul e distingui shed m embers of the R oyal F amily except
,

those holding responsible positions do not reside in the m etropolis a ,

68 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E -
Y O RU B AS
great number of them may be fo und scattered all over th e provinces
especi al ly in the B lame Os i or Metropolitan province where each ,

one resides as a lord of the town o r vi l lage They m ay take no .

part in the administration of a ffairs in the town l est they over ,

shadow the chief of the to wn wh o is generally the founder Or his

descendant but due d ef er en c e is loyally accorded them and cer tain
,
.
,

privileges are granted them as befitting their rank O n e such was .

Atiba the s on of King A B I QD U N wh o resided in the town of A g o

with Oj a the founder after whose death Atiba becam e practically
,

the m aster of the town before he was s ubsequently elected King .

S om e of the princes with a large fami l y and a large follo wing

b ui l d their own town and becom e lord o f the town S uch was .

‘
A y eij in wh o built the town o f S u r rr near the anci ent QY Q popularly
kno wn as Ile Gbag er efrom the attributive of the fo under .

There are those ho wever wh o hold high positions in the govern

,

m ent such as the following :

1 . T H E ON A I S OKU N . 2 . T HE ON A AKA .
3 . TH E Q Mg -

OLA .

These are know n as of the Ki n g hence the saying

t h e t a t h er s ,

Qn a J so ku n baba Q b a
O n a Aka baba I so kun
-

, .

Th e O n a I so k u n -
the Ki n g s f ather the On a A ka fath er to th e
’

,
-

I § o ku n T hat is. to say that they stand in the re l ation of a father

t o the King wh o naturally cannot have a father l ivi n g
, To them . ,

i t appertains t o a d vise admonish or instruct the King especi al ly

, , ,

wh en h e com es t o the throne at a very ear l y age and as such lacks ,

the experien ce i ndispensable f o r the due performance of his all

important duty The titl es are hereditary
. .

We have seen above th at the nomination t o the thron e is in

their hands The ON A I § O K U N seems to b e the most respo n sible
.

of the three We have seen that the King elect is to sleep in his
.
-

house the first night after his electi on as the formal call to t h e ,

throne com es from him Lustrations divinations and propitiati ons

.
, ,

f o r the new King are done in his house Par t al so of the ceremony .

of creating the A r em e is per f orm ed in hi s house ; there all the

princes are entertained in festivi ties and there also all crown princes ,

are buri ed if they di e in that position .

N ex t t o the above are those wh o are term ed brothers to the

King they are
,

1 The Maga j i I y aj m
.
4 The A t in g is i .

2 The Olusami
.
5 The A gu n p o p o .

3 The
. Arole O b a 6 The Arole Iya O b a . .
70 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS

TH E N O B ILITY
There are t wo classes o f noblemen at 0Y 9 ; in the first the ,

tit l e is hereditary ; the second which is strictly military is the

reward of m erit a l one and not necessarily heredi tary In both
, .
,

each m ember is styled Iba which m eans 61 lor d being a d im un i

tive of O b a a king .

A . T H E OY Q -

M E SI
The first class of nobl em en consists of the most noble and m ost
honourable councillors of state term ed the QY Q M E SI They are
, .

also the ki ng m akers They are seven in number and of the

-
.

following order
( 1 ) The Osor u n (2 ) A gb a kin (3 ) Samu (4) A la p ini (5 ) Lagun a
, , , , ,

(6) A kini ku (7) A sipa

, .

. Th e title of each (as above said) is hereditary in the sam e

family b ut not necessari ly f r o m father to son i t is within the
’
King s prerogati ve t o select which m ember o f the family is to
s ucceed t o the title or he may alt er the succession altogether .

They represent the voice of the nation on them devo l ves the
chi ef duty of protecting the int erests of the kingdom The King .

m ust take counsel with them whenever any important m atter

a f fecting the s tate occurs E ach of them has his stat e duty
.

t o perform and a S pecial deputy at court every morning and

,

afternoon and whom they send to the A LAF I N at other tim es when
their absence is unavoi dable ; they are however requi red t o , ,

attend court in person the first day of the ( Yoruba) week for the ,

J a kut a (S ango ) worship and to partake of the sacrificial feast .

( 1 ) T h e 05 9n m or Iba O s or un (contr to B a sor u n i e the lord

. . .
,

that performs the Or un may be regarded as the Prim e Minister

and Chancel l or of the kingdom and som ething m ore H e is not .

onl y the president of the council but his power and influence are
immeasurab l y greater than those of the others put together His .

is the chief voice i n the election of a King and al though the King ,

as suprem e is vested with absol ute power yet that power m ust be
‘

exercised within the limi t O f the unwritten c onstitution but i f ,

he is ultra tyrannical a n d withal unconstitutional and unacceptable

-

to the nation it is the B a sor un s prerogative as the mouth piece

’
-

o f the people t o m ove his rej ection as a King in which cas e H is

Maj esty has no alternative but to take poison and die .

H is H ighness being a prince is practically as absol ute as a K ing

in his own q uarter of the to wn .

N ext t o the A LAF I N in a uthority and power he often performs ,

the duties of a King H e takes precedence of al l provi ncial

.
 GO E V RN ME N T 71

kings and princes There were times in the history o f the nation
.

When the B a sor u n s were more powerful than the A LAF I N himself .

D uring the long course of histo r y there have been several a lliances
bet ween the two f amilies so that in the older l ine of B a sor un s ,

at any rat e the blood O f the royal family runs also in their veins
,
.

S e ver al points of similarity m ay be not ed between the A LAF I N

and his B a sor u n The A L AF I N is Ob a (a king) he is Iba (a lor d) .

’
The A LAF I N S wives are called Ayaba the B a sor un s A yin b a
’

, .

They are similarly clothed car rying their heads bare and shaven
, ,

and their head b ands used as belts but the A yin b as are not equally
-

avoided by m en as the A y a b as are .

The I ba n m u has k is to his palace as well but a limited ,

n umber ; those o f the A LA F I N being unli m ited H e too has a .

n umber of I l ar is as a king b ut they m ust be created for him by the

,

A L AF I N .

The A LAF I N has his crown his throne his E j I g b a round his
, ,

neck The Os o r u n
. has a S peci ally m ade coronet of his own a ,

specially ornam ented skin cal led the WA B I on which he sits and a ,

string of beads round his neck also like the E j ig b a .

We have seen that at the princi pal festivals of the A L AF I N th e ,

B a sor un al so has minor festiva l s to observe in conj uncti on and

has his part t o play at the m ain observance also .

When the A L AF I N r eigns long and peacefully enough to celebrate

the B ebe a festival a kin to the royal j ubilee the B asor un must
, ,

fol l ow wit h t h e Ow ar a .

B ut it is a peculiarity of t h e B a so r un s chi ldren that the boys are ’

never circum cised .

Although the title is heredi tary in the sam e family yet i t is

wi thin the King s power to change the li ne of succession when
’

necessity dem ands t hat course .

Thus the whole unwri tten constitution of the Yorubas seems t o

be a system of checks and counter checks and i t has on th e -

whole worked well for the country .

There have been five di f ferent fami l ies of th e B a s or un line ,

each one with its distinctive cognom en The first and oldest .

belonged to the family totem of Og un (the god of war) and have

for appel l ati ves M 07 0 M ago M a wa M aj a Ogu n This was th e .

original line contem p orary with the earliest Kings It covers .

the reign of 1 8 Kings and ended wi th B a sor un Yam ba in the reign ,

of King OJ I G I ,

With the long lease of power and influence enj oyed by this
f amily it became as wealthy and great as or even greater than the
, ,

sovereign hi msel f especi all y as som e of the B a soru n s out lived

,
-

two or three succ essive Kin g s Therefore King G B E RU the s u cc essor

.
72 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B A S
of Oj i g i
transferred the succ ession t o his friend J ambu of another
line whose appell atives were M aj a M a r o Th is lin e embraced
, .

the reign o f seven Kings and ended with Asam u in A B I QD U N S ’

r eI gn .

The third began with Al ob it o ki in Aol e s reign having the ’

appel l atives o f M aj a M aj o of the totem of A g a n

‘

This line was n o t a ll owed t o contin ue it flourishe d during the

‘
,

reign of o n e Kin g only f or Oj o A b ut u m a ku the son of On ieig un

,

and grandson of B a eer un G5 was of the older lil l C The f ourth .

’

line began with A kio eo in King M A J O T U S reign and also ended ’

with himself in the reign o f OL U E WU the last of anci ent OY Q , .

This family was rather insignificant .

Ol uy el e the first B a eer un of the n ew city was the grandson of

B aee r un Yamba and therefore of the older Og u n li ne
, .

The fifth and last line comm enced with Gb en l a in the reign of
King A TI B A the totem is A ve and is the fami l y n ow in o ffi c e
,

and has already last ed through the reign of three kings .

The B a eg r u n s of Ibadan after Ol uy el e are on l y honorary with

n o na t ional duties attached to t h e o ffi ce .

A S Y N O PSIS OF TH E B A§ QR U N FA MILY
B a ser u n s . Appell atives F amily Totems . .

r .
Ef uf u ko f eri t o Yamba Moro Maeo Maj a Ogun ,

2 . J ambu t o A ea m u Ma j a Maro
3 . A l o b it o ki Maj a Maj o Agan
4 . A kio eo E se
5 . Gb en l a to L a y ed e A ye
T h A b k — The duties of this o fficial are not s o well
( ) 2 e g a in

d efin ed but the present A g b a kin

, has the charge of the worshi p of
Qr a fiy an .

(3) n u The duti es of the Sam u are n o t clearly known

. .

T
(4 ) h e A lam i n a — H e is the head of the E g figu n m ysteri es and ,

as such h e is at the head of religious a f f ai rs i n general H e has

“

the charge of the famous J E N 1 0 who is the head E g figu n of the ,

country and who executes witches ! H e is at once a religious

,

and a sec ul ar personage he shares with the pri es ts all reli gious
o fferings an d in secular m atters with the noblemen of his class
,
.

'

B y virtue o r his pec uliar o f fice he must be a mo n or ah zs .

(5 ) T h e L ag u n a is the state ambassador in critical tim es .

6
‘ ) T h e A k in i h u — The real duties of this. o fli cer are not known .

(7) T he A s ip a as the l ast of them performs the duti es of the

j unior H e is called the Oj u wa i e the one who distributes
.
, . .

whatever p resents are given t o the O Y e M E SI The B a eer u n in .

74 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B A S
So m uch is this title thought of by military m en and others
and s o great is the enthusiasm i t inspires that even the children ,
.

and grandchildren of an E gg hold themselves bound to m ai ntain

the spirit and honour of their sires The E s o I S above everything
-

e l se noble in act and deed .

E m i o m o E gg (m e born of an Egg ) is a proud phrase generally

used even to this day by any o f their descendants to show their
s corn for anythi n g m ean or low or their contem pt for any difficulty , ,

dang e r or even death itself

, .

Most of the Egba chi efs S prang from the Egg s of Q Y g Okukem u ,

the first ki ng of Ab eokuta was a S a gb ua .

A special notice m ust now be taken of the Kakanfo who stands

at the head of the Egg s .

T H E K A K A N FO The tit l e given in full is A r e—Qn a K akanfo

.
-
.

I t is a ti tle a kin to a field m arshal and is conferred upon the -

greates t so l dier and tactician o r the day .

This title was int roduced into the Yoruba country by King
A JA C B O on e of the earli est and most renowned of Yoruba Kings
, .

Li ke the I l a ris at t h e tim e of his taking o ffice he is first t o

, ,

shave his head compl etely and 2 0 1 incisions are m ade on his , .

occi p ut wi th 2 0 1 di f ferent lancets and specially prepared in g r ed i

,

ents from 2 0 1 viols are rubbed into the c uts one f or each This is , .

supposed t o render hi m fearless and courageous They are always .

shaved but the hair on the inoculated part is al l owed to gro w

,

long and when pl ai ted forms a tuft or a sort of pigtail

, , .

K a kan f o s are gener al l y very st ubborn and obstinate They .

have a ll been m ore or less troublesom e due i t is s uppo sed t o the

’

e ffect of the ingr edients they were inoculated wi th In war they .

,

carry n o weapon but a baton known as the King s invincible ’

sta f f ” It is generally understood that they are to give way to

.

n o one not even to the King their master

. H ence K a ka n f os are
,
.

never created in the capital but in any other town in the kingdom .

There can be bu t on e Kakanfo at a tim e By virtue of h is offi ce __

.

he is t o g o to war once in 3 years to what ever place the King nam ed ,

and dead or ali ve to return hom e a victor or be brought hom e a

, , ,

corpse withi n three months .

The ensigns of o ffi ce are

1
. The Oj ij iko This is a cap m ade o f the red feathers of the
.

parrot s t ai l with a proj ection behind reach n as far down as the

’

waist .

’
2. An apron of leopard s skin and a leopard s skin to si t on
’
,

always .

3 The Agis o or pigt ai l as above described

. .

4 The S ta f f I n vi ncible
. .
 G O VE RN M E N T 75

The fo ll owin g are the K a ka n f o s wh o have ever borne Of fic e

in the Yoruba country
1 Kokoro gangan
.

2 a gp e
. t
3 a bi
.
Aj a se
4 Adet a . J abata
5 : Ok u Jabata
6 A f gnj a l ai l g kg I l g r in
’ ’
.
y a

7 T o y ej e
. Og b o m o gg
8 E d un
. Gbogun
9 A m ep o
. Abem e
1 0 . Kur umi I j ay e
1 1 . Oj o Aburumaku (s on of Toye ie)
Og b o m ggg
1 2. La t o s is a Ibadan t h e last t o hold o ffi ce .

N earl y the whole of them were connect ed with stirring tim es and
upheavals in the country A f g n j a of I l g r in T oy ej e of Og b om g gg
.
,

K u r fI m i of I j a y e and L a t os is a of Ibadan being specially famous

,
.

Oj o Aburumaku of Og b o m g gg fought n o batt l es there being n o ,

wars d uring the period ; the change that has taken place in the
c o untry l eft the I b a d an s at this ti m e m ast ers of al l warli ke oper
a t ion s B ut in order t o keep his hand in he fomen t ed a civil
.
,

war at Ogbom oso which he als o repressed with vigour .

PR O VI N C IAL G O V E RN ME N TS A N D T ITL E S
E very town village or hamlet is under a responsible head
, ,

either a provi ncial king or a B al e (mayor ) In every case .

the title is heredit ary (excepting at Ibadan ) as such heads are

inv a ri ably the founder or descendants o f the fo under of their town .

The pro vincial kings are styl ed the lords of their town or distric t ,

and from i t they take their title e g , . .

The Oni koyi lord of I koyi ; A s eyin lord of Is eyin ; A l ake

, , ,

lord or Ake Olowu lord of Own Ol uiwo lord of I wo Alakij a

, , ,

lord of I kij a etc There are a few exceptions to thi s rule where the
, .
,

first rul er had a distincti ve nam e or title before he becam e the

head of th e to wn or dist r ict e g , . .

Timi of Ed e Atan a of Ogo g b o A wu j al e of Ij ebu l r e o f

, , ,

S aki On ibode of Igboho ; etc 1 1 1 whi ch case the distinctive nam e

,

beco m es the hereditary tit l e of th e chi ef ruler .

A provincial king is of course higher than a Bal e as a duke or

, ,

an earl is hi gher than a m ayor They are privi l eged to build .

ko bis t o their palaces and t o create I l a r is whi ch B a l es are not

,

entitled to d o They are also allowed an Akoro (coronet ) whi ch

.

B al es ar e not all owed to have but few of them indulge in lar g e

76 TH E H IST O R Y or TH E Y O RU B A S
state umbrellas They are invested originally with power from
.

Q Y g whither they usuall y repai r to obtain their titles the sword ,

o f j ustice being given them by the A L AF I N at their insta l lation .

E ve ry one of them as we l l as every important B al e has an o f ficial

at Q Y g through whom they can comm unicate with the crown .

They are a l so invested with an Qp ag a by which they are em

powered to m ake and keep an Ilari The Qp ag a is an iron in s t r u .

m ent of the shape of an q in b ut taller and is surm o unted with the

,

figure of a bird This is the Qs a in worshipped by I l a ris To be

. .

depri ved of i t is equi va l ent to being depri ved o f one s rank ’

.

T o dethrone a kingling he is pub l icly di vested of his robe

,

and sand als and the announcem ent is m ade that X Y Z havi n g
forfeited h is ti tle he is depri ved of i t by AB his suzerain or f eud a l
,

l ord .

The fo l lowing are the kinglings in the QY g provinces .

1 In the E kun Os i or Metropoli tan province

. .

The Oni koyi of Ikoyi ; Olu g b g n of Igb en ; Ar esa of Ir esa

the Om p et u of I j er u n f a o f Of a .

2 In the E kun Otun province

.

S a b ig an a o f Igana On iwer e of Iwere l

Al a s ia O f Asia Onj o
o f Oke h o Bagij a n of I gij a n l r e of Saki Alapata o f Ibode
’

On a Onibode O f Igboho ; E l er in p o of Ipapo I kihi s i o f Ki b isi ;

A s eyin of Is eyi n Alado of Ado E l er uwa o f E ruwa n j e of
Oj e .

3 In the I b g l g province
. .

The A kir un of I kirun Ol o b u of Ilobu Timi of Ed e t h e Ata ,

n a of Ogo g b o A d im u l a of I f e Q d a n .

4 In the E p o province
.

The Oluiwo of I wo On d es e of Id es e .

Of these vassal kings the Oni koyi Ol ug b gn the Ar esa and t h e , ,

Timi are the most anci ent .

Sinc e th e wave of F ulani invasion swept a way the first

three those titles exist only in n am e
, The Oni koyi h as a .

quarter at Ibadan the bulk of the I koyi people being at Og b om g gg

, ,

the family is sti l l extant and the titl e kept up “ The same may be .

sai d of the Ar esa at I l g r in B ut wherever the repres entative head

.

of the fami l y m ay be he is compl ete l y subj ect to the ruler o f the

,

town h e he a B al e or a king Thus the Ol ug b g n at Ogb o m g gg

, .

is subj ect to the B al e of Og b o m ggg the Ar esa to the ki n g or E mir

,

The A l asia is the o nl y m an privileged not to prostrate before

1

the A lafin in sal utation according t o the custom o f the count ry .

H e sits on a stool with hi s back t urned towards h im .

T h e town has been rebui l t and the Oni koyi returned hom e in
8

1 906 .
7 8 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
king was subj ect to them The sam e r ule holds good even .

at Ab eokuta for each township .

Amongst the highest Ogboni titles are

The A 1 0 Oluwo Apena t wa B ala Bas al a B e ki A gip a
, , , , , , ,

Asalu L aj il a Apesi E sin kin Ol a B a y im b o n fin

, , , , ,
.

T h e warriors rank next after the Ogbonis the B alogun and the ,

Seri ki being the most important .

THE I J E B U PR O VI N C E
Among the I j eb us the ci vil authorities are of three divisions ,

viz . the Os ug b os o r Ogboni 2 the I p a m p a and 3 the L a m u rin

, , , , .

Without these acting in concert no law can be enacted or repealed , .

Of these bodies the Ogug b o s are the h ighest f o r even the king him
,

self m ust be o f that fraternity The La m ur in s are the lowest . .

Amongst the Egbas and I j eb us the Ogbonis are the chi ef ,

executive they have the power of life and death and power t o
, ,

enact and to repeal laws : but in the Q Y g provinces the Ogbonis

have n o such power they are rather a cons ultative and advisory
body the king o r B al e bein g suprem e and on l y m atters invol ving
, ,

bloodshed are handed over t o the Ogbonis for j udgment o r for

execution as the king sees fit .

The actual executioners at Q Y g are the T etus amongst the ,

I b g l g s the Jagun and in the E p o districts the A kg d a s or sword

, ,

bearers of the principal chiefs acting together , .

TH E I J E gA AN D E K ITI PR O V I N C E S
In the Ij esa and E kiti provinces the form of governm ent i s
more or l ess ali ke with Slight modifications T h e tendency is t o
, .

adopt the Q Y g forms but they have som e admirab l e systems of

t heir own The municipal arrangem ents of the I j ega s are qui t e
.

excellent .

I t has been m entioned above that there are 1 6 provincial

kings recognised in the E kiti province under four principal ones .

The tit l e of Owa is a generic term f or them all inclu di ng that of ,

I l ega The Owa o f Ilesa stands by himsel f for the E ki t is hold the
.
,

I j ega s separate from themsel ves .

The O rangun of Ila is som etim es reckoned amongst the E kit is

but he 1 5 not an E kiti altho u gh his sympathies are wi th them .

H e aims at being the head of the I g b o m in a tribes but Ila seems ,

to stand by itsel f .

Tit l es i n ancient tim es may be obtained by competition and it ,

was n o t always the most worthy but the hi ghest bidder that
often obtained them .
 CH APTE R V

YO RUB A N AM E S

The naming o f a chi l d is an important a f fair amongst the

Yorubas i t is al ways attended with som e ceremonies These of .

course di ffer somewhat amongst the di fferent tribes

, .

Th e naming usuall y takes place o n the 9t h day of birth if a

m al e or on the 7 t h i f a femal e ; i f they happen t o be twins o f
,

both sexes i t wi ll be on the 8 t h day Mos l em chi l dr en of either

, .

sex are invari abl y nam ed on the 8 t h day .

I t is on that day the child is for the first tim e brought out of
the room hence the term appli ed t o this event— K O o m g j a d e
,

(bringing out the child) The m other al so is

. supposed t o be .

in the l ying in room up t o that day

-

The ceremony i s thus performed —The pri ncipal m embers

o f the family and fri ends havi n g assemb l ed ear l y in the morning

of the day the C hi l d and i ts mother being brought out of the

,

chamber a j ug f ul of water is tossed up t o the roof (al l Yoruba houses

,

being low roofed ) and the baby in the arms of the nurse or an
-

elderly fem al e m ember of the family is brought under t h e eaves ,

t o catch the spray the baby yel l s and the re l ati ves shout for j o y
, , .

The chi l d is now named by the parents and el der l y m embers of

the fami l y and festivities follow ; with presents however t r i fli n g
, , ,

f o r the baby from every one interested in him .

This is evi dently an anci ent practice a form o f b a ptism whi ch ,

the ancestors of the Yorubas m ust have deri ved from the eastern
l ands where tra di tion says they had their o r igin and is another
, ,

proof of the assertion that their ancestors had som e knowledge

of Christiani ty .

In som e cases there is al so the offering of sacrifice and

cons ultation of the household orac l e on the chi l d s beh al f ’
.

F o r the sake o f conveni ence we ca l l this the C h r is t en ing of the

chi l d T here are three sets of nam es a chi l d can possibly have
.
,

although not every child need have the three one at least wi l l
b e inappl icab l e .

1
. The A m n tg m n wa i e the nam e the chi l d i s born with
. . .

2
. The A bis g i e the ch ristening nam e
. . .

3 The Or iki i e the cognomen or attributi ve nam e

. . . .

A few rem arks on each of these sets of nam es will serve to

el ucidate their m ea nings .
80 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS

I . T H E A M U T g R U N WA

A child is s ai d t o be born with a nam e (l it brought from .

heaven) when the peculiar circumstance of i ts birth may be

expressed by a name which is applicabl e to al l childr en born under
like circumstances The most important of these is twin births
.
-
.

N o condition is i nvested wi th an air O f greater importance or has ,

a halo o f deeper mystery about it than that of twin births ; ,

-

the influence is felt even upon children that m ay be born after

them Twins i n Yoruba are almost credited wi th extra hum an
.
-

powers although among some barbarous tribes they are regarded

,

as monsters t o be despatched at once .

T a iwo or E bo — The n ame of the fir st born of twins applicable

I t is a shortened form of T g—
.
,

t o either sex . ai ye wO (have the -

first taste of the world) The i d ea is that the first born was sen t
.

forward to announce the coming of the latter and he is considered ,

the younger o f the two !Compare the stories of E sau a nd Jacob

.
,

and of Pharez and Zar a h in both o f which the fir st born of the twins
,

Virtu al ly became the younger of the two ] .

K eh in d e H e wh o lags behind i e t h e second born , . . .

I d owu The child born after t wins m al e or female I d owu s

.
, ,

are al ways considered heady and stubborn hence their usual ,

appell ation Egu l ebin ibej i (the d 1 after t wins) There is .

al so a current superstition that the mother wh o has had twins

and f ails to get an Idowu in due course may likely go mad the ,

wild and stubborn Idowu flying into her he a d will render her
insane l H ence al l mothers of twins are never at ease until in
due course the Idowu is born .

I dog be —The C hild after Idowu if m ale

. .

A la ba . The chi ld after Ido wu if female

-
.

Thus we see the influence of the t wins a f fecting the second and
third births after themselves .

E t a C lad — The name given t o the third of triplets .

The next t o twins in importance is the child named On i On i .

T his nam e is given t o a sm all neurotic child which at its birth

cri es incessantly day and night The child after O n i is cal l ed .

Ql a the next Qt n n la and so on

, ,
.

These nam es signify t o d ay t o mor r ow the d ay af t er to mor row

-

,
-

,
-

etc With a smal l tribe termed the 1 s m people it is carried on

.
,

as far as I j g n i i e the 8 t h day i f the mother have as many

. .
, .

A s é o r Gr ay e are names applied under con d itions similar to

those of O n i by som e clans The latter is generall y preferred .

by worshippers of the god Or ig a Oko .

I g el is a child born wi th breech or footling presentation .

82 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Signi ficant of som et hi ng either with reference to the C hild itself
,

or t o the family .

A chi l d may have t wo or more christening names gi ven i t

one by each parent or grandparents if l iving or by any el derl y
member o f the fami l y Whichever is most expressive of the prese n t
.

circumstances of the fami l y wil l be the one t o stick .

(a ) N am es havi n g reference t o the chi l d itsel f directly and indirectly

t o the fami l y
A y g d el e J o y enters the house .

O nip ede T h e consoler is com e .

Mor eni k e I have some one t o pet .

Mo geb g l a t a n
’

J oy hitherto despaired o f .

Om g t ej i A child big enough for two .

Akiny el e A strong one b efits the house .

I b iy em i Good birth becomes m e .

I b iyin ka S urrounded by children .

La dip g Increase honour (of children born) .

(b) N ames h aving reference to the family direct l y and i n direct l y

t o the child itse l f
O g u n d a l en u O u r hom e has been devastated by war .

Ot eg b ey e Warfare deprived us of our honours .

Og un m g l a The river Ogun took away our honour .

I y ap g Many trials .

Ol a bis i Increased honours .

L a n iy g n u H onour is full of troubles .

K ur fi m i D eath has impoverished m e .

Oyebisi Increased tit l es .

0) N ames compounded of Ade Ol a Ol u Oy e original l y belo n ged

( , , ,

t o one of high or princely birth but a r e now used more or,

less indiscriminatel y
Adebi yi T h e crow n has begotten t h is .

Adegbit e The crown demands a throne .

Olal ey e H onour comes fit t in gly or is f ull of di gni ty , .

Ol ubiy i A chief has begotten this .

Oy ey em i Title becomes me .

Oy ewg l e Title enters the house i e where the parent . .

has a tit l e .

NB. .
— Ade does not alwa ys signify a crown i t may be taken ,

from the verb d é t o arrive it m ay then m ean coming e g

, , . .
,

Adebisi or
My com i ng causes an I ncrease
A d ewus i
.

A d egin a My coming opens the way .

A d ep ej 11 My coming compl etes t h e n umber (o f births)

A d ep g j u T h e coming has becom e too much .
 Y O RU B A N AM E S 83

(d) S om e names a r e compounded with fetish nam es Showing the

deity worshipped i n the fami l y
Sa n g o b u n m i S ango (the god of thunder and lightning)
gave m e this .

Ogundip e Ogun (the god of war) co n soles m e wi th this .

Og u n gey e Ogun h as done the beco m i n g thi n g .

O m i yale The god of streams visits the hou s e .

O b a bunmi
-
The Ki n g (i e g o d o f sm all p o x ) gave m e th is
. .

F a b u n ni Ifa has given m e t h is .

F a t o s in I fa is worthy t o be worshipped .

F a f u m ke Ifa gave m e this to pet .

O s u n t o ki O sun is worthy of praise o r honour .

It may be noted that nam es compounded with Ifa are very

common amongst the I j ega s which shows that th ey are devoted
Ifa worshippers .

(e) Compounds of Od e shows that the father is a worshipper of

Ogun or E r in l c
Od ewa l e Od e comes t o the house i e visi ts the family . . .

O d em u y i wa O d e has brought m e this .

These nam es are often confounded with Adew al e and

A d em uy iwa .

(1) Compounds of Ogo or E f un shows that the family is a

worshipper of Orisa O ko re t h e god of the fields
Ogo di p e Ogo has granted a conso l ation .

O go d eke Ogo has become a roof i e shie l d and shelter . . .

Ef u n get a n E f u n h a s done i t (by grantin g the C hi l d) .

E f u n l a bi E f u n is the one born .

(g ) Compounds of Oj e are pecu l iar t o the C hil dren of E l ewi of A d o .

N am es peculiar t o the roya l f a mi l y of O Y g :

Mal e : A f g n j a T el a Aj uan
'

.
, ,

F emale z— Ogboj a S iy e Akere , ,

.

Yoruba nam es are wi th few exceptions common to both genders .

Oj o and A ker el e however are never app l ied t o fema l es

, ,
Al so .

names compounded of A kin which means strength and of course , ,

such names as B abatunde B a b a r im is a can onl y apply to m ales

, ,

and Y et u n d e t o females .

A B I KU NAM E S
There are som e peculiar nam es given t o a cert ai n class o f children
called A biku i e born to di e T hese are supposed t o bel ong
. . .

to a fraterni ty of demons l iving in the woods especial l y a bout and ,

withi n l arge Iroko trees and each one of them coming into the
84 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
i
world would have arranged beforehand the precise tim e he w ll
return t o his company .

Where a woman has lost several children in infancy especially ,

a f ter a short period of illness the deaths are attributed to this ,

ca use and m eans ar e adopted t o thwart the pl ans of these infants

,

in order that they may stay for if they can only tide over the
pre arranged date they may g o no more and thus entirely forget
-

, ,

their company .

Besides charms that are usually ti ed o n them and ugl y m arks

they are branded with in order that their o l d company m ay ,

refuse the association of disfigured comrades which must oblige

them t o stay cert ai n significant nam es are al so given to them in
,

order to show that their obj ect has been an ticipated .

S uch are the follo wing nam es

M al g m g again Do not go .

K o s g kg There is n o hoe (to d ig a grave with) .

B a n j o ko Sit down (or stay) with m e .

D u r o s in m i Wai t and bury m e .

J ekifiiyin Let m e have a bit of respect .

A kis a t a n N o more rags (t o bury you with) .

Apara On e wh o comes and goes .

O ku The dead .

I g b ekgy i E ven the bush wont have this .

E n u kun onip e The conso l er is tire d

- -

A ku j i D ead and awake .

Tij u iku
-
B e asham ed to die .

D uro ori ike Wait and see how y o u will be petted

- -

Perio di cal feasts are usually m ade for these C hi l dren of which
beans and a liberal quantity of palm o il must form a principal
di sh To this chil dren o f their age and others are invited and their
.
,

company of demons al though unseen a r e supposed t o be present

,

and partake of thes e viands This is supposed to appease them .

and reconcile them t o the permanent stay of their comrade so ,

that they may a l ways have such to feed upon .

This superstition accounts f o r a rather high rat e of infant

mortality for parents are thereby led away from the proper treat
,

ment o f their ailments whi l e occupying themselves in m aking ,

charms to defeat the purpose of imaginary d emons !

I t is f air however t o add that thoughtful m en have begun to
,

perceive the absurdity of this superstition for many have been ,

heard t o say There is reall y n o such thing as A bih u disease and

”
hereditary tai nts are the true causes of infantile m ortali ty .
86 THE H IS TO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
denotes a pare nt stock The Oril e is n o t a nam e it denotes the
.
,

family origi n or Totem The real m eaning o f this is lost in obscuri ty

. .

S om e say they were descended from the O bj ect named which must ,

be a myth ; others that the obj ect was the ancient god of the
family the gi ver of the children and other earthl y blessings
, ,

or that the fami l y is in som e way conn ected wi th i t .

Th e Totem represents every conceivable obj ec t e g E rin (the . .

elephant ) Ogun (the g o d of war) Op o (post) Agbo (a ram )

, , , ,

etc . The n u mber of t otems of course is large representing as ,

each does a distinct family S om e families however have becom e .

, ,

extinc t and some obscure ones there are wh o have lost their tot ems
, .

’
A marri ed woman cannot adopt her husband s totem m uch ,

less his name Intermarr i ages wi thin the sam e totem was
.

origi nally not allowed as coming wi thin the degree of consanguinity

,

but n o w the rule is not rigi dly observed The children both boys .

and girls take their father s totem except in rare cases where the
’

father has lost his o r more usual ly when the mother s indicates
,

a higher or nobler rank S om e girls o f nobl e birth will marry

.

below their rank but would have their children brought up i n

,

their o wn hom e and among their father s C hildren and adopt

’

, ,

his totem An i ll egi timat e chi l d if n o t acknowledged by the

.

’
supposed father cannot adopt hi s totem but the mother s ,

especial ly i f a fem al e .

The following are some disting ui shed T otems

E rin the e l ephant the totem of the original li n e of the Kings
, , .

Ogun the god of war the totem of the original line of the
, ,

B a gg r u n s .

B oth were m erged in Ki n g Abi odun wh o chose to adopt ,

his m other s totem the B a gg r un s bei n g pre eminent in

’

,
-

those days H ence the prese n t line o f A L AF I N S is Ogun

’

. .

Op o (a post ) The totem of a noble Oy g fami l y

. .

O ki n (the love bird ) T otem of the Ol g f a and the Oloro .

I ko O n ig u s un .

Agan E l ese .

Ed u O n ig b a y i .

Oj o (rain) Ol g g b in .

Agbe or Ade O l u ko y i .

Agbo (a ram ) Aj agusi father of E rinl e .

Og e B nir a a n d the Onip e .

E kan Ol u f a n
E lo E l erin .

E rr Ol g y a n
O n ig b et i .

I j ega families .
 Y O RU B A N AME S 87

When the Or u k g (name ) the O r iki

(attributive) and the Oril e
(totem ) are gi ven the individual becom es distinctive the fami l y
, ,

is known , and he can at any tim e be traced .

T wo m en m ay be found wi th the sam e name but rarely with ,

the sam e cognom en together and more rarely sti l l with the sam e
,

totem as well The m a n is universal ly known by his Oruko

.

(n ame) familiarly by his Or i ki (attributive) The Oriki is always .

used in conj unction with his O ril e (the fami l y stock or totem )
expressed or understood : a l ways expressed when endearm ent or
ad m irati o n is intended T h e Oril e of course is never used by itself
.

as i t would be m eani ngless .

A nam e given in full will appear thus

Mal e . Female .

Or u kg Ori ki Oril e Oruko Ori ki Oril e

Adewal e Aga n a E r in I biy em i Ab ebi I ko
A b ig d u n A j am u Ogun Ol a wa l e A gabi Op o
A d ej u m g Aj agbe Ogu n Mor eni k e A b ej e Agan
Oy eb g d e A ku n y u n O p o M o wu m i Agbek e Agb o
Adegboye I ggl a Okin Lay emi A t gle Ogun
Fa g b em i Ak awo Og g I bigg t g Akank e Ij i
Moslem chil d ren although nam ed f rom the Arabic calendar
vet must have their O ri ki and O ril e thus .

A li b u I gg l a Op o I F a t um o Akank e Oj O

IRR E G U LA R ITI E S I N T R O D U C E D
Th e introduction of Christianity and the spread of B ritish
influence over the country have been the causes of great ir r eg ul a r i
t ies in names wh ich one m eets with n o w in the Yoruba country .

The early missionaries notably those of S ierra Leone abolished

, ,

native names who l esale considering them heathenish

”
, and ,

substituted E uropean nam es i nstead : such names are natur al l y

transmitted t o their children a ng lice hence the inco n gruities ,

o f nam es that puzzl e a foreigner on hi s first l andin g in West Africa .

B u t with more en l ightenment and better knowle d ge a gradual

.
,

change is coming over this educated Yorubas cannot see wh y

Philip Jo nes or Geo f fre y Wi l liams should be m ore Christian than
Adewale o r I biy em i he knows what these mean the former t o ,

him are but mere sounds nor are their m eani n gs — e ven wh en
,

known — a n improvement on his own .

B ut nothing sticks s o fast as a nam e and not h ing more di ffi cu l t

,

t o eradicate ; for even i n spite of the bett er know l edge Christians

stil l gi ve t o their children foreign nam es although i n conj unction
with a Yoruba n ame That an E n glish name should be gi ven at
.
88 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
all can hardly be contended t o be necessary but the practice is ,

de f ended by m any who plead f or it a uni versal custom e g that , . .

a convert t o Mohammedanism adopts a Moslem or Arabic

name ; analogously therefore on l y Biblical nam es ought to be
gi ven but in the B ritish West African colonies Yoruba and other
, ,

tribes with Christian names include E nglish S cotch Irish Welsh , , , ,

German an d D utch names !

B ut there is another consideration that helps t o rivet the yoke .

It invari ably appears that most of those wh o have E nglish or other

forei gn names are in som e way connected wi th E nglish education
,

and with Christianity and are certainly in a way m ore enlightened

,

than their p a gan brethren or considered to be so ; hence i t com es

,

to pass that many wh o originall y were free from the brand of a

,

foreign nam e nevertheless still regard it as a m ark of enlighten

,

m ent and wou l d voluntarily adopt one or more wi th their own

,

real names in order to be considered u p to date ! N othing - -

but a thoroughly sound education al l round (and not limit ed to

i ndivi dual s here and there ) can remedy t h is evil ; but in the m ean
tim e educated Yorubas are losing the knowledge and the geni us
o f the m ethod of Yorubas in naming their chi l dren T hus according .

t o the system n o w prev ai l ing where one E ngl ish nam e is gi ven,

o r adopted i t is used as the first nam e and the Yoruba nam e as

, ,

the second or surname e g J ames A d egin a Where two E nglish

, . . .

names are given the Yoruba is pl aced either in the middle as Jam es
A d egin a Wi ll iams or at the end as J ames Wi l liams A d egin a
, , .

The reason for this wan t o f system is due to t h e introduction of _

another elem ent unkn own t o Yorubas and is therefore a compli , ,

cation viz the prefix of Mr to the nam es This is foreign to Yoruba

, .
, . .

geni us a nd language and m akes a hybri d mixture as i t woul d ,

appear if attached t o any historic Bib l ical nam e I The essence of

the incongrui ty in this matter lieS in th e conversion of Yoruba ‘

names into a surnam e or family nam e and i t is in this partic ul ar

that the most appalling absurdity occurs Thus som e retain .

their own Yoruba nam e as a family nam e t o the exc l usion of their
’
father s Others use their father s nam e as a surnam e and suppress
.
’

their own nati ve nam e or use i t as a middle nam e S om e adopt .

a brother s nam e as a family name i f he is considered more eminent

’

thus exclu d ing the father s nam e and suppressing their own ’
.

”
S ome use the father s A m u t o r u n wa as T aiwo I dow u Ige
’
.
, ,

S om e use the father s A bis g as A d ej u m g La y g d e etc S om e

’
, .

’
use the father s Ori ki as Ak awo A lade Aj asa som e use the , , ,

father s title as Apena D awodu Mg g a j r etc All t his in order

’
.
, , ,

as is alleged— to make the indi vidual distinctive but as a m atter

of fact to make the Yoruba conform to the E nglish method ,
 CH APT E R VI
Y O RU B A T O W N S A ND V I LLAG E S
All Yoruba towns with very few exceptions are built on one
uniform plan and the origin of most of them is more or less the
,

same and all have certain i dentical features A clust er of huts

,
'

around the farmst ead of an enterprising farm er may be the starting

point : perhaps a hal ting pl ace for refreshments in a long li ne
of march between t wo towns In any case i t is one individual .

that fir st attracts others t o the spo t if the sit e be on the highway

to a l arge town or in a caravan route so m uch the better the
, ,

wi ves of the f ar m ers ever ready to cat er refreshments for wearied

travell ers render the spot in tim e a recognised halting place the
more d istant from a town the more essential it necessarily,

m ust be as a resting place ; if a popular resort a market soon ,

springs up in the pl ace into which neighbouring farmers bring

,

their wares for sale and weekly fairs hel d : m arket sheds ar e built
,

all over the pl ac e and it becomes a sort of caravanser ai o r sleeping

plac e for travel lers .

As soon as houses begin t o spring up and a villa ge or hamlet

formed the necessity for order and control becomes apparent
, .

T h e men would thereupon assemble at the gate of t h e princip a l

man wh o has attracted peopl e t o th e place and forma ll y recogn ise
him as the B al e or Mayor of the vil l age (li t father of the land) .

and thenceforth the mayoralt y becomes perpetuated in his family ,

with a member of the family either the son or the brother or a

cousin succeeding in perpetuity
, This however is the only .

hered itary tit l e in the vi ll age The house of the B a l e becomes the
.

o fficial residence and i s thenceforth kept in good repairs by the

,

men of the town and the frontage of his house becomes the
,

principal market of the town .

T h e B al e having been e l ected he in turn appoints his O tun ,

(or right hand man) Os i (the l eft) and other ci vil o fficers of a town
,
.

E ven in this early stage the necessi ty f o r defence is fe l t ; the

,

bravest m an among them will be chosen as the Jagun o r B alogun '

and he i n turn picks o ut hi s li eutenants s o that in any m atter ,

‘

that may spring up either civil or military everybo dy knows his

‘

duty and whom to look up t o .

The vi l lage must necessari l y be answerable to the nearest town

from which i t spran g and thus an embryo town is form ed There .
 Y O RU B A T O WN S A ND VILLAG E S
are cases in wh ich an influential personage with a large following
deliberately b u ilt a town and is from the beginning the recognised
,

head of the sam e .

In fact if there are but half a dozen huts in the place that of ,

the headman or embryo B a l e would be recognised .

From this we see h ow it is that the pri ncipal market of the town
is always in the centre of the town and in the front of the house of
the chief ruler T h is rul e is without an exception a n d hence the
.

t erm Ol g j a (one having a market) is used as a generic t erm or title /

of al l chief r ulers of a town be he a King o r a B a l e .

Minor chiefs al so have sm al ler markets in front of their houses .

M ar ket squares as a rul e m ark out the frontage of a chi ef or a

distinguished man and the principa l entrance to h is compound
,

is marked out by its having a s treet verandah added t o it right

and left and if a King two or more kg b is are added to the street
,

verandah T h e larger the town the larger the princi pal m arket
.
,

t o which everyone resort s f o r morning and even ing m arketings

and is the general rendezvous of the town on ever y nati on al or
mu n icipal occasion I t is plant ed all over with shady trees for
.

sellers and loungers of an evening The central m arket also .

contains the princ ipal mosque of the town and the fetish te m ple ,

o f the chief ru l er if he be a pagan

, .

E very town is wa l led deep trenches are dug all round i t outside
, ,

the more exposed to attack the more substantial the wall and
for the greater security of smal ler towns a bush or t hi cket called
Igbo Ile (hom e forest) is kept about half t o on e mile from the ,

walls right round the town This forms a security against a sudden
.

cavalry attack and a safe ambush f or defence as well as hiding

, ,

pl aces in a defeat or sudden hosti l e irruption The tall trees in .

them are sometim es used as a watch tower to observe the move -

m ents of the enem y except in tim es of profound peace it is pen al ,

t o cut trees in the hom e forest Highways are m a de through them

.

straight to the town gate and are a l ways kept in excell ent repair
, .

Towns in the pl ai n that are greatly exposed to sudden attacks or ,

those that have had t o stand long sieges have a second or out er w a ll
enclosing a large area which is used for farming du r ing a siege .

Thi s w al l is called Od i A m g l a (wall of safety) som etim es it ,

is c al led Odi Am g u n (wall of ruin) as the wal l has been t o them

the m eans of safety or has been unavailing for its purpo se
, .

The town gates are always m assi ve and a gat eman li ves in a
house adj oining the town wall he collects the tolls from pas sers by
, .

Market people have a fixed amount to pay var ying from 4 0 to ,

2 00 cowries , and f ar m people contribut e a tri fle from whatever

they ar e bringing hom e a head or two of corn a handful of beans
, , ,
92 TH E H I ST O R Y OF THE YO RU B AS
a yam or t wo a f ew dry sticks and so forth for h is sust enance
, , .

The ga t es ar e named after the most important town they lead to .

E ach of these gates is in charge of a c h ief who is responsible to the

town f or whatever may occur there or a l ong the route to which i t
leads ri ght on t o the fronti er also for keeping the wall s of that
,

part in goo d rep ai rs as well as the highway leading out of the town
, .

Th is chief i t is who is t o put his servant there for collecting tolls ,

the amount to be collected from each person bei n g fix ed by the Town

Council T h is servant is expected to pay to his m as ter a certain
.

sum every 9 or 1 8 days being the average of what the gate yi elds
, .

Whatever surplus there may be in a brisk season he a p p m p ria t es ,

to himself or if there is a deficit he is expected t o m a ke it good

'

, .

In Yoruba Proper (including the Egbas) streets are not properly

made or named except large thoroughfares leading t o town gates ,

and the squares and markets of chiefs .

I t does not appear that an y car e is ever taken to choose the si te

of a town as the neighbourhood of large streams well s are
,

sun k by indi vidua l s to supply dr in king water The streams that .

may be flowing through the town are fouled beyon d degr e e and ,

are by no means fit for d r in king purposes F or keeping the town .

clean every compound looks after its o wn frontage a n d s ur r o un d

ings in the m arket p l ace every seller sweeps the space aroun d her
,

stal l .

T h e syst em of sanitary arrangements is the most primiti ve

imaginable near every large thoroughfare or a market plac e is
a spot selected as a dust heap for the disposal of al l sorts of refuse
‘

an d sweepings of the neighbourhood and at i ntervals fire is set , ,

t o the pile of rubbish .

H ere and there about the town are found leafy groves usually ,

clumps of fig n u t trees the neighbourhood of which is unsavoury

,

from the disposal of sewage These sit es are al ways infest ed by

cro w
.

ds of t hose keen scented scavengers of nature the hungry

-

loo king vultures Important chiefs have a l arge area of land

.

enclosed within their com pounds within which spots are selected
for sa ni tary purposes .

E very C hief is responsible t o the town council for the quarter of

the town in which he resides .

When a town has grown up to the town wall the town council ,

has t o determine the amount o f area to be taken in and a n ew wall ,

is built enclosing such area T h e whole of the town participates

.

in the work even women and C hil dr en also are engaged in fetc hing
,

water t o mix the swi sh and in providing refreshments for the men
folk ; the streets of the area sim ply follow t h e o l d line of the
foot paths to t h e farms now enclosed within the town .
94 TH E H I ST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the chief ruler T here m ay be severa l B a lo g u n s or S er ikis there
.
,

are at least four ki ng lings and several Ogboni houses each section, ,

being j ealous o f i ts li berty and tenacious of i ts rights Abeokuta .

i n S hort wa s never organized as a single town i ts peculiar poli tical

o ganization should be the subj ect of another chapter
r
.

I ba d a n —This town was original l y a small E gba vill a ge around

.

the site of the central market but occupied by a portion of the ,

army that destroyed the cit y of Own and devastated the E gba
villages After the withdrawal of the E gbas into Abeo kuta the
.
,

mot l ey crowd forming the army sett l ed at Ibadan Ibadan has .

Since been the mi litary encam pment of Yoruba ; the titles order of ,

precedence etc are chiefly mi l itary F or that reason there is

, . .

n o t one family in which the title of B al e is hereditary and no o ffi cial

residence for the Bal e The B al e is always chosen from O l d

.

retired war— chi efs a l ways by su f ferance O f the B a l ogun who has
, ,

equal authority and more real power B u t when the Balogun h a s .

becom e old and has already won h is laurels he is expected to be the ,

next B al e A young Balogun with his future to make yi elds the

.

mayoralty to an o l der chief usually the Otun Bal e This is the ,

.

on l y town where such arrangem ent exists Ibadan has no hom e .

forests Attempts were made from tim e to tim e to form on e but

.
,

always without success through the habit of firing the fields year
by year at the dry season They are in no fear of invasion To be . .

in Ibadan is to be in a place of safety H ence the I b a d a n s style their .

town I di Ibon i e the butt end of the gun ; for the sam e reason
. .

also the town wal l s are very indi f ferent l y kept .

I lg r in — I l g r in is in one respect di f ferent from the other Yoruba

.

towns in that the r uling powers are ali ens to the place H ow i t
,
.

cam e about that I l g r in a pure Yoruba town and one tim e the thi rd ,

city in the kingdom fell into t he hands of aliens and t o this day
owns a ll egiance to other than its rightful sovereign will be told in ,

its pl ace but t o this day the principal m arket and the chief mosque
of the town remain sti l l in front of the house of the founder and
rightful owner of I l g rin .

These three towns Ab eo kuta Ibadan and I l g r in are the largest

, , ,

towns in the Yoruba country and probably in West Af ri ca and the , ,

three are the outcom e of the revolutionary and int ertribal wars .
 CH APTE R VI I

P R I N CI PL E S OF LA ND LAW

THE Land laws of the Yoruba country are simple and e ffecti ve .

there being n o need of any complicated or e l aborate laws a s there ,

is enough l and f or a ll the members of the various tribes Wh atever .

l and is not e f fective l y occupi ed is for the common benefit of a ll

no one need own any l and whi ch he cannot uti li ze except farm l and ,

l eft fallow for a short period .

T heoretica l ly and tradi tionally we have seen above that

Yoruba l and be l ongs to the A L AF I N of OY g as the suprem e head of
the race . The la n d belongs t o the Ki ng has passed into a
proverb But i t m ust be understood that i t is not m eant that the
.
,

land is the privat e property o f the King i t is on l y his as representi n g,

the race in other words Yoruba land belongs to the Yoruba peop l e
, ,

and to no other hence as the Yorubas are spli t into so many tribes
, ,

the head of each tribe as representing the A L AF I N is the King for

,

that tri be and he holds the l and or di vision of th e country for the
,
.

benefit of the tribe and even he has no power to a l ienate it perm a

,

n en t l y o f his o wn accord t o an alien All lands therefore includ

, .
, ,

ing forests and the pl ai n are owned by some tri be or other and no ,

one belon ging to a nother race or another tri be can m ake use of
the land Without the permission of the king and chi efs who ho l d
the land for their tribe Members of the tribe have n o di ffi culty
.

at present in obtaini ng as m uch land as each requires f o r agri cultur al

purposes in which every one is supposed t o be engaged with the
increase of population however i t is felt that som e di fficulti es
,

will arise in future but the chiefs c a n cope with such cases
, .

L a n d s a r e n ever s o ld but m ay be granted to outsiders for l ife a nd

k

, ,
f
'

t o their heirs in perpetuity but where the land so gr anted had

been under culti vation it is understood in every case that the fruit
,

bearing trees especiall y the palm trees and kola nut trees etc on
, ,
-

, .
,

the l and are n o t included i n the grant hence the common

expression The grantee is to loo k down not up i e h e is t o , . .

confine his attention t o plants he has culti vated and not o n fr uit
beari n g trees he m et o n the S pot .

Land once gi ven i s never taken bac k except under special

circumstances as treason to the state whi ch renders the grantee
an outlaw and he is driven altogether from that state or tri be
, ,

an d his land confiscated E ven when left unutili zed if there

.
,
96 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
are marks o f occupation on it such as trees planted or a wall , ,

bui lt etc it cannot be taken bac k without the consent of the

,

‘
4
owner .

There is no subj ect in whi ch the Yoruba man is more sensi ti ve

than in that of land This normally qui et and submissive people
.

can be roused into violent action of desperation if once they per

ceive that it is i ntended t o depri ve them of their land .

We shall see in the course of t h is history that the n on alienation -

of their land forms one of the m ai n conditions of their admitting

a E uropean o ffi cer among them by the I b a d a ns at the beginning
of the B ri tish Protectorate .

The forests are under the direct guardi anshi p of the hunters
wh o form among themselves a frat ernity recogni zed all over the
land subj ect of course to the town authori ties Any laws rules
, .
, ,

or regulations relating to forests that are to be made m ust recogni ze ,

the rights pri vileges and services of the hunt ers especi ally as
, , ,

i t is by them e ffect can be gi ven to those laws It is their dut y t o .

appri ze the chi efs of any town of any S pies expedi tions or rai ds
, , ,

that have that town or its farms for their obj ecti ve Crim es .

committed in the forests must be t raced and the authors tracked ,

and unearthed by them Any ani mal bearing traces or marks of

.

their bullets or arrow wounds must be restored t o them Al l

-
.

information relating t o for ests must be gi ven by the hunters to the

c hi efs of the town .

The forests are free to every member of the t ri be for procuring

building materials medicinal herbs fir ewood etc
, , , .

I n her ita n ce —When a man dies his farms are inherited by his
.
,

childr en and so from father to son in perpet uity and like the house
, , ,

are not subj ect to sale If his C hildren are femal es they wi ll
.
,

pass on to the mal e relati ves unless the daughters are capable of
,

seeing the farm kept up for their own benefit If minors they may .
,

be worked by their m ale relati ves until th e boys are of age to take
up the keep of the farms .

N 0 portion of such farms can be al i enat ed from the family Without

t he unanimous consent of all the members thereof .

These are the simple fundamental and universal laws appli cable
,

t o all the tribes in gener al but subj ect to modifications and

,

development according t o the local exigencies of each place .

These exigencies may be due to the proximi ty of large populations ,

and consequently higher value of land the nature of the land , ,

whether forests wi th economic plants in them or pastur e land and ,

the local it y whether near the coast where foreign int ercourse a f fec t s
local habits or far inland where the tribes remain in their sim
,

p licit y .B ut in every case t h e rul ing of the local chi efs and their ,
 CH APTE R VIII
MA NN E RS A ND C US T OMS
§ (a) S O C IAL P O LITY
THE anci ent Yoruba s were very simple in their m anners their ,

tastes and habits Their houses a l l on the ground floor are b uilt
, .

in compounds ca ll ed A g bo I le (l it a floc k of houses) that is to say

.
,

i n the form of a hollow square horse shoe or a circle enclosing

, ,

a large central area with one principal gateway the house being
,

divided into compartm ents to hold severa l families a ll more or l ess ,

related or united by ties of kinship or friendship ,

On e piazza .

runs right round the whole and is used for all ordinary purposes
,

by day and f or the reception of visitors The central area is

, .

used in common by all the inm ates for genera l purposes usual ly
horses sheep and goats are found t ethered in it
, .

The compartm ent of t h e head of the house is usually opposit e

the mai n gateway or a little t o the right I t is larger the roof
.
,

lofti er and the piazza more spacious than the rest H ere the master .

is expected t o be found at all times (during visiting hours) by a

doorway whi ch leads t o his harem at the back of the house This .

particu l ar doorway is known as where the m aster shows his face

(for the reception of visitors ) i t is an essential a d j c t t o the
u n
_

houses of C hi efs or important personages being used for no other

,

for at all oth er times it is kept closed A hi gh wall often .

a garden attached to the bac k of the building the space ,

en c l o s e d is always i n proportion t o the size of the house the ran k , ,

and the means of the O wner The houses O f great m en contai n

.

smaller compounds at the back attached to the main compound ,

these are called K a n t or retiring quarters each devoted t o som e

,

purpose from a harem t o stables for horses .

The houses of chiefs are distinguished by a street verandah

(as i t is called) on either si de the m ain gateway on the outside ,

varying in length according to the taste and c apacity of the owner

the roof of which is an ext ension or proj ection of that of the m ai n
bui l ding It is used for loun ging in the afternoons at the cool
.
,

of the day A sma l l market is almost always to be found at the

.

frontage of such houses The wal ls of the houses rising from 7 t o

.

8 feet in height are built of mud the roof consequently is low and
, ,

is co vered with a tall grass cal led B er e or with Seg e or E kan In .

forest lands where these are not obt ai nable a kind of broad leaf ,

98
 MA N N E R S A ND C U STO MS 99

called Gb Od Og i is used instead The houses are without any decor .

a t ion s ; the wal l s are plastered and polished wi th blac k and

sometimes red earth by the women whose work it generally is .

The houses of Kings and Princes are embellished with a sort of

wash which is a decoction made from the skin of the locust
fr uit .

N ow and then attempts are found at artistic decorations by ,

figures traced on the wall but more commonly the front posts of
the verandah consist o f carved figures of various ki nds equestrians ,

S wordsm en hawkers etc T h e floor is generally rubbed and

, , .

polished once a week .

The household furniture consists chi efly of coo king utensils ,

waterpots and a mortar with pestles all o f which are deposited in

, ,

the front and bac k piazzas of the house .

The use of bedst eads t ab l es and chairs being un known they

, ,

squat or lie on mats instead In modern tim es those wh o can .

a fford it keep a few chairs for the accommodation of visitors i n

E uropean garb wh o find i t difficult or are unaccustom ed to squat
,

on the ground I t is not unusual t o find s kins of buffaloes leopard

.
, ,

li on or a large bullock hung up on the walls of the front piazza

,

which are taken down f or distingui shed vi sitors to si t on .

All their valuables are kept i n pots or bags m ade of bam boo
fibres and placed in o n e corner of the sleeping room s o that in all
, ,

cases of alarm whether o f fire or night att ack by robbers o f slave

, ,

hunters everything of value is soon taken away to a place of

,

safety whenever possible .

As a ll the houses are invariably built with m ud ceilings which

are themse l ves fir e proof the losses in cases of fir e are small and
, ,

of h a rdly any account especially if the doors are kept rigidly

,

closed The property of the wom en consists chiefly of cloths

.
,

beads with goats sheep and poultry these usually form a sub
, , ,

s t an t ia l part of their dowry .

The head of the compound s principal Wife is the mistress of

’

the compound as himself is the master and all heads of the

, ,

several fami lies wi t h i n the compound are bound to pay their

respects to them the first thing every morning the m en prostrat i ng ,

on the ground and the women sitting on the ground a n d reclining

,

on thei r left elbo w .

!T his is the ordinary mode of saluting a s uperior in t his country ;

but when great er respect is to be shown or pardon asked for som e ,

o f fence commi tted the m en w h ile prostrating lay the right and
,

left cheek alternate l y on the ground and the women wrap t heir ,

cloth lower down loose t h en head tie and recline al ternate l y on

, ,

the right as well as on the left elbow .

 rulers for a show of homage they run
, ,

to the porch of the house and back three times throwing dust on ,

their head or roll on the ground} .

They are chiefs in their respecti ve domains where they transact ,

all business a f fecting the welfare or interest of the people in their

respective households All important cases are j udged and
.

’
decided in the master s piazza and he is responsible to the town
,

authori ties for the conduct of the inmat es of his compound hence
the saying : B al e ni el gr a n awo (t h e master of the house
'

must be privy to all secrets) His word is law and his authori ty
.
,

in disputable Within his compound hence also another saying , ,

O b e ti B ale ile ki ij e Iyale ile ki is e e (the sauce which the

master of the house cannot eat or which is unpalatable t o him ,

the mistr ess of the house m ust not coo k) which when appli ed ,

simply m eans that no one should go contrary to the wishes of the

master of the house .

To thi s hi gh authority belongs a leg of whatever is slaughtered

i n the compound from a c h icken to a bulloc k whether kill ed for
,
_

sac ri fice or f o r a festi val or for any other purpose Of what ever kind
, , .

At the death of the m aster of the house when the per iod of ,

mourning is over his s uccessor be it his son or his brother or

, ,

cousin as the case m ay be removes from his own compartment

,

into that of the mas ter H e is installed into his place by his feudal
.

lord or in case the deceased be a public man by the Town Council

, , ,

with a title that attaches him t o one of the senior chiefs B u t .

before the ceremony can take place the roof over the late master s ,
’

compartment (be i t old or rec ent ) is taken down and rebui lt afresh
hence the term for a successor Arole i e o n e wh o r oof s the house
, . . .

P er s on a l A pp ear a n ce —I n early times very li ttle regard was

pai d t o personal appearance B oys and girls up to the age of 8
.

years walked about in p ur is n a tu r a libn s from that pe r iod up to

the age of puberty they were allowed the use of aprons the cut and ,

shape for ei ther sex being di fferent the one from t h e other that , ,

for boys being called ba n t e that for girls t obi The whole peri od
, .

was regarded as one of unencumbered freedom which ceases wi th

the act of m arri age It was not an uncommon t hing to find girls
.

of the age of 1 5 when engaged in hard work whether at hom e or

in the far m with absolutely nothing on ; and even their mothers
on such occasions were but scantily clothed This custom h ow .
,

ever excepting among some t r ibes as I j ega and E f g n has completely

,

died out The extreme p overty of the people in those early times
.

was probably the chi ef cau s e of such disregar d of personal attire .

In modern times better attention is paid to their outward appear

ance and although from the standpoint of an enlightened civiliz
,
I 02 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
NO nation is more remarkable for cautiousness and for putting
themselves genera l ly on the safe Si de When powerless they would .

submit to oppression and wrong t o any extent so long as they find

resistance useless but when an O pportunity o ffers for asserting
their rights and overthrowing their oppressors they are never ,

S low t o embrace i t The common proverb embodies this trait

in their character Bi g wg en i kOt e eku id a a ki ib ere i ku ti 0
pa baba en i i e if one has n o t grasped the handle of his sword
,
. .
,

he should not attempt to avenge the death of his father .

Intercourse with other nations has caused various forms of

Vice t o creep in among modern Yorubas or Oy g s their natural
ti midity and submissi ve spirit have produced a degeneracy of
manners s o as to be considered essentially lacking in s t r a igh t f o r
wa r d n es s they can e ffect by diplom acy what they cannot
accomplish by force in which proceeding the Oy g s di f fer wi dely
,

from the other tribes som e o f whom are characte rised by a pro ud
,

and intractable spiri t but they are n o less determined i n carrying

,

out their obj ect although the m eans used t o e ffect their purpose
is essentially di f ferent .

Yorubas as a whole are soci al polit e an d proverbi ally h o s p it

, ,

able Licentiousness is abhorred There are well att est ed cases

. .

where a m ember o f a family would be condemned t o slavery by a

unanimous vote of a l l the relati ves when he has brought disgrace
on the family S ometim es forcib l e emasculation is resort ed to as
.

a punishment (as in cases of incest ) or total banishm ent from the

t own and neighbourhood t o where the o ffender is not li kely t o
b e known .

A pec uliar custom was prevalent amongst the anci ent Oy g s .

Young m en were permi tted to have intim ate friends among the
fair sex and they were O ften the guests of each other At the
,
.

annual festi vals the young m an and his female friend would m eet
and take an active part in the ceremonies and render pecuniary ,

services or m anual assistance to each o t her At the tim e o f harves t .

the female friend with the ful l consent of her parents would go
for about a week or a fortnight t o assist her m ale friend in bringing
home his harvest while he himse l f may be engaged on his father s
’

farm Yet notwithstanding s o m uch m utual int ercourse strict

.

chastity was the rule not the exception The practice however .
, ,

has long been discontinued owing to the degeneracy of the pres ent
,

age .

F ilia l B uf f er — I t was the duty of every m ale child t o serve

his father although he might be m arried and have a family o f his
o wn unless he was exonerat ed from the O bligation by the father

himself As a general thing a small portion of farm work was

.
 MA N N E R S A ND C U ST O MS 1 03

allotted t o him as his day s work aft er attending to which he m ay g o

’

and see aft er his o wn business S o whi l e serving his father every
.
,

s o n had his o wn pri vat e farm also t o m anage and i t wa s o n his

own portion of land that the female fri end used t o render assistance
in tim e of harvest .

A l l marri ed women were also engaged in their husband s farm ’

and the harmony that usual ly prevai l ed between them and the
young peopl e wa s very remarkable .

Young men were not al lowed to m arry until they could give
their father 1 0 heads of cowries equal in those days to £ 1 0 st erling
, .

They were se l dom married before the a g e of 3 0 and the young

women not before 2 0 Promiscuous marriages were not a ll owed
, . ,

freeborn must be married to freeborn slaves t o S laves and , ,

foreigners t o foreigners E xcept amongst the I g b On a s c on s a n

.

g uin eo u s a ffinity however remot e was n o t allowed .

P r ivileg es of t h e Grea t —Kings and nobles who kept hare m s

.

were exempted from this rule o f a ffinity they were at liberty t o

m ultiply wi ves from any tribe and these wi ves might be of any
,

condition of life It was the pride of Kings t o fil l their harems

.

with w omen of every description such as foreign women slaves

, , ,

hostages daughters of c r im in a ls given as the price of redemptio n

, ,

or seized in co n fis c a t ions dwarfs al b in o es hunch backs and any

, ,
-

other in whose persons there shoul d appear any signs of l n s u s

’

n a t u r es
. S uch beings being considered unnatural were the King s
, ,

peculiar property H ence the saying Ob a n i ij e Or g (it is Kings

.

who are t o feed on the uncommon ) .

1 04 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE YO RU B AS

OY O M A R KS
1 06 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS

§ (b) FA CIAL M A R K S .

The facial marks are for the purpose of distinguishing the

various Yoruba fami l ies Of thes e on l y those of the principal
.
,

ones can be indicated They are designated —(a ) Abaj a (b)

.
,

K ek e or G g m b o (c Ture (d ) Pele (e) Mand e and (f ) J a m g b a d i

’

, , , .

I The O Y O marks are z— The Abaj a K ek e or G om b g

.
,
'

Ture .

(a ) T h e A baj a are s ets of three or four parallel and horizontal

lines on each cheek they may be S ingle or double each line ,

being from half an inch to one inch long

- -

Lines in s ets of three

The double sets ar e those of the R oyal Family of 1

Oy g the
single that of the older line of B a gor un s .

Lines in sets of four

These mar ks di stinguish som e noble famili es of Oy o .

V ariations of these marks are m ade by adding three p er p en di

c ul a r lines to them as a family distinction thus

01

The latt er of these is common amongst the I b gl g s and E pos .

( )
b The K ek e or G o m b g consists of four or five perpendic ul ar

and horizont al l ines placed angularly on each cheek ; they

occupy the whole space between the auricle and the cheek bone ;
three sm all perpendic ul ars are al so placed on the horizont al
lines on both cheeks thus

1
B esides the above broad ribbon m arks termed Ey g drawn
,

along the whol e l ength of the arms and l egs are distinctive of the
R o y al F ami l y o f OY g F or whereas hom eborn slaves and others
.

c l ose l y re l ated to R oyal ty m ay have the facial marks distinctive

of the house t o which they belong the Ey g m arks are reserved ,

strict l y for those act ual l y o f R oyal blood .

 MA N N E R S A ND C U STO MS 1 07

A vari ation o f this is sometimes made by adding on the left

cheek the I ba m u i e a line running aslant from the bridge of the
. .

nose to the horizontal lines This al so is for the purpose of distin

.

g uis h in g a family .

When the lines are rather bold the m ark is t erm ed K ek e , ,

when fine and faint it is term ed G g m b g The K ek eo r G g m b g .

is a common mark o f all Oy es and o f the E gb a d o tribe .

(0) The T a r e consists of four perpendicular l ines somewhat like

the G g m b g but longer with the three small perpendiculars
, ,

but without the horizont al s .

(d ) The P ele are three short perpendic ul ar lines over the cheek
bones each about an inch long They are not distinctive
, .

of any partic ul ar fami l y but are used generally by som e men

,

who disapprove o f tribal distinctions usual ly Moslems but are , ,

l o t h t o remain plain faced e g

-

, . .

(e) (f ) The Mand e and J a m g b a di are no longer in use ; the

latter is said to be distinctive of aliens naturalized amongst
Yorubas .

These are the principal facial marks The other principal .

Yoruba fami l ies are distinguished by a slight variation of these

marks
I I Egba m arks —
. The A baj a 0r d i e the upright A baj a . .

is distinctive of the E gbas They consist of three perpendicul ar

.

lines each about 3 inches l ong on each cheek The younger .

generations however have their lines rather faint or of shorter

, ,

lengths undistinguishable from the Pele .

I I I The Eg b a d o marks are the sam e as the Oy o marks

.

generally as this fami l y remained in close connection w1 t h Oy e

and in their all egiance to the Al afin long after the break u p of the -

kingdom and the establishment of tribal independence

, .
1 08 TH E HISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RUB AS
IV
Owu . marks Thes e are of t wo kinds both bein g
.
,

Oy g —
variations o f m arks They are ( ) A baj a Olowu an d
a .

(b) K eke Olowu .

(a) The Abaj a Olow u are three horizontal lines surmounte d

by three perpendiculars each about one and a hal f inches long -
.

(b) The K eke Olo wu is like the K ek e or G gm b g with the lines

di screte or int errupt ed .

V
Ij ebu marks are al so of two kinds (a ) the first is m uch like
.

the A baj a Olowu (the tribe from which they are partly descen d ed)
but with the horizontals curved .

(b) The other is the Abaj a 01 6 of the Egbas . The form er is

more distinctive of I j eb u s .

VI I fe
m arks are three horizontal lines like those of the
.

original B a gg r un s mar ks each being shorter about hal f inch

’
-

, ,

long O therwise If es are usuall y plain faced

. .

VII
The Ondos and I d o ko s have only one bold l ine or
.

rather a gash about one and a half inches to two in ch es long over
each m alar bone .

VI I IThe I j egas as a r ule h a ve no distinctive marks they

.

are mostly plain faced ; som e famili es however are dis -

, ,

t in g uis h ed by having on each cheek 5 or 6 horizontal lines .

They are closel y drawn and much longer than any Oy g mark , ,

e .
g .

Amongst the B i ons an E kiti family the l ines are so many

,
I I O THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the youngest present acts the part of a servant an d waits on his
seniors and whether the food be sufficient or not care was usually
taken to leave som e portion for him .

The staple articles of diet are yarn an d yam flo ur corn and .

corn flour beans of various kinds cassava sweet potatoes etc

, , , , .

Only the well to do c an a f ford to indulge in fl esh diet daily the

- -

poorer people are mostly vegetarians except when animals are ,

slaughtered for sacrifice they seldom partake of meat ; gam e ,

however is pl entiful
, D wellers on the coast have a plentiful
.

supply of fis h .

Of fruits the principal are — The shea fruit in the plain the ,

Or o (I r ving a B a r ter i H ook) in forest lands The Or i or blac k .

plum (ver ben acea cun ea ta) locust bananas plantains pawpaws , , , , ,

oranges lime (C itron ) pine apples the well known kola nut and
, ,
-

,
-

,
' '

the bitter kola (g ar czm a kola H eckel) ground nuts (A r a chis hyp og ea)
'
-

etc Their drink consists of pal m wine bamboo wine and beer
.
, ,

made from the guinea corn or fro m maize .

(d ) D R E SS
The Yorubas clothe themselves in loose flowing robes like the
people of the E ast whence indeed they trace their origin The
, .

men wear gowns vests and a very free and ample kind of tro users
, ,

called S ok ot o In lieu of the gown som etim es a sheet of cloth

.

three yards by two is thrown around the body for a covering ,

passing under the right arm pit and overlapping over the left -

shoulder .

In ancient times the gowns were m ade very plain and were
of purely native manufacture They were without embroidery .

on the breast and around the neck as at present only kings and
chiefs wore gowns m ade of superior stu ffs richly embroidered .

The covering for the common people is called El eg ed e The .

weavers have a standard of breadths for all home made cloths -

.

’
Men s coverings are made of 1 4 breadths and women s of 1 0
’

, ,

of about 5 inches each Cloths of Wide breadths— say about a .

yard— were fir st imported from Or o or 1 151 in the I gb o m in a

province and were known as Akoko cloths being chiefly the pro
,

duction of Akoko women hence the practice spread all over the
country for women to manufacture broad width cloths and men ,

narrow ones Formerly only m en were weavers and tailors but

‘

. ,

from intercourse with other nations the women now engage in the
sam e craft .

The vest spoken of above is known as ku kn m g over which the

gown or loose cloth is thrown It is sleeveless and without a collar .
,

and open in front it may be made of any kind of native stu f f ,

 MA N N E R S A ND C U STOMS I I I

but that which is made of Al ari (Crimson dye) or of S fim a y a n

(rough silk) is the most respectable as it is at the same time most ,

costly .

Another kind of vest is t ermed E wa ; this is m uch li ke the former ,

but with sleeves ; it is more commonly used in modern times ;

in ful l dress it is often worn under the gown and is a l ways made of ,

white stu f f .

There is another form which seems to be of foreign importation

used only by big men it is full of pleats below reaching t o the
c al ves but the S leeves are very ampl e and long about 1 2 inches
, ,

longer than the arms very wi de at the end It is called D andogo

,
.
,

and is worn in lieu of the gown .

Togo is a sleeveless dress like kukum g but sm aller and simpl er

’
it is the soldier s dr ess and is often worn with a turban wrapped
round for a belt .

There are three sorts of gowns the S uliy a Agbada and Girike , , .

The S ul iy a is the smal lest plainest and lightest always m ade ,

of white materi al it reaches m uch below the knee open at the

, ,

sides with the arm stretched the sleeve woul d reach as far as the
,

wrist but long and pointed below The Agbada is a l arger form
, .
,

al ways made of dyed or coloured stu f f It reaches as far as the .

ankles m uch embroidered at the neck an d breast open at the

, ,

sides and quite covers the arms The Gir ike is the largest and
, .

h ea vI es t it is like the Agbada but more ample ; it is much

,

embroidered reaching also as far as the an kles and ext ends

, ,

beyond the arms .

Trousers (c alled Sokoto) are made of di fferent shapes and

lengths but all are kept round the waist by a strong cord They
, .

are worn below the vests They consist of the following .

(a ) L a d ug bo is the commonest worn by young and working ,

men it is quit e free but somewhat tight at the knee where it

, ,

terminates It is now out of fashion

. .

(b) A ibgp o al so common worn by all classes It is free b ut

, , .

tightened towards the knee where it terminates .

( ) The A long o This is tight throughout and is not unlike a

c
’
.
,

bishop s gaiters It reaches below the knee and is used chiefly

.
,

by sportsmen .

(d ) The Kaf o I s a tight legged dress like the Alongo but reaches
‘
-

as far down as the an kles It is worn by warriors and r uffians .

generally .

(e) The K em be This is m ade like the A ib g p o but richl y

.

embroidered about the legs with threads of crimson dye This .

is the kind usually worn by nobles and gentlemen .

(f) The Ef a or A ben ug ba ng ba The name (wide mouthed) well .

-
1 1 2 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
describes the natur e of the tro users It is a kind that is very .

free longer than the A ib g p o is som ewhat shaped li ke E uropean

, ,

trousers but stops short a little below the knee

, .

(g ) The Wond o is m ade entirely like the E uropean tro users .

Though once fashionabl e yet is now entirely out of use , .

(h ) The last is the A g ad an gi This is adopted from the N up es .

,

by whom it is commonl y used It extends from the waist to .

the ankles it is very free throughout save at the an kles where

it terminates and is heavily embroidered there It is often m ade .

of two or three yards wide (som etim es more ) so that when the feet
are thrust in at either end and the cord drawn above it gathers , ,

into a large volume between the legs .

The men s head gear is usu ally a cap (Fil a) of which there are
’
-

two kinds the ordinary fil a which is about 1 0 inches long rath er ,

close fitting an d is ben t upon itself on the t O p The turban is

, .

gener al ly woun d round it by M os lems and full dressed gentlemen -

.

The other kind is used gener a lly by young folks and is c alled ,

P ita A b et i i e the ear covering cap

’
. . It is s haped like the sector
-
.

of a circle the pointed ends being used—as its nam e denotes — for
,

covering the ears in cold weather But when used otherwise the .

pointed ends are tur ned fore an d aft the point on the fo rehead ,

being tilted up in a sporting m anner to Show the under surface -

prettily done up with cloths of bright colo uring it is then t ermed

L a bdn kadd .

H ats m ade straw and ornamented with coloured leather are

of ,

worn solely for protection from the sun : the crowns are large
enough to accommodate the turbaned head .

The women s dress is much simpler t wo or three wrappers

’

and a head dress or circlet complete their toilet Unm arried .

women generally use t wo wrappers the under wrapper being fixed ,

abo ve the breasts This is m ade of fine cl oth and is heavier

. .

The upper is fixed abo ut the middle of the body and i s m ade of
lighter cloth To these m arried women add a third used as a
. ,

shawl or cover ing for the head an d back U nderneath all these
,
. ,

an d immediately next the body is worn from the age of puberty

a short apron or petticoat reaching the knees and tied roun d the ,

waist with a strong cord or band T his is called Tobi . .

F emale headgear consists of a band o f about 6 to 1 0 inches ,

wide and 5 feet long (more or less ) This is wound twice round .

the head and tucked on one side It m ay be of plain cloth .

or costly as S h e can a fford

,
Well to do ladi es use velvet .
- -

cloths .

H ats are used only as sunshades the crown is sm all for the head
but the rim is as wide as a n open umbrella .
1 1 4 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
The ceremony of betrothal is a very important one ; it is
generally performed in the night when al l the most important ,

members of the family on both sides will be at leisure to be present ,

as well as their intimate friends The young man is to present .

4 0 l arge kola nuts some m oney and several pots of beer for the
, ,

entertainment of those present The ko l a nuts have t o be split .

-

and all present as well as important absentees must have a share

of them indicating thereby that they are witnesses of the betrothal
, .

From this day the girl is not to m eet her fian c é or any m ember of
,

his family without veiling o r hiding her face .

T hen follows what is known as the A 11 5 or dowry The .

bridegroom elect has to present to the parents of the intended

-

bride choice ko l a nuts some al ligator pepper and bitter kolas ‘

,
-

, , .

Also a fine wrapper of good qu a lity a large covering cloth , ,

a head tie and some money according to his ability Well to do

, .
- -

families rarely require more than 1 0 heads of cowries in these

days in earlier times one head was considered ample— only as
,

a token .

Whatever variations m ay be in these presents the kol a n u t s of ,

~

both kinds and the alligator pepper are inv a riable and essenti a l .

’
If the girl happens to be doing debtors service at the time the ,

young man will pay the debt and releas e her before t h e marriage ,

can take place .

This event (the betrothal ) is also an occasion of rej oicing ,

feasting and o ffering of sacrifices The parties themselves are

,
.

to carry special propi t iatory sacrifices o ff ered to the evil one .

This is term ed Eb g Iya wo i e A bride s sacrifice . .

’
.

—
3 M a r r i ge
. a (I gb ey a wo) Marriages may be solem nized at
. .

any tim e of the year except during the fasts but the most usu a l
, ,

tim e is after the season of harvest and following the E g figu n ,

festival .

The bride is conducted to her new hom e a lways in the night ,

attired in her best with a thin white cloth for a vei l and attended ,

by her companions all well clothed with drums a n d singing a n d , ,

dancing The bridal party is met at the entrance gate of the

.

’
brid egroom s compound by a female band of the house speci a lly
selected for the purpose a n d by them the ceremony of w as hing ,

the bride s feet is performed and then the bride is liter a lly lifted
’

and borne int o the house H ence the term for marri a ge Gbe .

Iyawo i e lifting or carrying the bride S he is then conducted

. . .

into the bathroom where she is washed rubbed down perfum ed , , ,

1
is reall y not dowry but symbols of fu ture re l ationship
T his
between both families .
 M A NN E R S A ND C U ST O MS 1 1 5

and dr essed up afresh and th en conducted into the apartment of

,

the head lady of the house S he n ow becom es the inmat e of that .

house for life .

The bride is usual ly brought with her idols and furnished from ,

her hom e with every thing that appertains to the fem al e depart
'

ment of house keeping including cooking utensils brooms and

-

, , ,

other articles for house use .

If she gives satisfaction t o her husband and fri ends presents , ,

are sent on the next day t o her parents she herself is covered ,

wi th trinkets (consisting chiefly of corals and other costly beads ,

gold nec kl aces where they are obtainab l e etc ) and the festivities , .

continue for at least three days .

A bride wh o is found unchast e is rather h ardly used and som e

times severe l y punished to the extent of having her tied 1 and
severely flogged thus compell ing her to name h er Vio l ator so as
,

t o have him severe l y fined No orn aments are allowed h er .

an d Sh e m ay be ordered to perform errands out of doors unveiled ,

the next day or m ay be sent out with a pitcher f o r water Other

,

wise a bride is n eVer seen out of doors for 1 2 m onths at least

,

after her marriage except closely veiled and with attendants

, , .

In the case of Mos l ems l it urgical forms of ceremonies are per

'
,

form ed by t h e p r ies t in the house or in the mosque This is .

termed I s ay ig i S uch women alone in former times had the

- -

privilege of covering their head with a light shawl when out

of doors but the practice has n ow been extended to all mar ried
women .

Wid owho od a n d R eni a r r zag e —Three m onths is the period of

'

mourning in Yoruba during which tim e widows rem ain closely

,

indoors they m ay S pin dye or do any hom e work but must d o , , ,

nothing that will take them out of doors Am ong other signs of .

widowhood is an entire absence of personal attention they neither ,

bathe n or d o up their hair nor change t h e c l oth they had on at ,

the tim e of the husband s death ’

.

This period over they are O pen t o o f fer o f m arriage from m embers
,

of the deceased husband s family Where there are several ’

.

wom en the heir (usually the eldest s o n o r younger brother) who

,

succeeds to th e headship of the house usually inherits the m aj ority ,

o f the wom en except o f course his own m other The custom

,
.

is for each man to send his chewing stick (tooth brush) round t o
the woman of his choice she is expect ed m odestly t o decline ,

1
Th is gave rise t o the proverb T ani d e 9 ti 0 nka g kg ie . .

wh o has tied y o u that y o u begi n t o nam e a Vio l ator The eq uiva

l ent of Ou i s exca s e s a ccn s e
-
’ ’
.
 1 6 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
it once or t wice but if she refused it the third time the refusal ,

is ta ken as final .

The following peculiarities m ark Yoruba wedded life

1 Wom en are never really m arried twic e they m ay be inherited
.

as widows or taken for a wife outside the late husband s family

,
’

but the m arriage ceremony is never gone over again under any
circumstances .

2 Once m arried they are att ached f o r ever to the house and
.

f amily of their deceased husbands hence it is more usual for widows

to choose another husband from the sam e family .

3 N o woman is without a husban d except in extreme old age

. , ,

but every woman must in any case have a m ale protector who is
responsible for her .

4 D .ivorc e is very rare s o rare as to be practic al ly considered

as n o n existing I t is by no m eans easily O btained especially

-
.

when there are children o f the union .

The causes that m ay lead t o a divorce are z— Adultery with th e

husband s blood relation kleptomania repeated ins olvency
’

, , ,

especially such as m ay bring trouble to the house A woman .

m ay apply for a divorc e for extrem e cruelty which can be testified ,

t o and ill usage

,
-
.

B u t these causes notwithstanding a divorce is never granted by

the r ul ers of the town until all possib l e m eans of reclamation have
been exhausted .

5 A wom an divorced from her husband can never be m arried

.
,

or taken up leg al ly by another m an ; hence the saying A ki igu

Op o al aye (no one can inherit the r el ict o f a living m an )
'

U nder purely N at ive Go ver n m en t the above rules still hold

.

good .

OT H E R RE C O G N I ZE D FO R MS OF M A RR IAG E
There are cases in which all the above forms and ceremonies are
not gone through and yet the wo m a n is regarded as the lawful
, __

wife of the man o f her C hoice Mutual consent is the only thing .

indispensable Of such cases som e m ay be girls who when of

.
,

a ge will not accept the m an C hosen for them from childhood

, ,

except on e of thei r o wn choice S ome m ay be wi dows who failed .

to be m ated at the house o f her late husband S ome may b e .

slaves wh o have redeemed themselves or a capti ve o f war or , ,

’
one bought t o be made a wife of In all such cases the wom an s .
,

free consent and the recognition o f her by the m embers of the

,

man s family are all that is required for her t o be rega rded as the
’

m an s lawful wife
’
.

There is a third form of mar riage which is more comm on among

1 1 8 THE H IST O R Y OF THE YO RU B AS
s p ecies sweet potatoes koko (colocasia an t iquor um ) pepper piper
, , , , ,

c a labashes and other kinds of gourds co f fee cocoa kola nuts , , , ,

vegetables of all sorts for home consumption cotton for weaving , ,

etc .

When a plot has been worked with rotation of crops for a

f ew years it is left to lie fallow for some years whilst contiguous
,

plots are put under cul tivation and so on alternately manuring ,

is unknown Th e soil is rem ar kably fertile under present system

. .

Women and ch il d ren assist in reap ing and in bringing harvest

home N o beasts of burden are employed in agric ul tural operations
. .

All farmers and men of any im po rtance have general ly smaller

-

farms nearer home Oko E tile and a more distant one generally
in the fores t Oko Eg an When engaged in the nearer one
.
,

they work from 6 or 7 a m t o 5 p m with intervals for m ea l s and

. . . .
, ,

then return home but at the distant farm they invariab l y ,

remai n there f o r weeks and months before returning home .

R egular farmers do so only at the annua l festiva l s In these .

.

farms not only are fruits of the earth cultiv ated but al so po ultry
,

and smaller catt l e are rear ed for the market F airs are held period .

icall y in some central farm markets where these products are dis
posed o i to market women from surrounding towns and villages .

Although the soil is well adapted for raising fruits yet fruit ,

trees are rare l y cultivated for the supply of m arkets .

C o mm er ce — Commerce com es next in the order O f importance .

Yorubas are keen traders they are to be found in every part of

,

neighbouring cou ntries for that purpose A large trade is carried .

'

on by barter Cowry shells the medium of exchange being t oo

.
, ,

clumsy for lar ge transactions are used only for small exch a nges ,

locally ; t h e very small S pecies are used by travel l ers Costly .

beads are used by many on distant j ourneys for trade they are ,

val ued as precious stones Thus the products of the north are
.

given in exchange for those of the south and those of Yoruba ,

land for those of neighbouring states always by barter Both .

sexes a r e engaged in trade but each in his own line .

C ur r en cy — Metallic cur rency was unknown previous l y to the

arrival of E uropean traders and even as l ately as 1 8 97 in places
,

far o ff from the coast coins were regarded more or less as a curiosity .

Silver was better appreciated than gold or copper because it can ,

be converted to ornaments Silversmiths abound in the country

.

whilst there were no goldsmiths S hel ls then stood for money .

and are thus c al culated

4 0 co wries
5 0 strings
1 0 heads
 MA N N E R S A ND C U STO MS 1 1
9

The value of a cowry was never fix ed Countries nearer t h e .

coast can obtain them with gr eater facility than those inland ,

and therefore they are of higher val ue in the interior but since
the B r itish occupation of Lagos the princip al port of the Yoruba
country and E nglish coins began to circulate in the co untry
, ,
”
the rate of exchange became practically fix ed at 6 d for a head .

(the usual standard of cal c ul ation ) i e cowries hence 3d . . .

C OWl l eS But copper s being considered inferior in val ue on e

'

.
,

penny is taken at 300 co wr ies each 3 d in C O p p er s then woul d be .

900 cowries . Co wries are an absol ute necessity at the present

stage of the country and shoul d be used p a r i p as s n with coins
,

for purchases below one penny Fr uits herbs and sma l l articles
.
, ,

of food m ay be purchased for a f ew co wries beggars collect them ,

by two s and thr ee s from passers by and thereby earn enough

’ ’

to keep l ife going to what extent they are rare t o that ex t ent ,

the har dshi ps of life are felt in the land .

.

The custom of stringi n g C owries was for the facility of counting

large sums they were usu al ly str ung by 2 00 in 5 strings of 4 0
each three of 6 6 or t wo of 1 00 each and with a discount of one per
,

cent .

E s n s u is a univers al custom for the clubbing together of a number

of persons for monetary ai d A fix ed sum agreed upon is given
.

by each at a fixed time (usu a ll y every week) and place under a ,

president the total amo unt is pai d over to each member in rotation .

T h is enables a poor m an to do something worth while Where a

l ump sum is required There are l aws regulating this system
. .

Wea ving — This al so is carried on by both sexes but in diff erent

styles of manufacture Men weave cloths of narrow breadths
.

about 5 % inches wi de called A la we The loom is O perated upo n .

with both ha nds and feet the thr eads of the war ps are so arranged
that they open and close by a mechanic al contrivance worked
by both feet moving alternately as the pedals of a n harmonium ,

whilst the shuttle about 8 by 2 inch es carrying the woof is

tossed and caught by the right and left hand alternately t h rough
the opening the disengaged hand being rapidly used in ramming
,

in the thread The cloth is woven in one long strip and then cut
.

to the require d l engths and tacked together .

’
T a ilor ing is done mostly by m en only as it is only m en s dress
which requires a tailor It includes embroidery made in the neck
.

a n d breast of men s gowns

’
Women being wrapped in plain
.

cloths hardl y requir e tailoring The stitches are m ade the

.

contrary way to that of E ur opean tailors the needl e being pushed ,

away from the seamster and not towar d himself

, .

I r on S m elt ing was carried on more largely in earlier t han in

1 20 TH E H ISTO R Y O F TH E YO R U B AS
modern times Certain districts are rich in iron ores its iron
.
,

production gave its name to the city of I l g r in from I lg ir in iron , ,

grinding also to El et a a district of Ibadan E ta being the term

,

for iron ore Cert ain districts in the E kiti province are also famous
.

for their iron ores from which good steel was m ade such as O KE ,

M E SI Charcoal from hard woo d and the shells of p al m nuts are

.
,

the m ateri als generally used for generating the great heat required
for the furnace (c alled I ler u) which is kept going all the year round .

Iron rods and bars of E uropean commerce being cheaper are fast
displacing home made products and here and there all over the
-

country the furnaces are being closed and soon will doubts begin ,

to be expressed as to whether Yorubas ever kn ew the art of smelting

iron from the ores
Other products of the mines e g gold silver tin etc are not . .
, , , .
,

known among the Yorubas .

S m ith ery is c arried on largely B efore the period of intercourse .

with E uropean s all articles m ade of iron and steel from weapons
, ,

of war to pins and needles were of hom e manufacture but the

cheaper and more finished articles of E uropean m ake especial l y ,

cutlery though less durable are fast displacing home m ade wares -

There are also brass and copper smiths wh o make ornaments

from thes e materi als for this purpo se brass and C Op p er bars are
import ed from foreign parts .

Wor ke r s in lea t her were formerly their own tanners each one ,

learns to prepare for himself whatever leather he wants to use ; ,

black white green yellow and brown are the prevailing colours
, , , ,

given to leather They are n ow largely imported from H ausa

.

land principal ly from Kano

, .

E very worker is expected to know and to be ab l e to execut e ,

the various crafts performed with leather e g saddl ery sheaths , . .

,

to swords and knives leather ornaments on hats waistbands for ,

chil dren leather cus h ron s bolsters boots and shoes sandals etc
, , , , ,
.

It may be remarked that shoes and boots are used only by riders
on horseback and therefore they are al ways made with spurs
,

i mmovably fixed upo n them .

M us ic is a favourite pastime and gives occupation to many ,

bo th men and boys .

M usicians also have first to learn h ow to m anufact ur e the '

instruments they have to perform upon hence each one can easily ,

repair a damaged instrument .

Yoruba m usic has yet t o be st udied and reduced t o a s ys t em

by a competent musician ; h ow essential this is can eas ily be
recogniz ed when we consider h ow much time and trouble is spent
in acquiring the art and h ow much the practice of it enters into
,
1 22 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
they being under the special protection of the King They are .

expect ed to be at the King s service when required but it m eant

’

death to any of them ii the poison given t o the King for his use
-

upon his enemies did not take fatal e f fect .

There was also a particular fami l y of Ef g n descent l iving at

one time at O Y O sai d t o have belonged to the On d a s a tribe Their .

great ancestor was said to have been invited to the capital by

one of the early Kings of O Y O for medic al advice when all his
'

wi ves were barren H is prescriptions were successful a n d s o he

.
,

was detaine d at O Y O a n d rewarded with a high rank and position

in the p al ace am ongst the cers H is descendants .

are now distinguished from O r g by the tot em Og g

(a club) being a ffixed
The art o f medicine is ( 1 secr et by those who

profess it ; an incr ease of knowl edge can only be gained by an

interchange of thoughts between brother professionals ; many
die without imparting their secrets to others and thus much ,

valuable knowledge i s entirely lost B u t som e do impart their .

secret to those of their childr en male o r fem al e wh o show special

aptit ude for such knowledge and whom they particularly l eve .

On the whole we can unhesitatingly assert that those men

who are specialists in on e or t wo particular branches but wh o do
not make the practice o f m edicine a profession can be more con
fid en t l y relied upon .

C a rp en t ry is in a very backward condition O f j oinery they .

have no idea what ever Carpenters are c al led Gb en a g b en a

. .

They are the crudest and most primitive of h andicraftsmen their

services are n o t much in requisition .

C a r ving in wood is executed in a rather primitive wa y but such

natural genius is displ aye d by some m en t h a t it is a matter of , t

surprise that such artistic achievements can be displ ayed by an

illiterate person and with too l s so S imp l e and primitive
, .

T h e Yorubas of the Eg b a d o district are said to be the best artists

.

in the country T hey certainly have in

.

suitable for carving purposes .

C a la ba s h dressers are a l ways found in

pl ying their trade all sorts of geometri
cut in calabashes some designs are
be autiful N ames mottoes and phrases are burnt into calab ashes
.
, ,

by educated artists figures on l y by the uneducated These

,
.

designs are recently being imitated by E uro p eans under the term
of P oker Wor k .

S ea m an s h ip — There are very few large rivers in Yoruba land

and nearly all of them fordable during the dry season consequently ,
 MA NN E R S A ND C U ST O MS 1 2 3

o n ly in coast towns and on the N iger are ca n o em en found wh o

make any pretence t o seamanship .

When the inland rivers are S wol l en by rains l arge bow l s a n d ,

very l arge calabashes are used in ferrying passengers across The .

passengers sit on them with their luggage with the ferryman in the ,

water pushing the freight across

, .

All canoes ar e dug out from large trees Our ca n o em en canno t .

reall y be cal l ed experts as they rarely sail out of sight of land

, ,

and canoes can ill endure any storm or tempest ; nevertheless ,

when war canoes are rigged up and m anned they are handled with ,

no little s ki l l in their fights sham or real In the title of A rom ir e .

(i e one in friend l y terms w1 t h water ) we have preserved a C hieftain

. .

who ranked as an admiral in the olden days of sea fights .

F is he r ies — D eep sea fishing is but little practised t h e rivers ,

a n d lagoons fur nish all that they can harvest S hrimps and oysters .

ar e p l entiful in their season The fishing industry is of course

.

confined to coasta l towns and as ther e are no means of supplying

,

inland towns the con sumpt ion of the fresh article is confined t o
the coast .

B u ild in g as a profession is almost unknown houses as a rule

ar e bui lt by men clubbing together but there ar e always a f ew ,

experts among them in particular lines either in buildi ng the mud ,

w a ll s or in roofing and they distribute themselves accor dingly .

Thes e ar e always in r equisition wh enever they can be spared

from their farms Large works are u n d er t akefi id arranged for
. ,

when all hands can convenient l y be spar ed from their farms .

P as t or a l Wor k as a profession is carri e d on o nl y in the northern

provinces m or e suited f or that purpose from the extensive plain
and pasture land of those regi ons B u t very few Yorubas are .

found engaged in it G a m b ar is (i e H ausas) are generally engaged

. . .

by the chiefs t o tend their cattle .

The bar bers and r op em a ker s are also mostly H ausas and
F ul a n ié : these ar e crafts rarely practised by Yorubas
'

These H ausas al so perform som e minor surgic a l operations

such as cupping bone setting tapping hydroceles etc S ome
,
-

, , .

are even oculists and profess t o be able t o operate for cataract

, .

It goes without saying that much mischief is often done by their

crude performances They are unskil led and the instruments
.

u sed are rather clumsy I t is a wonder that more mischief

.

is not done or that they occasiona l ly get good results at al l

, .

O C C U PATI O N S OF W O ME N
I t is S pecial l y the province of women adva nced in ag e to see d
cotton and spin thread The former is do n e by rolling out t h e
.
1 24 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
seeds from the wool between a smooth log of hard wood and a
po l ished iron rod the latter by weighting a thin rod of about
,

1 2 inches l ong with a small ball of clay about 1 inch distant from one

end attaching the cotton to the other end and se t ting the ball spin
,

ning like a top the wool being rapidly drawn out to the required
,

fineness S eeded cotton is rendered fl uffy for spinning by being

.

attached to the string of a bent bow and the string constantly ,

pulled as if shooting an arrow These operations being an occupa

.

tion of a sedentary nature and more suitable for old women are
,

performed by them leisurely all d ay R eels of spun thread are .

s old to dyers .

Aged women who reside in the farms also em ploy t heir time
in shelling the kernels from the p al m nuts and al so tending ,

poultry goats and sheep for the market

, .

Dy eing is done by women They buy a quantity of the yarn

.
,

bleach and dye them in various colours and sell them to the ,

weavers male or femal e The commonest colour is blue or blue

, .

black from the indigo dye The preparation of indigo balls for
.

the market is also an important industry Women are equally .

with m en engaged in trading and weaving ; but where as men

weave in sma l l breadths and carry on their occupation in courtyar ds
or secluded squares in the streets where they can stretch their
warp 2 0 yards or more the women on the contrary fix their
,

looms in the piazza of the house close t o the door of their apart ,

m ents where they may be seen sitting on the ground with their ,

legs in a hole under the loom they weave the cloths in broad
pieces called Kij ip a t wo or three breadths forming a covering .

The warp is wound round t wo stout bamboo poles fix ed athwart

t wo strong upright posts top and bottom, There is a mechanism .

by which the threads can be m ade to cross each other The .

woof in rods o f about a yard long is p as s ed slowly right and left

as the warp is opened and separated one way and the other being ,

ramm ed down each tim e by a flat smooth sta f f .

B esides indigo dyes of l ight blue a n d dark shades the scarlet ,

called al ah ar l and ro ugh silk S am ay a n in grey are the prevailing

,

colours of Yoruba yarn .

P a lm oil m aking and nut oil making from the kernels of the palm
nuts as well as shea butter from the shea fruit are exclusive l y
,

female industries .

B eer br ewing from guinea corn or m aize is done also by women

-

for this they have a sheltered place within or near the compound
to insure protection against fire .

A large class rs engaged I n preparing articles of food They ar e .

purveyors of cooked food keepers of refreshment stalls and other

,
 1 26 THE H ISTO R Y or TH E YO RU B AS
are kept in the roy al service and are well supported The office .

is hereditary .

Like m any other heathen nations the Yorubas have their

tradition about the creati on and the de l uge It is their belief .

that at the creation m en fed on wood and water that they had a ,

long proj ecting mouth that the h a t was origin al ly a creature in

human form and wa s a black smith by trade and that wi th his
,
-

instrument he reduced m en s mouths to their present S hape for

’

which cause he wa s condemne d to lose the human form an d t o

assum e that of a beast and to use one and the sam e m o n t h for
,

receiving food as well as for evacuation The allegation that

‘

water wa s the original food of m an is supported by the fact that

it is the first thing taken by a new born babe as well as the las t -

,
’
thing t ak en at a man s dying moments .

(h ) WE ALT H Y P E R S O N AG E S
There were certain historical personages in Yoruba wh o were
noted f or their great we a lth viz A m o l o ku of 01 0 G ed eg b e of
, .
, ,

Of a La p em g of I j g m u near Or o On ib iyg of C ugur a Mini m i

, , ,

of Er u b u There is also a sixth spoken of who resided at Gbudu

. .

There was also a l ady known as the Ol owo of Ij ebu .

(i) T H E I WQ F A S YST E M A N D T H E LA ws R E G U LATI N G IT

The term I wgf a has no equivalent in E ngl ish It denotes one .

wh o serves another periodically in lieu of the interest on m oney

lent In short it is one in service for interest
.
,
.

It has been mistranslated a pawn by those who fancied

they s aw a resemb l ance t o it in that system and are trying t o ,

identify everything native with those that are foreign and c on s e ,

quently as in other S imilar cases m uch mischief has been done

, ,

thereby .

The Yoruba m an is sim ply S hocked t o hear o f pawning

a man as is done with goods and chattels to pawn in Yoruba is
‘

f i d og o which term is never applied t o a hum an being .

It has also been com pared to slavery by those ignorant of

the legal conditions ruling the system but an I wg f a is a free
man his social status rem ains the same his civil and political rights
, ,

are intact and he is onl y subj ect to his master in the sam e universal
,
”
sense that a borrower is servant to the lender .

I wg f as are he l d quite distinct from s l aves the verbs applied

t o each system m ark the distinction e g r d to buy is applied to . .

a slave y d to lend or engage (a hand) to an I wef a consequently

,

you c an buy a slave but engage an I wg f a or service man

, .

The derivation o i the ter m is probably from I wg the entering

 MA NN E R S A ND C U ST O MS 1 2 7

into and E f a a period of S ix days ; hence an I wef a is o n e wh o

,

enters into a recurrent sixth day service .

The I wOf a system is a contract entered into in the presence

of witnesses cal l ed On ig b g wg i e sponsors the money lender . .
,
. -

is term ed Ol u wa i e master and the worker I WQf a i e a service

. .
, , . .

m an .

It is a legal transaction recognized and protected by the laws of

the country Whatsoever the amount of money lent h is the
.
,

la w that the service rendered goes f o r the interest and on l y the ,

principal is paid back whenever payment is made whet h er after

a f ew days or after m any years .

An I wef a m ay be a man or a woman a boy or a girl and the , ,

laws for each di f fer accordingly .

A man I wo f a lives in his own house and plies his o wn trade '

but he is required to c l ean a piece of land equal to 1 00 yam

heaps o r a n equivalent in his m aster s farm once a week the ’

Yoruba week consisting o f fiv e days .

The peopl e being m a inly agric ul tural farm cleaning is the

. ,
-

work of their daily l ife and is the recogn ized ordinary system of
,

labour .

Cleaning three hundred heaps is the ordinary amount of an

average man s day s work consequently a strong m an often
’ ’

found it possib l e to work in three di f feren t farms o n the sam e

/
day for di ff erent m as ters or to do three we ek s work at a tim e i n
, ,

o n e f a r m a nd have 1 4 o ff days at a s t r et h in which he is free

,
e ,

t o fo l low his o wn trade without interrupt ion S pecial arrange .

m ents can also be m ade if a longer period is desired but the ,

I WOf a is bound t o make up for the number of days lost .

This is the ori ginal law but it is subj ect t o S light modification
,

or variation in various places according t o the local value o r the , ,

am ount of money l ent e g am ongst the Egbas a whole day s

’
. .
,

work is required ins t ead of a morning s wo rk B u t whatever ’

.

m odification of the origi nal law is m ade in any particular locality ,

the law for that tribe is al ways fixed by authority and n ever subj ect ,

to the whims and caprice of an indivi dual m oney lender -

The m aster is to treat the service m an as his social rank dem ands ,

he mingles freely with his equals in the h ous e or in the field a s

a m ember of the household A ki nd master o ften a l l ows him
.

his breakfast before he quits the field although he is n o t bound to

d o so and if a m aster be too ex acting or disagreeable he m ay be
, ,

changed any day without any previous notice once the m oney ,

lent is paid back in f ull .

Where the m aster is a great chief or a rich m an the service man ,

m ay live under his prot ection a n d o wn him his feudal lord he n ce :

“
 1 28 TH E H ISTO R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
som e m en never troubled themselves to pay back the m oney ,

but m ay rather incur further obligations being safe and free under ,

the protection of a great nam e S om e m en there are wh o are .

,

better able to d o another m an s work than their o wn ’

An I wg f a is never subj ect to punishment physical or otherwise ,

if he fail in his weekly service the sponsors are called upon to m ake
,

good the deficiencies .

In fine an I WQf a di f fers from a slave in that a Slave must live

with his m aster an I WQf a in his own house A slave can be
, .

compelled to work f or his m aster every day an I wg f a for a limited ,

amount o f work f or h a lf a day in the week and that not by com ,

pulsion but from obligations of honour A slave can be punished .

,

an I wg f a cannot be A slave has los t his independence and

.

political rights an I wg f a retains both

, A slave has n o one .

responsible for him an I wo f a has t wo at least In fine an I wof a

, .

can go and com e as he likes a slave cannot , .

For wom en the sam e law ho l ds good generally b ut with som e

modifications on account o f their sex ; they work generally as
char women once a week and have a m eal in the house before
-

ret urning home In some cases they m ay live among t h e wom en

.

folk in their m aster s house carrying on their own work and lending
’

, ,

a helping hand in the housework and in harvest time do their own

share o f the day s work in the field along with the other wom en
’
.

S ome are engaged in trade in which they sell f o r their master at

,

the sam e time and bring him the proceeds of his own articles
,

as the a l lotted service rendered When the trade is done in the .

hom e m arket payments are m ade every nine days which are
,

market days when out of town at the return of the caravan ,

.

If a service woman is tampered with by the master the m oney ,

is thereby considered absolutely paid and the debt discharged , .

If forced against her will not on l y is the debt cancelled but he

, ,

also liable t o prosecution and heavy fines besides to be paid

both t o the woman s husband as damages and t o the town author
’

ities as court fees .

If a young unmarried woman is tampered with not only is ,

the debt ip s o f a ct o discharged but the m aster has to repay the ,

f ia n ce all the m oney he has sp ent on her and also a betrothal

dowry to the par ents besides .

If the matter is not arranged amicably and the c as e has t o go

before the town authorities the m aster has to pay and heavy , ,

fines are inflicted on him besides Often has a rich m an been .

reduced to poverty by this means and consequently they are

always very careful .

If a betrothed girl becom es m arriageable whilst in service

 1 30 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E YO R U B A S
his son t o learn a partic ular trade would put him under the crafts
man for the p urpose and obtain from him a certain am ount of
,

money ; the master wishing to get his interest o ut of the boy

,

will s ee that he learns speedi l y and well so as to be of som e use

'

to him In this wa y both are benefited

. .

A chief o r a well t o do gentleman with a wild and unrul y son

- -

who m he wishes to tame or wh o is indul ged at home wo ul d al so

, ,

resort t o this m ethod for training and discipline ; in such a case

the boy will remai n with such a handicraftsm an until he is able t o
earn his own live l ihood by his craft then the m oney is paid back ,

and the b oy returns hom e .

This m ethod of lending money is the only one known f or invest

m ent and is therefore resorted t o as their banking system .

S o the I wg f a system m ay be regarded at one and the sam e

time as one for banking apprenticeship and domestic service
, , .

S ince the establishment of the British Protectorate t here

h a s been more than one attempt m ade t o abolish the system as
«

a species of slavery ! The Yorubas themselves never at any

t im e regarded it as such ; t o so regard it m ust be due either
t o an ignorance of t h e l aws regulating it or because an exact
l ,

equivalent ca nn ot be found in any E uropean system It can .

,

however be imagined what chaos will result in any E ur opean

,

country i f the banking system appr enticeship and domestic , ,

service were abolished at a stroke— ii that be possible Like any .

other system it may be reform ed if given to abuse that is more ,

reasonable and statesmanlike B ut to abolish it outright because .

it has no foreign analogue would be t o disorgan ize the soci al life

of a people with no compensating advantage to borrower or lender .

If such were done in t h is case the great est s uf ferers will be those -

it wa s intended t o benefit viz the service men themselves B ut

, .

with the country n ow settled and everyone free to prosecute his ,

business there must be less of money borrowing and service for

,

interest and thus a gradual change or modification is nat ural ly

,

e ffected in this system with no tendency to abuse

, .

§ (j ) DIST R AI N I N G F O R D E B T
The Yorubas have a peculiar method of forcing payment out .

of an incorrigible debtor When a creditor wh o has obtained .

j udgment for debt finds it impossible to recover any thing out

of the debtor he applies t o the town authorities for a licensed
,

distrai n or This individual is c alled Og o he is said t o d og o ti

.
,
’

i e t o sit on the debtor (as it were)

. . F or that purpose he enters . ,

the premises seeks out the debtor or es co n ces himself in his

’

, ,

apartm ent until he m akes his appear ance and then he makes ,
 MA N N E R S A ND C U STO MS 1 31

hi mself an intolerable nuisance t o him and t o the m embers of the

house generally until the m oney is paid .

The distrainor is a man of imperturbable temper but of a foul ,

tongue a veritable Thersites H e adopts any measur es he likes

,
.
,

sometim es by inflicting his presence and attention on the debtor

everywhere and anywhere he m ay g o denying him privacy of ,

any kind and in the m eantim e using his tongue m ost foully upon
,

him his own person being inviolable for touching him implies
, ,

doing violence to the person of the authorities who appoint him

t he task H e dem ands and obtains whatever diet he m ay require
. ,

however s um ptuous and m ay help himself if not quickl y served .

I f he thinks fit he m ay lay hold on any poultry or cattle he finds

,

in the premises and prepare himself food and all at the expense
, ,

of the debtor H e m ust not take an ythin g away but he m ay enj oy

.

the use of anything he finds in the house .

Loud in his abuses intolerable i n his m anners to all in the

,

house whilst going in and out with the debtor he goes on in ,

this wa y all day an d from day to day if needs be until even the
, ,

inmates of the compound get tire d of this and then m eans will ,

quickly be found of getting rid of the distrainor by paying o ff the

debt .

1
( )
2 WA R
In early times war expedi tions were sent out every other year by
the A LAF I N of OY g to distant countries ch iefly am ongst the Popos .

War then was for spoils and t o keep t h eir hands in and not for ,

captives the victors rarely pursued the vanquis h ed those wh o

conce al ed themselves behind heaps of rubbish or in any hiding ,

place in the town or in the fields were quite safe When a town .

was taken the shade trees about the principal m arket — which is
always in front of the o fiicial residence of the chief ruler o f the
town — are cut do wn as a Sign of conquest S lave rai ding and the .
-

tra hi e in hum an beings did not then exist Long sieges were .

un known for whether vict orious or defeated the pres ence of the
, ,

K akanfo or his corpse wa s expected hom e within 60 days .

There never was or has been a standing arm y nor any trained ,

soldiers (except at Ibadan latterly where the idea began t o

germinate an d som e of the chiefs had a num ber of their slaves
,

trained solel y for war som e chiefs had also a corps of boy s not ,

t o bear arms b ut t o be attendant o n them in battle in order to

, ,

fam ili ari z e them with the horrors of war I) B u t according to the
c ustom of the country every man capable of bearing arm s is
,

ex pected to serve in war but the l a w did not make it compul sory
except for m en of rank and title and for hom e defence , .
1 32 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
At the close of every war each one goes away t o his farm , ,

and except on an occasion of importance as when the King s

, ,
’

m essengers are to be received even the B al e and the B alogun ,

could not be found at hom e during the day at the busy seasons .

B efore the introduction of fir e ar ms (a comparatively recent -

a ffair) their weapons of war consisted of b ow a n d poisoned arrows ,

a short sword called n é and Ogb o a kind of heavy cutlass

used chiefly by the common people .

As sieges then were of short duration and always carried on

in the dry season there was n o necessity to provide against severe
,

weather ; the C hieftains general l y used awnings made of A y in

m ats S pread on four poles S ince sieges began to be carried on .

for m ore than 60 days booths of pal m branches have com e into ,

use and in later times even these have given wa y t o huts and
,

houses built of swish .

The preserved food used in earlier expeditions consist ed of .

parched beans and a sort of hard bread m ade of beans and corn
,

maize flour called A ka r a ku r u

( ) -
.

B y the rules of warfare p iy e or foraging wa s permitted The .

I b a d an s wh o m ore than an y of the others carried on war operations

, ,

for longer periods and over wider regions were accustom ed to

, ,

cultivate the lands all around their cam ps and in the neighbourhood
whenever a long siege was anticipated .

WA R T ITL E S A N D M E T H O D S
War titles are o f t wo grades senior and j unior but both , ,

are modelled on one and the sam e plan .

S en ior Gr a de —T h e B ALO G UN or Comm ander in Chief comes - -

first with his principal lieutenants the Otun and Os i that is ,

Generals commanding the right and the left wings then the ,

( p )
A gi a E k e
,
rin E ka r u n and E k efa i e the fourth fift h and sixth
, . .
, .

These comm and t h e veterans .

J u n io r G r a d e — The S E R I K I with his principal lieutenants also ,

viz the Otun Os i with the E k erin E kar u n and E k efa The se
.
, , , , , .

command the young warriors and those not attached t o any of the ,

greater war chiefs -

The A SAJ U is the leader of the van h e too has his lieutenan ts , .

The S A R U MI or chief of the cavalry and his m en form a clas s by

themselves ; he also has his B alogun of the cavalry with the ,

Otun Os i etc, , .

These tit l es constitute what is termed Oy e Ilu or Town

”
titles because they are conferred by Bal e or chief of the town and
,

the town council and they are all members of the t own council
,

with a right to S peak and vote .

1 34 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
chief although they lack that co ordination and precision of
,
-

m ovements which are the outcom e and advantages of discipline

and drill .

Ot h r s u bor d in a te t it les A r eag or o B ada Ajiy a

e
, , .

A r eag or o — This is the first title borne by a young chief of great

promise wh o as the heir o f a great wa r chief has j ust s ucceeded
, ,

to the headship of a great house I t is a stepping stone to one of .

-

the senior grade titles H e i s al ways attached to one of the .

se n ior chiefs as his a lter ego he represents his chief in the councils
,

and other import ant assemblies in the absenc e of the latter where ,

h e can speak and vote with equal right and authority hence the
”
saying A r ea g o r o ti 0 b a g b o j u t on ti Oluwa r e l egh era
’ ’

i e an A r eag or o wh o is bold is the equal of his m aster

. . An .

A r ea g or o rem ains as such only till a vacancy occurs in one of the

higher titles suitable for him .

B a d a — The title of B ada answers in many respects to a knigh t

of the middle ages H e is o n e wh o is expected to keep at least
.

one or two war steeds and a f ew followers at his own charges ,

t o be ready to take the field at a m oment s notice to be an a c c o m ’

p lis h ed horseman a skilful swordsman or lancer and to fight

, ,

always on horse back All the principal chiefs have each at least
-

a B ada The B adas stand in the order of seniority of their r es p ec

.

tive masters and form a corps by themselves .

A j iy d is a n o n — descript title borne by any j unior wa r chief wh o

cannot for the tim e being find a place among his peers H e is .

rather a free lance .

WA R CH I E F S I N B ATTL E
ARR A N G E M E N T OF TH E

The A gain or leader of the van comes first H is company .

begins the fight by skirmishing and provoking the O pposite party ,

.

H e is supported by a l l the B adas .

The S eriki comes next with his lieutenants in their proper order ,

and then the real pitched batt l e begins Last o f a l l com es the .

B a log un with his lieutenants The B alogun himself however .

, ,

does n ot take any active part at once until later on except , ,

t o watch the various m ovements and genera ll y to direct the

fight .

The d uties o f the cavalry are to reconnoitre t o hover about the ,

enemy watching for an opport unity they can take advantage of

such as a weak or an ungua rded point through which they can dash
t o break the ranks of the enemy and throw them into confusion ,
.

Al so to cover retreats on a defeat or t o cut o ff stragglers whe n

pursuing an enemy .

Occasiona ll y at the height of the battle a brave horse m an would

 MA N N E R S A ND C U S TO M S 1 35

demoralize the enemy by dashing suddenly into their midst and ,

r eturn with a captive o n his horse

The usual m ethod of a pitched battle is f o r all the war chiefs t o
be disposed each in his right place according to their rank and title
, , ,

or as the commander in chief disposes and then each in turn to

- -

m a rch forward company by company t o the middle line of battle

,

t o discharge their arms trying each time t o gain more g round

, .

This m ethod they call T awu s i B u t when later on the B alogun

.
,

himself rises to fight that denotes a general ch a rg e throughout

,

the whole host every man m ust be engaged in fight and where
ever he fixes the war standard every one is bound to dispose himself
,

about i t in due order H is going forward m eans that the whole

.

arm y m ust push forward at whatever cost for n o one whos e ,

right place is in front dares fall t o the rear of the B alogun except
when hor s d e com ba t .

T h e B a l e s war chiefs need not take any prominent part in the

’

fight but they guard the camp and baggage support weak points
, , ,

and make themselves useful generally as m en wh o m ust keep cool

heads while the others are engaged in the excitement o f a fight .

Their chief duty otherwise is t o act the part of a d vis m S and

/
-

moderators of rash and hot headed warriors -

A synopsis of the arrangem ent in battle :

Th e A SAJ U
S upported by all the B adas
Os i S eriki S E RI KI Otun S eriki
E k erin t o E kefa disposed as strategy requires
Os i B al ogun B ALO G UN Otun B alogun
Asipa E k erin t o E k efa disposed as strategy requires
, .

The O tun and O s i B ale and other older warriors are to guard
the rear camp and baggage and support weak points
, , .

War as a profession in this country was always said t o date from

the tim e of the F u l ani invasion and seizure of I l g r in when the
necessity arose for an organized resistance but the Yorubas generally
are not considered a fighting race although they have n ow and ,

again thrown up a general wh o would be considered disti n guished

in any race In the later period of their history circumstances
.

have brought things about that Ibadan becam e a centre for a l l

warlike S pirits of whatever tribe and consequently it is t o that
,

p l ace we have t o turn to see the development of warl ike proceedings

, .

H ow wa r is d ecl a r ed — E very expedition is supposed t o be sent

out by the King (A L AB I N) It is in his nam e wa r was gener al l y
.

declared and his permission or at any rate his assent m ust be

,

obtai ned before an arm y can march out .

 When it has becom e evident that a place is m arke d out for
an attack a system of exclusive de al ings is first established
,

between that town and its neighbours then follow preparations

for attack and defence and when plans are m at ured then
, ,

at the usual m eeting of the town council in the house of the chief
ruler the announcement is made
, .

The B alogu n (comm ander in chief) rising wo uld address - -

the assembled crowd outside and end with I leave (such and
such a place) at your m ercy H e is greeted with shouts of
.

applause and a day would be fix ed when the war staf f will be

,
-

taken outside the town walls The marching out of the B al ogun
.

is always so denoted as the wa r sta f f is always kept with him -

T he War S t afi or standard of war is a bamboo pole of about

four feet in length and 2 1} inches in diameter I t is wrapped all
, .

over with charms and am ulets and finished up with a globular ,

head the size of a large cocoa nut The size of course varies with
,
-
.

the cost I t is encased in leather with the charms hanging all

.

o ver it I t is always an obj ect of worship T o this day proper

. .
,

standards of war are procured from Ile I f e and are dedicated to

Or a fiya n H uman sacrifices were usu al ly o f fered to such standards
.

before they are t aken out to any campaign Whenever war is .

declared and it is to be worshipped priests and pries tesses are

, ,

al ways required for the purpose of o f fering the sacrifice .

T he P r op it ia t ion of Qr a ny a n —The victim is usually subj ected

.

to m uch inhuman treatm ent on these occasions before being

despatched With his hands tied behind his back he is led t o
.
,

the m arket place and there paraded from one spot to another
, ,

and made to do homage to the fetishes there and to invoke blessings ,

on the town and on the chiefs thereof As he could not conveniently .

prostrate himself before the gods in his bound condition he is ,

assist ed with a forked stick with which he is pushed violently

,

down from behind ! B ruised an d bleeding he is to receive ,

three strokes on the back with a rod before he is helped up

again
In this wa y the unfortunate one is soon exhausted he would
,

then be literally dragged along into the grove sacred to Or a fiy an ,

and there beheaded .

The blood is considered sacred and hence the comm ander in -

chief of the ar my wh o m ust be present on such occasions with

his sta f f of principal o ffi cers m ust com e forward with each of them
and have a touch of the blood to rub on their swords and after ,

them the common soldiers would all rush in for a drop to rub in
their hands for success in the wa r
, .

The cor p se is not to putrefy before t h e B alogun leaves t h e t own :

1 38 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
a faint glim pse of the popular ideas in regard t o another state of
existence .

If the family is wea l thy after a couple of months another ,

ceremony is gone through consisting chiefly of feasting and dancing

,

i n honour Of the dead and this they term laying the dead up on its
,

other side .

In cases where coffi ns cannot be had after wrapping up the ,

corpse in a m at like a m umm y it is laid in the grave and a f ew

sticks of the A koko t r ee are laid across upon which a m at is spread
‘

If a piece of board could be procured it is l aid over the corpse ,

instead and then earth is put upon it and the grave filled up
, , .

The funeral ceremonies are further continued by the following

O bservances —The wife or wives o f the deceased are to l ie on the
bare g r ound over the grave without even a m at or cloth being
spread for full thr ee m onths from the date of the funeral On .

the 7t h day they are led out o f their town wall by an E g fig u n to a .

p a ce wh er e m ounds of earth had be en raised according to the

l '

number of the women with a yam placed on each mound There .

is an extra mound raised on which n o yam is pl ace d this repr esents

,

the deceased The widows are led out clad in rags with both
.

hands on the opposite S houlders their h eads being left bare

’
.
,

E ach takes a yam from the heap and this is u n derstood to be the ,

last subsistence they should expect t o receive from their dear

departed After this they ret urn hom e weeping
. .

On the 1 3 th or 1 7 t h day the final cerem ony is thus perform ed

B y the advice o f the Alagb a they provide some head s o f cowries , ,

a d og t wo dishes of pounded yam o r cooked yam flour t wo pots

, ,

of native beer kola nuts parched corn a h o e and a cutl ass and
, , , .
,

t wo coverings of native cloth for an E g fig u n dress At dead of .

night a m an goes and sits on th e roof of the house of the deceased

anoth er wh o is t o personat e the dead is secreted at the back yard , ,

but within hearing distance of the former a third is the E g ug un

called A g a n u n d r es s ed coming in the A l ag b a s company speaking
'
’

,
”
in a hollow but t h r illrn g tone of voic e, crying out
, E gbe mi , .

(D o lift m e up); Imm ediately several vo ices are heard Lift he re ,

l i ft there as if they were carrying the Agan and found him r ather
,

heavy As they enter the compound the widows and the other
.

'
women are t o rush into the r ooms and ext inguish all lights The .

Agan is then conducted to the piazza of the deceased where the

special ceremony is performed H e sings out distinctly the nam e .

of the deceased so that the substitute might hear him at the sam e ,

time warning him n o t to answer t o his ca l l but to th at of the man ,

on the roof The latter then strikes the hoe in his hand with the
.

c utlass as a S ignal to attract t h e attention of the secreted substitute .

 M A N N E RS A ND C U STO M S 1 39

After this he calls out in loud tones the nam e of the deceased
,

as d id the Agan H e calls o ut three tim es and at the third call

.
, ,

which is also the last a still sm all voice is heard from the counterfeit
, ,

sim ulating that of the dead At this stage the widows and all .
,

the other m ourners begin t o weep and wail for the dead the dog
is then slaughtered and the flesh is taken to the A l a g b as .

O n the fol l owing morning the E g ug un of the deceased appears , ,

in his usual dress with an at tendant E g ug u n both em erging from

, ,

the A l ag b a s house H e proceeds to his old hom e where a m at is

’
.

spread outside to receive him H e embraces all his C hildren sits .

,

them by t urns on his knees and blesses them promising to bestow , ,

health strength long life and the rest H e accepts presents

, , , .

from al l the relatives who are the m ourners— o i stringed cowries

,

from the m en and unstringed from the women Aft er which

, .

they repair with all the presents received t o the E g fig un grove

or to the A lag b a s where the E g I I gu n is undressed and a good
’ ‘

feast is m ade of the flesh of the dog slaughtered on the previ ous
evening The stringed cowries contributed by the men are there
.

returned to each of them being participators in the organised ,

im post ure that was being practised The unstringed M s of .

their dupes the wom en are distribut ed amongst tho s e wh o took

, ,

part in the cerem ony including of course the Alagb af

This is the last farewell between th e deceased a nd his fam ily
if we except the supposed annual visits made by the form er
during the E g fig u n festivals .

In case of a woman the cerem ony is simpler The sam e o f ferings .

are usually requir ed excepting the hoe and the cutlass The
, .

relatives are ordered t o procure a miniature h earth and put it ,

into a n ew calabash to m eet the E g fig un of the deceased m atron

emerging from the E gfi gun grove .

On the day appointed they proceed t o the grove with drum s ,

the orphans carrying each a horse s tail o n his shoul der as a ’

sign of m ourning Then one of the Al ag b a s m en c alls out thrice

.
’

the nam e of the dead m atron j ust as in the similar ceremony ,

detailed above an E g fig un an swers from the grove and the

voice is drowned with drumming and singing The E g iI g u n with
’

the Paka (an attendant ) n ow issues from the grove and walks ,

towards the orphan children t o receive the n ew calabash cont aining

the miniature hearth ; blesses the giver and ret urns with it to ,

the grove The hearth is subsequent l y buried quietly by the river

.

side or within the grove .

This is the last o ffice of a dutiful child to its m other and this is
understood as their last m eeting in this world The hearth pre .

sented t o her is for her t o cook with in the other world .

1 40 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Th eperiod of mourning for either m an or woman is as aforesaid ,

t h ree months during which tim e the m en are to remain unwashed

, ,

unshaven and the wom en with dishevelled hair and dress unchanged .

At the expiration of this t erm on a day appointed the whole of them

shave for the dead and their hair is thrown outside by the wall
, ,

of the house They then parade the streets dressed in their best
. , ,

singing and dancing in honour of the dead and c alling at one house ,

aft er another t o return thanks to the sympathiz ers The children .

of the deceased begotten or adopted n ow carry the horses

, ,
’

tails in their hands by which they are distinguish ed from those

wh o h ave no im mediate connection with the family .

In the division of the property the widows as afores a id pass into

the possession of the children and the nearest relatives the right ,

t o each being determined by ballot E ach m al e relative sends

.

round his chewing stic k (native tooth brush) with his nam e to
the woman of his choice they are expected to rej ect the proposal
twic e as if they were resolved t o rem ain widows all their life but
at the third and last proposal with tears in their eyes they
, ,

make their choice and are t aken over This concludes the final .

c erem ony .

In the case of young m en or young w om en the proceedings ,

are essentially di fferent The companions of him or her that is

.

gone proceed in a body to a spot where t wo roads intersect each

other preceded by one of their number who stands at a great
,

d istance from them The call as in the case of the Agan is m ade
.

thrice the usual answer follows and then he or she is told by

,

all the friends and companions A y a 9 O (we separate you

from our companio nship) The substitute returns hom e with the
.

rest and the sim ple cerem ony co mes to an end

, .
F I RST P E R I OD — MY T H O L OGICAL K I N GS A ND D E I F I E D
H E R OE S
CH APT E R I

TH E F O UND E RS OF TH E Y O RUB A N ATI O N .

1 . OD U D U WA

OD U D U WA the reputed founder and ancestor of the race is real l y

a mythica l personage The E tymology of the term is from Od u
.

(ti 0) da I wa Whatever is unusual l y large as a large p o t or

.

container is term ed Od u the term then im plies the great container ,

the author of existence According t o I f e mythology Od ud uwa

.

‘ ‘
was the son of Ol o d I I mare i e th e father or Lord of Od u m a r e
, . .

implies ca n n ot g o bey on d i e the Almighty Od u d uwa was sen t

‘

. . .

by Olodumare from heaven t o create the earth Olokun i s . . .

the goddess of the ocean wa s the wife of O d u d uwa Or an m iy an ,

and I s ed al e thei r chi l d ren and Ogun a grand child

,
-

S uch is the desire of most nations to find a mythical origin

for themselves through their kings an d ancestors .

A ll that was known of him has been told in Part I of this history ,

which gives an account of the emigration of the ancestors of the

Yorubas from the east t o Ile I f e where Od u d uwa died in peac e
and was deified being worshipped to this day by the If es and up
, ,

to the tim e of the British Protectorate human sacrifices were ,

o ff ered t o him at regu lar intervals The soil of Ile l ie is said t o be .

sacred to him H e was the grandfather and gre at grandfather

.
-

of renowned Kings and Princes who ruled and m ade history

in the Yoruba country .

The number o f years embraced by thi s period is unknown ,

but it includes the time during which the Yoruba kingdom was in
pr osperity and the Kings despotic
, The capital of the kingdom .

then wa s Ile I f e .

The B a s g r u n of this reign was Ol gr un f un mi -

.

2 . OR A N Y A N

Or a fiy an the grandson of Od u d uwa succee d ed his grandfather

on the throne H e was a very brave and warlike Prince and of
.
,

an indomitable courage H e was the founder o f the order of the

.

E gg s Vide Pt I page 7 3
. H is body guard consisted of 1 50 well
.
-

t r ied soldiers .
1 44 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B A S
H ow he headed his brothers on an abortive expedition to the
east t o avenge the death of their great grandfather and h ow they -

quarrel led at Igangan and dispersed from that place has been ,

told in Part I After founding the cit y of OY g where he resided

.

for a tim e he wa s said to have pushed on to a place called OkO ,

leaving OY o in charge o f one of the princes This is not unlikely .

when we rem ember that that was not an age of settled government ,

but that the warlike and restless King was engaged in extending
his dominions far and wi de Much that wa s known of him has been
.

told in Part I H e resided at Oko for many years and according

.

t o som e died there but others affirm ed that he died at Ile I f e

, ,

where his g rave is shown t o this day B ut the Yorubas have a .

custom whenever any one died away from hom e to cut the hair ,

o f his head and pare his nails and these are taken to the place
,

where they would have him buried and there ceremoniously ,

and religiously deposited I t may thus have been the case here
. .

B ut an anecdote connect ed with his lat er years m ust here be told :

It Was said that aft er a long period of rei g n an urgent necessity
m ade him revisit the city of Ile I f e which he had left for so long a
,

tim e perhaps to arrange som e family a f fairs or to possess him self ,

of som e of his father s treasures left in charge of Adim u H e left

’
.

his son Aj aka as R egent and went H aving stayed m uch longer .

than the tim e fixed for his return (communication between the
t wo places being then dangerous and di ffi cu l t ) the people thought
he was dead or that at any rate he would n o m ore ret urn to OkO
,

the O Y O M E S I wh o were the authorised ruler s of t h e town con s e

quently con firm ed Aj aka on the throne investing him with ful l ,

powers and all the insignia of royalty

, .

B ut his father was returning and having com e within a short

distance of the city his attention was arrested by the sound of the
,

Kaka ki trumpet a trumpet blown for the sovereign alone

- ~
.

U pon enquiry he learnt what had t aken place H e thereupon

,
.

retraced his steps quietly to Ile I f e where he S pent the rest of his
days in peacef ul retirement An obelisk term ed Op a Or a fiy a n
.

(Or a fiy a n s sta f f) erected on the S pot he was supposed to have been

’

buried is shown at Ile I f e t o this day This woul d seem to confirm .

the View that he died and was buried at Ile I f e and not at Oko .
 46 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
This obelisk is about 1 0 or 1 2 feet in height 1 and about 4 feet
’
,

square in width a t it s base it tapers to a point and has upon ,

one face of it several spike nails driven into it and some carvings
, ,

as of ancient characters The nails are arranged in such an ordered

.

manner as t o render them significant First there are 6 1 in a .

straight line from the bottom upwards at I ntervals of about

2 inches in mid l ine ; and next at about a distance of 4 inches ,

on either side of this and from the sam e level on top t wo

, ,

parallel l ines o f 3 1 nai l s each runni ng downwards and curving

below to meet those o f the mid l ine Then in the space .

between these three rows of par al lel lines and about the l evel ,

where they converge is found the most conspicuous of the

'

carvings q h ‘ ,
.

What is conj ectured as m ost probable in these arrangements

is that the 6 1 nai l s in mid l ine represent the number o f years
O y
r a fi an l ived and that the,3 1 each on either S ide indicates that
“

he wa s 3 1 when he began to reign and that he reigned 3 1 years , ,

the ye ar he began to r eig n b ein g counted twice as is the m anner

'

of the Yorubas and that the carvings are the ancient characters
R es h and Y od which stand for Or a fiy a n
‘

B esides Op a Or a fiy a n there are to be found to this day in

, ,

groves at I l e l ie and at other I f e settlem ents outside the city

, ,

carvings in stone o f natural obj ects such as tongs and anvil ,

table stool fish and several other obj ects of curiosity which
, , ,

are general l y hidden from s t rangers because they are held ,

sacred ; they represent the handicra fts of the founders of the

race .

The art of carving on stones or drilling holes in them has since

becom e lost am ong Yorubas and consequently how nai l s could , ,

have been driven into stones and various figures cut out of them
is usual l y explained t o be that these obj ects were once carved o ut
,

of wood and when the carvers were deified their work becam e
, ,

petrified As these gods were once m en so these stones were once ,

wood
The If es are the guardians and custodians of these sacred
relics from ancient tim es .

N early all legends and fo l kl ore are attributed t o the age of

Or a fiy a n amo ng these m ay be m entioned the fo ll owing told by an
,

I fe

1 About four feet was broken o ff from the t o p o f this obelisk

during a storm in the year 1 88 4 The obe l isk has since twice .

f al l en down and inartistica ll y r e erected B ut a stum p o f i t now -

.

rem ai ns .
 TH E FO U N DE RS OF TH E Y O RU B A N ATI O N 1 47

THE LE GE N D OF M OR E M I AN D HE R S ON

M g r em i was the wife of

one of the ancient heroes o f Ile I f e ,

probab l y Or a n m iy an S he was a wom an of great beauty and

.

virt ue and had an on l y son named E l a or Olu r o g b o

,
.

I t happened that the city of I f e was at one tim e in a state of

frequent commotion and unrest owing t o the repeated raids of a ,

tribe of peopl e cal led the Igbos This continued for a series of years
. .

Th e If es attributed this affliction and distress to the displeasure

of their gods because those that attacked them from the Igbo
,

territory appeared not t o be hum an beings but gods or demi gods , ,

and consequent l y the If es felt they could not withstand them and ,

s o these raiders used t o m ake away with easy plunder including ,

their valuables with their women and children F or this they

,
.

propitiated and call ed upon their gods for help , but received no
response .

N ow this M g r em i fired with zeal and patriotism was determined

, ,

t o do what she could t o free her country from this c a lamity .

S he was resolved t o find out what these Igbos really were and ,

how t o fight them To this end she repaired t o a stream called

.

E s in m ir in and there m ade a vo w t o the deity thereof that i f

, ,

she wa s enabled to carry out her plans and they proved ,

successful she would o f fer t o the god the m ost costly sacrific e
,

she could afford H er plan was to expose herself to the raiders

.
,

and get caught and be taken t o their country where she could
,
‘ ‘ ’
best learn their secrets : B ut she said if I perish I perish , , , .
’

At the tim e of the nex t raid she undertook t o carry o u t her

plans she was caught by the Igbos and taken t o their country
,

and being a woman of great beauty she was given up am ongst ,

others and sundry booty t o their king H er beauty and virtue

,
.

soon won her a place in the country and the confidence of the
people ; she becam e familiar with all their c ustoms and learn t ,

a l l their secrets : then she also learnt that those wh o were such
obj ects of terror t o her people were m ere m en wh o covered them ,
.

selves from head to foot with E ka n grass and bamboo fibres ,

making them appear extra hum an and are nicknam ed E l uy ar e , .

S he extracted from her husband al so the secret of attacking the m

successfu ll y If your peopl e know h o w t o m ake a torch and have
.
,

the courage t o rush amongst them with lighted t o rches they ,

cannot stand that .

’

M g r em i feeling she was now conversant with everything amongst

the Igbos having dis arm ed any suspicion they m ay have enter
,

t a in ed o f her as a captive suddenly escaped one day to her nativ e

,

land and b y m aking use of the secrets she had learnt freed her
, ,
1 48 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
country for ever from the raids of the men onc e their terror It .

remained now for her to fulfil her vows .

S he repaired to t h e stream with her o f ferings of lambs rams and , ,

goats for sacrifice b ut the god would not accept any of these
, .

S he then o f fered a bu l lock which the g o d also refused to accept

, ,

then she prayed the priests to divine for her what would be accept
ab l e ; this was done and the god demanded of her her only
, , ,

son
S he then gave up her only s on in sacrifice to the gods in the
ful fil ment of her v o ws The I f e nation bewailed her l os g and
‘

promised to be t o her sons an d daughters for the loss she had ,

sustained f o t the salvation of her country .

Ol ur o g b o h owever when supposed to be ki lled was but hal f

, ,

dead ; he afterwar ds revi ved and rose again and made a rope ,

with which he climbed up into heaven and all I fes to this day
have a full hope that he will com e again to this world and rea p ,

the full reward of his good deeds .

We m ay discern in this legend a confused idea of the s tory

of J ep h t h a and that of the B lessed V irgin and her Son perverted
, .

Or a fiy a n was the father of a l l Oy g s or Yorubas p r o p ef and ,

wa s the universal conq ueror of the land H e left behind him .

,

t wo renowned sons Aj ak a and S ango both of whom s u cceeded

, ,

him in turns and both o f whom becam e fam ous in Yoruba his t ory
, ,

and were deified after death .

The B a s or un o f this reign wa s E fufu kO f e or i - - -

§ 3 A J U A N a lias A JA K A .

Aj uan alia s Ob a Aj aka was at firs t o n ly a R egent when his

'

father left for Ile I f e but was subsequently confir med on the
,

throne as was m entioned above H e alone o f a ll the Yoruba

'

Kings had the si ngular fortune (or misfortune) of being called

to the throne twice being once deposed but afterwards recalled
, ,

t o t h e throne .

V ery little was known of his earlier reign except that unlike , ,

his father he was of a peaceful disposition loved husbandry and

, ,

encouraged it .

Being too mild for the war l ike spirit of the age and tamely ,

su f fering the encroachm ents of provincial kings he was dethroned , ,

and he went to Igbodo where he remained in retirement seven years

d uring which period his brother S ango reigned in his stead H is .

B a gg r u n wa s nick named E rin din logun A g b g n k0 ge da u i Ifa

- - - -

(i e sixteen cocoa nuts is unsuitable for Ifa d ivination) That is

. . .

t o say cocoa nuts are n o t suitable substitutes for palm nuts The .

reason for this sobriquet is not known .

 I SO THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
listen t o us thy s on S ango is come t o worship thee
, The T etu .

noted the nam e Tor osi but the H ausa being far from sober paid
, ,

no heed to what was said ; therefore on their return hom e the , ,

T etu wh o had faithfully carried out his orders was highly rewarded ,

and the H ausa s l ave severely punished The punishment m eted .

out to him was 1 2 2 razor cuts slashed all over his body as a lasting
warning for all tim e .

The scars left by these wo unds strangely took the fancy of the
K ing s wi ves who thou ght that they added com el iness and beauty
’

to the man and therefore they advised that in future such marks
,

shou l d n ot be perform ed upon a slave but on act ual m embers ,

of the royal fami l y as distinctive of royalty .

S ango took this advice and placed himself first in the hands ,

of the Olo wol as (the m arkers ) nam ed B a b a j g

e b e O san and
B a b aj eg b e Or u but he cou l d stand on l y two cuts on each arm ,

and forbade them t o proceed any further This is wha t is term ed .

Ey e The m arks are t o t his day retained in the royal family

.
,

as a dis t inctive badge of roya l ty an d hence m embers of the royal ,

family are termed A kéy o T hey are two broad ribbon m arks o n .

the arms from the shoulder t o the wrist .

Wh en the King had determined upon taking n koro it ,

occurred to him to employ this as a device by which he could

e f fect his purpose easi l y without loss of lives H e thereupon .

sent the H ausa slave t o QI Q y Q koro f or him t o see how beautiful -

this slave looks with these m arks and that it has been resolved ,

t o use the sam e as a m ark of royalty he therefore advised the

n y g koro t o submit himself t o be thus marked with his principal
-

chiefs for rank and beauty stating that he himself had done so T o ,
.

this they consented B a b a j egb e Osan and B a b a j eg b e Or u were

,

sent over there and admirably did they perform their tasks
,
.

B ut on the third day when the Ql oy g —koro and his chiefs were
,

very sore S ango appeared with his forces against them n o

,

resistance could be o f fered and the city fell easily into his hands ,

sham efu l ly and brutally he p ut to death the prince and his chiefs ,

the dupes of his stratagem .

Thus the seat of governm ent was perm anently rem oved from
Oko (or as som e wou l d have it from Ile I f e) to QY Q the ancient ,

E y eo or Katunga .

S ango reigned f or seven years the whole of which period was ,

marked by his restlessness H e fought m any battles and was .

fond o f making charms H e was said to have t h e know l edge .

of som e preparation by which he coul d attract lightning The .

palac e at OY Q was built at t h e foot of a hi l l call ed Oke Aj aka

(A j a ka s hi ll) On e day the King ascended this hill accompanied
’
.
 TH E F O UND E R S OF TH E Y O RU B A N ATI O N 1 5:

by his courtiers and som e of his slaves among whom were two ,

favourites B iri and Om it an som e o f his cousins went with him

, ,

but none of his chi l dren H e was minded to try the preparation
.

he had in hand thinking it might have been damp and use l ess ,

he first made the experiment on his own house B ut it took e ffect .

,

a storm was imm ediatel y raised and the l ightning had struck the
palace before they cam e down the hi ll and the buil dings were on ,

fire M any o f S ango s wives and his chi l dren perished in this
.
’

catastrophe .

S ango wh o was the author of his o wn misfortunes becam e

alarmed and dismayed at what had happened and from a broken
heart he wa s reso l ved t o abdicate the throne a n d retire t o the court
of his m aternal grandfather E l em p e king of the N upes , .

Al l Q Y Q wa s n ow astir not on l y t o sympathize with the King

, ,

but also t o dissuade him from carrying out his resolution b ut

he could n ot bear any opposition and so ma d was he that he , ,

even used his sword a g a in s t s om e Of his loyal subj ects wh o ventured

‘

t o remonstrat e with him and wh o promised to repl ace for him

,

his de ad wives by others by whom he might beget childr en and

, ,

so in time make good his present l osses .

According t o other accounts he did not abdicate of his own ,

freewill but wa s asked to do so by a strong party in the state

, .

B oth a c co un t s m a y be true there may have been t wo parties

.

, ,

for t o this day Yorubas have an a b h o r en ce of a King given to

,

making deadly charms because for one wh o a l ready has abso l ut e

power invested in him by l aw ; this strange power can on l y be used
S piteful l y so that n o one near him woul d be safe
, .

H e was said to have caused 1 60 persons to be s l ain in a fit of

anger of those wh o were showing m uch concern and over anxiety
,
-

on his behal f and wh o would prevent him b y force from carrying

,

out his resolve .

T hus determined he set out on his fatefu l j ourney with a f ew

fo ll owers B iri his head slave and favourite wa s the first t o regret
.

the step taken and t o urge on his master t o yield to the entreaties
,

of those citizens of O Y O wh o with al l loyalty promised t o rep l ace

,

his l osses as far as man can d o it and to rebui l d the pa l ace but
, ,

finding the King inexorab l e he forsook him and ret urned to the ,

city with all his fo ll owers Om ir a n l ikewise fo ll owed his exampl e ,

and the King wa s thus l eft alone H e now repented his rashness .
,

especial l y when he found himsel f deserted by his favourit e B iri .

H e co uld not proceed a l one and for shame he coul d not re t urn ,

hom e and so he wa s reso l ved to put an end to his own life and
c l imb i ng on a shea butter tree he hanged himse l f , .

His friends hearing of thi s tragedy went immediat ely and

1 52 TH E H I S TO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
performed for him the l ast act of kindness by burying his remai ns ,

under the sam e tree .

On hearing of the King s death his personal friends followed

’

his examp l e and died with h im B iri committed suicide at Koso

, .

(where the King died) Om ir a n did the sam e H is cousin n

, .

s and a committ e d suicide at Papo B a b a y an m i at S el e O b ci at , ,

J a kut a and a his favourit e wife at I r a .

Thus ended the l ife o f this rem arkable personage wh o once

‘ ‘

ruled over a ll the Yorubas and Popos H e was afterwards deified .

,

and is still worshipped by all of the Yoruba race as the god of

thunder and lightning .

In every Y oruba and Popo town t o this day whenever there is ,

a flash of lightning followed by a peal of thunder it is usual t o ,

”
hear from the populace shouts of K a WO ka biye si
(W elcom e t o your maj esty long live the King ) , .

Aj aka his brother wa s n ow recal led from exile and he once ,

m ore held the reins of government .

S a l eku o d i wa s the B a so r un of this reign .

§ 5 A J A K A s S E C O N D R E IG N
’
.

King A JA K A wh o was dethroned for being t oo peaceful wa s

now recal l ed t o the throne H e proved after his t e instatem ent a
.
-

totall y di fferent m an to what he had been before and showed ,

himself m ore warlike than even his brother S ango .

H e led an expedition into the Tapa coun t r y Tradition h as .

it that he employed l arge and well trained birds arm ed with

,
-

arrows and after crossing the N iger they showered down t h ese
,

dead l y weapons upon the m aternal relations of his brother S ango .

What is certain is that the expedition was successful but by

,

what m eans it is n o t re al ly known: B ut thus it was with the

,

Yorubas (as with a l l superstitious peopl e) that brave deeds and

extraordinary acts of dari ng are always attributed t o the super
natural .

H e spent the latter part of his years in waging intestine wars

with his subj ects H e was said t o have been engaged in civil
.

wars with 1 060 of his chiefs and princes among whom were the
principal va ssa l or provincial kings the Onikoyi the Olu gb g n , , ,

and the Ar esa .

H e had in his service certain medicine m en wh o made charms ,

for him V i z A t ag b g in Om o onik ok o A b it ib it i On iseg un Paku

, ,
-

, , ,

T et eo n ir u Y an a n
, ad an E gb ej i Alari baba iseg un and
,
-

, ,

E l en r e .

T h e fo l lowing fabl e was related of him

After his wars som e of these m edicine m en
,
went up to him ,
1 54 THE H I S TO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S
E l en r e s head becam e a flowing river known at 0Y 9 t o this day as
’

Od o E l en r e (E l en r e s r i ver )
’
.

H is wife I j a eh in who disclosed the secret o f his strength was

'

also converted into a stream but B leu r e s head sai d t o it Thou ,

’

shalt not fl ow therefore I j aeh in becam e a stagnant pool at OY Q

,

unto this day .

From this incident King A JA K A made it a rule that from hence

forth no King should be present in person at an execution .

H e put t o death all the vassa l kings 1 060 in number taken in

war the r el ics of their sku l ls were put t ogether and ar e worshipped
under the nam e of Or isa l a to this day This is the probable
’

origin o f that worship .

The reign of the mythological heroes abound in garbled form s

of sc r iptural stories showing as was rem arked in the earlier par t
,

of this history that the ancestors of the Yorubas were acquainted

with Christianity in the land of their origin The fab l e here related .

is e vident l y the st ory of E l ij ah in a perverted form H is putting .

t o death so many priests of B aal has been perverted into Aj aka

slaying all his vassal kings and their skul l s converted to an obj ect
of worship H is j udgment of fire on those sent t o arrest h im finds
.

a counterpart in E len r e s head anticipating those wh o cam e t o

’

exorcise it both yielded to a wiser delegat e wh o substituted

,

entreaties for a uthorit y The nam e A sawo (i e one who deals

. . .

in myst eries ) is very significant ; it is evidently a mythological

rather than a real nam e E l ij ah going up to heaven becam e .

Egb ej i climbing up a cord and disappearing as the saying goes

Egb ej i ta kun O 1 0 si Orun i e Egb ej i suspended a cord and
’
. .
,

by it went up t o heaven The river J ordan crossed by E l ij ah .

suggested E l enr e s head becoming a river etc

’

, .

The Ogidigbo drum was introduced into Q Y Q during this reign .

I t is of all dr ums the m ost inartistic and is total ly devoid of any ,

embell ishment It consists of a block o f wood about 3 f t in length

. .

ho l lowed ou t from the centre t o about 6 inches of both extremities ,

and is beaten with a rod .

I t is used only for the King and the B a sg r un at the great festivals
when they dance together at his public appearance .

N othing is known of the end of Aj aka probab l y he died in ,

peace .

S al eku o d i continued as the B a sgr u n of this reign also .

S E C OND P E R I OD — T H E P E R I OD OF G R OWT H A N D
P R OS P E R I T Y A ND O PP R E SS I O N .

CH APTE R I I

H IST O R I CA L K I N GS
I . A GA NJU

As S ango left n o issue th e crown fell t o A j a ka s son A g a n j u without

,
’

any dispute H is reign wa s l ong and very prosperous H e had

. .

a remarkable faculty of taming wild animals and venom ous

reptiles several of which m ay b e seen crawling abo ut him H e had
, .

also in his house a tam e leopard .

H e great ly b ea u t ified the palace adding piazzas in front and

back with rows o f brazen posts H e originated the cust om of
, .

decorating the palace with hangings on stat e occasions being a ,

sovereign of accomplished taste .

Towards the end of his reign he waged war with a namesake ,

of his A g a n j u the O n is a m b o for refusing him the hand of his

, ,

daught er I y a y un In this war four chiefs viz the On is a m b o and

.
, , .

his allies the On it e d e the On im er i and t h e A l a g b On a were capt ured ,

their t owns destroyed and the bride forcib l y secured

, .

The close of his reign was c l ouded by great dom estic troubles .

H is only son Lu b eg o was discovered having i ll icit intercourse

with his bel oved I y a y un on whose account so many princes an d
,

people have lost their lives The stern father Wa s enraged beyond
.

words t h e sentence pronounced on him was the ex trem e penalty

,

of the l a w and i t wa s rigid l y carried out B ut the King was

, .

overcom e with grief he died not long after this ev en before the
, ,

birth of a successor to the throne The nam e o f his B a sor u n was .

B a n ij a succeeded by E r a n kog b in a
, .

2 . KORI
The late K ing having no surviving son Er a n ko g b in a the B a s or un
was left to m anage the a f fairs of the kingdom The on l y hope o f .

a direc t successor t o the throne was th e child of I y a y u n sti l l in

u t er o ; hence sacrifices were o f fered frequently o n the grave o f
A g a n j u praying him to grant I y a y u n a son if his nam e is not to be
forgotten and the dynasty end with him When in due course
, .

t h erefore I y a y un gave birth t o a son the j oy of the populace was ,

unboun d ed H e was nam ed K ori

.
 1 56 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
D uring s minority I y ay un was declared R egent ; she
'

K OI ‘

I ,

wore the crown and put on the royal robes a n d was invested
, ,

with the Ej ig ba the 019a il gkg a n d other royal insignia and ruled
, ,

the kingdom as a m an until her son wa s of age .

It was during this reign that Tim i wa s sent t o E d e an d not in

S ango s reign as wa s supposed l
’

The I j esas proving very troublesom e t o their neighbours by

kidnapping them in their farms and molesting caravans t o and ,

from Apom u a frontier t own where a large fair is periodically

held for the exchange of goods with the I j eb us and a l so getting ,

frequent l y embroiled with the king of Ido their neighbour com ,

plaints from tim e t o tim e reached the A L AF I N of QY O It was .

n o w determined that a stop be put t o these inroads ; for this

purpose the King sent a notable hunter to that district wh o
succeeded in checking these m arauders H e t ook up a position .

at a p l ace cal l ed Ed e as his headquarters and there he subsequently ,

established himself as a kingl et with the tit l e of Timi .

Timi was a fam ous archer notable for his deadly arrows an d , ,

he m ore than j ustified his appointm ent The Owa of Ile sa .

imitating the sam e appointment posted an opposition kinglet ,

at Osogbo nam ed Atan a ; but his chief duty wa s to worship

the fish i n the river Os un .

As the T im i S d ut ies required all his tim e ski l l and valour

’ '

, ,

he had n o tim e left to provide for himself and family the traders
and caravans being n ow well protected he ob tained permission
‘

from the A L AF I N t o levy a toll of 5 cowri es each on every trader

by this m eans he soon had m ore tha n enough for the support
of his fami l y and as a good and loya l subj ect he paid the surplus
, ,

into the royal treasury .

After som e years of this act of loyalty he regretted this self ,

imposed tribut e taking another Vi ew of the m atter that whatever

, ,

he coul d coll ect this way should be his own by right as a c o m p en

sation f o r the loss of the advantages of a city l ife as we l l as a ,

reward for his labours S o he abruptly stopped the tribute . .

When the King missed the usual tribute he sent to dem an d ,

t he same but Timi refused to pay it and gave his reasons for not
, ,

doing s o This did not satisfy the King so a m or eperempt ory order
.
,

was sent t o Timi t o deliver up what he had withheld T his O rder

_
.

was a l so disobeyed and so the King resorted t o force a body of

, ,

troops was sent t o arrest him and to seize all his belongings B u t ,
'

Timi was prepared for this he resisted with a ll his might and , ,

r outed t he King s forces ’

.

1
Vi d e Y or u ba R ea d ing B ook .
 I 5S TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
The G b g n ka knowing the pub l ic feeling towards the King and ,

his unpopularity entered the palace and challenged H is Maj esty

,

to display feats similar t o his OWn and said if he cou l d not he ,

wou l d be rej ect ed There being no alternative the King took

.
,

poison and died .

E sug b ir i succeeded E r a n kog b in a as B a so r u n during this reign .

3 . O LU A S O

The unfortunat e King wa s succeeded by a handsom e and

amiable prince called Olu a s o wh o was remarkable for his longevity ,

and peaceful reign H is agnomen was Qsa r ewa S akin i e

.
'
. .
,

handsom e but strong H e W as a wise and a f fable sovereign

.

fab l ed t o have reigned for 3 2 0 years and had 1 4 60 children ,

Three tim es did nine of his wives bear him male twins in one day .

The first set he nam ed n l a the second On a aka and the third ,
-

On a iso kun Of these thr ee sets of twins the last (On a iso ku n )
-

.
-

were the m ost popu l ar and Kings were chosen from am ongst them
and their descendants These nam es have becom e hereditary .

titles unt o this day The King built 5 4 palaces for these 5 4
.

princes all of whom rose to positions of trust and responsibil ity

by their Own m erits .

H e originated and built 1 2 0 kg bis to the royal palace H e W as .

ably assist ed by his B a sg r u n E sug b ir i el u H e lived to a good ,

-
.

old age and died full of days and honour and his longevity has
, ,

passed into a proverb O n i ki o g b o ogbo Ol u a so 0 l e j iya

.
,

Ol u a so ? Y ou pray to live as long as Olu a so can you endur e ,

the trials of Ol ua so ? Ol d age has its own trials and su fferings .

H is son On ig b ogi s ucceeded him on the throne E sug b ir i was the .

B a sg r u n o f this reign also .

4 . ON I G B O G I

On ig b og i Was
the sons o f Ol u a so by A r uig b a ifa an Ot a
on e of -

woman S he had left Q Y Q during the previous reign for her o wn

.

native t own but on hearing that her son ascended the throne she
, ,

returned t o Q Y Q in order t o assist him in h is governm ent by her

advice S he wa s a very superstitious W oman Wishing her son
. .

t o have a long and prosperous reign she advised him t o introduce ,

the worship of Ifa int o Q Y Q as a national deity The OY O citizens .

asked the King and his m other what o f ferings are required with
which t o propitiate Ifa S he repl ied I 6 rats 1 6 bags of cowries
.
, , ,

I 6 fishes I 6 fowls I 6 arm lengths of cloth and I 6 ground pigs

, , .

The Q Y Q citizens answered that they were prepared t o give the

of ferings but they could not worship palm nuts Thus the advi ce
,
.

of the K ing s m other was rej ected and the worshi p of Ifa cancelled
’
.
 H ISTO R ICAL K I N GS 1 59

When A r uig b a ifa was going t o O Y O she was accom panied by

-

the personification o f several comm on obj ects used i n fetish

worship e g A j e Up on A j ar e Os u n E l gg ba r a and I r g kg When
. .
, , , , ,
.

the citizens of OY O rej ected her god she returned on her wa y t o ,

Ot a with all her fo l lowers weeping as they went On reaching ,

.

the foot of the A d o hil l the Alado s wife cam e out to see the cause
,
'

of a com pany of people weeping and wai l i n g saying We are ,

driven out o f the country S he reported this at hom e and the

.
,

Alado came out and invited the party t o lodge with h i m H i s .

inquisitiveness l ed him to ask wh y such august personages should

be driven o u t of the city when he had l earnt the who l e story he ,

sym pathized with A r ug b a and asked her to stay promising t o , ,

giv e som e of the things required as they were t oo poor t o be able ,

t o a f ford a ll This W as done and A r u g b a not only initiated him

.
,

i nt o the mysteries but also conferred upon him the right of in it ia t

,

ing others H ence in the subsequent reign when the Q Y O S decided

.

t o adopt Ifa worship i t was this Alado wh o went t o the city t o

,

initiat e them into all the mysteries rites and cerem onies of Ifa ,

worship .

A W ar broke out after these events and the King sent out the ,

B a sg r u n a t the head of his army t o I ta ib id u n with all the war

'

chiefs The king of the Tapas (N upe) between whom and the
.

Yorubas there have been strained relations since the death of

S ango seized this opportunity for crossing the river and pouring
, ,

his arm y into the Yoruba country carried every thing before ,

him until he stood before the gate of 0 i m There being no avail

, .

able f Or ce t o oppose him the city wa s soon taken T h e King , .

fled t o G b er e in the B ariba country and there he died n o t being ,

used t o the hardships incidental t o the life o f an exile leaving his

s on O fin r a n a refugee in a strange land In the land of his exile .
,

King On ig b og i ma de it a l aw that only 3 5 of the Esg s should be

absent from hom e at any tim e leaving 3 5 for the defence of the ,

city and country the Tapa King having entered O Y Q practically

,

without any O pposition .

A y a n g b ag i Aro W as the B a so r un of this period .

5 . OF I N R A N

The Oy o refugees were at fir st received wi t h open arm s by the

King E l ed uwe and his B alogun n g y g because Ofinr a n s mother ’

was a B ar ib a woman The refugees havi ng no regular employm ent

.

here j oined the E s r ib a s who are a race of m arauders i n all their

, , ,

expeditions In one of these expeditions I r awg in the Yoruba

.

country was taken , and also Oke I sero where died the fam ous
War ch ief Gb g n ka B l er i -
on ig b a o j .
1 60 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
After this the B ar ib a s began t o ill treat the refugees but the
,
-

young prince proved himself equal to the occasion he collected his

peop l e together and set out at their head f or O Y O
, .

When they arrived at a place ca l led Ku su they encam ped ,

there to comp l ete their preparations for th e j ourney to Q Y Q .

From Ku su the King sent delegates to Ot a for Ifa priests as he and ,

his chiefs superstitiously be l ieved that their misfortunes arose

from their rej ecting the worship of Ifa th e Alado then cam e t o
initiat e the A L AF I N and his people int o the mysteries of the Ifa
worship T hus Ifa was accepted by Yoruba proper am ong the
.

gods of the land .

The E g fig un myst eries also were hitherto unknown t o the

Yorubas by this means the Tapas have long imposed upon t hem
, ,

they believing in the real ity of the s o called apparitions On the -

hil l S anda at Kusu the secret was made known t o S é h a the King s
'

head slave .

The first A l a p ifii with the other E g fig u n priests the E lefi ,

Ol o h a n n b a A l a d a f a and the O loj e emigrated from the Tapa

, , , ,

country t o Yoruba j oining the rem nants returning from the

,

B ariba country These becam e the fir st priests and instru cted

.
,

the Yorubas further in the E g fig u n worship therefore the honours

and em oluments to be e n j oyed in this worship by right belong to
them and their successors unto this day .

B efore the encampm ent at Ku su was broken up the King died , ,

and wa s succeeded by his son E g ug fio j u T h e deceased King s

’
.

body wa s Wrapped in an ass s skin to be taken to Q Y Q At a place

’
.

called O kutu gbogbo the cord broke and the body had to be bound
-

up afresh before they could proceed On the very spot in which .

this happened the palace at Saki wa s built

, .

S okia ti iwo ewn irin (clad with a coat of m ail) wa s th e

B a sg r u n of this period .
 1 62 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
he fought with unusual bravery H e l ost in this battle three .
,

When the first fel l he there and then

‘
Gbon ka s leaders of the van
, .
,

created another h e also fel l and he created a third wh o al so fe ll , ,

but whose fa l l converted the rout t o victory under a pec uliar

circumstanc e
As he fell under showers of arrows in a kn eeling posture his
mouth remained fix ed in a s t a t e as if grinning ; the B a r ib a s observing
t wo whit e ro ws of teeth under his hel met thought he wa s playing
them a tric k and that he wa s laughing at their fruitless attempts
,

t o kill him and put his arm y t o flight not knowing that he was ,

sti f f dead and that the Oy os were on the point of retreating A .

sort of dread overcam e them f or a man it wa s impossible t o kill

notwithstanding showers of arrows hanging on him s o they

retreated thinking they had lost the day and the Oy g s remaining ,

in the field c l aim ed the victory H ence i t wa s commonly said of .

this m an G b g n ka Q r Og b or i ti 0 fi ehin l e ogun (The Gbonk a .

of the ghostly head wh o routed an arm y with his teeth ) .

H OW long this King reigned is not known but he was the t hird
buried at Igboho .

A sam u was the B a sg r un of this reign .

3 . A J I B OY E D E

succeeded t o the throne H e wa s a m ost successful

A j ib o y ed e .

King but he was a tyrant .

D uring this reign the country wa s invaded by La j g m g king of

, ,

the T apas The King marched against him brave deeds were
.

done on both S ides ; at last however the Yorubas were routed , , ,

and the King would have been slain but for a circumstance which
not only saved his life but also turned the tide of victory in his
,

favour ;
When it becam e apparent that the battle was lost A j a n la p a ,

the Os i wef a hastily exchanged dress with the King and told him
’

to escape for his life H e put on the King s crown and his robes
.
’

and the Tapas supposing him to be the King tur ned their attention
chiefly on him and showered upon him such a number of darts
, ,

that in fa ll ing his body wa s propped up by the shafts of the arrows .

As the crown fell o ff his head (l i ke Gb g n ka @r g g b or i of the preceding

reign ) a coward observed his teeth with the face set as if he were
grinning thinking he was laughing at t h eir futile e f forts he con
cluded at once that they had supernatural beings Opposed to th em
H e Was alarmed comm unicated his fears to his comrades and
, ,

panic immediate l y spread throughout the Tapa host and befor e

they could be rallied the stampede had become general and
, ,

he pursued n ow became the pursuers the Yorubas returned to

 TH E K I N GS OF QY Q IG B O H O 1 63

the charge and the Tapas were c ompletely routed , and put t o
,

the sword Laj g m g their Ki n g was t aken and the victory was
.

complete .

The King wa s s o grateful f or his li fe being saved by the devoted

Os i wef a that he t ook counsel of a l l the O Y O nobles as to what
’

honours he should bestow on A j a nl a p a s son H e wished him t o

’
.

be his constant at tendant t o be about him night and day and that , ,

he should be free of any part of the pa l ace B ut such a post cannot .

be held by any other than a eunuch and t o m ake him so wou l d

seem cruel and ungratef ul but the Oy g s counse l led that unles s
he is so he cannot enj oy the full libert y desired by the King A
, .

painful necessity that seem ed to be but the King yiel ded t o that ,

advice and he wa s emascu l ated

,
.

This circumstance accounts for the great honours attached t o

that o ffi ce to this day Vide p 5 9 The Os i wef a is always the
'
. .
,
.

first as well as the last in the King s bed chamber If the King ’
.

is ill he takes his place on state occasions putting on his robes

, ,

and the crown ; in wa r he often appears as the King s deputy ,

’

invested with all the parapherna l ia of roya l ty including the state ,

umbre ll as the kakaki trumpet etc Thus A j an l a p a by sacrificing

, , .

his life converted what would have been a crushing defeat into a
triumphant victory and so saved his country from humiliation and
, ,

pur chased royal honours for his f a mi l y and for his officia l successors
for ever To m ark th is victory as W e ll as his long reig n A j ib oy ed e
.
,

celebrat ed the B eb e festival .

The B eb e is akin t o a j ubi l ee or golden age of a king s reign ’

.

There have been but f ew such in the history of the Yorubas It .

lasts f or 3 years and during this period liberty of speech and

,

action is granted t o everyone high and l ow rich and poor through ,

out the kingdom without any fear of bei ng accused of sedition

,

or treason N o ri ot or fighting is t o be heard of anywhere all

.
,

provocations m ust be suppressed While the B eb e lasts for no one is ,

t o be prosecuted during that period All is peace The King s ’

. .

I l ar is are rare l y seen about on duty at this tim e and when m et , ,

ne ed not comm and that worship and deference usua ll y accorded

them N o tol l or tribute is paid E veryone appears in his holiday
. .

dress Country fo l ks go to Q Y Q t o enj oy themse l ves without fear

. .

F estivities mark the occasion Provincial and feudatory kings .

and princes and those O f adj acent countries pay visits to Q Y O

,

t o o f fer congratulations ; presents are given and received in a

lavish manner The corridors and courtyards of the palace and
.
,

al l the trees in the King s market used t o be decorated with ’

hangings of cloth of vari ous hues native and foreig n make as , ,

with bunting On e deplorable act however is a blot on the B eb e

.
, ,
1 64 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
c elebration ; it is always accompanied with human sacrifices
offered t o the m em ory of all preceding Kings from OD U D U WA
downwards t wo t o each and their blood ming l ed with those of ,

animals slaughtered without number is poured out for the King ,

and his court iers are required t o have a rel igious dance upon it ;
and this part of the cerem ony is regarded as the highest act of
worship and of thanksgiving
, .

The B eb e is sometimes termed the I ku or funera l rites as if ,

intended t o m ark the close of a long reign from the fact that the ,

f ew Kings wh o celebr ated it died a short tim e after .

The three years festivities of the B eb e being over the B a sg r u n ,

celebrates a minor form of festival t erm ed the Owara and this ,

lasts three months .

A short tim e after these f es t ivit ives wer e over the King lost ,

by death his fir s t born son Qs em ol u t o his inexpressible grief

-

, .

All the O Y o nobles wh o cam e to sympathize with him were by his

orders put to death al leging that their feigned condo l ence was but
,

a m ock sympathy for since he was fasting from grief their hands
, ,

smelt o f food recently partaken An insurrection against him was .

quite ripe when a Moslem priest from the Tapa c ountry called
” ”
B aba kewu sent his son B aba Y ig i t o rem onstrat e with
- -

him for his unj ust and cruel acts in avenging his son s death on ’

innocent peopl e when his s o n had died a natural death

, This .
,

said he is a sin against G o d who took away the life of y our

,

son .

The King pondered seriously over this m essage and b ecam e ,

convinced of his tyra nny H e convened an assemb l y of the .

O Y O citizens and pub l ic l y asked their pardon for his unj ust acts
, .

H e was m aking preparations for rem oving the seat of govern

ment back t o Q Y Q wh en h e died .

This is the fourth and last King buried at Igboho .

The B a sor u n of this reign was Ibat e .

(the ghost catcher ) OB A M g R g

’

4 . A B I PA 0R

Prince A b ip a succeeded t o the throne being the fourth and last ,

King Who reigned at Gboho .

H is first e f fort was t o carry out the la st wishes of his father ,

viz t o remove the seat of gover nm ent back to the ancient capita l
.
,
.

The N ob l es however and those born at Gboho were strongl y,

O pposed t o the rem oval but coul d not prevent or d issuade the
,

King from carrying out his p urpose they therefore had recourse
t o a stratagem by which they hoped t o thwart his p ur pose .

When they knew that the King was about t o send t o inspect
the Ol d sites and to propitiat e the gods as a preliminary t o r e
,
 66 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
in an ominous stillness The King and his N obles parted with
.

out a word being spoken on the subj ect The noblemen however .
, ,

showed their resentment by poisoning the Olog bo the King s ’

adviser ; but he in order t o S how his love and esteem for the
,

deceased ordered for him a semi —

, stat e funera l and had his body ,

wrapped in ass s skin t o be taken t o O Y O for int erm ent

’
.

From this incident King A B I P A wa s nic k nam ed Ob a M oro

,
-
'

(the King wh o caught ghosts) ;

Another nicknam e given t o the King that had connection

with this event wa s derived from his head slave Bisa a B ariba , ,

wh o wa s his favourit e and one tim e had great influence with his
,

master The King found out that B isa wa s an accom plice with
.

the N obles in thwarting his designs ; H is Maj esty n ow adopted a

characteristic m ethod of administering him a very sharp rebuke
which he never forgot .

H e one day called Bisa and told him that the E l ed uwe (the
,

king of his native country) wa s dead and that the B a r ib a s have ,

sent to him t o pay the ransom o f B isa wh o has been elect ed t o ,

the vacant throne N ow Bisa wi ll you g o ?

. Yes your , ,

Maj esty replied B isa and your m aj esty may be sure of this
, ,

that when I ascend the throne the B ariba country t o its utm ost ,

limits will be free and open t o a l l Yorubas T h e King then .

rej oined Why do you Wish to g o t o your country and y et y o u ,

were trying t o prevent m e going t o my birthp l ace and ancestral

hom e ? Therefore y ou s h a ll n ot g o,
B isa begged hard but his .

m aster remained resolute hence he was nicknamed , Ogbolu

Ogbolu the R efuser wh o totally
”
A kg h u n A kgh u n B isa j ale
,

refused B isa s entreaties’

.

From this tim e Bisa lost all influence with the King The design .

of rem oving the seat of Governm ent to Oy e was n ow carried out ,

and Q Y Q from that tim e wa s known as Q Y O OR E ; i e 0Y 9 of the . .

ghosts .
1

Those famous hunters rem ained three years with the King
in the capital as his guests until h e wa s perfectly settled When ,
.

they were about t o return home the King in order t o do them ,

honour sent a S pecial m essenger with them as his representative

, ,

and lest this servant of his should prove a source of expense t o

them he was allowed the privi l ege o f receiving tolls for his liveli
,

hood H e becam e really the n ew Governor of the town with the

.

title of Onibode (receiver of customs ) H ence that title is bestowed .

on the chief ruler of Gboho t o this day .

The remaining act of this King wa s the consolidation of his

Oy o i s a lso som etimes call ed Oy g E gboro from the nam e of the
1

pri nce from whom S ango seized it .

 THE K I N GS OF QY Q I G E OH O 1 67

kingdom H e buried charms in several places in the city that it

.

might never be destroyed by Wa r .

When his m edicine m en asked for a n ew born babe t o be

”

used as an ingredient in the com position of the charm it happened ,

that one of his wives had j ust then been confined ; this being
reported to him he ordered the n ew born babe t o be brought in its
,

blood as it was and he handed it over t o the m en to be pulverized

,

and used for their purpose This act is to this day highly com
.

mended by the people and the King accounted a great public

,

benefactor wh o s o loved his country that he sacrificed his son for

,

the welfare of his peop l e .

Q Y Q was never destroyed by wa r after this event but all the sam e , ,

when the hour of retribution cam e the blood of the innocents

,

was avenged for she su f fered the fat e of all cities destroyed by
,

war S he wa s deserted and thus she is in ruins unto this day

.
,
.

Ibat e continued as the B a sor u n of this reign also .

 CH APT E R I V

A S U CC E SS I ON OF DE S POTI C A ND S H O RT LI V E D K I N GS -

§ 1 . OB A LO K U N A GA N A E RIN

Q B A L O K U N succeeded t o the throne of his fathers H is mother .

wa s the daughter of t h e Alake the Pr im us of the E gba chiefs , .

T h e m ost m emorable event of this reign was the introduction

of salt into t h e Yoruba country Th e article hitherto used for .

it was an insipid rock salt known as Oba S alt n ow known as

iy g was at first called d un m
.

am a -
.

This King was said to be in frien dl y relations with the King

of F rance (probab l y Portugal) with whom he had direct comm uni
cation . It was said that the King sent 8 00 messengers with
presents t o that E uropea n sovereign but that they were never ,

h ear d of again Tradition says that the sounds of bells ringing

.

i n the skies wa s pl ainly heard in the A kes a n ( King s ) market

’
,

and it was conj ect ured that it wa s th e voices of the unfortunat es

speaking to them from the other world to t ell their fat e .

What natural phenomenon this m ay have been due t o which

wa s int erpret ed thus we do not know but so it was believed at
, ,

the time and s imilar omens are not unknown to history

,
.

It Was said that a White traveller visited Q Y Q during this reign

.

This King placed the first Aj el e (political resident ) at Ij ana

near Ilaro with the title of On is ar e
, The appointm ent of an .

On is ar e was regularly from Q Y Q and he must be a Tap a by birth .

More of this will be noted hereafter .

H e sent an expedition into the Ij esa country which was ambushed

and d efeated by the tribe known as Ij esa Ar era the Q Y Q S being ,

then unaccustom ed t o bush fighting S o great was the loss of .

life in this expedition that the Olog bo was sent out as a town crier
to inform the bereaved of their losses in this wa r .

D uring this reign S a b ig an a emigrat ed from the S ab e to the

Yoruba country .

Th e B a sg r u n of this reign was Iba Magaj i .

2 . A JA G B O

A j ag b o wh o
succeeded Ob al oku n wa s remarkable for a long
reign H e was said t o have reigned 1 4 0 years and is an exception
.

to the recent rule .

H e was born a twi n and s o striking wa s the resemblance

,

1 68
I 70 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
account having fulfilled his wishes he wa s rej ected H e therefore
, , .
,

commit ted suicide .

A kid a in survived the l ate King and was the B a sor u n of t his
reign also .

4 K AR AN .

K aran succeeded Od a r awu but he proved to be an unmiti gated ,

tyrant H e t ort ured many of his subj ects by ordering the m to be

.

scourged front and back until they expired s o great were his

cruelties that his nam e h e d

i n t o a proverb as cruel as
9 “ H e e

K aran and this led t o a h w I n a t io n of his reign

S o
‘
.

H e sent out an expedition against Aga Oibo and there th e ,

conspiracy against him was quickly developed .

When the insurrection wa s ripe for execution they sent a ,

m essage hom e t o him craving for his fan as it has been told them ,
’
by divination that the town cannot be taken except the Ki ng s
fan be o f fered in sac r ifice to the gods This was c omplied with and .
,

a portion of the sacrificial m eat was sent him t o partake of .

As soon as he had t asted thereof it wa s said t o him The King

has eaten his own fan his word 1 5 n ow of no value
,
i e his ,
. .
,

commands have ret urned t o his own m outh This is a characteristic .

round about m ethod the Yor ubas have of conveying intimations

’

of what they intend t o d o The army is now absolved from a .

charge of disobedience if they withdraw from the siege for the King
has recalled his W ords All those wh o would stand by him were
included in the plot Iba B iri was elect ed to be the B a sg r un in
.

place of Wo r u d a wh o had succeeded A kid ain The A g b a kin s

’
.

son was chosen to succeed his father and so on with the other ,

titles This done they raised the siege and encamped against th e
.
,

city demanding the King s abdication or death ’

.

T h e King unwilling to die o f fered a stout resistance

.
H e wa s .

personal l y courageous and brave but he had the whole of his ,

army against him When they entered the city he held out
. ,

against them in the palace overcom e by O dds he shot arrows ,

until his hands were swollen D islodged from within the courtyard
.

he climbed t o the t op o f the roof and there he sat fighting until ,

the palac e wa s set on fire and he perished in the flam es .

Thus ended a S hort and an inglorious reign H e wa s succeeded .

by his s on J a yin , .

Wor u d a was the B a s o r u n of this reign .

JAY I N 5 .

J ayi m wa s the son of the late King K aran H e was an effeminate .

and dissolut e prince H e had his harem full of all sorts of

.

characters H is s o n Olusi wa s kind and generous he was the idol

.
 A S U CCE SSI O N OF D E SP OTI C A ND S H O RT LIV E D-
K I N GS I 71

of the nation and on him they built their hopes for a better future
,

f o r the country .

B rought up amidst such dem oralizing influences I n an evil

hour he fe l l under the charms of one of his father s numerous
,

wives and wa s caught in her embraces The father a l ready j ealous .

o f the son s popu l arity with the people never forgave this offence
’
.

According t o one account he summ oned the prince before him ,

and whilst reprimanding him for his conduct he wa s for a m om ent ,

o ff his guard and thus betrayed himself by letting out the fee l ing

rankling in his breast V i l lain said he the citizens of Q Y Q

.
,

prefer you to mysel f and you are at one with them against m e
, .

Whilst speaking thus t o him he had in hand a club the t o p of , ,

which wa s S piked and tipped with poison this he pressed upon

his head t o t h e p oin t of bleeding and the poison proved fatal to
.
,

him .

According t o another account it was a poisoned cake m ade ,

,

of beans that his father gave him and of which h e p a rtook that ,

caused his death Anyho w it Was certain that he died of poison

.
,

by the hand of his father .

H e was universally m ourned The Q Y Q chiefs were deter mined .

t o find out the cause o f his death They had a strong suspicion .

of foul play and were determined t o avenge it .

The King gave it out that his death was due t o an accident
from the kick o f his horse The secret however wa s divulged .
,

by one o f his wives and the disappointed citizens becam e m uch

,

disa f fected t owards their King .

The late Olusi had a pub l ic funeral a national m ourning was ,

proclaim ed and the public undertook t o perform his funeral

,

obsequies H is E g ug u n was brought o ut i e an appearance of

.
, . .

his apparition clothed with the cloths with which h e was known
t o have been buried .

The E g fig u n was said t o have repaired t o the palace as was ,

usual t o pay honours t o the chief ru l er of the t own and as soon ,

as the King showed his face he wa s grasped by it H e was then ,

.

told t o die having been touched by an E g fig u n

, .

B u t according to another and a m ore probable account when the ,

K ing heard that his late son s E g figu n in the company of others ’

was coming t o the palace knowing what the m ost probable o u t

,

com e of such a visit m ust be h e hastily took poison and died ,

.

And this has passed int o proverb O ku d ed e ki a ko iwi we

A kes a n Q b a ] a y in t e ori gba a ge
, , ( At the approach to A k es an .

of a company of chanting E g irgu ns King J A Y I N buried his head in ’

a shroud ) Used of one who anticipates the inevi tab l e

. .

It was during this reign that a n Ilari Agbej a il e was sent -

 I 7 2 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
to se t tle a land dispute between the A s eyin O d o a n d the Olowu ,

Ipol e he b ecame the first A wuj a l e O f the I j eb u s .

Iba Biri Wa s appointed B a sg r u n in place of Wor ud a deposed .

6 . AYI BI

An inter regnum of some years followed t he last reign the

-

affairs of the kingdom being left in the hands of the B a s orun

'

The heir to the throne wa s the late King s grandson the infant ’

son of the lam ented Olusi wh o wa s t o o young to administer the

,

government The Q Y O M E SI elected him in order t o do honou r to

.

the mem ory o f his deceased f at lier A y ib i wa s crowned whe n h e .

cam e of age U nfort unately he proved unworthy of the ho nour

.

and respect done him he greatly disappointed the hopes of the

nation This m ay have been due to a great defect in his training
.

when a minor ; over indulgence taking the place O f strict discipline

-
.

H e proved t o be a tyrant wh o t ook del ight in shedding blood .

When any suit Was brought to court f or his decision he often

gave j udgment by ordering both complainant and defendant
t o be executed H e had no respect for age or rank b ut t erribly
.
, ,

abused his power .

As an example o f his cruelty and arbitrariness the following

'

story was to l d of him

H e wa s one day in his bath being attended by on e of his ,

favourite wives ; and she in a m om ent of se l f forgetfulness (or

,
-

rather of amorous regard) said j ocular l y t o him And this is all ,

of t he m an so m uch dreaded by all H e took o f fence at this

rem ark but d isguised his displeasure by a smile but i nwardly
, ,

he was determined t o convince her practically of the power which

made him an obj ect of dread to all .

After leaving his bathroom he gave an order t o a T etu (ex ec u

,

t ion er ) private l y t o fetch the heads of the wife s father and m other
’

each in a ca l abash and decent l y covered up T h is order wa s

, .

prompt l y executed The wife had b y this tim e forgotten her _ _

remarks in the bathroom as she had no reason to be apprehensive

,

of any evil consequences arising therefrom The calabashes .

being b rought and set before him he sent for her from her apart ,

ment and asked her t o uncover t h os e ca l a b a s h es and tell the

, ,

contents of the m D o y o u know them ? asked he Yes I ,

do she repl ied trembling

,
Then rej oined he that is the
.
,

secret wh y I am so m uch dreaded by al l although to you I seem ,

but com monplace and ordinary S he fu ll y expected her own .

execution t o fol l ow but he was satisfied with the pain and misery
,

into which he had thrown her a n d he graciously pardoned (s ic) ,

her .
1 74 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
’
I r al e
s father Gbagba the physician was determined to avenge
the death of his son and t his he did by poison said t o have been
,

ex tracted from one cowry w orth of shea butter 2 00 grains of ,

beniseed and other ingredients by which he e f fected the deaths of

,

the King n s rrn Apa l a the B a sg r un and other notabilities of

’

, , ,

OY o wh o were concerned with the misgovernment that wa s going

on .

H e was said to have escaped t o his o wn country by m eans

of charms On e report says he fl ew away like a bird an d wa s
.
, ,

found at Ed e ; another says he died and W

/

as b u r ied but his ,

corpse becam e a red monkey which escaped into the bush What .

wa s more probable was that from the dread he inspired by his ,

powers he had an opportunity of escape and wa s not slow to make

, ,

use of it The country was bereft of King and B a sg r un simul

.

t an eou s l y .

The B a sg r u n of this reign wa s Apal a .

8 . OJ I G I

Oj ig i wh o was elected to the vacant throne was a powerful and ,

war l ike King H e extended his conquests t o th e Dah o m ian

.

territory In three expeditions headed by the B as or un and t h e

.

G b g n ka Latoy e the D ah o m ian s were brought fully under sub

,

j ect io n .

Y a n s u m i an I d ah o m ia n town was taken and destroyed H e sent .

an expedition also a gainst the I g b On as .

This King in order t o Show his un d is p u t ed s o ver eign t y over

'

the whole of the Yoruba country including B enin sent o ut a , ,

large expedition which struck the N iger in the north near the ,

I b ar ib a s and coasted along the r ight bank until they arrived at

,

the coast and return ed to Q Y Q by the Popo country Great .

exploits were reported of the leaders .

Personally he was a very good m an but a too indulgent father

, ,
.

The A r em e by his crue l ties and excesses bro ught about the father s
’

rej ection and death H e ordered Ol uk e the B a s or un s son to be

.
’

unlawful ly beaten A S this wr o ng could not be avenged without

.

serious consequences and a s t h e King did not punish the wrong doer
, ,

it was thought more expeditious t o e ffect the King s death for ’

about this tim e the custom began to prevai l for the A r em es to

d ie with the fa t her as they enj oy unrestrained liberty with the
,

father A pretext was soon found for rej ecting the K ing and
.

fond father and consequently he died and his el dest son with
, ,

him .

On e o f the m ost famous m en in Yoruba history Y AM B A was the

B a sg r u n of this reign .
 A S U CC E SSI O N OF D E SP O TIC A ND S H O RT LIVE D -
K I N GS I 7S

9 . G B E RU
Prince Gberu wh o n o w succeeded t o the throne was a wicked
and sup erstitious King m uch given t o m aking ch a r m s B efore
,
.

his accession t o the throne he had a friend cal le d J ambu whom he

afterwards raised t o the high rank of B a s o r u n B ut it was n ot .

l ong before these former friends bec a m e disa ff ected t owards

each other B oth of them were one day sitting under a l arge
.

Oee tree (the A d a m s on ia digita t a) at Q Y O T h e B a sg r u n rem arked .

on the magnificence of the tree which bade fair t o last for ever .

T h e King made no repl y but afterwards poisoned the tree in

,

order to cast the suspicion on the B a eer u n wh o had m ade remarks

on it and before the next m orning it had wit h ered .

O Y O we m ay rem ark is situated in a vast plain where trees

are rare l y seen This was one of the f ew that grew there and it wa s
.

m uch thought of and was highly prized f o r it s magnificence when

,
'

in ful l b l oom .

T his circumstance caused a great sensation in the city am ong

a ll who s a w the tree flourishing in all its gl ory on l y the day before
E nquiries as to the cause were keen and close it was at first thought
this deed was done by the B a sg r u n in order t o fram e an accusa tion
against the King as both were seeking each other s life but the ’

author of the deed was soon known .

T h e chiefs of the town n o w grew suspicious and apprehensive

of their own safet y shou l d the King add the us e of secret poison
t o his un l imited regal power They soon found a pretext for
.

rej ecting him and he had t o put an end t o his own l ife H is
, .

quondam friend J ambu the B a sgr u n wh o divulged the secret was

not spared either he soon shared the fat e of his friend and
,

sovereign .

G b er u s reign was short and inglorious H e was succeeded by

’

A m un iwaiy e .

Jambu was th e B a gg r u n of this reign .

I O . A M U N I WA I Y E

Princ e A m u n iwaiy e wh o now ascended the throne promised

wel l at first by his c l em ency and grace ; but subsequently his low
,

mora l s rendered him weak and despicab l e and as such a disgrace , , ,

t o his high o ffice .

H e had for mistress the wife of his princip a l m edicine m an

Ol u ko y is i with whom he becam e acqu a int ed under the fol l owing
,

circ umstances
The King engaged this m edicine m an t o hel p him a gainst
the friends of Jambu the powerful B a sg r u n wh o e ffected the death
1 76 TH E H IST O R Y or THE Y O RU B AS
of the form er King B eing afraid that if his services to the King
.

were known his own life woul d b e in danger he worked warily

, ,

by sending his wife 01010 with the pots instead of going himself
personally In this wa y the King had the O pportunity of comin g
.

into contact with her which he disgracefully abused and the

, ,

husband got to know it .

H e could not bring an open charge against the K ing nor had
he any other m eans of obtaining redress but by secret revenge ,

and this he e f fected t erribly !

Ol u koy is i prepared certain ingredients from the root of the
n ki tree which he applied to his wife unsuspected ; it was a
fatal tell tale for when next she was being indulged in the
-

royal embraces the p a ir of them got so inextricably adhered

,

together that it became necessary to resort to a surgical operation

,

in order t o separat e them Thus both of them died in the act .

Thus ended this inglorious reign .

The B a sg r u n of this reign was K ogb en son of the late Jambu .

1 1 . ON I § I L E
'

On ieil e who n ow ascended the throne was quite a dif ferent

man from the form er occupant H e was a great warrior and .
,

for his exploits was nicknam ed G b a gid a Wg wg l ewg n ab esi n ’ ’

f o Odi (G b a g id a !an expression of admiration] a m an with

cla n ging chains !for prisoners] Whose horse can leap over a town
wall ) .

H e wa s remarkable for his indomitable cour a ge and lion .

h ea r t ed s p ir it H e was moreover very artistic and was sai d t o

'

.
,

have made seven silver doors to th e seven entrances o f his sleeping

apartment .

D uring this reign the Sek er e (calabash) drum was ornam ent ed ,

not only with cowries but also with costly beads e g Iy un (corals)
,
. .

O kri n (ston e beads B enin ) Erinla (striped yel low pipe beads) and
’

S egi (blue pipe beads) strung with silk thread dyed red ; all of
,

native manufacture .

H is rashness and fearlessness was the ultimat e cause of his death .

H e was cautioned against experimenting with the sun leaf

a pl ant known to possess electrical properties by which lightni n g ,

c an be attracted but he was n ot the man to heed any such remon

strance The consequence was that the Sango worshippers managed
.

to attract lightning on the palace the Ki ng was struck and from , ,

the shock h e becam e paralysed Thus he was incapacitat ed from .

performing the duties of his o ffice .

The chiefs of OY O then assembled and w aited on him and told ,

him that as he had challenged S ango to a single combat a n d h a d

 CH APT E R V
B ASOR U N GA H A A ND H IS AT R OCITI E S H IS FALL , ,

A ND A B I OD U N S P E AC E FU L R E IG N ’

1 . L A B ISI
TH IS unfortunate Prince wa s nominated to the vacant throne ,

but wa s never crowned On ly 1 7 days after he comm enced the

.

preliminary ceremonies t h e n ew B a sg r u n G ah a ro s e t o power and

, ,

C omm enced those series of atrocities which m ade h im notorious

in Yoruba history .

Olub e and A j ib a d u the King elect s friends were summ arily

’
-

put to death a n d he having no supporters was not even al lowed

, ,

t o enter the palace much less to sit on t h e thro ne

, H e had to .

put an end t ehis own life .

G ah a had great influence with the people and a great m any ,

followers wh o considered themselves safe under h is pr otection ,

from the dread in which they stood of the Kings because of thei r ,

cruel and despotic ru l e .

G ah a was also famous for his charms ; he wa s credited with

the power of being ab l e to co n vert himself into a leopard or an
elephant and on t his account was much feared H e lived to
, .

a good Ol d age and wielded his power m ercilessly H e was noted

, .

for having raised five Kings to the throne of whom he murdered ,

four an d was himsel f m urdered by the fifth

, .

§ 2 . A WO N B I O J U a li a s O D U B O Y E
G ah a the B a sg r u n had by this t ime attained t o great power an d
influence H e m ade himsel f the King m aker an d King destroyer
. .

H e did not aspire t o the throne for that was impossib l e of attain ,

m ent but he demanded the homage of al l the Kings he raised t o

,

th e throne H e raised A wen b io j u into the pl ace of Labisi H is

. .

reign was very short having wie l ded the sceptre for only 1 30 days
,
.

H e was murdered by the all powerful B a s o r un for nobly refusi n g -

to prostrat e before him his Own Chancell or , .

3 . A G B OLU A JE

succeeded the late King on t h e thron e wa s a

A g b o l u a j e wh o
very handsom e and prepossessing Princ e an d as he submitted ,

t o the powerfu l B a sg r u n he wa s a ll owed t o reign for a longer

,

period than the t wo prec eding Kings H e was not as ambitious .

I 78
 BA§ QR U N eA n A A N D H IS AT R O CITI E S 1 79

as som e of his predecessors he had n o wars the kingdom had , ,

extended to its utmost limits bounded by the river N iger on th e ,

nor t h and a porti on of the Tapa and B ariba countries on the ,

E ast by the l ower N iger on the S outh by the seaco a st and on t he

, ,

West it inc l udes the Popos and D ahom ey From all the provinces .

included within thes e boundari es and by som e including the G as ,

and Ashanti tributes were paid to 0 Y 9 Tranquility prevai l ed

, .

all over the land .

The King thought this a fitting O pportunity for celebrating

t h e B eb e n o t s o much for the length of his reign but for the
, ,

peace and p r osperity that prevailed al l o ver the Kingdom .

D uring the three years celebration visitors from al l parts ,

thronge d Q Y Q as was usual but the most disting uished guest was ,

the E l ewi O d o a Popo king wh o visited O Y O in stat e a n d had a

-

, ,

reception befitting his rank H e wa s a partic ul ar friend of the .

A L AF I N S a n d usua ll y supp l ied him with c l oths and other artic l es

’

o f E uropean manufacture being n earer the c o a st a n d having deal ,

ings with E uropean traders o f those da ys .

As on such occasions everybody vis ited O Y O in his best holiday

dress so the E l ewi O d o who was acco unt ed proverbial l y rich
,
-

app eared at this tim e On public occ a sions the E l ewi—O d o sat
.

on a throne opposite the King ; as often as the King ch a nged ‘

his robes he changed his covering c l oth t o one of the sam e

,

material when the King puts on a robe of S ilk or vel vet he covers ,

with a cloth of the sam e material Both Kings were an obj ect .

of interes t and admiration by the 1 060 vassal kings and chiefs

o f Yoruba with the populace wh o were present on that occasion
, .

B ut the citizens of Q Y Q grew j ealous for the honour and g l ory

of their Ki n g and wish ed him t o appear superior t o the E l ewi—O d o
by robing himself with something the l ike Of which even the E l ewi
had not but they found that he had nothing the like of which his
friend had not s o they had recourse t o a device The m a nu .

f a c t ur er s were summ oned and the cas e put before them a n d they ,

promised t o rise t o the occasion A sim ple gown wa s thereupon .

woven o f common stu f f indeed but embossed all over with the
, ,

s ilken wool of the large cotton tree s een at a distance the nature
of the cloth c c ul d not be made o ut by the crowd when the sun
shone upon it it reflected a silken hue t o the admirat ion of al l
,

when the breeze bl ew detached fl os s es of si l k float ed a ll around

,

his maj esty E ven the E l ewi O d o and the provincia l kings co uld
.
-

not hel p admiring the curious robe which they took for som ethi n g
so superior that no n e but the great A L AF I N of OY Q a l on e possessed !
,

The crowd went into ecstatic frenzy about it and shouted an ,

applause .
1 80 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
B ut the conduct of the E l ewi on this occasion o ff ended the
B a sg r un because he vied with his sovereign Therefore after his .
,

return home at the expiration o f the B ebe and the B a sgr un had
c elebrat ed his Owa r a as usual he denounced the E l ewi before H is ,

Maj esty in the severest terms that he cam e not to honour the ,

King but to disgrac e him to S how o ff his wealth to the K ing s

’

disadvantage and therefore he wa s determined to punish him

, , ,

for his conduct .

The King pleaded hard f or his friend but in vain

-

E very .

one said he is allowed b y c us t om to appear at OY O during

,

B ebei n his best h o w m uch more should a king do so

, H is action
in this m atter is pardonable and therefore shou l d be overlooked
"
.
, ,

B ut G ah a was inexorable and war was declared ,

The E lewi h a vrn g been private l y forewarned attempted n o ,

resistance but sent a private m essage to the King n o t to be anxio us

,

on his account a n d that his safety was assured H e speedily

, .

cross ed the E s u og b o ri ver and escaped t o the T a pa country .

U nfortunatel y the privat e m essenger arrived a t QY Q too lat e

t o m eet the King alive U nwi l li n g that t h e head of his friend the
.

E l ewi shoul d be brought in trium ph to him at Q Y Q h e took poison ,

a n d died before the return home of the expedition H is brother

M a j eo g b e wa s p l aced o n the throne by the all powerful B a eor un -

G ah a .

4 . M A J EO G B E

M a j eo g b edid n o t fare any better th an his immediat e pre

d ec es s or s H is first care was t o find means of checking the ambition
.

o f the B a sg r u n H e co uld not order his execution and the

.
,

B a sg r u n was too much on the alert t o be taken o ff by poison

but he set about m aki n g c h arms o ffensive and defensive in order
t o rid himself of this terror .

G ah a had by this tim e attained t he zenith o f his glory ; his

sons were scattered al l over the length and breadth o f the kingdom ,

they resided in the principal tow n s and all the tributes O f those
towns and thei r suburbs were paid to them N o tribute wa s n ow .

p ai d t o the A L AF I N ; G ah a s sons were as ambitious and as cruel

’

as their father .

S everal anecdotes ill ustrating their wanton cruelties were told

of them e g , . .

O n e of th em once engaged a carrier t o whom he gave a load t o o

heavy for him t o ea r r y but he dared not refuse t o d o S O H e
, .

walked behind t he ma n amusing himself with the S ight of the m an s ’

su f feri n gs from the weight o f the l oad H e rem arked in j est that .

’
the man s neck had becom e s o thick tha t he doubt ed whether a
1 82 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O R U B AS
seated before the door of the audience chamber was slid back ,

so that he was never seen on the move but in order t o inspire

dread his drumm er used t o beat Iba kan b g irin ij a u i n r in
, , .

H is H ighness comes m aj estic striding as one spoi l ing for a fight , .

§5 . A B I g DU N a li a s A D E G OL U

A b ig d u nwhose peaceful reign has passed into a proverb was

,

described as a tall and S lender prince of a very dark compl exion , ,

a come l y person of dignified manners and al together fit to wear

, ,

a crown H e a l so was r aised to the throne by the orde r and

.

infl uence of the B a sg r un .

The young King was Wise and prudent a n d at first m a de no ,

attempt at any opposition to the powerful B a sg r u n H e went .

regularl y every morning to pay him his respects and inva riably , ,

received his presents of I O heads of cowr ies (which as a m atter of

fact never exceeded 6 heads n o t with the knowledge of the
, ,

B a sor u n however but by the action of the attend a nts )

, .

This state of things continued for m any years so m uch so that

even th e B a gg r u n himself wa s becoming tired of this abj ect
submission and wanted but a decent pretext for which he m ight
,

kill him j ust for a change

, This m an of blood wa s often heard
t o say Who taught this King to be so wise ? These dai l y presents
are getting t o be t oo heavy a charge on m y exchequer now .
.

A l l power was in his hands and so were the responsibi lities H is .

lust for power drained his excheq uer for his sons lording it all ,

over the co untry deprived him o f the revenues which might have
com e to him .

That he was in great straits for m o n ey seem ed evident from the

fact that he reques ted his m edicine m en to m ake him charms
to get him p l enty of cowri es O f a ll that consti tutes wealth .

o r power sai d he, I have save money (cowries ) enough to

, ,

support my position .

On e of his m edicine m en as sured him that he can make

him a soap t o wash wi th and before sunset his wish will be , ,

realized H e m ade the soap and H is S upernal H ighness used i t

.
,

according to directions and strange to say it took e f fect but in a

, , ,

wa y n o one anticipated Whatever the cause was due to nobody. ,

knew but fire brok e out in the B a eg r u n s house that afternoon

,
’
,

and a l l e fforts t o extinguish i t failed and so the palace was burnt ,

to the gro und Owing to H is Highness influence and power

.
'
,

and the dread a l l had of him every rank and station from the , ,

A L AF I N downwar ds now vi ed to be the foremost in contributing to

repair his losses 1 0 1 5 2 0 bags o f cowri es cam e in from all q uarters
, , ,
.
 B A§ QR U N C AI I
-
A A ND H IS AT RO CITI E S 1 83

The heads of the di fferent wards of the ci ty the M g d a d e M el ab a , , ,

N sise ogun N t et u T on ee—

-

, , Awo Ar emu Ita Ologbo A j g f a

’

, , , ,

and the Og ed e quarters al l brought pres ents in cowries

, .

Then the provinci al kings and chi efs from the Oni koyi down «

wards brought building materi als and a l so their own contri butions ,

in cowries which greatly augmented his store T h e B a eg r un

, .

”
then asked t h e m edicine m an Is this the wa y yo u promised
to get m e cowri es H e repl ied Yes your Highnes s by what , ,

other means co uld you have am assed such an ab undance i n so

short a tim e
B ut the B a sgr un was sti ll thirsting for the blood of the A L AF I N ,

and he was never so wise in his deal ings with him till at length , ,

King A B I g D U N took a bold step upon which he had devoted n o ,

l ittle consideration H aving gi ven orders to his cour t iers an d his

.

wi ves pri vatel y to report to the B a gg r un that he was su f feri ng from

indisposition he left Q Y Q pri vate l y in the night for a town c al l ed
Ak al a t o his nam esake A d eg ol u the powerful chief of that pl ace .

B eing in disguise he was n o t recognised by the B al e s wife wh o

’

, ,

told him her husband had gone t o his farm The feigned poor .

stranger asked the lady kindly to fetch him h om e in haste as ,

he had an important m essage for him The kind hostess did so .

,

and Chief A d eg ol u cam e hom e imm ediately wondering what the ,

message could be .

Who are y o u ? Where from ? And what is yo ur message ?

wer e the eager questions t h e B al e put t o the st r anger
’

I want .

a pri vate intervi ew wa s the reply B oth of them retired to a .

convenient place and the B al e was st artled and was scarcely

, ,

himself when he heard from this humble s t ranger I am your

nam esake A d eg OI u the A I AF I N of Q Y Q It was with som e di fficulty .

he coul d restrain the Bal e from doing homage there an d then with
earth on his head etc ,
N o no said the King a noth er tim e
.
”
, , ,

will do f o r that I am co m e to confer with you upon the present

.

crisis h o w t o rid the throne of Q Y Q of the great us urper the Ki n g

, ,

maker and King destroyer You know very wel l that in all th e
.
,

towns and vill ages of the Yoruba kingdom G ah a and his ,

sons ha ve the dominant ru l e .

'

After conference Chief A d eg ol u went with the stranger to t h e

,

powerful Kakanfo (Fiel d Marsh al ) a b i at Aj a se here th e plot

was mat ured o f a strong and secret combination against the
,

B a eg r u n and his sons T his was comm unicated by swift posts

.

to all the principal kings and chiefs in the country and it was ,

arranged that on a fix ed day they shoul d a ll rise and destroy a ll

,

G ab a s chi l dren
’

T h e arrangement being comp l ete K ing A d eg o l u returned home

1 84 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E YO R U B A S
as h e came out ; and next morning paid his respects t o the
B a sg r u n as before .

At t h e day appointed the whole country rose up against G ah a s

’

children and butchered them t o pieces ; and in order to exter

,

minate the seed in toto those of their wi ves who were encein te ,

were ripped open and the embryo chopped in pieces I ,

The whole army of the country headed by Oyabi and A d eg ol u ,

now marched for QY Q according t o the secret arrangement and the ,

Q Y Q c h iefs with the A LAF I N opened the gates to them .

G ab a s people single handed were preparing to resist but it

’
-

was evident that his tim e was com e and nothing coul d stop the
in evit a b l e a n d fat al end G ah a s ummoned his relatives t ogether
'

.
,

and handed to them a bundl e of h er e grass well tied and asked , ,

them t o break it when all had tried and failed he had it loosed , ,

h an ding round a f ew blades t o each that was easily crunched

then said he t o them Combined we shall stand but if disunited ,

we shall be broken to pieces li ke the blades of h er ein your hands .

B ut his brother Olub ri who might have o f fered the stoutest

’

r esistance had been won over by the Q Y Q chiefs wh o promised

, ,

h im his brother s title when all shall have been over ; but this
’

t urned out t o be a ruse devised to weaken the B a eg r un s resistance

,
’

f or Olrrb ri never escaped the fate of all G ah a s people but was

’ ’ ’

butchered in the gener al m assacre of the great m an s adherents ’

and relatives To the last Ql ao t an G é h a s el dest son stood by his

.
, ,
’

father . The troops from the country pour ed in from all quarters
and were j oin ed by those of the city all equally tired of ,

the iron rul e of G ah a and of the enormities being perpetrated by

his children H is palace was surrounded and attempts were
.
,

m ade to beat down the walls thereof but they were heroic al ly
defended by his trusty dom estics and the few faithfu l adherents ,
.

G ah a i n vai n tri ed to transform hi mself into an elephant as

of yore . H e ordered four m ort ars to be placed in position for the
fore an d hind legs and t wo pestles for the tusks old and feeble
,

and lam e he could not even help himself up the m ortars and when
, ,

helped to them his trembling limbs could not support his body
,

W eight : his incantations proved a fai lure At the Sight of this .

f ai lure Ql a ot a n groaned wi th disappointment and sai d F ather , ,

have I not always s ai d i t were better y ou should secure a charm

for ensuring perpetual youth ? It was because I was strongly
con vinced that these charms will be of li ttle avail to you when old ,

age has s et in .

From the wal ls and from the roofs of his palace the B a eer un s ,
’

m en kept the arm y of the Kakanfo at bay A sharp shooter in .

p artic ul ar di d havoc amongst them but a cert ain young man ,

1 86 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
from the capital In order t o m ake himsel f sec ure on the throne
.
,

he suppressed or executed al l those known or suspect ed to have

been G ah a s fri ends s ecretly and wh o might raise an insurrection
’

against him for G ah a was not without fri ends even among the
,

chiefs such as the Es iel e the S a kin and the S ah ad éwe

, , , .

From this tim e comm enced that period of peace a n d prosperity

for which Ki ng A B I g D U N s reign Was famous Tri butes poured into
’
.

Q Y Q from th e remote states and from D ahom ey a griculture and ,

commerce flourished and the people to the remot es t part of the

,

kingdom were s o far happy and contented .

The Kakanfo a b i did n o t live l ong t o enj oy the peace h e was

s o instrumental in e f fecting t wo years l ater the A LAFI N invited ,

him t o O Y O in order to bestow on him speci al honours and marks ,

of favour in recognition of his services to King and country but ,

unfortunately his hea l th was in a precari ous condition and in

, ,

obeying t h e comm an ds of his sovereign he died on his way to ,

OY O .

6P E AC E F U L R E IG N
. A B I g DU N s
’

King A B I QD U N had a l ong and prosperous reign H e was .

s ai d to have been the father of 660 children The fir stborn

A g u n p o p o was s aid to have been the issue of an illici t int ercourse
'
wi th one of his father s wi ves during the father s lifetim e : hence
’

the n g citizens refused to have him as the A r em e (Crown Prince) .

Ige G b en g b er u his legi timat e fir stborn was accepted f or that ti tle ,

but he wa s of a delicate constitution and died prem aturely the ,

o ffice of A r em e n o w devo l ved upon the next prince Ade sina .

When A B I O D UN was ful l y established on the throne h e found out

that a Mohamm edan had hidden o n e of G ab a s childr en for about ’

4 0 ye ars 1 The King not on l y gracio usly spared the young man ,

b ut al so am p l y rewarded his preserver for his generous act and ,

confirmed his good wil l by gi ving one of his daughters to the

Moslem for wife f o r surely sai d the King y o u would have , ,

done the sam e for myse l f a l so ”

.

Towards the latter p a rt of the King s reign certain of the ’

Popo tribes had a q uarrel am ong themselves and two of their ,

kings cam e to OY O wi th a large retin ue o f about people

f o r an appea l They were detained for 3 years without their
.

c as e being heard and in the end they were informed that they
,

were no more t o ret urn to their own country but kept as the ,

1
Yorubas al ways exaggerat e their tim e period by a bad
Th e
m ethod of calculation If for instance a child is born 5 days
.
, ,

before the new moon appears h e is then 2 months old a n d at the , ,

next new moon he is 3 months when in reality he is only a m onth ,

a n d som e davs S o also is the calculation for years

. .
 BA§ QR U N G AH A A ND H IS AT RO CITI E S 1 87

King s body guard under th e co m mand of his s o n A g un p op o

’

whom the Q Y Q ci ti zens insisted upon reckoning among his

b r o t h er s t h e Ol usami A t in gis i and I y a j in for the reason stated above
, , .

On e act of revenge m arred thi s distinguished sove r eign s

’

reputation Long before his accession he was a trader in potash

.
, .

H e once had a qua r rel at I j ay e with the Ba l e s son but the B al e

'

out of deference to his high birth interposed and sharp l y r ep ri ~

m a n d e d his son U pon h is accession he avenged the alleged insul t by

.

ordering the destructi o n of the town I j a y e was then an Egba town . .

This fact is noted because this was the first tim e I j aye was taken ,

a town which wa s destined hereafter t o play a notable part in

Yoruba history H is other wars were against the Popos every
.

other year They were completely subdued

. .

The Crown Prince A d egin a turned out to be a very vain and

extravagant y oung man weak in character yi eldi ng to flattery , , .

E g
. . i t was said that som e of his fo l lowers used to say to him
,

Pr ince y o u can give m e I O heads of cow ri es n o w (equi valent

,

to £ 1 0 in those days ) i f on l y you wish why you have only to

, ,

say the word and i t wou l d be done com e n o w why be reluctant ,

about i t It is only to speak etc The Prince would yi eld and

, .
,

order the m oney to be gi ven .

King A B I Q D UN attained t o a good old age full of honours having , ,

subdued a ll h is enemi es The A r em e had hoped to succ eed his

.

father N ot satisfied with the high honour and unr estricted

.

l iberty he was enj oying he was t o o eag er to occupy the throne

, ,

a n d so he hastened h is father s death by poison

’
.

The end of this reign m arked an important epoch in Yoruba

history With the death of A B I g D U N en ded the universal and
.

despotic rule of the A L AF I N S of Q Y Q in t h e Yoruba co u ntry H e was .

the last o f the Kings that held the di f ferent parts of the Kingdom
together i n one universal S way and with him ended the tranquility
and prosperity of the Yoruba country The revolution ensued .
,

and the tribal independence with the loss to Yoruba of the Tapa ,

and B a r iba and D ahom ey provinces and the Popos later o n

, , .

which has continued to our own day In a word with A b ig d un .

,

ended the unity of the Yoruba kingdom .

K a n g id i succeeded G ah a as the B a s or u n of this reign .

P E R I OD T H E T H I RD .

In which revolutionary wars devastated the whole of Yoruba

l and ending in the F ul ani usurpation and tribal independence
,
.

It embraced a peri od of the reigns of five Ki n gs fro m the ,

accession of A O LE t o the death of OL U E W U the last of the Kings , ,

wh o rei g ned at the anci ent Q Y Q .

 CH APT E R V I .

TH E R E V OL U TI ON
§ 1 . A O L E S U RN AME D A R OGA N G A N

N O N E of A big d u n s numerous chi l dren succeeded him on the throne

’
.

Aol e a tall and h a n d s o m e P r in ce a cousin of the lat e King was

,
.
,

elected in h is stead But unfortunately his reign was a very

.
,

unhappy one ; i t marked the com m encement of the decline of

the nation until it term inat ed in the tragic end of the fift h .

King after him The cup of ini qui t y of the n ation was fu l l ;
.

cruelty usurpation and treachery were rife especially in th e

, , ,

capi tal and the provinc es were groaning under the y oke of
o p p r es s ro n. Confiscation and slavery for the slightest o ffenc e
becam e matters of daily occurrence and the tyran ny exactions , , ,

and lawlessness of the Pri nces and oth er m embers of t h e royal

family were simply insu p portable Oaths were n o m ore take n
, .

in the nam e of the gods who were n ow co n sidered too lenient ,

and indi f ferent but rather in the n a m e of the Ki ng who was

”
more dr eaded I d a O b a ui yio j e mi (may the King s sword
’
.

destroy m e) was the new form of oath Aol e wa s unfo r tunately

saddled with the ill fat e of the natio n as the fol lo wi n g ditty ,

commonly s ung wou l d S how

Lai y e A big d un l a fi igba won wo
’ ’

Lai y e Aol e l adi a dikal e

’
.

( A b ig d u n s reign money we weighed by bushels !Lit wi th

’
In . .

ca l abashe s ] In Aol e s reign we packed up to flee) ’

,
.

B ut there was nothing more in h is actions than in those of his

predecessors to warrant this saying on the contrary he was , ,

p robably too weak and mild for the tim es The nation was ripe .

for j udgm ent and the impending wrath of God was about to fall
,

upon i t hence tro u ble from every quarter one after a nother , .

On the King s acc ession according to custom when the tim e

’

cam e for hi m t o send out his first expedition he wa s asked wh o ,

was his enemy that they should fight him H e n a med the Bal e
, .

of Apom u and hence Apom u was doomed

, .

The alleged cause of o f fence will c l early S how h ow much of

corruption there wa s at the fountain head i n those days .

Apomu was the market town where Oy g s Ifes Ow n s and , , ,

I j eb us met for trade It was situated in I f e territory and I n the

.
,

1 88
I 90 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
Hitherto alone was his enemy the other chiefs were
, A f g nj a ,

as yet loyal to him but circumstances occurred o n e after the other

, ,

which created a disa f fection between him and the B a gg r un and the
other chiefs fanning i nto a flam e t he des tructi ve fire a lready
,

smoulder ing in its embers .

The cause of quarrel between the King and A sam u the B a sg ru n

was this :
O n e Alaj a et a a H ausa trader at OY O was plundered of hi s
-

goods under the pretext th a t he was bri ngi ng bad charms into
,

the city Among his confisc ated goods wa s his K o ran which he
.

prized more than all his other stolen propert y H e appealed t o .

the King and he from a sense of j ustice ordered tha t all his goods
, ,

be restored to hi m All but the Koran were accordingly res tored

. .

The H ausa ag a in appealed t o the King for this his m ost valued
treasure the King insisted that search sho ul d be m ade and the
lost Koran be restored .

The B a gg r u n in whose possession it probably was or wh o ,

at any rate knew where it could be fou n d refused to r es tore i t ,

and told the King it could n ot be foun d H is Maj esty felt this
keenl y as an insult t o his digni ty he was h eard to say Is it
com e to this that my commands cannot be obeyed in my o wn
capital ? Must it be said that I f ai led t o redress the gri evanc e
of a stranger in my town ? That he appe a led t o m e in vain ?
Turning t o the B a eg r u n and pointing upward s he said V ery ,

well then i f you cannot find i t m y father (m eani n g the dei fied
,

S ango ) will find the Koran for m e .

As the god S ango is reputed to take vengeance on thi eves and

liars by burning their houses so the next day when lightning , ,

struck the B a s or u n s house great was h is r a ge ag a inst the King

’

f o r being instrumental in convicting him of theft and lying

The ceremony of appeasing the g o d by the devot ees ent ai led ,
’
heavy expenses on the B a sg r u n who had i t been another m a n s ,

house might have gone shares with the A L AF I N in the fines imposed
upon the su f ferers H e knew Where t h e troubl e cam e from for
.
,

he noted the King s words My father wi l l find i t for me

’
In .

this way h e became the King s enemy ’

.

Another circumstance occurred which added the Ot a one o f

the Eeg s to the list of the King s enemi es ’
.

On e J a n ka l awa wh o had o ffended the late King and wh o had

escaped to the Bari ba country when h e sought to ki ll hi m no w ,

returned after the King s death and wa s fl au n t in g about t h e streets

’

of Q Y Q under the protection of L a fia nu the Ot a T h e lat e .

King s wi ves were angry at this and compl a ined to Ao l e against

’

J a nkal a wa S ai d they You have inhe ri ted our lat e husb a nd s

’
.
 TH E R E VO L U TI O N I gI

wives ,his treasures slaves and his throne , Why not make .

his cause your cause and his enemi es your s as well Why do y o u
al l ow thi s J a n ka l a wa t o stalk so defiant l y about t h e stree t s of

OY O ?
B y thus appealing to him from day to day he yielded to t heir ,

entreaties and remonstrances and ordered the arrest and s u b s e ,

quent exec ution of J a n kal a wa .

The Ot a s pri de was wounded becau se he was not res pect ed

’

by the King in that one known to be under his prot ect io n S hou l d
,

be so summarily dealt with Thus th e B a sg r u n and t h e K akanfo.

found a n accompl ic e in the p owerful O t a A conspir a cy wa s .

form ed but not being ripe for ex ecution they a w a ited a ,

favourable opportuni ty .

At length the tim e arri ved when a n expedition must be sen t

out and the King was ag ai n a sked Wh o is y our Maj es ty s e n em y ?
,
” “ ’

H e repli ed I have to l d y o u that my enemy is too formi dable

,

for m e and besides we ar e the sam e ki th an d kin

,
H owever he .
,

advised that as the las t camp ai gn ended at Gbeji th e war shoul d ,

be prosecuted from th a t place .

But in order to gain their obj ect in vi ew viz the rem oval , .
,

o f the Kakanfo the Ki ng s counse ll ors ad vised that the Kaka n fo

’

and the arm y should be sen t against Iwere a place fortified b y ,

nat ure and by art and impregnable t o the simple weapons of

,

those days and as the Kakanfo by th e oaths of his o ffi ce m ust

,

either conquer wi thi n three months o r di e and Iwere is im preg ,

nable he wi ll have n o other alternative but as in honour

, ,

bound to make away with himself .

I t was however arranged that he sho ul d n o t be fo r ewar ned

, , ,

but decoyed as i t were to that place until he found himself at the

foot of the hi ll on whi ch I were was built hence it was gi ven o u t
that war was declared ag ai nst Gbej i .

B ut the ro y al party leading the arm y received pri vat e in s t r uc

tions t o l ea d the army t o Iwere and when there t o infor m th e
'

Kakanfo that that w as the place he was sent against .

B ut pri vate i ntelligence had reached the Kaka n fo at I l g rin ,

of all the pl ots and int r igues going on i n the capital H owever .
,

he wi th his accomplices in the cit y deferred the ex ecution of t h eir

d esign till after their ar ri val at the seat of war .

The army at length stood before Iwere and the R oyal party ,

consisting of the King s b rother the E unuc h s and th e pri nci p a l

’

, ,

slav es and their m en pointing t o i t sai d T his is the town t o be

, ,

taken by the order of the A L AF I N .

The time was now com e for the muti ny t o break out The .

B as g r un and the Ot a at th e head of the troops from t h e ci ty ,

I 92 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the Oni koyi and the Kakanfo leading those from the provi nces
now alleged as a pretext f o r the mutiny that If the King had n ot
aimed at our destruction he would not have ordered us t o thi s
,

impregnable town And besi des is not this the maternal town o f
.
,

King A J A G B O Are there not Kobis in the Queen Mother s pal ac e ’

there
T h e watchword was now gi ven 0 Y a (n o w is the tim e) and
s o the whole army t urned their swords upon the royal party and
massacred them 1 Chi ef Qp eleof Gbogun in particular was famous
as a swordsman ; h e made himself notori ous on that occasion ,

and took to himself a nam e A ri agada pa aburo Ob a (one wh o

has a blade for slaying the King s brother) ’
.

The si ege was i mmedi ately raised and the whole army stood ,

before the city for forty and two days The King sent word to .

say i f they have ret urn ed from the expedition whether successful ,

or unsuccessfu l let them com e in for an intervi ew The insurgent

, .

chi efs sent word bac k to say that the royal party had o f fended them
and that the result had proved unfortunat e V ery well sai d .
,

the King in any case com e in for an interview

, , S everal weeks .

passed and they were still encamped before OY Q irresolute as t o

,

what they should do next At last an em pty covered calabash

'

was sent to the King— for hi s head ! A plain in dication that he

wa s rej ected H e had suspect ed this all along and was not un p r e
.

pared f o r i t There being no alternati ve His Maj esty set his house
.

i n order ; but be f ore he commi tted suici de he stepped o ut into the ,

palace quadra n gl e with face stern and resolute carrying in his hands ,

an earthenware dish and three arrows H e Shot on e t o the N orth .

,

one t o the S outh and one to the West uttering those ever m emo t
,
-

able i mprecations My c urse be on ye for your dis l oyalt y and

,

di sobedi ence s o let yo ur children disobey you

, If you send them .

on an errand let them never ret urn to bring you word again
,
.

To all the points I S hot m y arrows wi ll ye be carri ed as slaves

.
.

My curse will carry you t o the sea and beyond the seas slaves will ,

rule over you and you their m asters will becom e Slaves
, .

With this he raised and dashed the earthenware dish on the

ground smashing i t i nto pi eces saying Igba la is e a ki is e awo , ,

b eh en i ki 91 9 mi 0 se t o l to l (a broken calabash can be m ended ,

but not a broken dish so let m y words b e— irrevocable

H e then took p oiSon and di ed after which the cam p was broken ,

up and each of the chiefs repaired to his own place

, .

T hus ended an unhappy reign of about seven years and Pri n c e ,

A d eb g succeeded hi m on the throne .

A § a m u Agba o l é ka n was the B a eg r u n of this reign

'
-
.
1 94 THE H I S TO R Y OF T HE YO RU B AS
Under Sel ag b er u s standard also flocked Mohammedans from
’

Gbanda K g b a yi Agoho K uwg and K g b e All i n his quarter

, , , ,
.

being Mos l em s h e nam ed that part of the town O KE S UN A i e

'

, , . .
,

the quarter of the faithful They held themselves separat e not .

only from the pagans but also from the F ulahs or F ula ni s their
'

c o religi onists
-
.

From thi s tim e began the J ehad or religi ous war in the Yoruba
country Those who were enlisted as soldiers call ed themselves
.

J am a (a H ausa word for the r a n k a n d fil e as di stinguished from ,

the leaders) The mark of distinction between themselves and

.

others was th e K en d é two large iron rings one on the thumb , ,

the other on the 3 r d or 4 t h finger of the left hand wi th this they

wel com e each other stri king the rings ag ai nst each other to produce
,

a sound This I the Sign of brotherhood ; hence they often say

. ,

0 re ken d é S i mi ekan na n i wa
’ ’

(h e welcomed m e wi th the
, ,

Kende we both are one)

, .

The operations of the J am as were di rect ed against the Igb ona

t ribe T h e only t owns of Y oruba proper destroyed were amongst
‘

the I b gl g s vi z Ir es a E ji gb o and Ilobu T h e reason why these

.
, , , .

towns were destroyed we shall notic e afterwards .

§ 4 T HE RISI N G o r OJ O A G U N B A M B A R U
.

O j o surnam ed A G U N B A M B A R U was one of th e survi vi ng sons of

the renowned B a ggr u n G ah a H e had escaped to the B ariba .

country at the general massacre of G ah a s children and relatives ’

i n the reign of King A big d un H earing of the present stat e of .

the country he thought there coul d never be a m ore favourable

,
’
opportunity f or him both t o avenge his father s death and also ,

to obt ain his ti tle without opposition .

H e return ed from the B ariba country with an immense arm y ,

entered OY O an d und er the pretext of espo us ing the King s cause

,
’

he put to death indiscriminately most of the influential ci tizens

wh o were nam ed as Afonj a 5 f riends and alli es The Owo t a was '
.

the first victim of his ambition an d revenge On the whole about . ,

1 00 chi efs were despatched wh o were either his father s enemies

’

, ,

or wh o might have opposed him I n his m ai n obj ect .

H e now set o ff for I l grin to m easure strength wi th A f gn j a t h e

po werful Kakanfo whose fath er was one of those who swel led
,

w B r un G ah a
a
’
bi s army f or the over thro of his fath er the a gg ,

a n d wh o had s ucceeded the same a

o
b i in his ti tl e as Kakanfo .

These were h is grievances against A f g n j a ; but besides these ,

Afonj a was the on l y person in the land after Qp el e of Gbogun ,

wh o might have opposed him in his design s .

If Oj o had acted wi th prudenc e he might have succeede d without ,

 THE R E V OL U TI O N 1 95

the slightest doubt but his indisc riminat e Slaughter of the n

chi efs an d others in his track an d his threats against the Onikoyi , ,

tended to weaken hi s own strength on the outset Fire and the .

sword marked his path to I lgrin and so gr eat was the dread of him , ,

that such towns as Ogidi Ogele and others were deserted at his , ,

approach .

Adegun the Onikoyi being one of A f gn j a s secret fri ends wa s on ’

his li st f or destruction but he was r eserved till after the war Both .

were kept i nform ed of all Ojo s m ovem ents policy and design s ’

, ,

by the Q Y Q people wh o followed h im trembling not r eally as ,

fri ends but rather as trai tors th eir minds having been prej udiced
, ,

against him on account of his ex cesses and a sec ret combination

, ,

was formed between them and the Onikoyi to desert Oj o at the ,

most cr itical mom ent .

Oj o s army was fur ther swelled by recr uits from al l the Yoruba
’

towns who reared his vengeance should victor y crown h is eff orts
wi thout their help ; and even the Oni koyi who kn ew hi mself t o
be a m a rked man declared for him and swelled his ar m y , .

Af g n j a m et t h is l ar ge army a gr eat way off b ut he wa s defeat ed

on three succ essi ve en gagem ents His army bei n g completely .

routed he fled precipitat ely t o Il erin to fortify the town ag ainst

the approach o f the conqueror I l gr in had not been wal led and .
,

there was n o time to think of doing so n o w so he had to ex tem pori se ,

forti fications erecting stockades with t h e loc ust and Shea butter
,
-

trees.

I l gr in wa s s o o n besieged and wa s nearly taken as A f gn j a s

’
’

courage was failing from repeat ed reverses when pri vate m essages ,

from the enemy s camp were sent to encour age him to hold out
’

a little longer .

At last the final decisi ve battle was to be fought Af g nj a and

, ,

his army were hard pressed on every side being shut up withi n ,

their forts an d the town was on the point of bei n g taken when
,

Adegun the Oni koyi and his accomplices s uddenly gave way ,

in the heat of the battle and the great conqueror irretri evab ly ,

lost the day l

The trai tors fled away in confusion but Oj o and his tr usty ,

Bariba troops retreated orderly the Kakan fo could not follow up

the victory by pursuing him from the dr ead h e had of the B a rib a s ,

who were reno wned for being good archer s an d for th eir poiso ned ,

arrows Oj o made good his escape wi th the remnan t of his army

. .

B eing thus d eserted by those whose cause he professed to espo use

.
,

A g un b am b ar u considered himself unsafe am ong them and there ,

fore returned to the Bariba country with the wr eck of his army
watc h ing for another favourable opportuni ty .
1 96 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E YO R U B AS
After the fall of Qp el e of Gbogun King A D E B Q declared war ,

against the town of Gbogun but he di ed at hom e during the ,

progress of the siege His reign wa s short and specially m ar ked

.

by tr oubles The people n ow longed for peace hence thei r

.
,

pathetic songs
A pete , a pero , a fi A d eb g j oba ,

A b ig d u n pada wa j gb a o
,

(Wi th deliberatio n and thought we made A d eb g K ing , 0

A big d un do thou ret urn to reign
,

A ea m u was a lso the B a ggr un of this reign .

5 M A K U .

A f gn j a by new conquests and especially by hi s recent victory

over Oj o became mightier still The I g b On as having already been
.

subj ugated he n o w proceeded to puni sh Ir esa for being in league

,

with Oj o because no private m essage cam e to him from that place

,

during the war .

Pri nce Maku a scended the t hr one without Afonj a 5 being con ’

s ul t ed, and therefore he never sent any congrat ul ations nor ,

repai red to OY O to do homage as usual A deputation was therefor e .

sent to inform him that The N ew Moon has appeared m ea ning ,

a n ew King has ascended the throne and he sent back this

”
ar rogant reply Let that N ew Moon speedily set .

Maku s reign was very short n o t ex ceeding t wo months (or

’

t h r ee moo ns as Yorubas reckoned i t ) .

H e declared war against I woro and took the field in per son H e , .

suf fered a defeat and retreated to Iwo (in the Metropolitan district) .

From sham e he did not return t o O Y O till the Q Y Q M E SI sent word

t o him that he sho uld not think of removi n g the seat of governm ent
to I wo or else why did he r em ain there ? His Maj esty thereupon
’

ret urned to the capital and then he was poli t ely told that no Yoruba
,
'

King m ust survi ve a defeat H e thereupon committed sui ci de

. .

The B a sg r un of this reign was the sam e A ea m u .

1 98 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
master s house their hea dquarters for their rapine masters wh o
’

were kind t o them formerly were n ow repai d by protection a gainst

the rapacities of their comrades ; unkind ones were n o w treated
wi th heartless revenge T hese fellows w ere not reg a rded n ow as
.

slaves b ut as the K a ka n f o s servants ’

Thoughtful m en were n o w apprehensive o i the evils to the nation

which the unrestrained licences of these J a m as portended but n o ,

one was bold enough to remonstrate wi th the Kakanfo or even to ,

appeal t o him against their rapacities Fagbohun the chi ef of .

Jabata alone had the courage to do so by virt ue of hi s offi ce as

the commander of the left wing of the K a ka n f o s army and he ’

incurred his displeas ure for his boldness .

In order to get Fagbohun into his grasp A f g n j a summoned ,

all the provincial B ales t o him at I l g r in but Fagbohun h aving ,

got wind of his intention escaped b a ck to his town .

B u t A f g n j a perc eived his error when it wa s t o o late H aught y .

and passion a te his very egotism was the cause of his fall Fortune
, .

had carried him to s u ch a high pitch of gl ory he thought his fal l ,

wa s impossible besides he had un l imited confidenc e in his

,

J am as and was n o t aware o f their growing d isa f fection and d is

,

lo y alty towards himself H e though t he co ul d put them down

.

when ever he li ked and wa s som etim es ver y severe wi th any act of
,

insubordination O pen l y threateni n g them with suppression and

,

an ni hilation This threat only served to I ncre a se th eir disa ffection

. .

T o o lat e he saw what Fagbohun had warned him a gainst

,
He .

failed completely t o check their ambition rapine and l awless n ess , .

H is threats an d warnings were n o t heeded Long impunity had .

increased their boldness .

At last the Kak anfo was resolved to gi ve e f fect to his threats

,

and t o disband the Ja mas but he miscal cu l ated his own strength
,
.

By the death of his brother A g b g n r in a n d h is head slave La sip a ,

he had lost his m ai n stay for these were m en of power H e had .

o ffended all the powerful chiefs in t h e kingdom incl uding his

form er fri end and ally S ela gb er u of Oke S una a n d his priest ,

Alimi by his hi gh handedness lofty airs an d haughty spirit

-

, .

F earing lest these Jam as S houl d attack him sudden l y if he were

t o delay their destruction he sent a privat e message to the Onikoyi
,

an d ot h er powerfu l chiefs in the co u ntry inviting them to m ake

their appearance in I l orin sudde nl y a n d to assist him in ,

annihilating these Jam as .

B ut the secret was divul ged t o the Jam as a n d t hey losing , ,

n o tim e bei n g headed by A l im i the priest rose up a g ai n st him

, ,

before he could obt ai n he l p fro m abro a d S ol a g b er u being a .

Yoruba pro f essed neutrality The Kakanfo was closely besieged

,
.
 THE R IS E OF TH E FU LA N IS TO P O WE R I 99

in his q uarters b u t he fought with his characteristic bravery

, .

When he found himself overwhelmed by numbers he despatched ,

B ugare his head Sl ave t o so l icit the aid of S el a g b er u but S g l a g b er u

treacherously detained him sayin g Your Master h a s hitherto
, ,

l ooked down upon us as his m enials and why does he n ow require ,

o ur ai d T his treachery he l ived to regret

, The gr eat Kakanfo .

was disappoint ed on al l sides As neither B ugare n or S ela g b er u

.

made an a ppearance he could n o t ho l d out till the On iko yi s

,
’

arrival he was compell ed t o fight within the wal l s of his house

but when the house wa s set on fir e he r ushed out again into the ,

streets surro unded by his faithful few The insurgents surrounded .

them charged again and again but coul d not break their ranks
, , .

A f g n j a himse l f in the midst of them was fighting most desperately ,

sur rounded by the corpses of som e of his f ai thful a ttendants .

S eeing the day was lost some o f his fol l owers became disheartened
,

and deserted him but the rest chose to di e with him H e fell
, .

indeed li ke a hero S o covered was he wi th darts that his body

.

was supported in an erect position u pon the shafts of spe a rs and

arrows s howered upon him .

S o m uch dread had his personal ity inspired that these treacher
ous J am as whom he had s o often led to victory could not be l i eve
he was reall y dead ; they continued to shower dar t s upon him
lo n g after he had ceased fighting They were afrai d t o approach .

his body as if he wou l d sudden l y spri n g up and Shake himself for

the conflict afresh ; not till one of them bol der than the rest ,

cautious l y went near and pl aced an arrow in hi s hand and they

saw he could no longer grasp it that they be l ieved he was real l y ,

dead H is corpse was t aken up and burnt to ashes .

T h e crafty Alimi his treacherous f riend took his helpless chi l d ren
and family under his o wn prot ection a il egin g that i t wa s a mis ,

understanding that led to the ci vil fight between himself a n d h is

o l d friend in which the latter u nhappily lost his life
,
H is house .

was rebui l t and t he remna n t of his people were permitted to occ upy
,

it but the go vernment o f the to wn passed over to the conqueror

,
.

His family ho wever are high l y respecte d at Ilorin to this day

, ,
.

T h us passed a wa y one wh o wil l a l ways be reme m bered in the

,

annals of the Yoruba country as the leader o f the revolution which

ended in the dism emberm ent of the Yoruba country .

T h e late A f g n j a was a native of Ilorin The city was built by .

h is great grandfather L a d erin whose posterity bore rul e in h er in

, ,

succession to the fourth generation La d er in the fo u nder was .

,

succeeded by Pa gin his son a va l iant chie f wh o opposed the

, ,

r enowned G ah a when he was in the zenith of his g l ory F earing .

his rising power G ah a dr ove him out of I l gr in and he escaped to

,
 00 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS

Ora H e sent an army after him there which reduced the town and
.

Pasin was taken and Slain A la g b in the son of Pa § in succeeded

.

his father and in t urn handed the governm ent to his vali a nt son
,

A f g n j a with whom the rule ended .

Ilorin is sometimes spoken of as Af g n j a s Ilorin Thi s is because

’
.

he was the most renowne d of her rulers and not only so but , ,

also because it was he who m ade i t into the large city it now is .

There were several towns an d villages around at no very great

distance from I l g r in e g Kanla Oke S una Ganm a El eh in j ar e
. .
, , , ,

I d o fian Oke Oyi Ibar e I g b g n Ir esa etc

, , Most of them thi s
, , .

restless warrior captured on e by one and resettled them aro und

Ilorin s o as t o m ake it into what it has becom e The abl e bodied .
-

m en he enrolled among his soldiers and several women and ,

c h il d ren he sold into slavery in order to have wherewith t o ,

maintain and supply arms to h is war boys .

H e was n o t actually of the royal family although often reckoned

as such but his mother was sai d t o have been a hom e born slave
,

of the pal ace and he was brought up among the chil dren of the
,

royal family hence the I b am u facial m ark across the face seen
,

in his descendants t o this day .

I l g r in now passed into the hands of foreigners ; the F ulanis

wh o had been invited there as friends and allies These bei n g .

far more astute t han the Yorubas having st u di ed their weak ,

points and observed their misr ul e planned to grasp the whole ,

kingdom into their o wn hands by pl aying one chief against another

and weakening the whole Their more generous treatm ent of .

f allen foes and artful m ethod of concili ati n g a power they co uld
not openly crush marked them out as a superior people in the art
,

o f government .

2 . TH E FI R ST A TTE MPT To RE C O VE R I L O R I N FR O M THE F U LA N IS

B ATTL E O F OGE L E
TH E
The tragic end of A f g n j a the K akanfo by the hands of his
J am as had long been anticipated by thoughtful men wh o depre
ca t ed their form ation and had predicted th e worst for the nation
,

when s l aves becam e masters .

The death of the Kakanfo struck the whole nation with such
awe and bewilderm ent that it took the people nearly a whole
year to bring them t o their right mind S eeing that the fate of .

t h e whole nation was trembling in the balance as i t were all the ,

peopl e united t o avenge the death of A f g n j a whi l e in t h e m eantim e , ,

the crafty F ul ani had been strengthening himself for the conflict .

H e had studied the Yorubas and knew how to circum vent them .
 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
provisions and had t o live o n the locust fruit (igb a) H ence the war .

wa s termed M ug b am ug b a .

The Yorubas were again unsuccessful in this expe di tion They .

had not yet l earnt how to cope with cavalry and the F ulanis were
expert horsem en From successive defeats the Yorubas lost al l
.

courage and victories o n e after another made the I l gr in s more

,

confident S O that in the open fie l ds they gained easy Victori es over

,

the Yorubas and when they were protect ed within walled town s
they reduced them b y long si eges and famine .

On this occasion the I l g r in s attacked the allies to advantage

, .

They hid t heir horses in the rear of the all ied armies and wh ile
a party of horsem en engaged them in front the m ain body of the
caval ry sudden l y bore down upon them from the rear and routed
them Monjia fled precipitate l y to his own country leaving the
.
,

Yorubas at the m ercy o f the victors The I l g r in s fo ll owed up their

.

victory and S wept away al l the towns in the direction of Of a ,

E rin Igb ena etc

, Th e Ol ofa with A eeg b e h is favourite and wise
.

I l ari escaped t o Ikoyi .

§ 4 TH E B ATTLE O F P A M Q
.

A l imi the Moslem priest wh o was at the head of the foreigners

,

at I l g r in died after the last war and wa s succeeded by his son

A b u d u s al a m i wh o becam e the first King or E mir o f I l gr in
, , , .

I l orin n ow passes definite l y into the hands of the F ul an is as rul ers ,

and a f fords a hom e for the G a m b a r is (H ausas) from whom the

J am as were rec r uited .

The l ate Al imi was much respected at I l g r in from his arrival

there as a m ere pri est At fir st he had n o intention of making
.

Ilorin his hom e much l ess t o embark upon a career of conquest

and indeed when A f g n j a and his J am as comm enced their excesses
he was prepared t o return t o his own co untry from disg ust but ,

the elders of the Yor ubas prayed him t o stay and act as a check on
A f g n j a for there was n o one else to whom he woul d defer an d there
wa s n o telling h o w far he woul d go without someone to put the
fear of G o d into him The Kakanfo and the peopl e o f I l g r in pre
.

vai l ed upon him t o sen d f o r his family and make I l g rin his hom e .

Al imi was a pure F u l ani by birth and his wife al so a F ul a ni

lady T hey l ived together for a considerable tim e without any
.

issue T h e wife then cons ulted a Moslem pri est as to her state of
.

chi l dlessness and S h e was to l d t o give o ut of her abundance to a

,

distinguished Mos l em priest a s l ave as an alms to the g l ory of

of God and S h e was s ure to have chi l dren
,
.

H aving considered this m atter over she came to the conclusion ,

within herself that she knew of n o distinguished Moslem pries t

 TH E R IS E OF T H E FU LA N IS TO PO WE R 2 03

greater than her own husband and therefore she gave t o her ,

husband one of her mai dens as an alms t o the gl ory of Go d .

This m ai den as A lim i s secondary wi fe b ecam e the m other of

’

A b u d us al a m i and S hitta his t wo eldest sons The F ulani lady .

herself subsequently gave birth t o a s o n named S u m gn u wh o wa s ,

nick named B erib ep o (one who c uts o ff head and post ) A limi
-

afterwards took t o hi mse l f a third wife by who m he also had a

s on, and therefore at his death he left four sons t o inheri t his
,

property A S will be seen be l ow however n o advantage in the

.
,

matter of governm ent accrued t o the son of the real wife (wh o wa s
a pure whi te F ulani ) above those of the Sl ave wife wh o were
colo ured H ence in the third generation the chief r ulers of Ilori n
.
,

have becom e black .

The power o f the F ulanis was n o w Very g reat and they aim ed ,

at nothin g short of the subversion of the who l e Yoruba country ,

and the S hort si ght ed Yoruba War chiefs were playing the gam e for -

them by their m ut ual j eal ousy o f On e another On e expedition .

followed after another and the resul t wa s the devastation and

depopulation o f the country F ar seeing m en had predicted al l .

this if the various Yoruba fami l ies did n ot unite and expel the
,

foreigners but j ealo usy and rivalry among the chi efs prevented
unity of purpose Al l egiance was no longer paid to the King not
.
,

even in the capital Intestine wars not only weakened the country
.
,

but o ff ered it an easy prey t o the common enem y .

Thus To y ej e the Kakanfo at Og b o m g sg had a di f ference with

Adegun the Oni koyi which at l ength broke o ut into an open war ,

each of them being now independent and neither woul d submi t ,

to the other The Kakanfo form ed an alliance with the Ol uiwo

.

of Iwo the Timi of Ed e and S g l a gb er u of I l g r in and besieged

, ,

the Oni koyi in his city of Ikoyi .

S el ag b er u had his own personal gri evance to vent because the

Oni koyi di d not do homage to him o r pay him tri bute so he cam e
wi th al l the I l gr in forces at his command A b u d us al a m i the .

E mir al one remained at hom e The combined forces encamped .

at a place call ed Pam e The conflict was very fierce and Ikoyi
.
, ,

hemmed in on all sides wa s nearly taken when A eeg b e the Ol o f a s

’

, ,

Ilari wh o was then with his m aster a refugee at Ikoyi saved the
, , ,

city by wise and j udicio us m easures H e told his master and .

i t also cam e t o the On iko yi s hearin g that if he could be allowed

’

t o use his wisdom wi thout being forbidden or thwarted he could ,

save the city The besieged who were prepar ed t o agree to any
.

terms in order to obtain peace accept ed the o f fer a l though ,

reluctantly as A seg b e kept his plans to himself

, .

H e sent a pri vate m essenger to A b ud us ala m i the E mir of I l gr in

2 04 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
in the nam e o f the Oni ko yi that he was besi eged in his city , ,

f or the sole reason that he declared himse l f for the E mir of Il erin .

The E mir again questioned the messenger Is i t true the Onikoyi

‘
declared f or m e ? Quite tr ue your Maj esty was his reply , , .

”
Then the siege m ust be raised sai d the E mir , .

Orders were n o w sent t o recall S o l ag b er u with all the Ilorin

f o r ces but he refused t o obey orders
, Again and again peremptory .

orders were sent with the same result The fifth and last m essage
, .

was t o the Princes and other chiefs to the effect that whoever ,

would prove himse l f loyal should return home at once by the order
o f the E m ir The I l g r in army n ow left the camp leavin g S el agb er u
.
,

alone behind together with the allies .

The next e ffort of the E mir of Ilorin was t o r ai se the siege at

al l cost and hence he sent his army t o reinforce Ikoyi These
, .

I l g r in troops entered I koyi but for ten days did nothing but help ,

themselves t o every thing they could lay hands on eating and ,

drinking t o excess Ou the eleventh day they asked t o be

. .

conducted t o the scene of action Then they j oined battl e and .

,
’
completely routed t h e K a kan f o s army S el ag b er u fled back to .

h is q uarters at I l g r in and the Yorubas were dispersed , S elag .

’
beru s feelings towards A b ud u s al a m i can better be im a gined ,

than described The m en of note who fell in this war were

. ,

The Timi o f E d e the king of E rin the Chief Aina Abut u Sogun
, ,
- -

,
‘
and A y ep e .

A lthough S el ag b er u was a l lowed t o remain in his quarters yet ,

the disa f fection between him and the E mir of I l gr in was very
great and every incident served but t o hei ghten it
, It grew .
,

from j ealousy and illwill to opposition and resentment and at ,

length into a civil war T h e E mir s party besieged Oke S un a .

’

desperate battles were fought but the besieged he l d out for a ,

*

long tim e until they were reduced by famine They were hard .

put to it in order to sust ain life living on frogs li za rds barks , , ,

o f trees etc till no green thing co uld be found at O ke S una

, .
,
.

S el ag b er u had cause t o rem ember with regret his t r eac h er y towards

his friend A f g n j a in his hour of need at the hands of these very
, ,

J am as At last O ke S una was reduced and S el ag b er u slain

.
,
.

A b u d us al a m i the F ulani E mir having now no rival in any

Yoruba King or Chi ef the Oni koyi having declared for him the , ,
’
K a ka n f o s arm y shattered and S e l ag b er u slain resolved upon , ,

subverting the whole kingdom and m aking himself the King of ,

the Yoruba country The remai n ing Yoruba towns spared were .

placed under tribute H e was ai ded in his enterprise by the .

Jam as whose tyranni es and O ppression greatly exceeded those

which they practised in the days of A f g n j a which were so galling ,
 CH APT E R V I I I

TH E C ON S E Q U E N C E S OF T H E R E V OL U TI ON I N TH E
S O UT H

§ 1 . T H E Own WA R
TH E kingdom being n ow in a disorganized con dition each tribal
unit constituted itself an independent state The If es in the east .
,

and the I j eb us in the south form ed an alli ance against the Own s
to the south west of the form er and north west of the latter
- -

The Ow n s (although n ow domiciled wi th the Egbas) are a family

q uit e distinct from Egbas or n s H ardihood stubbornness . .
, ,
’
immorality and haughtiness are marked traits in their ch ar aé t er
, ,

so m uch s o that it has passed into a proverb A bi 9m g l Owu ’

0 I I I a ke tabi a b o n i ewo n i yio se 9m g nib e ?

, (a child is born at
Own and you ask m al e or fem ale : which will be a proper c h ild
,

E ither sex when roused by passion would sooner die than not take
dire revenge Their manners were total ly di f ferent from those of
.

the Oy g s but from the days of Sango they have been very loyal
,

to the A L AF I N of QY Q .

As warriors the Ow n s were hardy brave and cour ageous

, , , ,

they had n o guns their weapons consisting of the A ged en gb e

,

(a long heavy cutlass) with bows and arrows Coming to close '

quarters with cutlass in hand was the mode of fighting char acteristic
of these brave people .

The cause o f the war between these three famili es was this .

We have already stated above that d uring the reign of King

A B I OD UN express orders were sent from Q Y O to the QwOni of I f e
, ,

and the Olowu to prevent Oy gs being kidnapped an d sold at

Apomu the great market town where the inte r ior and the coast
,

people m et f or trade N o w Since the comm encement of the

.
,

revolution and the disorganized state of the kingdom t h e p r act ice

, , .

was revi ved The rebellion has rendered the Central Authority
.

powerless but there were still some m en of consi derable power and
’

influence in the land such as Adegun the Oni koyi wh o was the
,

premier provinci al king T o y ej e the B al e of Ogbom g ee the Kakanfo

, ,

and E dun of Gbogun .

A message Similar to that sent by King A B I g D U N was now sent

by the On i koyi and the K akanfo conj ointly to the Olowu and he ,

in carryi ng out h is orders had to chastise several towns ; hence

2 06
 TH E C O N S E Q UE N C E S OF TH E R E V O L U TI O N I N TH E SO U T H 2 07

Iko yi Igbo Apom u I kire Ir an Ile Ol u p em i I t ah a kun I sey in

, , , , , ,

Od o Iw at a A kin b g t e Gb ang an l egp e I war o and J agu n were

, , , , , ,

destroyed by wa r all in I f e t erritory

'
,
.

The Qweni of I f e wa s h ig h l y incensed at t h is and declared war

ag ai nst Own The command of the war was entrusted into the
.

hands of his commander in chi ef S in g un s in Other war chi efs

- -
.
-

associated with hi m were z— Okans a Gbogbo Olu Wasin , , ,

Al g d el o ko etc
,
Their first encampm ent was at a place called
.

Dar iagb g n a farm village of one Olu p en a next at S ifir in at the ,

confluence of the Ogun an d Ob a rivers .

The If es thought they would m ake an easy conquest of Own

for they themse l ves are a brave people an d hence this war song ,

in their pecul iar dialect :

E m ah a j a (a) gba , Let us cut ropes ,

Igbek un la mu a di O ur capti ves to bind .

Ifa Olowu The Ol owir s I f a (god of p al m nut)

’

Ewa la mu a se
’
With our corn we ll cook .

The Own s received the ne ws th at war was declared agai n st them

wi th great in d ignation They considered themselves t he power
.

in these southern regions and what infatuation has led the If es

,

to this presumption With one consent they imm edi ately m arched
out t o m eet them at thi s great di st an ce The engagem ent was a .

han d to hand fight in whi ch the If es were completely routed their

army was all but total ly annihilated onl y about 2 00 escaped to ,

t ell the t ale of their dir e misfortune

The King of Iwo in whose territory this di saster took place
,

did not a d mit the survi vors into his town f or fear of incurring the
displeasur e of his formidable neighbo u rs the Owus whom he ,

dreaded a nd of whom he was j ealous but he s o far sym pat hi zed ,

with them that he advised that they shoul d n o t undergo the

humi li ation of returning home an d he allowed them to rendezvous ,

i n a place c alled A d un b ieiy e for the purpose of recrui ting their

army and t o try another chance secretly hoping that fortune may ,

favour them next time and being ill at ease with such a formidable
,

neighbour as the Owus .

Thi s sm all ar my rem ained i n thi s place f or about 5 year s ,

unable t o return hom e from shame and yet coul d not obt ai n ,

r e inforcem ent adequate for the great enterprise .

J ust at this crisis the Ow n s and the Ij ebu traders had a serious
co mpli cation at the Apom u market The disput e arose from the .

sal e of alligator pepper and it res ulted in the rash exped ition
,

against Apom u by the haughty Own s the town was destroyed ,

and m any Ij ebu traders and residents lost their li ves or their all ,
2 08 TH E H IST O R Y or TH E YO RU B AS
The king o f Iwo thereupon advised the If es t o form an al liance
wi th the I j eb us wh o li ke them have now a gr i evance against
, , ,

Owu When this was done the I f es at hom e were now willing
.
,

t o r e inforce their wrecked arm y f o r a conjoint attack upon Own .

The I j eb us now declared war against Own and crossing the ,

Qeu n ri ver encamped at the farm of one Ogg

, .

The I j eb us were better arm ed than either their allies or their

foes and indeed than an y of the interior tribes f or being nearest
, , , ,

t o the coast they had the advantage of obtaining guns and un

,
g
powder from E uropeans in exchange for slaves They were .

remarkable marksm e n The older men wi th their Cloths tied.

round their waists and the ends left flowing behi nd constituted
, ,

the regular fighting column : being t oo old 01 t o o heavy t o run ‘

away they were obliged t o be courageous

, .

The Owus were mad with rage at the receipt of the news that
anyone such as the I j eb us had presum ed to declare war
, ,

against them wh o (as they considered themselves ) were the first

power in these parts (southern Yoruba) They rushed out t o .

check the progress o f the I j eb us as they di d that of the If es and ,

attacked them furiously cutlass in hand B ut they were com pelled .

t o fall back from the steady fir e of the I j eb us which did great

havoc amongst them S umm oning courage the Ow n s o f fered
.
,

another obstinate battle but they were again repulsed wi th a ,

heavy slaughter having lost in the first and second engagem ents
,

about 4 0 of their leaders This was the first C heck to their pri de
. .

They ralli ed however and retreated t o a sh ort distance and then

, , ,

again ventured upon another attack the I j eb us advancing as ,

they were retreating : they final ly m et and once more fortune ,

was ag ai nst the Ow n s and they fled precipitately t o fortify their

,

ci ty against the expected Siege .

The I j eb us with their al lies the If es en ca m ed t o the wes t of t h e

city of Own under a large tree called the g ungun east of the
, ,

town of Oj e We m ay here remark that although the Egba towns

.

of Of a and Oj e were about a mile and t wo miles respectively from

Owu yet s o bitter was the animosity between them that not only
,

did these towns refuse their aid t o Own but rather rej oiced at ,

its misfortunes
The Ow n s fought with their accustom ed bravery and in one ,

furious assault routed the al l ies and pursued them to Oj e Of a

'

, , , ,

and Ibadan The first two places were d eserted in the general
.

confusion and panic and all sought refuge at Ibadan H ere the
, .

allies recei ved reinforcements from the Egbas and from the Oy g ,

refugees from the north whose hom es had been devastated by

the F ulanis and who were now scattered about the provinces
210 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y ORU B AS
soon m ade short work of i t After the destruction of I kija 1 t h e
.
,

alli es returned to th eir former cam p at Idi Og un g un (under the

Og ung un tree)
’
Owu was thenceforth placed under an interdi ct never to be ,

rebuilt and i t was resolved that in future however great might ,

be the population o f Oj e— the nearest town t o it — the town wal ls

should n ot extend as far as the Og rrn g un tree where the cam p was
‘

pitched Consequently t o this day al though the land m ay be

.
,

cultivated yet no one is allowed t o build a house on i t .

!In the year 1 8 7 3 A kin yem i one of the sons of one B olu d e of
Ibadan happened t o build a substantial farm house at Owu .

La t Os is a then the Kakanfo at Ibadan ordered i t to be pulled down

i mmedi ately and A kin y em i was fined be s ides ]
, .

After the f al l of Own and I kij a the army was n o t di sban ded
, ,

but the commanders of the I f e and of the Ij ebu armies returned

ho m e t o gi ve an account of the war t o their respecti ve masters ,

but the remnants still in the cam p were continually swelled by

recruits from n refugees whom the Fulanis had rendered hom e
less .

After a tim e the I j eb us in the c a mp invi ted the al lies hom e to

their country as fri ends ; then they broke up the camp at Idi
Og rrn g un and wi thdrew t o Ipara in the south
‘
.

It S hou l d be noted that the Own war marked a de finite period

in Yoruba history It was here for the fir st time gunpowder was
.

used in war in thi s country and i t was followed by the devas tation
,

of the Egba townshi ps and the foundation of modern Ab eokuta

and Ibadan to be related in due course
, .

2 . CO N S E Q U E N CE S OF THE R E VO U T I O N z — TH E LA S I N M I WA R
Whilst the Own war was raging in the south the northern ,

provinces were in n o less disturbed condition The Onikoyi .

,

not content with being the fir st and greatest of the provinci al

kings took advantage o f the disturbed state of the country t o usurp
the King S prerogati ve and aimed at subj ugating the other chi efs
’

under his o wn authori ty T oy ej e the Kakanfo at Og b o m g eg was

.

alone his ri val and in order t o oppose him the Oni koyi created ,

E dun of Gbogun an opposition Kakanfo t o him But To y ej e .

cont inued in O ffi ce and s o there were two K a ka n f o s at this period

, ,

a thing qui te unprecedented .

D uring this reign it was said that a E uropean traveller visited

,

QY g t o whom the King granted an interview This was most ’

.

probably C la p p er t o n (Vide Cl a p p er t on s L as t E xp edit ion t o Af r ica ,

1
The S ite of I kij a is now an Ibadan farmstead known as Karaole .
 TH E CON SE Q U E N C E S OF THE R E VO L U TI O N I N T HE SO U T H ZI I

V ol . Chap . The King was sai d t o have complained bitterly

o f the rebe l lion of his subj ects and that he was K ing only in nam e :
,

he craved for mi litary assistance in order to reduce his rebellious

chi efs but as it was im possible for the stranger t o afford t h is ,

he tried persuasive m easures H e Visited the several powerful .

chiefs in the country remonstrated wi th them pointing out forcibly

,

h ow Unity is strength H is advic e was favourably recei ved

.

a nd the resul t was a congress held at I koyi in which all the princi pal
chi efs were present and to which the King sent an I l ari
, .

After a prolonged deliberation they cam e to an agreem ent t o

return t o their former loyalty and al l egiance Th e Onikoyi .

then asked that the Ilari be called in to bear the good tidings to
his m as ter ; but when c al led aloud by his offi cial (Ilari ) nam e
K a fil eg b oin the chiefs al l gave a start and were much surprised
,

t o hear the nam e o f the Ilari sent t o them What I K a fil eg b oin .

f
'

( let s have it on sti f) Is that then the King s intention ? A ’

i
. e .

n am e whi ch implies implacabili ty resolute determination an d ,

ine xorableness ! V ery well then let t h e rebellion continue N o one ,

.

among us can consider himself safe at the hands of the Ki ng sho ul d

we return to our al legiance Since he can send us such an Ila r i at a
,

tim e as this when h e wants to win us b ack ! The congress was

then dissolved .

Whether the King did this intentionally or not we cannot say ; ,

but Yorubas being very di plomatic and very suspicious of one ,

another he should have sent one whose nam e implies conciliati on

,

o r harmony if he wished to win bac k the chi e f s .

B ut we consider all thi s from God in order that the sins of

the nation m ay be purged by j udgment from above .

S hortly after this there was a serious complication between the

,

Kakanfo at Ogbom oso and the Timi of Ed e E d e had been '

.

tri butary to Og b om g eg but after the Pain e war it threw o ff

,

it s al legiance and the Kakanfo had long been seeking for an

,

opportunity to reduce it again t o s ubj ection On e cannot .

say what was the real cause of the war but there c a n be no doubt ,

that the Kakanfo made som ething or other a pretext for c om m en c

ing hostili ti es The Kakanfo however did not take the field in
.
, ,

person as he considered it only a sm all a ffai r he sent L as in m i

his Balogun t o reduce the town .

Ed e was b es eig ed and for 1 5 days desperat e battles were fought

, ,

but the town was defended heroic ally .

B a m g b aiy e the Timi of Ed e at that tim e was one of the richest ,

of the provinci al kings and i t was due to his largesses that the town
,

was able to hold out so long E very morning he ordered bushels of

.

corn (m ai ze) to be we ll cooked and placing l ar ge earthenware pots ,

ZI Z TH E H ISTO R Y O F T HE Y O RU B AS
at cert ai n int ervals right round the walls of the town he filled ,

them alternat ely with the cooked corn and cool drink (well
m ashed E kg) or pure water for the combat ants s o that no one , ,

need compl ai n of hunger or find an excuse for leaving his post

by day or by ni ght .

The strength of the besi egers and the besi eged was well — nigh
spent when A eegb e the n f a s wise Ilari appeared again on
’

the scene to prevent f urther bloodshed and t o save the town .

With a sm all body guard he approached the walls of the town

, ,

s o as to be heard With his usual persuasive eloquence he induced

.

the people t o surrender in order to avoid further bloodsh ed We .

are al l the sam e tribe and one family and why should we destroy ,

one another in the very face of our common enemy destroying us ,

from without ? I give you m y word that if you capitulat e the ,

S iege will be instant l y raised .

These words were soon conveyed t o the Timi and s o glad was ,

he that he sent A eeg b e a bottle of gin which he and his attendants ,

drank on the S pot and the empty bottle was sent back as a token
of good will that the gift was acce p ted
-

, .

The Timi sent ag ai n to enqui re how the negotiations might

best b e carried on A eegb e advised him to send 1 0 bags of cowries
.

and 1 0 goats and to capit u late and the siege wou l d be r ai sed
, .

A eegb e returned to the cam p t o report his success and the chiefs ,

were all glad and thankful Towards the eveni ng the Timi p ai d
.

the fines imposed and capit ulated and the siege W as raised .

B a m g b aiy e was the richest Timi that ever ruled E d e His large .

g ar den was f ull of goats and S heep without number s o that al l the
green grass in the garden was eaten up B u t the creat ures were .

all miserable loo king as they were more in number than could be
properly fed at hom e they should have been driven by herdsmen
to the past ures to graze but the war without prevented this
, .

It was even sai d that they were so hungry that any one entering
t h e garden wo ul d have t o defend himse l f wi th a stick t o prevent
his clothes being eaten o ff his body ! When presents had to be
given or fines and indemni ties pai d in token o f subj ection or t o
, ,

purchase peace as above related selections were made from the ,

w ell favoured ones among them and the enemy appeased

-
He .

coul d afterwards recoup himse l f by taxation .

E d e prospered under the r ule of this king .

3 . S TAT E OF THE C APITAL D U R I N G T H IS P E R I O D

King MA J OT U was well advanced in age before he wa s called ,

t o the throne and consequently the business of state was for the
,

m ost par t left in the hands of the Crown Pr ince A d ewus i surn a m ed
2I 4 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
July al l the m embers of the royal family gorgeously dressed go
,

in procession t o a certain plac e to W orship the spirits of their

dead ancestors The demonstrations o n these occasions are
.

very imposing and usually end with gifts from the Crown Pri nce
, .

On one such occasion this Prince gave the Ologbo wh o a ecom

,

p a n ied him a common gown but the latter refused to accept it say
, ,

ing it wa s not worthy of the dignity of H is R oyal Highness The .

Crown Prince thereupon took o ff his robes in which b e went to

’

the Isul e and gave them to the Ologbo and ordered other m embers
, ,

of t h e royal family to do the same .

A d ewus i had his o wn good qualities but his enormities were

revo l ting H e accounted it a pri vi l ege to commit indecencies
under the O pen sky surrounded by his attendants a n d E unuchs
,

holding large cloths in the four corners as a curtain to shield him

from Sight In his train were always som e of his wives and
.

mistresses .

H e would commit rape with impunity and whether to Show ,

that he wa s above law or out of pure spite to the chiefs in his

, ,

visits to any o f them it wa s his custom o n entering their houses

'

t o perform the sam e act in the open court yard before he took his -

seat in the piazza

This beastly conduct bem eaned him in the estimation of the
OY O chiefs and n o t only had he lost al l resp ect from them on that
,

account but on one occasion he very nearly lost hi s life at

, , ,

the hands of the B aeg r un in whose palace he had the t emerity

,

to ven ture on the same action On hi s a rrival his supernal ,

highness came out t o receive him as his guest but was shocked ,

to find that A d ewu s i made no exception in his lew d practices

in regard to himself H e returned in a rage to his inner apart
.

m ent to reappear with a drawn sword and would have despatched

, ,

him and his mistress on the spot had not the Prince and all his
’
attendants fled away in confusion Th e B a eg r un s servan ts .

pursued after them with clubs and dispersed them .

A d ewus i had no one among al l the chiefs t o appeal to for

sympathy as he had o ffended every o n e of them in the sam e
,

way al though none but the B a egr un was able t o resent it ; henc e
,

their sym pathy was rather o n the side o f t h e B a egr u n .

B ut the ultimate result of this wou l d have been serious f or the

Prince had not his wise and aged fath er conci l iated the chiefs .

Knowing what the outcome would probably be H is Maj esty ,

summoned a m eeting of the chiefs noblemen and other important , ,

personages in the city and said to them in a parable The

Crown Prince was my creditor when we were in the other world ,

and when I could not pay the debt I escaped t o this world H e ,
.
 TH E CON SE Q UE NCE S O F THE R E V O L U TI O N I N THE SO U T H 21 5

pursued m e hither demanding payment and being born of royalty , ,

I was ab l e to pay o ff m y debt .

B ut my di f fic ulty is this— for the purpose of which I have

summoned y o u all m y chiefs for your advice and help The .

Crown Prince not content with the paym ent demanded that I ,

Shoul d carry back the amount paid t o the other world and for
this I crave your advice and help .

The OY O chiefs asked His Maj esty for an explanation of the

parabl e and his reply wa s as follows
The enormities of the Crown Prince in your quarters and in
your houses I have heard of and what W o ul d have been the res ul t
, , ,

if the B a sgr un had killed him in his house we all know Wo ul d , .

it not h a ve cost m e m y own life also ? What I crave of you is

that in future I shoul d be exonerated and not be charged with ,
”
his conduct The OY Q chiefs were appeased and promised not to
.

implicate the father I n the crim es of his son .

Added to the scourge of the sword di vine j udgment fell upon ,

th e nation in famine al so a nd pes t ilence Towards the end of this .

reign there was a famine in the land f or t wo years which o b lit er

ated every trace of the pl enty they revell ed in when there was peace
and prosperity Many di ed from i t I t was a struggle for m any
. .

to be able t o support their fami l y especia ll y those in exile but

,

the richness Of the soil enabled those whose towns were n ot

destroyed t o render great assistance t o their guests the refugees .

B ut unfortunately there was a dearth of the latter rains and the

dry season crops could not be planted This fo ll owing C losely .

after the Las in m i war caused the distress to be more severe .

Gbogi an I j ega town was attacked and destroyed on l y for the

,

sake o f the pro visions i t contained n o one caring for Sl aves or

,

booty . T h e staple of the I j egas being ya rn and not co m the ,

famine wa s less felt amongst them as the yam crop does not ,

depend upon the latter r ai n This famine was call ed Iyan.

Y am g r é .

I t was said that a subscription was m ade by severa l families to

the amount of 6 heads of cowries and a special m essenger was ,

sent t o the Egba terr itory to buy corn The return of the m essenger
.

was eagerly looked forward to and at length he returned wi th a

,

m erry heart whistling as he W alked a l ong but there was n o load

‘

on his head the 6 heads worth of corn was carri ed in a bag s l ung
,

on his shoul ders and he protected it beneath the cloth he W rapped

himse l f with so that no one may know what he had with him
,
.

I t was a treasure It wa s shared by the subscribers by counting

the gr ai ns .

This c al amity wa s foll owed by a pestilence call ed the P eh e ,

21 6 T HE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
a disease of the respiratory organs like the recent ( 1 8 92 ) fatal
epidemic of Influenza ; thousands were swept away by i t and ,

King MA JOT U was among its Victims Of a long succession .

of Kings it was his good fortune t o have died a natural death

, .

At the death of the King the Crown Prince was to l d to die

,

with his father according t o the custom n ow prev ai ling B ut he

,
.

wa s unwi l ling to do so and W as gi ving out bribes liberally to the

,

chiefs that they shoul d give him their support ; and trusting
to hi s form er l argess t o the peopl e he was det ermined upon a
,

ci vil fight h O p ing for a genera l rising in his favour but Akawo
, ,

his bosom friend q ui etly undecei ved h im and advised him to die
,

honourably o r he would have the m or t ifica t io n of seeing himself

,

deserted at the m ost critical moment by those on whom he counted

most t o espouse his cause A d eWus i then committed suicide
.
,

and Prince Am edo was placed on the throne .

2 1 8 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
change his nam e for an Arabic name the only alternati ve being ,

the sword .

Thus at length Q Y Q became tributary to Il erin I

§ 2 . THE TH I RD A TT E MPT To E X PE L TH E F U LA N IS
TH E K A N LA E X P E D ITI O N

A M O D O was i l l at ease under the yoke of the F ulani E mir of

I l g rin and he prevailed upon al l the Yoruba chiefs throughout
,

the country t o unite and rid themselves of their common enemy :

Apparently they were united but between the capit al and the ,

provinces the spiri t of disa ffection and j ealousy was strong

, .

It wa s understood fu l l we ll that the King s policy was to use ’

them together t o ri d himse l f first of the common enemy and then ,

to subdue the rebe l chiefs one after another by forc e o f arms , .

But the I l g rin s on the other hand were more diplomatic In .

order to faci l itate their plans they made f ri endship wi th some of,

the Yoruba chiefs wh o were men of power and wh o if united , , ,

woul d be a bl e to oppose them successful l y ; such were Prince

Atiba of A g e Oj a E dun chief of Gbogun the most powerful
, ,

Yoruba general of the day and Adegun the Onikoyi t h e premie r

,

provincia l king .

Whenever there wa s war with the I l g r in s these chiefs usually

acted agai nst their o wn real and national interests either by ,

betraying their own nation and people or by giving their bac ks ,

t o the enemy without shooti n g an arrow and thus allo wing the ,

Ilorin horse the advant a ge of out fla n kin g their foes -

.

King A MO D O having prevai l ed upon all the chiefs t o come

together dec l ared war against the Fulanis and I l g rin was besieged
, ,

by a formidable army raised throughout the country

‘
.

Adegun the Oni ko yi was suff ering from ind isposition and
was rea ll y unfit t o take the field but E dun of Gbogun his ri val ,

forced him t o g o to the wa r secretly planning with the I l g rin s

,

that he woul d g ive way in the heat o f the battle in order that ,

Adegun might be t a ken ali ve This batt l e took pl ace at Kanla

from which the expedition was named .

E dun havi n g carried out his act of treachery the Oni koyi ,

was surrounded by the I l g rin horse but he fo ught and fought ,

bravely and fe l l li ke a hero Thus the A LAF I N S army was routed

.
’

and the people fled away i n confusion .

It wa s at the time when the rivers o ver flowed their banks ,

and a number of people were drowned at the ri ver Ogun The .

most notable chief drowned on t h is occasion was Oj a the founder

of A g e (the present Oy g) Prince Atiba one of the risi ng power
.
, ,
 FU R T H E R D E V E L O PM E N T OF TH E A N A RC H Y 21 9

rode his powerful horse into the ri ver and narrowly escaped being ,

drowned .

The Yoru ba towns deserted at this defeat were E siel e and

P op O
.

§ 3 . TH E V ICISSIT UD S E or I K O YI
The f a ll of Adegun at the Kanl a war left the kingship of Iko yi
vacant T here were t wo aspirants to the title viz S iy en b g l a
.
,
.
, ,

the son o f the lat e Adegun and Oj o the son of A d egu n s prede
’

, ,

cessor The maj ori ty of the people was for S iy en b g la and Oj o s

.
,
’

partisans were but few Oj o however W ent t o Q Y Q t o have

.
, ,

the tit l e confe r red on h im by the S uzerain as of yore and he ,

succeeded in obt ai ning the A L AF I N S favour in his cl ai m ’

.

King A M O D O was g l ad for t h is m ark of recog nition and hoped

for the gradual return of the provinci al lun gs to their alle giance .

H e therefore made Oj o take a solemn oath that he wo uld ever be

loyal t o hi m His Maj esty st ri ctly charged hi m agains t making
.

an y league with E dun the rebel chief of Gbogu n through whose

town he m ust pass to reach his hom e at I koyi This charge was .

occasioned by the treacherous conduct Of E dun at the Kanla

war by whi ch the A L AE I N l ost the day I am a Ki ng sai d .
,

Amodo and you are now a king Kings should form al li ance
, .

with kings and not with a commoner .

The King j ustl y anticipated what W ould happen for when ,

Oj o the n ew Oni koyi reached Gbo gun on his wa y home E d un ,

sought his fri endshi p and all iance and pressed hi m t o take an ,

oath with hi m that they would always b e fai t h ful to each other
, .

Oj o stoutly refus ed to take the oath all eging that it was unbecoming ,

for a king to take an oath with one not of royal blood B u t .

E dun was a m an of power and the On i koyi was al ready in his ,

clutches being in hi s town and he felt he coul d do what ever he

liked with him he therefore insisted that the oath sho ul d be
taken before the Oni koyi could leave his town Oj o wa s in a .

dilemm a h is oath of al l eg iance to the A LAF I N forbade hi m to di s

,
’
obey the King s charge and now he was at the m ercy of thi s
,

miscreant H e had now n o option the oath m ust be taken and

.
,

the only way o u t O f it the Oni ko yi coul d fin d was to delegate one

o f h is attendants t o pe rform the busines s for hi m as the fitn ess ,

of thi ngs required from the inequality of their r es pecti ve ran ks .

T h e Kakanfo considered thi s an insult t o his di gnity and he ,

r esented it by ordering At and a one of his own attendants to take

the oath with the Oni ko yi s del egate ’
.

Whilst thi s was ta king place at Gbogun ti dings reached I koyi ,

that Oj o had succeeded in obtaining the title from the A L AF I N ,

2 20 TH E H ISTO R Y O F T HE Y O RU B AS
and Siy en b gl a wh o had usurped it therefore fled f rom the town
with all his party t o I l or in
'

The remnant of Oj o s party at home wh o did not accompany ’

him to Q Y Q m et him at E siel e with the news that the town had
been deserted from disgust that he shoul d reign over them .

The Oni koyi was too wea k t o proceed t o occupy Ikoyi with h is
smal l party he therefore remained at E siel e
, .

A W eek after this the Ilori n horse came agai nst E siel e to espouse
,

the cause of S iy en b g l a and they had seven days of hard fighting

, ,

but finding i t not such an easy business to rush the town as they ,

had supposed they retreated home to make full preparation for

,

a regular siege at the ensuing year .

The Siege wa s accordingly l ai d in the fo ll owing year E siel e .

held out for a long time being heroicall y defended by its balogun ,

Kurumi and another notable war chief D ad o (of both of whom

,
-

we S hall hear more afterwards) When they coul d hol d out no .

longer the wa r chiefs deserted the town leavi n g m ostly the women
,
-

and chi l dren at the m ercy of the conquerors Oj o the O ni koyi .

wa s sl ai n and S iy en b g l a havi n g n ow no ri val obtained t h e title of

,

Oni koyi from the E mir o f I l g r in and returned with those of ,

his party wh o went with him t o I l g rin to r e occupy the town -

.

Thus Ikoyi was r e peopled but no lo n ger as a vassal state of

-

The city was rapid l y refil led by those of Oj o s

’
O Y O but of Ilorin .

party that escaped the fall of E siel e and they n ow acknowledg ed

S iy en b gl a as their king .

E siel e a l so was a gain r e peopled as i t was not actu al l y destroy ed-

by war but deserted under stress The inhabitants were per .

m it t ed to remain as they were because the Siege was lai d ag ainst

the town on account of the late Oni koyi — no longer alive .

S hort l y after this there was a seri ous complication between

E dun of Gbogun the Kakanfo and D ada the B al e of A d eyi whi ch
broke out into a wa r E dun marched his army through E siel e
.

to besiege A d eyi but Fa sola the Bal e of E siel e heari n g that the
,

K a kan f o s army wa s to pass through his town having hardly

’

recovered from the e f fects of the late war and dreading the ,

devastation and pill a ging of farms consequent on such a march ,

deserted the town S o E siel e wa s again desolate the peopl e

.
,

finding refuge at Og b o m o sg and I koyi .

The expedition however was unsuccessful The K a kan f o s

, , .
’

army su f fering many reverses i t had to be given up , .

§4 . G B O G U N WA R A N D FALL O F E DU N T H E K A K A N FO
THE
Gbog un was the l ast of the powerf ul towns in the country
and as the aim of the F ulanis was the subversion of the whole
222 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
f or three days H e and his sons S ifrol u and A b es ed e and his
.

eldest daughter n t aj O were feasted on the flesh of an elephan t

j ust ki ll ed and brought to the Oni koyi This was regarded as a n .

auspicious omen .

5 . TH E P O L E WAR A N D TH E D E AT H OF THE A B U O U S A LA M I

The F ulanis having subdued al l the chiefs in Yoruba proper

and reduced the large towns by conquest or annexation his ,

ambition led A b u d us al a m i to t ur n his attention t o the Ij esa tribes

f or conquest and hence he sent an expedition to that province
, .

The F ulanis depended more on their cavalry than on their

infantry the latter being armed with only a sword and a club
, .

In a country with primitive forests like those in the Ij es a province

horses were of no avail and hence the I j esas chased the enem y i n
,

their mount ai n tracks and cut in pieces the greater part of their
horsemen In pursui ng their foot soldiers they cry after them
.
,

Pol e Pol e which in their dialect means Down Down F rom

, , , .

this circumstance this expedition was termed the Pol ewar .

After the return o f t hi s expedition A b u d us al am i fell Sick and

died H e was a successful king who raised the Ful ani power to
.

that pitch of glory which I lg rin has attained .

The late A b u d us a la m i and S hitta were the children of the slave

wife of Alimi and being the two eldest they natural ly took t h e lead
‘

On their father s death A b u d us al a m i divided his property into

’

four equal parts called all his brothers to take each one his portion
,

begin ning from the youngest His hal f brothers took theirs .

and went away but as S hitta was about to take his A b u d us al a m i

,

stopped him and sent him away w ith a w al king stick Wi th the .

slaves and riches of himself and his brother he kept up his roy al ,

estate and had suffi ci ent m eans t o carry on the war and to e f fect
the conquest of Yoruba proper and hence at his death the throne
and the property devol ved upon S hi tta the half brothers having ,

n o longer any claim A b u d us a l a m i h ereby secured the throne O f

.

’
Ilorin t o his own and his brother s descendants to the total
exclusion of the half bro t hers and the succession to this day
al ternates between the family of the two .

The children of the lawful wives (especially those of the F ulani

lady) considered the throne theirs by right but as they could not ,

cl ai m anyt h ing of the royal estates they were excluded from the
throne as well A b u d us al a m i was succeeded by his brother
.

Shi tta Olusi the Bal e of Og b om es g al so di ed about this tim e

. .
 CH A PT E R X

TH E S PRE AD OF A N A R C H Y A ND P OLI T ICAL

D IS PLAC E M E N TS
§ 1 . TH E D E ST RU CTI O N or E GE A TO W N S
We have seen above (Chap V I I ) that after the fall of Own and t he .
,

pu nishment inflicted upon som e Egba to wns for secretly befriending

the b eleag ur ed city the camp at Idi Og fig u n broke up and the , ,

leadin g I f e and Ij ebu generals returned hom e to their respective

masters but the rest of the a ll ied armies wi th the n refugees
,

were invi ted by the I j eb us to Ipara a town o f Ij ebu R em g ,

.

Ma king this place their headquarters these restless bands of ,

‘

marauders found occupation f or their arms in conquering and

s u b j ug a t in g s ev er a l towns in Ij ebu R em o under the A wuj a l e o f
‘

Ij ebu Od e V iz Od e Ip eru Og er e and Makun

, , , .

Pretext W as soon found f o r waging war with the Egbas wh o were

then living in smal l V i llages scattered all over the area between
Ipara and Ibadan S everal expeditions were made from their .

base at Ipara and Iporo E ruwon Q b a Itoko It esi I m e I kereku

, , , , , , , ,

Itoku etc were taken

, .
, .

The following are the nam es o f the disting uished war chiefs in -

this campaign z— n c hi efs— Ol uy ed u n Lakanl e Ol uy gl e , , ,

‘
A d el a krrn Qp eag b e A bit iko Y am a t i Ol u g y g K o s eiko Abi dogun
, , , , , , ,

Ap as a Osun La l eit a n B a n kgle F a d ey i a n i ij a A gb en i etc

, , , ,
-

, , .

All these chiefs oin ed the al lied army as pr ivate so l diers b ut

‘

the fortunes o f war raised them t o positio n s of great distinction .

N otwithstanding this they were looked down upon by the I f e ,

and Ij ebu leaders under whose auspices t h ey j oin ed th e war a gainst

Owu and had n o voice in their councils
, B ut they were soon t o .

S how thei r superi o ri ty .

I f e chi efs— May e (the generalissim o in the absence of S in g fis in )

Og II g I I D erin Okirn L ab g s in d e Qgin i Ar egb e Olu f a d i Deg Oke
‘ ’ ‘
-

, , , , , , ,

K ug b a yigb e Ol u y g d e E p o K u d a yis i
, , , .

Ij ebu chi efs —K al ej aiy e Am oib o q , ,

n l al u , Ogfi a d e A r gwg s a n l e
, ,

etc .

Rich with the booty of these expeditions and finding fresh ,

no

fields o f operation f or their arms they decided to disband the

army The Ij ebu wa r C hi efs returned hom e and the If es set out
.

‘
to return by way of O Or I I n the Oy gs who had nowhere t o go t o
2 23
224 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
accompanied them There were thousands of Oy gs already in
.

I f e districts .

‘
At OOr I rn (a Gb ag ur a town) they found fresh employm ent
f o r their arms when the m en of that p l ace refused them a passage .

Another circumstance also occurred whi ch hastened the Siege of

‘
OOr rI n and the fall of the rem aining Egba townships .

A dispute arose between the peopl e of Idomapa a neighbouring

t own and the G b ag ur as about territori a l l imits which a t l en gt h broke
out into war and Ol uwgl e the king of Idomapa who wa s the
weaker of the t wo combatants asked the ai d of L a b os in d e one o f
the l eading I f e war C hiefs and through him the rest of the I f e
-

and Oy g war chiefs a gainst A j ib o so the king of the Gb a g ur a s The

-
.

‘
al lies encamped at Idomapa and O Or I rn was the scene o f con flict ,

where the Gb a g u r a s concentrated all their forces to oppose the

I d o m a p a s and their al lies .

Th e G b a g u r a army was swelled by r e inforcem ent from I ka ,

Owe I kij a I wo ko t o The contest was furious and one a

, .

Ob er g a gal l ant war chief great l y disti n guished himse l f in the defence
-

of OOr I I n A S long as he coul d handle his bow and arrows the

‘
.
,

enemy was kept at bay but he fel l in an engagement and at the ,

same tim e famine had comm enced its direful work and so the ,

assailants successfully reduced the town .

‘
As their fighting men had all fallen at OOr rI n the conquest of
all the rest of the Gb ag ur a towns was compl ete O Or Un when .

captured was fired ; being a town Situated on a high hill the ,

conquerors were able by the ai d of the light to pursue their

Vi ctory t o the next town which they found deserted and so on ,

t o the next and the next until they reached Qj éh e .

‘
The towns deserted and overrun that night were OOr I I n Ij ai ye ,

m aj a Kosi kosi I ker ekuiwer e Qr a Ibadan

,
-

, Of a and Oj e were , , .

also deserted but the conquerors did not know of this till three
,

days after as they lay outside their line of m ar ch .

From Ibadan they followed up the conquest to Oj o ko d o I woh ah a ,

and E g fio t o ; al l these pl aces were deserted and plundered in

one night and by the dawn of day they were before Qj éh é Qj éh e .

offered a stout resistance and being weary from long m arches the
conquerors retired to find a resting place Of all the towns overru n .

the previous night Ibadan alone they found n ot destroy ed by

,

fir e and so this m a rau d ing band hastily occupied it

, the ,

war chiefs taking possession of any compound they chose and their
-

m en with them and thus Ibadan was again re peopled but not by -

the owners of the town but by a composite band of m arauders , ,

consisting of Oy e s If es I j eb us and some fri endly Egbas May e

, , , ,

a bold and brave I f e C hi eft ai n being their leader N ext t o him .

226 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E YO R U B A S
H ere also the Owus j oined them one common calamity throwing
,

them together It was som e considera ble tim e after that Ij aiye
.

j oined them and so by degrees all the Egba townships about 1 5 3

,

becam e concentrated at Ab eokuta the new town comprisi n g I j em g

,

Itoko and a f ew others wh o were already on the spot .

Until the death of S o d eke in A D 1 84 4 the Egbas never .

spoke of ha ving a kin g over them S o d eke wieldi n g suprem e ,

power in a very paterna l way O f externa l relations very litt l e (if

.

any) existed each of these fami lies man aged its own af fairs and
, ,

there was n o properl y organized central governm ent .

E ven after the foundation o f Ab eokuta there were sti l l som e

Egbas resi ding at Ibadan Egba women a l so wh o were unab l e
.

or unwil ling to go with their husban d s to the new sett l em ent wer e
taken as wi ves by the new colonists at Ibadan and they becam e
the mothers of m ost of the children of the first generation of the
new Ibadan .

From this it will be seen that the current tale o f the Egbas
.

being d ri ven from Ib a dan by the Oy g s is lac king in accuracy .

Such then is the foundation of the present Abeok uta .

§ 3 T H E E G B A D O TR I B E S
.

The Eg b a d o s are a Yoruba f amily bordering on the coast .

They were very l oy al subj ects of t h e A L AF I N 1 before the revolu t ion

that a l tered the politic a l state of the country Th e Olu or ki n g o f .

Ilaro wa s the greatest ki n g of the Eg b a d os having about 4 4 3 ,

rulin g chi efs under h im himse l f a cro wned vassal o f QY Q

,
.

T h e ancient custom was for the A L AF I N t o crown a new Ol u

eve r y three years After the expiration o f his term of Offi ce the
.

retiring Ol u was t o take 1 0 of his young Wives and whatever else ,

he chose and proceed t o the m etro p o l is and there to spend the ,

rest o f—his days in peace There was a quarter of the city assigne d
.

t o them known as Oke Ol u (the quarter of the Olus ) .

Th e parting between these young wives an d their mothers

was most touching The relatives generally accompanied them
.

a s far as to Jiga o r Jak e and the wail in gs and l am entatio n s on such

,

o c casions were as one mourning for the dead H ence the saying .

1 In the year 1 902 the head chief of I f o di ed an E g b a d o town ,

about 6 hours distant from Ilaro S ir Wm Ma c Gr eg o r then . .

,

Governor Of Lagos as ked the chiefs of the town who their overlor d
,

was t o appoint a success or they rep l ied the A lafin of Oy o H e

, , .

was much puzz l ed at this H e t o l d t hem he was too far they

.
,

had better app l y t o the Alake of Abeokut a E vi dent l y they .

at l eas t were not affected by the revolution .

 TH E SP R E A D OF A N A RC H Y A ND P O LITI C AL D ISPLA C E M E N TS
A ri er in ka n l Eg b a iri Ol u (the Ol u is seen by the Egbas but
’

once i n a life time ) .

N ext to the Ol u of I l aro came the On is a r e or ki n g of Ij ana ,

but h is was not a crowned head The appointment o f the On is ar e .

was also from Q Y Q and a Tapa wa s al ways selected for that offi ce
, .

The reason for this is not known The Ol u and the people of Ilaro .
,

as well as the On is a r e and the people of Ij ana were s o to Speak but

one peopl e ; they observed the sam e national cus t om s a n d the sam e ,

laws their national deity was the god Ifa and the annua l festi vals
,

i n its honour were observed in both places one after the other in
the same month each lasting f or a week the one comm encing t h e
, ,

day after the completion of the other so as t o give the people

of both pl aces an opportunity of t aking part in each other s ’

festivi tie s .

The fol l owing ceremony usually brought the anni versary to a

close B oth these kings were to m eet in a certain place in the
-

O pen fie l d midway between the t wo t owns two mounds of earth

previously raised opposite each other served for each ki n g to
enthrone himself upon the one turning his back to the other
,
’
as they were n ot to see each other s face The one to reach the .

spot first wo uld sit with his face turned homewards the o ther ,

on his arrival does the sam e and thus they sit back to back each , ,

one loo king homewards communication wi th each other was by

m ess engers A num erous retinue always attended either t o take
.

an active part in the proceedi n gs or as m ere spectators .

This custom served as a bond of union and fri endshi p between

them a people having i dentical interests
,
.

The kings of I j a kg and J iga are called A b ep a : they had a strange

custom of standing seven days and seven nights in the seventh
month of the year during the anniversary of their nation al deity ,

after which they may S it down .

The Eg b a d os were a commercial people and of a quiet and

peaceful disposition and as a result were considered very we al thy
.
, .

They t ermed themselves Egb al u we to distinguish them

from the Egbas in forest lands (now inhabiti n g Ab eokuta) whom
they designated Eg b a lugb o They traded in kola nuts palm .
,

oil and fish They had very few slaves and their wealth consisted
, .
,

i n beads and native cloths From Kano and S okoto they import ed.

-
f

what they termed E rinl a and E suru b eads in q uantities as they ,

esteemed them very v al uable .

TH E B E GI N N I N G OF DIST UR B A N C E I N THE E G B AD O DIST R ICTS .

T h e I j a ka
'
Wa r
A seri ous complication aros e bet ween the
.

people of Ij ana and I j aka which ended i n the conquest and fall of
'
228 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
this peaceful tri be War was very fool ishly declared against Ij aka
.

by the On is a r e of Ij ana which resu l ted i n the defeat of the aggressor .

There was a rich and i nfluentia l chi ef at Ij ana cal led D ek u n ,

in whom the I j an a s trusted when they rash l y declared wa r not ,

knowing that he was a great c oward At the height of the batt l e .

D e ku n dastardly gave wa y and the I j an a s were completel y routed

'

H e escaped to On iy ef un and those who li ke himself escaped with

their li ves m urmured against him and even insul ted him t o his ,

fac e ca ll ing him white feathered

” ”
,
-

a poltroon the cause of

, ,

their defeat . D eku n was o ffended at this and m ore from S ham e ,

than from the i nsul t he resolved n ever to return to Ij ana H e .

remained at On iy ef u n for a considerab l e time until a war ,

(which we shall notice afterwards ) m et him there .

O n the return hom e of the remnants of the defeat ed I j an as

Deku n s house was plundered
’
.

Dekun afterwards spent severa l years at Ij aka wi th whose

king he contracted friendship and l at er perhaps i n order t o avenge
,

the insults received he took refuge with the king of D ahom ey whom
,

he asked to espouse his cause The kin g of D ahom ey destroyed

.

‘
I n I I b i where thousands of Oy g refugees made their home ; of these
about were chi l dren o r grandchi l dren of Q Y Q nobles or
well t o d o people whose fathers had kept horses before the
- -

devastation of the Yoruba country by the Fu l anis They were .

a ll put to the sword by the Da h o m ia n s with the exception of one

E kfi ol a t o whom D eku n was under som e ob l igation and he ,

evident l y interposed and had his life spared Thus d id .

D eku n resent his s o cal l ed ins ult

-
S uch was the beginning .

of the fal l o f this peac eful Egb a l uwe tribe and th e inroads of the ,

Dah o m ia n s into the Yoruba country .

T wo years after the destruction of I n I I b i the king o f D ahomey

‘

too k R efur efu by capture in war .

A S ho r t A cco u n t of D ekun D ek un was an Ilari of DY 9 pl aced

.
,

at Ij ana by o n e of the A L AF I N S a s the King s representati ve

’

’
Instead of upholding the King s int erests when the great chi efs
of the kingdom rebe ll ed against their sovereign he a l so rebelled ,

ag ai nst his mast er and made himself great at Ij ana by appro

, ,

p r ia t in g all tax es and tri but es he should have forwarded t o Q Y Q .

H e j oined the marauders at Ipara i n the devastation o f the Egba

principaliti es but at the occupation and sett l ement of Ibadan he
,

ret urned to Ij ana and did not reside with the new settlers In
, .

one of their expeditions S o d eke was captured by him and served ,

him for years as his horse boy But providence destined S o d eke
.

for a great position in life and hence he eventually becam e the

renowned leader of the Egbas t o Ab eokuta .
2 30 TH E H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
D ekun i t seems had a son c alled Onibudo perhaps an adopted
one as is custom ary with chil dless chi efs his life was spared but ,

he was degraded by the A L AF I N and the m ean title of A gb g m g p a

wa s conferred o n him and his descendants .

4 . TH E FO U N D I N G O F M O D A K E K E
By the F ulani conquest of all the principal towns in Yoruba
proper fugiti ves from all parts escaped southwards and settled
,

in all I f e towns except at I l e I f e the chi ef tow n They were i n

.
.

‘
great numbers at M oro I p et u m o d ir Q d fi a b o n Y akioy o Ifa lende
, , , ,
-

S g p e War e Og i as we ll as in Apom u and Iki r e

, , .

J ust about the tim e of the L as in m i war a Mohamm edan at

I wo c al led M eh g m i invi ted the F ulanis of I l g rin t o extend thei r
conquest t o the towns o f these E astern districts as the Oy g s ,

were then eng ag ed in a civil wa r The I l orin army accor d ingl y .

cam e and overran the above m enti oned towns The latt er m ade .

n o attem pt at resistance but S im pl y deserted their towns and wi th

all the n refugees escaped to Ile Ife their chi ef town and were
well recei ved and protected by A kin m g y er o (alias Q d u n l e) the
then reigning Qwen i of I f e Th e m ost important n . chief
amongst the ref ugees wa s the A sir awo the king of I r a we ,
.

Before long a feeling of disa ff ecti on beca m e evident between

,

the I f e citi zens and the exiles T h e Q wen i spared the I f e refug ees
. ,

but enslaved al l th e Oy g s m aking them he wers of wood a n d

dra wers o f water after having m urdered the A sir a we their C hi ef .

On e of the A sir awg s sons enslave d was the afterwards renowned

’

Chieft ai n of Modak ek e Oj o A kit ikor i by n ame

,
.

The Oy g s buil t their houses cleaned their farms and performed ,

al l sorts of m enial work f o r t h em This was towards the close .

of A kin m g y er O s reign G b a n l a r e wh o succeeded him was more

’
.

f avourably disposed towards the Oy g s and they now recei ved ,

better treatment but this was n o t for l ong Gb eg b a a j e succeeded

,
.

Gb a n l a r e and the bad feeling and crue l ty agai nst n s wer e

,

revi ved m any of them Were even so l d into s l avery T his king .

also was soon m urdered .

Win m g la j e who succeeded G b egb a a j e utilized the services

of these Oy gs in repell ing the i nroads of the I j esas into his t erri t ory .

F rom appreci ation of their ser vices he wa s kind l y disposed towar d ,

them b ut the h atred and malic e of the I f e ci tizens general l y was

s o strong that n o t even the we l l d isposed coul d curb the Virul enc e -

of th e opposi te party .

A pretext was soon fo und a gain for m urdering the we l l di sposed

Qwen i A d eg u n l e s ucc eeded t o the throne : he was p a rt l y of
.
 TH E SP R E A D OF AN A RC H Y A ND P O LITI C AL D ISPLA C E M E N TS
’
Yoruba descent o n the mother s side and hence was the ben efactor
of the n s al l his days .

B efore he accepted the crown of I f e h e made the chi efs take

an oath that they woul d n o t find a pretext for m urderi n g hi m as
they di d his predecessors but wou l d allow him t o die a natural
,

death they readily agreed to this request S o on aft er his accession .

knowing f ull we l l the disposi tion of his people h e took the pre ,

caution a t once of acc umulati ng amm uni tion o f war in o rder to ,

make himself strong against any attac k from the populace H e .

was n o t of a war like disposi ti on but was rather gi ven t o agri cultural
purs ui ts ; hence hi s ni c knam e A b ewe ila g b ag ad a g b a g a d a
’

(o n e whose okra leaves are very broad) from his garden pl antati ons .

The Oy gs were by this tim e growing to b e an impor t ant section

in the comm uni ty having for their chief one Win g b ol u a sm elter
,

of iron .

The I f e nature and S pi ri t of the times soon becam e evi dent .

N ot withstanding the oath a pretext was soon found for a

,

ci vil war agai nst their king but he was t o o strong for them ; he
,

defeated and suppressed al l the refractory chi efs among them .

After t h e civil fight the Qwen i cal led Win gb ol u and asked him
why he and the Oy g s were neutral at th e tim e of the insurrection .

H e replied boldl y H ad I been in vi ted by your opponents does ,

your m aj esty think y o u would have proved victorious ? Or if

yo u had i nvi ted us wo ul d n o t your victory have been more
,

complete ?
Thinking over these Sig nificant rem arks th e Q wen i who had
som e str ai ns of Oy g blood i n him was reso l ved n o t on exter
'

m in a t in g these Oy g s as som e others Wo uld have done but rathe r

on emanci pating them H e appointed them a s ett l ement outsi de
.

the walls o f the ci ty deputing o n e A d ewor o t o accompany Win

g b olu to the sit e and mark o u t the settlem ent On the n chief
'

himse l f he conferred the ti tle of Og un S UW a signi fying On e whom

Ogun (the god of war ) has blessed with a fortune That has .

becom e the tit l e of all the chi ef rulers of Modak ek e to this day .

B y a royal proclam ation all d s were t o leave the city of Ile

Ife for the new s et t l em en t a n d accordi n gly the settlement grew

'

rapid l y from new arri val s every day The n ew settlem ent was .

named Modak ek e a term sai d to have been deri ved from the cry of
,

a nest of storks on a large tree near the site .

Modak ek e was first b uilt i n a circul ar form as a single vast

compound of abo ut 2 miles i n circ umferenc e ; th e enc l osed a rea
was left covered wi t h trees and hi gh grass each indi vi dual clearing ,

o ut a small space i n front of hi s dwell ing This was done for the .

sa ke of mutual p rotecti o n as no on e need t o go out of the c om

2 32 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
pound for sticks or thatch for roo fing purposes Modak ek e was .

i n 1 8 84 a town o f between and inhabitants .

By dwelling in a separate sett l ement i t was n o t meant that they

should hold themselves independent of the If es The y were sti l l .

loyal to the Qwen i .

A sedition was ag ai n raised for the purpose of m I I r d er in g the

Qwen i for emancipating the Oy g s but he receiving help from the ,

new sett l ement crushed th e rising complet e l y and al l the r ing ,

leaders were put to death am ong whom was the son of a rich lady
c alled Olugbo ka .

As A b ewe ila could not be m urdered by forc e of arms the

’
-

If es finally succ eeded i n poisoni ng him and the first intimati on

the s ett l ers had of the death of their benefactor was from the
street song of the If es T hey are depri ved of their Ki n g woe ,

”
betide the Oy gs .

T h e lat e king was denied a royal funeral and was buri ed li ke any ,

common man and a l l his slaves were sei zed b y the If es but the ,

Oy gs amongst them went over i n a body t o the new settlement .

Modak ek e was soon besieged by the If es but they were rep ulsed ,

with a heavy loss in dead wounded and capti ves The Mo d a kekes
, , .

c aptured abo ut 1 2 07 0 o f them but they had not the heart to ,

enslave their former m asters and benefactors and henc e al l were

re l eas ed T hirty days after this defeat one Ogunmakin an I f e
.

‘
,

chief receiving r e inforcem ent from O ke Igbo Modak ek e wa s ,

again attacked .The If es were agai n bad l y beaten and

they were pursued right hom e and the cit y of I f e taken ,

by an assault The victors now vent ured t o sell their I f e captives

.

as slaves but reserved of their women folks f or wi ves T h e If es

,
-
.

escaped to I s g y a Oke Igbo and other I f e towns where they

, ,

remained for m any years till about the year 1 8 54 when the I b a d a ns
were engaged in the Ij ebu Er e wa r Chief Ogunm ol a of Ibadan .

sent m essengers from the cam p t o negotiat e t erms o f peac e and

bring the If es hom e as i t woul d never do to l et the cradl e of the
,

race remain perpetually in desolation and the ancestral gods not

worshipped Kubusi was the then r erg n rn g Qwen i wh o could no
.

longer remain in exile but promised that if all owed t o return

,

hom e the past would be obliterated ; no restitution of anything

will h e demanded of the Mo d a kekes not even o f t h eir wi ves who ,

might have been appropri ated .

B ut n o sooner di d they return hom e than al l the I f e wom en

deserted their present husbands with all the chi l dren born t o them
and ret ur n ed t o I l e I f e .

N ot withstandi ng their present re l ations the Mo d a kekes sti ll

acknowledged the supremacy of the If es and by mutual arrange
 CH APT E R XI

TH E R E V O L U TI ON I N TH E E PO D IS T R ICTS
I . T H E DE S T R U C T I O N OF TH E E p os A ND THE D E AT H OF
OJ O A M E P O

N OTWIT H STA N DI N G t h e F ulani devastations there were not ,

wanting stil l among the Yorubas powerf ul generals wh o coul d ,

successfully oppose them i f onl y they wo ul d act together On e .

such was Oj o A m ep o the Kakanfo .

Oj o A m ep o was o n e of the generals of the lat e Kakanfo Afonj a

of I l g r in he inherited the lion li ke spirit o f his chi ef After the
-

fall of Af onj a he resi ded at A kes e where he found employme n t ,

f o r hi s enterpri sing S pi ri t i n waging intestine wars wi th the E pos ,

and became a great man and a t error in that distri ct Thus Oj o .

A m ep o usurped the prerogatives of the A LAF I N in that district .

H e took Iw are O kiti Aj er un Koto A j ab e towns near I j a y e an d

, , , , , ,

he assumed the title of Kakanfo in opposition t o E dun of Gbogun

whom however he survi ved (as E dun himself form erly di d in
, ,

O pposi tion t o T o y ej e of Ogbom os o) showing the stat e of anarchy

i n the kingdom as there can be but one K akanfo at a tim e .

A m ep o was a good horsem an and an intrepid warr ior A go .

was one of the towns in the E p o distri ct Oj a the fou n der perished .

at the Kanla war as we have already noticed and the on ly m an ,

of power then in th a t town was Prince Atiba form erly of Gudugbu ,

and he was i n f ri endly alli anc e wi th the I l g rin s and abetted them ,

when t he y were r esolved upon s ubj ugating the E pos

Chiefs A m ep o S alak o and Oj o m gb o d u w
.

, , ere oppos ed t o the

Il orins a n d the latter soon found a pretext t o wage war upon
,

them and t o destroy their towns .

The I l g rin s encamped at A g o Qj a against Oj o m gb o d u which

wa s about 6 or 7 miles distant The K akanfo at A kes esent D ad o
.

his comman d er in c h ief a t t h e head of a detac h m en t to reinforce

- ~

the beleaguered town ; associated with D ado were A d eka m b i ,

'

So so D e e
, s and La g ba yi all di stinguished
, m en A port ion of t he .

I l g rin army was encamped against W0n wor o at the sam e time and ,

the Kakanf o al so sent A y o another distinguished war chief to

protect t he place Both these places were obstinate l y defended
.

and b ut f or the tr a gedy whi ch befell the Kakanfo at hom e they

, ,

might have held o ut longer even if they could not repel the enem y
event ually .
 TH E R E V O L U TI O N I N THE E PO D IST R I C TS 35

A m ep o the Kakanfo being anxi ous about hi s m en when he

heard n o n ews from the seat o f war rode out one m orning dressed ,

in his r ed uniform with only about 2 0 boys as his attendants .

H e too k the path leadi n g t o the seat o f con flict t o listen if per
chance he would h ear the sound of m usketry showing that his people
were s t il l holding out and the town n o t yet taken .

H e dismounted under a large tree in the fields a n d most nu ,

fortunately for him was discovered from afar by a company

o f I l g r in ho rs em en who had m ade excursi on into the W0n wor o
,

farms and were ret urning to their ca m p at A g o Qj a by way of -

A kes e H e found himself in a predica m ent all t o o l ate his body

.
,

guar d s we r e al as too youn g t o defend him and his corpulency

, ,

prevent ed him from S pringing at once upon h is horse and m a king

good his escape S o he was slain there under the tree and his head
.
,

and hands w ere c ut o ff a n d carri ed in t ri umph t o the cam p before

'

Oj o m g b o d u B ut before d oing s o the Ilorin horsem en rode bac k

.
,

to A kes e and c al led upon the town t o surrender under threats of

i mm edia t e destruction T h e Kakanfo being s l ain a n d the.
,

war chiefs absent at Oj o m g b o d u the town A kes e su r rendered at

-

discretion but as soon as the horsemen were gone the inhabitants

packed u p and deserted the town .

The K a ka n f o s army at Oj o m gb o d u o f co urse di d n ot kno w

'

of the tragedy t h at had bef al len their m aster at hom e until they
were inform ed the next m orning in the batt l efie l d by the I l g rin
hors emen taunting them To confirm the tr u t h of their statement .
,

A m ep o s speckle d hand which was cut o ff was thrown to them

'

withi n the town wall for identification Know ye whose hand .

that was P We have slain your master What is the use o f further
fighting ? Woe betide you if you do not surren d er at once .

The m en were pani c stricken and wo uld have fled there and then
b ut for the presence of mind and brave speech o f D ado the com
mander in c hi ef H e s ai d to them The death of o ur master is
- -
.

no reason why we sho ul d gi ve way let us fight li ke brave m en a n d ,

not show the w h it e feather T urning to the besi egers he sai d

'

We are here t o defend the town not o ur mast er whose misfortu n e

is only an i ncident though a lam entabl e one You prepare yourself .

for a battl e to m orrow for you shall r eceive s uch a severe enco unter
-

as you have never experi enced before you will then kn ow how
brave m en can resent treachery This speech creat ed order .

among the troops and the Oj o m g b o d u people also were re assured -

b ut i t was only a ruse i n order t o make good thei r escape for by ,

daybreak before the Oj om gb o d u people knew that they were

,

deserted ; D ado had retreat ed with h is army in g ood order and

escaped t o I ka Qd a n -

.
2 36 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T HE Y O RU B AS

§ 2 . T H E O CC U PATI O N OF I JA Y E AN D E ND O F DA D O
I ka Qd a n now became the hom e of the flower o f t h e army
-

from the Qy o provinces The leaders here were the only brave .

generals wh o wo uld not submi t under the yoke o f t h e Ilorins ,

and wh o held o u t still until such tim e that fortune would veer
round t o their side .

These refugees soon became m asters o f the town the wi ves and ,

d aughters of their hosts becam e theirs and the hosts themselves ,

practically their m eni als .

E verything at home and in the farms was soon devoured as they

li ved only by foraging When nothing r em ain ed in th e I ka Qd a n
.
-

farms they extended their operatio ns into the I j aye f arms Wh en .

the I j a y es co uld no longer endure i t and their farms were nearly ,

all eaten up they att acked these m arauders a skirmish ensue d

and the foragers finding the men of I j ay e too strong for them sen t ,

home for re in f o r c em en t s -
.

K ur fim i s ad vi ce was for concil iatory m easures considering

’

that t hese proceedings were rather hard on the peopl e who ,

really could n o t help attacking the foragers B ut D ado their .

leader was for opposition Cowards said he what can the

.
,

I j a y es d o S aying this he hasti l y put on his armour and rushed

,

on to the scene of the conflict H e wa s al l owed to go on alone .

,

none of the other war chi efs foll owed him -

.

The foragers seeing the ir leader coming were inspirited and

put forth more e fforts and he led them t o victory They drove
, .

the I j a y es hom e and pressed so c l osely on their hee l s t hat the l att er
,
.

co uld not ral ly t o defend the town but deserted i t and fled on ti l l , ,

they escaped to I ka— Igbo I j ay e n ow fell i nto the possessi on of the

.

ass ai lants wh o did not fire i t but simpl y occupied it as was done ,

at Ibadan each one taking possessi on of the finest com poun d he

,

coul d get .

D ado n ow sent t o i nvit e Kur umi and the rest of the war chi efs -

at I ka O dan and they came and took possession of I j a y e Thus

-

,
.

that town passed out of the hands of the Egbas and became an ,

Qy o to wn t o thi s day .

A t a speci a l m eeting convened t o consi der their future course

'

i t was resolved that they should m ake I j a y e their hom e at least

for the present until they could see a b ri ghter prospect of dis
lodging the F ulanis from I l g rin and then return t o their own
homes They therefore t ook possession of the lands and farms
.

along wi th the houses and proceeded t o s o w t h e farm s lest ,

famine shou l d fol lo w the present abundance Thus they becam e .

propri etors of houses l ands and farms not their own The fields
,
.
 2 38 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
hi s c h i efs H e lost everyt hi n g at Oniy ef un and from that time
.
,

he went up and down the country as a f ugiti ve and vagabond .

"

After som e tim e spent at I j aka he cam e t o Ibadan he accompanied

Lakanl e the Ibadan comm ander in chi ef to the A r a kan g a war - -

(t o be related afterwards ) on their r et urn he went to I l grin and

returned aga in t o Ibadan Fo rtune was altogether agains t .

hi m H e o utlived his fa m e and glory su ffered from penury

'

and wan t and was reduced t o a nonentity .

After L a ka nl e s death having no one to befri end hi m at Ibadan

’

agai n he went once more to I j a y e K ur umi was then at the zeni th

, .

of his glory with the old animosity ag ai nst D ado still rankling
,

in his breast H e sent for him one day and as D ado l ay prostrate
.

before h im Kur umi ordered him t o be decapitat ed

Thus the sam e measur e was met ed to h im as he once m eted ,

to hi s hosts of T ob al og b o .

T h e Occup a tion of A bemo — K ur umi of I j a y e wa s an arbitrar y .

and domineeri ng chief and moreover t ribal j ealousi es and clanshi p

,

were ri fe among the chi efs who n o w occupy I j a ye as they were

from di fferent provinces and townshi ps brought together here
b y one common calamity Kur umi and the I koyi chi efs wi th .

hi m were from the Metropoli tan provi nce .

The notable war chi efs from A kes e were t— A y O A d eka m bi

-

, ,

Aj adi S u kg t g B a n kg l e La b an A r un Q agba n i igb e and Ol uwgl e

, , , ,
- - -
.

These chi efs from the E p o districts coul d not endure the haut eur
of Kurumi wh o was backed up by the I koyi chi efs They hold .

th ems elves su peri or to the A kes e chi efs I ko yi was i ndeed the .

premi er provincial city nex t t o the Metropoli s and the Oni koyi ,
'
the A LAF I N S vi ceregent b ut these chi ef s seem to have forgotten,

that t h ey were n o longer worthy of the honour they now c l ai med

since they have becom e d isloyal t o the Cro wn .

H owever in order t o avoid a ci vil war from constant

.

friction the above menti oned A kes e chi efs wi th their men left
-

I j a y e i n a body and retired t o Abem o a town 1 2 miles distan t ,

(mi d w ay between I iaye and the present Oy o) under the leadershi p

of chi ef A y e We n o w have t wo ri val to wns I j a y e occupi ed
. ,

by the I koyi chi efs and Abem o by the A kes ec h i efs

,
.

3 . How I B A D A N FI N ALLY B E CAM E A YO RU B A TO W N

TH E FALL OF M AYE
The m arauders wh o settled at Ibadan after the fall of Oor un
and all the Gb agur a towns (as we have m ention e d above) com
prised the I f e Ij ebu Qy o and Egba chi efs wi th their m en Chi ef
, , , .

May e an I f e was the ac knowledg ed head of them all H e was a .

 TH E R E V O L U TI ON I N TH E E PO D IST R ICTS 2 39

proud haught y and irritable m an overbea ri ng t o all Lakanl e

, , ,

the Qy o leader (as above m entioned) was the only m an wh o could

speak when May e was i n a rage The If es generally regarded the .

n s O f the settlement as s l aves because they were hom eless

refugees they treated them li ttle better than they would dogs .

May e handl ed them with an iron hand and deni ed them every ,

sec uri ty either of their goods or of their li ves they were oppressed
and beaten wit h impuni t y .

The Oy g s groani ng under thi s yoke of bond age sought every

,

opportuni ty for li fting up their heads but the very nam e of ,

May e inspired such a dread in all that no plan coul d be acted ,

upon The bards sang O f hi m as the great est general of the day
.
,

a man wh o commanded an amount of dread and respect u n ,

surpassed by any etc B u t like N apo leon aft er Moscow

, .
,From ,

the highest to the lowest there is but one step ; so i t was wi th

,

May e H is f al l was sudden and complete

. .

T wo neighbours were quarrelling over a pi ece of ground used in

common as a dunghill one wa s an Owu man Am ejiogbe by nam e
, , ,
'
one of May e s soldiers the other an Qy o m an both of them p ri vat e
,

sol d i ers B ut as Oy g s were treated li ke dogs when May e cam e out

.
, ,

he asked no questions a b out the case but si ded wi th the Owu ,

man and simply drew his sword and cut O ff the head of the Qy om a n .

Instantly a hue and cry was raised and an alarm given that May e ,

was putting all Oy g s to death The Oy g s b ecam e desperat e and ,

all fl ew t o arms May e was taken abac k wi th surprise t o see them

.

m aking a dead set at him They refused t o hear his pl ea for self
.

defenc e and wo ul d not allow him t o re enter his house he Was

,
-

beset on every si de and d ri ven out o f the town H e escaped o n '

foot by the wa y Of the present Ab eokuta gat e a n d crossed the ri ver

Qn a followed b y som e of the I f e chi efs e g A p g n j u olo s ri n Ar egb e
‘
-
. .
,

D er io kun etc , .

After th is the Qy o chiefs began to feel ill at ease and were the
, ,

fir st to o ff er hi m t erms of reconciliation Th ey knew hi s fam e .

and v al our and were trembling for the possible consequences .

In the afternoon an embassy was sent to him wi th a humble

apology and petition saying Our F ather should ret urn hom e our ,

F ather sho ul d not spend t h e night in the bush H e answered .

t h e m essengers roughly and swore b y the gods that he wo uld surely

'

destroy the town and that before long .

The next day hi gher grades of ambassadors were sent to sue

for peace and wi th them large baskets of provisions for himself
,

and his followers becaus e Father m ust be hungry since yesterday

“
.

These were not even allowed to approach his cam p an d som e of ,

the () s wh o accom pani ed him as personal fri ends sent pri vately
2 40 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
to apprise their country m en that i t wa s of no use their wai ting
-

f or an answer the great chief wou l d neither listen t o them nor even
,

grant them an intervi ew and i t wa s in vain to hope that he woul d

agree t o return t o Ibadan .

The ambassadors had to return hom e t o report their ill success

but they left behind al l the provisions they took with them in
hopes that his foll owers wo uld t ake them away aft er they had gone .

The chi efs were m uch di sappointed at this turn O f a ff airs and
blam ed themselves for their rashn ess and instruct ed the am bas
s a d o r s n o t t o wai t f o r further orders but that by early dawn they

should proceed onc e more and o f fer their humble submission an d say
that they wo ul d agree to any fine he wo uld be pleased to impose
upon them as a condition of his returning hom e .

In the m eantim e a m eeting wa s convened to consider what

further steps sho uld be taken they decided to levy a t ax upon all
the people in order to raise money for the fine B ut the m essengers .

soon returned with a distressing report The master s cam p ’

has been bro ken up the food they carri ed the previous day wa s
,

l eft untouched for hawks crows and vultures t o feed upon nor
, , , ,

could anyone tell his ro ute o r destination !

I t was surmised that he probably went to j oin t h e E gbas at
Ab eokuta t o raise an army t o fight them but a f ew days after a ,

farmer reported that he s a w a broad path leading t o Idomapa

in the south May e then was the guest of Oluw ol e of I dom apa
.
,

but the people of E r umu invit ed him t o Er fim u 0ff erin g him their ,
‘

support and fri endshi p because his calami ty was caused by his
espousing the cause of an Owu man We have seen above that .
,

Er um u was the chi ef vass al stat e of Owu and that to this plac e the
Olowu and his people escaped when the ci t y of Own was t ake n .

They were determined to avenge May e s wrongs and with such ’

a distinguished commander o n their si de they hoped to be able t o ,

annihi lat e these Oy o marauders the pri ncipal agents i n the

,

destruction of their capital ci ty .

B efore they were prepared to lay si ege t o Ibadan the Er um u ,

people and their guests began at once t o make predatory incursions

i nto the Ibadan farms kidnapping al so the caravans wi th corn
,

and other foodstu f fs from I kir e s o as t o c ut off thei r food suppli es

.

and di stress them by starvation before reducing them by war at

the ensuing dry season .

Th is st ate of things continued nearly a whole year and during

that time vast preparations were m ade t o cr ush Ibadan by an
overwhelming force An al liance wa s formed wi th the I f e towns
.

of I kire Apom u I pet umodu and other towns in their neighbour

, ,

hood and a large army was raised against Ibadan The Egbas
,
.
 2 42 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
beheaded by a common sol di er D egesi n an d Qgin i the Egba .

commanders also shared his fate .

Chi ef Kur umi claim ed the honour of the victory and henc e his
b ar d s s a n g to hi s praise 0 pa May e 0 pa Ogini 0 pa D eg esin
“
'

, , ,

0 fi 9kg ti I f e l ai y a (he slew May e he slew Ogini and D eg esin ,

and thrust his spear into the breasts Of the Ifes ) .

B y t his victory the remnant of the Qy o refugees was saved .

T H E E RU M U WA R
The victors followed up their victory and encamped against
Er umu R einforcem ents cam e for them from Iwo Ed e Apom u
'

.
, ,

and other places ; the Qy o r ef ugees in those parts joining their

brethren at th e siege of Er umu so that the doom ed town was
hemm ed in on every side : indeed they had to fight from wi thi n
their walls As the b esiegers could neither force the gates nor
.

S cale or beat do wn the walls they were content to reduc e the

to w
,

n by famine The most di sgusting cre atures were used for

.

food and even greedily devoured in o r d er t o sust ain life 1 It

'

p a ssed into a proverb When t he pri ce of a f rog cam e to 1 2 0

c o wri es then Erum u was taken
'

The si ege of Er um u rec alled that Of Oke S una in the fight

between S olag b er u and A b udus al a m i .

The following an ecdotes illustrati ve Of the horrors of t he si ege .

of Er umu were told by eye wi tnesses -

Corn plant ed wi thi n the walls of the town wanted but a few
weeks for rip ening when the famished inhabi tants cou l d n o longer
wai t for a full corn everyone helping himself n Ot only t o t h e
,

i mm at ure corn b ut also the corn st al ks It was s o much relis h ed -

.

that one of them was heard t o say that he di d not know before
that c om st al ks were so delicious and that henceforth he would
ever be using i t as an articl e of food .

Anoth er report ed the c ase of a good loo king and well to do . - - -

young woman a snuff seller at Er um u Before the war broke

, , .

out her beaut y and style al ways attracted young m en to her side
,

in the shed where she was g rinding and retai l ing snuf f H er st all .

was s o clean an d s o well polished that they req uired no m ats to si t

-

upon they wo uld j ust squat on the ground about her This
,
.

well to d o wom an was s o f am ished that she d i ed of starvation

- -

at her stall i n the open thoroughfare and o f al l her admirers n o t ,

one was foun d to do her the honour of a burial

Again another eye wi tness among the besi egers related that
,
-

whi lst bathing in a stream which flowed through t h e town to t h e

camp he O ft en s a w myriads of maggots which he could not account
,

for as if the water bred them but when Er umu was taken he saw ,
 TH E RE V O L U TI O N I N TH E E PO D IST R I C TS 2 43

h undreds of putrefying bodi es i n the stream wi thin the town and

this accounted for the m a ggots he saw i n such abundanc e l ower
down as the s tream flowed by the cam p .

On the to wn being t aken the Ol u r o ko (or ki n g ) of E r um u and

the king of Idom apa were caught and slain Also the Olowu .

was now caught who (as wa s rel at ed above) escaped thither when
the ci ty o f Owu wa s destroyed N ow he was a provincial Ki n g .
,

of great i m portance a real crowned head and his case caused the
, ,

vi ctors som e embarrassm ent NO pure Yoruba woul d venture .

to lay hands on a king even i f worthy o f d ea f h in such an even t _

th e king woul d simply be told that h e was rej ected and n obles s e ,

oblig e h e would commi t sui cide by poison

,
.

The Olowu al though n ow a prisoner of wa r was regarded

, ,

wi th s o m uch reverence that none of the chi efs woul d dare order
his executi on and yet they cou l d not keep him nor wo ul d they
,

let hi m go Hi s death was compassed in a dipl om atic m anner

The c onquerors pret ended t o be sending him to the w ui
. .

o f I f e wh o al one may be regarded as his peer in this part of the

,

country and he was to b e accom panied by one of hi s o wn s l aves

,
‘
as a person al attendant and by som e m essengers to the c gn i
as h is escort B u t the slave wh o was suppli ed with a loaded gun
.
,

as hi s m aster s bodyguard had been pri vate l y instruc ted that at

’

a gi ven signal from the escort he wa s t o shoot his m aster dead ,

and that he woul d be granted his freedom and loaded wi th riches

as well Thus they proceeded on their wa y until they ca m e to
.

the bank of the ri ver Osun when the signal was gi ven and the slave
shot hi s m aster dead on the spot Th ese m essengers n o w set
up a hue and cry of horror and surprise : What You slave H ow
dare you kill your royal m aster D eath i s even too good f o r y o u .

And i n order t o exonerat e them selves of all com plici ty i n the

m atter they set upon the poor slave attac king hi m on al l si des
,

and clubbed hi m to death sayi ng The m urder of the king must

”
be avenged They then damm ed up the ri ver i n i ts course and
.

dug the ki ng s grave deep i n the bed of it and there they buri ed the
’

corpse whi lst utteri n g t h is disclaim er

0 King we have n o hands i n your cruel m urder
, The onus .

of it rests wi th yo ur slave and we have ave n ged you by putti n g

”
hi m t o death and he is t o be your att endant i n the other world
, .

They then allowed the ri ver to flow on i n its channel over the
grave B urying the ki ng in the bed of the ri ver was regar ded a s an
.

expi ati on m ade for hi s m ur der because they were conscious of guilt
,

although they attributed the act to the slave Wi th such reverence .

and s a nctity was the person of a king regarded The divi ne .

r ight of kings is an article of beli ef among the Yorubas .

2 44 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
S uch was the end of the last king of the famous city of Own .

The title is c onti nued b v a representati ve of the fami l y at Ab eokuta .

§ 4 T H E S E TTL E M E N T O F I B A D A N
.

After the fall of Er umu the war chi efs returned to I badan and.

the rest of the peopl e who j oined the war as volunteers returned
t o their respecti ve hom es It was not till this tim e that Ibadan
.

was peopled by () s chi efly E veryone of these war chi efs

.
-

entered the al l i ed army of I f e and Ij ebu at Idi Og fig un as a pri vat e

volunt eer but they soon showed their capabi l iti es i n the various
,

wars Oppressed and en slaved by the If es scorne d by the I j eb u s

.
, ,

i n p ure self defence they banded themselves toge t her under a

-

leader for mutual protection and not wi thstanding the great dis
advantage under which t h ey were p l aced they vi ndicated thei r
_
,

super i orit y and at last obtained the a scendancy i n the town .

U nder such circumstances di d the Oy g s becom e m ast ers of

Ibadan H enc e the al l egation that i t was they who expelled the
.

E gbas from their o r iginal hom e and took possession of the sam e is
wholl y inaccurate and the bad feeli n g which this im pression has
,

created and perpetuat ed between the t wo peoples un t o t hi s d a y

is hereby shown to be groundl ess .

Ibadan then consisted o f the c entral market and about h al f

a mi l e of houses around The town wal l wa s where the principal
.

mosque n o w stands
Hitherto Ibadan has b een occ upied as a mili t ary headquarter
for m arau di ng and other expeditions but after thi s wa r at a public , ,

m eeting he l d t o c onsider their future co urse it was resolved that ,

as they n ow i nt end t o m ake this p l ac e their hom e they shoul d

arrange f or a settled governm ent and take titles Ol u y ed u n c am e .

fir st . H e wa s the s on of the lat e A f g n j a of I l gr in and as such , ,

t he scion of a noble house H e wa s honoured and respected by all

. .

H e might have been the B al e but he preferred to adopt hi s father s

,
’

title of Kakanfo and it was conceded him not for his valour but , ,

for his age and digni t y being a survi vor of the m en o f the preceding
,

generation .

N ext c am e Lakanl e the bravest of the brave H e might .

have t aken the title of B al ogun o r commander in chi ef as he had - -

hi therto been their pri ncipal leader in war but Kakanfo being ,

a mi lit ary ti t le that of B al ogun would b e superfluous H e then

,
.

becam e the Qt un Kakanfo and Ol u y g l e the 03 2 Kakanfo

'

The others were : Adel akun the E ker in (fourth) Ol um a iy e th e ,

E ka r u n (fifth) A bit iko E kef a (sixth) K ej i the A r g A bes e T o Osun .

was the honour given t o confer these titles and he i n turn was ,

creat ed the S a r u mi (chi ef of the cavalry) On ly a single I f e .

2 46 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YORU B AS
chi ef May e himse l f he nearl y died of fright Quaking and trem
, .

bling he prostrated at his feet and begged for h is life S O bad were.

those days at Ibadan and so cal l ous had the people becom e that
if a wom an or a ch il d was heard t o cry out E g b a mi wg n m u mi ,

0 (0 help m e I am taken) the usual answer from indoors was

,

Maha b a a 1 0 (you can g o along with him ) The m oral and .

soci al atmosphere O f such a pl ace as has been described could

easily be im agined Yet they were destined by God t o p l ay a m ost
.

imp ortant part i n the history of the Yorubas to break the F ulan i
,

yoke and save the rest of the country from foreign domination
in sho r t t o be a protector as well as a scourge i n the land as we
shall see hereafter .

A nation born under such strenuous circumstances cannot but

leave the impress of i ts hardihood and warli ke spirit on succeeding
generations and so we find i t at Ibadan t o this day I t being
,
.

the D ivine prerogati ve t o us e whomsoever H e wi l l t o effect H is

D i vine purpose Go d uses a cert ain nation or indivi dual as th e
,

scourge of another nati on and when H is purposes are fulfilled H e

casts the scourge away .
 CH A PT E R XI I

WA R S F OR T H E C ON S O LI D ATI ON A ND BALA N C E OF
P OW E R B E TWE E N I B A DA N S EGBAS A ND I J E B U S ,

I . T H E E V AC U ATI O N or A PO M U
WE have seen above that the people O f Apomu being If es al lied
themse l ves with May e at the G b a n a m u war hence aft er the
.
,

destruction of E runm u they were afrai d that the next wave will
,

overwhelm themselves T hey ther efore sent an Qy o resident at

.

Apom u chi ef A g b en i by nam e to encamp on the further side of

, ,

t he ri ver Osun as an outpost to watch and report upon t h e m ove

,

m ents o f the Ibadan army .

B ut t he I b a d a ns were not m edi tating any revenge on them ;

yet they were s o ill at ca s e that they woul d not even w ai t for a
r eport f rom their o utpost b ut one c h ief after another one m aster
, ,

of a large com p o und aft er another d esert ed the town for Ipetumodu
ti l l only the Qy o r efugees rem ai ned at Apomu .

At Ipetumodu they were however restless i t seem ed unreason

ab l e that they should be famishing i n another t own when food
coul d be obt ai ned i n their o wn farms therefore bands of pillagers
and kidnappers issued dai l y f rom Ipetum odu to the Apom u
farms destroying whatever they could not carr y away They al so .

grew suspicious of A g b eni and sent a strong force t o dri ve him

away from the post where they had locat ed h im B ut A g b eni .

was det ermined t o m aint ai n hi s ground and he therefore despatched ,

m ess engers t o Ibadan t o ask f or help O nly one desperat e battle .

was fo ught between them and the Ipetumodu m en apprehending

,

danger to themselves if they sho uld w ai t t o o f fer a sec ond as by ,

that time reinforc ements from Ibadan might have c om e they ,

retreat ed hasti l y home .

T h e Ibadan arm y arri ved too lat e and were disappoint ed t o

fin d the Apom u arm y gone ; they were loth t o return hom e
e mpty handed as they lived by pl under they th erefore began t o ,

loot the houses of the resi dents at Apomu B ut these were their .

kinsmen the Qy o refugees wh o were l eft behind by the townsm en

, ,

and nearl y every one of them saw a fri end or a r el a t ive whom he
was in duty bound to prot ect from violenc e and robbery These .

relati ves went over t o them and with them t o Ibadan Lakanl e .

t h eir l ea d er t ook away al l hi s and hi s fri end A g b en i cam e over al so

,

2 47
2 48 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
with him Lan ase went over with all his belongings t o Osun the
.

chi ef of the cav al ry and so Apom u b ecam e d eserted

,
.

A gb eni wa s locat ed i n L a ka nl e s farm and the site has sinc e

’

’
been included in the overg rown town and known as A gb eni s
quarter t o this day wi th a m ar ket i n front o f his house Chi ef .

A g b eni survi ved Lakanl e and all his cont emporari es and di ed
at a good old age i n May 1 8 60 .
.

Thus the Qy o refugees at Apomu were m erged with the Ibadan

sett l ers and helped t o swell the population of that important
,

t own .

TH E I P E T U M O D U AN D Owrwr W AR S AB O U T AD . 1 81 9

The Apomu and Ipetumodu people having dr awn att enti on

t o themselves after a short respit e the rest l ess Ibadan chi efs
,

declared war agai nst Ipetumodu for al l ying wi th Apomu t o

kidnap the Ibadan caravan s who went t o buy corn at I kire Iwo , , ,

Ile Igbo before the Er um u wars Any pretext however flimsy .

, ,

wo ul d do when they were on misc h i ef bent .

It was j ust at thi s tim e that the I j eb us declared war a gai nst '

Ab eokuta and sought the al lianc e of the I b a d a n s B ut they

, .

could not send them adequat e help and advi sed the Ij eb us rather
to w ai t a while and let them get Ipetum odu o ff their hands .

B ut the I j eb us wo ul d not wait the I b a d a n s therefore had t o , ,

send them a sm all contingent under one Ol ugfin a The last .

d ecisi ve battle between the I j eb u s and the Egbas was t h e cele

b r a t ed bat t l e of Owiwi (a stream so calle d) where the I j eb us
were sorely defeat ed ; they lost al l their principal fighting m en and
their power was complet ely crushed ! Ol ug fin awith his sm al l forc e
escaped to Oniy ef u n a town on the right bank of the river Ogu n
where he rem ai ned for a long tim e apparently seeking for an ,

opportunity t o return hom e .

The I b a d a n s on the other hand were successful in their o wn

ex p e dit io n I p et u m o d u was t aken and those who escaped fled to
'

I l e I f e their chi ef town .

§ 2 . TH E FALL 0F I LA RO A N D I JA N A
D uring the si ege at Owiwi
the I j eb us sought and obt ai ned
the al li anc e of t he Eg b al u we
kings A b in uwgg b o t he Onis ar e .

of Ij ana sent his forc es under the comm and of t wo of his war chi efs -

L a p a l a and Aji se ; the o nl y war chief remaini ng at hom e was Ak ere

-

the A r eag or o La p a l a fell i n battle and the command devolved

.

upon Aji se al one .

The I l ar os sent no re in f or cem en t because of a g reat disaffection

-

among the peopl e towards their Ol u on account of his tyranni es .

2 50 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
seeing the child with Aj ayi claim e d it but Aj ayi refused to gi ve it ,

up t ill it wa s d ul y ransom ed .

'

The refugees left Osoro for I f g in where they m et the Ol u and

here they were resolved t o wait and o f fer som e resistance in case
of an attac k as they were afraid to proceed to Porto N ovo The
, .

Ol u however left I f g in f o r I t oh g his m aternal tow n wher e he

, , ,

woul d wish to die here S o d eke with an Egba arm y met him and
he wa s taken with his family and slain On e O ket e the executioner .

car r i ed the head about at R efur efu for money ; a t the gat e of
whomsoever the Ol u s head was placed O kete received 3 hea ds of
’

cowries before removing it It was brought t o Ab eokuta and was .

'
buri ed at the threshold o f the main entrance t o S o d eke s house .

S o d eke took A y awo the Olu s daughter to wife but s h e had

’

no chi l d by him After S o d eke s death she wa s

. inherited ’

by S o m o y e , wh o subsequently becam e the B asgr u n of Ab eok uta .

S he went with lrim to the lat e I j a y e war and was taken captive
-

when I j a ye fell on the 3 I s t March 1 862 The captor gave her , .

up to Chief Og ii m ol a S he was sent back to h er husband i n the

.

year 1 8 65 and was the m eans o f reconciliatio n between Ibad a n ,

and A b eg ku t a after the return of the l atter from the I korodu

,

wa r . The accounts of these wars will be given below i n due course .

After S o m o y e s death A ya wo refused the hand o f Chi ef Ogundip e

’

and went bac k t o her ear l y hom e at Ilaro where she died .

Aft er the death o f the Olu A sa d e at I t g h g the Ilaro refugees

at I d og g near I g b ej r created another Ol u Oj o K o s iwg n by nam e , .

F o r 1 9 years he reigned at I d Og Q and after his death there wa s an

interregnum of m any years .

I l aro was however again repeopled but under Egba suzerainty

, , ,

wh o created one T ela the Ol u in 1 8 5 7 Il a ro continued under .

t he Egbas ti l l the ye a r I 8 91 when they g ave themselves over to

the British Governm ent on account of the incessant r a ids an d
molestations o f the D a h o m ia n s from which their S uzer ai n failed
t o protect them T hey n o w form a Protectorate in the
. West ern
Wat ers of Lagos .

3 . T H E ON I Y E F U N WA R
Aft er the return of the I b a d a ns from the Ipetum odu wa r
.

hearing of the disaster at Owiwi and t h at their contingent under ,

Q l ug fin a had escaped to On iy ef un and was there hemm ed i n by

the Egbas som e of the war chi efs headed by Osun the chi ef of the
,
-

caval ry a nd E l epo also a great warri or deci ded to go t o their

, , ,

rescue B ut Ol u gfi n a wa s m et rather on the o f fensi ve waging

. ,

a d esultory warfare i n Egba terri tory B eing n o w re— inforced .

fr om hom e he commenced regular operations agai nst the s m al l and

 WA R S F OR TH E C O N S O LI D ATI O N A ND B ALA N C E OF PO WE R
weaker Egba towns such as I m osai Iboro and Ji ga J a kg was , ,
.

deserted and these m arauders were i n festing the Isaga farms

and woul d have taken I saga had n o t the Egbas sent a stro n g
force t o protect the plac e .

After a short tim e however E l epo left them and returned

, ,

t o Ibadan and with him nearly al l the other war chiefs as he was -

a man of g r eat power and influenc e .

The army at On iy ef u n bei n g n o w considerably reduced in

number the Egbas att acked i t i n f ul l forc e
, several batt l es
were fought and the Egbas gained an advantage at every e n gage
m ent They s ucceeded in cutting o ff all supplies and in laying a
.

close siege against On iy ef u n All t h e I badan common sol di ers .

under colour of going for a ging escaped from the doom ed town
one by one never to return but the wa r chi efs themselves wi th ,
-

their i mm edi at e fo l lowers and bodyguards co ul d not l eave wi thout ,

attracting attention or creating a pani c and a rush with a n ,

immediat e destructi on of the t oWn Osun fell in an eng agem ent ; .

being shot through th e head he t umbled o ff his horse S ogunro was .

wo rin d ed and D ado — lat e of I j a y e— wh o was al so there prevent ed ,

S ogunro bei ng taken to Jak e as an inv ali d lest they sho ul d l ose ,

the servi ces of his fighting m en D ado rem ai ned the onl y war .

chi ef i n comm a nd but he was n o longer the commander he onc e

,

wa s before his fal l H e hel d o u t for o n ly five days longer and then
.
,

left On iy ef u n secretly wi th the other wa r chi efs and escaped t o -

Ibadan l eavin g Oniy ef un at th e m ercy of the invaders

, .

The Ibadan war chi efs wh o fe ll at On iy ef un besides Osu n were :

-

S ogunro K ej r I l up a kin I y an b ur u Ot op o and E san

, , , , , .

4 . J A B A R A WA R
T H E A R A KA N G A OR

The Ibadan wa r chi efs were indi gnant at the fal l o f their
-

comrades at O n iy ef u n especi ally Osun wh o was hel d in high

,

est eem an d were bent on avenging his death This wa s really

, .

the cause of the A r a ka n g a wa r and not i n order t o show that ,

they were m ore po werful than the I j eb us as som e have erroneously

averred .

In this expediti on they secured the al liance of K u r fim i o f I j aye and

A y o of A b em g whose contingent m et the Ibada n army at Olokem eji
,
.

This expedition was one o f the m ost st upi d ever under t aken —

by the I b a d a n s Di vi ded counsels prevailed and therefore no

.

adequat e preparation was m ade one half of the s o c alled kegs of ,

-

gunpowde r carri ed before the chi efs contained nothi n g but

yam flour thereby decei vi ng the people who followed them Some
, .

assert ed that the Egbas were more afr ai d of poisoned arrows than
of b ullets and therefore never supplied themselv es with fir e ar m s o
.
2 52 TH E H I STO R Y 0E TH E Y O RU B AS
O thers went j ust m echanically because they were obliged t o go but ,

without any preparation We m ay here notice that t h is is how

.

the j unior chi efs beh ave when the war is unpopular for they dare ,

not rem ai n beh ind when the head chi efs march ou t -

They marched out through the I do gat e and encamped by th e

Ogun ri ver at Olo kem eji for a long tim e till the ir stores were
exhaust ed and before the enemy was in sight Mean tim e their
,

wi ves used the empty kegs a s wat er pots .

After a long ti me they pushed forward towards Ab eokuta and the ,

Egbas m et them a great way o ff F our hard battles were fought .

and the Egbas retreated to A r a kan ga a ri ver behind t h eir town ,

wall H ere the I b a d an s found themselves with th eir powder

.

exhausted and no tim e to proc ure more from Porto N ovo or

Ado the arrows som e depended upon were found to be of li ttle
us e .A d ek a m b i the war chi ef sent from A b em g was the first
-

t o ret urn hom e being disgusted at the con d uct O f the war With .

him went a good many war chiefs and recruits which they m et
-

on their way bac k al so returned hom e when they heard the ill
report of the cam paign .

Fi ve days aft er A d eka m b i had left the Egbas appeared in

f ull force determi n ed on death or victory At a given signal by
, .

the sound of their god Or o to which they responded wi th a shout ,

they made a sudden dash and attac ked the enemy vigorously ,

c utlass i n hand .

With t heir powder exhausted som e o f the I b a d an s resorted

to the gourd b ar a p l anted all over the battlefield and wi th th i s ,

they pelted their assaila n ts From t h is ci r c umstanc e the

.

cam pai gn was t erm ed the Jabara wa r At t h e height of the .

battle B ada A lgéy a n one of t h e chi ef swor d s m en fel l and when

,

another chi ef named Adelakun was m ort all y wounded t h e I b a d a n s ,

gave way and th e rout was general and com plet e

This desperat e m ethod of attac k—c utlass in h and— is the peculiar
.

m ethod of the Own s the br a vest elem ent i n the n e w sett l em ent
, ,

and the honour of the victory was theirs .

The Egbas however had not the courage to pursue their vict ory
to any extent seeing amongst the war chi efs many of those who had -

but rec ently driven them t o Abeokuta : a lion at bay may

prove a dangerous custom er t o tac kle Th e I b a d a n s i n stead of .

escaping hom e by the direct route went by way of I j a y e being ,

suspicious of the I j eb u s .

§ 5 . A N D O KE I § E R O W A R S
T H E ON I D E § E
After a short peri od of rest K ur trm i the ch ief of I j a y e invi ted
the I b a d a ns to an expedi ti on agai nst Onid ese H e gave as a .
 54 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
al li es lost several battles a n d the Eg bas hemm ed them i n very
closely Ip eru was nearl y taken when the Ibadan al lies sent
.

hom e to their comm ander t o com e at once t o thei r rescue as all

hopes o f de f eating the E gb as were gone .

Lakanl e responded to the call of his people and took the field
i n person On his arri val at Ip eru he assum ed n o lo f ty ai rs nor
.

di d he allow o n e word of reproach t o fal l from his li ps O n the .

contrary he pr ai sed the war chi efs and harangued the men as
-

fol lo ws F ell ow countrym en and companions in arms I am ,

n o t more surprised at your v al our and prowess than at yo u r

.

chi val ry i n inviting m e to share with you the honours o f the field .

F or what can I do singly without your aid I know your love and
esteem f or m e and th at yo u onl y wish for m e the honour and fr ui ts
'
o f the victory ; I am com e therefore to gra n t y o u your hearts
desire and lead y o u on to victory B e a ssured also that I . .

reci procate yo ur feelings of love t owa rds m e f or si nc e your ,

absenc e from hom e I have ent ered every c om pound now and
ag ai n t o ask after the welfare of your families and I am this day
able t o assure yo u that they are in good health .

I have gone the round of all the farms and when I s a w any over
g r own with weeds and learnt that the O wner wa s at the seat of
wa r I ordered the farm to b e imm edi at ely cleaned I am n ow abl e
,
.

t o assure y o u al so that your farms are in good order and your

families in good health B e of good cheer m y brave men and by
.

this tim e to morrow let vict ory crown our e f forts

-
.

The soldi ers gave long and loud shouts of Muso Muso Muso , , .

They m ade the heavens reverberat e with their shouts and were
heard at a very great distance .

When the Egbas heard that Lakanl e had reached the camp
they extemporized a ditty including his nam e
Nig b at i a b a pade t awa ti Lakan l e
’

‘
I gi t o b a se oj u r e a wi 0 !
’ '

(When we d o m eet ourselves and Lakanl e

,

The trees that witness the sight shal l t e l l t he tal e ) .

And s o it wa s I t must here be admitted that since the Egb a s

.

have been driven t o Ab eo kut a and have had almost constantly

t o engage i n wars both o f fensi ve and defensive a g ai n st the Oy os
in one direction I j eb us i n another and the Egb al u we provinces
, , ,

they have developed a won d er f ul aptit ude for fighting and capable ,

gener al s have been thrown up am ongst them A most san guinary .

battle wa s fought the next day and so great was the cour a ge which
,

t he p resence of their comm ander in chief infused into the Ib a dan

- -

sol d iers and with such s kill were they l ed that the tide of victory
,
 WA R S FOR TH E C O N S LI D ATI
O O N A ND B ALA N C E OF PO W E R
t urned in their favour that day The Egbas were utterly defeated
.

but their s kilful commanders encouraged them t o keep up the fire

unti l sunset so as t o be abl e to retreat i n good order Moreover .

they also tri ed to prevent a pani c among their soldiers by not

allowing the bodi es of the wounded and the s l ain t o be taken t o
t h e camp or to li e scattered abo ut i n the battlefield and so they ,

m ade a pile o f the corpses so as t o have the fie l d cleared up B ut in .

spite of it al l the Egbas coul d not hol d on till the evening ; they
,

were completely routed and L a ka nl es victory was decisive ’

.

’
In the purs uit L a ka nl es attention was drawn to the pil e of
,

corpses and f or the first tim e his lion li ke heart was melted by
,
-

the dreadful c arnage and the following exclam ation escap ed

,

from his li ps Are these the bodies of m ortals once born of wom en ?
Of course they are retort ed a privat e sol di er and whose
work i t wa s but yours ? Was there any such butchery seen before
you cam e int o the camp The great general turned awa v quietly
without utt ering a word m ore .

Thus Ip eru W as saved t o the great disappointm ent of t he Egbas

and this they afterwards expressed in their street songs
K i a k0 Ip eru ki a ko O d e
N i B arapa ru im u r ede
( Ip eru and Od e we had all but t aken ,

When o fficiou s B a r a p as c am e poking their noses ) .

§ 7 T H E FALL O F QT A
.

The Egbas at this tim e were equal l y as restless as the I b a d a n s

waging a seri es of wars wi th the surrounding tri bes A serious .

complication arose between them and the Otas about this tim e
wh ich resulted i n the latter plac e being besi eged by them .

Ot a i s the nam e gi ven to a sm al l town and clan of the Awori

tri bes si tuated abo ut 2 4 miles north of Lagos They are usu al ly .

rec koned a m o n s t the Eg b al uwes .

Pri nce K o s g kg of Lagos was an ally o f the Otas and i t wa s he

wh o asked the hel p o f the I b a d a n s i n defence of Of a .

A force was sent from Ibadan under the command of Ol uy g le

the Os i H e m ade Ipara his headquarters and sent t wo war chiefs
.
-

E l epo his o wn l i eutenant and I n a ko j u the S eri ki with som e minor

wa r chi efs t o the scene of conflict ; these encamped at Agerige
-

Lag o s wa r d from which place they m arched to Qt a when there

,

was t o b e a fight .

T h e Eg bas foug ht bravely but the besieged defended the r town i

most heroic al ly assist ed by their ally The Egbas in order to .

harass the a ll ies began kidnapping the Ibadan c aravans who were ,

supplying them with pro visions from hom e as there was none t o ,
2 56 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
be g o t loc ally s o that the station at Ipara co uld not supply that
“

at Ager ige Lakanl e hearing this at hom e left the town and
.

st ationed himself at I kij a from which place he sent escorts with the ,
‘

weekly caravans t o Ipara by t h is m eans Agerige was also relieved

and comm unication established with Ibadan .

The Ot as are known t o be an obstinat e peopl e and in the defenc e ,

o f their hom es every man amongst them was a hero l The Egbas

had nearl y given up the campaign in despair ; a good m any of the

wa r chiefs had returned hom e and others becam e rather listless
-

b ut for the sham e of being baul ked by such a sm all cl an which

'

kept them in the fiel d the whole undert aking wo uld have collapsed
, .

B u t the sit uation was im proved by the di plom acy of one of the
Egba chi efs he advised that unbounde d licence be grant ed to
the soldier y i n the field to gratify their passions i n any manner
they li ked with impunity ,himself setting the exampl e the am ount
o f bravery displayed u n der fire was to be the m easure of indulgenc e ,

i n the camp
'

The device proved successful the cam p was

.
,

refil l ed with charact ers of all sorts and the camp ai gn wa s prosecut ed ,

with renewed vigour The sm all t own was hemm ed in on all si des
.

and fami n e e ffected what the sword failed t o accomplish .

When their Ibadan allies s aw that the Otas were not likely
t o hold o ut m uch lon g er and that i t was with di f fic ulty they co ul d
,

obt ai n suppl i es from hom e they l eft Agerige sec retly and hast ened ,

homewards .

O t a wa s at length taken by the Egbas and they wreaked their

vengeance o n the inhabitants so m ercilessly especi a lly on the m en ,

for their obstinat e resistance that the clan wa s nearly exting ui shed ,

altogether From that tim e to this Of a has been subj ect ed to

.

the Egbas .

The Ibadan contingent under E l epo and I n a koj u m et Ol uy gl e

at Ipara Whilst here a most pernicious plo t was hatched with
.
,

consequences so far reaching and S O disastrous resul ting in repeat ed

-

ci vil fights at hom e until nearly the whole of the im portant war
,

chi efs perished on e after another Ol u y gl e aspi r ing to the position .

of comm ander in chi ef planned a schem e by which Lakan l e

- -

and B a n kg l e h is li eut enant sho ul d be wiped out but the plot wa s ,

discovered an d i t aroused great ind ignation at Ibadan There .

was a determination th at he should not be al lowed to re ent er -

the town and steps were taken t o prevent i t All the other chi efs .

ret urned one by one .

It was due to his fri end E l epo alone that Ol uy gl e re entered -

Ibadan H e kept him inform ed of al l that was ta king p l ac e at

.

hom e Ol u y g l e rem ai ned o ut but kept advancing by small

.

stages wi th t h e conni vance of E l epo till one night he entered by

, ,
 CH A PT E R XI I I

TH E LAST OF KAT UN GA TH E G RE AT M E T R OP OL IS
A ND T H E E ND OF A D Y N AS TY

§ r . FI N AL E FFO R TS To T H RO W OFF TH E F U LA N I Y O K E
THE Metropoli s had long been left t o herself whi lst great and
stirring events had been taking place al l over the country The .

outcom e of the rebell ion of the chiefs and the revolution Was the
foundation of m odern Ibadan Ab eokuta Modak ek e the occupation
, , ,

of I j a y e Abem o the destruction of the ci ty of Owu and the f al l

, , ,

of m any anci ent towns in the p l ai n and above all the ascendancy ,

of Il ori n under the ravaging foreigners .

That such i mportan t events as these shoul d t ake place one ,

aft er another altering t h e fac e of the country and the King

, ,

not b e able to prom ot e or retard the accomplishm ent of any

a King only in nam e the direct descendant o f absolute m onarchs
,

and deified heroes — coul d not b ut b e a m att er of p ai n and grief

to the sovereign Added t o al l thi s was a great calamity which
.

b ef el hi m at hom e one that distressed hi m sore an d acc elerat ed

,

his d eath A fire broke out i n the pal ace and all efforts to arrest
.

i ts ravages fai l ed and most of the accum ulat ed treasures of his

,

ancestors were consumed in the con fl a gr a t ion ! Great e f forts were

m ade to rem ove som e to out houses away from the direction of
the flam es but unfortun ately by a t urn of the wind those out
, ,

houses al so caught fir e and everything was lost

B etween the distress caused by the Il orins now m asters of the
country and the destructi ve fir es t h e King di ed of a broken heart
,
.

Princ e Ol u ewu was e l ect ed his successor wi th the general consent

of the nobles and the King m akers -
.

Ol u ewu was sai d to be a prince com ely in person but all t oo ,

conscious of h is o wn digni ty a n d im p or t a n c e haughty an d ir r it abl e

in t emperam ent H is one aim and determ i nation was t o recover
.

his domi nions from the F ulani s first and then subdue al l hi s ,

refractory chiefs .

S oon aft er Ol u ewu s acces s ion S hit t a the King of Ilorin required
’

, ,

him t o com e to I l orin in person to pay hom age to him as his vassal
'

B ut Ol u ewu was unwi lling to go however his great c h iefs and , ,

especi ally Prince Atiba of A g o Oj a brought pressure and entreaties

2 58
 TH E LAST OF K AT UN GA THE G RE AT M E T RO P O LIS 2 59

to be ar upon him and he was prevailed upon to accede t o the

,

wi shes of the con queror i n order t o save the capit al and the remnant
of the towns that still p ai d their al legiance to OY O .

S hitta received him wi th every mark of honour and distinction ;

but al l the sam e the sham e and di sgrace of i t a ll with unutt erable
, ,

resentm ent ran kled in the breast of King OL U E WU The .

Gb odu drum wa s beat en before him as he went and also on hi s ,

returning S hi t t a s attention wa s drawn to that particular drum

.
’

and he asked som e questions about i t When he was told i t was .

a royal drum beaten before the King alone he ordered i t to be ,

taken away saying T here cannot be t wo Kings in my domini on

,

but one only and that I s myself ,

.

OL U E WU felt hi s humi li ation keenly a n d was resolved to resent

i t at al l cost or di e I n the attempt B ut that was not all ; the E mir
.

of Il ori n sent Jimba one of his head slaves after OL U E WU to ransac k

the p al ace at OY O and t o bri ng away anything of v al ue he could
lay his hands upon so that Q Y o m ay not be sai d to have anything
which Ilorin has n o t This Jimba di d an d among other t h ings
.
,

removed were the 1 00 brass posts in the long cor r i dor of the palace
erected by King A GA N ] U .

Again a short tim e after S hi tta required the A LAF I N of { N o

, ,

to come over to Ilorin t o perform the c eremony known as tappi n g

the Koran i n order t o becom e a true Moslem but the A LAF I N
,
"

was resolved never t o go t o I l ori n a second tim e com e what m ay .

The chi efs urged him t o d o s o in vai n H owever A kio so the

'

.
,

B a sor u n and A il um o the A sipa went against the express order of ,

the King forbi dding them t o g o and on account of this he was

resolved to puni sh them although they were too powerful for
,

him t o order their execution at once .

The A L AP I N S refus al to go t o I l orin b eing considered an o ffence

’

t o S hitta the latter sent an arm y wi th L a nl o ke the chief of Og odo

, ,

which ravaged the suburbs of Oy o and the city itself was

threatened At this crisis the A L AF I N invited the aid of the
.

B ar ib as
,
t o assist him in subduing his enemies within and
without . T hose within were the B a so r u n and the A sipa who
went t o Il ori n a gainst h is com m ands .

On a fat al morning the B a sor un and the A sipa went wi th the

other noblem en t o a council at the pal ac e gat e for consul tation ,

about the i mpen ding Il orin war and the defence of the city ,
.

Whi l st there they heard that the B ar ib as were ent ering the city
,

by the Mo d a h a d e gate T hinking that they were invited by the

.

K ing m ere l y to he l p t o defend the city the A sipa rode to m eet ,

them and was according them a hearty we l com e i n the usual

m anner of m en on horseback shaking the fis t when all of a sudden ,
2 60 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
a shower of darts cam e pouring down upo n h im and the son of ,

one F agbayi bi shot him dead on horseback !

The B arib as then pursued aft er the B a s or u n wh o fled to the
p al ace begging the King to S pare h is life Ah sai d the King .
, ,

wh y Shoul d you beg m e n o w are you not the m aster and I the ,

subordinat e ? Why crave your life from yo ur servant

In the noise and co nf usion that ensued wi t h the entrance of
the B arib as the B a sor un m anaged to escape to his own house
,

express m essengers were thereupon sent to his relatives that

he S houl d be kept under strict surveillanc e whilst t h e K ing and his
alli es were eng aged i n the defence of the cit y and that they would ,

be held responsible for his escape But a family council was held .

and in order to save him from a disgraceful death in public hi s ,

relati ves put an end to his life by strangling .

The forces of nature came to the defence of { N o on this occasion .

There wa s a great storm an d whether i t was due t o the great

,

number of glitt ering Swords and S pears brandished or whatever ,

m ay have been the cause lightnin g was attracted and so l arge

,

a number of men were struc k in the Il orin host that their army
was dis co m fit ed and the men fled away in terror
, OY o was a .

great cit y which could not be rushed b y the Il orins nor coul d i t be
,

i nvested and reduced by a long siege for there was always the fear ,

that a prolonged Siege of their m etropolis by al iens might rouse the

great c h iefs of the country t o its ai d Thus f ai ling to t ake the .

’
city S h it t a s next tactics were the subversion of the rem aining
,

large Yoruba towns that still showed any allegi ance to OY o an d ,

hence Gbodo was besieged H e also succeeded in securing the .

alli ance of som e powerful Yoruba chi efs among whom were the
O ni koyi Chi ef El ob u o f A g o Oj a and Princ e Atiba of t h e sam e place
, ,
.

This last named having resided at Il orin for som e tim e was well
know n to the F ulanis .

The A LAF I N agai n secured the help of the B a rib a s E l ed uwe .

the B ariba king promised to help hi m not only to conquer the

Il orins but also t o subdue his rebel chi efs Gbodo whi ch was .

closely besi eged by the Il orins was well nigh t aken when tim ely
help arrived in the person of t h e E led uwe and his Bari ba hordes .

S ome of the Yoruba chi efs were serving in t he Il orin arm y at the
tim e notably those of Ago Oj a mentioned above but be it s ai d t o
, ,

the praise of Pri nce Atiba that he wa s acting m erely o ut of

policy for his sol diers from pri vat e instructions previ ously
, ,

received were firing onl y gunpowder T his was suspect ed when in

,
.

S pit e of the vigorous att ac ks of Atiba his fire never killed or ,

wounded anyone the guns of his m en were thereupon examined ,

and the truth had t o h e confessed .

2 62 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
by the western pro vince in order t o secure the al liance and good
,

f ai th of these vass al stat es and thu s to collect an overwhelming

,

arm y a g ai nst Il orin Accordingly the E l ed uwe sent J a n kér o

.

o n e of his war chi efs t o garrison A g o

-

a whose chi ef was an Ilorin ,

all y and J eg ed e another war chi ef to garrison Qt of an wh ilst he

,
-

himself was following wi th his i nvincib l e arm y in their wake .

The I l orins hearing of the threatened i nvasion were not i dle

either but were making full preparations o f fensi ve and defen sive
, .

Jimb a the head slave of t h e ki ng o f Il ori n headed an expe di ti on

of horse and foot to the Qt of a n farms when they heard of the
garrison there and brought away several captives J im b a s
, .
’

rout e in going wa s through the E siol o farms but wa s S O far from ,

the t O WH that hi s com pany was not seen On his return he cam e .

through the town and halt ed at the g at e t o receive F a sola the

B al e wh o cam e t o pay him his respects
, Jimba did not dismount .

as he wa s in a hurry to g et away with his capti ves lest he be over

taken for he wa s sure of a pursuit On horseback he accept ed
, .

the hospitalit y of a dri nk of co l d wat er and before hurrying away ,

gave the follo wing advi ce t o F a § ol a You are b etween t wo fires

and y ou woul d b e wise t o vacat e thi s to wn at once I am .

j ust returning as you see wi th capti ves from the Qt of an farms .

Although you were n o t aware of m y passing through your far ms

yet had I been de t ect ed I wo ul d have suspect ed you as a trai tor
, ,

and woul d have punished y o u o n my ret urn al though y o u may be

i nnocent And n o w as I ret urn through yo ur town th e Qt ef an
.

p ursuers will trac k m e t o thi s place and y o u m ay li kely su f fer for

i t and we have n o m eans of prot ecting you hence I advise you ,

spee di ly t o vacat e this place .

The E sf ol o people aft er consult ation t ogether deci ded at

once to follow his advi ce Qt ef a n being the nearest l arge t own
.

and wishing t o cast in their l ot with the new conqueror they ,

deci ded to escape thither and accordingly despat ched one B ankole
.

to apprise Idowu the B al e of Q t ef a n of their int entions At .

B an kol e s inst ance t h ey p r o m is ed n ot t o desert their hom e before

’ ‘

hi s return as they treated him on a previ ous occasion ; but t h eir

cowardice g o t the bett er of them O n returning B ank ole m et the .

fugiti ves b y the way and this was the third and last tim e E siel e
wa s deserted and is to this day an uninhabit ed desert
,
.

It wa s in the m onth of March I 8 3 0 that the E l ed u we a ecom ,

d w
’

p a n i e d by Pri nc e Atiba o f A g o O j a and Jato E l e u e s general , ,

j oined the g arrison at Q t of an the rendezvous of the OY o arm y .

K ur fi m i of I j a y e the A s eyin of Is eyin the S ab ig an a of Igana,

, ,

the n o of S aki and others of the w e stern province m et them

there H ere King OL U E WU and the E l ed uwe pledged the confidenc e
. .
 THE LAST OF KAT UN GA TH E G R E AT M E T R O P O LIS 2 63

of al l the QY o war c h i efs save the B al e o f Ogbom oso and the

-

O ni koyi both of whom were in secret alli anc e wi th the Il orins

, ,

although they outwardl y professed loyal ty t o their l awful

sovereign .

Meanwhile the E mir of Ilori n alarm ed by thi s great host sent

,

t o the S ultan of S okoto his suzerain for help The S ul tan sent .

I 7 kings under E su o i o f R abbah to his ai d and they cam e

g y ,

wi th such an overwhelming force that those of the two kings were

as a mere handful before them The t wo kings were besi eged at .

Ot of an by the Il ori n and Niger hosts sever a l battles were fought , ,

and they were nearly overwhelm ed b y numbers At the last great .

battle but for the courage wis dom and experi enc e of E l ed uwe
, ,

the B ariba King the fat e of the whol e expedition wo ul d have been
,

deci ded on that day H e fought in the centre the A L AF I N and

.
,

Q Y o c hi efs i n the right an d left wings H e sent ai d to those .

fighting i n both wings so that the y forced the enem y i nto th e

,

c entre and i n on e furi o us charge he bore down upo n them an d

,

di s p ersed them E s ug o yi s arm y was rout ed wi th great slaughter

’

and fled away i n confusion The victory ho w

.

ever wa s dearly .
,

bought f OI Y en ib ini King E l ed uwo s fir s t born son fell in the

, ,
’
-

battle .

The Oy os pursued their victory too far till they m et with a

disast er They dearly learnt the l esson that i n the pursui t of a
.

foe footm en ar e no m atch for horsem en The Il ori ns having .

recovered from the pani c of their defeat a body of horsem en ,

suddenl y wheeled round and c h arged upon t heir pursuers and

speared about 4 00 of them thereby forcing them t o desist f r om ,

the pursui t They were then a ble t o retreat in good order and
.
,

m ade good their escape .

§ 2 FAIL U R E TH E E LE D U WE WA R
. .

About the m onth of June I 8 3 0 the t wo Kings left Qt ef a n for , ,

A d eyi and thence proceeded to Ogbom os o

, H ere King OL U E WU .

s ent round t o the Whole of the Yoruba chi efs t o j oin hi m I n the last
eff ort t o throw o ff the F ul ani yoke Ther e responded to his call .

Ol uy ol e of Ibadan wi th s everal Egba war chi efs K ur ii m i of ,

I j a y e A y o of Abem o Timi of E d e and oth ers

, , This mighty host .

remained here f or about six months wasting tim e They were .

hol d ing councils al m ost every day as t o how best they might
attack Il orin wi th s uccess B ut here also the fut ur e of the expedi
.

tion was foreshadowed and the doom of the alli ed Kings wa s

sealed There were two principal causes for thi s vi z the rapacity
.
, .
,

of the B ariba soldi ers and the imprudence of the Kin gs

,
.

The excesses of the B arib as m ade the Yoruba chi efs and
 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
people fear l est they pass from o n e master to another and a
worse The Ful anis we r e after al l a superior race but the B arib a s
.
, ,

a rac e of bandits as masters woul d be more into l erable The

, .

c ountry was literal l y being ravaged by them T hey c onsidered .

themselves lic ensed to all the goats i n the country E ven when .

kept i n the inner apartm ent of the houses t hey wo uld get at ,

them and devour them S heep they di d n ot care for but goats
.
, ,

say they are trai tors and m ust be devoured F or this reason the .

Yorubas t erm ed them Arun eran (cattle devourers ) while the

-

Il orins t ermed them I kOriko ( wo l ves) .

Their exc esses consist ed not only i n devouring cattle but als o ,

i n stri pping and depri ving helpl ess ones of thei r cloths at length
they spared not even m en though they might be arm ed Organi zed .

bands wou l d attac k and depri ve m en of al l thei r valuab l es .

The Q Y os could o f fer li ttl e or no resistance because the persons

of the B ari b as were held sacred already bei n g consi dered the
,

deli verers of the country .

The following instance will S how h o w sacred their persons were

regarded On e of them att acked an Oy o m an wh o was not
.
,

wi l ling to gi ve way lightly and the B ariba was shot dead by hi m .

The Oy o m an ran away S o m uch noise and hubbub were raised

.

about this that both Kings rode i n person to the spot to see the
,

corpse The converse t o this might have happened every day

.

wi thout provoking any comment B ut the eyewitnesses of the

.

a f fray were so m uch i n sympathy wi th the m urderer that he wa s

not betrayed so disgust ed wa s everybody with the excesses of the
,

B ar ib a s Al l t h is might have been avoi ded if instead of wasting

.

tim e at Ogbom o so they had gi ven the sol di ers work t o do by

marching at once on Il orin hal f demorali zed by two successi ve
,

defeats On the contrary they all owed them ti m e t o regai n

.

their confidenc e and perfect their defences S mall blam e i ndeed .

to the soldi ers as each one had t o provi de for himself h o w ,

ever prolonged the campaign .

The t wo Kings were imprudent enough to betray their

feelings
.
It l eaked out that after the conq uest of I l orin al l
.

the refractory Yoruba chi efs wh o had usurped the King s p r er og

’

ative wou l d be m urdered by the help of t h e B arib a king ; and the

kingdom would ag ai n be one under the A L AF I N .

On e or two instanc es might be gi ven of how the Kings b etrayed

themselves .

I .Timi B a m gb aiy e of Ed e on his arri val at the c amp went

straight t o pay his homage to the King B ei n g a corpulent m an .

the E l ed uwe was heard t o remark S ee thi s corpulent fel low ,

’
one of those who have m ade themselves fat upon the King s '
2 66 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
of which they formed a part Consequently they sent m essag e .

after message to advise the King not t o advance on Il orin direct

from Ogbom os o but t o com e by wa y o f I koyi I wo Gbogun , , ,

and S ah o m a king the attac k from the north s o that having the
capit al and the N iger provinces behin d h im he m ight in cas e of
defeat have safe pl aces within easy reach t o retire upon And in .
.

order t o give strength and forc e t o the advic e they represented it ,

as the express advice of the g o d Ifa by di vination Knowing his .

haughtiness they sent their m essages through the B ariba king , .

t o whom alone he might perhaps listen but as they anticipat ed ,

not even from the E l ed uwo would he brook any such advi c e.
H e was for m arching straight on Ilorin from Ogbom oso .

B efore the arm y m arched out of Og b o m ogg the disaf fected

Yoruba provinci al kings and chiefs ent ered into a conspiracy to
desert the King and his al l y at a cri tical mom en t and therefore in
order to appris e the Il ori ns of their intentions they sent them a .

parabo l ic message i n soap camwood and karin kan (flesh brush)

, ,
”
implying We are attending the bri de to the bri degroom s house ’
.

This was fully understood a t I l orin .

The huge host l eft Ogbom oso i n D ecember I 8 3 0 by Slow st ages

encamping first at A d uin where they were f or ni n e days (Il orin is
, .

but on e g ood day s w al k from Ogbo m o so) On the t enth day they
’
.

advanced t o J a yin thence to Oge l e and from Ogele they en c arn p ed

, ,

at the farm of one A j ry a of Ilori n N ever befor e was Il ori n .

threatened by s o large a force consequently the const ernati o n ,

there wa s great and vast prep arations were m ade for b attl e
, ,

o f fensi ve and defensive The fac e of every m an wa s m arked by

.

grim determination to d o hi s best The Moslem pri ests were very .

busy m a king charms and am ulets n ot only for in divi dual self
prot ection but also i n order t o defeat the enem y completely A .

crow a cat an d a crown bird (the Agut an) with charms ti ed f o un d

, ,

their necks were sent by S peci al messengers t o be left in the cam p

of the alli ed armies These m essengers were caught and when
.

thr eat ened they boldly showed that they despised death and sai d
to their captors Take our advice and decamp at once for as for
the yams yo u are n o w cooking i n our farms it is a question whether
you will be able t o eat them before you ar e defeat ed and even i f ,

you S hould we ar e quit e sure that the survivors will evacuat e

,

them at the Og b o m ogo farms .

S hortly aft er this a com pany of Il ori n horse surprised a body

o f m en wh o went foraging and the B ariba troops wh o went out
,

against them were repulsed but P r in c e A t ib a whose m en were

,

arm ed with guns cam e t o their tim ely aid d rove back the horsemen ,

and captured a horse .

 THE LAST OF K AT UN GA TH E G RE AT M E T R O P O LIS 2 67

To S ho w the wanton excesses of these B ar ib as even after this ,

s kirmish in which they fig ured so badly they went unceremoniously ,

t o Prince A t ib a s t ent and c o olly l oo s ed the horse that wa s captured

’

a n d were ta king i t away l They l ai d claim t o i t not because i t wa s

captured by them but because they considered themselves n ow

,

the mast ers as i t W as they who had the fir st brush with the enem y .

B u t the Prince W as not the man to forego his c l ai ms easily h e ,

point ed out forcibly h o w but for his tim ely succour there co ul d
,

n o t have been any question as to the own ership of the horse f or ,

instead of capturing they themse l ves would all have been killed
, .

or captured The cont enti on was s o fierc e between them that

.

the A L AF I N had t o send a S peci al m essage t o Atiba t o forego

hi s cl ai ms and gi ve up the horse f o r the sake of peac e .

The follo wing day b eing Friday t he Kings did not t ake the fiel d
until 2 p m Fridays being considered unlucky up t o that hour
. . , .

The Kings ag ain fought i n the ce ntre i n the highway c al led

the P ak ab a road and l ocat ed the Yoruba war chiefs on the ri g ht
,
-

and l eft wi ngs of the arm y .

B ut Princ e Ati ba o f A g o and the Ti mi B am gb a iy e of E d e

di d n o t fire a shot or shoot an arrow before they gave W ay a f fording ,

the enemy an advant a ge t o surround the two Kings It was .

Ol uy ol e o f Ibadan al one wh o seem ed not t o have been apprised

of the plot for he fought for som e tim e on the road l eading t o Oke
,

S una and pressed the Il orins hard towards th e town wall The .

camp wa s taken behi nd them and fired befor e the Ki ngs were
aw a re of the p er fid y of the Yoruba chi efs There wa s no al terna .

t ive n o w for them but t o fight desperat ely and sell their li ves as

dearly as possible The E l ed uwe fought wi th his usual bravery

.

and exhaust ed al l hi s S kill t o retri eve the positi on if possibl e but ,

he was overpowered by numbers and fe l l am ong the s l ai n H is .

head was taken off and c a rri ed in tri umph t o the t own and exposed
upon the t own W all .

King OL U E WU S heir seeing that the day was lost rode up t o hi s

'

father and bade him farewe l l to m eet agai n i n the other world
,
.

Putting S p urs into his horse he g alloped to m eet the enem y and
fought g al l ant l y until h e fell among those he had Sl ai n .

The Il ori n horse and foot were i n pur s ui t all night and
unfortunate l y for the wreck of the Qvo ar my whilst escaping t o
Ogbom oso they missed the wa y ta king one that led back t o Il ori n
they m et the pursuers at a short di stanc e and were all either
c apt ured or Sl ai n .

Thus was ful fil led the prophecy of the charm bearers who were
c aught that the yams they were t hen c oo king might be eat en at
,

the Il ori n farms but wo uld be evacuat ed i n the Ogbom oso farms .
2 68 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
La nl o ke the chi ef of Ogodo who had al ways been an i nveterat e
enemy of Q Y o and an acti ve all y of Il orin t aking advantage of ,

the absence of the Ki ng and pri ncipal W ar chi efs from the city -

cam e a nd att acked QY o b ut he was rep ulsed by the Oh o t a nic k

,

nam ed Ari ib on pej i eyi n (o n e who s e g u n can create a gap in the

- -

upper front teeth) wh o was left i n charge

, .

When the news of the d isaster reached { Mo and that both Kings
had pe rished L a nl o ke again attacked the city but was ag ai n
,

repulsed The citizens fearing that he would receive re inforce

.
-

ment from Il orin di d n o t wai t t o try any further conclusions ;

the great m etropolis was deserted som e fled t o Kihis i som e t o
, ,

Igboho and som e even t o Il orin As it Wa s not a flight from an

, .

enemy in pursuit m any wh o reached Ki bi si and Igboho safely -

with their family returned a g ain and ag ai n for their household

goods and chattels till one A g a n d a n gb an went and t ol d La nl o ke
that OY o had been deserted and the la tter proceeded imme di ately
,

t o plunder and carry away what wa s left b y the citi zens

, .

Thus f ai led the fourth and last camp ai g n against Il ori n and such ,

was the fall of the great Metropoli s E y eo or Kat unga the ,

anci ent OY o still i n rui ns

, .
2 70 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
with him Am odu having delivered his m essage returned t o hi s
.

m aster and suggest ed t o him that a bett er opport unit y than this
,

cannot b e had of m aking S hort work of the whole a f fair Ay o s '

m en having dispersed h e coul d easily b e S urpri s ed and kill ed .

K u r fin i took the hi nt and m ade f or A y o the latt er s urprised

t o see an arm ed force coming on towards him hastily j umped ,

upon his horse an d was ready for action Kur umi perceiving it .

woul d n o t be an easy m att er t o accomplish his purpose di d not ,

venture upon an att ac k but speedily wheeled round a n d left the

town by another gat e .

A y o and his m en thereupon bec am e m ad with rage a n d they

fell upon Lahan fired his quart er of th e town took his m en with
, ,

their Wi ves and chil dr en as c apti ves o f war Lahan himself wa s

spared with but a few attendants and allowed to S helt er hi mself ,

i n a small house i n that quart er which had escaped t h e c o n fla gr a

ti on . H ere he S pent a most mis erable n i ght of gri ef rem orse ,

an d disappointm ent having lost all hi s family and all his

,

property .

Chi ef Ol u y ol e of Ibadan a rri ved at Abem o only a day t o o lat e

t o be o f any servic e t o his fri ends and wa s very sorry that thi s had
,

happened especially at t his crisis H e visi ted Lahan where

, .

he wa s to sympathi ze wi th h im for his misfortunes havin g a

reminiscence of his own troubles on his return from the Qt a war .

H e went str ai ght from Lahan t o A y o t o e f fect a reconcili ation

between them and the release of those who were sei zed cont endi ng ,

that they cannot be regarded as prisoners of war but fellow t owns

m en and victims of a civi l fight H e further showed the im policy .

of havi ng one part of the town desolat e H e succeeded wi th A y o .

and with som e of his c hi efs som e had even set free their own
capti ves Thus i n order t o ass ure Ol uy ol e one a appealed
.
, ,

t o K u ko m i one o f his followers i n the presence of them all H ave ,

“

I n o t released mi ne ? In the sam e wa y one E kfiOd eb e appealed

t o o n e B ank ole The repl y i n both c ases wa s i n the affirmati ve
. .

Thereupon one A kilapa and Agi di kO ko i ku wh o had not yet done - - -

s o asked leave to g o hom e and rel ease theirs at once E verythin g .

n o w seemed t o m ake for a peaceful settlem ent when one Ogun ,

gbade an Owu man then resi ding at Abem oraised a strong O bj ection
t o the proceedings ; he declin ed t o set his captives free and
declared himself unconcerned as to the results even if i t b e the
destruction of Abem o and the l oss of h is own li berty S ai d h e .

I am an Owu man by birth m y parents cam e from the anci ent,

Owu Ipole to the cit y of Own where I was born The sam e fort une .

that smiled on m y parent s at Owu Ipole smi l ed on them at the ,

city of Own H ere am I fort une is smiling on m e t o day although

.
,
 TH E I N TE RR E G N U M 2 71

I was t aken captive at the fal l of t h e city of Owu Let Abem o .

be destroyed to day and let m e lose al l I have and be taken captive

-

I S h all sti l l be a great man wherever I may be Tis enough Abem o .

’

m ay be destroyed in part or in whole ; i t m att ers nothi n g We .

Shall n o t release our prisoners .

"

U nfortunately at such a crisi s as this Chi ef A y o wa s in an ,

inebri at ed condition al though he was conscious of what was going

,

on and was able t o sig ni fy his ac q ui escence t o Chi ef Ol u y ol e yet

throughout a l l the proceedings and the Wic ked proposals of the
Own man he remai ned silent and further he displ ayed i n the , ,

presence of Ol uy ol e som e of those di sg usting habits customary

with hi m of soi l in g hi mself whi le i n that stat e .

Ol u y ol e was i ndignant wi th A y o and hi s co unci l lors and looked

upon them all as a number of foo l s he however conce al ed his , ,

anger b ut the whole affai r wa s term i nated abrupt l y and u ns at is

,

f act o ril y .

'
About the tim e of Ol uyol e s d eparture however A y o was ,

able t o thank him for the int erest he ki ndly too k in the a f f ai rs
of the town and presented him with a young wom an among the
,

capti ves Ol uy ol e wa s delighted with this ac quisition to his

.

harem S he was describe d as a young wom an of great beauty

. .

of a f ai r com plexion and a s l im figure B ut the m other hastened .

forward with a tender appeal to Ol uy ol e a n d p r o s t r a t in g (after the ,

m anner of m en) before hi m sai d S he cannot be your wife

, ,

for S h e is your relati ve we also are of the B a eor u n descent li ke

yoursel f .Ol uy ol e yielded to her entreati es but dem anded 1 5
heads of cowri es for her release ; this was pai d and the girl was
handed t o her mother .

Ol u y ol e left Abem o for Ibadan by way of I j ay e where he spent

5 days wi th K ur fim i and both of them bein g o f fended at Ayo s
’

cond uct the fate of Abem o wa s thereupon settled and sealed .

§ 2 . TH E D E ST RU CTI O N OF ABE Mo

Accordin g t o the settled arrangem ent between K ur fim i and

Ol u y ol e during the stay of the latter at I j a y e their m ovements ,

were t o be kept pri vat e as m uch as possib l e Abem o wa s t o be .

t aken by surprise in order to avoi d the necessity of a S iege The .

Ibadan forces were to j oin those of I j a y e and in order t o d o this

witho ut their obj ecti ve being known Ol u y ol e gave i t out that the ,

A s eyin was payi ng a visi t to Ibadan and that they should g o out
and escort hi m to the town .

As the head chi ef went outsi de the town wall n o war chi ef ,
-

dared remai n behind hence al l went out accordi ng to custom

,
.

They went as far as I j a y e but when they saw the I j ay e army

2 72 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
also m arshalle d forth then they knew that they were g oing agai nst
Abem o .

It was q uit e l at e before A y o kne w that evil was determined

ag ai nst him H e went out that morni n g to revi ew his troops
. .

Two o f his general s Aruna and Aj adi being accused of treason

w ere before him an d whi l st he was enqui r ing into the charge they
,

were i nt errupted by the approach o f the enem y The i ntrepid .

warrior at onc e j umped upon his horse a n d dashed i nto the ran ks ,

of the enemy H e perform ed feats of v al our that day he broke

.
,

through their ranks h ad his horse shot under him a n d hi mself

,

wounded in the leg B ut he was not dispirite d he called for another

.

horse and fo ught bravely at the head of h is people The m en O f .

Abem o however were overpowered by numbers for whilst fighting

, ,

bravely at one gat e of the town the I b a d a n s entered by another ,

and set fire t o the town A l l hopes being n o w lost A y o escaped

.
,

with a few horsemen and fo ll owers to A g o Oj a (the present Oy o)

being hot l y pursued by I j a y e and Ibadan troops .

In order not to incur the displeasure of K ur fim i and Ol uy ol e

the two leading c h i efs of the country whom he hoped hereafter
would b e his bac k stay Princ e Atiba of A g o Qj a t ol d A y o that he
,

could not prot ect h im and consequently he should leave the town
before his p ursuers arrived there A y o too k the wa y to Oj om gb od u .

on his way to Il orin but aft er a whil e on consi dering the humiliation
,

of i t all and the grave probabiliti es that lay before him he chose ,

death rather than dishonour .

H e dismount ed at a c ertain spot and s a t u n d er a tree hi s horse .

,

stan ding by him H e sent away his little band of devoted fol lowers
.

i n order t o di e al one li ke a soldi er H ere he calmly aw ai t ed his .

pursuers .

According t o one account at the Si ght of them he sprang agai n ,

upon his horse and m ade for the m H e threw one Lakonu o ff his .

steed and bran di shi ng his spear round and round hi m excl ai med ,

B u t for Atiba you are a dead man then the m en open e d fire ,

upon hi m and he dropped down dead .

B u t another account says he sat wi th c alm digni ty under the

tree and o ffered no resistanc e whilst they showered their deadly
weapons upon him and he dropped down dead .

Thus perished one of the best and ablest of the OY o or Y orub a

general s His remains were brought bac k to A g o Oj a and int er red
'

there .

A y o li ke the late Oj o A m ep o wa s a good horsem an and one

of the best general s of the day but drink was his greatest vice , .

and to that m ay be attributed the cause of h is ruin as well as that

of Abem o H is ai de de cam p wa s ni c k nam ed Am u igba l egb e gi ri
.
- - - - - -

,
F O URT H P E R I OD A RR E ST O F D IS I N TE G R ATI ON
.

I L O R I N S C H E C KMAT E D — A T T E MP TS AT R E CONS T R U C
TI O N — I N T E RT R IB A L WA RS — B R ITIS H P R OT E CT O R ATE .

CH APT E R X V

T HE N E W CITY A ND NE W G O V E RN M E N T
1 . PR I N C E A TI B A : H rs E A R LY L I FE A N D HIST O R Y
PR I N C E ATI B A was the son of King A B I O DU N by an A keit an
woman According t o one account he was born in the city of
.
,

O Y o hi s father died when he was but a chi l d and when A B I O D U N S

’

, ,

children were being ill treat ed by King A O L E his m other fled with
-

him to her own town i n the country .

B ut another account wa s of a more romantic int erest and is

more probab l e as being char acteristic of t hat age According t o
,
.

thi s account his mother a slave at Gudugbu was given as a hostage

, , ,

t o the A L AF I N of O Y O S he had an intimat e fri end wh o was m uch

.

distressed by this separation Af t er 8 or 1 0 wear y months she .

,

was resolved at all costs t o go up to the city t o visit her friend with
who m S h e had been associ at ed from childhoo d .

The Gudugbu hostag e was t oo insignificant t o b e noticed among

the crowd Of wom en in the King s harem until this strange visit ’

O f her fri end drew the King s att enti on to her The visitor from
’

the country loitering withi n the precincts of the p al ace was asking
all whom she saw coming from the wom en s quart ers to call her ’

E mi Ol uf a n one of the Ki ng s Wi ves but n o one knew wh o that

’
-

was . At length King A B I O D U N was t old that a woman from the

country wa s aski ng f or one of his wi ves and this unusual inci dent ,

aroused the Ki ng s curi osi ty The Gudugbu W oman was called

'
.

t o hi s presence t o stat e the obj ect of her Visi t S he repli ed .

May your maj esty li ve long The young woman from Gudugbu
.

given as a hostage was m y bosom fri end and for the past 8 months ,

or more I have had n o one t o t al k to and hence I wa s resolved to ,

visi t her .

The King then sai d to her Are y o u not afrai d t o com e here
,

and t o en q uire for my wife S uppose I add yourself t o t he harem

or kill y o u or sel l you S he repl i ed F or m y fri end s sake I am ,
’

prepared t o undergo any treatment and i f your maj est y m ake a ,

wife o f m e I shal l be happy as m y friend and I will see each other

every day .
 TH E NE W C ITY A N D NE W G OV E RN M E N T 2 75

The Ki ng greatly admired their friendshi p he gave permission

for her to be lo dg ed with her fri end and wa s by this led t o pay som e ,

att ention to the Gudugbu host age .

For three months these two fri ends enj oyed each other s company ’

and as the King s wife wa s n ow i n the wa y of becomi n g a mother

’

he wa s graciously pleased t o send them hom e H e sent f or bot h .

of them one m orni ng and aft er a f ew approbatory rem arks ,

on their fri endshi p he loaded them with presents and sai d t o his
,

wife s fri end I am sending your fri end hom e Wi th you i n order
’ “
,

that you m ay not f ai l to have som e one t o unbosom your mind t o

as hitherto I m ake you both m y deputy for that part of t he
.

country A ll m att ers t o b e referred t o OY O Wil l henceforth be

.

brought t o you for deci si on all the tribut e m oni es wi l l b e pai d t o

,

you al so and as my wi fe will be unab l e t o unde r take a j ourney

, ,

I expect your visit here as oft en as you can com e With t his .

i nstr uction he dismissed them and sent several E unuchs and I l ar is

with them as escort and to commend them form all y t o the
car e and prot ection of the Bal e of Gudugbu B oth these wom en .

ret urned to Gudugbu i n quit e a di fferent capacity from that i n

whi ch they l eft it The little town was al l a stir on t h eir arri val
.
,
’
and m any were the pri vate m urm urs a gainst E ni Oluf an s friend -

for the heavy responsibiliti es she had brought upon them Great .

deference however wa s pai d to them both and they becam e

, , ,

practically the s uprem e ru l ers and j udges of that district The .

King s wife in cours e of tim e gave birth t o a son who was nam ed
’

Atib a ; her fri end also (wh o wa s a marri ed woman) gave birth
to a son nam ed O nip ed e The i ntimacy existing between the .

t wo mothers re appeared al so i n the boys from childhood up t o

-

m anhood .

!This account is reconcilable wi th the first as i t is possibl e that

as an infant Ati ba may have been taken to Oy o t o see his father
, ,

and may have been there till Ao l e s reign when the m other had t o ’

flee wi th him back to the country as stated above] .

Atiba grew up a wild and reckless lad Wh en he was of a g e h is .

,

father ordered that the mother should apportion to him the tri but e
money o f that district this continued until the succeedi n g re ign
,

when the country was thrown into confusi on and anarchy .

Thi s circumstance probably led h is m other to remove wi th

hi m from Gudugbu t o A keit a n her o wn hom e H ere Ati ba wa s .

under the care of hi s maternal uncle wh o was n ow head of the house

and the family estat e .

Atiba was brought up as a tailor but he preferred a wi l d and ,

predatory life for wh ich the C ircumstances of the tim es afforded

,

great opportuniti es A story was told of h im that once being very

.
2 76 TH E H I ST O R Y OF T HE Y O RU B AS
hungry he asked hi s uncl e for a yarn, and the uncle not only refused
,

i t him but took th e opportuni ty Of repri manding h im sharply

,

f or li ving t h e i dle l ife Of a kidnapper I f I h a d li ved on m an .

”
st ealing li ke you sai d he I C oul,d n ot have got any yam , .

B ut Yesufu the younger uncle felt sorry f OT his nephew and sai d
t o Atiba that whilst he (the uncle) wa s li ving h e (Atiba ) would ,
—
never su f fer the pinch of hu nger This incident had its reward .

hereafter as Will be noticed in its place .

From A keit a n Prince Atiba m ade several incursions into the

Gudugbu farms and wa s generally a pest to the country round
,

about .

In order not t o bring trouble on the A keit a n peopl e Atiba was ,

urged t o r emov e his res id ence t o t h e town of A g o where he would

fin d i n Oj a the chi ef of that plac e a m an of a li ke S piri t t o hi s o wn ,

of a warl i ke disposition and he did S O , .

B ut when Atiba arri ved at A g o Oj a was strongly advised not ,

to let him sett l e down there b ecause a m an l i ke him wo uld even t u ,

all y becom e m ast er of the town El ebu Qj a s brother was the .

,
’

c h i ef opponent B ut Oj a di d n ot follow this advice

. H ow c a n .

I sai d he an offi cer on the staff o f the K akan fo a nd a title

, ,

bearer i n the kingdom t urn away my prince ? Oj a continued

,

fri endl y t o h im until his fall in the Kanla expediti on .

Their ki dn apping expe di tions were at that tim e chiefly directed

against the Egbas i n the O ke Ogun districts near S agaun The y .

found them s o sim pl e and unsophisticated i n those days t hat when

a kidnappe r had captured several of them and wa s i n quest f o r
m ore he h ad on l y t o l eave his cap or his spear or any other personal
property b y the si de of them and bi d them w ai t for h im there an d , ,

should a nother kid napper f al l in with them he wa s to be shown the

Sign o f pr epossession and thus they W o ul d be l eft untouched until
,

t h eir captor returned These captives never made a ny e ffort to

.

escape .

A t ib a r o s e t o i mportance by com mitting acts of vi olence and

‘

extor t ion with im punity from the great deference pai d t o his ,

high birth I n that ag e of anarchy and confusion he colle ct ed

.

around himself all la wless m en insolvent debtors slaves who , ,

had deserted their masters H is wealth was continu al ly aug .

m en t ed by fresh marauding expeditions his m en behavin g li ke ,

the Jam as himself at the head o f them

,
.

B y hi s address and larg ess Atiba Won t o himself the follo wing
chiefs of Q Y o vi z A d erin ko La d ej ob i Ol u m ol e Ol u wa j O L os a
, .
, , , , ,

Ol u wai y e (the A l a gb a) A d ef irm i Lakonu T o ki Maj e F a l ade

'

, , , , ,

and Gb en l a .

H is Slaves who had horses and a lar g e retinue each were

2 78 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
U p t o this tim e O ni p ede
enj oyed his entire confidence What .

ever he sai d o r did was indisputable ; any criminal pard oned by

him was free and latterly he would not even take the trouble of
,

acquainting the Prince with all that he di d H e was .

known beyond the confin es of the kin g dom as the c o n fid an t c f

the Prince and all foreigners resi di n g a t A g o were under his pro
-

t ect io n H e was always att ended by a l arge retinue of foot and

.

of horsem en as a Princ e Whenever he p ai d visits in town or in

,

g oing to his farm H e was the greatest favourit e at the Prince s

.
’

palace ; n o on e was allowed t o see the Prince or obt a in favours

from hi m except through Oni p ede The love Atiba had for this .

com panion of his childhood and youth made him bl ind to all
his fa ul ts until his eyes were opened by the i ncident n a rrat ed
above .

Oni p ede at the zenith of his pop ularity quite forgot hi mself and
reg arded the Pri nce rather as his equal or co p ar f n er although as -

a m att er of fact he was i n n o wa y equal to one of h rs war chi efs -

or his notable slaves enum erated above S ti ll all of them used t o .

S how hi m due r espect and p a y him m arked deference as one above

them so h e cam e t o set h imself as a ri val of his master ; but the
,

inci dent of the Gbodo disaster was the m eans of his fal l .

On their ar ri val hom e from th e unsuccessful wa r they hastened

.

t o fortify the town against an expect ed invasion Atiba att ended .

by all his g reat warri ors was digging a f rench right round the
t own when Onip ede rode up att ended by a retinue of mounted
,

servants Atiba could n o longer suppress h is anger b ut ordered

.

hi m t o t ake up a digger and work like any o f the comm on labourers .

F or one who had always lived an eas y life Onip ed e s hands becam e ’

blistered and sore There ar e t wo accounts gi ven of his death :

.

one was that aft er this Atiba ordered him t o be slain and buri ed
in an upright post ure when they returned hom e ; a n d that his
slaves carr i ed out his orders by showering darts upon Onip ede ,

cut o ff his head and buri ed him in a house near the present A kes an
market .

B ut a more probable account gi ven of his death was as follows

The Prince and his servants began by S lighting him the latt er ,

losing no O pportuni ty of S howin g him m arks of disrespect H e .

n o w observed that he wa s no lo n ger in f avour but the exalted

position he had already att ai ned placed him above fear and indeed
the Prince co ul d not attac k him in an open civil fight without
dire results for he was the comm ander of som e of the greatest
,

war chi efs in the town An opport unit y at length was o ffered
-
.

when he was unatt ended H e m et Atiba where he was busy.

with his servants storing up hi s B er e grass and there and then he ,

 THE NE W C ITY A N D NE W G O V E RN M E N T 2 79

ordered his Slaves to club him to death S uch was the end of .

Onip ede .

By the death o f El ebu Qj a s children lost their nat ural protector

,
’

and guardi an and the peopl e their chi ef Pri nce Atiba who was
, .

aiming at the supreme power pl aced none of Qj a s children wh o ’

were capabl e as head of the house and C hi ef of the town but rather ,

his younger b rother A il um o whom he knew to be weak in intellect

, .

H e placed him over the house with the title of Mog aji ti l l af t er the
E l ed uwe wa r he should be form al l y instal led as B al e of
,

A go . In t h e m eantim e Atiba constitut ed himself the administr a tor

of the a f fai rs of the town in the place of Qj a s children and over ’

shado wed even the M ogaj i himself Thus the fears of the l ate .

El ebu were ful ly reali zed and the town of A g o practical ly passed
out of the hands of the chi l dren of Oj a the founder .

§ 2 A TI R A S A CC E SSI O N T o T H E T H R O N E
’
.

That Atiba wa s aspiring t o the throne was evi dent to all when
they were assembled f or t h e E l ed uwe war H e was even then far .

more powerful than the King and a l l eyes were t urned upon hi m
a s the one who wo uld eventu al ly save the country from the F ulani

y oke In order t o obt ain the obj ect O f h is ambition he plott ed

,

with others t o bring about the downfall of the Ki n g H e bought .

the support of the t wo m ost powerful war chi efs left in the land -

viz Ol u y ol e of Ibadan by promising him the title of I b a sor un and

.
, ,

K ur fim i of I j a y e by promising hi m that o f Kakanfo .

After the fal l of the ancrent capita l and the death of King OL U E WU
the crown wa s o f fered t o L ag fi a d e but he declined i t and advised
,

that i t shou l d be o ffered to that powerful aspirant Prince Atiba ,

of A g o Oj a ; the on l y o n e wi th m en and m eans wh o seemed able

'

t o cope with the I l orins and save the country from tyranny and
oppression Th is was done and Atiba accepted i t wi th the general
.
,

consent and approval of all but it was with the distinct under
,

standing that he would lead the people hom e from S a ki Gboho , ,

Kib isi Ilorin and other places Whi ther they had taken refuge
,
.

For this purpose Prince Lajide son of On egl u and F a b iyi wi th

. ,

3 2 other m essengers were S ent by the OY o M E SI at Kih is i and Igboho

t o invite him hom e to the anci ent capital They were his guests .

till the coronation after whi ch he detained t hem permanent l y

,
.

at A g o and conferred on Prince Lajide the title of On a so kun .

After he was established on the throne he sent Lak onu one of ,

his powerful chiefs to K ih is i and Gboho for the remnant of the

Kings wi ves and the eunuchs and other court offi cia l s that could
’

be found in those regions .

’
Thus A g o passed out of the hands of Qj a s family and bec a m e
2 80 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
the royal C it y of Yoruba and as such it was no longer called
A g o Oj a but Q Y o as the A LAF I N n o w resides there
-
And hence .

i t is often styled by wa y of disparagement A g o d Qy o (A g o which -

’

becam e Oy o) This is the present C ity of OY o

. .

3 . C O N FE RR I N G OF T ITL E S
At the conferring of titles and re organi zation of the kingdom -

the A L AF I N confirmed on those wh o cam e to him from Ki bi si and

Gboho the tit l es they had form erly borne Those who di d not .

care t o leave the m ore salubrious north for forest lands were
supers eded in their offices .

The following ar e those who were con firm ed i n their titles .

N am e . T it l e .

M a kaaiy e Ob ot a
Od u sol a A g ba kin
A ri ori Sam u
The following were those newly conferred at the present OY o .

Qb agb ol u Qn a m o d eke -

G b en l a L ag fin a
Aiyewu n (from Is eyi n ) A l a p ini
Ail es o T et u
A d ef al u Ol o ku es rn
A il u m o (Qj a s brother)
’
Asipa
P a r a ko yi ‘
’
Yesufu (A t ib a s uncle)
The following were titles conferred on members of the r oy a l
.

family not all of whom however were deserving

, .

Ol u ko ku n (grandson of King Oni sil e) A t in gis i

T el a okoki Magaj i I y aj i n
Abioro (son of King A j agb o) Arol e Qb a
I dowu (son of King Oj igi) Olusami
The follo wing were commoners but favourites and form erly ,

com p anions in arms of Atiba on whom were conferred titles

- -

usuall y borne by m embers of the R oyal F amily exclusi vely

F al ade A g un p o p o
L akonu Og ig im agi
L a d ej ob i Ol osun ‘
Toki L a dil rI
E ni ai yewu the Al a p in i of the anci ent city was still ali ve when
A iy ewu n wa s brought from Is eyin for the sam e offi ce The .

form er r em ai ned and di ed at S aki .

1
I n r ec ognition of his ki nd s ervic es t o him at the Gb odo
E xp edit ion .
2 82 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
A wo or the Ariwo Thus what would have proved a seri ous
, .

constituti onal di ffi c ulty had already been obvi ated by pas t

expe ri ence and adequat ely provi ded f or
, .

(b) The A r e g n a K a ka nf o or Yor uba Fi eld Marshal Th is

‘

- -

title was n ow conferred upon K ur fim i of I j a y e accordi n g t o the

conditi onal promise made to him a l so at the E l ed uwe war by
Prince Atiba H e was undoubtedl y the greatest Yoruba general
.

and tactici an of the day in the Yoruba country H e was a great .

fri end o f the King and during his t erm of offi ce he shielded the
s o vereign against the encroachm ent on hi s prero g ati ves of his
nephew of I badan f o r he was by no m eans loyal to him H e also
'

on this occasion wen I to Oy o to have the title conferred on hi m -

.

Thus i t cam e to pass that the t wo most distinguished titles next

t o the soverei g n were he l d by the chi efs of the two largest towns in
the south V iz that o f B a sor u n the head of al l civil affairs and that
, .
,

of Kakanfo the head of the mi l itary departm ent

—
.

S tt a e P o l icy I n order that a co l lision m ay not t ake place b e

.

tween these t wo warli ke towns so conti g uous t o each other a , ,

com pact was n o w arrived a t between the A L AF I N and his princi p a l

chi efs
1 . That they S hou l d make it their primary aim t o defend what
wa s left of the Yoruba country and gradua lly regain if they could ,

their lost provinces under the F ul anis o f Il orin .

2 . As the last King di ed in war the sovereign should not be ,

a l lowed to go to wa r any more but confine himself to all re l igious , ,

civil and politica l m att ers (external relations ) on behalf of the

,

nation .

3 That the I b a d a n s were to prot ect all Yoruba towns t o the

.

north and north east and m eet what ever danger might arise in
-

those quarters t o have a free hand over all I j esas and E kit is
, ,

and the eastern provinces generally to reduce them t o subj ection ,

.

4 . That the I j y
a e s should protect all Yoruba towns of t h e

western provinces and m eet whatever danger appeare d in that

,

direction and carry on their o p erations a gainst the S ab es and dis

loyal Popos .

Thus the di sint egration o f the country would b e arrested .

B u t the anci ent citi es o f I l u ku Saki Gboho and Ki b isi wi th , ,

their towns cont ai ning the remnant o f the ci ti zens of the anci ent
,

and m embers of the royal family preferred not t o be placed

under the protection of either of these powers but under t h e King ,

di rect and this wa s al l owed Thus i t was hoped that in tim e the .

unit y of the kingdom would be regained and those wh o still longed ,

for their ol d hom es would be able t o ret urn thither .

I n this wa y it appeared latterly that the provi nce unde r the

 THE NE W
'

CITY A N D NE W G O V E RN M E N T 2 83

A LAF I Ni s sm all and foreigners ignorant of the history of the

,

country are apt t o consider Ibadan of m ore importance than

OY o especi al ly when by the destructi on of I j a y e the form er claim ed
the overlordshi p of the t erritori es form er l y under I j a y e .

PR O V I N C IAL A FFAI R S
The a f fai rs of the n ew Metropolis having been settled both the
B a sor u n and the Kakanfo returned hom e t o arrange their own
l ocal a ffairs .

I bad a n At this tim e the war c h ief next t o the Iba himself
.
-

wh o wa s head and shoulders above all his compeers at Ibadan

was chi ef E l epo consequently the ti tle of I b a l og un wa s o ffered
,

him but he decli ned it f or reasons which no one could t ell , .

H e wa s urged over and over ag ai n i n pub l ic as W ell as i n pri vate ,

both by the B a sor u n and his brother chi efs t o accept it but he ,

declined saying his nam e E l epo alone wa s enough f o r him And

, .

yet he woul d submit t o no one but the B a s or u n al one who was his
Ol d coll eague
'
The title o f B alogun was therefore conferred
.
, ,

upon
The foll o wi ng were the titles conferred upon distinguish ed
war c hi efs
-

N a m es , T it l e s .

Qd er in l o B alogun or comm ander in chi ef - -

.

L aj u m ok e Ot un i e general comm andi n g the r ight

. .

Qp ea g b e Os i i e genera l commanding the left wing

. .

Toki S eri ki
B abal ol a Asipa
Oy esil e Ab es e
'

Og un r en u S arumi or chi ef of the cavalry

Y er o m b i A g b a kin
D el e A r eag or o

I j ay e — T h e A r e ona Kakanfo of j a y e was a bloodt hirsty

- -
I
t yrant H e put t o death all the c hi efs rising into power wh o
.

might becom e h rs ri va l s H is B a l og un s nam e was .

’

alias Ogun kor o j u a Moham m edan and the fri end of B alog un
-

, ,

Qd er in l e of Ibadan H e wa s the only m an at I j a y e f or whom

.

K ur fim i ent ertained any regard On e Aj ayi was his A r eag or o .

,

and t his was about all the titles gi ven at I j a y e N evertheless .

there were other powerful m en at I j a y e such as L a ku s a Ag ana ,

E p o F a n y aka A ki ol a A seg b e Am odu and L a b u d an u

, , ,
Lahan ,
.

after the destructi on O f Abem o cam e t o resi de at I j a y e .

Kur umi usurped all power both ci vil and re l igi ous all were
centred on him or his family and all the profits accruing from ,
2 84 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
them flowed t o his exchequer His brother P op o ol a wa s the Al a gb a
.

or E g fig un high priest himself the M ogba or head Sango pri est

,
.

H is chief executioner wa s one J Om g b a n The Kakanfo was .

more dreaded at I j a y e than even the g ods as the common saying

S hows A r e n p e o o u di t a
“
Bi Ifa f o rere ti A r e f o ibi n ko ( You
’
recei ve the Ar e s summ ons and you are di vining wi th your Ifa
What i f Ifa is pr o pi tious and the A r e is n ot H e di d not value
the life of a hum an being m ore than that of a dog F or the least .

o f fence he ordered the o f fender t o execution and plundered his

house B ut he was m ore of a t error t o ran k and station for
.
,

t o the poor he granted li berty and redress

, .

TH E A G B A M A J A WA R
It has becom e the custom at I badan that a newly creat ed
B alogun S hould lead the army out on an expedition i n order t o
prove hi s worth t o the title an d thereby comm end himself t o the
respect of the soldi ery B ut no town at this tim e gave any cause
.

of o ffence for an att ack all the sam e the B al ogun was sent
,

against Ed e —a to wn under their OWn prot ection B ut i t would .

appear that E l epo ve toed the destructi on of E d e and so they

m arched on towards Ilobu .

The people of I l obu becam e alarm ed They had not committed .

any O f fence but although they were assured of peaceful m easures

,

yet they brought a large amount of presents t o the I badan camp

t o buy o ff their hostili ty and S howed ever y Sign of submission
,
.

All t h e same the soldiery becoming restive from inact ion would
,

have sacked the town b ut for E l epo especially when it happened ,

that lightning struck a house in the town and the war boys became
wil d and rushed t o the Spot under pretex t of doin g hom age t o
,

S ango while others were al ready sca ling the wal l s when E l epo and
,

his m en undert ook t o beat them o ff and save I l obu From that .

town and the surrounding vi l l a ges presents c am e pouring into the

Ibadan c am p but i nstead of going t o the B alogun a ll went t o -

E l epo before W hose t ents al l the presents were piled up

, He .

neither direct ed them t o the commander in chief nor m ade use - -

of them for himself H e ruled the army according t o h is will

'

.
,

and consequently the B alogun was indignant at t hi s usurpati on

of his rights and the other c h i efs sym pathi zed wi th hi m Aft er .

fri ttering away their tim e doing nothing the m en becam e dis
heart ened an d began t o steal away hom e H ence this expedition .

wa s t erm ed A g b a m aj a i e f ully arm ed but engagi n g in n o fight

”
. . .
,

The B a sor un at hom e was kept i nform ed of a l l that was going

on at the seat of wa r and when they arri ved at hom e a m ass
m eeting was held of all the war chi efs and m en and the whole of -
2 86 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
towns were reserved for the purposes of defence The Ibadan .

c ontingent thereupon sent an express report h om e t o the B a sor un '

t hat they would soon b e overpowered and the town taken i f tim ely
ai d wa s n o t forthcoming .

The B a sor u n un willing that the F ulanis and Jam as of Il ori n

Shoul d b e m ast ers of the forest lands to which they had been
dri ven from their hom es i n the pl ai n wa s resolved to r ai se the ,

si eg e at all cost I t wa s wi th the I b a d a n s a m att er of n ow or

.

never and hence the B alogun was instruct ed t o endeavour to deal

a decisi ve blow t o the Ilorins once and for all for should he fail ,

n o w the F ulanis would be m ast ers of the whole Yoruba coun try .

B alogun Qd er in l o n ow m arched out wi th the who l e of the Ibadan

might y m en save E l epo and the B a sor u n the form er having been ,

rej ect ed by the wa r chi efs for h is actions at the lat e A gb a m a j a

-

expedition T h e B a sor u n approved of this resolve and therefore

.

E l epo stayed at hom e bu t he felt himself far t o o exalted t o care

,

for any of them .

When the Ibadan army arri ved at the seat of war and s aw the
Sit uation they had som e misgivings as to the probabili ty of success
without the ai d of E l é p o their cham pion They could n o t show .

their face in the O pen fie l d for fear of the Il ori n horse and for ,

about 2 0 days after their arri val at Osogbo they also could not ,

fight outside the t own thickets .

The B a sor u n himself having som e doubts as t o the hopes O f

success of hi s generals in the absence of E l epo wa s m uch depressed
i n mind on hearin g the news from the seat of war and he was ,

mi nded t o S end E l epo t o m eet them he gave him a co w t o worship

'

his god 07 2 a n d t ol d him t o prepare t o j oin his comrades i n the field .

The Ibadan wa r chi efs he a ring this were fired wi th j ealousy lest
-

the honour of the vi ctory might be his and hence were resolved t o
risk a battle at al l cost Ag ai n and agai n they held councils of
.

wa r and at length they fixed a day for the venture S till they
, .

were afr ai d t o att ack the Ilorins during t h e m orning hours Osogbo ,

being p r a ct ica lly in a plai n the Ilorin horse might have the a d va n
,

tage of them with disastrous results from prudence therefore they

resolved t o make the att ac k i n the afternoon as they m ight b e ,

able t o hold on unti l dusk when the Ilori ns woul d n o longer b e

able t o use their horses t o advantage or i f defeat ed the shades , ,

of night would assist them in their retreat .

About 2 p m the standard of the Ibadan army left the gat e of

. .

Osogbo f or the batt l efield Ag ai n another council of war was held

.
,

and i t wa s fin al l y resolved that they S hould not proceed

until dar k as i t wa s necessary that their m ovem ents be as pri vat e
,

as possible About sunset they were ag ai n on the move and the

.
 TH E NE W C ITY A N D NE W G O VE RN M E N T 2 87

vanguards were instruct ed t o keep a strict watch and arrest anyone

suspected as a spy on their m ovem ents .

About a mile from the Ilori n camp they halted and arra n ged
the order of the attack The O sogbo arm y and the ear l ier auxil
.

ia r ies were t o m aintai n the centre o f the batt l e Chi efs A b it iko ,

and La j ub u to command the right Wing B al ogun Q d er in l o with ,

the rest of the Ibadan wa r chi efs to form the left Wing of the army
-

About midnight the Ilori n camp was attac ked on a l l sides The .

watch word was E 10 m owo od o (T h fare of the ferry ?

) !T h e
’

ri ver Osun had to be crossed i n entering Osogbo from the south .

Any one wh o could not tell was known to be an enemy ) The .

first camp attacked wa s that of the E l ese and as soon as they ,

rushed in they set it on fire The E lese himse l f was shot dead as
,
.

soon as he showed his face at the t ent door A pani c sei zed the .

whole I l orin arm y thus startled from their beds ; they co uld
n o t o f fer the slight est resistance they Sim ply m elted away ,

Those wh o fe l l by the hands of their own friends t o m ake way for

their hast y flight were probably more th an those who fell by the
hands of their enemies S everal wh o summ ed up courage enough
.

t o saddle their horses had not the presence o f mind t o l oose them
and were c aught in the st ables d igging S purs i nt o the poor beasts
and wonderi ng wh y they woul d not go forgettin g t hat the y were ,

sti ll t ethered by the feet .

B u t Ali the comm ander in — chi ef wa s ca l m and resolut e ; he

-

ordered his horse t o be saddled and gathering around him a ,

goodly porti on o f his c avalry they dashed through the ranks of

the Ibadan arm y these quic kl y m aking a Wa y f or them to ga l lop
thro ugh without daring t o oppose them especially a s numbers ,

of the m en were scattered about on pl undering bent .

The principal I l orin war chi efs capt u red i n this defeat were
-

I
. Jimba the head slave of the E mir of I l orin .

2
. On e of the sons o f A li the comm an der I n chief - -
.

3 Chie f L at ej u and
.

4 Aj i kobi the Yoruba B alog un of Ilorin

. .

The first t wo were releas ed and sent hom e pri vatel y by the
Ibadan war C hiefs a form of c hi valrous eti quette amo n g the
-

war chiefs The latter t wo be ing Yorubas b y b ir t h w ere regarded

-
.

rather as trai tors to their countr y and were sent hom e to Ibadan ,

as di stinguished capti ves o f war .

The B a s or un sentenced La t ej u t o death alleging that i t was in

his house that King OL U E WU the last of the anci ent was
,

fettered when taken at the E l ed uwe wa r before he was put t o ,

death That was the ostensible charge but the chi ef reason
.

real ly was because Ol uy ol e s wi ves fell into L a t ej u s hands at

’ ’
2 88 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
the collaps e of that expedition and h e was not chivalrous enough
,

t o release them and send them to hi m as a brother C hi ef .

Aj i kobi bein g a m ore distinguished personage was sent to the

A L AF I N O f O Y O for capital punishm ent .

The m essengers wi th the illustrious c aptive m et the Ki ng

engaged in one of his annu al festivals and h e ordered that the ,

f ew d e j oie his servants were then firi ng S houl d be directed on

Aj i kobi This was accor d in gl y done and he was roasted to death
.
o
,

with gunpowder .

B esides a large number o f capti ves the I b a d ans captured

n umbers of horses but very f ew of them were brought hom e .

These hardy people cared very li ttl e then for the lux ury of ri ding
on horsebac k : what they c ar ed for more was the horses t ails ’

upon which t o ti e amulets as preventi ves against bullets in wa r .

These were always a part of their war kits The onl y att ention .

bestowed o n the hundreds of tailless horses now roaming about

the field wa s f o r replenishing their larder as occasi on required !
This victory at O sogbo was a m o s r im portant one an d forms a
turning point i n Yoruba history I t sav ed the Yoruba country
.

as such from total absorption by the F ulanis as a tributary stat e .

From this tim e forth the po wer of the Il orins for an independent
aggressive warfare in Yoruba land was for ever broken and the
I b a d a n s gained the ascendancy The Il ori ns wi thout losin g Sight
.

”
of their ultimat e obj ective t o d ip the K oran i n t h e sea i e the
“
, . .

subj ugati on of the entire Yoruba land henceforth cont ented them ,

selves wi th allying themselves n o w wi th one and then wi th t h e ,

:

other of the contendin g t rib es wit h the hope of ultim ately weaken
_

in g the whole s o that event ually the entire countr y m ight fall a n
,

eas y prey i nto their hands .

That the A L AF I N di d not seize this opport unity to gather -

al l th e forces of the kingdom a n d s t rike a final blow a t the enemy

wa s a m att er of surpr ise t o many but a great dread was still ,

entertained o f m eeting the cavalry in the plai n in which case i t ,

would n o t be that of Il ori n alone b ut also those of S okoto and

,

Gando H ence the return home to the ancient capi t al was fraught
.

wi th dang er the probability of their being continually harassed

,

and attac ked and taken by surprise being very great .

O ther reasons also have been advanced for rem ai ning in their
present positio n among which was the com parative proximity
,

t o the coast and greater faci li ties for trade As n ew generations .

sprang up wh o knew litt l e or not h in g o f the old country they grew

less and less disposed t o abandon the com parative safety and
advantages of the present position for the old citi es With all the
att endant risks ho wev er f ertile and salub ri ous they might be
,
.
2 90 T HE H I S To R Y OF T HE Y O RU B AS
the latter in order that he might be able to accomplish his desi gn
, ,

ill advised E l epo to l eave his house a while assurin g him that
-

al l would be right in the end H e kne w qui te well that as long as

.

E l epo was in his own ho use their p l an s m us t fail for no one woul d '
,

dare t o face the lion in his den .

Ati po h is brother at once suspected the intriguer by such

advice and asked
,
Why S hou l d it be deemed necessary for the
,

Mogaj i (i e E l epo ) t o leave his house when you the chief were
. .

em pl oying your good o ffi ces for him ? Which of the war chi efs -

would be bold enough either t o go against your declared wish or

t o attack E l epo backed by his chief the B a sor u n ? B ut the
B a sor u n evaded the question ; on the contrary he kept pressing
the point with great urgency knowing that o nce E l epo left his
house he would never be al lowed t o return t o i t .

E l epo disheartened by the bad faith of his hi therto trusted

lord yielded with pain a nd disappointment on l y out of respect
'

t o him . H e removed all his e f fects t o the B a sor u n s h ous e as ’ '

wel l as al l the capti ves and booty from the late

'

expedition .

Thus unmindfu l o f the good E l epo had done him when he wa s

somewhat Similarly si tuated after the Ot a expedi tion Oluy ol e ,

requited hi m wi th ingratitude out of sheer j ealousy ; he desired

t o Wield an abs olute power and felt he c ould not safely do S O
wi th such a m an under him and thus he plott ed t o gain his end
,

at the expense of a faithful and loyal friend and colleague .

Whe n the war chiefs were nearer home Ol uy ole t old E l epo
-

that he had fai l ed in his negotiations with them and that they
threatened a ci vil War in case he sided wi th him and consequently
'
,

should E l epo l eave the to wn he the B a sor u n wou l d arrange, ,

matters with them s o tha t he m ight return hom e in peace .

B y th is E lé p o saw p l ai nl y the intrigues of his friend a n d m as t er .

Thrice he asked him pointe dl y D o you really m ean m e to leave

the to wn ? E ach tim e the reply was Yes for the present but
all wil l be right in the end Then chi e f E l epo uttered the fol lowing
.

parable Once upon a tim e the leopard was king of the beas t s ,

and the g o d Or is a was the on l y obj ect o f hi s dr ead The Or isa s _

.
’

house W as bui lt in the open fie l ds and he was protect ed with an

,

earthenware p o t The beasts of the field had n o respect for

.

Orisa but used t o w al k and graze around the pot with which he
was covered wi thout incurring any harm B ut a t the yearly .

festival when king Leopard headed all the beasts t o worship

the Ori sa t o their surprise he used to prostrate at a distance
, , ,

and do hom a ge by putting earth on his head and never al l owed ,

any of the beasts t o approach t o o near l est they gi ve O f fence to

the Ori sa The beasts used to s ay amo n g th emselves And why
.
 THE NE W CITY A N D NE W G O V E RN M E N T 2 91

a ll this precaution ? We often grazed around that pot without

experi encing any harm can Or i sa ki ll at all as king Leopard would
,

have us be lieve N ow upon one such occasion when the Leopard

and al l the beasts in his train were prostrati n g at a distance the ,

Or i sa s ai d to the Leopard Why not al l ow these my chi l dren t o

draw near to m e ? The Leopard repl ied 0 most adorab l e Ori sa , ,

the beasts y ou wou l d have t o approach your sacred presence a r e

ignorant creatures that know n o t your worth were they allowed
to do s o they will tread on the m at on which y o u are seat ed and
will soon after end b y treading o n yourse l f
'

This parable is .
’

for y o u O B a s o r u n Th e war chi efs you a r e m aking s o m uch of

,
.
-

do not know your worth they pay honours to you only on m y,

account and shoul d I l eave the town as you say they will soon
, ,

tread upon the mat o n which y o u are seated and finally upon
yourse l f ”
.

After this E l epo left the town with about followers and
retired first to Ipara a town in Ij ebu R em o and resi ded t h ere for
a while .

C IVIL WA R AT I B A D A N
N ot long after the departure of E l epo
the truth of his parable
became quit e evi dent the prophecy had a l l but obt ai ned a terrible
,

fulfil ment .

E n ri che d by t h e treas ures of the expelled C hieftain and his ,

wealth f urther augmented by the portion al lotted to him by his

war chi efs from the successful expedition of Oso gbo Ol uy ol e
-

becam e m uch e l ated feeling himse l f n ow the so l e and absolut e

,

m aster of the town of Ibadan without t h e fear of any possibl e

ri val B u t i t was not l ong before an ins urrection was raised
.

ag ai nst hi m Chiefs Ol ub odun A kiliyi Ati po La j ub u A kinl a b i

, , , ,

and Ogidi took up arms against him and the whole town was soon
in an uproar N othing but the m ere chance of their leader
.

Olub odun being kil l ed before the action reall y comm enced
brou ght t h e rising to a sudden close .

On e of Ol uy ol e s m en from the roof of hi s house e pied Ol ubodun

’

hasteni ng to the scene of action and as he m u s t p as s by the corner

of h is ho use t o gain the m ai n street the m an r ai sed the thatch ,

of h is roof level l ed hi s gun at Ol ub odun at very close quarters

,

and Shot him dead on t h e spot The suddenness and unexpected

ness with whi ch this was accomplished created a panic among his
fo ll owers and it spread instantly am ong t h e other chiefs and their
men and they fled precipit ately pursued by Ol uy ole s m en
,
’
.

A kiliyi and Ogidi were taken but the rest escaped to I j aye A kili y i .

was executed Ogidi was pardoned but was ordered out of h is

.
,
 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
house and district at Isal e Ij ebu the former being levelled to the
,

g round and left in ruins and he had t o occupy a small house at

,

Isal e under stri ct surveillance .

!Th e si te of the house was subsequently g iven to the R ev D . .

Hinderer the first missionary of the Church Missionary S oci ety at

Ibadan i n 1 8 5 1 and has Since becom e the C M S st ation at Oke . . .

K ud et i )
.

I JA Y E AN D THE I B A D A N RE F U GE E S
Of the three m en wh o escaped t o I j a y e after the tragic end of
Olub odun L aj u b u som ehow e f fected a return hom e and was
,

pardoned but Atipo and A kin la b i di d not return but m ade I j ay e

,

their hom e perm anently .

They occupied the house o f one A kiol a wh o was put to death

b y the Ar e of I j a y e under the fo l lo wing painf ul circumstances
I n o n e of their expedi tions to the S ab e provinces A kiol a capt ured
a youn g m ai den of whom he becam e enamoured he first sh ared
his bed with her and on the return hom e of the expedition this
,

captive was am ong others b e apportioned to their chief K ur rim i

‘

the A r e of I j a ye B ut the A r e al so was captivated by

.

the charms of this y oung woman and he at once included her in

his harem And s o i t happened that on finding afterwards that
.

she had al ready been tam pered wi th he becam e enr a ged wi th ,

A kio l a and constit uted this a crim e for which he m urdered him
Ati po and A kin l a b i retaining the S piri t and energy of Ibadan
were restless at I j a y e ; they m ade two expeditions to the banks
of the N iger on their own account captured 0godo in the first ,

and Gbajigbo in the second expedition and brought hom e m any ,

captives and much boot y .

After this Ati po went to I para to fetch his brother E l ep o t o

I j a y e by way of I lugun E l é p o s followers had by this tim e
’
.

dwin dl ed to about 7 0 m en the rest having returned hom e to

,

Ibadan weary o f the in a ction at I para .

Ol u y ol e becam e very j ea l ous of the success and the populari ty

of these men at I j a ye and Kur umi ever suspicious of any brave
,

and distinguished m an readily listened to the insin uations of the

,

former that these men would one day prove a dan ger to the state ,

that they wo ul d sooner or later desert hi m for I l ori n (their comm on

enemy) and that Kur umi should at once di spose o f them .

Kur umi invited them both to a banquet and there com pletely ,

in hi s power he m urdered them both a n d seized all their property

,
.

Th us end ed the career of these brave m en of Ib adan and I j a y e .

2 94 T HE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS

§ 1 A AYE A N D QT U N
.

Whilst the revolutionary wars were raging all over the rest
of the Yoruba country the F ulanis devastatin g the Metropolitan
,

province the Oyos the Egba province and the If es I j eb us and Oy os

, , ,

s tri ving f or predominance in the south the Ij esa and E ki ti ,

pro vinces save for the lat e Po l e war were enj oying the blessings
, ,

of peace E ntrenched in their mountain fastnesses they were

.
,

safe from the F ul ani horse and other foes .

B ut i t seems they were n o t t o be exempt from the ban that hung

o ver the rest o f the Yorub a nation and hence they commenced an ,

i nternal strife among themselves which led t o their inviting ,

outside help and resulted i n their final subj ugation .

A aye and Otun were two towns in the E fon and E kiti districts
contiguous to one another the people h ea r the sam e relationship
t o each other as the Egba bear towards the Oy os or I j eb u s They .

are al l included under the term E K ITI .

A feud arose between these t wo towns about their boundari es

which culminated in a war in which Otun wa s worsted but s o ,

determined on revenge was the ( king of O tun ) that he

sought help from abroad ; he sent to Ibadan for that purpose
and B alogun wa s sent out with the whole of the Ibadan
arm y and A aye wa s besieged
, .

Finding that the I b a d a n s were t oo strong for them the Al aye

(king of A aye) sought help from Il orin and the Il orin horse under ,

their general A f un ku appeared in the fie l d in aid of A aye The .

choice fell on the F ulani B alogun as the H ausa and Yoruba

B al o g u n s of the I l orins had already failed at Osogbo .

The Il orins did their best to raise the S iege by attackin g the
I b a d a n s in the rear but the I b a d a n s rounded on them and inflicted
,

on them a severe defeat Their leader general A t unku fell in

.

the conflict about 1 00 Il orins were made prisoners and the rest
, ,

escaped home lea ving A aye to its fate

, .

S uch a turn o f affairs was least expected at A aye T h e town .

was n o w c l osely invested and when they were reduced to feedi n g

,

on roots o f trees reptiles and other loathsom e obj ects they

, ,

went about the streets bewailing their misfortunes and endeavour

ing to move the sym pathy of their kinsmen of Otun an d sang ,

(0 king o f O t un wi ll
‘

Ql ot rm n j e o t it o 1i 0 y io fi kini y i se ,

y o u then make of thi s matter a stern reality ?)

B ut there were some m en in the town wh o were encour a ging
them to hold out a li ttle longer saying that g r eat as their distress
,

was in the town greater sti ll was i t in the I badan ca mp where they
'

were reduced t o pounding hay for food and if their allies could
not raise the siege famine would d o i t for the m
, .
 A S E RI E S OF FR AT R ICI D AL \VA R S 2 95

Thus encoura ged the men o f A aye held o u t heroicall y they

, ,

bui l t forts upon the town wall s from which S harp shooters harassed
the I b a d a n s continuall y and among those ki ll ed by that m eans,

wa s a notable chief T o ki O nibudo the S eri ki of I badan B ut 1

.

when they coul d hold o u t n o longer when m en women and chi l dren , , ,

were dying in the st r eets from starvation F a gb efir o the Al ay e ,

with his mother were reso l ved t o risk goi n g in person t o th e

I b adan camp to sue f o r peace .

When they entered the camp and were being conducted t o the
B a lo g u n s q u arters the Al aye was overcom e with surprise on
’

fi n ding yam corn flour a n d other arti cles of food exposed in the
, , ,

market f o r sale What d o I s ee ? exclaimed he What about

,

the famine we were told e xisted in the Ibadan camp s o that m en

were reduced t o feeding on pounded hay ? H e there and then
ordered som e yam to be purchased for him even before he got to ,

the presence of the B al ogun .

The B alogun received the A l aye in a friendly manner and terms ,

of peace were agreed upon the A l aye promising t o serve the ,

I b ad ans B u t he was to l d that as they could n o t return hom e t o

.

Ibadan em p ty handed he shoul d give them a sm all force and a

-

gui de t o I san the next town o f im portance and in order to allay

the Al ay e s apprehensions the B alogun ordered a chief nam ed
’

L a j u b u to retu r n with the Al aye t o the town to protect the sam e

ag ai nst the wi l d soldi ery unti l the Whole arm y had passed on t o
l ean B u t this seems to have been a ruse f o r L a j ub u and the
"

.
,

A l aye had scarcely reached the g at e of th e to wn when the whole

Ibadan army was on the m ove La j u b u himself rushed forward n o t ,

t o protect the pl ace but t o be amongst the first in p l undering and

,

S l ave catching
-
V ery f ew however were the captives taken
.
,

as famine had done its worst with them most of the survi vors were
weak a n d sic kly with oedematous hands and feet and onl y about
, ,

1 0 0 comparative l y able bodied were found amongst them and even

-

these nearly al l soon perish ed from the in discretion of their captors ,

wh o in hopes of restoring them speedi l y to sound health fed them

immoderately after a long S pell o f starvation .

The Ibadan army pushed on and took Yapa I si and I san ,

.

At the last m entioned place al l the war c hi efs remained but the -

war boys followed up the conques t as far as to I tagi where they

-

suffered a disaster and were C hecked .

Th e people of Itagi l eft their town and hid themselves in the bush
hard by T h e Ibadan wa r boys having rushed in di spersed
.
-

1
This chi ef w as suc ceeded by his n eph ew ,
I b iku n l e ,
wh o
b ec am e a fam ous B alo gun .
2 96 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
all over the town intent o n pl underin g ; when the Itagi arm ed
,

m en cam e out and hunted them do wn everywhere butchering

t h em to pieces C h ief La j u b u was amo n gst those caught i n
.

t h e m arket pl ace and there he ended h is career .

This expedition opened the way f or the Ibadan rai d s into

t h e E kiti country which continued year by y ear until t h e Whole
,

of that provi nce was brought under subj ugation by them as wil l
be seen hereafter and they remained a subj ect people under the
,

I b a d a ns until united in one they struck for freedom which wa s

, , ,

wo n by the ai d of the B ritish governm ent m any years after .

§2 TH E E G B AS A N D E G B A DO S
.

About the sam e tim e a s the events recorded in the previous

section the Eg bas were waging War with som e of the Eg b a d o
,

tribes Ad o was besi eged but he l d out f o r m any years All

.
, .

the B al o g u n s of Abeokuta were there present exce pt their chief

‘

S o d e k e but they spent their strength and ski l l t o n o purpose .

It was j ust about this tim e (A D 1 8 4 3) that the Missionari es .

of the C M S arri ved at Ab eokuta for ins pection with a View

. . .

to carr yi ng on mission work in this country T h e pioneer was .

the R ev H enry Townsend a E uropean missionary wi th Mr , .

Andrew Wilhelm D es al u his interpreter both from Si erra Leone ,

.

T hey m et Chief S o d ek e the B alogun of Itoku and leader o f th e

Egbas t o Ab eokuta wh o recei ved the m with a cordial welcom e .

Mr Townsend left A b eokuta after a s h ort st ay with a promise

.

t o return soon for a perm anent stay amongst them f o r missio n ary
work .

Thus l ight began t o dawn on the Yoruba country from the

south when there was nothing but darkness i dolatry superstition
, , , ,

blood shedding and Slave — hunting a l l over the res t of the country .

Ther e wa s an old tradition in the country of a prophecy that as

r uin an d deso l ati on spread from the interi or t o the coast so ligh t ,

and restoratio n wil l be f rom the coast interior wards T hi s Wa s -

.

a tradition o f ages I S not this event the beginnin g of i ts f ulfil

.

ment Wh ils t the Egbas were encamped before A d o the D aho ,

mians led o ut an expe di tion and were on the march for Il a ro ,

.

I t wa s pri vately reported t o the Egbas that the Da h o mian s wo ul d

sudde n ly fal l on them an d raise the siege H earing this the Egbas .

first sent out spies t o ascertai n their Situation they t h ereupon

surprised the D a h om ia n s one mornin g a s they spread themselves
about thei r cam p airi n g and dr ying their accout r em en t s that had
g o t wet fro m a drenching rain a f ter a s t o r m that took pl ace on the
previ o u s evening I n the co n fusion of the fligh t the Egbas captured
.

t h e standard of the Da h o m ia n arm y whi ch was a n umbr ella m ade ,

2 98 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
first and m eet m e here At the sam e tim e the A L AF I N was
.

fortifying the town a gainst a sudden attack and employed a ,

f e t is h m a n one La t u b os u n t o bury charms at all the gates leading

to the city as a preventive As he was evincing much anxi ety
.

f o r t h e safety of the town both this f e t is h m an and the On d a s a

'

( the o ffi cial f e t is h m a n ) assured him that n o t a Single shot woul d be

fired a gainst this p l ace .

Oluy o l e on the other hand lost n o opportunity of seeking an

occasion for a rupture between himse l f and the King H e sent .

a body of troops t o intercept Abudu Alelo and K os ij a the Ilari

whom the King sent to Porto N ovo for a supply of amm unition .

A b u d u s teeth were S hattered by the fire o f one of Ol u y ole s m en

’ ’

for this the King neither remonstrated with Ol uy ole nor demanded
'

a redress knowing it to be a deli berate ca s u s bell i he treated the

m atter as an accident .

With Kur umi the A r e also Ol uy ol e wa s provo king a rupture

as he was the only obst acle in the wa y of his carrying out of his
proj ects H e demanded that Kur umi as Kakanfo should acknow
.

ledge the seniority of h imself as B a s or u n by coming in person t o

Ibadan t o pay his respects t o him as he goes to , to do hom a ge .

’
Kur umi was t o o wide awake t o vent ure his head into the lion s
mo u th not withstandi n g that Ogun ko r o j u his B alogun urged
,
- -

him t o comply for the sake of peace The B a sor un const ituted .

this refusal a ca s u r belli .

A circumstance however occurred which accelerat ed the wa r

, ,
.

O n e A su the A r eag o r o of L a d ej o an I j aye chief was expel l ed the

, ,

town for treason and he escaped to Fi diti a town m id way

, ,
-

between I j a y e and he rebuilt the ruins and had the t o Wn

re inhabited The Kakanfo sen t a com pany of 1 00 m en to surprise
-
.

and disperse this little band but they found Asu a n d h is m en ready
, ,

and pro ving t o o strong for them t h ey were defeat ed and driven
,

back F earing therefore the resentment of the A r e A su s ent to

. ,

Ibadan f o r help Th e B a s or un who had long been seeking an o p p or

.

t un it y for war against I j a y e hai l ed the present offer and sent out
B a l ogun Q d er in l o and I b iku n l e the S eri ki with instructions to
confine their O perations t o kidnapping expe diti ons in I j a y e and
farms in order t o haras s them and render farmi n g both
, ,

use l ess and unsafe s o that famine might d o h alf the work before a
direct attack was m ade .

This continued for m any months and several skirmishes took

pl ac e on t h e Aregb e hills in the I j a y e farms with varying results .

At length the I b a d a n s su f fered a great disaster at Od o g id o i n

the I j a y e farms which put an end to the Fiditi campaign On .

that eventful day the B al ogun arran ged t o l ead an ex p edition

 A SE RIE S OF FR AT R ICI D AL WA R S 2 99

to th e OY O farms and e n tr usted that t o the I j a y e farms to the

S eri ki At a place called Od o g id o the I j a y es lay in ambush
.

a n d suddenly attacked the S er iki s army on a l l sides and routed it

’

com pl etely About 1 4 0 m asters of com pounds wh o went t o

.

war on horseback were caugh t a n d sl ai n e x cl usi ve o f private

soldiers I t was sai d that I biku n le the S eri ki himself on l y escaped
.

by falling into som e friendl y hands and wa s quietly l et o ff T h e .

I j a y es pressed hard in pursuit unti l i t was dark and the S hadows

of night saved the remnant o f the defeated H enc e this expedition .

was som etimes nam ed Or u g b a mi 1a (T h e n igh t saved m e )

. .

On e Lampej o wa s wounded in about 60 places a l l over his body , ,

and was left for dead but at night h e revi ved and fo u nd h is way
,

hom e .

The expedition t o the Oy o farms under the B alogun was also

unsuccessfu l though not disastrous ; n o t a single captive was
,

brought back with him for they m et n obody i n the farms .

T h e A r e o f I j a y e p ut t o death all the captives that fe l l into his

hands and made a platform on Which he pi l ed up the heads of
the s l ain F o r three months after this the I b a d a n s r em ained
.
,

inactive at Fiditi .

O lu y ol e received the news wi th g reat indi g nation H e was .

resolved upon a siege of I j a y e and at once declared war and ordered

his army at F id ili t o m eet him on the way thither they m et him
at Qj é h o his first encam pment about six mi l es from I badan .

Thence they removed t o Ika about mi dway between the two

belligerent towns F rom this place they began to clear the bush
.

taking a north e a ste r ly direction to the I j a y e farms which they

-

reached on the s t h day and there encamped H ere the I j a y es .

met them and f or t wo ful l years hard battl es were fo u ght with
equa l success on both sides but the war wa s very unpopu l ar .

Also an inci dent reported from hom e contributed largely to the

failure of the expe di tion on the part of the I b a d a n s The war .

chiefs were to l d of the B a sor u n s boast when he heard of the’

d isaster of Od og id o that if there remained but himself alone and

(his favourite Wife) he would take I j a y e a i nu herse l f .
,

a lady o f a m asculine t em peram ent and ver y popul ar wa s heard

to swear by the E g iig un gods (a thin g forbidden to wom en) that
if the war was left to herself a l one she would take I j a y e , .

Th e wa r — chiefs were naturally hurt by this implied slur cast

upon them by th e B a s o r u n and his Wife This added to the u n .
,

naturalness of the c o n fli ct r en d er ed them perfect l y indi ff erent t o

,

the issue of the war they fol l owed their chi ef and his wi fe ha l f
,

heartedly rather as S pectators t o see h ow far they could d o without

,

them ; i t was even asserted that som e of the chiefs fired on l y

 3 00 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y ORU B AS
blank amm unition Whatever ma y be t h é t ruth of these repo rts
‘

.
,

i t wa s q ii it e certain that the war W as un pbp ul a r , and that the ’

B a sor u n an d his wi f e had to bear t h e br unt of t h e battle .

The wa I at length becam e a gener al one B oth sides sought the .

alliance o f the Egbas ; the Egba chiefs were di vided S o d ek o and ,

A n ob a declared for I j a y e but Ap at i being Ol uy ol e5 friend and

’

relati ve declare d for Ibadan S od ek o himself never went beyond

.

A r a ka n g a 3 m i l es from hom e but sent his e l dest son forward

, ,

to I j ay e
.

The alliance of Ogbom oso was also sought ; t here was a lso a
division here t h e B al e d ec l ared for I j a y e but Og iif im b i a notable
’

war C hief for Ibadan Ol uy ol e f urther sought t h e alli ance o f the

"

-
.
,

E mir of Il orin an d the aid of his p ower f irl B alogu n A l i H e also .

sent provisions for the Il orin troops On accoun t of the great

s carcity of food t hen at Il orin a n d asked th e
, m t o bes eige Ogbom oso .

H e also sent a contingent f orce of infantry in aid of the Il orins .

The m en of Ogbom oso defeated this arm y but could not pursue
them f a r f o r fe ar of the I l orin horse
, .

The Oke Og un d istricts also were di vi ded i n th eir allegiance

I seyin declared for both I j a y e and Ibadan !The fac t is that that .

town was practicall y S ituated between t wo fir es ] B ut Ile Bioku .

B er ekodo Igbo Or a and Pako were for I badan

,
.

I n the E astern districts Apom u I kire and Osogbo were vassals

,

of Ibadan and had n o choice but Iwo and E d e rev olted Th e

, .

people of E d e were at first the alli es of the I b a d a n s and F olari u ,

their p r ince was in the Ibadan cam p f r om the beginning of the

campaign but when he received information that h is people at
,

hom e had revolted he one day went over wi t h al l his m en to I j a y e

,

and was there received with open arms Th e A r e sent him hom e .

in peace under the escort of Chief E l epo lat e of Ibadan .

Lb di fi an I wo chi ef a l so went over and was similarly sent hom e .

B ut K ol ok o and A d é p o two Ibadan wa r chi efs were stationed at -

E jigbo to r ai d the E d e farms ; when therefore Prince F olari n and

Chi ef E l epo arri ved at E d e they went against E jigbo to dri ve a way
,

these raiders E l epo confident in the terror h is very nam e

.
,

ins p ired thought they would n o t dare await his approac h but al as , ,

that tim e for E l epo was past and gone Prince F olari u f ell in an
engagem ent and E l epo was seriously Wounded in the arm s H e .

wa s th u s invalided at E d e for about a whole year before he was

su ffici ent l y recovered to return to I j a y e .

Thus the war bet ween Ibadan and I j a y e involved nearly the
wh ole country i t lasted for two ful l years and during this peri o d ,

the deadl y conflict was chi efly between the B as or u n and the A r e ,

for Qd erinl o the B alogun Of I badan and Og fior oj u the B al o g un of

302 TH E H I STO R Y or TH E YO RU B AS

during the late B a t ed o wa r Thi s expe di tion wa s ent rusted .

t o Chief E l epo late of Ibadan This chief was for carrying the .

place by a coup d e m a in but the m en of B ioku having heard before

,

hand o f the impending danger were on th e al ert and were ful l y ,

prepared to o ffer a determined resistance E l epo arranged for a .

night attack and headed hi s m en for the assaul t The m en of .

Bioku fought desperately but s o vigorous was the assa ul t that they
,

were com pelled to retreat into the town and som e ca p tives were
m ade am on g them .

B ut E l epo th e leader of the expe di tion had been wo unded with

a poisoned arrow at the first onslaught and as he stepped a side ,

as was his wont for his troops to rush forward he expired soon a fter
, ,

u nkno wn to them .

B ut the m en of Bioku rallied and repulsed the attack and when ,

at this m om ent E l epo was expected to t e appear on the scene t o -

support his m en he was not to be found The repu l sed assem bled .

at t h e foot of the hill on which Ile Bioku wa s built w a iti n g for

their leader h is drum was kept up beating and c al ling him it per
chance he had missed h is way but a l as he had fall en and they
'

knew i t not .

The Bioku m en had not the courage t o descend from their

heights a n d att ack them n or coul d t h e I j a y e invader s venture on
,

another assault without their leader Thus both par t i es retire d . .

At dawn the m en of Bioku in rem ovi ng their slain observed

,

the corpse of Chi ef E l epo and they c a l led to th e I j a y e m en from

,

their h eights : E xamine am o n g yourselv es and see who is

missing here is th e corpse of a fallen soldi er wi th stri ped trousers .

Then t h e I j a y e m en knew t hat they had l ost their leader Thus .

the expedi tion agai nst Ile Bioku failed

T h e L a t e C h i ef E léybo — Chief E l epo was a nati ve of I wag b a
.

and was acknowledged t o be one of the greatest generals Ibada n

ever produced In no other man wa s power ever seen s o com bined
.

wi th h umi l ity loyalty an d devotion as was characteristi c of

, , “

E l epo H e was rem arkable for sim plici ty of m anners and could
.
,

not be disti n guished am ong h is comm on soldiers by dress or any

futile accessories At hom e or in the fiel d he mingl ed freely with
.

them al l and carried a gun on his shoulders like one of t h em H e .

wa s alm ost al ways victorious Unli ke th e other general s of the

.

day he used t o march at the head o f his troops lea di ng them t o the
,

fight and wh en on th e scene o f action he stepped aside wi th hi s

,

attendants for his m en t o rush forward an d i f they were

, ,

repulsed he would a t once r e— appear o n the scene and repel the

enem y .

The fo ll owing anecdot e to l d of h im wi l l serve to i llustrat e h o w

 A SE RI E S or FR A TR IC I D A L WA R S 3 03
’

m uch was the drea d which his very n am e inspired i n people s

breasts .

It wa s onc e rumoured at I wo that E l epo was coming against .

them at the head of h is arm y There was a great consternation .

i n the t own and a B abalawo ( Ifa priest ) in consu l ti n g his god as

t o his safety and that of his family was s o distrac t ed with fe a r
that he transposed the words of di vinatio n substituting the nam e ,

of E l epo for that of the g o d and vic e versa ; said he E l epo nk a n

, ,

N go ti s e ku ti om o ti
'

kan Qr u n m il a 1i 0 gbe ogu n de oke o d o y i

,
.
__

gmg , i e O E lepo th e ine ff able he i e is Qr u n m il a (the god I fa)

. . .
,

with his arm y at the banks of the r iv er B y what means shall I .

’L

perish chi l dren and al l U pon his s o n cal l ing his attention t o
the mistake saying F ather you are saying i t wrong i t is j ust the , ,

other wa y h e turn ed round and dealt him a b l ow on t h e he a d

,

”
saying Bi mo ti n ie e ki fito da iya r e nu u (i e that is how I used
,
“
. .

t o be engaged t o it before ever I di vined wi th your m other )

, ,

inten di n g t o say that was h ow he used t o di vi n e wi th i t before he

was ever engaged t o the lad s m other S uch was the dread ’
.

’
E l é p o s nam e inspired .

H e was gen eral l y loved and respect ed by h is co ll e a gues but ,

h is oldest fri end and chi ef t o whom h e was devoted proved false
t o him an d contri ved t o bring about his r uin S uch is m an .

Wh en the corpse wa s recognised by the Biok u peopl e his h ead

was taken o ff an d sent to the B a s or un of Ibadan Wh at grim .

p l easure or delight that great int riguer took i n i t tradition di d ,

n o t say but such was th e end of that great m an

, .

S AGA U N A N D I G
§ 6 OR A
. BO -

The fires of the B a t ed o war were still sm oul dering in the emb ers .

The B asgr un of Ibadan at the zenith of his glory but unabl e t o ,

att ai n the height of hi s ambition becam e very oppressive at hom e .

N o o n e escaped the viru l enc e of his tongu e ; he had n o regard fo r

any l east of all for the B al ogun wh o wa s the next man to him in
,

the town A general insurrection was therefore raised against

.

h im which invo l ved nearly the who l e town The B alogun and .

Otun conni ved at i t but professed neutrality the S eri ki and the
,

A eip a al one were f or restoring order in th e town and through their ,

intervention by remonstrating with the two senior chiefs and

, ,

addressing a strong appeal to the B a sg r un to check the excesses

of his m en the insurrection was quell ed The I b a d a n s however
, .

soon found a vent for th eir ov rflo wing energi es b y events trans e

piring el sewhere as an o utcom e of the l at e B a t ed o wa r

, .

1
Th e R iver Ob a n ear Iwo .
3 04 TH E H ISTO R Y OF THE Y OR U B A S
We have seen above h ow parti es were divided in their allegianc e
in the Oke Ogun districts during the l ate B a t ed o war how S agaun ,

declar ed for I j a y e a nd B er ekodo Igbo Qr a and P a ko f or Ibadan

, , , .

Agidi the chief o f S agau n found a pretext for declaring wa r ag ai nst

Igbo Or a a n d besieged it but finding the p l ace t oo strong for
, ,

him he appli ed t o I j a y e f o r help and the A r e sent out the B alogun

,

t o h I s ai d. The Igbo Qr a people on the other hand sent to Ibadan

f o r help as their misfortunes were occasioned by their loyalty
to Ibadan The B a ee r u n at first sent t o their ai d a war—
. chief
named Ak awo but A k awo soon sent hom e for a larger force ;
then I b ikun l e the S eri ki Qp ea g b e the Os i and others were sent as
,

r e— in f or c em en t T h e principal wa r chiefs rem ained at B er ekodo

.
-

but they sent all the B adas to Igbo Qr a B ut the I j aye army was-
.

still t o o strong for them a n d when they could ho l d out no longer

they retreated wi th the whole of the Igbo Qr a people to Pako -
.

The B al ogun O f I j a y e besieged them here also and would have

crushed them had not timely a id com e from Ibadan The .

B a eer u n hearing of the strai ts in whi ch his m en were ordered the ,

B alogun to the rescue B ut Qd er in l g the B alogun of Ibadan and

.

La eil e the Balogun o f I j a y e were sworn friends and rather than ,

prove false t o him Qd erin l e from his first rendezvous at O d o

,

On a sent t o tel l his fri end that he was coming wi th an overwhelming

force whi ch the I j a y es could n o t possibly withstand and there ,

fore he would advi se him to retire from S agaun as soon as

possible ; nothing coul d be gained by the enormous l oss of lives that
must ensue and the pangs of broken friendship ; an d S agaun
,

must fal l La eil e and his m en accordingl y r etired from S agaun and
.
,

on that very day the Ibadan hosts entered and S aga u n was taken .

Chief Agidi wh o origi nat ed the war fe ll from t h e heights of Oke

Tapa and was kill ed Within 1 3 days of their dep a rt ure the
'

B alogun O f Ibadan with his army returned hom e but m et the

B a sg r u n seriously i ll D uring their absence in the field the B a ggr u n
.

call ed at the houses of all the principal chiefs and respectable

citizens to ask after the we l fare O f their househo l ds ; he was
everywhere received with marks o f honour In one O f these rounds .

he unfortunately m et with an accident by being thrown o ff his ,

horse and he sustained an interna l inj ury from which he wa s lai d

up and was unable to see o r welcom e home his army Five days .

after their arrival he breathed his last

, .

What the popu l ace could not d o during his lifetim e they were
determined t o do now Vi z t o p ul l down and plunder his house on
,

account O f the enormities perpetrat ed by him B ut th e B alogun .

pre vent ed this he posted the A g b a kin with his m en at the entrance
,

of the pa l ace t o prevent any o utrage or disorder .

3 06 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
he contrasted most favourably with his contemporary Kur umi
of I j a y e .

Og u rim el a wh o subsequently rose t o distinction wa s but a

pri vate during his earl y administration : h e had on l y a Singl e
drumm er as his attendant whom he used t o mount on a tree in
front of his house and himself Sitting on an empty keg of powder
challenging the B a s or u n to a civil war ! His drumm er used to
beat
Og u n m gl a ij a gboro n i yio pa a dan dan dan
’

, , ,
'

O nyi agba gbiri gbi ri gbi n , ,

O mu agbori l g we o nwo en a Qr u n yan yan yan , , ,

'

(Og u n m el a of a civil figh t h e shall die for sure sure sure

, , ,

H e keeps kegs of powder a rolling rol l ing ro ll ing

'

, ,

With a j ack knife in hand he is looking heavenwards steadily ,

steadily steadily ,

H is H ighness amused at this imp used to sen d him som e presents

, , ,

saying H e is hungry henc e h e is challenging m e t o a fight .

”

His contemporary of I j ay e would have made short work of

him for this .

Ol uy el e was fond of husbandry h e had extensi ve plantations

o f okra , beans vegetables corn and yams a separat e farm for
, , ,

each and whenever he had to take any to the m arket no farm er

, ,

was allowed t o sell that particular artic l e t hat day as he had s uffi
ci ent t o supp ly all the traders in t h e town and co ul d und erse l l ,

any farm er H e made an experim ent in yam pl anting so that a

.

singl e root should be large enough for a load The soi l was first .

prepared and a ho l e dug about 3 or 4 f t deep and as many in

, .
,

diam eter this was fil led wi th weeds and pi eces of banana stalks ,

earth was raised upon i t and the yarn pl anted therein ; as the ,

under l ying rubbish decayed room was m ade for the ya rn to extend
i n all dir ections until the hole was fil led and the si ze of the yarn
large en ough f o r a load .

The B a eer u n owned nearly all the kola trees i n the town as
we l l as the kola groves and o f t en o ff er ed human sacri fices i n
'

them in order to make the trees frui tful On e of h is wi ves the ,

mother of his son Owolabi was for a t ri fling offence punished by ,

being sacrificed i n one of these groves .

Si l k velvet was then very rare and of a high value he a ll owed

no one but himse l f alone t o use a ve l vet robe the chi efs might use
velvet caps only but thi s n o c ommon man dared to do The argu
,
.

m ent for thi s was that when poor peopl e begi n t o as pire t o what
they could n o t easily obtain they neglect the more necessary ,

things of every day life an d thereby im poverish those dependen t

 A SE RIE S OF FR AT R ICI D AL WA R S 307

upon them Moreover i t fosters the spi ri t of am bi tion and

.

'
,

covetousness wh ich m a y l ead t o robbery and other evils I t is .

better therefore not t o encourage such and thus they were for
, ,

bi dden altogether .

Ol uy ol e kept a large harem for when he had becom e great his ,

wives used t o seize any good looking m ai den found in the street
-

or m arket place and bring her t o him to becom e his wi fe H undreds

, .

of these he di d not even know by sight his pa l ace being an enormous ,

com pound On his death the re l atives and betrothed husbands

.
,

of these m aidens bol dly ent ered his palac e and t ook them away .

H e had m any chi l dren the most distinguished among them were
,

Owo l abi who perished in the A r aexpedition (t o be noticed hereaft er) ,

after him Alade who becam e the head of the house but h e also ,

di ed not long aft er and A b o r iea d e the next e l dest wh o stood for
,

many years the head of the house .

The central m arket at Ibadan known as Oj a Iba was s o

nam ed after him when he becam e I b a eer u n ; f o m er ly i t was =

Oj a La b es in d e after the B aba Isal e 0 f the early settlers .

B y the death of th e B a gg r u n the governm ent of the town

devolved upon Q d erin l e the B a l ogun but as som e of the import ant ,

chi efs were then absent from hom e h e was not disposed t o assum e ,

a higher title till their return an d a general r e arrangem ent of ,

-

titles take place B u t he survi ved his chief only a year and Laj u
.
,

m ek e the Otun and next i n ran k t o him having di ed the headshi p ,

devolved upon the Os i but he survived them only I I ,

months and aft er his death by a unani m ous vot e Olugbode an

, ,

Owu m an was elect ed B al e but he was n o t pro perly i nstalled

,

into office until the war c hi efs returned from an expedition now
-

to be not iced .
 CH APT E R X V I I

S U B J U GATI ON OF T H E I j esA s A N D E K I T I S B Y TH E
I B A DA N S — S O M E I MP O RTA N T E PI S OD E S— S O CIAL
RE FOR M A T I B AD A N
§ r . TH E O PI N WA R
AF TE R the crushing defeat of the I l e rin s at Osogbo a nd the Ibadan
ascendancy the I l er in s ventured no more int o the
, provinces ,

except for the little help they endeavoured t o give to the I b a d a n s

during the B a t ed o war by at tempting t o besiege Og b o m eee
, ,

which ended disastrously for them They appeared now t o have .

recovered somewhat from their military depressi on at least ,

s u ffi cient l y t o essay an aggressive warfare into the E f g n districts .

A m an cal l ed E su a native of I y e a t own between I lem eee

, ,

and E luku wh o had been a slave at I l erin was redeemed by one

La l ey e for 1 2 heads of cowries ; the latter also redeem ed one On i for
2 5 heads of co wries and gave her t o him t o wife
, E eu however .
, ,

turned out to be a n e er d o weel of a rovi ng disposition unfit for

’

any t rade H e left I l gr in and settled first at Egb e then at Itagi

.

a n d final l y at I ga n leading a predatory l ife in those regions kid

, ,

napping peaceful traders sparing none and was particularly , ,

hard on the I l orin traders In that way h e becam e a person of

.

som e importance in those parts ; hence the I l er in s were now

resolved upon capt uring him alive .

Finding himself ob n oxio us t o the Ilorins h e hastily declared

his allegiance to the I b a d a n s their great a ntagonist Through .

the assistance o f Olu okun a distinguished Ibadan gentleman

residing at Ila he received an i ntroduction to the B a eg r un
,

of Ibadan (then living) wh o received h im cordi al l y and in dis ,

m issing him gave him a war standard and commended him t o

,

the care o f Y em a j a his t ute l ary deity Ol uy e l e being a very ,

re ligious man i n his o wn wa y In his incursio ns E eu never forgot

.

his patron for duri ng the B a eer un s lifetime he continuall y sent

,
’

him slaves and booty taken in his raids Aft er the death of .

Ol uy e l e the I l orins were resolved t o besiege E s u at Opin where

he then was .

Ali the b r a veB a lo g un o f I l g rin was entrusted wi th this expedition .

H e sought th e alli ance of the Ibadan chi efs as the rel ation between ,

E su and Ibadan was onl y a personal one wi th the lat e B a er u n e

and besides the I b a d a n s were som ewhat under an obl igation t o
,

308
3I 0 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
r ai sing the reputati on of that military stat e t o its highest pitch
of fame whi ch was maintai ned f o r many years afterwar ds and
,

has never been surpassed the nam es of the principal leaders and
,

their o ffi ces may here be gi ven :

B al e— Olugbode
N a m es . T it l es . N a m es .

I b ikun l e S eri ki Aj ayi Jegede

Og u n m el a A gaj u Ma d a ri kan
Qeu n d in a Otun Bal e S umala
Akere B al e T ub es u n
Or o wus i Ajiya B al e A b ayemi
A r eag o r o B alogun A ij enku

Of these the fir st three and last t wo were exception al ly brave m en .

There was at this time in the Yoruba country a great increase

i n the population a marvellous agricul t ural prosperi ty and an
, ,

abun d ant energy not always direct ed t o useful purposes .

It was al ways the custom aft er conferring of titles es pecially

that of B al ogun t o seize the first opportunity that o ffered t o prove
'
one s fitness for the title an opport unity was soon a f forded f o r
the purpose .

T H E I J E B U E R E WA R

The I j eeas of Ilas e and Ibokun re inforced from Ilesa were

at this tim e making incursions int o the Oeog b o farms Osogbo ‘

being under the prot ection of Ibadan the B al eof Ibadan therefore ,

sent out his B alogun o n his first expediti on t o punish Ilas e for the
raids .

O n reachi ng O sogbo the Ibadan army marched direct to the

,

Ilas e farms cleari ng the bush making wi de paths and encam ped
, ,

by the Yawo st ream .

B ut the expedi tion nearly collapsed before ever they cam e in

sight of th e enem y A q u arrel broke out between Or o wus i th e
.

E k eri n and t wo of the B a l e s war chi ef s Oj o Or ona and Ok u n l a

’
-

which nearly involved the whol e cam p There appeared to be an .

old grudge between t hem and they clashed with each other when
choosing sit es for their t ents The B al e s principal war chiefs
.
’
-

the Otun and the Os i took no part in the fight but their m en did .

N either th e B alogun nor Og u n m e l a t h e Ot un could int erfere with ‘

out appearing t o take sides and then the strife wou l d be general .

Og u n m el a wh o was disting uished for his tact and dipl omacy

therefore sent to t h e B al og u n that he should give order s f or batt l e as
i f the I j egas were coming upon them This was done They m arched . .

out i n order of battle crossed the Yawo stream and O pened fir e

,
 SUB J U GATI ON OF T HE I J E§ A S A N D E KI TI S B Y T H E I B A D A N S 31 f

upo n an imagi nary foe They then sent a company of m en to the

.

camp t o raise an alarm The I j ega s in sight When therefore .

those ri val chi efs heard the sound of musketry they left o ff fighting
among t hemselves T h e matter was amicably adj ust ed on th e
.

next day .

The B al e at hom e was inform ed of everyt hi ng that transpired

by a S peci al m essenger Oni by nam e (afterwards J osiah Oni)
and h e sent t o pacify both parti es .

For a whole year Ilas e wi thstood the attac ks of th e I b a d a n s .

In order t o raise the siege the I j egas of Ibokun attacked the Ibadan
,

camp from the rear but the B al ogun had provi ded agai nst this
,

continge ncy Ali the powerful Balogun of Iwo was always left
.

i n the camp with a reserve forc e whenever they wer e engaged

i n battle The I b o ku ns wer e routed dr i ven bac k and pursued
.
, ,

right hom e and the t own was t aken The I b a d a n s were n o w ab l e

, .

t o concentrat e al l their forces on Ilas e Wh en I l as e coul d no .

longer hold out their I l eea a uxiliari es wit hdrew and the town was
,

taken Th e I b a d a n s now left the camp at Yawo and pitched i n a

.

plai n having the r ui ns o f Ilas e and Ibokun on one Si de and on the ,

other Es a E gure and Es a Ol u eep e Ol u ee p e and Mesi n Oloj a .

Oke surrendered through Oluokun of Ibadan a resi dent i n those ,

parts and peace was concluded with them From thence the y
, .

removed t o Ij ebu Er e .

A large number of the people o f Ilas e escaped t o Ij ebu Er e .

This was a l ar g e t own an d a large force from I l eea the capital was
,

sent t o defe n d it The Iba d an army was m et at a considerable

.

distance from the town T hree severe e ngagem en ts took place ; at

. .

the third th e I j eea s were defeat ed and 1 60 0 f them made prisoners .

Ij ebu Er e wa s n o w closely besi eged Being a large t own the .

,

Balogun d i vi ded the Ibadan arm y into three parts : he

encamped at I waye and placed t h e , at the Er in m e road and
the S eri ki wi th all the Badas at the E f on Aye road H e intent ion .

all y left the Ile ga road free as i f t o suggest a way of escape for them .

The I j eea s made a desperat e e ffort t o carry the Iwaye cam p b ut ,

fo und the B alogun t oo strong for them N ext they concentr a t ed .

their attack o n the camp at the E r in m o road ; thric e they attempt ed

t o carry i t by assault b ut they were repulsed , The B alogun .

there upon left a f ew of his war chiefs in the Iwaye road too k t h e
-

S er iki s p l ace in th e E f em Aye road and sent him t o reinforc e the

’

O t un where the fight was now stro n gest .

The I b a d a n s were then in the habit of using coloured or

vari egat ed u mbi el las in th e field as banner and the I j ega war chiefs s ,
-

having then n o umbre ll as raised their broad sun hats upon a pole
covering them with a red cloth t o serve the doubl e purpos e , .
31 2 TH E H I S O R T Y or TH E YO R U B A S
the chief of Ibokun was one of the bravest defenders of
,

t his place .

Finding that th e defenders contin u ed stubborn t h e I b a d an s ,

began t o kidnap on the only rout e left them vi z th e road t o I l eea , . .

The I j egas fearing that this also would be lost to them qui etly
deser ted Ij ebu Er eand escaped with the people of the town .

Aft er they had clean gone the information was conveyed to

the besi egers by a man l eft in shackles not a soul was found I n
the t own when they entered The p r in crp a l chiefs remained there
.
,

but th e j uniors went i n pursui t : they found many of the smaller

towns had li kewise been deserted .

At Er in m e a feeble resistance was m ade About 2 00 m en .

kept up fire from the forts this co n tinued for som e tim e but they ,

escaped leaving t wo crippl es wh o were good m arksm en t o kee p

,

up the show When the t own was at tacked on a l l sides and the
.

walls scaled then the I b a d a n s found t o their amazement that the

t o wn had been who l ly deserted and that the fire was kept up by,

only t wo cripples They were br u tal ly dragged down from t h e

.

fort and slain the gat es were then thrown O pen for their comr a des
t o rush in The I b a d a ns continued their purs ui t t o
.
E ri n
where they found a few aged m en and wom en the able bo d ied ,
-

having fled away next to E ri n t a d o g u n where a feeble resistance

-

was made unti l night fa ll when the m en had an opportunity of

-

making good their escape Leaving Erin t a d o g u n they cam e t o

.
-

a place where three roads m et one leading t o I p in d un another to

, ,

Akata and the third t o Ikeji Those who too k the way t o Akat a
, .

met all the wom en and chi l dren of the several towns and vil l ages
that were deserted and they were a ll taken capti ves B u t the
, .

section that t ook the way to I kej r (which was four days distant
from their base at Ij ebu Er e) met with a d isast er by an am busc a de
and were nearly annihilated but for the tim e l y aid of A li of Iwo and
J e fir iy in of Ibadan This disaster wa s subsequently avenged
.

by the Otun whom th e B al ogun sent t o their assistanc e when the

news reached him at the Ij ebu Er e headquart ers .

This expedition was term ed Ij ebu Er e because of the amount

of mud and slush al ong the way from Ij ebu t o I ke j i the terminus
of the pres ent e x pedition .

The I j ega s of I l e § a the capital here surrendered t o the I b a d a n s

bringing them presents of cowries beads etc and also hostages , , .
, .

Th e peo p l e o f put up a whit e fl a g at the approach of t h

pursuers and surrendered t o Qeu n d in a the Os i Igbara did the sa m e .

and surrendered t o Aj ayi J egede the S eri ki S om e of the minor .

chi efs wh o were n o t satisfied with what they got asked l eave t o '

make inc ursions i n other directions ; they were allowed t o do so .

31 4 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
attac k upon the ground that on previous expeditions they (the
Amazons) had always carri ed the positions when the male regi
m ents failed t o do so The arrangem ent was accordingly agreed
.

upo n .

B u t the Egba chiefs were rather indi f ferent t o the representations

of the missionari es urging them to a vigorous preparation except ,

S a g b ua the Alake and Og u n b en a the B alogun o f I ki j a who ,

repaired the walls of the town i n the direction of the main gat e t o
Aro the rest were left i n a dilapidat ed con d iti on .

When the Da h o m ia n s reached I ga g a a sma l l town about 1 7 ,

miles from Ab eo kuta the people t endered their submission t o

,

them and whilst conc l uding t erms of amity and fri endship wi th
them they despatched pri vat e m essengers to Ab eokuta t o apprise
,

the chi efs of the situation It wa s now t o o lat e for the Egbas
.

t o begi n to repai r their walls The whole to wn wa s seized wi th

.

pani c and consternation som e fleei n g t o Oeiel e som e t o Atadi

, , ,

others goi ng where they knew not The wom en everywhere .

raised the cry o f al arm E lel e m el e (every man to his m atchet) '
,

and hurri ed the m en t o the walls t o watch the approach of the

enem y F ort unately for Ab eokuta the I ea g a peop l e had induced
.

the Da h o m ia n s to alt er their plan of attack from a night t o a noon

day assault and from the north west where the wa l ls were i n a
,

dilapid ated condi tion t o the western gat e where repairs h a d

recently been execut ed and to t hi s circum sta nce alone Ab eokut a
owed her safety had they followed their original plan nothing ,

coul d have saved th e town E ven as i t was many eye witnesses

.
-

do aver that what contri but ed m ost to their safety was confidence
i n the presence of the missionari es in the town The God of the .

whit e man s ai d they is on our side From this they deri ved .

moral cou r age .

O n that m emorable Monday t h e Dah o m ian s were descried

advancing t owards the A r o gate Some of the Egba chiefs went out.

t o arrest their progress but they could n o t withstand the force of

,

those brave warriors They were sai d to be advancing in the order

.

of battle m arching s teadily and sol i dl y on ward ignoring the fire

, ,

of the E gbas and paying no attention t o those among themselves

wh o fell but kept m arching stolidl y onward T hey never fired but
,
.
,

at the word of command and when they di d their vo l leys were

, ,

demorali zing B y this we can see th at the Dah om ia n sol diers

.

were disciplined troops such as the Egbas had never faced before .

Those wh o went t o arrest t heir progress fled precipitate l y and

wo uld not even stay t o man the w al ls som e of them never hal ted
till they reached the A b et u stream withi n the t own Th e general .

idea that the Dah o m ian s cared more for skulls than for capti ves
 S U B J U GATI O N OF TH E I JE§ A S AND E xI T I s B Y T H E I B A D A N S 3 r5

and that th e dri n king cup each soldi er carri ed in his knap sac k -

was a human s kull added greatly to the dread entertained of them .

B u t Og u n b g n a the Ba l ogun of I kij a a n d Sok enu the S eri ki of

,

Ab eokuta displayed undaunted courage and bravery opposing , .

the enem y wi th a ll their might .

The courage and nobl e deeds of the Egba wom en on this occasion
were beyond a l l praise and demand our specia l notice B ut for
,
.

them som e of the m en who were cowardl y would have fled before
the enemy In the thic k of the fight with bullets flyi ng right and
.
,

left the Egba W om en coul d be seen in the ranks of the fighting

m en with water mashed eke (a cooling drink) refreshm ents and
, ,

encouragements so that they need not fal l to the rear for any
,

thing but continue the fight S om e of the missionaries were

.

also there encouraging them by their presence and doing what ,

they coul d f or the wo unded .

N otwi thstanding all this the trench around the town wall being
full of dead bodies the Da h o m ia n s were actually scaling the
,

w al l s S om e of them with one hand cut o ff would ho l d on wi th the

.

other or with the stum p with grim determination in their faces ;

they kept pressing on and a few did actually get into the town
,
.

U p t o this tim e the Egbas did not know that they were fighting
with wom en Fo l lowing the barbarous custom o f th e age i t wa s
.
,

customary to send as a trophy to the chi ef rul er of the town the ,

head and the pri vat e parts of the first enem y caught i n warfare
whe n those who act ually entered the town were caught and Sl ain ,

and the trophy was to be sent then the Egbas knew that thes e ,

t errible fight ers were the Am azons

Immedi at ely the news spread among all ranks that they have
been fighting with women and f o r very sham e all the Egba
,

m en were exasperated beyond m easure and rushed u pon them wi th

one accord and compelled them to retreat The Da h o m ia n s left .

thousands dead behi nd the walls of Ab eok uta .

The Egbas thought they only retreat ed to prepare for a m ore

vigorous attack the next day and they al so went to prepare for a
,

more determined resistance ; but the Da h o m ia n s were a l ready on

their hom eward m arch they were n o t accustom ed to lay siege
,

or repeat an assault i f an assau l t failed they retreated altogether

t o renew i t at another tim e They were det ermined t o punish
.

the I eaga people for their treacherous conduct towards them .

The Egbas fin d in g t h a t the attack was n o t renewed the nex t day

, ,

fo l lowed i n pursui t and m et them at I ga g a th e chiefs of which were ,

j ust then apo l ogizing and defending their conduct The battle .

fought here wa s said t o have been more fierce than that before
the walls of Ab eokuta The Egbas cont emned the i dea of being
.
31 6 TH E H ISTO R Y or THE Y O RU B AS
attacked by wom en hence the furious onslaught they m ade at
them .

T h e Da h o m ia n s l eft m ore dead behind them than the captives

'

they succeeded i n ta king away i ncluding the sku ll s of the un f or ,

t u n a t e victims caught i n the farms .

S oon after the i nvasion on the 1 6th o f May 1 8 5 1 the R ev D

, , ,
. .

H inderer a German missionary of the

, wh o wa s t hen
labouring at Ab eokuta and witnessed the attack obtained per ,

mission from Sok enu and the other chiefs t o carry the gospel to
Ibadan At this pe ri od none of the surroun ding tribes was at
.
,

peace with I badan The I j ebu s especial ly were kidnapping on the

.

roads and one had t o reach the t own by a circuitous rout e of four
,

i nstead of two days from Abeokuta Caravans t o I j aye and Ibadan .

were under escorts up t o a certai n poi nt and the R ev D H inderer , . .

was ob l iged t o risk the rest of the j ourney by himse l f when the
e scorts could proceed n o further for fear of Ij ebu kidnappers .

The R ev D H inderer was recei ved kind l y by the Ba l e and the

. .

other leading chi efs of I badan When he told them the obj ect .

of his visit the five l eading chiefs viz the B al e B a l ogun Otun
, , , , ,

Os i and an elder l y chi ef Lan gs e by nam e in whose house h e wa s

, ,

lodged he l d consultati on whether they shou l d recei ve the whit e

,

m an and th e m essage he brought or not Q eu n d in a t h e Os i a .

s taunch Moslem raised great obj ections evident l y on religious ,

grounds ; he stout l y O pposed his stay amongst them S ai d he .

A wg n Qb aiy e j e mi iwen yi (T hese are the worl d spoilers)

"
. ,

There is n o country they enter but misfortune will fo ll ow for

t hat pl ace Og u n m el a the Otun said : B ut white m en are at
.
“

Lagos B adagry and Ab eokuta ; why should we refuse him ? We

, ,

are not the first nor shal l we be the last t o recei ve them and what ,

ever be th e consequence t o others let the sam e be t o us a l so .

I b iku n l e the Balogun suggest ed that the national god Ifa should
be consul ted and i f I fa prognosticat ed evil l et the whit e man
,

b e ordered out of th e town at onc e ; but i f favourab l e let ,

him be received T hese five chiefs accordingly repaired t o the

.

Ogboni house at the I b a ee r u n market and consul ted the brazen

I fa which is the national g od The om en was favourabl e and Mr . .

H inderer was accorded a cordia l welcom e and we l l ent ertained .

A pl ac e o f residenc e was assigned to him the house of the l at e ,

Chief Ogidi and h e wa s p l aced under the S pecial care of chief

,

A b a y g m i the Ajiya B al e the head chief of that part of the t own

through whom h e could a l ways appro ach the chi efs in counci l
and h e in t urn entr usted him t o Ol u m il ey e his B a l ogun whose house
was not far from t h e mission premises .

Mr H inderer remained five months at I b ad a n o n this his first

.
'
 31 8 TH E H I ST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
A ra . Up
this point there was not the slightest intention of
to
destroying the town .

The Ibadan e xpedition left I gb a j g for the I la farms and every

thing having been eaten up far and near except the farms at K oro ,

the war chi efs after consultation sent special messengers t o the
Aj ero of Ij ero the paramount chief of K oro for permission to forage
in the K oro farms The Aj ero replied The K oros are wild boys
.

a yam m ay cost you a human h ead The I b a d a ns felt insulted .

at this rep l y and sent back to the Aj ero to say We only applied
out of courtesy and if our peaceful overtures are n o t complied
,

wi th two wi l d boys wi ll m eet i n the field within three days

‘
, ,

and therefore all Yoruba (Oy g ) residents at Ij ero S hould leave the
,

town at once .

The Aj ero cal l ed together the residents in his town and had
the message repeated in their ears then he said t o them You may ,

g o n ow but y o u need not g o far you can wait at A r a or E r iwo

, ,

until the K oros have driven away this Ibadan arm y then you can ,

com e back S o confident was he of the strength of the K oros

. .

The Oy e residents accordingly left the town .

The I b a d a n s n ow wended their wa y to K oro and the K oros

about strong cam e out t o meet them on their frontier at a
'

place cal l ed Ita Oniyan The I b a d a n s were marching according

.

t o their ranks the B a l ogun and A eip a being in the rear and the
, ,

j unior wa r chiefs in front but the K oros had lain in ambush

-

and the I b a d a n s walked into it sudden l y they fe ll upon the B al o

gun s and the A eip a s ranks but in both places they were utterly
'
’

defeated with great slaughter The I b a d a n s advanced t o the river .

Oyi the scene of the next fight

, the K oros m et them here and ,

again they were defeated The I b a d a n s advanced t o Yawo a .

place n o t far from the town and here the K oros made a stand ,
.

The Aj ero their paramount chief n o w got alarm ed and hastened

t o their assistance H e applied to the I l er in s before Otun for
.
,

help and the Il orins whose sole poli cy was to help one set o f Pagans
,

against another until they had weakened each and both fall a
prey t o them lost n o tim e in sending t wo wa r chiefs A d ed ej r
,
-

and M a g eb e n wi th horse and m en t o help the K oros The Aj ero .

sent al so t o all the towns in his territory including E f eu and “

A r a to com e to their h elp and save K oro the strongest town

in their district which n o w seemed doomed to destruction .

A r a alone refused t o com ply ; the Al ara sai d he had j ust been
I e instated by the I b a d a n s and he could not take up arms ag ai nst
-

’
them B ut the m en of Ara were a ngry with their king s decision
.
,

they were all for going to the he l p of their kinsm en against the
’9

Oy gs
H
 S U B J U GATI O N OF TH E I J E§ A S A N D E KI T I S BY TH E I B A DA NS 31 9

B ut there were t wo rebel chiefs of A r a wh o h a d b een expelled

the town and were l iving at Ohan ; they considered themselves
free t o j oin the coal ition and they defiantly cam e outside the w al ls
,

of A r a inviting their townsmen to com e al ong t o the ai d of their

kinsmen The Al ara unwi ll ing that A r a shoul d be represented in
.
,

the coal ition against his benefactors summoned his peopl e to com e
out and dri ve these rebel chiefs back but his summons was n o t
obeyed and he went out himself unaided to intercept the ui there
,

was a brief but sharp fight between them in which fel l a stout and
W ell to d o citizen wh o exposed himse l f between them trying to
- -

put an end to the fight thinking that his person would be respected
, .

S o the rebel chiefs went on t o the help of K oro .

A r a was n o t o ffi cially represented as the Al ar a refused to ,

g o and L ej o fi the most powerful m an in the town whom the

,

peopl e woul d rather fol l ow rem ained sulky and neutral .

B u t when these rebe l chi efs s a w that there was little hope
for K oro they sent a private message t o appr ise the A r a people
that they woul d leave K oro at such and such a day and that they
were to hold themselves in readiness that together they might fall
upon the A l ara and m urder hi m before K oro w as taken and his friends
the I b a d a n s were free to avenge him .

The Al ara having an intimation of this s ummoned the Oy e ,

residents at A r a inviting them t o be ready at once to leave the

,

town with him reminding them h ow on the former occasion

,

Chi ef Og u n m el a had reprimanded them for not leaving t h e to wn

when he did thereby cas ting their l ot as i t W ere with rebe l s
, .

T h e Al ara and these residents quitted the town fortunately

j ust a day before the rebel chi efs cam e wh o together with the ,

townsmen gave chase and pursued after the fugitives and overtook
,

them These had t o fight their wa y to Ef g n A h ay e they lost

.

nearly everything At a place called Oke Ogbe they m ade a stand

.

and o ffered a determined resistance to enable the women and

children to escape safely to Ab ay e This action sealed the fate .

of A r a as we shal l see .

In the m eantim e the I b a d a n s were drawing a cordon round

K 01 0 and the I l gr in contingent true to thei r characteristics were
,

prepared to escape and abandon their friends Ma g eb en one of .

their leaders conceived the bold i dea of m arching right through

the Ibadan lines trusti ng that he woul d escape undetected The
, .

I b a d a n s who never imagined any venture so foolhardy at first ,

mistook them for a company of their o wn m en as Ma g eb en stood ,

by the standard of chief S um ala the Otun B al e while his peopl e

were m arching past B ut as a chief on horseback rode past
. ,

a man eyed him closely and r e

, cogni zed in h im an Il erin man and
32 0 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
at once took his gun and shot him down dead o n the spot .

B eing n o w discovered they took to their hee l s and were

,

pursued and many were caught but a f ew swift footed escaped ,

-

Another company which took another route likewise was dis

covered and captured .

B u t Adedej i the other leader remained at K oro being afraid

t o run the risk : the I b a d a ns therefore o ffered him protection if
he wou l d commit himse l f unreserve dl y to their clemency he di d
s o (there being no alternative ) and was allowed t o com e to the
-

Ibadan camp H e remained there a f ew hours ; he and his m en

.

were well entertained and were sent away in peace E ven a

, .

hatchet one of them left behind at the Ibadan cam p in their haste
t o get away the chiefs sent to them in the cam p .

This noble deed of the I b a d a n s s o put the I l orin gener al to

sham e that he negotiated peace with the I b a d a n s and raised the
Siege of O tun .

The siege of Ot un being raised the Ibadan contingent there ,

together with B eu whom they went to defend were n ow able

to j oin the Ibadan army at Koro the bad boys were fina l ly
beaten and the town fell Ij ero the chief town of the district
.
,

and three other towns a l so which assisted them were taken ,

Ore surrendered and was placed under tribute but A r a held out
f o r t wo years being we l l defended by the powerful chief Lej o fi
, .

Finding further resistance useless A r a n ow s u rrendered and

brought presents t o the camp and an armisti ce was concl uded
, .

O n account o f their past conduct and the use l ess waste of l ife
,

occasioned the I b a d a n s whi l e accepting the presents imposed t wo

,

conditions upon them

I .That they shou l d recall their king from A h ay e .

2 .T hat all the A r a chiefs with Lej o fi at their head S hould com e
and meet him in the camp so that they might have the opportunity
of hearing both sides and adj ust m atters between them
, .

Th e A r a chiefs thought this was a stra tagem to get them a l l

into their power f o r capita l punishment T hey sent for the A lara .

into the camp but the chi efs dec l ined to venture themselves there :
they o ffered to pay whatever fines m igh t be imposed on them .

Then another proposal was m ade i f they wou l d n o t com e the n

,

l et them send them their fighting men and a guide t o Ig ed e in

the A d o territory . N either wou l d they compl y with this but
they begged t o be subj ected t o whatever fines the y pl eased and to
be p l aced under tribute and they wou l d serve them
, .

Th e armistice wa s n o w dec l ared a t an end and fighting res umed _ , ,

till the B al ogun at length forced his way into the town by an
assault and A r a wa s taken
,
.
32 2 T HE H ISTO R Y OF THE YO RU B AS
fortune) About the same time for an alleged o f fence he flogged on e
.

of his wives to death F or this he was brought under the power

.

of the ci vil authorities and was told to die It must be remembered

, .

that a pri vate indivi dual would be executed at once f or m urder ,

but a chief m ust commit suicide by an y method h e may prefer ,

f o r if executed publicly his house would be demolished and his

family ruined .

B ut A y grin d e begged hard for his life H e surrendered nearly .

all he had to no purp ose then Chi ef Og u n m el a his patron advised

him privately t o leave the town speedily and go into voluntary
exile t o those regions he lately cam e from for even he c ould n ot ,

save him from the penalties of the law .

A y er in d e left Ibadan secretly with only 1 2 followers out of al l

'

h e brought back with him ! When his escape became known

he was hotly pursued and narrowly escaped with his life H e .

went back to E eu wi th a tale of woe and located him in a place

.

called h i m and there he rem ained and organized a band of

,

m arauders and ravaged all those regions till he encamped against

a place of som e importance named n agi H e was her e f or fully .

t el years with vari ed fortune A d o y a n Oko r igi a great and.

power ful warrior came t o the help of and A y erin d e wa s j ust

'

on the point of being defeated when by a skilful move he took

Oko r igi in the rear and inflicted on him a crushing defeat and slew
him .

N ext the Ogb agis obtained help from R abbah and Il e rin S inabu .

Kin g Masaba s son and H in a kon u the F ulani B al ogun of Il erin

’

cam e against him thrice was A y er in d e routed and m an y of his ,

fighting men speared but h e rallied again and m aintained his

,

ground . was at length taken A y gr in d e became lord of .

the A ko kos and Ido Ani H e open ed a caravan wa y to Owe .

'

thr o ugh which he obtai n ed ammunition from B enin H e was .

kind t o all Oy e s wh o flocked to his standa rd every o n e could

,

enj oy himself to any extent he liked but he absolutely f orbade

the introduction of intoxicating li quor into that country They .

might buy whatever they liked with their Slaves and booty H e .

himself undertook to s upply all amm unition required for their .

raids B u t n o on e must think of deserting him in order to ensure

.

this he posted men in all the exits o f h is terr itory : any Oy o

,
‘

caught escaping lost all he had and ret urned hom e as he cam e
but any E kit is or Ilas similarly caught w ere sei ze d with thei r S laves
and sold to Owe .

At last after many years as old age approached A y erin d e longed ,

for home B u t he knew that he woul d not be allowed by the

. .

people of Irun wh o befriended hi m all these years to depar t

, ,
 S U B J U GATI O N OF THE I J E SA S A N D E KI T I S B Y TH E I B A D A N S 32 3

with all his effects t o Ibadan s o he manufactured a quarrel with ,

them and captured Irun the headquarters of a l l his expeditions

,

and destroyed the place In S pite o f al l this preca ution not one .

tenth of his slaves returned with him t o Ibad an .

A y er in d e returned t o Ibadan in 1 8 7 2 after a ve ry long absence .

N earl y all the chiefs he left and the whole of his compeers had
died out H e met at the head o f the government subordin ate
.

chiefs wh o had risen into power during his absence and to his
, ,

m o r t ifica t io n he had to submi t t o them H e was however .

, ,

honoured with the title of Os i but he did not h old it lo n g ; he died ,

in the fo l lowing year .

A bay g m z — A b a y g m i the A j i y a Bal e wi th Ol um il ey e h is B al o gu n

’

g o t up an expedition to reli eve I s e a tributary town of his in the

E kiti country H e met A y er in d e at the siege of

. but he
passed o ff and encamped ag ai nst Agb ad o T h e town was soon .

taken and he had an immense number of captives and boo ty .

From hence he was proceeding t o the relief of B ut the cap

t ur ed town Agb é d o being in the terri tory of Ad o t h e B alogun ,

of the king of Ad o wa s s en t t o in t er cep t him ; an ambush wa s laid

for him and he was hemmed in on every side H e had to fight his
,
.

way to and lost all he had taken and what was more h e left ,

behind h im some of his best fighting men including two of hi s power

ful s l aves and Olu m il e y e h is B al o g u n H e arrived at 1 5 8; with the .

wreck of his army and returned t o Ibadan in a worse conditi o n

than he left This was in the year 1 8 5 7 I t wi l l be remembered
. .

that Ol u m il ey e was the chief wh o had direct supervision of the

missionari es at Ibadan R eaders o f S eventeen years in the
.

Yoruba country (Life of Anna Hinderer) will find frequent

mention of the name of this chief and h o w kind and friendl y he
wa s t o the missionari es H e gave Mr and Mrs H in derer t wo of his
. . .

children a b o y and a girl t o tr ain in which he showed himself ,

’

m ore enlightened than the s rip erior chiefs The boy was trained
'

first by these good missionaries themselves : subsequently at th e

C M S Tr ai n ing Institution at Ab eokuta then he was employed
. . .
,

as a schoolmaster Mr H inderer himself continuing his education

, . .

Later he was employed as a catechist in 1 8 8 5 and final ly as a n ,

ordained missionary of the C M S at Ogbom oso I n 1 8 92 where he . . .

,

is still labouring .

Aj g g
b a nd t h e B a d a s — While the sieges of Ogb a gi and of
Agbado were going on al l the B adas of Ibadan headed by Aj eb o
,
‘
the senior B ada got up an expe di tion against P a krrn d e All the .

E f gn I j ega and Akoko terri tories had now become a field for
, ,

s l ave hunting for any number of men wh o could band themselves

together for an ex pe dition .
 32 4 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
The B adas at first meant t o take the place by stratagem ,

encamping outside the wa ll s professing friendship and asking ,

for a guide to n agi to meet E eu B ut the men of P a kun d e .

were t o o wideawa ke and so when strategy f ai led hard fightin g

, ,

was resorted t o .

B u t it was reported at Ibadan that thes e B adas meant t o

establish themse l ves there after the capt u re of P a k fin d e and not
t o return hom e T his wou l d eventuall y m ean the loss of a l l the
.

tributary towns t o Ibadan consequent l y Chief Og un m g l a of

Ibadan sent t o all the surrounding kings and chiefs subj ect t o
I b adan n o t t o let P a k un d e be taken T h e town was al m ost on .

the eve o f falling when tidings reached the camp that all the
m en sent to procure provisions at Ik el e Ado Oy e Od o I j ega , , , ,

I koyi had been seized and either Sl ain or so l d into slavery ! This
wa s a blow to the B adas In whatever direction they sent to
.

procure food they coul d not get any and n o farms were n ea r t h em
,

f or foraging B eing in a strai t the camp wa s broken up in the nigh t

.
,

and they made f o r hom e T heir guide took them by a way .

between I kol e on the l eft and Om wo in the right ; the I kel es

wayl aid them and they had t o fight their way through At .

O m I I Ij el u whi l st they were satisfying the cravings of hunger

‘

i n the farms the men o f the town fel l upon them and ki l led
,

many with poisoned arrows At Aiyede a town built by E su .

,
.

they were not al l owed t o forage in the farms S o by forced .

marches and in a starved condition the wreck of A j eb e s army

,
’

arrived at Ibadan .

S O CIAL R E F O R MS
§ 6 . .

Th e P r es en t C o n d it io n of S l a ves — Ibadan had by this time been

great l y augmented not only by immigrants from the provinces
,

and elsewhere wh o repaired there as affor di ng a sa f er pl ace of

abode but also by the thousands of slaves brought in annually
,
.

I t had n ow become necessary to crysta l lize into l aw a custom that

had graduall y grown amongst the chiefs and people general l y ,

wh o had thousands of them in hand .

E xcept under especia ll y pressing circumstances the chiefs do

not now se l l their s l aves or rather capt ives of wa r excepting the
o l d and infirm and that chiefly to procu re arms and amm unition .

The ab l e bodied men are kept and trained as soldiers and i t h as

-

become the l aw and custom that so l dier slaves are never to be sold -

under any circumstances ; they are to remain permanently as

members o f the house The fair young women are added to the
.

harems by the great and young men save themselves the expen ses
of a dowry by m aki ng wives of any that com e into their hands .
32 6 THE H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
and then they m ay return t o the m aster s house and serve under ’

him in war as f r eeb o r n s ol d iers and in that c ase give t o their

'

master as any other freeborn does one or t wo captives as t h e case

may be and appropriate the rest T hey are protected by the law .

as any freeborn citizen .

O thers wh o consider themselves free and safe under the pro

t ec t ion of a great name as slaves of a powerful chief will squander
,

whatever they may have in hope of replenishing the i r stock at the

next opportuni ty .

F reeborn sol diers who ar e independent give t o their captain a

p r oportion of 1 or 2 o u t of 5 and appropri ate the rest b ut if he
is an i dle fellow and dependent o n his captain for everything ,

in cluding his war accoutrements and his debts he has to give up ,

more than a half or nearly al l of what he captured .

H ig h ly P la ced S erva n ts — A t this period the chiefs were in the

habi t of installing favouri te slaves into a position of trust and
responsibili ty especially i f they were brave and energetic and
proved themselves worthy of trust T hese keep horses of their own .
,

farms and farm houses have harems a d rummer and fif er etc

-

, , , .

Young slaves and recruits are placed under them to be trained

f o r war. At the return of every expe d ition a fourth or a fifth
of the captives taken are given t o the master ; they appropri ate the
rest T hey are generall y more richly dress ed and m ake more
.

Show than their l ord Whatever the misfortunes of the house

.

these of course are never sold : they remain the guardi ans of the
’
house and o f their master s sons Their children m ay b e considered
.

as hom e born slaves but practically a r e in d istingui shab l e from

,

freeborn chi l dren .

”
These servants are slaves only i n name .

for want of a better term These customs originating at Ibadan

.

h a ve been followed by all the Oy e states throughout T h e .

m ore of these high l y placed servants a chief has the greater he ,

is held t o be .

T h e L a w of I n h er it a n ce — H itherto —when a m an dies al l his

e ff ects are inherited by h is brother or brothers in succession until
the t urn of the eldest s on comes then he gets what ever may
remain of what was once his father s but in most cases he gets , ,

nothing at all I t has happened within the experience of the c h iefs

.

that whi l st o n e is toiling and saving som e brothers are idle and ,

dissolute an d yet at his death the id l e and dissolute will step

, ,

in and squander al l he has saved leaving his children to W elter ,

i n poverty and want , .

At a deliberative counci l he l d in the year 1 8 5 8 i t was propo s ed

t o alt er this custom . For whom is a man toi ling and saving ?
The answer com es nat ural l y F or his c h il d ren Why then .
 S U B J U GATI ON OF TH E I J E§ A S A N D E K I TI S B Y T H E I B A DA N S 32 7
’
should a brother displace one s children in the succession ? If
the children are minors the unc l e may act f o r them unti l they
are of age otherwise the eldest surviving issue of the founder
,

o f a house m ust succeed as the head o f the house in rotation until

i t com es t o the turn of the chi l dren o f the next generation T his .

is not l i ke the E nglish l aw o f primogeniture in which only the

eldest sons succeed but it is the e l dest surviving issue of the
,

founder of a house that succeeds unti l the turn of the eldest ,

son of the first successor comes round .

B u t the members of the fami l y are n o t total l y overlooked At .

the time of the succession the personal e f fects are distributed

amongst the nearest relatives every one havi ng a share of the ,

clothes s l aves m oney etc but the house ina lienab l e s l aves
, , , .
, , ,

princi pal farms in a word the real property and all that goes to
, , ,

m a ke the house what i t is are never to be alienated ,

These are .

assigned to the eldest survi ving son and successor .

’
E very house is under the protection of a chief a c h ief s house ,

is under the protection of the paramount chief or the town council

and these will see about the install ation of the successor In a .

great house the highly placed servants wi ll be in charge t o train

,

and direct their young master in the ways of his father .

These resolutions were communicated to the A L AF I N of OY O

for his approval and he n o t only approved but adopted the sam e
,

for a l l states and m oreover he adopted the same for the Crown
,

also H e rul ed thereu pon that the custom that has arisen during
.

t h e d eg en er a t e times of O l d O Y O that the A r em e ( Crown Prince )

‘

die with his father should cease and the ear l ier custom reverted
to H e wished his e l dest son A B E L U to succeed him and after him
.
,

the eldest sur viving issue of the house as seems fit to the King Makers .

In the year 1 8 5 8 Ibadan was s o t h ickl y popul ated that it was

found necessary t o extend the town wa l ls The n ew wa l l wa s .

’
known as Od i I b iku n l e (I b ikun l e s town wall ) after the B alogun ,

as i t wa s he wh o suggested p l anned and superintended the carry

,

ing out o f the work This is the present town wal l

. .

Og u n m el a also suggested that Iba d an should have what is

known as I g b o I l e i e hom e forest the thic k bush surrounding
, . .
,

every town in the Yoruba country which may be exposed t o ,

r ai ds and sieges B u t the I b a d a n s did not care for any such

.

thing and i t could not be carried into e ff ect for they had n o one t o ,

fear The annual bush fires were allowed t o n ullify Ogun m el a s

’
.

suggestion .
 CH APTE R X V II I

A GLO R I O U S E ND A N D T H E G O R Y D AW N OF T WO
R E IG N S —
THE I JAY E WA R .

§ 1 . D E AT H OF KI N G A TI B A .

A TI B A the A L AF I N of li ved to a good ol d age Of few K ings .

d o we know s o m uch as we d o of him he was a link with the past ,

and l ived within th e days of authentic history H e wa s the father .

of several princes and princesses whose names are the following

P r in ces . P r in ce s s es .

Adel n (The Crown Prince) B oj e A d ewen i

A d el a b u Adel ey e A t o wu r o Ogboj a I I I .

A d eeiy en A d eeet a n II . A d ed ej a Ade Oy e

Adey emi A d ed o t u n Dur o kil u A d eyim ka
Adediran A f g nj a Ogboj a I . Ogboj a I V .

A d ej um g A g b en r in .
Ogboj a II ~
. S iy e
Q l awey in T el a Okiti papa Akere I . Ogboj a V .

T ela Agboj u Og g Akere I I

‘’
. P op o e l a
l ogun é L ap em e
’
A d ed u n t an
E{ V
,

Al a M em ed u Adewale
,
Ogboj a I .

A d ewus i A d eeo k an Akere I I I . A d et ela

A d eeet an I . A d ej ej e

Of these the r s t and the 4 t h succeeded to the throne .

A few remarks on some of the princes

A d eln wa s m uch o l der than his brothers or sisters for he was ,

born when his father wa s q uite a young man l ong before he entered ,

into his career of a wa r like prince H e was m uch be l oved by

-
.

his father because he wa s a very dutifu l son and shared with him
m ost of the dangers and pri vations of war in those turbu l ent days
of his ear l y career By virtue of his birthright he became the
.

AR E M O when his father ascended the throne .

’
Ogg was the A r em e Oy e i e the first born after the father s .

accession .

A d ewu s i was Ade l n s brother of the same mother and was

'
, ,

of a contrary disposition H e was wild undutiful and cruel .

,
.

H e once quarre l led with his father and wi th a cut l ass cut O ff ,

a l l the m attings that enclosed the A g a n j u (throne room) H e .

quarrelled with his half brother Ala by seizing from him a plot
of l and the latter had obtained for farming containing many ,

32 8
3 30 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS

(frontage the palace ) t o the A kes an market f or the vis itors

of .

Th e nob l emen als o lived in tents in front of their houses until , ,

the ceremoni es w ere o ver .

'

Th e ceremoni es partook of the character partly of the coronation

.

and partly of the funeral rites the principal part of it being done ,

privately at dead of night

, .

O n the eve o f the B eb e the K ing paid a visit t o the B ar a t o

'

perform certain ceremonies there as a thank o f fering sacrifice -

t o his fathers We have m entioned in Part I that only on the

. .

coronation do the K ings ever enter there and never afterwards ,

til l th ey are taken there for interment This festival forms an .

exception .

Tents made of beautif ully woven cloths were set up and enclosed
with mattings at the Abata the A k es an the Apini and near the , , ,

B ara f o r the K ing as on the coronation Attended by all the .

noblem en he issued from the p al ace and entered each of these

tents in succession the noblemen w ai ting outside and only one
,

woman (probably a priestess) accompanied him into the tent .

H e remained half an hour or an ho ur in each performing certain .

ceremonies and sent presents of kola nuts t o those waiting outsi de

,

an d so on till he reached the B ara On his ret urn that very evening .
,

the general festivities began A l l the E g fig u n s observed a vi g il .

,

the voice of the Ag an b eing heard all night The next day an .

E g fig u n confinement was proclaimed in which a l l women and

chi l dren m ust remain indoors The E gfi g un s our readers will .

remember are the deni zens of the other world and are supposed ,

to be o u r dead relati ves on a visit t o us .

For a limited space of tim e during the day licence wa s granted ,

’
t o all the E g fi g un s attendants to seize goats sheep or fowl fo und ,

in the streets : none wa s to exceed that fixed time whoever did ,

wa s arrested and made to pay a fine of 2 5 heads of cowri es (equi v .

t o £ 1 5 5 then ) for each animal

. In the afternoon of this day the .

K ing came outside the palace attended again by a woman the l arge ,

gate being shut ; the whole area between the palace and the A kes a n
was full of E gfig u n s H e sat on a hide and reclined on a bolster
.
, ,

the wi fe sitting b y hi s side wa s by special permission ini tiated into

the E g fig un myste ri es Then appeared the supposed spiri t of hi s
.

father dressed in the s kin o f the red mo nkey the K ing prostrated
before his father and the m onkey rubbed hi m all over with its
tail and blessed h im .

It was supposed that Er u—ifa one of his slaves wa s under the mask
on this occasion The K ing s funeral expen ses on this occasion
.
’ “

c a n only b e imagined .

N ot long after this celebration the K ing s health which had ,

’
 A GLO R I O U S E N D A ND TH E G O R Y D AW N OF T WO R E IG N S 33 1

n ot been very good lately markedly declined H e was soon , .

reported i l l Whether anything de l eterious to health was applied

.

on him with the tail of the red monkey or not we cannot te l l , ,

b ut H is Maj esty succumbed under the ailment and was gathered

unto his fathers and the B ara wa s soon again the S cene of a great
,

ce remony sombre and sad .

B efore the K ing s death anticipating trouble for his e l dest

’

s o n A d el u from sticklers after precedents he reminded the I b a d a n s

, ,

of the n ew l a w of succession he had sanctioned and begged them

t o stand b y the Crown Prince and support his claim for he did not
wish him t o die with his father And this they promised on oath . .

Thus passed away A TI B A the first A L AF I N of the present O Y O

and A D E L U his son was proclaimed K ing in h is stead .

2 C I R C U MSTA N C E S T H AT L E D To T H E I J A Y E WA R
. .

A B E L U the son and successor of A TI B A w as acknowledged

K ing b y all except K ur fim i the A r e o f I j aye
, .

Towards the latter end of A t ib a s reign there was some dis ’

aff ection between him and the A r e this breach with the Crown
widened by t h e succession of A D E L U whom the A r e refused t o
ac knowledge as a lawful successor to his father I t is contrary .

to c ustom sai d he and the A r em e should di e with his father

,
.

H e never repaired t o OY O t o d o homage according t o custom nor ,

even sent a congrat u latory message H e was for seeking for another .

prince of the older line of the royal fami l y at Igboho or K ib isi

,

to succeed A TI B A b ut A D E L U having b een duly elected and accepted

,

b y the denizens of the palace and ob taining the support of the

Ibadan chiefs ascended the throne in due form and the pretext
, ,

f o r an open rupture whi ch the Are had long been seeking was
hereby a f ford ed The common people also catching the spiri t of
.

the ti mes sang in their dances :

A TI B A ma ti il e ,
A TI B A don t go yet awhile
’

D uro de A DE L U O Wai t for your A D E L U pray

The A L AF I N wa s concili atory towards the A r e wh o was the ,

comrade of his father in their o l d warl ike days but the A r e rem ai ned ,

irreconcilable E very m eans of averting war was resorted to

. ,

but the A r e remained obdurate and insolent Matters cam e to a .

crisis when a rich lady Ab u by name di ed intestate at I j an n a ; ,

she left n o heirs and as such the property reverted to the Crown
,
.

B ut I j ann a being directly under I j a y e owing t o the breach b etween ,

the K ing and K ur fi m i the townfolk were di vi ded in their Opi ni ons
,

as t o t h e disposa l of the property T hey feared the power of I j a y e

.

on the one hand and yet loyalty to the Crown dictated a contrary
33 2 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
‘

action so one party sent to t o r eq u es t t h a t the K ing should

send to take over the property the other party sent a Similar ,

m essage to I j aye The K ing anticipati ng danger to those whom he

.

sent for the treas ure ordered a we ll eq uipped force under A kin gb e
hin Al ey e the Qn a aka and the A r em e s B alogun t o escort them
’
-
.
,

B ut K u r fim i sent a body o f troops to waylay them and the ,

escorts with the messengers bringing the treasures were attacked

by the Ij aye troops at Apata M ab a near Oke h o and were dispersed ’

so me escaping to Oke h o others t o Is eyi n Within four days they

’
.

collected themselves together at Is eyi n and met there with the

traders wh o could not ret urn home for fear of the I j a y e kidnappers
but who n ow availed themselves of the protection of the escorts
t o return home .

The I j a ye troops under the command of A m ed u intercepted

them again between Is eyi n and T h e I j a y es encamped on
a rock named afterwards Apata Jabata because there the Jabata
of fe ll .When they m et the Q Y Q escorts asked And ,

wh o are ye ? They replied We are from OY O sent by the

,
”
A L AF I N t o escort you home allowing them to com e very near ;
,

when suddenly the I j a y e troops opened fire upon them and so

dispersed the troops with the traders and all About 2 4 0 of .

them were taken capti ve exclusive of some minor chiefs e g , . .

A r id ed e A l ey e J igi n etc
, , The head priest of S ango lost 1 0 of
, .

his daughters caught in this raid .

The A L AF I N sent ag ai n and agai n requesting the A r e to release

them but he obstinately refused to d o so saying unless they were ,
:

redeemed f or 1 0 bags of cowries each !The price of slaves at .

that period being about ha l f that amoun t ]

The A L AF I N sent back t o say I have a claim on you to demand
the release of these people for besides being the King of YO RU B A
,

t o whom a l legi ance is due remember what I di d for y o u in the

,

past When y o u sent one Da yir o on an expedition and the peop l e

.

of S aki defeated him an d made about 2 1 0 of his m en prisoners ,

did I n o t use my authority and influence and obtai n the release

o f them all and send them to you free of charge Why should you
n o w detain my o wn people ?

!The a b o ve in cid en t relates to one of the acts of the King to

conci l iate the Ar e s refractoriness] S till the A r e refused point
’
.

blank to re l ease them And further in order to avert wa r with

.
,

I j a y e H is Maj esty sent the S am u (on e o f the

, M E SI ) via I j a y e
t o Ibadan to ask the Ibadan Chiefs t o second his remonstrance and
prevail on the A r e to rel ease his peopl e The A r e wa s inexorable . ,

and even chased the S amu on his wa y to Ibadan ; t h e S am u

escaped the pursuers and returned hom e vi a I wo The A L AF I N .
33 4 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Ag ai nst the A L AF I N they sang :
’
L a iy e li a r o ekan l e ekan
'
L a iy e K u r fim i li a ro gba ro gba
’ ’

’
L ai y e Adel n n i ipele di it el e i di .

(In Qn al u s tim e we used changes of dress

’
.

In K u r fim r s tim e we used cloths of the finest weaving

’
In Ad clu s tim e our best becom es our every day s )
’
.

Th i s last description of A d el u s tim e is a well understood iron y

’
-
.

I t is a common saying in this country Ib er e ot 0 § i bi 9m g

'

g l gr e la iri (When poverty begins one appears like a rich m an s ,

s on ) which m eans that when one cannot a f ford to r eplace the

everyday dress one resorts t o his best for every day use
,

and thus appears li ke a rich man ; but the real condition soon
becomes apparent when this cannot be replaced This condi tion .

is what they wo ul d n ow apply to Adel n s regim e

’
.

The tocsin of wa r was n ow resounding from one end of the

country t o another K ur umi disallowed the exportation
‘

of foodstu f fs to Ibadan The I b a d an s sought the alliance

.

or at least the neutrality of Ab eokuta and I l g r in and pressed

into service the Oy e towns under her protection K ur ii m i .

sent one Oj e t o conclude an alliance wi th the E gbas and to

procure ammunition but Og un m el a of Ibadan wh o was
, ,

entrusted with the negotiations with Ab eokuta forestall ed

him and they took an oath of friendship an d neutrali ty wi th
,

Ibadan .

The populace of Ibadan were now singing in their dances

Ak ep e I j ay e ki 0 m a kg ti I k a m e ,
”
Onigbo da g b o m ej i
’
.

(Palm cutters of I j a y e do not venture t o I ka ,

The lord of the forests divides i t in two ) .

B y a transposition of nam es the I j a y es were singing the s a m e

ditty I ka being j ust midway between the t wo towns Inter
, .

communication now ceased On a ll hands were heard Onile ki o .

‘
gbe ile k0 kan O d i yi y an (Let every man keep to hi s own house
.
,

that need not imply animosity ) The ki dn appers soon began to .

infest the farms ; thus the I b a d a n s kidnapped t wo Americ a n

missionaries who hear ing of the rumours of war and incursions
of the ki dnappers went in search of Mr J C V aughan at his . . .

farm at I d o Mr V aughan had escaped back to I j ay e by another

. .

route and the missionari es were caught and brought to Ibadan

,

1
K ur umi 5 other nam e .
 A GLO R I O U S E ND A ND TH E G O R Y D AW N OF T WO R E IG N S 335

on the of F ebruary 1 860 These war boys not kno wing what
2 0t h .
,

t o d o with whi te men brought them wi th their horses mounted

,
‘

as they were to the R ev , Hinderer saying Whi t e man we

.
, ,

have brought you your brothers Mr H inderer thanked them and

”
, .

gave them som e cowries to procure refreshments The gentlemen .

were sent on t o Ab eokut a the next day communi cation with ,

that town being then sti ll free and uninterrupted .

All hopes o f a paci fic settlement were now given up f or pri vate ,

messages advices and remonstrances were without number to

, ,

the A r e but for a ll this K ur fim i remained unyi elding to the K ing

.

and defiant t o Ibadan War was now formall y declared Wh en at

. .

the next meeting of the town council the B a l ogun arose i n h is ,

place and harangued the assembly endin g with E yin em e Jam a ,

Mo fi I j a y e 1 m 0 (Young m en I j a y e is now gi ven up t o you) ,

a loud and prolonged huzza of M U S O MU SO greeted his , ,

astonished ears H e was painfully impres sed with th e knowledge

.

o f how popu l ar the war was was worshipped and the

.

standard of war was borne out once more by the valiant an d

ex perienced commander in chief I bikun l e on the r ot h of April
- -

1 8 60. It was known t o all that B al ogun I biku n le went forth to thi s
war with great r eluctance H e had seen many battles and known
.

’
well the horrors of a siege and of all sieges one against one s own
,

blood relations was particul arly horri d and heartrending to him .

Inter marriages and national festi vals which they had in common
-

had made them one ; they were sharers together in times p as t

o f we al and wo e supply of foodstu f fs for overgrown Ibadan cam e
largely from I j a y e wher e the soil wa s fertile and the people
industri ous These considerations therefore m ade the bravest
.

S hrink from a war that might possibly be averted .

When starting for the expe di tion as soon as his foot was on the ,

stirrup hi s A kewi (bard) gave utterance t o the following pathetic

,

str ai ns
B aba mi fir e igbo ed aj u o o o
N ibi ti 91 9m g m ej i yio ku ekan ,

N ibi ti el em e kan yio p oh or a ,

I ya mi n i h m a wa —ki o pada l ebi n B aba mi ’

B aba mi mi fim a wa —ki o pada l eb in B aba mi ’

,

K in iu n Oni budo .

Iyawo mi t o igbe — ki o pada l ehin B aba m 1 1 I , , ,

K irin iu n Onibudo .

( My m aster is going to the fie l d of the heartles s ah ah ah

Where the parent of t wo will be left with but one .

Where the parent of one will be left all forlorn .

336 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
Le t him whos e m other forbids h im to come return from follow
ing my Lord ,

Let him whose fat her forbids him to com e return from follow
ing my Lord .

The Lion o f the Master of camps ,

Let him whose betrothed is of age t o be wed ret urn from

fo l lo wing m y Lord .

The Lion of the Master of camps ) .

As the expedition started the dr ummer struck up the war march

K ir in iu n Onibud o .

!To ki surnamed Onibudo master of camps it will b e remem

‘

, , ,

bered wa s a formidable war— chief the S eri ki of the Ibadan army

,

and the uncle of this chi ef H e succeeded h is u ncle as S e ri ki

.
.

from wh ich post he rose to be B alogun H e is e ul ogized as the .

lion that rendered chief Toki to be s o formidabl e ]

Ogunm ola wh o had gone to intercept Oj edid not return hom e
'

but aw ai ted the Balogun at Ori ta E l epo a sm all resting pl ace

about four miles from Ibadan town at the j uncti on of the ,

t wo roads lea d ing from the O N ; gate an d Inalende gate of

'

Ibadan .

§ 3 WH E N G R E E K M E E TS GR E E K
.

The I j a y es were not idle either and did not w ai t at hom e ,

with folded arms f o r the I b a d an s t o come The first battle .

took place at Apata Ika— the I ka rock j ust midway between the
t wo towns — and the A r e soon found t o o late an d to his cost the , ,

truth o f the message sent him that he S hould yield and accept a
compromise and n ot haughti l y compare the I b a d a ns of the pres ent
day to those of yore B u t he Was trul y a b orn warrior and never
.

lost courage not withstan d ing that he had n ow to contend wi th a

,

younger generation of I b a d a n s wh o were q uit e in ur ed t o the hard

ships o f the field and whose trade was wa r .

B ut the A r e s eyes were n ow open when too late to yet another

'
.

fo l ly of his In order that he might secure for himse l f a safe and

.

despotic position he had kil l ed so many brave men of I j a ye and

,

had forbidden any chief to accum ul ate ammunitions of wa r that ,

only three hard battles were fought before he found his magazines
exhausted T h e I j a y es n ow res orted t o bows and arrows and
.

consequently they lost ground rapidly B ut for this probably .

i
the war wo ul d h a ve en d ed in a draw as before
'
.

The Egbas were n o w reso l ved to take part in t his war The .

m aj ority were for assisting I j a y e S ok enu al one wa s against .

their ta king this course after the oath of al liance and frien d shi p
33 8 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B A S
Jagun t o conclude a treaty of friendship with the I j eb us before
their attitude was known B u t the I j eb us sent a body of troops
.

which attacked them at Od o Qn a even before they had l eft the

Ibadan farms on their way to Ij ebu
,
With shie l d and spear
Me l e brave l y defended himself and retreated with his party hom e
with only slight wounds .

The E mir of I l g rin also embraced t his opportuni ty for dec l aring
war ag ai nst Ibadan The K a fir is .
(in fid el s
) said he are at ,

war wi th one another and we Sho uld combine against this Ibadan
,

which has often baulked us of our prey we may yet carry the
K oran t o the sea H e s ent som e horsemen to I j a ye who when
.
,

they observed the starvation and distress that ensued could not ,

remain long however they kept ki dnapping i n the

, farms .

The Qwa of I l eea not only revolted ag ai nst Ibadan but also '

t ook advantage o f the coal ition to take revenge upon E fon Ab aye
and other towns which were al l ies of the I b a d a n s during the late
Ij ebu Er e and A r a wars .

T hus practica ll y a l l the principal states in Yorubal and were

combined to crush the I b a d ans who had ri d t he country of the
great bug bear of the F ulani subj ugation but in turn becam e so
-

restless as t o be a source of anxiety t o t h em all .

B ut a section of the I j eb us vi z Ij eb u R em e wi t h K eh er e the

.

B al ogun o f Ipara at their head was friendly to the I b a d an s They .

he l d that they were a comm ercia l people an d Ibadan not on l y ,

their best but also their only customer and one tim e their d eli verer
, ,

in the tim e of Lakanl e and they could not see their way to j oin
'
in a war that di d n o t concern them The periodic 9 days m arket .
,

therefore was continued between them and as we shall see here

, ,

after the I b a d an s had t o fight their way there and back escorting ,

c aravans .

Meanwhile the struggle between the combatants was proceeding .

The third and last batt l e fought before the arrival of the Egbas
had exhausted the Ar e s store of ammunition ’
The battle was .

fought in his own farm and was one o f the bloodiest ever fought
in this campaign N othing but the intrepid personal bravery of
.

the A r e saved h im from being taken alive that day had he given
ground an inch he wou l d have irretrievably lost the day .

There were on l y t wo fierce batt l es fought afterwards that may be

compared to this l ast on the l ast occasion the A r e at the head
‘

of his choicest troops charged the Ibadan centre with intrepidity

and desperation with a determination to break through but the
, ,

I b a d a n s remained firm and impregnab l e The circumstances will .

be related be l ow .

The Egbas arrived at I j a y e in the nick of tim e to replenish

 A GL O R I O U S E N D A ND TH E G O R Y D AW N OF T WO R E IG N S 33 9

the exhausted stores of the I j a y es The A r e who from experience

.

kn ew the strength of the I b a d a n s forewarned them t o be very

,

cautious and n o t to encamp outside the wal l s of I j a y e The Egbas .

fresh from hom e and buoyant in spirits S purned the idea of

sheltering themselves within the wall s of the town however ,

they encam p ed without but c l ose by the wall s of I j a y e .

The camp of the I b a d an s was at t h is time at Ol ori sa Oko ,

about 3 hours walk from I j ay e The B alogun of Ibadan could

’
.

not at first be m ade t o beli eve that the Egbas cam e as allies t o the
I j a y es after the oaths they had taken with Ibadan To t hose wh o .

brought the report he sai d Yes they m ay have com e but it m ust
,

be t o negotiate peace between us O ver and over again he was

.

"
assured that they have com e wi th a mighty army Yes he .
,

repli ed ,
it must be to put an end to the war B ut at last the .
,

B alogun was taken quite abac k when a band of s kirmishers ret urned
and reported that they were dri ven back by the Egbas who cam e
i n overwhelming n umbers against them The I b a d an s were .

”
alarmed and dismayed at the report In K ur umi s ai d they.
, ,

We have an equal m atch already and how to face the combined

,

force with the overwhelming host of the Egbas ?

B ut the principal chiefs encouraged one another and were
determined t o die rather than yield D eath s ai d they was
”
.
,

preferable to the sham e of a defeat or the humi l iation of being ,

m ade a prisoner H ere is hi s head is better than here is his

.

face s ai d Og un m el a If we cannot resist them here surely we

.
,

shall n ot be ab l e to d o s o at hom e i f dri ven from this place He .

then took ou t his j ack knife and displaying i t before a l l his colleagues
he said It must be victory or D eath .

A council o f war was he l d and it was resolved that they

,

should wai t until the Egbas cam e and attacked them and if they ,

succeeded in repelling the attack then they woul d have hopes of

being able t o maint ai n their ground but if they went and o f fered
battle first and were forced t o r et r ea t it was certain the men would
,

be disheartened and re al ly demoral ized and there wo uld be a poor ,

chance for them — it would end for them in a tota l defeat On e .

K uj efiy e a babalawo or I fa priest was thereupon commissioned

t o make charms t o provoke the Egbas t o com e forward to fight .

The Egbas on the other hand fresh from home were eager to o ffer
battle contrary t o the advice of the A r e of I j a y e
, Let them .

come first and attack you h ere said the A r e to the Egbas
, but ,

never go after them B ut the Egbas replied that when they left
.

hom e they meant business and were not afraid of the I b a d a ns .

A period of about a fortnight elapsed in which there wa s inaction

on both sides .
3 40 TH E H IST OR Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
At length the day arri ved and t e the field the Egbas led their
.

troops with flying co l o urs The Ibadan outposts reported the .

advance o f the Egbas in the or der of battle The B alogun of .

Ibadan issued orders t hat n o one S houl d fire a gun until the word of
command was given The Egbas cam e wi thin a few yards of the
,

entrenchments an d their fire W ounded several persons withi n t he

Ibadan camp before the command was given The B alogun 3 voic e .
’

rang o u t Ibadan e g ba e h ti we n (Ibadan boys up a n d at

, ,

them ) Then t h e I b a d an s rus hed out and the struggl e commence d

.
, ,

At the first o nslaught of the I b a d an s the Egbas retreated about ,

a hundred y ards and m ade a stand and then ensued a m ost ,

desperate figh t on both sides To the I b a d a n s it was a matter .

of life and death and their one thought was whethe r they wo uld be
,

able t o m aintain their ground against the overwhelming odds o f

the Egb as the I j a yes being now at a discount but i t was n o t
,

long be f ore they became confident that they coul d certain l y

maintain their gr ound .

Og unm e l a be ing a man of small stature was wont to be m ounted

o n t h e ta ll est h orse he could possibly obtain and mo ve from point ,

t o point in the fie l d observing the m en s behaviour and sing l ing

’

out individual s f o r praise or b l am e On this occasio n h aving .

,

observed f o r a whi l e the methods o f the Egbas h e rode up j oyfully ,

t o the Commander in Chief saying I b iku n l e a 0 se won a 0 se

- -

, ,

we n Eg b a ko m o ogun jij a
, ( I biku n l e we shall win we shal l , ,

win The Egbas have no knowledge of the art of war )

. .

What Og un m gl a observed was as fol l ows —As the combatants

o n both sides cam e company by company t o the firing line (what

they call T a wu s i) Og un m ela noticed in the first place that the

,

Egba shooting was t o o high and that the men under fir e were ,

rare l y ever hit whilst the I b a d a n s had been taught t o shoot l ow

, ,

and consequently they scored severa l hits among their foes Again .

the E gbas discharged a ll their m uskets at once and all turned

back together before the reli eving company came up ; whereas
the I b a d a n s kept a reserved fire wi th which they accompanied
the retiring foe so that the re t iring was more or less a disorder l y
,

retreat and ag ain they kept their pl ace until their own re lieving
,

compa ny came up and m ore often gained a few yards f orward

,

before those of the Egbas cam e up and thus gradually were , .

gaining more and more ground Og u n m el a noticing a ll this .

was s u re that according to their own method of fighting when

, ,

later on the B al ogun arose to fight and al l men and a l l arms m ust
, ,

push forward in a gener al engagement this disorder l y retre at of ,

the Egbas wo uld be converted to a general rout H ence he was .

confident in assuring the B alogun that they would win .

34 2 T HE H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS '

In order t o S how what contempt the I b a d an s now ha d for the

Egbas as fighters they sang wh ile they danced
,

K anakana Ajibade
Ohan eh an n i ndun , .

A Ti Egba l ekan ka n a se bi ogun n i ,

Ij a suk e euke n i ij a Egba

'

Ij a lile lile n ij a Oy e ’
.

(The crows of Ajibade

eb an they cry .

Egbas at a distance appear like men ,

N erveless and feeble Egbas are in figh t ,_

S trenuous and brave Oy e s are in fight ) .

'

E m b ol d en ed b y this success the I b ad an s removed their camp

'

further to a place called Ajibade (where the Egbas were defeated)

and the batt l e ground was n o w at Alabata (where they were
.

d r i ven to) about two hours w al k from I j a ye ’

.

S everal hard battles were fought before they could establish

'

themselves here but at every fight the I b ad an s gained ground

, ,

and so they again removed their camp from Ajibade to A labata ,

and the battle ground was now at the River Os e not far from the
wal ls o f I j a y e .

B y this time the ammunition of the I b a d an s was exhausted ,

and but for K eh er e the B alogun o f Ipar a the expedition would

’

have ended in fai l ure if n o t disaster to the I b a d a n s K eh er e .

was fai thfu l t o them t o the end .

The unfriendly I j eb us of Od e and Igbo were daily raiding the

Ibadan farms Fl ying co l umns had to be organi zed t o protect
'

the farmers and chase away the I j eb us They also kidnapped from .

the caravans t o Ij ebu R em e (vi z Ipara Ip eru O d e I korodu) the

.
, , ,

I b a d a n s were obliged t o send escorts from the camp from time

t o time t o protect these traders to Ipara and back The I j eb us .

more than once m ade a regular encampment and erected forts

t o block the way after the caravans had passed o n t o Ipara the ,

intention being to prevent their return but the I b a d a n s

al ways succeeded in routing them pulling down the forts and , ,

returning home safe with the caravans I I I one of these defeats .

,

one K ongo a well known Ij ebu who was formerly a trader and a
-

resident at Ibadan was caught with several others ; but Chie f

Og u n m el a lost t wo of his most valiant men in this fight K uk ula ,

and E rin H e showed his resentment by ordering K ongo to be

.

kil l ed on K u kul a s grave and the rest of the Ij ebu captives they
’

led t o the camp at the river Os e exhibited them to the Egbas ,

and I j a yes and then killed them under their eyes to S how that
, ,

they had been victori ous over their alli es as well .

 TH E GLO R I O U S E ND A N D T H E G O R Y D AW N O F T WO RE IG N S 343

B ut there was a memorable battle of this kind fought at the

ri ver Om i in the Ij ebu R em g road which was terrible The I j eb us .

ex asperated by the form er defeats were determined to deal a

crushing blow to the I b ad an s the next time F or some weeks the .

c aravans could not proceed the road had become more unsafe
,

than ever all wh o came from the provinces assembled at Ibadan .

Then the chi efs sent powerful escorts from the camp under chi efs
A b a y em i Tu b es un and Ma d ar ikan
, , The name of A b a y em i
.

raised the hope s of the caravans and an extra large number of

,

them flocked together t o take advantage of thi s opport unity .

After the caravans and escorts had passed on t o R em e a large ,

Ij ebu army was sent to prevent their ret urn They erected strong .

stockades right across the path in three places and placed bodi es ,

o f troo ps behind each the m ai n army and the encampment

,

being behind the strongest stockade towards Ibadan and there ,

awaited the ret urn of the caravan Ma d a rikan the leader of the .

van fir st cam e at them and fighting ensued ; the firs t stockade

was won and they c am e up t o the second Ma d ar ika n was .

wounded in half a dozen places and driven back towards R em e

- -

bleeding all over and was ho rs d e com ba t When Ajiya A b ay em i .

came up he dashed upon the I j eb us wi th great intrepi dity and

,

won the second stockade he then repell ed t h e enemy until they

‘

came t o the th rd and strongest stockade with the encampment

behind i t of the main Ij ebu army At the sight of the I b a d ans. ,

the I j eb us r ai sed a great shout of triumph and t auntingly as ked

“
By what way will you get hom e now ? You had better try
flyi ng . From behi nd the stockade they wrought havoc am ong
the I b ad a n s with impuni ty being protected from the b ullets
,

of the latter by the stockade .

Chi ef A b a y em i thereupo n called some of his most trusty

servants and posted them with their men on the highway with
,

orders not t o yield an inch if all had to perish there H e then .

chose a band of trusty veterans cu t a path through the forest

,

and attacked the I j eb us in the rear Wh en the I j eb us driven .

t o bay saw the f o e before and behind they were f u rious and
, ,

dashed upon the I b a d a n s wi th great intrepi dity At the first .

onslaugh t A b a y em i the Ibadan leader was shot o ff his horse and

, ,

when his veterans s aw their master fall and their own fire languish
ing they becam e ea p er a t ed and with drawn swords they rushed
, ,

upon the I j eb u s with great fury and m adness broke through ,

their ranks and put t o the S word those that could not escape They .

imme di ately pulled down the stockade and rej oined those of their
comrades who had been posted in the highway and had come up .

They p ursued the I j eb us a li ttle way and rescued as many as they .

c o ul d of t h e wo m en a n d others of t h e car avan s whom the I j eb us h ad

3 44 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
captured before the m ai n body o f escorts came up Thus the .

I b a d a n s eventu al ly won ; the victory though dearly bought was

complet e A b a y em i however rallied and was able to lead the
.
, , ,

peop l e home When reports o f this victory reached the camp and
.

the cost at which it was achieved the B alogun and other senior
chiefs immediate l y sent congratulations to A b a y em i Ma d ar ikan ,

and others and al low ed them to rem ai n at home until their wounds
,

were healed before rej oining their comrades in the camp before
I j ay e .

From this and previous achi evements A b ay em i (through his

”
bards) added to hi s other names D eath t o tr ai tors Terror t o ,
”
the I j eb us Maker of safe paths through tangled forests
, .
"

There were further skirmishes o n this road while the I j a ye war

lasted but none to be compared to the above two remarkable
,

ones .

Meantim e the war before I j a y e continued with undiminished

vigour the invaders being now replenished with ammunition .

The I j a y e watchman was posted on the top of a t al l tree near

the River from whence h e co uld command the view for
several miles around and announce the approach of the enem y
, .

For a long time the River was the scene of action which
ever party arrived first at the stream gained the opposite ban k
and held it until repulsed In cours e of tim e the I b a d a n s gained the
.

river permanently and the action thenceforth was on the I j a ye

,

side of it .

At this time all the farms being in the hands of the I b a d a n s ,

the d istress starvation and consequent m ortali ty at I j ay e were

,

indescribable H undreds nay thousands died in the streets from

.
,

starvation whole families perished without anyone t o bury them

, .

All the livestock had been consumed the garden the streets and , , ,

the yards were all planted wi th corn but the cornst al ks were ,

devoured when they could not wai t for the corn to develop The .

herb Gb er e a common creeper in the streets wa s planted in every

av ai l able place and used for food .

It was general l y sai d then that the advent of the Egbas replen
is h ed their magazines but exhausted their granaries N ow the .

E gbas procured food for themse l ves from home but instead of ,

succouring their allies they took adv antage of their distress to

.
,

benefit themselves A chi l d who w andered lon gi ngl y to an Egba

.

tent and obtained a m eal of beans (a wuj e) thereby became his

slave The Egba man who coul d procure several loads of A wuj e
beans from home covered all his expenses by securing so many
,

I j a y e children as slaves for feeding them 1 All these were sent hom e
to Ab eokuta .
3 46 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS

the source of f oo d suppl y t o I j aye and both men an d wom en ,

frequented these regions for procuring provisions .

By this time the people o f I j a y e had recovered from the fir st

shock and horror of a siege and as the town could not be c a rried ,

by assault and was now fairly supplied wi th food from the Oke
, ,

Ogun regions and with am m unition from Abeokuta the hopes of

, ,

ta king the town Soon beca m e very small .

The I b a d a n s n ow tried to cut o ff their supplies by sending a

small army to Oke Ogun Is eyin was friendly to I j ay e and .

Ibadan and both were ad mitted within her walls A man c alled
, .

Qj el a b i went t o Is eyin” and began t o seize people s things in the

’

m arket f o r privilege as an Ibadan man ; Maj a r e the A s eyin

ordered h im out of the town but he not only refused to go
.
,

but was a l so setting houses on fire with a lighted torch H e was .

ultimately driven out under a shower of stones The I b a d a n s .

hearing that Qj ela b i was driven out and not knowing the cause ,

sent one R ogun to ask wh et h er it was t h eir in t en t ion to rebel or why ,

had they expe l led Qj el abi B ut as R ogun and his party were likewise
.

pillaging the town they did not fare any better but were driven
out by force o f arms B efore this happened however the Is eyin
.
,

people showed evident signs of impati ence at the language and

actions of these men and sounded in their songs a note of an
,

impending civil fight :

Ibadan ti 0 kg) ti k0 19
Awowo a WO 0
(The Ibadan wh o sticks and won t g o
’
.

A great crash will crush him ) .

The Ibadan boys on their part took up the challengeand retorted

with
' ” '
A f adam e ( 1 5 m e l ekun Aw ow o . .

h in gs )
(The shot gun will shut up all crashes and c r us .

The civi l fight soon set in and R ogun held out till the evening ,

before he was finally expelled the town .

I wa wun E rin and Awaye were for I j a y e but B er ekodo and

, , ,

other I b a r a p a districts were for Ibadan On e Akawo was sent .

from the camp to ask the I wa wun people why they were supplying
food to I j a ye the answer returned not being satisfactory the resul t
,

was a little war here also The A r e hearing this sent A m ed u . ,

A r a wgl e Adelak un Ab es e and La b ud a n u to reinforce I wawu n

, ,
.

When Ak awo found them t oo strong for him he sent to the camp ,

for re in f or cem en t and L a t os is a and other petty wa r c hi efs were

-

,
-

sent to his help S till they found the power of the I j a yes too m uch
.
 A GLO R I O U S E ND A N D THE G O R Y D AW N OF T WO R E IG N S 347

f o r them t o withstand , so much s o that instead of besieging

I wa wu n they were on
, the defensive being practically besieged
,

in their camps .

I wa wun and Erin were advantageously situated for defensive

purposes being built on a high hi l l and surrounded by a mass
,

of huge craggy rocks ; the town wall was b uilt at the foot of the
hill.

The Ibadan chiefs knowing that as long as I j aye could draw

su p plies from these places the town could n o t be taken Og u n m el a ,

was res olved t o go himself and deal a decisive blow to their power
here The Balogun alone wi th his m en and some minor chiefs
.

being left in charge o f the camp Og u n m el a his Otun and Oeu n d in a

,

the Os i headed the rest of the war chiefs to Oke Ogun -

.

Pass n by the I j a y e farms to Fi diti they reached the OY O ,

camp at Il era The A L AF I N sent one of the eunuchs t o welcom e

.

them and take them presents o f b ullocks S heep goats fowls , , , ,

etc Og un m g la respectfu ll y declined t o accept them now : he

.

sent to tel l the K ing that he would receive them after his return
from taking I wa wu n within nine days .

Og un m g l a spoke that day as an oracle H e ordered Aj ayi .

Og b o r ief o n the capt ai n of the Ibadan contingent there t o march

on before him and receive a shot in that well fed stomach of his -
.

You are leadi ng an easy life here with our K ing under pretence
of fighting against this li ttle place he sai d t o hi m ,
.

On reac h ing Is eyin Og u n m el a went t o pay his compli m ents

t o the A s eyin and prostrated before him in s al utation
, The A s eyin .

forgetful of himself received him as a subj ect but he had to pay ,

dearly for i t some years afterwards when Og un m el a became a

B a ggr un of Ibadan and consequently his o fli cial superior
, The .

army passed on t o I wa wu n rumours o f a large reinforcement t o

the I b a d a n f or ce there reached the ears of the I j a y es at I wa wu n
'

and some of those among them suggested that they S hould

withdraw entirely before the break of day but A r a wel e and ,

A m g d u s a id S houl d we not s ee wh a t is d ri vin g us b e f o r e we run

away ? Or what shall we say t o the A r e at home ?
'

U p t o this
time they had n o positive knowledge as to who the leader of the
expedition was .

E arly next morning the I b a d an s took a hasty breakfas t and ,

soon after they fil ed out for the a ttack on I wa wun instead o f

waiting for an attack as us ual Those of the I j a yes who had.

suspected an access of reinforcement were now positive for other ,

wise the small Ibadan force could n o t have been so bold t h is

morning In order t o keep the expedi tion as secret as possible
. ,

apart from his rapid movements Og un m el a forb ade his drummer

,
 3 48 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
to beat and those of the other chiefs likewise lest his arrival b e ,

known t o the enemy ; but When the hour for battle was come he ,

ordered all the dr ummers including those of the other chi efs to
st r i ke up his own battle cry Consequently the I j a y es were all .

dismayed and panic stricken when they heard

A f (B ut the hills but the woods
’ ’
o ké , a fi gb o , ,
’
K0 There s no on e t o withstand me )
’
s eni ti o le duro . .

N ow they were forced to credit the report that Og un m el a himself

was the lead er of the expedition It was thought most improbable .

that in the face of the I j a y e and Egba armies Og un m el a and staf f

with the other war chiefs wo ul d vent ure to leave the camp
-

B u t the I j ayes were men in the true sense of the word after the
first shock of this discovery they steeled their hearts and threw ,

themselves on their assailants with great intrepidity but the

odds were greatly against them I t is reported that the chief .

of Awaye was bri bed o r terr orized into disclosing a secret path
by which an enem y might enter I wa wun but this I s very do ubtf ul ,

because Awaye herself had t o S har ethe fate of I waW

,

u n afterwards .

Whatever i t m ay be I wawun was taken by assault and wi thin an

, ,

hour the t own was in flames T h e I ] aye heroes had an opportunity

of escape but did not av ai l themselves o f it Am odu fought a n d .

died a hero s death H e had borne a d istinguished part all through

’
.

t hi s war and in him I j a y e sustained an irrepar able loss

, .

Five of the Are s sons were caught and sl ai n inclu di ng A r awel e

’

his eldest s ur vi vrn g son The death o f A r a wel e sent a thrill of

. .

horror and gri ef throughout the camp and town of Ibadan M any .

were the ill suppressed murm urs against Og un m 91a for this heartless
-

m urder for a l though K ur fi m i wa s n ow a foe he was still a nam e

, , ,

and a venerable figure in the history o f Yoruba a cont emporary of ,

the fathers of these Ibadan chiefs and the last survi ving link
between their past in the old homes desolated by the F ulanis ,

a n d t h es e forest lands to which they have escaped

‘

N ow he was .

o l d and on the verge of the grave t o extinguish his light in his ,

eldest son was an event n o reflecting patriot could calmly con

template I b iku nl e the B alogun was s ai d t o have shed a tear
.

when he heard i t and none but that heartless diplomat Og un m ela

,

could have killed A r a wol e thus Of the I j a ye chiefs the Ab es e .

, ,

La b u d a n u and A d ej u m g alone escaped to tel l the t a le About ten .

others pe r ished there .

Erin also was taken very easily the same day a n d numbers ,

o f the I j a y e caravans who went there t o buy provisions fell into

their hands but a great many escaped into the bush .

On the return march of the I b a d an s o gu n m ela had

350 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
no doubt that the B alogun gained in prestige enormously by this
action and fully j ustified the eulogies of his bard
Qd un b u d er e Qku n r in
A to fi ise ogun ran
( Qd un b ud er e (an untranslatable word ) a mighty man ,

Fi t to be entrusted with the onus of

On the return of the Ibadan expedition after the usual welcome
the B alogun was s ai d t o have expressed himself bitter l y to
Og u n m gl a on the slaughter of the Ar e s sons especial ly that of
’

”
A r a wol e A r a wg le
. said he is our own companion and the
, ,

A r e a contemporary of o ur fathers h o w long further has he t o live

, ,

and wh o is t o uphold his house ? Og u n m g l a was sai d to have

j ustified his acts by saying If we want the war to be over soon ,

sentiment m ust gi ve way to something practical a crushing blow ,

was needed at I wa wun and that is what I have dealt , .

"

The cutting o ff o f provisions by the destruction of the Oke Ogun

towns gave a death blow t o I j a y e The A r e on hearing the .

sad news was crushed entirely by it I t was as if he had received .

his death warrant ; he saw clearly that all hopes for I j a y e were
now gone and with a dej ected S pirit he was often seen in h is
,

house wandering about abstractedly and m uttering to himself

Nj e emi n i mo j ebi g ran yi ? (am I then in the wrong in this
matter ?) H e had hitherto been confident of success from the
supposed j ustice of his cause but now he was sadly ,

disi l lusioned .

From this tim e the old general began to languish and no more ,

great deeds were recorded of him H e died o f a broken heart .

in the month of J une 1 86 1 ,

.

Thus passed away one of the most venerable and historic

figures I n Yoruba history .

Prior t o h is death occurred that of another notable figure a ,

fri end colleague and brother I n arms The Ol u Od e or chief of

, , .
-

the hunters o f ancient Ikoyi with K urumi were among the bravest
d efenders of the Ol d country After the F u l ani destruction of their
.

homes he retired hither with K ur umi and lived the rest of h is li fe

at I j aye D u ring this war h e wrought h a voc amongst the I b a d an s
.

with his cross b o w and arrows H e was never known to miss hi s .

aim In one of their skirmishes he was caught by the I b a d an s

. .

When brought into the camp it was said that the B a logun met and
sal uted him prostrating before him as t o his own father and there
, ,

and then gave him h is liberty on parole This was ag ai nst the .

wish of Og un m g l a wh o would have him ki l led at once but the ,

B alogun overrul ed it .
 A U
GL OR I O S E ND AND THE GOR Y D AWN OF TWO R EI GNS 351

An o t h er ch ief , a ca alr y office

v r was als o caugh t one wh o h ad ,

successfully crossed spears with the F ul anis in olden days He .

,

t oo was set free on parole an d he wisely retired t o Ibadan where

, ,

he spent the rest of his days .

B ut the Ol u gd e broke his paro l e he was caught again trying

-

t o escape back t o I j a y e This time even the B alogun could

.

not save him m uch as he wo ul d l i ke to do s o ; the other war —

, chiefs
threatened to m utiny i f the Olu o d e was again spared and the -

Balogun was ob l iged t o gi ve way Wh y are you going back t o

.

a doomed city ? he asked of the old chief His reply was direct
and simpl e : My chi l dren are there Alas sire you die , ,

but for a cause n o t unworthy y o u are laying down your life on,

account of your children Thus did the B alogun address him

.

'
before he was led away to exec u tion by Og un m g la s swordbearers .

'
After K ur fimi s death A b og u n rin his head slave had the honour
,

of burying him This was done in secret and the two slaves
.
,

who dug the grave were sl ai n al so t o accompany their m aster

so that the spot might not be disc l osed but the place was found
out afterwards and the skull t aken over to the A L AF I N as the
,

custom was for all wh o bore the tit l e o f A r e ona K akanfo

,
- -
.

The government of the town and the conduct of the war n ow ,

’
devolved upon A b og un rin the Ar e s head slave who had been ,

placed in power even before his master s death His treasures and
’
.

all his amm unition being under the charge of A b og un rin ,

implicit obedi ence was rendered to him by al l in all matters both ,

ci vil and military .

The only road l eft to the I j a y es by which they could obtain

provisions and ammunition was the Ab eokuta road and on thi s ,

the I b a d a n s began n ow to kidnap reg ularly The caravans had .

to be under military escort and the Egba outpost at Olokemej i

,

was an immense service to them at this time .

The old chief Ogu n b gn a the B alogun of I kij a who was stationed ‘

there died of illness but a smal l force was still kept there to assist
,

the caravans h al f way the danger lay between I j a y e and Oloke

m ej i beyond this i t was safe
, On e e was a notable escort but
.
,

he was caught in the I j a y e farms and publicly executed , .

E arly in 1 86 2 the I b a d a n s removed their camp once more from

Alabata and crossing the river Os e they pitched their t ents in the
,

battle field ; three fierce battles were fought to prevent this but
as the I b a d an s were able t o maintain their ground the fate of ,

I j a y e was sealed .

Leaving the Balogun to face the I j a y es Og un m g l a now went t o ,

the Ab eokuta road and besieged the Egbas in their cam p The .

I j a y es thereupon left the town and encam ped in the field oppo s ite
 52 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T HE YO RU B AS
the Ibadan cam p The fighting now was both obstinate and f r e
.

quent for besides fighting in the day a special band of skirmishers

, ,

was organized to keep i t up all night .

O n the 1 5 th of March 1 8 6 2 Lieut Dolb ein of H M S , , .

, . . .

Prometheus accompani ed by Mr E dward Roper a E uropean

, .
,

missionary of the C M S cam e up to I j ay e to the relief of Mr and

. . . .

M rs M ann
. .

A battle was fought on the 1 6t h which he witnessed and he ,

was sai d to have expressed his opinion that the I b a dan s were
superior warriors j udging from the manoeuvri ngs on both sides ,

and that the town was sure t o be taken B ut Mr Mann was . .

unwi lling t o leave his post the state of Mrs Mann s he al th however, .
’

, ,

rendered i t imperative that he should take her down t o t h e coast

and he promised to return soon to hi s post Mr E dward R oper . .

volunteered t o hold the station until his return .

The R ev A and M rs Mann wi th Lieut Dolb ein left I j a ye

. . . .

early on the 1 7 th March 1 862 and as soon as it was know n that , ,

the whit e man had left the town i t was regarded as an evil omen ,

for that town The Egbas s ai d that the white man s God had
.
’

shown them that evil was coming and would n o t themselves ,

wai t f or i t either B efore night fall there was a rush fugi ti ves
.
, ,

overt ook them even in the co ur se of the day and they had t o ,

redoub l e their speed both t o avoi d the crush of fugitives and also
t o escape the expected pursuers F ort unately the I b a d an s did .

not know in tim e that the town had been deserted or they might
have m et them by the way still some of the stragglers were m et
later on when purs ui t was m ade .

Thus fell I j ay e a town o f ease and plenty a town compact

, , ,

and full of brave men an industrious town but too despotically

, ,

governed a town in which the citi zens were marked by restlessness

,

and daring .

I j a y e and Ibadan being sister towns and the people one m any ,

wise heads in the form er place m ade captives (as i t were) of their
wives and children putting halters round the necks of their
"

, . .
‘

own brothers and led them t o Ibadan to the house of their relatives
without being detected Once there they were free B ut knowing
.
, .

each other s o we ll som e were detected and captured S om e lost

, .
.

their bearings and missed their way in t he town and were captured ,

som e fell into the hands of acquaintances an d were rescued The .

I j a y e warriors in the camp wi th their c hi efs escaped with the

Egb as to Abeokuta A b o g u n rin at their head , .

The Egbas assigned them a portion of land wher e they pitched

their tents and there they subsequently built their houses The
,
.

spot is known as A g g I j a y e t o this day .

3 54 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
kidnapped between I j ay e and Is eyin in the early part of the
confli ct , Mr H inderer heari ng this sent Mr (now R ev )
. . .

D O lubi t o the A L AF I N wh o kin d ly ordered his release and sent

.
,

him to Ibadan Mr Cole ret urned to Abeokuta by the R em g road

. . .

The I j a y e war was one of the bloodi est fought by the I b a d ans ,

as m ay be expected When Greek meets Greek B ut the only .

c h ief of note that fell was the Os i (father of the well

known Ibadan chief A p a m p a) H e was shot i n the knee but he
.
,

kept his post ti l l the battle was over that day H e died a few days .

after H ow m any tho usands upon thousands of com m on soldiers

. . ,

died on both sides it is im possibl e to say but a f ai nt i dea co uld be ,

had from the only authentic account kept .

At the commencement of the war Og u n m gl a ordered that a

correct account of hi s soldier S laves who fell in battle should be kept .

F or that purpose a huge basket 5 or 6f t high was kept and the ca p .

of every slave of his who fell in battle was thrown into it When .

I j a y e was taken Og u n m gl a count ed the caps they amounted to ,

1 8 00 representi n g the sol di er slaves of h i s who fe l l between April

,

1 0 1 8 60 and March 1 7 1 8 6 2 exclusive of freeborn soldi ers ; and

, , , ,

that was for only one single chief what then of the whole Ibadan
army and those of the provinces ; what o f the I j ayes the Egbas the , ,

n s and
, the O ke O gun peoples and I j eb us en g,a g e d in this war

It shows the redoubtable courage of the assailants and the

'
obstinate resistance of the defenders It j ustifies I bikunl e s
.

reluctance t o declare war upon their kith and kin B ut those .

who knew I j ay e best and were acqu ai nted with the details of
,

the enormities being committed there in the years before the war ,

were satisfied that their j udgm ent was from above ; the cup o f
their ini quities was full and not only the besiegers but also their
very allies helped t o b ri ng about their ruin Th is was evi dent from .

the signi ficant song commonly sung in their d an ces in those days
Onigb ej a 1i 0 f g gun
’

,
”
Iwi l a ko gb g d g wi ’
.

( Twas our al lies caused our rout ,

B ut we m ust not say tis so )

’
.

The Egb as have always been asham ed of this defeat which

did n ot admit of being explaine d away but many regarded i t as ,

a j ust punishment for their p er fid y And sing ularly scarcely any

.
,

o f the principal chi efs conce rn ed survived the war thus recalling ,
’
S o k en u s retort on them H enceforth Oy e s never have any
.
'

fear in m eeting any Egbas in the field whatever the odds , .

I j a y e was taken but the war was not over the bad blood left
, ,

b ehind ran kled for the next three years .

 CH APT E R X I X .

S E Q U E LS OF T H E I JA Y E WA R

§ 1 . TH E A WAYE WA R
T H E I b a d a n s being determined t o punish Away e for supplying
I j a y e with pro visions during the siege now sent the A sipa and ,

subordinate chiefs at the head of the army against it leaving ,

only the B alogun and the Otun in the I j ay e cam p and so Away e
was besieged .

Away e was a small but beautiful town situat ed on a plateau ,

the scenery from wh ich is very pict uresque the A d o m ount ri sing ,

in lofty magnificence a few miles o ff and the open country for ,

miles around interspersed with the locust and the I y a trees The .

inhabitants were a very peaceful and agricultural people and were ,

f ai thful an d loyal to I j aye to the very last In fact I j a y e was the .

,

only town of importance to which they could sell their agric ult ural
produce .

The m en of that town had no guns but they were very expert ,

i n the us e of their b ow and poisoned arrows and for f ul l seven ,

months they obstinately defended the town It was at last .

reduced by famine being closely invested on every side so that

, ,

they could not get t o their farms but the able bodi ed m en cut -

their way through the I b a d an s and m ade good their escape In .

fact the I b a d an s hasti l y m ade way for these desperat e m en when ,

they saw them m aking a furious charge and were singing the well
known s ong of desperadoes escaping li fe in hand
‘
O yin § 1I Oyin l g o ,

O yin a eu O yin a p gn roro , .

(B ees in a swarm bees swarming away , ,

B ees will swarm the swarm 0 how red ) , , .

Thus these brave defenders deserted the town when famine an d

the sword rendered it no longer tenable .

The remnant of the Away e people ar e n ow encamped at the foo t

of the A d o mount .

The Ibadan army returned from t h is expedition in the m onth

of October 1 862
,
The latter rains were then incessant and the
.

rivers m uch swolle n; the Ogun river in part icul ar swept m an y

away both horses and m en
, .
356 TH E H IST O R Y O F THE YO RU B A S

§ 2 T H E I P E RU WA R
.

D uring the siege of Away e the Egbas and the I j a y e refugees ,

'

at Ab eokuta went also to take revenge on the R em g towns that

were friendly to the I b a d an s during the siege of I j aye .

On the 1 9t h of J une 1 8 62 the Egbas destroyed M akun

, , ,

and advanced against Od e Ogere aiming specially at Ipara whose

, ,

B alogun K eh er ewa s a particularly active al ly of Ibadan The .

R em g s therefore sent to Ibadan for help and Og un m gl a went

straight from the I j aye cam p to R em e t h eB alog un himself although ,

in ill health rej oining him soon after until the arm y at Awaye ,

could j oin them Og un m gla in the m eantim e found his way to

.

Ikorodu for a supply of ammunition .

Ip eru easily surrendered t o the Egbas and there the tri ple forces
o f the Egbas I j a y es and I j eb us were concentrated to repel the
,

I b a d an s and overrun R em e .

Th e I b a d an s retook several towns as Ipara Ogere etc sweep ing , .

,

all before them until they cam e up with their old antagonists
again re inforced by the I j eb us at Ip eru
,
-
.

At home the I b a d a ns at first made ligh t of the combination

, ,

hence they sang in t h eir d a n c es

'

Ij ebu k0 p e o kOwo ,

N itori er u l a se n l g ’
.

( The I j eb u s are not worth a sou !lit 2 0 cowri es ] .

Only for booty are we going) .

B ut the chiefs knew the di fficulties that confronted them ,

especially as the foe blocked the route of their supply of am m uni

tion Moreover Ajiya A b ay g m i pointed out that R em g being a
.

n o n ag r ic ul tural
-
country co uld not supply an army wi th food
,

they m ust therefore be provisioned from home and would thus be

far from their base ; besides Ij ebu is proverbially destitute of
water he therefore suggested that they should attack them from
,
‘

Ij ebu Igbo which is not far from the Ibadan farms S E as

, ”
. .

opposition from that point would be almost n il and in that way they ,

woul d withdraw the coalition agai nst their f r iends the R em gs and ,

wi th th eir own farms as base they woul d have a safe and easy task
,
.

The other chiefs saw wi th him but s ai d they their ai m was , , ,

not to destroy the I j eb us but to protect their fr i ends and i t wo ul d

be most ungracious to leave the R em gs wh o had been so loyal
t o them in their ho ur of danger
Thus the encounter was again renewed between the old anta
o n is t s in a di f ferent battlefield The I b a d a n s were ag ai n sweeping
g .

all before them and Ip er u was j ust nearly taken and the con
,

federates crushed when Provi dence decreed th e arrest of their

358 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
priest of S ango with the emblems 0f the deit y and a eunuch t o ,

represent himself to the belligerents They cam e fir st t o the

, .

Ibadan cam p and then passed on t o Ip eru t o the Egbas I j a yes

, ,

an d I j eb us in each place homage was pai d t o the god and fe alty

,

t o the representative of the monarch The God S ango had “

.

enj oined a cessation o f arms and the return o f each one to his hom e .

Peace was then declared between the belligerents .

Congratulatory m essages were sent hom e by fri ends and relatives

in opposite cam ps m utual visiti n gs took place and all went we l l
,

for three o r four days .

B ut the Ibadan principal chiefs had n o great confidence i n

Egba good f ai th having the p er fid y o f 1 8 60 before their eyes ;
,

they therefore took c ert ai n precautions

, , .

First they ordered al l the sick and wounded home (except the
,

B alogun) together wi th the wom en and children by slow marches

, .

S econdly the bones of the fallen chiefs were exhumed and sent hom e
,

for r e interment
-
.

They were apprehensive o f treachery from the Egbas im m ediately

they t urned their backs but to prevent a panic they di d not disclose
,

their fears or suspicion but Og un m g l a knowing himself t o be the

,

m ost invi dious o f the lot and a special obj ect of h ate hastened away
in the night and before daybreak had reached Ipara In his .

hurry his slaves on occasion m ade way f or him with the sword ,

and seeing his o n ly daughter in the company of women

who had been sent on the day before he lifted her on to h is saddl e ,

and never halted until he reached Faw e in the Ibadan farms ,

there t o await his comrades .

B ut the m aj ori ty of the women lingered by the way others ,

in the cam p seeing no reason why they should be in a hurr y

,

as all was peace The B al ogun who was dropsical and coul d not
.

ri de was borne on a litter .

N ow when the day arri ved f o r the breaking up of the cam p ,

and the I b a d a ns already on the m ove the Egba nature asserted ,

i tself by j ustifying the worst appreh ensions entertained of i t .

They had crowded the Ibadan cam p in friendly intercourse and ,

exchan ged greetings but the prey was now eluding their grasp
,

they pounced upon the unsuspicious and began t o m ake pri soners
and presse d forward in purs ui t S om e of the chiefs who did not .

suspect treachery were caught The venerable Sum ala the Otun .

B al e who would have been made the Bal e of Ibadan on their

return hom e was caught and ki l led Chief A b a y gm i was one of .

the unsuspicious the Egbas had begun to m ake p ri soners before

,

he was aware of what was going on Mounting his horse when it .

was tethered he forgot to unloose i t till one of his slaves severed

 S E Q U E LS OF THE I JA Y E WA R 3 59

the cord with his sword H e had to fight his way out and escaped
. .

S o d er in d e al though a native o f Ip eru but a resident at Ibadan

, ,

and a distinguished cava l ry O fficer was then at home am ong his

re l atives enj oying himself he was there arrested and had to
ransom himse l f by the payment of a heavy fine and had to rem ai n ,

there at hom e for the time At the stream A fidiwg the Egba .

pursuers overtook the B alogun and his guards these stood fighting
whilst those who bore him were hastening on B ut the Egbas .

were pressing closely endeavouring to t ake the B alog un alive .

When they reached the river Om i the B al ogun ordered his carri ers
to put him down and that the Egbas b e driven back from that place
Akere the A eip a was the only war chief who w a ited t o protect the -

B alogun besides his own m en and bodyguards H ere when .

,

they had rallied and arranged themselves in order of battle they ,

m ade a furious charge on the Egba pursuers and drove them clean
away with a heavy loss Thes e soon finding it unprofitable to
.

pursue armed m en when hapless women and chil dr en were to be

got quickly gave up the pursuit
, .

All as many as escaped assemb l ed at F aw e from w hi ch plac e

, ,

they re t urned hom e one by one most l y at night on account of the ,

disastrous ending of the expedition More wom en were los t .

than m en K eh er ethe B al ogun of Ipara wisely cam e to Ibadan

.

until peace had been complete l y restored .

For weeks and months peopl e were coming hom e by degrees

, ,

as numbers had escaped into the bush and l ost their way ; som e
strayed t o Ij ebu farms and were captured som e found their ,

way back to the road or t o I b a d ans farms and returned hom e ,

whilst som e perished in the forests .

A sm all force of armed men was ordered to proceed as far as the

river with the hopes of rescuing them foll owing the directions ,

in which those who had escaped locat ed large bodies of them A .

few were rescued by them for guns fired to attract their notice ,

unfortunately had the effect of driving them farther into the

forests as reported by the few which escaped
, .

T h e view taken of this disaster by the I b a d a n s was expressed

thus in the song and dances of the day
’ ‘
S ango l o laj a ti o d o b ir in n I I ’

Ogun k0 1e wa .

’
Twas S ango s m ediation that lost us our wives ,
’
f
We ve su fered no defeat ) 1
.

1
is only fair t o m entio n that th e Egb as at oned f o r this
It
action i n a v ery diplom ati c w ay as w e S hall find in § 5 following
n
.
 360 T HE H IST O R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
The experience gai ned fro m this circumstance was the re ason for .

the caution displayed m any years afterwards when peace was

heing a r r a hged between the I b ad an s and E kit is at Kiriji by varioue
p arties The I b a d an s refused t o d ecamp in the face of their
.

fo es wi thout a guarant ee against a pursuit until the B ri t i sh Govern

m ent intervened I n 1 8 8 6 and arr anged f or a simul taneous decam p
m ent .

I K O R O D U WA R
3 . TH E
e Egbas instead of returnin
T h g hom e aft er this led the conj oint ,

ar my ag ai nst Ikorodu I kor odu I s a town situated on the L agoon

.

about 3 hours steam from Lagqs Whether because as a R em e

’
.

to wn she took n o part in the lat e war or beca use she was secretly ,

i n alli ance with Iba dan is n ot certain They were here for .

se ver al mo nt h s and so me good fighting was done on both sides .

B ut Ikorodu wa s hopelessly outnumbered When she was ne arly .

ta ke n the c h iefs appli ed for the protection of the B ri tish Govern

,

ment at Lagos The Lagos traders an d merchants also su ffering

.

from the cl osing of t h e m arkets approved o f the interference of

t he Governor H is E x c eII en cy Joh n H awley Glover then governor
. ,

of Lagos t h erefore sent t o the Egb as t o raise the siege as Ikorodu

, ,

was a peacef ul town on t h e Lagoon with a regu l ar trade with Lagos ,

which was t h us b ein g in d ir ect ly in j u r ed On their refusing to d o so .

,

he sent the m an ulti matum which was also disregarded On the .

2 9t h March 1 8 65 the Governor sent about 1 00 men of the Wes t

, ,

I n dian regiment then quartere d at Lagos wi th a f ew Shell s and

rockets .

Within a n hour of the eng agement the Egbas had taken t o

their heels large num b ers perished in the flight It was ascert ai n ed
,
.

a f terwa rds that those wh o fell f rom bullets were very few i ndeed
b ut the maj o r i ty di e d fro mfright and thirst induced b y exhausti on
in the flight f or as the rock ets flew overhead with hideous noise
and streaming fier y tails a t h ing unseen before they were pa nic
, ,

stricken .

As soon as the report re ached Ip eru of the flight of the Egbas

from I korod u S od er in d e in order to retrieve his losses and to
'

avenge himsel f on the Egbas collected his m en and as m any , ‘

Ibadan boys as he could collect wh o had com e down f or trade and

, ,

they fell upon those of t h e Egbas wh o had escaped from Ikorodu

and were recovering their breath H e made many captives and .
,

ret urning he stayed no longer at Iper u but passed on strai ght

t o Ibadan where he domiciled until his death in 1 8 80 full of days
and honour having att ai ned t o the rank of B alog un in the cavalry .

Thus Ikorodu was saved .

3 62 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
The Egbas now cam e out hoveri ng in their rear until they saw ,

them pas s Ibara to I saga Many captives were m ade of whom .

,

were Amazons so ferocious that although chained m any found , ,

m eans of killing their captors and were of course killed in turn , .

A m ale soldi er penetrated as far as Ig bein bein g caught n ear

'

the C M S station there by the s on of an old Ogboni m an H e was

. . . .

put in stocks but great care was bestowed upon him t o soft en his
,

ferocity H e refused t o eat and was resolved t o die H e was

.
, .

heard m uttering something in his language not un derstood by ,

those around his intention therefore was not known B ut he

, .

managed t o obtain and conceal a large bit of stone near him and ,

watching for an opport unity he dealt a heavy blow with it o n the ,

face of the old Ogboni man who thereupon fell down and fainted , ,

away The women folk in the house set up a yell and as the
.
‘

fellow coul d not possibly escape he was S hot dead on the spot .

The subsequent Da h o m ia n invasions never came up to the w al ls

of Ab eokuta but al most every year their ex pe di tion would com e
,

as far as Ibara 1 0 miles from the town the inhabitants deserting

, ,

the place for Ab eokuta and som etim es they would encamp on ,

the At a hil l s 5 or 6 mil es distant remaining for a couple of ,

months devastating the farms all around

, The E gbas would .

rem ain day and night keeping watch by the walls till the begi nni ng
of May when the rainy season had f ai rly set in and the rivers began ,

t o rise The Ogun river at this time becam e a w al l of protection

.

for them as the Da h o m ia ns could not ford it nor b ridg e it and they
, ,

had no can oes The Yewa river also flowing between the Yoruba
.

and I d a h o m ia n territories had t o be forded The Dah om ians .

therefore invariably raised their sieges and returned ho m e before the

rains had f ai rly set in .

D uring these periods o f what is called siege there were som e ,

desperadoes among the Egbas who would vent ure across the river ,

to within two miles of the Ata hills to spy out the enem y and som e ,

times to scare them by letting o ff fir e arms In order to capture .

such m en the D a h o m ian s woul d com e down un seen as near as

possible t o the river dig trenches at intervals on either side of the
,

path and conceal men in them setting scouts to apprise them of

, ,

the approach of Egba S pies After these h a d passed on towards .

the D ah om ia n cam p they woul d emerge from their hi di ng places

,

and cut o ff their retreat driving them onwards towards their ,

camp In this way several were caught and som e of those wh o

.
,

escaped capture died of fright or of exhaustion an d thirst ,

.

The pa n ic and distress caused by these year l y raids became

very great at Ab eokuta depression of trade and the arrest of all
,

agricultural purs uits followed The Egbas al though better armed .

, ,
 S E Q U E LS OF THE I JA Y E WA R 363

yet lacked the courage t o leave the security of their wal ls and
meet their enemy in the field This national disgrace was s ub s e .

quently wiped o ff by J ohn Okenla the Christian B al ogun wh o in ,

1 8 7 3 with a company of his men attacked and defeated a body

of D ah o m ian r ai ders at Ob a who went scou ring the fields and

pill aging the farms .

The E nglish Governm ent was now m emori al ized by the

secretaries o f the O M S ociety on account of the Christians at
.

Ab eokuta and in response t o this a ppeal the King of D ahomey

, , ,

was warned ag ai nst m ed dling with Ab eokut a any m ore .

The Da h om ia n s n ow turned their attenti on to the Yorubas of

the western province and were actu al ly devastating the Eg b a d os
,

and the Oke Ogun districts until a hi gher power decreed Thus
far shalt thou go and n o further , .

§ 5 T H E A TO N E M E N T .

The B al ogun of Ibadan died ten days after their ret urn hom e ,

and was given a public funeral with full honours .

The government of Ibadan now devolved upon Og u n m g l a the

O tun B al ogun and t h e first thing he di d was t o assemble the
,

other c h i efs in council with a vi ew to arranging t erms of peace with

their neighbours B ut the p er fid y of the Egbas and the great loss
.

sustained especially of the women m ust in som e way be avenged

at any rate .

T h e secret somehow leaked out that the Egba chi efs gave up
Oeiel e t o be taken by the I b a d a n s to satisfy their hon our i f i t
could be done by a coup before the news o f it reached Ab eokuta .

Ogu n m g l a himself led out the expedition but rem ai ned with the ,

reserved forces in the forests and entrusted the ent erprise into the
,

hands of A j gb g the newly made S eriki H e was to surprise Oeiel e .

,

swoop down upon it make a clean sweep of the place and retire
,

ere help could com e from Ab eokuta .

A j g b g however lacked the courage t o take it by an assault and

, ,

hence the expedition f ai led Og un m gl a keenly regretted having

.

stayed behind but as the attem pt could not be repeat ed without

,

provoking a war with the Egbas he led the Ibadan forces hom e
again It was a diplomatic o f fer and S hould be done in one stroke
. .

A f ew weeks after thi s Og u n m gl a ag ai n led the Ibadan troops

against Atadi another village of Ab eokuta this tim e entrusting ,

it t o n o one he went in person and o n the 9t h of M a rch 1 865

, , , ,

Atadi was taken by assault The two powers now felt that honour
.

has been satisfied on both sides .

It was said that the news of the Ibadan attempt on Oeiel e m et

the Ab eokuta chiefs at a publi c m eeting but in spite of the excite ,
3 64 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU BAS

m ent shown by the people and t h eurgent r equests for a purs ui t

, ,

the chiefs gave no heed but were coolly going on with the business
,

in hand which was quite an unim portant aff air

, .

To the peoples importuni ties th ey simpl y r eturned a derisive

’

answer pointing out the impossibility of t h e thi ng and when ,

they kne w the I b a d an s m ust h ave gone t h en they bestirred

themselves t o find Oeiel e intact H ence whe nt h e report of Atadi
.

was gi ven they were ab le t o say F alse al a r rri again so they did,

in the case of Osi el e t h e I b a d a n s wOuld not d are to think of i t

etc .

This daring attac k was n o t foll owed by a ret al iation o r by.

further kidnapping on either side which was a pro of that it was a

diplomatic a f fai r secretly arranged b y the authorities on both sides .

A y a wo the wi fe o f S o m o y e the B a Sg r u n o f Ab eokuta who was ,

taken at I j a ye was now restored to her husband and on the 1 5 th

of J uly of the s am e year the Ib adan m ess engers arrived at
, ,

Ab eokuta f or a formal negotiation about the r e opening of the -

roads for intercomm unication and trade A m onth aft er this .

peac e was procl ai med and the roads becam e free and O pen to all
,
.

The Egbas however f or b a d e t h e sale of arms and gunpowder t o

, ,

the I b a d a n s and these forbade the sale of horses t o the Egbas

,
.

The paths through the forests fields and farms having been
overgrown and bloc ked by large tre es falling across during the
period they were disused had now t o be cut and cleared on either
side right on t o the front i er .

This bri ngs to a close the I j aye wa r and its conseq uences .
3 66 THE H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
G b en l a ch ai n of o ffice (represented by the beads round his
’
s

neck) and h is Wabi (a special l y ornam ented hide on wh ich only

,

the B a egr u n sits) The A L AF I N sent him both and consoled his
.

c h ief mi nister by gi ving him others and begged him not to min d
the ins ult n or commit suicide out O f grief as he was incl ined t o do
, , .

H e further sent to tell Og un m g l a that he mi ght have all he wan ted -

but he was n o t to demand the death of the B aggr un any more ,

as he the K ing willed that there S hould be two B a ggr un s at t his

time one in the city and the other in the province
, .

It m ay here be mentioned that 7 years b ef or e t h is event that ,

is before the I j a y e war the town of Ibadan was one day start led
,

by the report that Og un m g l a (then Otun B alogun) whilst divining

wi th his Ifa was told by the pri est that he wo uld att ai n to the title
,

of B a gg r un before his death What seemed then to b e an utter

improbabi lity now becam e a reali zed fact .

The B asgr un s next duty was t o confer titles on hi s chiefs the

’

more important of them were the following

Akere the A eip a became the B al ogun .

T ub gs un the Os i B al e his old collea gue and supporter the Otun ,

B al ogun .

A b ay g m i the Ajiya B al e wh o di stinguished hi mself so m uch

,

before I j aye and at the Ij eb u road the Os i , .

Or 6wus i who afterwards becam e better known the A eip a

, , .

A li L al u wo y e brother of the late , the E k erin .

A j gb g the head of the B adas the S eri ki

, , .

La t os is a wh o afterwards becam e famous the Ot un S eri ki

, ,
.

T ah aj o was made the S arumi

, .

S o d erind e a distingui shed hors eman the B alogun S ar umi

, ,
.

These nam es were given and we sh all com e across every one -

of them ag ai n in the course of t h is history .

S om e OY O titles were n o w introduced to satisfy disting ui shed

m en who were for som e reason or other passed over but wh o ,

coul d n ot accept subor d inate titles in the sam e way as the A eip a
’

had been introd uced for one wh o f ai led to get the Qt un or Os i .

Aij en ku negotiated for and obtained the title of F gwgkg .

n t ej i took the Egg title of Gbonka .

Oj o ko f o that of Ot a These purely OY O titles were for the

.

first time introduced into Ibadan .

According to merit the man who by far was probab ly the fittest
person for the ti tle of B al ogun was the redoubtable Aij en ku
the A r eag or o or a lter eg o of the late Balogun I b ikun l e— the
m an who alone withstood the whole force of the Egbas at I j a ye
when he was left with the B alogu n in charge of the cam p at the
 TH E C LO SI N G A ND TH E O PE N I N G C A RE E R S OF T WO H E R OE S 3 67

storming of I wa wun by Og un m gl a and subordinate chiefs B ut .

A ij en ku failed in his duty to protect his chief at t h e retreat from

I p er u Akere on that occasion performed the dut y that was his
u

and therefore obt ai ned his reward I b iku n l e before his death
, ,
.

was sai d to have bequeathed the title t o him .

T his o ff ence might probably have been pardoned and an

‘

opportu n ity give n him t o retrieve his good nam e by prowess

in the field f or the public benefit ; but the secret underlying this
treatment of him was that after the death of Ol uy g l e the fir st
,

B a sg r un of I badan wh o tyranni zed over his chi efs so m ercilessly

, ,

subj ecting them t o his cutting wit the I b a d a n s were resolved ,

never to gi ve the higher titles t o any Oy g s of the pure type i e , . .

one born in the ancient capital or in the Metropo l itan province .

They far excel the southerners in ast uteness and dipl omacy and
rather look down on them I b g l g s a n d E pos being preferred
, .

’
A ij en ku m oreover was one of Ol u y g l e s household officers and
,

w as s ai d t o be of an irritab le disposition and inflammable temper .

There was every probability of his emulating his old m aster .

And besides this he was one of the o r iginal settlers he was

,

one of those wh o entered the town on horseback showing that

unlike m ost of the present c hi efs he was never at any tim e a
common sol d ier and he never ceased t o rebuke o r educate the men
,

of another generation in the light of form er day experi ence which ,

goes the wrong way with them H aving been passed over he .

negotiated f or and obt ai ned the title of F gwgkg a li eutenan t

of the Kakanfo .

After enj oying a short period of rest attendi ng to hom e a f fairs , ,

Og un m gl a n o w t u rned his attention abroad In communication .

wi th the Governor (Glover) of Lagos he e f fected the opening of the,

road to Lagos via R em g for int ercourse with the interi or .

H e now thought of avenging al l the insults o f fered to the

I b a d an s by som e of the provincial kings which co ul d not have
, ,

been done before t h is wi thout unnecessarily m ul tiplying enemi es

against themselves F oremost amongst them was the A s eyin wh o
was fond of extemporising epigrams and ditties directed against
Ibadan in parabolic songs and dances and who received him ,

as a s ubj ect on his way t o I wawun N ow as a B a s gr un takes .

,

precedence of all provincial kings Og u n m gl a summoned the A s eyi n

,

t o Ibadan H e came attended by his princi p al chiefs and Prince

.

On their arri v al they m et a l l the Ibadan chi efs at

the B a eg r u n s i n full council
’
It was now the B a eg r un s turn
.
’

t o lord it over hi m H e at once ordered him to do homage ; this he

.

did by running backwards and forwards t o the street three tim es ,

putting earth on h is head and prostrating each tim e before the

,
36 8 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
B performing acts of humiliation H is life being also
a eg r u n , .

threatened he had t o beg hard for it and som e of the chiefs

, ,

wh o were friendly to him interposed on his behalf and he was

pardoned .

Og u n m g l a having thus satisfied his vanity afterwards treated

him kindly and sent him away loaded with presents B eing
, .

in part friendly to K u r fim i of I j a y e he could not have been sincere

,

i n his loyal ty t o the A L AF I N his l iege lord during the war but he
’

would sooner entrust himself into the hands of the rough I b a d an s ,

wh o wou l d at any rate have some regard for the person of a king ,

than into the hands o f his S uzerain at he therefore took a , ,

bush path t o Ibadan and back and on his return hom e he ,

extemporized a ditty in his dances congrat ulating himself on his ,

safe return thus

K ak a ki Ar emu b a ti OY O 1 0 S i Ibadan
B i 0 j e odun m eta Ar emu a sun igb e .

R ather than t o g o by OY O to Ibadan ,

If i t takes Aremu three years he will sleep in the bush , .

§ 2 T H E I G B AJ O C AMPAIG N
.

About this tim e there was a civil commotion at Ilesa the then
Od gl e one of the ministers of the O wa being a man of power and
,

I nfluence was in great favour with his master practica l ly holding ,

the reins of government without his fl a t nothing could be done at

Ilesa .

The Ij e sa chiefs about this tim e were resolved t o declare war

ag ainst Igbaj e a frontier town of a composite nationality (as its
,

nam e impl ies ) not far from I kirun because of their s y mpathies ,

with Ibadan ; but the Od ele a wise and far seeing man was opposed
,
-

t o that m easure fearing the consequences i t may ent ai l T h e

,
.

“
other chiefs said they were n o t going t o stoop t o him any longe r ,

and in spite of him they declared war against Igbaj e .

The I j eea sta ndard of war left the town with all their mighty
men under the leadership of the Lo kir an Lej g ka I s ih ikin with , ,

the Loro at their head thus they laid siege against I g b aj g .

The I j egas of I lega were never on good terms with the I b a d a n s

Since the late Ij ebu Er e and the A r al e xpeditions and their move
m ents at this tim e were being clo se l y watched at Ibadan B ut .

several wi l d I j eea boys had com e of their own accord to reside at

Ibadan being dri ven out of the town by chief Odol e f o r their wi l d
and l aw l ess habits these preferring the unrestrain ed life at
Ibadan distributed themselves under t h e pri ncipal chiefs I b ikun l e
, ,

Og un m gl a Qeun d in a and others and fought for them in all thei r

, ,
3 70 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
unconditionally What had happened ? On the previous night ,

there was a t er r ible c o n fl a gr a t io n in which the house of the B a eg r un

had a very narrow escape All the houses around that part of.

the b ui l ding in which these m en were ch ai ned were burnt to the

ground but their prison house was intact The B a gg r u n was so
struck with thi s mirac ul ous escape that he exclaim ed S urely
these men are innocent persons and this is naught else but the ,

interposition of their God and I am not the man t o d ef y the whit e

,
‘

m an s God ’
S o he h astily released them and sent them back to
.

the missio n .

In the meantim e the S ieg e of I gb aj g was being vigorously prose

‘

outed by the I j ega s and I g b aj g was nearly hemm ed in on every

‘

side In their ext remity they sent to Ibadan for help

. The .

B a ggr un sent to them Os un t o ki the May e with som e minor war

'

chiefs but the I j es as were too strong f or them The town was well
,
.

nigh taken when the Ibadan contingents there sent hom e to the
B a ggr u n for the B alogun to come to their rescue as mere reinforce
m ents were of no avail .

O n the 1 6th of D ecember 1 8 66 the war sta f f Was propitiated , , ,

and on the 1 7 t h the standard was out under the command of the
new B al ogun Akere on its way to Igbaj e They arrived at .

I g b aj g about the 1 4 th of J anuary and the y ob t ai n ed a Victory ,

as easy as it was complete .

On the first day the fight was to t ake place while they were ,

holding a council of war the I j egas marched out to give battle

, .

A b a y g m i the Os i impatient of m uch ta l k left them al l at the council ,

by a privat e arrangement he entered t he forest and through a ,

secret path was led t o the rear of the I j ega army A ll of a .

sudden he burst upon the pri ncipal chi efs where they were l ounging
wi thout guards an d without protection : the y o unger m en were al l
in the battle field E scape was impossible he f el l upon them and
.
,

butchered them al l t o p ieces carrying the camp by assault The

‘

, .

I j eeas wh o had m arched out t o gi ve battle were filled with c o n s t er n

ation when they saw the camp in flames behind them and the ,

Ibadan army before and behin d Pani cstricken they were simply
pounced upon as d oes a cat on a mouse It was a matter of veni .
,

vidi vici the b att l e did not last an i h o ur The I j ega camp was
, , .

at the foot of a hill neither chiefs nor men went on horseback

, ,

all were on foot and in the chase up the hill not a singl e chi ef -

escaped t o tell the t ale T hose wh o escaped the sword died of

exhaustion and thirst m any of them corpulent men
,
H ere the .

power of the I j egas was completely broken I l eea was partly .

deserted as they expected an imm ediate siege E s a was t aken

'

on the 2 6t h of January .
 TH E C LO SI N G A ND TH E O PE N I N G C A RE E R S OF TWO H E R OE S 37 1

The news of t h is tragedy travelled swiftly t o Lagos and the ,

I j egas o f Lagos approached the Governor (J H Glover) beseec h ing . .

him t o interpose on their behalf that their capit al city be not ,

destroyed by war .

The Governor sent a messenger to the B a s or un 0f Ibadan ,

deprecating t h ecapture of Ilesa and accordingly repeated messages ,

one after another from the B a gg r un were sent to recall the B alogun
wh o had advan ced towards I l eea .

At the s am e tim e al so the Owa had sent dem i j ohns of beads

,

and heavy pr esen t s t o the B a gg r un at ho me tendering his

submission Th us Ile ga was spared The Ibadan army returned
. .

hom e in t ri umph on the 1 7th of F ebru a ry 1 8 67 , .

§ 3 .L AT E O G UN M O LA B A S O R U N O F I B A D A N
TH E
The Ibadan war chiefs after their arrival at hom e p ai d the
-

c ustomary t ribute in slaves t o the A L AF I N The sen ior war chiefs .

-

also contributed their share to the B a s or u n Og un m g l a and th e

minor chiefs received their share from the subordinate chiefs
according to c ustom .

After this the B a gg r un paid a visit of congratulation to each of

the principal war chiefs on their safe ret urn E ach of them
-
.

received him wi th every m ark of honour and offered presents of

a slave and som e heads of cowries They also paid a return visit .

according to custom .

A few days afterwards it was rumoured that the B a gg r un

was Sick : t h e rumour soon gained ground and from the abundance ,

of the sac r ifices being o fl er ed the malady was known to be serious .

It was sai d t o be an attac k o f sm all pox and the B a b al a wo s ,

(p ri ests of Ifa) ad vised that a gun loaded wi th bullets be fir ed in

the direction of the Isal e Oeun district ; this was done and more
besides but al l t o no purpose
, O n the morning of the 2 8 t h .

F ebruary 1 867 repeated rattling of m usketry announced to the

, ,

public that the august patient had passed away .

N ot t wo months after on the 1 2 t h of Apr il 1 8 67 A ba y g m i the

, , ,

Os i di ed aft er a few days I llness On the 3 o t h of the sam e m onth.

‘
di ed T ub g s u n the Otun Balogun al so suddenly .

These important deaths in quick succession struc k one as

very remarkable as i f to atone f or the wholesale butchery of the
,

Ij e sa chi efs at Igbaj e Thus of the five principal chi efs who held
.

the council of war f or the relief of I gb a j g within fo ur months only

the B alogun and S eri ki rem ai ned al ive .

The C a us e of t he B a gg r n n s Dea t h — From the nature of the

’

m alady it was generally held that the death was not due to natur al
causes D uring the absence of the war chi efs at I g b aj g the
.
-

,
3 72 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
B a gg r un i nthe height of his glory was s o elated that he sent to the
A L AF I N t o send him A h ay an posts and b er e grass for his K ebi .

As a nobleman he was entitled to a k g b i (a bay proj ecting from the

house with a conical t o p higher than the roof of the house) .

A h ay an is a rare tree found in certain parts of the country and ,

used by the great al one It is neither a f fected by weather termites

.
, ,

or ordinary fire The b er e is a grass used for thatching that grows

.

on l y in the plain Annual contribution of this grass is m ade

.

by subordinates t o their chiefs between D ecember and J anuary

in the country of the plain so that a gift of b er e has com e to be
,

regarded in the l ight of paying tribute ; it has thus passed into

a proverb t o i l lustrate anything most incongruous Od i ori o d i
ki ara OY O ki 0 pa b er e fun ara Oko ( the height o f incongruity
for citizens of O Y O t o contribute b er e t o country folks) This time .

honoured m axim Og u n m g l a was bent on violating out of sheer

vanity n o t caring for the fact of its being an insult and great o f fence
,

t o his sovereign The K ing ordered both to be sent to him but

.
,

i t was noticed that the posts were wrapped i n m ats and tied ,

precise l y the sam e way corpses are wrapped in this country for
interment Og u n m gl a did not enj oy his acquisition for t wo
.

months This can only be regarded as a paternal imprecation

.

on an undutiful and disloyal son .

The more probable and direct cause of his death al l eged by

those wh o had access t o his presence was the following
It was reported t o him by o n e of his r o a m in g f o llo wer s that he
'

had seen a cloth with one of the E kiti Ki n gs the like o f wh ich ,

could be found in the possession of his superiors The cloth .

was s o fin el y wov en t hat it cou l d be fo l ded up into so sm al l a

-

com pass that it could be stowed away by st u ffi ng it in t o a moderate

Sized conch shell and yet unfolded was an ample covering for a
,

man !The cloth probably was silk as the best kind of S a m a y a n

.
,

or rough si l k com es from that part of the country ]

,

Og u n m gl a did n o t adopt a course which one would have

expected from s o astute a m a n viz t o ask the s ai d E kiti ki n g to
, .

send him the weaver to weave one like it f o r him or even one of a ,

superior qu al ity and al so t o teach the art to his people On the

,
.

contrary he sent t o take possession of the cloth H ere a gain we .

see the operation of that vanity that dem anded the title o f B a sg r un ,

that required Ab ay an and B er e for his k e bi and which displayed ,

a S how of tri u mph over the A s eyin The cloth was sent him I t . .

was noticed that from the moment he unfolded the c l oth and
wrapped it around his body he began t o fee l som e i n convenience
, ,

this grew t o a feveri s h heat which b a fll ed every effort t o cool

down nay not even when they resorted to pouring buckets of
,
 74 TH E H ISTO R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
of his standing corn the latter in dri ving i t away inadvertently
hi t the goat on the head wi th a sto ne and killed it T h e owner of .

the goat demanded redress and charged an exorbitant price for

,

his goat refusing all entreaties and when the money was not
, ,

forthcoming he summ oned the poor m an the next day before the
,

B a sg r u n .

The B agg r un saw at once that the act was merely an accident
and that the plainti ff was altogether spiteful ; he was therefore ,

determined t o teach hi m a lesson .

The case having been stated in open court the next day t he ,

B as g r un acted as if he were all I n favour o f the pl ai nti ff H e rated .

the man wh o kill ed the goat soundly for his clumsiness and want of
,

caution etc I t served him right he was to pay the price demanded,

by the owner of the goat 1 0 heads of cowries but as the m an

,

could not a f ford the money (on account of which the case came t o
court at al l) he offered t o lend hi m the amount and the amount of ,

1 0 heads was brought out B oth parties now b egan to get confused
.

before this extraordinary j udge As the poor man thanked the .

B a ggr u n and was going away (the pl ai nti f f being afr ai d t o t ake
the money) the B a gg r un c alled him back saying Where are you
going you du ffer ? Why don t you bring a counter charge for the
,
’
-

destruction of your corn ? I suppose about 30 or 4 0 st alks were

destroyed As he has received 1 0 heads of cowri es for on e goat
.
,

supposing you dem and 1 0 heads for each stalk of your corn
’

destroyed ? That would be f ai r according to his own code won t ,

it ? And there in open co urt he told how this disagreeable

neighbour had com e the previ ous eve ning with three heads of
cowri es to bribe hi m on this case H e had kept the money on one .

side and now ordered i t t o be brought out in open court saying ,

“
After carelessly leaving your goat to stray out and destroy
’
another man s property you have the heart to com e here and
charge about double the market price for the loss of it when this ,

was due t o a pure accident ( The utmost am

. ount for goats then
was about 6 heads ) It was now the plai nti f f s turn to beg trembling
.
’

where he lay prostrate before the B a gg r un Thus H is H ighness .

dealt with the case the pl ai nti ff not only losing his b ri be but
, ,

also had to pay about 30 or 4 0 bags for the corn destroyed It .

was generally known that it was of no us e bribing the B aggr un ,

that would not aff ect the decision of the case .

Previously to Og un m g l a s regim e no young m an or youth could

’

be seen out of doors unar med with som e weapon or other it was
considered e f feminat e t o go about wi thout any Firearms of course .

were absolutely forbidden by the fundamental laws o f the town

but a young man did not consider himself fully dressed without
 THE C L O SI N G A N D T H E O PE N I N G C A R E E R S OF T WO H E ROE S 3 75

a short sword or kn ife girded to his side a j ack kni fe buckled ,

t o his left wrist and wi elding in his right hand a large headed
,
-

club or cudgel ringed or pegged with iron consequently street

fighting was a common a f fair To spend a good day out without
.

wounds and bruises t o S how f o r it was not considered man l y .

Og un m g la put a stop to all that because thereby the innocent

o ften su ffered at the hands o f brute s trength .

T o prevent fire accidents those whose occupation demands -

large fires l ike brewers and those who cook ekg or yam for sale were
order ed t o do s o during the dr y season in open spaces preferably ,

near wells or streams and n ot under a shed m uch less under a roof
, , .

The m aster of the compound was made answerable for every

case of fir e In order not t o escape j ustice the rough and ready
.

method pursued was to seize some of the members of the house

and the head of the house woul d be co mpelled t o e f fect their
redemption When everyone in the compound is liable to suffer
.
,

every one will be concerne d to see that no mischief arises from

care l essness .

Warriors are honour ed by him far more than f ar mers or traders .

’
If for instance a warr ior s wife is outraged by a farmer or a trader
, ,

(whi ch was considered one of the m ost serious o f fences ) he usuall y

imposed the heavi est fines i e a d og a goat and 1 0 bags of cowries
, . .
, ,

which in those days was equivalent to £ 1 0 B ut if the cas e was .

vice versa the fine is lighter perhaps only 5 heads o f cowries (one
,

twentieth of the above) and a goat but he was usually reminded

that the rest o f the fin e would have t o be p ai d with interest on the
battlefield i e by S howing courage and bravery H e was loved
. . .

and tr usted as a leader because he knew how to appreciate and

reward valour As an instance of thi s the following story m ay be
.

told —D uring the year 1 866 one Samuel Peeler alias Bior an , , ,

a Sierra Leone emigrant who had distinguished himself in many

,

a batt l efie l d was summoned before him by certain hunters and

charged with appropriating a deer they had shot the blood and ,

foot p rints of whi ch they traced to his farm ; he di d not gi ve it

up to them on the contrary when i t was demanded he o ffered them
,

a share According to the customary laws o f the country that was

a seri ous o f fence (hunters are a privi l eged class of men they are the ,

n ational foresters scouts and b ush detectives ) and heavy fines

, ,

were us ually imposed on such o f fenders .

When Bior an was asked what he had t o say he repli ed , ,

K a b iy es i (may your hi ghness live long) When the Ibadan

army was before I j aye between the years 1 8 60 and 1 8 62 on several
occasions when such and such (naming them ) important personages
fe l l in the t h ick of the fight and a deadl y struggle ensued with the
37 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O R U B AS
enemy for the appropriati on of the body when none coul d d o it , ,

it was I B io r an who went forward lifted the body on my shoulders

, , ,

and brought it t o the cam p Again before Ip er u when certain

.

im portant chiefs fell i t was I Bior an with bullets flying about m y

ears wh o went t o the midli n e of battle and rescued the body from
the enemy N ow in wal king over my farm 2 days a g o I saw
.
, ,

a dead deer in the border of m y farm so I sai d to myself If , .

Bioran can shoulder a dead man bet ween t wo f ir es (l it Al a 1 1 21 )

why sho uld he be unable to shoul der a dead ani mal between t wo
”
farms (lit Al a oko ) that was why I shouldered it K a b iy es i . .

The B aggr u n who rem embered the occasions very well laughed
“
outright and exclaim ed B eh e na u i wayi Bior an b eh e n i tir e ,

ri (and exactly so it was old Bior an and that is j ust li ke you)

,
.

The s kilful way in which he to uched the B a eg r u n s sensitive parts ’

and his witty play on the words Al a ij a al a O ko between t wo ,

fires between two farms amused the whole court and there before
, , ,

the assembly t h e B a sg r un praised and honoured him for h is valour ,

and c al l ing for a head of cowries and a bottle of gin (instead of

fining him ) he sai d
, ,Take these Bior an you can go hom e and enj oy
,

your venison and w a sh it down with this bot tle of gin I see no .

reason why a valiant m an shoul d not enj oy a bit of venison .

Turning round to the hunter s he said That is not the sort of

man to be fined he is a valiant man
, H e then satisfied the
.

hunters wi th som e presents t o console them and di smissed the

case .

Og u n m gl a had o nl y t wo sons Qeu n and I l g ri and one daughter

n ea H e kept a large harem ; his wives cou l d be numbered
.

by hundreds and having but three chi l dren by all these the ,

I j a y es during the war often taunt ed him in their songs

Og un m g l a ko bi m e ( g
’
O u n m g l a without c h ildren

Om o Ibadan li 0 warun Ibadan lads he woul d destroy )

. .

but he left several grandchi l dren to m ourn his loss .

Ibadan lost in him a wise and j ust Administrator and a veteran ,

leader an d successf ul soldier H e was a liberal minded man

.
,

who instead of crushing de l ighted in lifting up the hands of a

,

weaker comrade F or ex a mple

. the Os i his j unior
, ,

colleague was a powerful warrior b ut a poorer m an than either

himself or t h e B alog un Thus in one of their expeditions one of his
.

tributary towns gave up more than 2 00 refugees to him AS these .

were n o t captives o f war but refugees (term ed Ey e) they should

,

be dist ri buted among the senior chiefs but Og u n m gl a suggested

to the B alogun that they S hould let Qeu n d in a keep al l in order to
increase his means of keepi ng up h is position wi th credit the
3 78 TH E H IST O R Y OF T HE Y O RU B AS
m easures caused m any young m en t o flee from the city of Ile sa .

A civil war ensued for seven days the Od gl e kept them at bay ,

b u t at last overpowered by numbers he was shut up in hi s house

, ,

for three days and when his boys grew weary and disheartened
,

and began to disappear the n l e fell by his own hands , .

I mm ediately the news o f the death of the B a gg r un of I badan

reac h ed them I leea again rebelled openly against Ibadan and war
,

was declared agai nst them .

B alogun Akere was now t h e senior chief after the death of the
B a gg r un but he dec lined t o assume the B al es h ip till a fter their
,

return from the I leea war I t was al l eged by som e that the .

B a sg r u n before h is death left a charge that Ile sa should not be

spared Whether it was so or not yet the Ibadan chiefs were not
.
,

a l l unanimous about this expedition not from any love for Ile § a ,

or fear of its almost im pregnable forts but rather that titles S hould ,

be r e arranged s o that they might have promotions The B alogun

-
.

could O btain the assent and co operation of Ob em b e alone the -

s o n o f the late B alogun I b iku n l e having sec ured the confidence

of this powerf ul chief he declared war in spite of the others .

T h e war sta f f was propitiated on the 2 0t h D ecem b er 1 8 67 ;

-

it had t o be done at night on account of the disaffection among the

c h i efs The B alogun l eft the town on the 2 2 n d of D ecember and
.

as in duty bound the rest of the chi efs j oined him on the 2 3r d
, .

They m arched straight via Oshogbo and encam ped first at

I l a ee and m arched thence to Ibala H ere t h e I j es as began to .

oppose their advance and t h e fir st battle fought , .

H itherto the war chi efs followed the B a logun j ust m echanically
but would n o t fight f o r him but with the help o f Oh embe he
felt he could dispense with their services and so h e took n o notice
of them But n o w a formal measure was adopted t o put an end t o
.

the disa f fection the m atter was talked over the B al ogun pacified
, ,

them with large presents and being satisfied they fought wi th a ,

will and dislodged t h e I j egas from Ibal a forcing them to fall bac k
, ,

on Afara Jegede This was a trench about 30 or 4 0 feet deep with

.

drawbridges carried almost round I lega H ere the I j egas made a

, .

long stand b u t i t was taken at las t and the camp was removed
,

forwards .

There was another entrenchment with forts beyond a stream

which the I b a d a n s nam ed F ej eb g j u (washing the face with blood) ,

s o nam ed from the b l oody battles fought there w hi ch caused the

stream t o flow with blood constantly from the wounded and the
dying In an attempt t o take this second entrenchment an
.

ambuscade headed by A yib iowu went t o the Oke E s a road but ,

they were discovered and waylaid they were dispersed and

 THE C L O SI N G A N D T H E O PE N I N G C A RE E R S OF T WO H E ROE S 3 79

A yibiowu their leader was taken ali ve by his countrym en and ,

b utchered to pieces .

The I b a d a n s were over a year in this place fighting but coul d

n o t take it and without that there was no hope of taking Ile sa
,
.

N otwithstanding this t h e I j es as considered it prudent t o sur render ,

as sooner or later Ile § a wo ul d surely be taken ; hence they beg a n t o

negotiate for peace There was an armistice ; duri ng the negotiation
.
,

they brought over 4 00 bags of cow r i es int o the Ibadan cam p as

submission money but the chi efs feared to touch the gift for it
, ,

might have been poisoned B ut Ogb o ri ef g n wh o about this tim e

began t o m ake a nam e being a poor m an was willing to take all , .

Let m e die if poisoned said he I d o not mind

, With thi s
, .

he entertained the fighting men and m ade fresh preparations for ,

the confli ct At t h is crisis Akere the comm ander in chief di ed

.
- -
.

A council of war was held t o consider the decision to be m ade under

present circumstances It was resolved to continue the war lest
.

the I j ega s would say we agreed to peace because we had lost our
leader . S o the next day they forestalled the I j ega s by t ell ing
th em that they had killed th eir B alogu n because h e was inclined
to peace the armistice therefore was now at an end A terrible
, .

battle ensued that day they fought till sunset This was done
, .

chiefly t o inspire co urage into those that might be f ai nt hearted -

amongst themselves and lose courage on account of t h e d ea t h of ‘

the B al ogun This battle was fought o n F ebruary 1 5 th 1 869

.
, .

The command of the army now devolved upon Or owus i the

A eip a
.
‘
Or o wrrs i was a powerful chi ef but very unpopular He .

was disli ked by al l the senior war chiefs of the day he had no -

influence even wit h the m en ; however by virtue of his o ffi ce as ,

seni or chief all agreed to submit to hi m .

What was deni ed him however was accorded to his eldest son
, ,

A ker ed ol u . This young m an had s everal fri ends among his

companions several left their m asters and m ade him their capt ai n
, ,

and at last the honour wa s his t o capt ure this entrench ment which
had b a fll ed the whole army for over a year Th e trench wh ich .

continued as far as they could ext end their lines t o the right as
well as to the left they thought was carried right r o u rid the town
,

but i t was disclosed t o A ker ed ol u that it terminated at the foot of

a mighty rock several miles dist ant and that the t ermin us was
concealed by a dense forest E xcepting on the day of battle very
.

few m en were general l y left to guard the entrenchm ent and the
fort wh ich was considered im pregnable the maj ori ty being left ,

at hom e f or rest and enj oyment .

A ker ed o l u kept the secret to himself he told not even his father , .

On e afternoon he and his companions put on their arms and it ,

3 80 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S
was reported t o his father that he was going t o the battlefield .

N ot being the day o f battle the father was alarm ed that he was
going singl e handed t o attempt wh a t had ba ffl ed the who l e arm y
-

f or more than one year H e sent peremptory m essages to call him

back fai ling in that he sent a pathetic remonstrance Come
, ,

b ack oh com e back for so was I bereaved o f your elder brother

, , ,
.

at the Ip eru wa r when he was attempting a feat of valour

, .

A ker ed ol u heeded nothing but went o ff in another direction ,

.

When out o f s ight of camp he dismounted and carried a gun on his

shoulder like the rest of his co mpanions and was led to the foot ,

of t h e rock where t h e trench t erminated They cli mbed i t to the .

other si de and m ade for the batt l efield nothing preventing t h em , .

Th e Ibadan chief being anxious about his son an d not knowing

his whereabouts armed himself and went out to the battlefield
, ,

the who l e arm y of course foll owing him T hen a ll of a sudden

, ,
.

A ker ed o l u and his companions appeared on t h e other side of the

moat fe l l upon the sma ll guard left there and dispersed them the
,

drawbri dges were thrown over to admit his father with the whole
Ibadan army the walls of the fort were quic kly beaten down In a
,
.
,

few minutes t h e trench was fill ed up to a considerable distance every ,

one throwing in something an d wit h hoe and digger it was soon ,

levelled up enough for a passage for the whole arm y Th us .

A ker ed ol u won f or his father and for himse l f a great reputation .

The I b a d an s were now able to remove to a thi rd encampment by

the walls of I l eea .

B efore Ile sa was taken t wo other chiefs signal ized themse l ves ,

vi z L at os is a the O tun S eri ki and Aj ayi Og b orief g n The latter

. .

rose into prominence by heading a band of young m en for expl oits ,

as most of the Ibadan chiefs did H e was always poor because . ,

he spent lavishly but he was a brave leader and smooth tongued

, ,

knowing we ll how to encourage soldiers and inspire courage into

the faint hearted Th us in the thick of the fight with men falling
-

right and left he used t o produce beans from his satche l showing
’

them to the m en saying S ee this is what they are fi r ing now, , ,

they have no bul l ets com e let us get at them Then he used to
, .

remind them of hom e and all its pleasures te ll i n g them that it is ,

the bravest that will be honoured wh o can break the laws with ,

impunity R emember the bazaars the Iba market what pl easures

.
, ,

you often enj oy there pleasures bordering on crime N ow is the ,

.

time to atone for them if you will enj oy yourse l f again with im
’
puni ty With such words he often spurred them on to the fight
. .

The I b a d an s now discovered that the I j egas were well suppl ied .

with food and ammunition from Od o and it was evident that unless ,

this road was taken there was little hope of taking the town The .
382 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
E arly in the morning of the 4 t h of J une 1 8 70 Og ed em g b e with
, ,

his I p aiy es left Ile sa and threw the g a tes open Accor d ing t o .

arrangem ent the I b a d an s opened their ranks f or them to pass ,

and closed them against stragglers and then the tow n was taken
, .

The Owa cam e into the camp The Ibadan chief gave h im 1 0
.

of his Wi ves and as many of his children as could be fo und al so 1 0 ,

bags of cowri es and a basket of kola nuts They t h en left hi m .

in charge o f the king of Ibokun (a neighbouri ng I j ega tributary

town ) to be reinstated when the fugiti ves and all who escaped
capt u re could have return ed to their deso l ate hom es .

The I b a d an s pursuing their conquest as far as Od o and Iperindo ,

both places wer e taken The army n ow di vided into two parts
.
,

one part went ag ai nst Ig an g an the other t o Ipetu ; the former

'

made a long resistance but was at length taken .

The Ibadan arm y ret urned hom e in t ri umph on the r o t h of

J uly 1 8 70
.

All the war chiefs in procession escorted hom e the c offin ed

-

bones of the lat e B alogun Akere B efore this co ffi n when fix ed

.

in state the leading chief prostrated and in a form al way told the
result of the war as t o the living B alogun and then wept over his
,

rem ains lamenting his loss !

The whole of them n o w accompanied Or owus i hom e thereby ,
:

acknowledging him their head then they dispersed t o their hom es

, .

Og ed em g b e whose opening career we have now related dis

appeared from view for a time We shall he ar o f him again
. .
 CH A P T E R XX I .

T WO A D MI N IS T R ATI ON S O F O PP OS IT E P O LI CI E S
1 . O R o wos r
’
s AD MI N IST R ATI O N
I B A D A N was the one place that loom ed largely in peopl es eyes at
’

this period To have taken Ilesa was regarded as a feat of

extraordinary mag nitude it being a tow n of great strength both ,

in its forti fications a n d in it s able bodi ed citizens and consequently

-
.

the eyes o f all surrounding tribes were fixed on the town si tuated
o n the hills .

The first duty of the I b a d ans now was t o fill up the vacancies
among the r uling chiefs and to settle hom e a f fairs .

They had only been at hom e for less than two months when on
the I s t of S eptember the town had to l ament the death of
the fir s t born son of Og un m g la the late B a gg r u n It was a great
-
.

loss t o the com munity as the late B a gg r u n had only two sons and
,

a daughter The town went into m ourning f o r a month and then

.
,

arrangements were m ade to confer the title of B al eo n Or o wus i On . -

the 3 oth S eptember A g b ar O the Ilari sent by the A L AF I N f or the

purpose conferred the title on him in the presence of all t h e chiefs
and a large assemblage of people .

On the 5 t h day after t h e B al e began t o confer the principal

,

titles by batches the most important of which we need m ention

are z— A j g b g who becam e the Balogun La t o s is a the Otun Aj ayi , ,

Og b or ief g n the Os i Ali Lal uwo y e the A eip a Lawg yin the S eri ki
, , ,

Oj o Or o fin a the Otun S eri ki T aj o the Otun B al e

, .

All these m en played som e important part more or less in the

:

history o f the country By the end of October the a f fairs of the

.

town had been settled .

On the 5 t h of N ovember the old Chi ef Mele was again despatched

to Ij eb u t o negotiate for an A gur in (consul) in order that peace
and amity might once more be established between them The .

last A g urin was recalled when Ij ebu declared war against Ibadan
during the I j aye war N ow peace and tran quility reigned over all
.

the land .

This B al e encouraged agric ul ture himsel f setting the exam pl e .

Under such peaceful rule t h e Christia n s of Ibadan numbering about

4 00 with their t eachers thought it right t o d o honour t o the B al e ,

who was well disp osed t o Christianity They went in a body with .

the school chil d ren to his house and he c am e out to receive them in
,

38 3
38 4 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E YORU B AS
the square in front of the house and a short service was h eld
including the prayers f or the King and all rulers The B al e was .

im mensely pleased and the Christian body enj oyed a pleasant day .

C i vil comm ot ion — The next trouble started Where the last
ended The Owa of Ile sa being dead i t devolved upon Iba d an
.
,

as the S uzer ai n power t o appoint another Owa There were .

,

however two claim ants each with his rival party and both parties
, , ,

were seeking for help among the Ibadan chiefs to promote their
cause .

Prince Od igb a d igb a backed by Oged emgb e sent about 5 0

, ,

slaves and a quantity o f beads to Balogun A j g b g t o promote his

cause A j gb g instead o f bringing the m atter before th e council
.
,

with whatever backing h e cou l d bestow on his client appropri ated ,

all the presents an d gave orders that Odig b a d ig b a be crowned .

When the Ibadan chi efs cam e to know about all this they were
fired with rage and orde r ed both claimants to Ibadan In the .

m eantime Og ed em g b e s nominee had been crowned at I leea but

’

on their arrival he was set aside as being irregularly crowned and ,

the rival was crowned at Ibadan on the 2 2 n d of May 1 8 7 1 and , ,

sent hom e in state Prince Od igb ad igb a was detained at Ibadan

. ,
’
and lodged with Ogundepo the B al e s brother .

This action of B alogun A j g b g hurt n o t only the Bal e whose rights

he had often usurped but also his brother chi efs especially
, ,

h is p ri ncipal li eutenants La t os is a and Aj ayi on whom fell the ,

br unt o f the task of taking I leea at the final stage .

A j g b g s po pularity lay in his largess t o the people which

’

gained him fam e a t home and abroad and secured for him a large
following among whom were som e brave m en that coul d not be
overlooked ; this popula ri ty turned his head leadi ng him to act ,

as he di d As a leader he was m uch lacking in cou r age and ability

.

as the fiasco at Oeiel e S howed and therefore he carri ed no weight

,

or respect among the body o f the people H e arrived at his post .

m ore by order of seniority than by m eri t and by the large number

of men behind him which must be t aken into account B u t for s u ch .

a grave political blunder his deposition was resolved upon .

Chief Og ed em g b e was very anxious about the safety of Pr ince

Odig b a dig b a hence he was sending some slaves and presents to
the Ibadan chiefs t o e ffect his release O n this being known the. ,

Ibadan ch iefs sent t o intercept the m essengers out of spite to the

B alogun t o whom they were sent direct .

On the 2 3r d of J une the wa r sta f f was demanded from him

,
-

— a Sign that he was deprived of h is title : there was consequently

a gre at commotion in the town t h e people apprehending a civi l
,

war but A j gb g had not the co ur age to attempt one on the

,
3 86 TH E H ISTO R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
Pri n ce Odig b a digb a wh o was the cause O f al l these troubles wa s
,

sent away to his co untry but pri vate orders were given t o his
,

escorts that as soon as they were a good way o ff from the town he
,

sho uld be m urdered On the 3 oth O f August Ij ebu ambassadors

.
,

arrived at Ibadan t o pl ead for the restoration of A j gb g but they ,

were sent away with a negative reply On the evening of the .

.

1 9t h S eptember i t was publi cly announced that Or o wus i the B al e

was dead The expulsion o f A j gb g b ein g t h e ca use of his dea th

'

his people went that same evening and set A i O S house o n fire ’
.

Ibadan was once more wi thout a head Taj o the old est among .

the war chi efs declined the honour When the o ther c hiefs were
-
.

going to assemble in his ho u se as the Otun Bal e he m et them at the

, ,

central m arket and there declined the O ffer No elderly chief .

agreed to accept the ti t le from the unsettled st at e of the town due

m ai nl y t o La t os is a and Aj ayi F or som e tim e their me etings
.

were held in the centr al m arket till at last La t os is a agreed t o under

t ake the responsibi li ty though not as a B al e but a s a Kakanfo .

H e alleged that he was a Moslem and none Of his c r eed had been
Ba l e before but Oj o A m ep o who Wa s a Mosle m was a Kakanfo
,

and b e took his precedent from him .

T h e I badan chiefs di d not li ke the i dea and the A LAF I N o f Q Y Q ,

was reluctant t o grant i t knowing the national troubles usually

caused by strong K a ka n f os but in the end L a t o s is a won all
,

parties over and O btained the title .

The L a te B al e Gy mnas t — The late Bal e was a native o f

Ogb agb a a town about 6 miles from Iwo H e was o r ig inally .

an e l ephant hunter hence his name Or owus i super deadly poison ,

-

(from h is poisoned arrows in hunting big gam e) H e rose into .

power by his own m erits but he was unpopula r am ong the other
,

war chi efs who were his sen iors in the days O f I biku nl e and Ogun
-

m gl a N ot wi thstanding instances of s l ights and i ndignities he

.

endured in the earli er days he l ive d to be the head of the town of

,

Ibadan His r ule was short but was m arked by a wise a d m in is

.

t r a t io n and by peace with the s urro un di ng tribes .

H e was a far seeing man of sound j udgm ent and stro n g

-

determination H e once summ oned a m eeting of the chi efs and

.

after addressing them on m atters political and inter t riba l h e -

laid down the foll owing advice whi ch he wished them t o tre a sure
up and act upon for the present and future .

I That on n o account should Ibadan w a ge an y aggre s sive

.

war f are wi th any O f their principal neighbo urs the Egbas I j eb us ,

and I l ori n s .

2
. That high and responsible positions should no t be gi ven to
the M g gaj is (heirs to large estates) because of the men and m eans at
 T WO A D MI N IST R ATI O N S OF O PPO SITE P O LI C I E S 3 87

their command on account O f thei r inexperience but rather t o

, ,

older m en wh o were the compani ons O f their fathers for the country
wi l l be the gai ner by their experience .

.
3 That they S hould rely more on the children of the soil than
on their slaves as i t has n ow becom e the fashion to m ake of their
,

slaves high stewards and con fid an t s ; for h ow can these wh o

are slaves after al l seek the permanent interests O f the country
that enslaved them and made their own country desolate ? Th e
seed o f bitterness towards n s m ust have sunk deep in their
hearts T heir women also should not be made their p rincipal
.

or choice wives .

.
4 N ever should the S laves be e n trusted wi th messages of
im po r tance t o the interior f o r having nothing t o l ose their conduct
, ,

will not be m arked by moderation or dis cr et io n ;

These words were well received by the assembly and he set the
exam ple by refusing to grant the tit l e O f S eriki to I y a p o the son O f
the lat e B alogun I biku n l e al though f or wealth power and the, , ,

hi ghest war l ike qualiti es he was uns urpas sed by none at Ibadan
-

but hi s youth was agai nst him H ence the tit l e was given to .

L a wg yin an Ol d and expe r ienced veteran wh o had seen many

wars .

H ow these precepts were reversed by the succeedin g a d m inis

t r a t ion and with what consequences to t h e country we shall see
hereaft er .

§ 2 . I B AD AN UN D E R A K A K A N FO
La t os is a
usurped the title of Kakanfo by might over right by ,

displacing Oj o Aburumaku the Kakanfo at Ogbom oso as Ogun ,

m gl a attem pted t o do in the case of Gb en l a the aged B a sg r un O f

OY O H e sent t o Oj o f o r all the insignia of the Offi ce which he was
.
,

obliged t o resign to hi m and on the 3r d of October 1 8 7 1 he was

, , ,

publicly inst al led On the 9t h he gave tit l es to his chi efs the most
.

principal of which were to Aj ayi Og b o rief g n B alogun the title he ,

intrigued so m uch for and to Ali L al uwo y e the Otun They were
,
.

barely a year at hom e w h en the I l e sa compl ications cropped up

ag ai n but this tim e they appeared as defenders of that city
, .

We have seen in the preceding section that Odig b a d ig b a was

the man Og ed em g b e desired to be crowned as Owa so when he ,

heard that Od ig b a dig b a was m urdered at Ibadan he cam e with

an arm y from his place of exile captured I l e sa and drove away ,

the Owa pl aced there by the I b a d a ns Thu s Ilesa was destroyed .

a second tim e within a short pe riod Og ed em g b e rem ained at .

Ilesa in de fiance of Ibadan

C a mp a ign —
.

T he Oged emgbe The I b a d an s accepted the '

.
3 88 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
challenge by espousing the cause of the expelled Owa The .

standard of war was propitiated on the 2 8 t h O f D ecember 1 8 7 2 , ,

and on the 3 oth Aj ayi Og b or ief g n as commander in chief m arched - -

out H is orders were Simply to capture or d ri ve away Og ed em gb e

.

and restore the Owa .

B ut Og ed em g b e would not ri sk another war with the I b ad an s

S O S hortly within the wal ls Of Ile sa s o he left the town at the ,

approach O f the Ibadan arm y .

These encampe d near the walls Of Ij eb u Er e and although their ,

O rders did n o t include seizures at Ilesa yet as in di vid uals among , ,

them entered the city with the intention O f buying provisions

one and another among them seeing their run — away slaves of the
previous campaign seized them others fo ll owing their examples
, ,

seized under fa l se pretences and in order n o t to go away empty ,

handed seizures becam e general and S O Ile sa was taken again as

, ,

the people were j ust settling down .

The Are of Ibadan on hearing this was m uch displeased with the
Ba l ogun and a l though he pleaded his i n nocence in the m atter
, , ,

yet the fact rem ained a stigma on hi s character H e was sent to .

relieve Ile sa not t o plunder it .

Passing from Ile sa in pursuit of Og ed em g b e Od o was again ,

taken The commander in chief being somewhat in a state of

.
- -

destitution before he left hom e did not abide b y his orders but , ,

was only intent upon Sl ave catching and was always ready with
exc uses Og ed em g b e was pursued from place to place until he
.

l ured them to a great forest called Igbo Al a wun east of I k er e

where he made a stand Og ed em g b e enc a mped at Ita Ogbolu
.

and the I b a d a n s at n t u n with the forest between them there

they fought several battles Og ed em g b e in flicting disasters upon
.

them checked the restless ambitions of the I b a d a n s

"
.

If the I j esa and Ef g n towns in the rear had had the courage to
rebel the I b a d a n s would have been cut o ff t o a man ;
,

The third batt l e fought here was Simply disastrous to the I b a d a n s .

Og ed em g b e and his a l lies l ay in am bush whi l e a sm al l body Of men

was sent forward to draw the I b a d a n s this was soon defeated and
in the pursuit t h e flower of the Ibadan army was hemmed in and
cut O ff from the main body at the base Most O f the young M og aj is .

were there such as A ker ed olu heir o f the lat e Bal e Or owus i ,

Aderibigbe heir o f the late B a l e Olugbode also the A saj u with al l

, ,

t h e B adas the S eri ki with his Q t un an d Os i S eri ki

, These l ast .

sat on the very spot the a mbuscade wa s l ai d their men all scattered
in the pursuit for slave catching when all of a sudden the I j esas
opened fir e upon them The S eri ki was shot O ff his horse seriousl y ,

wounded his Otun and Os i were killed on the S pot a n d their heads
,
3 90 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
was t o o unlucky as a general t o lose his t wo principal li eute nant s
in his very first campaign B ut the underlyi ng reason was that
.

the principal chiefs felt he was a disgrace to them for the glaringly
base ingratitude he displayed towards the deposed A j gb g who had
helped him to defray the expenses incidental to his taking Offi ce
by giving him 8 00 bags O f cowries a horse a sword gowns et c , , , , .
,

and this liberality he requited by purs uing the fallen chief with
the very horse he had given him
L a wg yin submitted calmly relinquished public life altogether
,

and retired to his farm .

The title was given to I y a p o the M og a j r of the lat e Balogun

I biku n l e wh o commanded all his late father s resources and for
’

m en and means was unapproached by any of the ot h er c h iefs in

the town And A ker ed o l u son O f the late B al e Or owfis i the Otun
.

S eriki Thus the A r e began to reverse the policy o f t h e l a t e B al e

.
‘

‘
Or o wrrs i in the advice not to exalt inexperi enced young men over
elderly m en of ripe j udgment although comparatively poor .

H is idea was that these yo ung men sho uld be advanced to

responsi ble position in order that they migh t use the means at th eir
command for the public benefit which they would otherwise not
do . S ubsequent events will prove which O f these two policies
was the right one .

§ 3 . AN U N P R O VO K E D WA R — A D O
The I b a d an s were n ot long at hom e before they found another
pretext for m arching o ut for s lave r ai ding The If es seeking
. .
,

an occasion against Modak ek e but mindful of the past we r e afrai d

to attack them direct an d secretly invited the A r e and gave up the
,

town to hi m S O the Ibadan army left hom e ag ai n under the

.
,

A r e on the 8 t h D ecember 1 8 73
, , .

H e rendezvoused between Ile Igbo and K uta villages Of I wo , ,

and was j ust preparing t o cross the Osun ri ver an d march against
Modak ek e when the If es thought better of their O f fer an d
regretted thei r rashness The y n ow prayed the A r e t o leave
”

Modak ek e alone for i t occurred to them that there was no

wall separating the two towns and wh at would prevent the wild
sol di ery O f Ibadan from rushi ng from o n e to the other ? They
_

would j ust be bringing disaster on their own heads

"

8 0 th e A r e desisted T h e Ibadan army then m arched t o

.

the E ki ti co un try wi th no express O bj ect in view Th e A r e now .

remembered that he had lost a brother in the Agbado war when ,

they were waylaid by the B alogun o f Ado H e n o w m ade up h is

mind to destroy the A d o country .

T h e Ados m et them at Iyin a frontier town Of theirs and were ,

 T WO A D MI N IST R ATI O N S OF O PP O SITE P O LICI E S 3 91

routed in a single pitched battle on or about the 1 6t h of J anuary

1 8 74. They could not rally s o the I b a d an s m ade a n easy ,

conques t of the whole d istrict M en women and children .

, ,

were captured without the slightest at tempt at resistance S O .

many were the captives and s o m uch the booty that the camp aign ,

appeared more like a promenade .

The king of A d o entered the Ibadan cam p in full reg al attire

attended by a few followers wh o had ne a rly all stolen behind .

'
him ere he could get to the Ar e s tent .

The A r e received him wi th every m ark of honour and respect ;

he now remembered that his second wife was a native of Ado
and S O he woul d d o honour t o her king H e obtained for him
,
.

4 1 O f his wi ves 2 I of his c h ildren 3 0 O f his chiefs and bought

, , ,

h im a horse and caparison f or 3 slaves and r e instated him ,

-
.

The Ibadan army arrived behind their town wall on the z r s t

February and ent ered I n a tri umphant procession on the 2 2 n d .

The conquest of Ado was S O easy that n o t a chief was missing ,

but A ker ed ol u the Otun S eri ki wh o signali zed himself in the

, ,

I l e sa and Og ed em g b e wars was taken i l l and rem ained two ,

months at I la but growing worse was brought home to die on the

s t h April 1 8 74 H is brother Aj ayi O sun g b ekun s u cceeded hi m
, .

'
both as head of their father 3 ho use and i n hi s offi ce Of Otun ,

S e ri ki .

§ 4 T H E AR E S AD MI N IST R ATI O N
’
.

L at os is a the A r e Qn a kakanfo at the commencement of his

- -

administration rul ed wi th great clemency but after this successful ,

expedition be began to Show hi mse l f a K a ka nf o with all the

characteristics of a Kakanfo— obstinacy recklessness blood , ,

thirstiness .

The Ar e s first act after his ret urn from Ado was directed
’

ag ai nst Ef fi se t an the Iyalode or Ladi es Queen The ch arges ’

.

against h er were I Th at she di d n o t accompany him t o the

-

war 2 That S h e never sent h m supplies during the campaign

. .
i
.

3 That she did n o t com e in person to meet him outside the

.

town wall t o congratul ate him on his safe return .

H e was therefore resolved to depose her and t h is was done on

, ,

the 1 s t of May 1 8 74 and Iya Ol a her Otun (first lieuten ant ) was
, ,

promoted to the o ffice .

Iya Ol a was very reluctant to accept the O ffi ce but the A r c ,

sent a peremptory m ess age t o her to say if she refused she was to , ,

take a single cloth and a head tie and leave the town immediately ,
.

S he was obli ged to accept the title We may mention in passing .

that Ef fiset a n h erself took the t itle from h er chief a former Iy al ode ,
 3 92 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
who from adverse circumstances lost her wealth whilst fort une
, ,

smiled on E f fiset a n S he lived to see Ef fiset a n deprived both O f

.

the title and of her life .

When m en o r women O f high rank and great social position are

deposed i t means that their death is determined upon ; but if
,

they have fallen into poverty and ins ig nifica n ce a n d so h ave lost
influence before deposition their death is not insisted upon , .

In order to save her life Ef fi set a n with lavish gifts sought ,

the aid and interposition of all the in fl uential chiefs paid the fines ,

imposed upon her but al l t o no purpose , .

I t m ust be remarked that many of the chiefs were against this

treatm ent of the Iyalode but the A r e at this time was haughty,

and unapproachable S he was summoned to the m eeting of the

.

Town Council on the 2 2 n d of J une and was publicly disgraced ,

after which she was told that she was pardoned but when a few
days after the voice of the Ag an was heard in the night (i e the . .

E g fig u n that executes women) i t was known that her death wa s

resolved upon .

B ut the Iyalode could not be openly attacked I t has been made .

o n e O f the constitutional laws o f the town that there was to be no

civi l war that if any chief vent ured on one whether his case
, ,

be right o r wrong the whole town was to rise against hi m and crush
h im . All that could now be done was to e ffect her death by som e
m eans or other either by poison or by direct violence when
, ,

unguarded .

'
K u m uyil o the I y a l o d e s adopted son and her relatives were
heavily bribed by the A r e and his abettors to m urder her in cold ,

blood The Iyalode spent miserabl e days and nights s uspicious

O f every so u nd and m ovement S he changed her sleeping p l a ce .

from night t o night as she could not trust any O f her domestics .

S he prepared her food herself could n o t g o out O f doors received , ,

no visitors as S h e did n o t know from what quarter the fatal blow

,

would fall At length on the night of J une 3 oth I 8 74 knowing

.
,

where she slept t wo slaves instructed by K um uyilg entered the

,

room from the ceiling and dashed out her brains The nex t .

morning when her death was reported S h e was accorded a public

, ,

funer a l befitting her rank and having no son of her own the A r e
insta l led K u m u yil g her adopted son as head of the house .

The late Madam Ef fiset a n was an Egba by birth but m ade

I badan her home where she grew to be very rich Th e Egbas
,
.

he a ring O f her death sent to ask the cause O f it T his made the .

Ibadan chiefs wh o were against the cruel deed declare their

, ,

innoce nce l eaving the onus O f it upon the A r e T O S how their .

d ispleasure in the matter the y demanded of the A r e at the pub l i c

3 94 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Om g kg a distant relative was placed over the estat e as the
responsible man but her Sister was the chief manager .

5 . T H E E M UR E WA R .

'

Chief Og ed em g b e bei ng driven o ut O f Iles a gathered aro und

himself a band O f marauders infesting the Ef gn district H e also .

m ade himself O bnoxious t o the I b a d an s by at t acki n g their

tri butary towns being bent upon harassing them in every way
possible F or that purpose he encamped against I s e an Ibadan
'

tributary to wn and it had to apply to Iba dan for help

, On .

the 7 t h of D ecember I 8 74 the A r e sent two of his powerful generals

, ,

I y a p o the S e ri ki a n d I l g r i the Os i to reli eve I s e .

The Are himse l f knowing the impr udenc e o f such an appoint

m ent se nt an elderly chief c a lled Ol up Oyi to go with them as
B aba Is al e (chief adviser) The council o f war was to be h eld in
.

his tent and h e had to order the batt l e H e was their senior I n ag e
, .
~

,
’ '
but far inferior t o the least O f I ya p o s o r I l g r i s capt ai ns .

A wise po l icy this as these young men ref used t o submit t o each '

other al though they agreed to submit to t his Ol d chief I y a p o

, .

was the heir O f the late B al ogun I b ikun l e and was possessed O f ,

all h is father s m en and his m eans Moreover a brave S eri ki

’
.

considers himself second t o the B al og un alone as h e could leap

from the o n e title to the other as his late father d id occupying “
“

as he did the sam e relative position to the young warriors as the ,

B alogun t o the veterans .

I l g r i was the heir of the late B a sg r un Og un m g l a he als o was ,

possessed O f h is father s men and his prestige and considered

’

—
,

himself the senior in ran k being the general comman ding the
'
commander in ch ief s left and gener al ly taken as senior in rank
- ‘

,
.

What they woul d n o t yiel d to each other they agreed t o concede

to this Ol d chi ef o ut of deference t o his age The wi s dom of t h e .

advice o f B al e Or o wrrs i m ay be indirectly noticed here also

‘
.

B u t the fam e and prestige O f I y a p p far eclipsed that O f Il ori ,

and he was virtually the leader O f t h e expedition ; where he en

camped there all encamped and when he struck his tent all were
,

bound t o be on the move .

Og ed em g b e hear i ng of their approach r ai sed the siege O f Ise

and escaped again t o his stronghol d at Ita Ogbol u Th e Ibadan .

army not willin g to return hom e empty handed went against -

E mur e whi ch was gi ving supplies to Og e d em g b e at I s e The .

town was taken the next day but all the fighting men escap ed
“

i n a body .

T h e S eri ki became ill a fter this and it was with di ffic ul ty ,

he could reach I la the san atorium of t h e I b a da n s in all thei r

 T WO A D MI N IST R ATI O N S OF O PP O SITE P O LICI E S 3 95

E kiti and other wars in those parts : there he remained until

he was well enough t o com e hom e
‘

As i t would not be wise for all the army t o remain at Ila until
his recovery they returned hom e on the 1 s t h O f February 1 8 7 5
, , .

The S eri ki was well enough t o leave Ila about six weeks later ;
he arri ved outside the t own w al l O f I badan on the 2 8 t h O f March ,

and there most of the members of the expedi tion who had returned
hom e j oined him to grace his trium ph al entry the next day
The j oy the excitem ent and the enth usiasm attending the
, ,

pageantry of this young man S O moved the whole town that the
li ke of i t had scarcely ever been seen Whilst it stirred the envy
.

of som e to i ts very depth i t excited the admiration O f others

,
.

Thus a you ng m an was heard to say If I enj oy such a glory for

o nly o n e day and I die the next I shall be content
, .

O n the 7 t h of April following died that distinguished veteran

and comm ander in chi ef Ali a form er B alogun O f Iwo who was
- -

expelled by a ci vil fight from I wo to Ibadan .

 CH APT E R X XI I
A NE W R E IG N A ND E V IL P R OG N O STICATI ON S
I . TH E E N D OF A DE L U THE A L AF I N OF OY O AN D
A CC E SSI O N OF AD E Y E MI
K I N G A D E L U di d n o t attain to the age O f his father His acc ession .

was m arked by confusion wars and rum ours of war al l over , ,

‘

the country f or about four years due chiefly t o the I j a y e war and
,

i ts sequels but after this peace and tranqui li ty prevailed except ,

f o r the Ibadan r ai ds and the subj ugation O f the Ij esa and E kiti
provinces .

Towards the end of hi s reign he m et wi th an accident by being

thrown o ff his horse and as a consequence a prolonged illness
,

ensued After his convalescence h e had an attack O f paralysis

.

which was probably du e to internal inj ury sustained by the

fall but i t was generall y attri buted t o poison administered
,

by the Crown Prince who was impatient to com e t o the throne

,

i t was also said that his accom pl ice and agent was the King s ’

favourite wife A l a y g a y g Among all the deni zens of th e royal

.

harem S h e was the on l y one wh o could be term ed Queen for she ,

had the whole vil l age of Awe and half the city of Q Y Q serving her ,
'
a n d the whole O f the King s treasures were at her disposal s o that ,

one could scarcely imagine what co uld have so alienated her

affections as to make her an accessory t o such a crim e I t was .

subsequently discovered , however that the Crown Prince had an ,

il l icit intercourse with her and that S h e was en cezn te by him It

'

was in order to cover her shame and d isgrace there f ore that she , ,

lent herself to the accomplishment O f this double crime an d the ,

m ore rea di l y as the Crown Prince promised her the sam e position
a n d influence when he cam e to the throne as he fully expected ,

he wou l d .

As the King grew worse day by day an d had t o keep his bed for
about a m onth the rumour O f his death began to gain ground
,
.

T hereupon the Qy o M E SI repaired t o the palace and requested

t o see h is maj esty even i n his sick bed in order to be a ssured ,

O f his condi tion Accordingl y he was bolstered up in one O f his

.
,

apartments and the curtain was drawn in order that the noblemen
,

might see him and thus he held his reception for the l a st tim e .

A few days after the beating of the Koso drum and the blowing
,

396
3 98 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
chamber and the fata l c up was pl aced in her hands B ut owing to .

the preventives she had fortified her system wi th the e f fects ,

were neutralized ; t h is was repeated a g ai n and agai n with the ,

same result S O towards sunse t the disappointed relatives in

. ,

order t o prevent an indelib l e di sgrace t o the family had to strangl e

her and then ga ve her a decent funeral The same may be s ai d
, .

m ore or less of all those wh o had r eceived the death cloth .

The A r em g (Crown Pri nce) al so was told to di e but not only ,

did he refuse point blank t o d o so but was also determined to ascend

the throne H is grandfather had abolished the c u s t Om of the
.

Ar em u dying wi th the father his o wn father the monarch n ow

,
’
deceased was his father s A r em g and he succeeded him on the
throne and why then S ho uld he die ? B ut the
, ME SI were
n o t in favour of h is ascending the throne because of his surpassing

cruelties On e instanc e among m any to i l lustrate this

.

A young m an F ol arin by name had a mistress of whom he was

deprived by the A r em g On e day seeing F olari n pass alo n g
‘
-
.
,

the street he sent for hi m and with a heavy blacksmi th s ham m er ’

smashe d his knees and ankles r endering hi m a cripple for li fe ,

and then nic knamed himself Al agb ed e A kes a n ti itun F olari n

’
l gs e To (the A kes an blacksmith who can recast F ol ari n s lim bs )
’
.

B y such deeds he forfeited h is rights t o the thr one which would have ,

been indisputably his had he been as kind and humble as his

father .

In t h e meantim e he was b idding high for it he sec ured t h e ,

suppo rt of the King s Slaves by feasting them on a b u lloc k and

' ‘

a donkey slaughtered every day B ut the Qy o ME SI who rej ected

.

him p u t forward the A sipa (son O f the founder of the town) to

O ppose hi m a nd bo th parti es were in arms
, N ot aware of t h e .

ac tu al fa cts O f the Situation he di stributed arms a nd a mm unition

to all the men O f the Apara Aj agba and Sek e war d s and was
, ,

determined to expel the A sip a fr o m the city that day and demoli sh
h is house The war drum was beatin g and the F am if a m i trumpet
.
,

c alling to arms and he was j ust ready to mount hi s horse when the
B a sg r u n appeared on the scene with about 4 00 m en behi nd him
all unarmed li ke himsel f S aid he to him Your royal highness
. ,

will you pul l down the fab ri c your fa thers have set up Will you
destroy the city your father and grandfather helped to r ai se ? B e
q uiet all will be right
, .

With such s o othing words he dissuaded him from going forwa r d .

B y this time the King s slaves had been won over The B a sg r un
’
.

had scarcely fin ishe d when the Apeka ( the head slave) cam e
on hor sebac k wi th his m en all unarmed H e began wi th My .

lord what is it Why is this

, The A r em e in a rage retorted with
 A NE W R E IG N A ND E VIL P R O G N O STI CATI O N S 399

Away with you Are y o u n o t m y c l ub wh o ought to have been

.

stri king hard for m e by thi s time Is it now to ask such a question
when you ought to be acting
The slaves took exception t o this language O f their master t o
their chief We have noticed in Part I what influe n ce these
.

S O called
-
slaves especial l y the tit l ed ones wi eld as their good
, , ,

wi l l and assent wi t h those O f the membe rs of the harem m ust be

O btained befo r e any election can be consi dered v al id They now .

professed t o be o f fended b ec ause their chief was m etaphori c al l y

styled kum o i e a club a n d they dec l ared O pen l y that they would
“ ”
. .
,

have nothing more to d o with the A r em g They refused to ent er .

his house from that day the cow and the ass were s l aughtered as
usu al and t h e feast prepared but n o one cam e t o partake of it .

The Prince again sent f or the men in the Apara Aj agba S ek e , ,

and A keit an wards wh o were loyal to him their chiefs cam e as in

,

duty bound but their m en h a d been disban ded and not a singl e ,

armed m an c am e with them

’
The Prince was now at his wits end and greatly mortified by ,

seeing h imself deserted by all those who had promised him their
support At last Prince I y a j in his father s uncle sent for h im
.
’

a n d undecei ved him O f his hopes The Oy o ME s I have not

.

elected you and there is the end of it I would advise yo u to leave .

the city qui etly or build a ho use at the outskirts and live ,

there in d ignified retirement .

The Princ e returned hom e m uch depressed and made preparation

to l eave the city H e entered the pal ac e and denuded it Of al l
.

its treasures H e sent se veral loads t o the Bara to be kept there

.

until sent f or and whatsoever he di d not or could not take a way

he smashed and m ade a bonfire Of them in the p al ace c ourtyard ,

and the wells b e fil led with kegs of gun p owder and broken pieces
O f crockery . S ome wi ves of hi s who had o f fended him he con fin ed
i n a closed room with c eilings and had the entrance wa ll ed up
,
.

H e then pr oc eeded t o his farm at A g od o m gb o and u n fettered a

few hundreds O f the s l aves put in stocks there a n d ordered them ,

to car ry all those loads with him to Iba d an The A r e O f Ibadan .

rece ived him with O pen arm s and assigned him a portion O f land
t o b uild o n in the Y em et u quarter .

The late King A D E L U was the first b orn so n O f his fa t her A TI B A .

H e was born when his father was but a youth H e becam e a .

companion t o hi s father in all his tur m oi l s especi al l y when as a ,

private m an A TI B A chose the c a reer of a soldier O f f ortune .

A B E L U was m uch O lder than his brothers as they were bo rn a ,

very long tim e afterwards when their father was in better circum
stances As a son he was very obedi ent and dutiful alway s ready
.
, ,
4 00 THE H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
’
to answe r his father s c al ls whatever he m ay be doing and m any ,

a time whi lst at his m eals H e was a ir absolutely j ust man

.
,

strict t o a fault H e s o abhorred stealing that wi th him robbers

.

had no alternative but instantaneous execution The following .

stories to l d of him will il l ustrate his strictness .

I .A certain young wom an sol d beads on credi t t o a buyer ,

but when the money was not forthcoming in tim e the creditor
went t o demand i t N ot fin ding the debtor at hom e but seeing
.

her beads hanging on a peg in her apartment being determined

t o have either the money or the beads she went in and took her ,

beads away until they sho uld be paid for .

An imperfect re p ort of this cam e to the hearing of the King

representing her as having entered the rooms of another wom an
when she was o u t and taken her beads away The King wi thout
,

f urther enq uiries and proper investigation O f the case ordered

her execution at once H e keenly regretted this afterwards when ,

the whole facts were brought to his knowledge .

2 .H e sent a few O f his slaves for tal l poles t o build his K Ob i .

On their return he saw a y am tied t o the load o f one O f them He .

q uestioned the headman how he came by i t but not being satisfied ,

wi th the plea that it was a gift of a farmer and surmising that they ,

had been taking undue advantage of poor farm ers o ut of privilege

he was determ ined to put a stop t o that custom .

The executioner was immediately at his service and he was

instantly decapitated Thi s incident had the desired e f fect
. .

All through h is reign stealing or taking by vi olence out O f sheer

’
pri vilege so common with the King s slaves was utterly unknown
, , ,

everybody s property was safe

’
.

H is pub l ic executioner wa s cal l ed K olo b o A call at his nam e .

K ot o was usually su ffi cient H e was at his duty at a moment s

’

notice .

H e love d his peopl e and wo uld never allow any O f the pri n ces
to distress the poor with impu n ity A n instance was gi ven of a
. _

p r ince wh o fought with a comm oner and cut O ff one O f h is fingers .

Thi s being reported to his father h e severely reprimanded the'

prince and was determined to exact a full ret aliation O f the de ed

,
.

B ut the constitution of the country forbade him to d is fig u r e a

prince S O he ordered someone to be brought from the family of
his mother as a substitute A young virgin was m et in the house
.

beating corn and she was summ oned t o the p al ace The King .

ordered K Ot O to l op O ff the sam e finger O f the young woman as

that which the prince cut O ff from the m an s hand This was done ’
.
'

instant l y Then s aid the King to her

. It is n ot m y fault it is
your cousin who deprived you of your finger .
4 02 TH E H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
he must be a good m an H e loved and respected the C M S and
. . . .

American Baptist Missionaries at QY Q in his days H e was kind .

and liberal to th em d u ring the I j a ye war when t hey were in

strai tened circumstances H e was un iversally mo urned by his .

people .

A CC E SSI O N O F AD E Y E MI
TH E .

Prince AD E YE MI the fourth son O f A TI B A was elected to the

throne in succession to his eldest brother the late King A D E LU .

H e at firs t declined it in favour of an elder brother A d esiy en who

had a prior right the eldest surviving A d el a b u being at that time
,

an exile at Ibadan and from his character was on no account

,

eligible A d esiyen how ever urged his youn ger brother to accept
.
, ,

i t as he was in bad health and f o r him to have to go through all ,

the ceremonies and wear the crown perhaps for only a few days
would be inconveni ent for al l concerned and for h imse l f al so H e , .

was on a decline from phthisis H e promised however to aid .

AD E Y E MI as m uch as he could wi th his advice and counsel wishing ,

hi m a long and prosperous reign T hen AD E Y E MI accepted the .

O f fer.

A D E Y E M I S accession was acclaimed by the po pul ace wi thout a

’

di ssentient voic e h e being very popular with a l l the people especially

,

wi th foreigners and provincial s All the traders fro m Ibadan

'

.
,

Ab eokuta Ij ebu and elsewhere used to lodge in his house and

, ,

all used to partake O f his hospitality AS a prince his weakness .

,

was drink not that he di d i t t o excess but he was in the habit O f ,

visiting the brewers O f n ative m al t li quor every day wi th numerous

followers and would satisfy them all at his own expense H ence his .

pop ul arity and uni versal acceptance H igh hopes were therefore
-

.
, ,

entertained O f a happy and prosperous reign f or one who was a

friend to all .

B ut n o sooner had he ascended the throne than an evil reign was

prognosticated for him As usual the divination was sent from
.

the sacred city Ile I f e The I G B A I WA consisting of t wo covered

‘

calabashes i dentical in shape and Si ze simi l arl y dr aped but the ,

contents of which were di f ferent were brought before him The one .

contained money (cowries ) cloth beads etc indicating a happy , , , .

,

and prosperous reign t h e other gunpowder bull ets razor knife

, , , , ,

mi ni at ure S pears and arrows indi cating wars and turmoi l s H e was , .

to choose one and by his choice determine the fate of the Yoruba
kingdom U nfortunately he chose the latter and from that time
.

evi l days were he l d to be in store f o r the country T his was fulfil led .

by the troubles initiated by the A r e of Ibadan which culminated ,

in the protracted I 6 years war which involved the whole Of the

’
 A NE W R E IG N A ND E V IL P R O G N O STICATI O N S 4 03

Yoruba country and ended by the B ri tish protectorat e and the loss
of the Yoruba People o f their absolute independence .

Th e sword O f state o r rather O f j ustice was also sent from

Ile I f e which every sovereign must have before he can order an

execution .

The following were the sons born t o AD E Y E MI before he ascended

the throne z— Adelakun (the A r em g ) A j uan A k er e I Ak ere I I , , ,

Tela K un d uke T ela K a n ka n si and Orig a d e Adelakun however

, ,
.
, ,

was his natural son and consequently i t was A j u a n s mother that

’

was created an Ilari and raised t o the title of I y a l a gb g n .

§ 2 . I B A D A N RAI D S ON TH E CO N F I N E S O F T H E K I N G D O M
TH E WO R U TI E X PE D ITI O N
At this time there was peace all over the Yoruba country trade b e ,

tween the coast and in teri or was brisk caravans went to Ab eokuta ,

from the interi or every day and t o Ij ebu via Ibadan once a m onth ,
.

Th ese l i ttora l tribes however would not al l ow those from the interior
,

to pass on to the coast but traders from the coast can travel in
,

safety right on t o the N iger and B ida T h e I b a d a n s were now at .

the zenith O f their gl ory A ll the Ij esa and E kiti t ri bes and some
.

O ke Ogun towns pai d their t r ibutes regul arly and from the easy ,

victory O f the Ar e s first expe d i tion all the tribes dreaded the power
’

of the I b a d a n s and gave 11 0 cause o f O f fence an d the A r e himself

, ,

was very m uch elated being almost i do lized by the war boys
, .

In the midst of this profound peace the A r e and h is chiefs on

the 2 6 t h of N ovember I 8 75 started on his second expedition
, ,

for s l ave hunting They proceeded to the E kiti country direct

-
.

v ia I l a and encamped at Y a h a p a S eeing such a large hostile .

force menacing a l arge number O f the E kit is concentrated their

,

forces at Ij es a Ab ay efor self protection The p lace was taken wi th .

out much O pposition B ut the expedition was intended against

.

Aiyede the c apital city O f E su the Ata lord of the Yagba and Akoko ,

tribes in the con fines of the Yoruba country N orth eastwards -

.

B u t ere thi s large army reached Aiyede that city and its environs
had been deserted I t is said that the Ata was rather their friend
.

and not a foe and nothing but plunder hunger took them there
, .

S ome of the Ibadan chiefs therefore had privately sent and , ,

appri zed the Ata O f the coming danger which he would never
be ab l e to O ppose and therefore he S hould at once S eek safety in
,
’
fli ght S om e escaped t o a distance O f five days j ourn ey knowing
.

the ferocious way the I b a d a n s have O f pursuing their prey The .

At a h imself escaped to Om u Ij elu a town supposed then t o be ,

impregnable B uilt on a high hi l l strongl y walled and surrounded

.
, ,
4 04 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
by a thorny thicket the pathway for entering the town being
,

narrow and well g uarded It had successf ul ly repulsed three

.

attacks before and therefore was considered safe Finding .

Aiyede deserted the Ibadan S eriki who led the way tracked the
,

fugitives t o this place H e had a pre l iminary skirmish that evenin g

.

and he encamped at the foot O f the hill awaiting his chiefs In .

course O f the night the B alogun and after wards the A r e arrived
, ,
'

and next morning the Seriki went t o pay his respects t o them
awaiting orders B ut as he was returning to his tent and hi s drum
.

was rolling K ir in iun Onibudo before him the warboys thought ,

he was going to the battlefield The S eri ki is going the S eriki

.
;

is going flew from mouth t o mouth and imm ed iate l y the gre at
host not waiting any longer f or orders from t h e leaders rushe d
after this young and intrepid general himself being borne along wi th
,

th em unable to reach his tent to put on his war dress ; these were
,
-

brought to him in the field In one assault the thorny t h ickets

.

were crumbled like matchwood under the feet O f myriads Qm u ,

was taken and E s u the At a brought a pri soner before the

'

Are .

The i l lustrious captive wa s kindly treated by the Ibadan chiefs ,

but the Ilorin army (which accompanied them ) requested the A r e

t o hand him over to them as their mortal foe This the I b a d an s .

”
positively refused t o do I t is not our custom said they to
.
,

put t o death a fall en leader or hero This refusal created a

.

disa f fection between the I b a d a ns and I l orins which the latter were
determined t o avenge whenever an opportunity O ffered .

Om u was after all a very small town a n d the Ibadan host a

large an d insatiable one the Are and the B alogun therefore
,

returned to their base at Y a h a p a and al l owed the S eriki to lead

the young men further on in search O f prey .

The next p l ace attacked was Ikol e They had a preliminary .

S kirmish in the evening of their arriva l before retiring to prepare

f o r a reg ul ar pitched batt l e the next d a y but at moon l ight the
I k ole people deserted the town a n d sought refuge by fli ght to
various places The Ilorins wh o were well acquainted with their
.

haunts di d very well for themselves in the pursuit but the others ,

wh o did not fare s o well scattered themse l ves throughout the

le ngth and breadth of the Akoko country like hungry wolves
seeking for prey The people hid themselves in caves ravines
.
, ,

and in den s some escaped as far as t o Egb e The I b a d a ns pursued

,
.

’
on and on until they reached the border O f the E mir O f B ida s
territory There they came up with som e o f the B ida cavalry wh o
.

questioned the leading c h iefs as to their authority for trespassing

’
in King I m or u s territory They apologi zed and after an exchan g e
.
,
4 06 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
not the Ibadan born but the Ij esa and E kiti slaves wh o were sent
,

with messages t o their own native towns

A S soon as each one gets outs ide the Ibadan town walls he
secures t o himse l f the services O f a dru mmer and fif er and a
bard to sing the praises O f his master as if the latter were coming
he collects behind him i d l e fellows wh o follow n o regu l ar
empl oyment and he moves as a little chief aping the master wh o
sent him When he enters a town he asks for the Ibadan Aj el e
.

there and introduces himself as the messenger o f such and such a

chief the Aj el e is t o introduce him to the authorities O f the town
,

wh o will assign him quarters for lodging The landlord has t o .

defray all expenses O f the keep O f this messenger and his followers
who will remain there as long as they like time being no O bj ect t o ,

them . The best local dishes with chicken or mutt on must be

provided every day with pots O f local beer or palm wine The .

master of the house has to levy on al l the inmates for the contri
b u t io n of their share even to the old women who lived on spinning
,

cotton f o r thei r keep none is exempted all are to contribute their

, ,

quota N or is this all : cruelty vanity debauchery were more

.
, ,

common with them than otherwise A l andlord would be compel l ed

.

t o wai t on them at meal s at times holding the lamp in his han d

,

for them and sometimes the lamp is placed on his head making hi m
as i t were a lamp post whilst they are partaking of his h OS p it alit y !
F orcing their women raping their girls r iflin g their valuables
, , ,

are common causes of complaints and t h ey g en er a lly return to,

Ibadan with booty as from a raid Wh o dares touch the messenger

.

Of a great Ibadan chief ? Thus all the I b g l os under their pro

t ect ion the I j esa s E kit is Y a g b a s and A ko kos were groaning under
, , , ,

the yoke O f Ibadan not from paying tribute which was only
,

nominal but from the excesses O f these messen gers who wer e their
,

own sons .

Thoughtful men at Ibadan hearing this recal l ed the advice of ,

‘
the late Bal e Or o wrrs i and his policy n ow reversed by the A r e _
.

It was found that the messen gers of the A r e and of the B al ogun
were the greatest O ffenders in this business leading the country
into the vortex of a revolution The other chiefs foreseeing
.

the evil remonstrated with their leading chiefs but these from
, , ,

what they profited by these messengers would not check them .

Matters ca m e t o a crisis in October and N ovember 1 8 76 when the

minor chiefs made m atters t oo hot for the leading chiefs and
compelled them t o put a stop to these enormities Three O f these .

messengers were caught decoying people from the p rovinces to

Ibadan to be sold B eing brought before the council and convicted
.
,

two were executed at the B a sor un market (the usual place of

 A NE W R E IG N A N D E V IL P R O G N OSTI C ATI O N S 407

execution) and the third outside the north eastern (o r Iwo ) gate the ,

highway t o their hunting grounds as a warning to other messengers

The eff ect ho w
.

ever was Only slight and transient the fee l ings in ,

the provinces were by n o means allayed .

4 . TH E C IVIL M URD E R O F C H I E F A I J E N K U T H E F OH OK O .

The A r e now began t o evince more and more the char act eristics
of a K akanfo E xperience has shown us that a Kakan fo always
.

caused trouble at home and abroad T heir paths were always .

m arked with blood We have only t o reca l l the history O f .

A f g n j a of I l g r in E dun O f Gbogun and Oj o A m ep o who were

,

r ivals ,of K ur umi O f I j a y e among others ; and now L a t os is a

of Ibadan was on the same track His primary Obj ect was .

to suppress all the leading chiefs wh o were his equals or superiors ,

and the first man t o feel his power was Chief Aij en ku that Ol d and
exp erienced war chief wh o had made a nam e in the field when the
-

A r e was nowhere H e was the only check on him at the commence

.

ment o f his administration Aij en ku was amongst the first .

settlers Of Ibadan H e entered the town on horseback being then

.

a li ttle chief H e was a powerful man as we saw that he alone

.

O pposed the who l e forces O f the Egbas before I j a y e when Ogun ,

m gl a and the other chi efs were absent at I wa wun (vide Chap .

xviii ) and although fortune did not set him at the head O f affai r s
,

yet he was as he had always been one who cou l d not be overlooked
, ,
.

H e was never a private man at Ibadan H e was the A saj u for .

Ol uy g l e the first B a sg r u n when the A r e was only a pa l m tree

dresser And a l though fortune had now raised La t os is a the A r e
,

ab ove him yet A ij en ku was l i ke a king in his own quarter of the

,

town where he was acknowledged loved and venerated by all

, , ,

the Oke A s a p eople a tribe in the E kun Os i provi nce now resident
,

at Ibadan A ij en ku at the pub l ic meetings in course of debate

.

O ften told the chiefs o f the administrations of former distingui shed

ru l ers that made Ibadan what it was to d ay This the A r c} and .

others O f grasping propensities li ke him never liked to hear and ,

the A r e in particular was e ver on the look out for an opportunity

”
of putting an end to thi s historian .

Aij en ku on t h e other hand whenever he S poke di d so boldly

as one who b y a g e experience and past services in many a b l oody
.
, ,

field was competent t o gi ve them advice H e had little sympathy .

even amongst the j unior chiefs who were all a f fected with the ,

prevai ling av arice ; for h e was said to be of an irritable temper ,

t o o bold and pointed in his remarks and when he reproved , ,

did so without respect of person or rank ; a n d being so c a pable a

warrior there was a l a t en t fear that if this man was backed up and
4 08 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B A S

eventually placed at the head O f the government he wo uld rule

with rigour and becom e oppressi ve .

At l ength an O pportunity af forded itse l f for taking revenge on

this chief and the A r e and the other ch iefs were n o t Sl ow to make
,

use of it I g b aj g was o n e Of the tributary towns under him The

. .

peopl e of that town being dissatisfied wi th their ruling chi ef

deposed him and appointed another A r eg b aj o The depose d .

came to Ibadan t o ask the aid Of the Ibadan government t o

reinstate him The A r e and the other chiefs were for reinstating
.

him but A ij en ku was O pposed t o that measure and gave his

,

reasons H e s poke in his usual authoritative way which o f fended

.

his brother chi efs and hence on the 1 3 th of January 1 8 7 7 he was , ,

rej ected by all the chiefs in the public meeting and that dec l ar ation ,

was confirmed by his being deprived O f all the towns hitherto

tributary t o him inc l udi ng this very I gb aj g H e bore h is h u m ili
, .

ation patient l y and the next day ( 1 4 t h ) went t o the adj ourned
m eeting wi th a few slaves t o O f fer t o the assembly in payment O f
fines and t o ask t o be pardoned The chiefs refused to pardon
, .

him they further disgraced him ; he had to return home dis

,

appointed and wi th a heavy heart B ut what roused the O l d .

Lion t o desperation was the attempt to deprive him O f the to ll s O f

the Ab eokuta gate Th is was on the 2 0t h O f Januar y when the
.
,

chiefs sent other gatemen there and drove his men away H e ,
.

was exasperated beyond measure and was resol ved upon civil ,

war come what may

, S aid he The Abeokuta road was
.
-

O pened at the peri l of m y life The scars in my body and my dis .

figured hands were the result of that special con flict when none O f
the present chi efs was in existence and while I am living n o on e ,
”
will deprive me of this H e drove away those wh o had displ aced
.

his men and resorted to arms defyi ng anyone who would O ppose ,

him H e roused the t own t o action by permitting the women in

.
r

his district to sing 0 di ori Od i asa ko l e wg l e ko gbe eiye ,

le (next t o an impossibility the hawk cannot enter into the ,

house to take away a pigeon) Meaning that no one would dare .

face their chi ef in his own house .

The town was in commotion the excitement in that part O f the ,

town was very great but n o one came forward to O ppose him The
,
.

C M S agents waited on the A r e to express their regrets for the

. . .

events O f the day The A r e made only a c ursory remark on the

.

subj ect H e said It is the public that is against him not I

.
, ,

and we were surp rised t o hear that h e was in arms against whom , ,

we know n o t .

K nowing his might the chiefs moved cautiously to undermine

,

his great power N othing was done ti l l the followin g Monday the
.
4 TO THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S
I did not at firs t expect that matters would come t o this crisis ,

but having come up t o such a p a ss I restrained my people from ,

fighting as I was unwil l ing t o shed a drop of blood in a town of

which I was among the foremost of the sett l ers and where I built ,

houses and where I was blessed with wives and children This is
, .

the third compound I have built at Ibadan If I had chosen to .

go I have friends at Ab eokuta who migh t receive me with open

,

arms and wh o will dare pursue me if I leave the town ? B ut I

prefer t o die here and t o have an honourable bur i al
, .

’
-

B ut al as the chief s troubles were n o t over T h e matter was

, .
_

revived again by some of the ill dispo sed At one O f the public -

meetings of the council it was insinuated by some that if he .

“

is not finished up wi th s uch a man like that a turn of the wheel

, ,

of fortune may one day place hi m at the top and woe beti de any ,

one of us or o ur offspring then l iving .

His slaves who had sought the protection of other mas ters ,

seeing their master now at home began to return one by one to ,

him S O it was resolved by the chiefs in council that he should

.

not receive them again but that each sho ul d return permanently
to their temporary masters The fallen chief submitted to this .

also Yet sti l l at a meeting O f the 1 2 t h February 1 8 77 word was

.
, ,

sent to him that i t was resolved that he should die

have I done ? asked he of the messengers They replied
hat e l se
We
W
.
,

do n o t know we are only sent to tel l you t o die

,
”
A ij en ku went .

’
again to Taj o s house where he had taken refuge before to ask ,

for his interference again but this chief had been forewarned
not to meddle in this m atter again and therefore he did not ,

S how his face t o his doomed friend The Master is not at home .

is a wel l understood phrase and the veteran soldier overpowered, ,

wi th gri ef went home gave his last orders t o his chil dren and
,
'

retired finall y to rest by b l owing out his o wn brains This was

, .

the second cold b l ooded murder perpetrated by the A r e

-
.

P L O T A GAI N ST T H E S E R I K I I Y A P O
'

5 .

S trange as i t may seem yet so it wa s that the young and ,

intrepid S e ri ki I y a p o was one of the principal agents in b o un din g

the l ate chief to death On e would have supposed that the chief
.

being the A r ea go r o or A lter E g o O f his own father in his days he ,

would have looked up t o him as a second father B ut it seems .

I y a p o fe l t that his own glory wou l d not be comp l ete while this O l d
chief was al ive and that the house O f A ij en ku shoul d l ook up to
,

him as supreme in that quarter of the town as i t did in the days of

his father whi ch coul d hard l y be the case whi l e the O l d chief was
a li ve B ut retributive j ustice soon overtook him also
. The . .
 A NE W R E IG N A ND E VIL P R O G N O STICATI O N S 41 1

m ain obj ect of the A r e being to suppress a l l who could successf ully
O ppose his designs the S eriki I y a p o was not exempt from his
,

ban and he readily raked up charges and accusations against him .

I y a p o was one O f those engaged in the plunder O f the house

of the late A ij en ku H e was now accused of having in his possession
.

a basket O f beads which had belonged to the late chief and ,

although it was given up on demand yet the chiefs were resolve d ,

upon his overthrow for his independent and defiant attitude .

I t would seem as I f the virtue of gratitude was at a discount at

Ibadan in those days f o r the A r e himself was much beholden
,

t o this young and v a l oro us chief when there Wa s an insurrection ,

a gainst him for his overthrow on account O f his atrocit ies ,

but
f or I y a p o he certain l y would have put an end to his own li fe .

Instead of succouring h im now he j oined the others and t u rned ,

against him .

J ust a fortnight after the death of A i j en ku I y ap o was impeached ,

at the m eeting Of the chiefs and was told either t o quit the town
,

or die The young and brave general was determined not to

.

pay a ny fines but if needs be t o fight it out Fines only whet their
,
.

appetites f or greater demands and they are never satisfied ,

until they have seen the las t O f their victims H e had the cases O f .

A j g b g the Lady Ef fiset a n and the lat e A ij en ku before him

, , ,

he therefore stood by his guns and defied them a ll .

Unfortunately for him his Own brothers j oined in the pl ot

,

against hi m and on threatening them they fled to the A r e for

,

protection !
B ut the elders O f the Ar e s house wai ted on him and reminded
’

him O f the good and loyal services I y ap o had rendered him in the
pas t and they prevailed upon hi m to relent and not to proceed
, ,

to the extremity with him for really he had done nothing u n

,

pardonable He listened favo u rably to them and the I y a p o

.
,

a ffair was lulled for a while .

B ut the inte ntion was not given up for wit hi n two m onths it ,

was revived again and again suppressed each of the chiefs dis
, ,

claiming any responsibili ty for the rumour But sti l l they were .
,

onl y fee ling their way for I ya p o was too influentia l a man to be
,

overpowered suddenly The Ar e s chief grievance a gainst hi m

.
’

was that I y a p o had usurped his rights because he woul d a ll ow no ,

con fiscation of houses in hi s quarter Whoever o f fended b e .

punished himself for which purpose he always kept a bundle of

,
'

a to r z whips in h is house Those great chiefs who enriched themselves

.

by plundering and con fis c a t in g people s houses as a punishment for ’

slight o f fences found they coul d not d o so in I y ap o s quarter ’

.

The whole of m y qu arter consists of but one compound and I

41 2 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S
am the head of it he used to say N O outside interference was
, .

allowed and any head O f a compound convicted of any O ffence he

,

punished h imself T h e A r e had cause to hate him for this

. .

The B a l ogun also eyed hi m suspicious l y as potentia ll y a usurper

of his title for the A r e more than once threatened to depose him
,

and transfer the tit l e to I y a p o The Otun was not even taken to
.

”
account he was regarded as white feathered
,
-
The Os i and the
.

S e ri ki were riva l s both equal in age each the head of their father s
’

, ,

house and commanded their m eans and men the Osi s tit l e was
,
’

’
higher but I y a p g s influence was gr eater and so it was that he
, ,

was positive l y hate d by t h eprincipal leading chiefs b ut none had ,

the courage to face him .

41 4 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
apprise the Egba chiefs O f their movement and obj ect before the
expedition left the responsib l e chiefs of Ab eokuta l ike Ogundip e
, ,

and others p ai d no heed t o the hue and cry that wa s being made .

B ut the great maj ority of them at a meeting at S o d eke street

decided to C lose the roads agai nst Ibadan and forbid especially
the exportation of salt and foreign goods .

A j a g u n j eu n the Ba l ogun of Itoko took the lead and went to the

caravan town gate t o turn the Ibadan traders back home and
t o see that those already in the town leave empty handed .

T his was reall y the first hostile act that led up eventually to
’
the 1 6 years war which involved practically the whole Yoruba
,

country and caused s o much loss O f lives and much distress

, ,

and misery and destruction of towns subj ugation O f the I j eb us

, ,

by the B ritish Government reduction of the mili tary power of ,

Ibadan the placing O f a B ritish R esident in that town and of

, ,

D istrict Commissioners in the principal towns of the Yoruba

country .

§ 2 T H E FI R ST A C T O F WA R .

’
The Ar e s avarice and ambition at this time were unbounded .
.

H is ambition was t o eclipse the fame of the two greatest chiefs

o f undying memory at Ibadan viz I b iku n l e and Ogunmola (his

late m aster ) who both left a name behind them and sons who ,

uphe l d the fam e and greatness of their father To this end he .

sought occasion first ag ai nst I l ori Og un m g l a s son and then

’

ag ai nst S eri ki I ya p o I biku n le s son If he could reduce these men

,
’
.

wh o ec l ipsed himself in all that made for feudal greatness and

glory his own star wou l d then shine undimmed
,
.

F urther he n o w undertook to organi ze a mi l itary band for h is

,

own house raising some O f the principal slaves to power a n d

,

greatness some of them commanding from 4 00 t o

, soldiers
each horse and foot and accumula t ed al so a v as t store of a m m un i
,

tion in his own house Also he put up his eldest son as a rival .
_

to the other Mog a j is in the town and organi zed a military band ,

for him and a guard consisting of the sons of the well to do men
,
-
— -

in the town .

T hese doings O f the A r e did not escape the observation of the

chiefs It seemed to them that the A r e wanted to perpetuate
.

the administration of Ibadan in his own family and they were ,

'

determined to resist this with all their might The A r e on .

the other hand was m uch e l ated with his mi l itary organi zation ,

and he made it clear that he was bent on an enterprise which he

was determined to prosecute to a successful issue with or without
the help of his chiefs .
 TH E C O MM E N C E M E N T OF TH E SI X TE E N Y E A R S ,
WA R 41 5

On the 2 st h of June 1 8 7 7 the A r e declared at the meeting of the

, ,

Town Council that as the Egbas first shut their gates a gainst
Ibadan since the 3 r d of Ju n e they must now shut theirs against the
Egbas and 1 7 days hence commence hostilities
,
.

T h e C hiefs one and a ll remonstrated with him against this

enterprise but he was obdurate Messengers were des patched
,
.

t o their neighbours the I j eb u s I l orins the I j esa s E kit is and If es

, , ,

telling them of the impending struggl e and requesting their co

O peration The ca s u s belli were stated as follows :
That they on l y performed an act of loyalty to w
.

I
. ards the King
by sending to Porto N ovo t o bring home ammunition he had bought
there when the Egbas refused to se l l to them
,
.

2
. They never trespassed on Egba terri tory nor gave any cause ,

of O ffence to any and yet the Egbas resented their action by closing
,

their roads against forbidding all trade and intercourse with

them .

3
. H undreds O f their peop l e wh o went t o Ab eokuta for trade
had been stolen and sold into slavery which alone gave them the
ri ght to demand redress .

B ut before the return of the messengers the Egba chiefs sen t

their ambas sadors h eaded by one Lea s u t o negotiate peace and
on the 1 2 t h of July 1 8 7 7 a full meeting was convened to hear them
, , _
.

B ut Lea s u proved himse l f most u nfit t o play the part entrusted

to him he spoke disrespectfu l ly and in an i mpertinent manner ,

a d d r es s rn g the A r e by nam e but his own head chief by his title,

Al ati se The C hiefs were indignant at this and the S eriki I ya p o

.

at once confronted him with You ought rather be gone as you

are most unfit t o discharge the duties of a m essenger Why did .

you not cal l your o wn chief Og fid ip e by name but by his title Ala t i se ,

but our own chief you keep calling by name La t os is a ? Th at is

his nam e true but he has a title and he is the ruler of this town
, .

If you can not do him respect we will S how you the gate .

Leas u had to l eave the town the next day wi thout a reply to
his message .

Whi l st the chiefs were for negotiation the A r e was bent on ,

hosti l ities H e found in this a ff ai r a p l ausible pretext for a thing he

.

had l ong premeditated to carry out viz the s ubj ugation of Ab eo ,

kut a as the first step towards brin ging the who l e country again
under one h ead .

S eeing t h e storm brewing the native m i s s ro n a r res I n a body

interviewed him and endeavoured t o dissuade him from prosecuting
his m ad proj ect They pointed out to hi m that the thing coul d not
.

be done as the Egbas were well supplied wi th breach —loading guns

,

which are terrible weapons of precision whilst he had none H e , .

41 6 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
laughingly rep l ied And with m uzzle loading ones will I break -

them . They further remonstrated with him saying Qt e

a l a d u g b o k o dara
(warfare between neighbours is a great evil ) .

H e received them hitherto with his usual smiles and a f fability ,

extenuating his actions etc but now all of a sudden (probably , ,

thinking they were moved thereto by the C hiefs ) he grew stern and
resolute not to say fierce (his K akanfo blood seemingly flying
,

into his head) and he sai d I am going to perform a task which

God has allotted to me to d o and those who say they sha l l see that ,

I do not accompl ish i t will not live to see it done as done it shall ,

be and when I have finished there shall be no more wars f o r

,

ever in the Yoruba country H ow truly prophetic h is words .

turned out to be but how di fferently from what he intended

,

them to be .

K id n app ing E xp edition t o t h e E g ba f a r ms — The A r e was as

determined to commence hostilities as the chiefs were against
it H ence at the meeting of the Town Council on the 3 I s t J ul y
.
,

he said to the chiefs There is no subject for discus sion tod ay

,

but you should all go home and prepare f o r a kidnapping expedi tion
t o the Egba farms to morrow morning The B alogun and the
-

other chiefs were against the proposal they said they were not ,

prepared for such a big undertaking B ut the A r g coolly returned .

this ironical answer V ery well as you are not prepared you can
, ,

have as m uch time at home as you wish meantime I g o and perhaps , ,

by the tim e I return you may then be ready This sarcastic .

reply was felt and each o n e went home for a hasty preparation
,

f o r the morrow .

T h e A r e led out the Ibadan host t o the Egba farms on the

I s t August and captured Atadi and Alagbar a and pushed on as
, , ,

far as A r a kan g a behind the gates O f Ab eokuta an d captured a ,

young bride there The Egbas were not prepared for this At
. .

the instance O f Chief Ogundip e they were about t o send a nother

ambas sador t o undo the mischief done by Le a s u but this attack ,

o n their farms and villages put an end to their pacific intentions .

As it was now evi dent that war was inevitable the I j eb us t o ,

S how on which side their sympathy lay recalled their A g uri n at ,

Ibadan a sign O f declaration of war

, .

The Are with reference to A b eg kut a said TO O large for a close

siege b ut f or that reason the more vulnerable to famine His .

plan was to swoop down on the farms now and again cut o ff ,

supplies preven t cultivation and thus reduce the place by

, ,

famine H ence in his expeditions the main Obj ect was to destroy
.
,

foodstu ffs fire the barns cut down standing corn chop in pieces
, , ,

ya rn and other tube rous foodstuffs .

41 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
The matter was suppres sed for the time being but in less than a ,

month i t broke out ag ai n Th e insurrection was fixed for the I s t

.

of N ovember b ut the secret was divulged agai n by the notorious

S o l al u .

The A r e was terribly ill at ease B efore the morning of t h e I s t

.

N ovember he had left home for his farm wi th his slaves armed .

S ome s urmised that i t was his intention t o escape from Ibadan ,

but where to go to H e had o f fended all their great neighbours

. .

R es tless I n the farm he ret urned to town H e made li ttle acco unt
, .

of all the chiefs except the B alogun and the S eri ki each of whom was .

a match for him In his perplexity he resorted to Chief Mos a d er in

.

the brother of the B al ogun with two slaves and valuable presents
, ,

beggi ng him to use his influence with the B alogun for good on
his behalf H e succeeded Chief Mo s a d er in call ed his br other
. .

and remonstrated wi th him What have you as compared

.

with the A r e in slaves o r wealth to satisfy the greedy ap petite

of Ibadan chiefs ? I f he is overthrown to day i t wi ll devol ve -

upon you to morrow to assume the reins Of government and

-

i t will not be long before the same m easure is meted out to you .

A n d the S eri ki with whom you are in league have you forgotten ,

that he was the one aspiring to your title when the A r e threatene d
lat ely t o depose you ? Will you be able to m anage him if you
become the B ale and he the B alogun R emember that h is father
was a native O f Ogbom oso and descended from an E s o H e will .

soon as pire t o become a K akanfo as by right an d what 1 5 to becom e ,

O f y o u then

In this way Mos a d er in won the B alogun over t o the Are and
’
on the latter 3 ret urn from his farm the B alogun called on him in -

the even i ng .

Th e Are almost beside himsel f wi th j oy greete d him with

, Aye ,

my brother and companion in arms you have a l most done for m e I ,

H aving won over the Balogun he was determined not to spare the
"

S eriki The latter hearing that the B alogun called on the A r e

.

called also hi mself the next day but the A r e refused t o see him,
.

H e returned home under a shower of stones from the Ar e s S laves ’

'
.

S eeing that evil was determined against the S eriki the other
chi efs tried to interpose on his b eh alf xb ut the A r e was resolute .

H e was determined to ri d himself of on e whose po wer and

influence had always m ade hi m uneas y .

On the 4 t h of N ovember the A r e declared that he pardoned him ,

but this was a ruse to get him into his power for he instructed ,

his slaves to shoot him down when he least expected dan ger ,
.

The S eri ki who had friends amongst the Are s slaves heard Of i t ’

and never committed him s elf in t o his han ds The A r g could n o t .

 TH E C O MM E N CE ME N T OF T H E SI X TE E N Y E A R S ’
WA R 41 9

treat him however as he tr eated the late A ij en ku and all measures

, , ,

adopted to get at him and kill him suddenly failed S O he had ,

.

recourse to depr i ving him of his brave men H e deposed hi m .

from his title conferring the sam e on Aj ayi q n gb ekun his Otun .

The notorious S ol al u the Os i S e r i ki he m ade the Otun A m g wo .

' ’
one o f I y a p g s brave men he made the Os i S eri ki I ya p g s B ada ,

he m ade his o wn and so of all his principal fighting m en thereby

, ,

weakening his hands i f he m eant to fight and having done this ,

he sent to him to die .

Aj ayi however was reluctant to supe rsede his chief so the

, , ,
'

A r e sent to him to t ake with him On e wif e on e h or s e a nd on e ,

g r oom and leave the town .

On I y a p o hearing this he sent at once to Aj ayi advising him

I know that I a m a doomed man said he
”
t o accept the title . ,

an d I mus t not involve you in m y ruin as for me my father ,

was an Egg and I was born a n Egg and like an Egg I will die , .

H e summoned his brothers together and gave them his las t ,

charge all being present excepting A kin t g l a the next to him H e

,
.

dis tributed h is propert y t o his sons and daughters left directions ,

about the family property (to whi ch he added something) an d how

’
to keep up the glory of the house an d their father s name etc , .

In the meantim e he ordered his grave an d his coffin to be prepared ,

and having inspected and approved O f both and having thus set ,

his house in order on the evening of the 1 7 th N ovember 1 8 77

, , ,

this young and brave general entered his bedroom and put an ,

end to his li fe 1
When the news got abroad the consternation and agi tation,

All the young Moga j is I y a p g s

’
in the town were indescri bable .

comrades quaked and trembled They combined and took a solemn

.

oath of mort al hatred of the A r e for the death of I y ap o ,

and a determ ination to avenge it They agreed never to win for .

him a battle or con quer a hamlet until he was dead and gone
, .

Thus the A r e by putting an en d to the life of such brave men as

A ij en ku and I y a p o started the decadence of Ibadan military
power His chief motive was a selfish one t o immortali ze his own
.
,

nam e and exal t his family ne ver taking into account what provi
dence m ay have decreed for him .

TH E S U CC E SSI O N or A K I N TQ L A
After the death of I y ap o A kin t g l a his brother succeeded him
,

as the head of the house but of course n ot to his title nor t o any
publi c title at all as the A r e was determined to diminish if not
,
'
extinguish the glory of I b ikun l e s house That quarter of the .

town of whi ch that house was the centre was broken up al l the ,
42 0 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
strong chiefs therein being assigned to several petty chiefs so that
A kin t o l a was left with n o following and had none t o depend upon
’
but his father s slaves But all the same he felt that none was equal
.

t o him among all the C hiefs in that quarter and that the prestige
of his father s house was in no way ob l iterated he knew that the
’

Lion of the Master of Camps will one d ay a r is e and shake ,

up himself in all his former power ; but for the present he had to
bow to the inevitable .

§ 4 F UR T H E R RAI D I N G E X P E D ITI O N O N E G B A FA R MS
. .

On the 1 ot h N ovember 1 8 77 the Balogun was sent out to , ,

rai d the Egba farms and he ravaged those that lay near the I j eb us .

On the 2 8 t h D ecember he went northwards against those that lay

,

in the direction of Ib erekodo and an attempt was even made t o

capture a village c alled a t ed o at the confluence O f the
and O fiki ri vers B ut t h e rivers were swo l len and the I b a d a n s
.
‘

having waded waist deep were compelled to retreat before the

steady fir e of the men of the place who posted themselves behind ,

the large trees growing alo ng the Side of the river and prevented ,

their gaining the opposi t e ban k T h e B alogun being ill in the .

camp they could n o t renew their e f forts The expedition returned .

hom e o n the 1 7 th of January 1 8 78 the B alog un being borne on , ,

a litter.

A NI N E DAYS RAI D I N G ’
E X P E D ITI O N
On the B al ogun s recovery from his illness the A r e proposed
’

another expedition and was determined to m ake a lon ger stay

in the Egba farms this time and thus draw them out to a fight .

H itherto the raids lasted only three days each time and only the
Ibadan war chiefs were concerned but n o w he proposed inviting
-

outside help as well F or that purpose he sent the Otun to clear

.

the road leading t o A r awo that is a place midway between Ibadan

,

an d Abeokuta on the caravan route H e also invi ted the war .

chiefs of I f e M odak ek e an d other subj ect towns H e could not

_

.
,

count upon the complete loyalty of the Ibadan war chi efs because -

O f their opposition to this enterprise and because he knew how ,

deeply he had o f fended most of them but he knew the cOur a g e

and intrepidi ty Of the If es an d relied more on them The expe di .

tion left Ibadan on the 2 4 t h of March 1 8 7 8 and encamped next ,

day at A l a kis a a few miles beyond A r awo H aving this for their .

base they ravaged the farms on the right as far as Ib er ekodo an d

o n the left as far as they could go They lived on the s p oI ls of .

the farm and destroyed the rest setting the barns on fire The ,
.

Egbas however did not Show their faces but contented themselves
, ,
42 2 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
of the wa r chi efs deserted the A r e s o that no one could be accused
-

of cowar di ce The chi efs knew the risks they were running
.

by thus exposing themselves t o be enveloped and t aken but

they could not have done otherwise ; that was the only way to
'

accomplish their plot and bri ng the A r e to reason .

It is n ow evident the day was lost and as t h e A r e began to ,

'

retreat the rush became general and the Egbas pressed hard in
The camp was a long wa y off nearly a day s j ourney
’
pursuit .
, ,

and hun dreds di ed O f t h irst The A r e and the veterans about hi m .

‘

retreated in good order or let us rather say were all owed to retreat
,

in good order for i f Ogun di pe and the Egba war chi efs had deter
,
-

mined to press hard in p ursui t the Ibadan army would have been
an nihilated but the war Chi efs on either Side knew secretly th e
,
-

game they were playing About 2 p m the A r e expressed a desire . . .

to say hi s afternoon prayers B y al l means sai d the B alogun .

,

you can do s o The B alogu n then di smounted and expandi ng

.

his arms in the di rection O f the pursuers he said to them Fire all
”
your shots here B ut S anusi the Ar e s eldest son and I da g a n a
.
’

one of his principal slaves threw themselves forward and kept ‘

the Egba pursuers at bay until the A r e had said his prayers
and once on the saddle again they retreated h as tily The .

casualties o n the who l e were slight S anusi was wounded in the .

lip the B alo gun lost a favourite servant in this campaign and the
, ,

M ogaji of the late Chief Bioku was captured by the Egbas The .

wreck of the expedition returned home on the 2 n d o f April 1 8 7 8 , .

The A r e was greatly disappointed espe cially in his own slaves ,

.

H e said he had thought that come what might he could always count
upon a thousand at leas t to stan d by him for weal or woe but ,

alas he was deserted H owever he comforted himself with this

.
,

reflection : There is no one wh o m ay not suffer a defeat for ,

even the prophet of God (Mahomet ) su f fered a defeat .

A fter this all the interior w a r chiefs returned to their homes but -

A yikit i and the I f e war chi efs S everal offices had to be fil led
-
.

among them Also the o flice o f the Owon i of I f e was vacan t by

.

the death of A yikit i s father and he was desirous of succee ding

’

him The If e
. s however were f o r another prince an d not A yikit i
, ,

but he so pressed h is clai ms that the A r e had to give in and so on ,

the 8 t h April after titles had been arranged for a l l v a can cres I n
the I f e chieft ai ncies messengers from the Ibadan chi efs followed
,

A yikit i home to crown him the Owo n i o f I f e .

A n ot h er R a id — The A r e however was n o t di spirited by the

.
, ,

defeat and fai l ure t o capture Osi el e he sen t the Otun o ut again to ,

clear the direct route via the A g an ga n hi l l In the meantime .

he was carrying on a private negotiation with the I j eb us for

 TH E C O MME N C E M E N T OF THE SI X TE E N Y E A R S ,
WA R 423

a treaty O f friendship an d commerce working chiefly through

the I j eb us resident at Ibadan and the Ij ebu R em os B ut the .

answer of the A wuj a le of the I j eb us was insolent bidding the A r c .

first to be on frien dly terms with the Egb as the A L AF I N the I j esas , ,

and the If es an d when he saw the mess engers of the heads of these
,

states he woul d reconsider his relations with Ibadan The Ibadan .

chiefs hearing this reply were so enraged at its insolence that they
were wil l ing to yield to the Are s determination that t h e reply to
’

the A wuj al e S hould take a practical form by sending the B alogun

to ravage the Egba farms A l though they held a di fferent view
.

from their chief in this matter of Ab eokuta yet they could not
brook any insul ts to him from outside They marched o u t on .

t h e 2 0t h of May 1 8 7 8 , .

5 . TH E R E V O LT OF TH E E K ITI TR I B E S
The E kiti t ri bes who had long been groaning under the yoke
of the I b ad an s seized the opport unity o f the latter being involved
,

in complications with the Egbas an d I j eb us t o rebel against them .

A d ey al a p ri nce of Ila F a b un m i and Od eyale both of M esin

, ,

Ol g j a Oke allied themselves together to commence hos tilities

-

agai nst the I b a d an s .

Their first act of rebellion was to sei ze a ll Oy os (Yorub as proper)

resi d ing peacefully amongst them wi th their families They killed .

some and the res t they sold into slavery Then they coll ected
, .

together a large n umbe r of hen coups and sk ul ls of cattle set them , ,

up as fetish and o f fered to them sacri fices of human beings the

, ,

victims being ( 1 ) The Ibadan messengers that oppressed them so

much (2 ) and the A j el es (poli tica l residents ) of the Ibadan chiefs
among them fowls and cattle being the chi ef articles of diet these
messengers generally demanded from them The m as sacre at .

Ila a l one was estimated at about human beings

The I iesas of Il es a wh o had more than once come into co l lision
wi th the I b a d ans before were rather wary and felt very reluctant
,

to j oin this coalition ; indeed they were frequently seized with

panic from f al se rumours of the approach of the I b ad ans so that ,

Ile sa itself was more than once deserted from this cause There .

were good reasons for this however On e was the transport of .

ammunition from Ibadan to M esin Ipole a town whi ch had not ,

then thrown o ff its allegi ance but this was in order to settle between
,

two brothers a dispute whi ch had risen to undue propo rtions an d

in whi ch an armed intervention had become necessary .

The other was that A yikit i the Owoni lately crowned by the
A r e for the If es captur ed some Ij esa towns viz I p in d un I f e , .
, ,

w ara and Os u in order to p ossess hi mself of the wherewith to

,
 42 4 TH E H I ST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
defray the expenses o f his coronation All these gave rise t o the .

panic at Ile sa .

On the 1 6 th June news reached Ibadan that the Ilorins had

j oined the coalition against them and the K ing of I lg r in was ,

said t o have sent the following message to the A r c of Ibadan .

’
If a man s wi fe deserted him and afterwards repented an d ,

came back t o h im is n o t the husband j ustified in receiving her

,
'
back The Are s reply was Yes he is but let the husband ,

beware O f what he may contract from the Whore

,

The key t o the .

parable is this When the Fulanis overran the northern Yoruba

-

terr itories the Il orins became m as ters of the E ki ti provinces also

,

but when the I b a d an s rose to power the E kit is transferred their

allegiance to them B ut now they are disposed to return to their
.

first love and thus are compared t o an e rring wife returning to

her form er husband The m eaning of the Ibadan reply is obvious
.
,

the Ilorins may thereby involve themselves in a war of which they

m ay have cause to regret The A r e took no heed of the rebellion
.
,

but was prosecuting his desultory warfare wi th the E gbas .

On the 2 3r d of June there was a terrible c o n fl a g r a t io n at Ibadan ;

,

the B alogun and S eriki in Whose quarters the fire broke out went
to arrest its progress but unfortunately before they reached home
, , ,

sparks from the flames had set their own houses on fire E very .

preparation having been m ade f or an expedition t o the Egba

farms i t was thought that it would be postponed but early next
, ,

morning (June 2 4 t h ) whilst the embers W ere still smouldering ,

the B al og un s drum was heard on i ts way to the Egba farms

’

This expedition returned on the evening of the 2 6t h June bringing

about 4 0 captives .

On the 1 4 th o f J uly another expedition went o u t under Ali the

Otun the A r e sending K up ol u with him but they were not as
, ,

successful as the last .

The people of Ila afterwards got alarmed at their own acts and ,

began t o be afraid of the consequences They therefore sent on the .

1 6 th J uly ambassadors t o Ibadan to make amends and to sue ,

for peace but these were roughly received and were sent back
home to prepare for the worst U pon this the E kit is sent no .

more t o Ibadan but took further steps to strengt hen their alli ances
and put their defences in order .

The confederates now aimed at wresting from the I b a d a n s

all their subj ect town s including Oy o towns under their protection
from I kirun to I wo and limi t the Ibadan territories t o the river
,

Ob a that is the natural limits of their farms in that direction

, .

It soon becam e evident that the If es had j oined them because ,

their only safe route t o B enin for ammuni tion via Oke Igbo becam e
42 6 THE H ISTO R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
the kidn appers and r es cued their people S everal I b a d an s were .

caught but most of them escaped t o Mekg and Ibadan

, .

B ut Whi lst all this was going on in the S outh west the scene in -

the N orth east was one of dreadful car n age The I gb aj os defended
-
.

themselves heroically and repelled the enemy more than onc e at

the second instance the E g fig un Chief Priest of Ila was caught and
slain B ut the al lies were reinforced and retur ned to the attack
. .

On appe al t o Ibadan for help Osun t o ki the May e of Ibadan

was sent wi th a s m all f o rce to assist Igbaj o but it was found that ,

the A r e underrated the strength of the coali tion Igbaj o co uld .

hold out no longer May e was obliged to retreat with the I gb a j os

,

t o I kirun wi th the allies at their heels laying siege to I kirun

, ,
.

The K ing of I l g rin n ow sent out his forces under the comm and
of Aj ia t o j oin the al lies at the siege of I kirun with instructions
to sweep all towns right on t o the river Ob a at the confin es of
,

the Ibadan farms that is t o say to take I kirun Osogbo Ed e and

, , , ,

I wo with their villages .

The Il orins commenced operations at Otan a village near I kirun ,

an d at the onset met with an O mino us d is as ter The people of .

this village hearing of their appro ach desert ed the place and hi d
themselves among the craggy rocks s urrounding the village .

The Il orins finding no one to O ppose them flew to the spoi l s ,

and thus engaged the men o f Otan came in and set on them slaying
,

many only a few of those who entered the town m ade good their
escape and that with great di fficulty The Ilorins receiving
, .

reinforcem ent from hom e laid siege al so ag ai nst I kirun Thus was .

I kirun hemmed in nearly on all sides by the Ilor ins t h e E kit is ,

and Ila wi th the I j esas and the inh abitant s were obliged to defend
,

themselves within thei r wall s an d the thi ckets s urrounding the

,

town .

The small Ibadan conti ngent at I kirun reported mat t ers at

home but no help was speedi ly forthcoming as the B alogu n with , ,

the flower of the Ibadan army had not yet ret urned from Mekg .

On the 1 4 th of O ctober 1 8 7 8 the Ibadan expedi tion returned home

, .

The Balogun was ordered to make a hasty preparation and march

out in five days .
 CH APT E R XXI V

CO NF LICTS I N THE N ORT H

1 . TH E C E L E B R ATE D B ATTL E or I K I RUN OT H E R WIS E C AL LE D
TH E J A L U M I WA R
THE A rc of Ibadan at this crisis hastily fil led up one or two gaps
in the ranks of the chiefs Qr a n y a n was worshipped on the 2 0t h.

O ctober and the standard of war immediately marched northwards

to the seat of carnage It was a most unfavourable time for the
.

army t o m arch out as it was the tim e of t h e latter rains The rivers
, .

were unusuall y full and unhappily many of the soldi ers found a
,

watery g rave in the overswollen Ob a an d Osun rivers before ever

they came in sight of the enemy .

The expedition was altogether a trying one for the B alogun f or ,

the A r e even in this hour of danger recklessly continued to practise

those short Sighted s ui cidal policies of his which tended to weaken
-

the power of Ibadan thus showing a great lack of statesmanship

, .

H e slyly tried to han d icap the B al ogun by m aking the Os i hi s

rival T o this yo ung m an already of considerable importan ce
.

he assigned most of hi s own war chiefs and hi s fighting slaves and -

a lso all the fighting men of the late S eri ki I y a p o his old rival .

Intoxicated wi th such honours conferred upon him the Os i looked ,

down upon the B alogun ; he not only refused to obey orders ,

but O ften di ctated hi s wish to the B al ogun H appily the latter .

was a man of great experience of consummate tact and m arvellous , ,

resourc es he wo uld rea di ly yield in minor points as of n o great

.

importance in order to m ai ntain peace and harmony at thi s

c r isis Twice before they reached I kirun he cl ai med I n advance
.

from the B alo g un a reward for the victory that he would achi eve ,

f or he was confident that the honour of the victory woul d be his .

At each time the B al ogun sent him 1 0 heads of cowries It m us t .

be added however that he was scarcely ever sob er during the

, ,

expedi tion The free use of spirituous li quors was consi dered at
.

t h is time the acm e of pleasure and mark of greatness sp irits being :

at this period beyond the reach of poor men .

At Osogbo the Os i deeply o ffended the princip al slaves that

formed his body guard and on whom he depended at the supreme ,

hour of danger by disfiguring two of them with facial marks for

,

an o ff ence of seizing things from people in the market by way O f

privilege The big slaves interceded in v ai n They pleaded for
. .

42 7
 42 8 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O R U B AS
any other punishment but that but he gave them n o heed the , ,

culprits were m arked with two gashes on either cheek from t h e

top of the head to the chin This action they were determined
.

t o revenge whenever opportunity o f fere d .

At O sogbo he also related t o those about him a dream he had

,

in which he saw his late father O gunm ola and his brother Osun .

H e felt rather uncomfortable thereat and wa s a d vis ed to Offer , .

sacrifices t o them This he did with a horse a n d a cow

. .

M eanwhile at I kirun m atters were growing from bad t o worse .

The last battle fough t before the arrival of the I b a d an s was on the
3 o t h October 1 8 7 8 in which the I kir u n s were hemm ed in o n all
, ,

sides and they had t o fight within the town walls B alogun
, .

Og b o rief g n with the Ibadan forces at last entered I kirun on

Thursday the 3 I s t October It was S aid that the A kir un O yebode
'

.
,

the chief ruler of I kirun when he saw the Ibadan forces m arching
,

into the town for his succour was s o overcom e with j oy that h e
could only say t o the B alogun Aj ayi are yo u com e I am al most ,

done f or . The B alogun replied Take courage take courage

, , ,

we are com e your de liverance is at hand

, .

The Balogun of Ibadan n o w learnt from the I kir uns the situation
o f a f fairs
. The allies were i n three di f ferent camps The Il orins .

under the command o f Ajia were encamped by themselves N orth

eastwards near the I kirun farms ; the Ilas and E kit is together
,

not very far o ff from the Ilorins under Prince A d ey a la of Ila ,

and F a b un m i of Oke M esin respectively and the I j esa s under ,

their generals A yim g r g and Og u n m g d ed e eastwards These .

last had in the meantim e captured the small town of Iba near
Ikirun and were encamped Within i ts w al ls Iba we m ay mention .

was the paternal town of Osun t o ki the May e of Ibadan (afte r w ards
B al e) who headed the conting ent for the re lief of I g b a j g .

F rom these three points the foes m arched in the day of battle ,

and attacked I kirun on all sides .

At a council of war held the very day of their arrival the B alogun
of Ibadan proposed t o gi ve the men one or t wo days rest the
’

j ourney from Ibadan being tedious on account of the incessant

rains and the privations they endured and then to march agai nst ,

the confederates The Os i again opposed the B alogun H e was

. .

to m arch at once the next day be fo re the allies are aware of our
”
arrival and if the B alogun will not go he wi l l To morrow , .
-

said the Balogun will be Friday and Fridays being unlucky days ,

i t is n o t likely the al lies wi l l attack us and the men may as we l l ,

have some rest .

The Os i ag ai n obj ected and the Balogun yielded the point

,
.

Then agai n the Bal ogun in ordering the battle proposed t o divide
4 30 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
of the I kir uns and they reported to t h e camp t h e advance of the
,

enem y .

F a b fim i and his colleagues attacked them vigorously and over

powered them they were surprised at n ot seeing their chief
and no reinforcement coming up to their aid so they were driven ,

back and dispersed F ab fim i pursued them till he came t o the

.

spot where I l gr i the Os i took to the bush path and this was pointed ,

out t o him B y that time Il ori had attacked the Il orins and
.

had repelled those out against him an d was pressing hard to capture ,

the camp when he heard the sound of A kin t ol a s drum coming ’

up behind him K ir in iu n On ibud o ”

K ir in i un On i bud o
”
He ,
“
.

sent a mounted messenger to greet A kin t gl a and to say You are

rather late in coming I had almost entered the Ilorin camp , ,
”
however you are welcome
, .

’
B ut the messenger never return ed and Il or i s men n oticed that ,

the roll ing of the drum was not perfect in style they therefore ,

suspected treachery and communicated their fears to their m as ter .

B ut he replied Wh o else can it be ? Is not that A kin t gl a s war

“ ’

cry K i— ri n i un On i budo ? Wh en too late he discovered the

- - -

t reachery F a b irm i of Oke M esin it was who was counterfeiting

’

t h e war cry of A kin t ol a who had been left behind

-

, .

It was at such a crisis like this that his guards would have stood
by him to a man and kept the enem y at bay until relief should
com e from those he left behind but he had insulted those trusty
servants and this was their tim e of revenge H e was helped to his .

horse but at best he was not a good rider and his head had
, ,
‘

b ecome muddled by dr ink The horse soon g o t entangled in a yam .

field and fell down and the illustrious Ilori was taken alive and
,

conducted to the Ilorin camp At the camp he was stripped of

everything he had on a rag being given him to wrap across hi mself
,

and was kept in a room under close supervision On e K oidi t a n .

a renegade from Ibadan betrayed his personali ty to the Il orins ,

and they in ecstasies of j oy at the capture of so illustrious a prisoner

gave themse l ves up to feasting and enj oym ent for the day a p p r e ,

hending no further t r e uble The I kir un s sadly disappointed.

at this turn of events were ready t o stone the I b a d a n s they insulted ,

them to their face saying to them We could not drive them away
indeed but we never su f fered s o ignominio us a defeat as this
, ,

and what is the good of you ?

’
S o the Osi s m en were scattered many of them fleeing back to ,

the town met those j ust coming out and together they fled ,

back to I kirun .

B ut some of them instead of retracing their steps to I kirun went

across the mountain range to the other S ide and told the B alogun
 C O NF LI C TS I N TH E N O RT H 431

what had happened They met him in the thick of the fight wi th
.

the I j esas company after company o n both sides marching to the

,

fighting line attacking each other fu ri ously

, As s o On as the .

escaped arrived and reported The Os i has been captured alive

and his arm y dispersed The Bal ogun was startled ; but he
was a man full of resources and endued with remarkable presen ce
,

of mind S h said he to the men say nothing of this to ,

any one as you value your l ives H e quickly call ed about hal f a
.
-

dozen of his S laves and bade them 1 011 themse l ves in the dust
,

they di d s o H e then bade one of his servants bind them hand

.

t o neck as men captured in battle and take them t o the O tun

wi th my compliments and say I l gri has entered the I l g rin camp
, ,

here are captives that he sent us What are W edoing ? H e then .

sent a message to B abal ola his eldest son saying I can see what
your younger brother is doing but goodness alone knows what
you are doing be careful lest I disinhe ri t you in favour of him
,
.

Just then a company of I j esa s were coming to the attack but ,

instead of another company of I b a d an s meeting them in the

fighting l ine he threw his whole force suddenly upon them and
,

overwhelm ed them H e ordered that everyone be put to the

.

sword and they were all m assacred They had scarcely done this
, .

when another company was coming gaily on to reli eve these .

The B al ogun ordered a feint retreat so as to allow the company

to advance further before firing so his men hastily retreated and , ,

this retreat encouraged the I j esas to advance forward The B alogun .

meanwhile had his eyes on them t o see the eff ect of the massacre .

As soon as the Ij esa c ompany cam e up suddenly on their

massacred comrades finding them wallowing in their blood
, ,

they stoo d stock still pani c stricken The B alogun noting this
, .

at once ordered a general charge Ibadan e gba efi ti won , .

(Ibadan boys up and at them ) , E m a j e won 0 19 (let n o t

.

one escape ) at once rang throughout the whole army and the ,

panic stricken I j e§ as gave way the panic S pread throughout their

,

army and the B al ogun followed them up foot t o foot into the town
,

of Iba where they were encamped and Iba was retaken The , .

bulk of the I j esas fell into his hands H e then issued that heart .

ren di ng never t o be forgotten order Let no one stay for booty

,

or captive all prisoners must be slain at once both will hamper us

, , ,

the latter may prove treacherous And s o all the I j esas captured
.

were put to t h e sword It was a heartrending sight for m an y of

.
,

them were formerly S laves at Ibadan wh o ran away t o en l ist

under the flag O f rebellion or of liberty (from Whatever point we
view it) Ol d comrades calling each other by name craved for
.
,

mercy B ut the B al og un s orders rang out Whosoever will not

.
’
432 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
kill his captive let him be killed with his captive
, S o all were .

m assacred ! And then the B alogun immedi ately turned his face
northwards towards the I l g r in c amp without delay As they .

marched along a body of E kit is about strong appeared on

their right flan k to attack them but the Balogun neither noticed ,

nor regarded them notwithst an ding all their e f fort s at firing ;

,

they had to cease firing of their own accord amazed at such a ,

'
spectacle There was but one thought uppermost in the B alog un s
.

mind and in that of every Ibadan soldier vi z how t o rescue

, , .
,

Ilori the Os i .

It was about 2 p m when the Il orins heard the drum of the

. .
,

Balogun coming And who is that again ? they asked and

.
,
"
were told The B alogun Any other B alogun besides the one
.

we captured this morning ? they asked They went out t o meet .

the I b a d an s and within a short time they were repulsed The

, , .

fine ri ver that flowed by the town of Iba flowed also along the ,

foot of the hill W here the E ki ti camp was situated and from which ,

they obt ai ned water That ri ver loses itself in a morass here below
.

the I l g rin camp and the only spot where a ford was possible was
,

along a winding stream breast deep at this season The Il ori ns .

having retreated t o the other side held the I b a d an s in check for a

while on the other side of the morass There they stood face t o .

face the attackers and the defenders

, .

Chief A kin t ol a wh o we may remember was attached to the OS I s

,

arm y was left behind as we s a w when that unfortunate chi ef

,

rushed on before daybreak to his own fate B y the time he .

came up t o his chief the tragedy had taken place and he was
, ,

met by the fugitives defeated by F a b fim i H e therefore retraced his .

steps back t o I kirun and took the other route to j oin the B alogun
,
.

B y the time he reached Iba the B alogun had finished with the ,

I j esas and had cleared out O f the place and he had t o follow in h is ,

track t o where the battle was n ow raging The Ibadan boys all .

’ '
b ut exhausted after the morning s fight and the day s march ,

encouraged at the S ight of fresh troops were exhilarated by the in

’
spiriting air of A kin t ol a s war cry wh ich the wh ole army too k up
_
,

with a swing K iri n iun Onibudo K irin iun O nibudo Thus .

came up A kin t ol a ; and stretching forth his hand across to the

enemy half turned on his saddle to his men he sai d Aw on ta
,

nu ? Aw on ta l emba se ta nt a ? (and wh o are those ? Who are

’
’

they wi th whom yo u ar e exchangi ng S hots ?) Immediately the

Ibadan boys dashed into the morass treading on on e an other ,

they struggled across the quagm ire and hurled the mselves upon
'

their foes The Il orins taken aback by this unexpected this mad
. ,

rush became completely demorali zed and gave way The I b a d an s .

4 34 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
entered the I l grin camp captured a large number put some t o the
, ,

sword an d demoli shed the camp All those wh o were capt ured .

in t h e morning with the Os i speedily rej oined their comrades and ,

’
made captives among their captors The Osi s men were among .

the foremost to seek out their master but alas the worst had , ,

befal len h im When he heard the noise and tramp of the I b a d a n s

.

within the I l gri n camp he tried to make hi s escape , he

rush ed out of his con finement and hid himself in a clump of
fign ut trees not far from the tent The I l grins in their hasty .

flight did not forget the illustrious captive but he could not be ,

found until betrayed by a woman wh o saw him in his hiding

place ; then a man with drawn sword rushed upon him and
put him to death before he m ade good his O wn escape The same .

fate b ef el sever al of the minor chiefs I l g ri s fi ghting men who

’

were caught with him that morning I j esas and E kit is Wh o h a d .

lived at Ibadan and knew all these chiefs at sight easily pointed
them out to the Ilorins K oid it an the renegade and betrayer of
.

the Os i was caught and taken to Ikirun where he was subsequently

,

tried and publicly executed .

The Balogu n then turned towards the E kiti and Ila c amp I t .

was evident that they had no longer any s pirit o f resistance left in
t hem B y one as s a ul t t h a t was taken also and so the three camps
'

.
,

were smashed on one and the same day by Balogun Aj a yi Ogb ori e
f on . The victory was decisive and complete and I kirun was ,

saved .

The Of a people who had long been groaning under the yoke of
I l g r in took this opportunity to throw off their yoke They cut .

the bridge over the river at the rear o f the I l orins and when ,

these in their flight cam e t o the river now swollen with the ,

I b a d an s at their heels they rushed into it ,H ere thousands upon .

thousands o f men women and horses perished The river at one

, .

point was said t o be s o choked with human bo di es and carcases

of horses that some fugitives wh o came later were able t o escape
upon corpses Ajia the Ilorin commander in chief escaped
.
- -

with great di ffi culty with one of his favourite wives but ,

severa l I l g r in chiefs and well t o d o people were caught Prince - -

.

A d ey al a o f I l a fell among the s l ain but F a b fim i of O ke

M esin managed t o escape The roads were said t o be strewn
.

a ll along with loads which the Ilorins coul d n o t carry in their -

hasty flight The I b a d an s pursued their victory right up to

.

E rin about 8 miles from on ; the head chiefs however rem ai ned
at I kirun .

This event gave the name t o this expedition Ogun J a lum i ,

i e the rush into the river war

. .
- - -
.
 C O N F LI C TS I N THE N O RT H 435

N O TA B L E E V E N TS OF THE DA Y
I . Roti head slave and a very great f a vourite with
, I l or i
’
s ,

whom he was as a most intim ate friend eating out o f the same ,

dish and drinking out of the same cup and from whom he was ,

never parted was in another part of the field that fata l morning
,

when the disaster overtook his m aster When he Observed that .

somet h ing was wrong he rode up hasti l y as king I l g r i da ? I l g r i

,

da ? ( And where is Ilori The reply was O gun mu u 1 9

taken by the enemy ) H e uttered one deep groan O — h
( .

H e then bade his comrades farewell Good bye to you all n o hom e -

for m e ag ai n H e drew his sword put spurs t o his horse and

.
,

dashed into the midst o f the Il orins slashing on the r ight and on the ,

left ki l ling many before he fell among the slain

, .

'
A kin t ol a s drum played a most notable part in the day s
’
2 .

business it won and l ost for the I l orins it lost and won f or the ,

I b ad an s And here let us note a most remarkable instance of

.

retributive j ustice T h e trick now played upon I l ori by F a b fim i

.

by which Ilori was captured was the same played by I l g r i s father ’

the famous O g un m gl a upon the I j a yes after the I wawu n war .

It will be remembered how on his return march he counterfeited

the war cry o f K ur umi o f I j a y e and in that way all I j a yes wh o ,

had escaped into the mountai ns thinking their master was com e t o
their rescue cam e down from their hiding places and fe l l a prey
into his hands (vide Chap xviii page The sam e trick was .
,

no w played by F a b irm i on his son with fatal results

'

3 The I f e and Modak ek e people who alwa ys j oined the I b a d a n s

.

in every expedition of theirs cam e up late this time after every

t h ing was over The Ibadan boys taunted them t o their face
.

and accused them of intentional delay because of the formidable

appearance o f the war ; but said they we have already shown
that we can d o Without yo u .

The If es never uttered a word of excuse nor resented the remarks ,

but followed up the chase and took I l g f a (The fact was that the .

If es had secretly wi shed the issue t o be otherwise in order t o cast

o ff their own yoke also and the Mo d a kekes having their eyes on
them would not leave them behind) They also j oined in taking .

‘
Om i r E rinmope Gogo etc and the conques t was pursued up to
, , ,
.
,

E kan This was a small town but the men o f that place were
.

mostly hunters and sharp shooters They manned their walls -

.

s o that the Ibadan boys failed to take i t by assault The B alogun .

hearing thi s sent Ali Lal uwoy e the Otun to their help H e was .

nearly a month in this small place and was content to reduce i t by

famine They negoti ated peace sending valuable presents by
.
,

Aturu wh o was sent t o conclude a treaty with them The B al e .

436 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
an d B alogun Of the place were sent by Ali t o I kirun to the B alogun
O f Ibadan to ratify the treaty The Otun was thereupon recall ed
.

from the siege t o the great disgust of the Ibadan warboys who
,

grumbled much against their unlucky and ine fficient chi ef .

The victory and its cost were reported at Ibadan sim ul

t a n eo us l y on the s t h of N ovember so that the j oy was greatly
.
,

tempered with the p ai nful loss they had s ustained by the death
of Il ori and his brave comrades .

The B al ogun received orders not to w as te time to retali ate on the

I j esas or E kit is as they would soon tender their submission He .

was n o t to go beyond Ila but rather t o turn his face against Il orin
,

to wns .

On the 1 8 th N ovember the Il orins sent ambass ador s to Ibadan

t o sue for peace The A r c took occasion to remind them of the
.

parable of the whorish wife returning t o her h usband and what

he predicted woul d likely be the result K nowing that their .

overtures were only f o r the purpose of redeeming their chiefs wh o

were captured in the war and kept as state p risoners and still
, ,

smarting under the loss of I l g ri the Os i and his brave comrades ,

the A r e and chiefs sent them back home without an answer .

Whi lst the I b a d a n s were rej oicing and mourning at t h e sam e

tim e over the af fairs in the north the Egbas cam e t o kidnap in
,

their farms on the 2 2 n d of D ecember and som e farmers were ,

carried O ff t o Ab eokuta .

The Balogun was at length rec al led and the I b a d a n s returned .

hom e on the 2 3 r d D ecember 1 8 7 8 with the Balogun in an in

, ,

di fferent stat e of health .

§ 2 T H E R E S U LTS O F T H E J A L U M I WA R
. .

The res ults that followed this crushing defeat of the all ies were
totally di f ferent from what the A r c of Ibadan had expected .

In his opinion the disastrous results t o the Ilorins were quite

s u fiicien t to make them hold aloof from the rebel states and thes e ,

he expected would tender unreserved sub m ission and that things ,

would henceforth move as smoothly as before but as we shall ,

see m atters took a totally di f ferent turn everywhere The A r e .

now saw the necessity of being on friendly terms with at least one
of the neighbouring states The I j esas and E kit is were subj ect
.

states he could never treat with them on terms of equali ty The

,
.

Ilorins lately defeated were characteristically untrustworthy ,

Ibadan could have nothing to gain from that quarter The Egb as .

the A r e was determined t o subj ugate s o as to open a free route t o

the coast to al l through the river Ogun There remained on l y .

the I j eb us with whom I b a d an s co uld possibly treat and therefore ,

43 8 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O R U B AS
his o wn head slaves with some of his men and the Otun Os i , , ,

and Ek erin of the S eri ki later on he sent A kin t ol a .

This on the whole was a very weak force for a l though there , ,

were some very strong men in i t yet the leader of the expedition
,

was held to be both unlucky an d incompetent

_
.

B ut King Alib u did not despair ; in order t o conciliate the

I b a d a n s he declared a l l the roads in his territory open for trade
s o that all
n s immured in B ida and in H ausa towns were able t o
come down in safety H e then sent an embass y agai n to Ibadan
.

t o negotiate for peace between them and to arrange for the ,

ransom of the I l g rins captured in war but the A r e declared he ,

could n ot entert ai n the idea unless the siege of was raised .

The A r e n o w endeavoured to fill up the gaps made in the lat e

war by making som e indi spensable appointments Akintaro .

the heir of the late Balogun Akere he made the Os i Bal ogun in
place of the late Ilori F or the great house of Og un m gl a there was
.

’
none but the youthful K ongi son of the late Osun I l gri s elder ,

brother H e was now advanced t o be the head of the house wi th

.

the title of A r ea gor o These two were the most important

. .

Dea t h of t h e B a log un of I bad a n — I n the midst of this crisis

.

the I b a d a n s suffered an irreparab l e loss by the death of their

B alogun On the 7 t h o f April 1 8 79 the firing of musketry volleys
.
, , ,

upon volleys announced to the public that Aj ayi nick named -

Og b o rief g n had passed away ! The town went into deep mourning ,

as he was the last of those veteran generals of Ibadan who had ,

seen great fights and made a name with the sole exception of the ,

Arc . Those who were now t o the fore were n o t the old and ex p er i
en c ed but the young and untried heirs o f great houses according

t o the policy favoured by the A r e H e was buried at about 1 0

'

p m with ful l pagan an d mili tary rites An eye wi tness thus de -

.

scribed the interment The grave was dug in his bedroom the large
.
,

co ffi n was first lowered and the body wound up as usual was placed
,

in it and then nailed up F our flin t lo ck guns a naked sword

, .
-

, ,

and st ri ngs of cowri es were placed upon the co fli n and a kid was ,

immolated the blood being poured on the lid of the co fli n and

, ,

prayers o f fered t o the gods for his soul .

Aj ayi was a native of E j rg b o he came t o Ibadan for the love of

,

a military career H e was nick named Ogb o r ief g n from the follow
.
-

ing circumstance — A t a battle in the E fon country he noticed a ,

m an wh o posted himself behin d a large tree doing havoc to the

I b a d an s The man was using t wo guns gi ving an assistant the one
.

he had discharged to be reloaded f o r hi m while he took his deadly

ai m wi th the loaded gun Aj ayi then a common soldier quietly
.

crept into the bush behind him going on all fours till he came near
,
 C O N F LI CTS I N TH E N O RT H 439

enough t o this marksman and then suddenly shot him down dead ,
.

’
The assistant bolted clean away Aj ayi then cut O ff the E t on s .

head held i t by the ear between his teeth being besmeared all over
with b l ood and with the man s guns on his S houlders came again
,
’

t o his comrades who raised for him a shout of triumph and

’
acclaimed him Og b or ief g n i e a carrier of the E f g n s head . . .

H e was always a poor man for he spent too lavishly but he , ,

was a brave and hardy so l dier This characteristic cleaved to .

him all through life from a private t o the post of commander in -

chief and was the cause of many errors in his procedure which all
but marred his career For a long time his favouri te companions
.

were hi s only slave Jato a man with a fair complexion and hi s, ,

horse then some fri ends associated together and made hi m their
leader and thus by degrees he rose t o a responsible position H is
, .

first mi litary appointment was when he was created an Ab es e

and sent to Ilora during the I j a ye war t o reinforce the Oy o army
agai nst Iran H e was marched o ff wi th Ogunm ola t o I wa wun
.

where he received a wound which nearly proved fatal to him .

The next pe r iod where he made a name was the Ile sa war when ,

he and L a t os is a were stationed at the Od o road where he had to

oppose Og ed em gb e a n d the army from the city an d La t o s is a ,

that from the country and Og ed em g b e capitulated to hi m .

The blot on his character was serio us H e intrigued to get rid .

o f Aj ob o who had helpe d hi m t o bear the expenses incidental t o

hi s taking O fli ce on filling the post o f Os i Balogun whi ch was '

bestowed upon him after the Ile sa war Also his withdrawal .

from the coalition in the insurrection against the A r e and the

betrayal of I ya p o Added to these was the wholesale massacre
.

of the I j esa ca p t ives in the taking of the cam p at Iba for which
.
,

however he pleaded mi litary necessity

, .

B ut there were pleasing traits in his character His liberali ty .

and humility gained hi m the r espect of the soldiers and made

his memory l asting H e will always be remembered as the hero of
.

the J alumi war His eldest son B abalola was his heir and became
.
,

the head of his house .

§ 3 T H E E X I TI PA R A P O S .

Instead of tendering their submission as the A r c thought they

would do the I j esas E kit is Ef on s and other tribes hi therto sub
, , ,

j ect ed t o the I b a d an s formed an al liance which they termed E kiti

p a r a p g i e the E kiti confederation
. . They raised a formidable .

army and were determined not o nly to li berate themselves but

also t o overrun the Oy o tribes ri ght on to the Ibadan farms at the
river Ob a .
 440 THE H ISTOR Y O F THE Y O R U B AS
They invi ted Og ed em gb e to com e over to lead them but this
hardy warrior having crossed swords more than once with the
,

I b a d a n s was loth to do s o ag ai n but rather t ried to see what

,

might be done by entreaties and remonstrance in order t o ameli

orate the condition of his people The arrogance of the A r c
.

made hi m deaf to reason ; he sim ply snubbed Og ed em gb e for his

pains but this simple hearted soldier regarding his oaths t o the
I b a d a ns kept to his promise and for a long tim e never moved
f r o m h is retreat
'

M ean while F ab fimi of Oke M esin headed the

.

confederates and was on the m arch again for I kirun the news of
the death of the Balogun of Ibadan seem ed to put more spirit
and courage int o them .

When t h e news of this reached Ibadan the A r e ordered the S eriki

t o arrest their progress The S eri ki was very reluctant t o go for
.

t wo reasons Firs tly he wished t o be present at the funeral

. ,

obsequies of the late B alogun his chief but the urgency of the ,

a f fairs in the north eas tern frontier brooked n o delay S econ dly
-
.
,

he had been clipt of his wings as i t were for his Otun Os i , , ,

and E kerin had been ordered to Of a and he was left single

handed .

B ut he must obey orders and thus he st arted for Iki run

,
.

On reaching Iwo he was detained by the venerable K ing of Iwo

,
.

What do y ou intend t o do asked he with such a small

, ,

handful of men The A r e coul d never have had the slightest idea
o f the n ature and strength of the confedera cy
. H is Highness .

thereupon sent to Ibadan and acquainted the A r e with the f or m id

able nature of the task before hi m .

The A r e with enemies all around hi m was trying to behave

cautiously and with prudence he did n ot know what the Egbas
and I j eb us might d o if the town were denuded of men however ,

he sent a small force t o reinforce the S eri ki at I wo The allies .

at this time were using al l their endeavours to isolate Ibadan

by cutting O ff all comm unications from it At this crisis the Lisa .

of Od e Ondo sent messengers to Ibadan to inform the A r e how the

alli es had o ff ered him large presents to induce h im t o j oin the
al li ance and close ag ai nst the I b a d an s the only route by which they
,

could now communicate with the coast vi z that by Oke Igb o , ,

but he wishe d to be neutr al H e mi ght send if he li ked t o

.

verify his statements and let his messengers see the presents
,

for themselves The A r e replied by sending the Lisa large presents

.

and begged him t o k eep strictly neutr al and to keep that road open ,
.

The Ij ebu R em os in the S ou th who are simple traders were

m uch annoyed by this closure of the roads which put a dead ,

stop to their occupation Ibadan is their only customer but

. ,
44 2 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
the undergrowth in the forest for miles in the direction of M esi n
Ipole Another reinforcement from Ibadan m et h im here in the
.

person O f Akintar o the new l y made Os i and chief Aderibigbe -

, .

H ere was enough force now to crush those opposed to them The .

'
Ar e s young Chiefs could fight but they lacked the wisdom gotten ,

by experience .

The I b a d an s were surprised to see the allies advancing to attack

them i n their camp through the openings they had m ade in
the forest and conc l uded that they must have received
,

reinforcem ent from Og ed em g b e the rumour of whose approach ,

then filled the country They th erefore took the precaution of

.

guarding the camp and the rear by the Os i whi l st the S eri ki
’
advanced to the attack The S eri ki had hi s father s veterans
.

about him wh o instructed him in al l his movem ents where he was ,

t o sit and when he was to charge

, There was a dreadful carnage .

that day on both sides When at the right moment the S e ri ki

.

(through his advisers ) ordered a general C harge they found the ,

E kit is immovably firm as a rock From repeated conflicts and ,

from their form er slaves the E kit is had grown a ccustomed to the
,

methods of the I b a d an s and were prepared against them There

, .

was then no help for i t but to maintain their ground vis a vis whilst
a desperate struggle ensued At len gth the I b a d an s a little .
,

While after made a sudden dash and secured a p ris on ef From the .

obstinate resistance o f fered the I b a d a n s thought they were , ,

opposing Og ed em g b e but the prisoner told them it was F a b irm i

‘

of Oke M esin Where is Og ed em gb e then ? they asked and

.
,

were told ,N ot yet come And further Wh o lay in ambush

.

”
at our rear ? N o one Where is the remnant of your
.

”
army ? This is all With this assurance the S eri ki now sent
.

to the camp for reinforcements I t was about 4 p m that the . . .

drum of Akintaro the Os i was heard coming and when the E kit is ,

saw fresh troops coming they gave way and fled B ut it was too .

l ate t o pursue them far T h e Osi s men claimed the honour of

.
’

the victory as theirs as the enemy did not dare t o await their
,

approach Those who bore the brunt of the fight since morning
.

were naturally hurt at this and trifling as this circumstance ,

might appear it altered the character of the whole campaign and

, ,

the larger issues that depended upon it Jealousy and rivalry now .

take the place of j udgment and discretion .

D isas ter upon disaster followed on both sides in subsequent

battles the allies again and agai n sent repeated messages to call
Og ed em gb e to their help We will fight now s ai d they t o the
.
, ,

best advantage the Ibadan army is divi ded into three parts one
, ,

part at home t o guard the town against the E gbas and I j eb us ,

 C O NF LICTS I N TH E N O RT H 44 3

one part at Of a against the I lg r ins and it is but a third part we ,

have to oppose .

Og ed em g b e was a very st raight forward m an he was always true -

t o hi s word Although a sworn enem y t o the I b a d an s yet he

.
,

wished t o be faithfu l to his covenant with them for he had sworn ,

never t o oppose them O n making Ita Ogbolu his headquarters for

.

excursion into the Igbo Ani country he sent to Ibadan and the , ,

A r e gave him a war standard and also sent him a contingent ,

consisting of his S laves and volunteers among the rest l ess and
war l ike youths of Ibadan H ence Og ed em g b e was reluctant t o
.

enter upon this war rash l y B u t he received invitations from all

.

the a l lies as we l l as from the E gbas and I j eb us Ibadan being con

, ,

considered a formidable neighbour whose power they all dreaded

and were reso l ved to see i t crushed this time .

Og ed em g b e at last issued from Ita Ogbolu his retreat and took ,

the fiel d at the head of the E ki ti p a r a p o s against the I b a d a n s .

O n hearing this the Ibadan war chi efs sent home again for m ore
,

reinforcements and on the 3r d N ovember 1 8 7 9 the A r e sent the

, , ,

following chiefs viz B aba l ola the son and heir of the late B alogun
, .
,

Og b or ief g n Oj o late B al e Qp ea g b e s s o n and Ogundepo the uncle

’

, ,

of the S eriki .

It was the be l ief of the war chi efs that the A r e deliberately
pl a nned to weaken them all one by one so as to m ake room for ,

h is own son t o be supreme over them f o r instead of sending an ,

adequate force which could deal wi th the whole a f fair in one blow h e
kept sending them by dribblets promising each batch that Which ,

ever came o u t victorious wou l d take the lead of the others thus ,

creating a spiri t of j ealousy among them H ence every newcomer .

had t o fight singlehanded and never received support from those

,

already in the field .

B abalola had to oppose Oged em g b e at Kiriji as his father O pposed

him many years ago at Ilesa The combatants met about three .

miles from M esin Ipole and B abal ola fresh from home and probably
,

in order t O m a ke a name fought three s uccessive battles which

'

established his fame as a worthy hei r of the hero of the J al u m i

war H e bore the brunt of the battle with the E kit is alone the
.
,

S eri ki and all he met before hi m j ust sat in the battlefield sur
rounded by their men all looki ng o n ready to retri eve a disaster
, ,

should any occur .

A custom initi ated by the l ate B a l ogun I b ikun l e and Og un m g l a

at the tim e of the I j a y e war was still kept up for the war chiefs to
have about them pages in training called B aba mi fi ma s a
(the Master says I m ust not run away) They were all dressed in .

red uniforms and were to si t around their master whatever may be

4 44 THE H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
the condi tion of the fight they may be beyond gunshot o r equ al ly ,

exposed wi th their m aster in a close fight B abal ola had about .

4 00 of these at the fir st fight he lost 1 4 0 in ki l led and wo unded .

At the second fight he lost more at the third fight they were ,

wi ped o ut
Thus the A r e began by wasting their strength and those in the ,

field out of j e al ousy of each other played his game until e x peri ence
, ,

brought about a better j udgme nt when too late .

§5 . TH E '
ARE TO TH E FRO N T
’
S uch was the state of a f fairs at the seat of war whilst the Ar e s
son and his slaves and household war boys were enj o ying them -

selves at home till they became surfeit wi th pleasure and all

,

excesses the report of which reached the war chiefs from time to
,

time at the seat of war Whenever the I j eb us or Egbas were .

descried ki dnapping in Ibadan farms the war chiefs at home would ,

’
be sent after these but the Are s sons and slaves wo ul d march out
, .

leisurely a f t er these in blazin g costumes and instead of p ursuing ,

after the enem y would contentedly encamp in the Ibadan farms ,

feeding on the crops and cutting down stan d ing corn as fodder
f o r their horses
The war chiefs in the field h aving wasted their strength in the
manner indicated above and finding themselves as it were being ,

over ridden by the Ar e s sons and slaves were resolved to invite

’
-

himself t o the war to take command of the army in person and

, ,

when there they were determined t o take revenge on him and hi s

m enial s for al l their insolent acts at home B y virtue of his title .

as Kakanfo he was bound to respond to his people s call and ’

consequently he sent to the King at Qyo to ask leave to

take the field and to return hom e withi n 1 7 days
, The King .

granted his consent reluctantly knowing that he was deter mined ,

t o go .

Th e A r e atthis tim e exhibited som e of the worst phases of h um an

nature At such a pitch of glory his word being law t o al l Ibadan
.

and i ts dependencies he became the dupe of his fla t t er er s ; he

,

considered himself a god and that nothing was im possible for him
t o ef fect H e certainly thought he would m ake a Short and easy
.

work o f the task before him but the chi efs who invited him t o the ,

war had a di f ferent plan in their head Their reso l ve was to humble .

his pride and t o avenge the death of Aij en ku and that of I y a p o

, ,

the late S eri ki in particular both of whom he ordered to go t o ,

”
sleep .

S an usi the Ar e s eldest son further exasperated the war chiefs

,
’

,
-
44 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF T HE Y O RU B AS
’
war chiefs t o defeat their enemy t o the Ar e s advantage but each
-

of them wished t o show what he can d o .

Og ed em g b e fell into the hands of one of A kin t ol a s S laves wh o

’

s aid t o him Ologun yara Qy o n b O (Captain be q uick

, , , ,

are coming ) The hide on which he was sitti n g the kegs of gun
.
,

powder all about him his charms and am ul ets were all taken the
, ,

I j es as were utterly d is co m fit ed but A kin t o l a withdr ew and ,

there was n o further fighting that day .

But the result o f this fight was t o d r ive the allies to a vigorous
preparation for a more des p erate resistance especially as they ,

heard that the A r e was coming I t was reported that Og ed em g b e.

,

on heari n g the rumo ur of the Ar e s coming sent a m essenger to ’

ask him whether the report was true and if S O in regard to the , ,

oath he had taken and for past favours he had received from h im
, .
,

he was l o t h t o meet in the field a chief wh o had gi ven h im the

war standard he was using H e would therefore retire with half
.

the E kiti forces leaving the rest for an easy conquest ; only h e
,

prayed f or his clem ency towards his countrymen S O f a ithf ul and .

honest was Og ed em g b e B ut the A r e instead o f returning

.
,

courtesy f o r courtesy proudly dared him t o remain i f he would

,

share the fate of those he wo uld soon crush under his heels
B ut Og ed em g b e out of deference to the A r e sent another private
, ,
’
m essenger t o m eet him at Osogbo on the sam e errand The Ar e s .

answer was ,
Is he still t h ere an d not gone away yet Well h e ,

will have himself to thank for the consequences Og e d e m g b e .

and his countrymen were fighting for freedom ; courtes y and

generosity he was prepared to yi eld t o but threats and defiance ,

he was determined t o m eet with obstinat e resistance .

The A r e on reaching I r é h é went by

, and intended to take
the E kit ip ar a p os in the rear thus placing them between two fir es
,
.

B ut the Ibadan chiefs lest their plans should be d efeated grew

excited sent urgent m essages after m essages entreating h im to
,

com e to them t o the cam p and take n o other course S ai d they .

The veterans and t h e flower of your arm y are here in the camp ,

who are those about y o u with whom you would I l S k your s a fety ‘

by taking another course ? They are but slaves who wi l l desert

you at the sound Of the first gun N ot so did Lakanl e o f old when .

o ur fathers called him t o their help a t Ip eru in olden days As .

he went straight to them s o d o y o u com e to us now and lead us

t o vi ctory .

In the meantim e the I j es as hearing the A r e was contem plating

,

another ro ute were determined t o C heckmat e him Og ed em g b e

,
.

left the comm and with one Ol ub a y o d e a great war c h ief and took ,
-

with him h is well tr ai ned veterans to waylay the A r e and i f

-
.
 C O NF LI C TS I N TH E N O RT H 4 47

po ssible t o take him alive H e was rather disappointed at the .

Ar e s being dissuaded from carrying o ut his plan H e missed his

’
.

game .

The war chiefs estimate O f the value and fighting qualities of

-
’

the Ar e s slaves and household O ffi cers was not from spite but from
’

actua l fact they had learnt to appraise them at their true val n a
tion in the A d o and Aiyede wars and in the rai ds on Egba farms
es pecially before Osi el e They were n o longer the h a rdy and trusty .

veterans O f the Ile sa and other wars when there was keen rivalry
between them and the late Aj ayi Og b o r ief g n A li fe of ease and .

debauchery had since brought about degeneracy they were more

disting uished for displaying red and showy uniforms sitting round ,

their master and boasting of p as t deeds .

The Ibadan war chiefs entered into a secret com pact before the
-

Ar e s arrival never to achieve a conquest or capture a town whil e

’

he was li ving for s ai d they What is the use ? The lion s share of “ ’
.
, ,

o ur achievements will go t o him and we shall only help t o increase ,

the n um ber of his S laves wh o are n ow lording it over us .

The A r c ag ai n on arri ving at the cam p did not c al l them all

together and harangue them o r praise them for what they had done .

O n the contr a r y his s on S anusi marched straight on through the

'

cam p and pitched his tent in a field of standing corn which the
”
I b a d a n s h a d planted outside t h e cam p Cut all down sai d he .
,

we d o n o t need it h o w long are we going t o stay here ,

H e had cause t o regret this afterwards .

The A r e led the host to the field the next day the 4 t h O f May , ,

1 8 80 . The war chiefs fought with th eir accustom ed bravery to

-

S how him what they co uld d o but no more At the first onslaught , .

the Ij esa c hi ef Ol ub a y g d e was caught and s l ain the Ij esa army ,

becam e demoralized and gave way the I badan warboys p ursued ,

them right into the gates of M e s in Ipole T h e Ibadan war chiefs .

-

seeing this passed the word round from m outh t o mouth A f ar o , ,

a f ar o
”
,i e R efrai n refrain (or halt halt
. .
, , , .

The Aj ero saved the situation for the E kit is that day for seeing ,

all in full retreat he stood by the gate of the town and the first ,

Ibadan boy that entered he shot down dead the others seeing n o ,

war chief or leader o f any kind behind them ret r eated hasti l y
-

, .

The Ibadan war chiefs s at in groups each under a tree here an d

-

there in the battlefield surrounded by their m en as if resting for

a while but the A r e could n ot get them to do anything more than
,

s kirmishing that day H e took in the sit uation at a glance and .

,

was determined to S leep on the battlefield that day and o ffer ,

battle the next day although it was pouring with rain and there , ,

was no shelter Cold and wet he was advised to return t o the cam p
.
,
44 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
but he at first refused t o d o so then the chi efs an d el ders of his
hous e approached h im and remonstrated wi th him saying It , ,

is foll y to remain on the battlefield ; we are all wet an d it is ,

still raining S uppose the E kit is were to fall upon us in the night
.
,

i t will be all to their advantage because they will com e from ,

”
hom e qui te fresh with amm uni tion dry , The A r e was sore a t . .

heart recalling the achievem ents of his old ri val and comrade the
,

hero of the J a lum i war That he the K akanfo should not be

.
.
, ,

able t o achi eve as m uch and a great deal m ore was a mixture of
sham e pai n and grief to him With grea t di fficul ty he was pre
, .

v ai led upon to return to the cam p for the night and the fight was ,

resumed the next day .

The secret combination agai nst the A r c was divulged t o him by

Chief Aderi bigbe probably wi th the hope of his ma king am ends
,

t o the war chiefs but the A r e instead of calling these young m en

-

, ,

together and pacifying them answered with some asperi ty I , ,

have fought in front o f their fathers an d it is n ow their t urn to

fight for m e and they will n o t as we are all equally concern ed let ,

us agree t o remai n in dif ferent .

The E kit ip a r a p gs on the other hand fighting as they were for

, ,

their i ndependence went on strengtheni ng their forces by drawing

,

recruits from the utmost bo unds O f the count r y beh ind them ,

throughout the Ij esa E kiti Ef g n Yagba and Akoko countri es , , ,

right on t o Egb e They further strengthened their alli ance with

.

the Ilorins by an exchange {if troops On e Og u n m g d ed e wi th a .

strong force of I j es a s was sent to the Ilorin cam p and the Ilorins
, ,

sent one La seb ikan with his men t o the E kiti camp This arran ge .

ment we should rather say was an astute measure of the Ilorins

, ,

by wh ich they retained a firm h old on the E ki t is s o that they could ,

not wi thdraw from the alliance even if they wished to do so and ,

this proved to be t h e case many years afterwards as we shall see

in due course .

The alli es had al so the great advantage over the I b a d ans in ,

that they had free access to B eni n for amm unition whilst nearly
all the roads were closed t o the I b a d a n s Long flin t lock guns wi th .

large m uzzles were im ported from B enin these when fully load ed ,

and fired gave a report whi ch reverberating from hill t o hi l l all

,

around sounded li ke Ki ri j i i from whi ch this war was n am ed - - -

the Kiriji Cam p ai gn .

Fam ine soon broke out am ong the I b a d an s the provisions they ,

brought from hom e were exhausted and the stand ing corn around ,

the camp had been cut down by S an usi t o m ake room for his
ten ts The common soldi ers had now t o live on palm nuts certain
‘

.
,

edi ble roots and what ever they could procure from the forests
,
 CH APTE R XX V

IBA D A N AT ITS E XT R E MITY— BL OOD Y ST R I P E S .

1 . H O ME D E FE N C E S
TH E prece di ng section has gi ven us an idea of how m atters were
for the I b a d an s at Ki riji N ow whi lst all this wa s going On at the
.
,

seat of war the Ij ebu and Egba kidnappers were not inactive at
,

home r ai ding the Ibadan farms sometimes successfully but some

, , ,

tim es repulsed but m aking farming risky and unsafe until a

,

scheme was evo l ved O f a complete organi zation for hom e defence .

There are three main points from which the attacks m ay be

expect ed (a ) the farms c ontiguous t o those of the Egb as (b) the
route leading to Ij ebu Igbo ; and (c) that leadi ng t o Ij ebu Od e .

Arrangem ents were perfected by building forts in a central point .

in each o f these m ain r o ut es f or the bett er protection O f the

/ , ,

farm e rs Whilst the hunters were in the forests hunting for gam e
.
,

and on the look out f or ki dnappers the farmers could work in their
-

farms with composure and confidence They were instructed to .

h asten to the forts wi th their wom en and chil d ren at a given

signal by the hunte r s The m en went to their farm s well arm ed
.
,

and were re ady f or any em ergency .

The fort in the direction O f the Egbas was left in charge of som e
hunt ers and a f ew old warriors left at hom e B ut t h e Egbas
, .

once sur prised the fort at Itosi an d carried away m uch people
som e o f t h em however were rescued by the hu nters who pursued
_
, ,

after the kidn appers .

In the direction of Ij ebu Igbo where the forest was thickest , ,

the forts were in C harge of the princip al hunters the chief o f these ,

were Aj iya Obis esan Od eyale These kept the fort wh ile the
, , .

younger hunters were dispersed about in the forests The fort

‘

was the rendezvous of the women and c hi ldren By this arrange .

m ent the defeat o f the I j eb u s becam e such a constant and regul ar

thi ng that the vulgar people put it into a song
Are de are de
, ,For the flight for the fli ght , ,

I g b a yi l are m a de 0 N ow is the time t o flee

’

, ,

Oni y oyo g e -
. Ye clothed in n gg b .

Y QYQg Q is a coarse and loosely woven sort of cloth whi ch the

I j eb us were accustomed t o wear at this period .

The fort in the direction of Ij ebu Od e was built at the point of .

4 5°
 I B ADAN A T I TS E X T R E MITY— B L O O D Y STR I PE S

divergence o f the roads leading t o Ij ebu Od e and Ij ebu R em o the ,

convergence of the roads being at the middle O f the fort enclosed ,

with a w al l all round This was in charge of certai n cavalrymen

.

left in town there being no scope for their services am ong the
,

crags o f Kiriji Associated wi th these were the S ango chief priest

.

and one O g u n g b gs a n ,

The only fight which took place in this direction was on Palm
S unday the 1 oth o f Apri l 1 8 8 1 and was far reaching in its results
, , ,
-
.

When the alarm was gi ven a mounted m essenger was sent post ,

haste t o the town to c al l up those in charge O f this direction .

So l aj a and So n ikan sons of S o d er in d e the B alogun of the Cav al ry

, ,

performed feats of valour that day and distinguished themselves , .

In the thi ck of the fight Solaj a wi th h is horse dashed into t h e

,

I j eb us knocking down two or three and returned with a captive

, ,

on his ho r se S eeing this So n ika n the elder brother n o t to be

. , ,

o u tdone by his younger brother perform ed the like feat and also , ,

returned with a captive This was a signal for a general rout

. .

The I j eb us who scarce l y ever saw a horse in their country and

,

co uld not face a cavalry charge gave wa y and were pur sued as far ,

as Od o On a kekere in the Ij ebu Od e ro ute and about 2 0 captiv es ,

were taken among them At Od o Qn a kekere the I j eb us m et

.
,

reinforcements and there they made a stand The struggle here .

was fierce and obstinate and the brave captain of the I j eb us

, ,

whi l st leading and encouraging his men was shot down dead : ,

a general rout was the consequence and in the p ursuit am ong other , ,

captives made was O mitogun the brother of the old B alogun of

, ,

the I j eb us .

This distinguished captive was well treated at Ibadan When .

the report O f what had taken pl ace reached the camp the wa r , ,

c h iefs sent back to say that Omitogun was t o be allowed t o g o

back hom e to arrange for his own ransom and on his own terms
but that he was t o exert his influence at hom e wi th the authorities
there s o that the roads may be opened for trade remembering ,

that they never had any quarrel with the I j eb us and never attacke d ,

their farms and that the Egbas whose cause they sai d they were
, ,

espousing had slyly opened a rounda b o ut road for themselves

,

vi a E ruwa t o trade wi th the interior Yorubas .

Omi togun himself had another t al e t o tell H e bought and .

took hom e with hi m som e corn beans etc t o S how hi s people , ,

.
,

at home I badan whi ch was reported t o be on its las t leg and

.
,

on the verge of starvation was actual l y revel l ing in plenty ,

s uch as they never enj oyed at home The farmers had no out l et
f o r their produce whi l st the I j eb us wh o are near l y al l trader s ,

were sorely in need of foodstuffs .

45 2 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
This circumstance made a deep impression on the I j eb us ,

there was no more raiding in this di rection Its further development .

had a far reach ing e f fect which bore fruit in the following year
-

as we s h all see
‘

§ 2
. C L O S UR E O F RO A D S A N D T H E R E S U LTS
The greatest needs o f the I b a d ans n ow were amm unition and salt ,

and the only route by whi ch they coul d obtain them even in
sm al l quantities wa s the roundabo ut way via O ke Igbo t o Ondo
and thus t o the coast H ence they endeavoured to keep on friendl y
.

terms with D erin the B al e O f Oke Igbo and humoured ,

him every now and then by se nding him presents of Sl aves .

D erin was an I f e prince and as to the If es themselves although

, ,

their arm y was in the Ibadan camp yet their sympathies were al l
,

on the other si d e .

B u t i t happened in March 1 88 1 that the I b a d a n s suspecting

, ,

treachery in a town named O su situated between Ile I f e and Ile sa

, ,

Sent a sm al l force secretly by Awo son O f the late La b os in d e, ,

against the place t o capture it by surpr ise in order to keep their

,

rear cle a r of any troubl e But al l the towns in the neighbourhood

were in the secret o f t h e expedition and in sympathy with the
E kit is as m en stri king f o r freedom therefore it leaked out O su
,
.

was prepared and rein forced against a surprise and hence the ,

expedition f ai led .

The town of O su not being far from the city of H g t o suspec t ,

O su is t o suspect I fe itself and D eri n of O ke Igbo taking this as

, ,

a cause of o f fence O penly declared f o r the E kit is and endeavoured

,

t o close even this road to all Oyos by allowing the I j esas t o ki dn ap

caravans on the road B u t the Og un s ua or B al e of Modak ek e
.
,

knowing that the safety of his t own is l inked with that of Ibadan ,

by protecting caravans arid attacki ng kidnappers did n o t al low

the road t o be al together c l osed s t r ied t o win the
In vain the If e
'

O g u n s u a over : the positi on of Modak ek e to I f e is analogous

~

to that of Belfast to the south of Ireland ; the Mo d a kekes are .

and of the sam e tribal a ffinity with Ibadan wi th which their

own safety is linked .

The price of salt rose so high that a pound of salt could n o t be

had f or less than ten shillings when i t could be obtained at all .

Poor people therefore could not even t h ink o f preparing thei r

meals with salt those wh o could obt ai n a few grai ns of it ate ,

their m ea l s i nsipid and then qualified the tastelessness in their

,

m ouths with the few gr ai ns O f salt afterwards

B ut the distress in the country was n o t all on one side The .

Egbas also were in di rectly a f fected by t h is closure of the roads

45 4 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
exhausted their allowance and others wh o did not use theirs in
,

previous fights she collected a sm all quantity in exchange f o r

food The writer being a friend of the S er iki s brother asked him ’

con fidentially on that occasion S upposing the I iesas and E kit is

,

were to com e upon you suddenly one day t o rush the cam p what ,

will you d o H e replied Tis true we have n o amm unition

,
’

_
,

b ut there are n o t wanting among us about accom plished

s wordsmen wh o wi l l be more than a m atch for the E kit is with
their guns at close quarters and they know i t or they would have
,

attem pted t o d o 5 0 .

F urther the E kit is often taunted them by appearing on t o p Of a

,

rock where they co ul d we l l be seen by the I b a d an s and tanta lized ,

them by emptying kegs of gunpowder o n the rock throwing a ,

lighted torch o n the pi le and blazing a l l away

, .

T h e m uster for battle at this tim e took p l ace alm ost every day .

The E kit is cam e as near as possible t o the camp firing into i t ,

.

The m ethod adopted by the I b a d a n s t o m eet the present crisis

was to assemb l e near the gat e of the cam p and thence m ake a ,

s udden and vigorous dash on the E kit is driving them bac k to the
batt l efiel d : then the swordsmen would S pread themselves in
the valley and trenches awaiting those wh o would venture near
the E kit is being on higher ground could be seen by them much
sooner N ow and then as opportunity o f fered they would pounce
.

upon them sword in hand and often com e back with captives
,
.

Thus they wou l d hold out till about five or six in the evening
before the m ai n Ibadan arm y m arched out when they could not ,

all fire m ore than one round before nightfall .

For m onths and m onths a f fairs dragged on in this way each ,

party being afraid of the other The sentri es at the camp gate .

were doubled f o r fear of a night attack .

On on e occasion a few kegs of powder were obt ai ned at E j io

at a very high price when these reached the cam p such a sho ut of
j oy was raised as if they had won a v ict or y ; a P en d e j oie was
fired that evening The S hout was heard at the E kiti camp
. .

B u t this j oy was short l ived f o r a grave danger threatened the

,

Yoruba country from another direction .

3 . DIST R E SSI N G E PIS O D E S

A D a h om ia n I n va s ion — The Da h o m ian s who had hitherto
.
,

confined their depredations to the Eg ba and Egb a d o districts ,

n o w f o r the first tim e advanced into the western districts of

Yoruba proper The I b a d a n s since the d estruction of I j a y e on

.
, ,

whom it would have devolved to meet this threatened danger ,

heard this news with chagrin they could on l y chafe but could
 I B ADA N A T I TS EX T R E MITY— B L OO D Y S T R I PE S 4 55

render n o help in that quarter In fact i t was their pre occupation .

-

th a t rendered such unprovoked invasion possible It was said .

that the D a h o m ia n guide and counsellor in this enterprise was

A fin the Chief o f Ketu and in May 1 8 8 1 the fol l o wing towns were, , ,

taken : E j io Ob a n ifis u n wa I l aji At a s a O ke le Iwere A iy et or O

, , , ,
’

, ,

and Ig an a .

Lawore the A s eyin m arched out in defence of the district b ut

he narrowly escaped with his li fe at Ig ana a young m an who ,

kneeli ng before hi m was shooting arrows on the enemy was , .

sudden l y approached by the D a h o m ia n s and his head taken o ff

The A s eyin hi mself had t o escape on horseback .

This conduct of A fin in introducing the Da h o m ian s into this

part of the country gave p ai n t o a ll but retributive j ustice soon ,

overtook him for at the next campaign of the D a h om ia n s his

, ,

o wn town Ketu was taken and himself slain The other t owns .

taken with Ketu were I di ku m g Is el u D ain etc , , ,

.

Ketu is an ancient town borde ri ng on the S ab e and Oy g

count ries It is a pl ace badly watered their drinking water being
.
,

mi l es away from the town They used deep underground tanks .

for storing r ai n water The scarcity of water in Ketu has passed .

into a proverb Om i d oyi n ni Ket u Water becom es honey ’

.

i n Ketu The destruction of Ketu was about the 1 7 th o f J uly ,

1 886 .

In order to record a ll the ravages O f the Dah o mia n s together we

shall have to anticipate the dates of events in the hi story .

Their thi rd camp ai gn was again in the west ern di stricts O f

Yoruba Proper— I l es an I bis e Oke A m u A g e I l u ku Gbagba , , , , , ,

A g e S ab e I r a wg , and for the second tim e Ilaji were al l

, ,

destroyed This was in 1 8 8 7

. .

Their fourth campaign was against the towns bordering on

Egba districts an d a l so on the western dist r icts B er ekodo
,
.
,

O ke Tapa Ai yet e Bak e Gangan Igbo Os a I d g fin I dir e Papa

, , , , , , , ,

G b u n gin u were a ll taken E ruwa was deserte d Thi s was about . .

the year 1 8 90 .

Thus far they went when a higher Power decreed their fall ; ,

they were themse l ves subj ugated by the French .

Travellers in the western districts will fin d all the towns enclosed

in double wall s Th e C ity of n was connected with the vil lage
.

o f A we by a wa ll T his outer wa l l was ca ll ed

. O di A m gla or ,

by some , Od i A m g n u
”
The form er term indicates The Wal l .

of S afety used by those to whom i t has proved a source of safety

,

and the latter term The Wa ll of Loss used by those to whom

, _ ,

i t has proved unavailing for security .

B . D es t r u ct ion of I le B ioku — I l e B ioku was one of the Yoruba

456 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B A S
towns in the Oke Ogun di strict between E ruwa and Is eyin and ,

consequently under the protection o f the I b a d an s .

The following is a short hi story of its foundation and destruction .

Ile B ioku was quite a m odern to wn built by t wo friends Bioku ,

and L eb eb i Bioku being the Chi ef It was one O f the town s

, .

beautifully Situated on a hill and easily defen d ed against a hostile

attack and consequently f or the safety it a f forded i t got peopled
, , ,

rapi dl y and soon becam e a prosperous town .

There were several m en o f not e in t h is town besides the founders ,

Og u n t aiy e the A r ea g or o Qd un m b a ku the I kg l a b a Ar em u

‘

eg
. .
, , ,

the Jagun Alawo and his son L a dip g (both being m en of note)
, ,

also Oj e A d eb a wg n p e and Ma b or iea j e

, , .

B ioku lived t o a good Ol d age and the town prospered under him , .

At his death he was succeeded by Leb eb i the co founder Oye -

.

dokun s on of Bioku was the head of his house B ut L eb eb i

, , .

di d not outlive Biok u long he also died and wa s succeeded b y ,

Aj adi as the head of his house Oyed o kun son of Bioku now .
, ,

becam e the head chief O f the town and so the s uccession would ,

have continued in the two famili es al ternately had all continued

well .

Alawo also died about the same tim e and Was succeeded by
his s on Ladipo Oy ed o k u n son of Bioku however was a bad
.
, , ,

ruler ; he soon disgusted all the chief m en in the town Wh en .

he could n o longer be endured Aj adi the next m an to him as ruler , ,

left the town with a large following and founded a settlement at

the foot of the hi ll l eaving Ile Bioku to Oyed o k un and his party
,
.

In order t o avenge himse l f for thi s defection Oy ed o kun sent to

Ibadan to in vit e an arm y t o destroy the new settlement but t h e
A r e L a t o s is a then at the head of Ibadan sent one Aiy el er u t o
'

, ,

reconcile the t wo parties but he failed in h is e f forts and returned

,

to Ibadan .

N ow with the I b a d an s away from home Oyed okun sent a

, ,

similar m es sage t o Chief Og un dip e a t Ab eokuta to com e and

destroy the new settlement Ogun dip e responded to the call .

with alacri ty and came wi th an Egba arm y as he had been seeking ,

occasion to g o ag ai nst I t a b g a sm all suburb town of Ile Bioku ,

.

The alleged cause O f off ence to Ogun di p e was that when the
Egbas fled from I j a y e in March 1 8 6 2 one of his wives (then in , ,

delicate state) fell into the hands o f an I t a b g man Chief Ogundip e .

o f fered to redeem her but the man refused t o part with her After
,
.

t I e child was born Ogundip e sent two slaves t o the m an in exchange

-

f o r m other and child but the m an sti l l declined the o f fer F or this
,
.

reason Ogundi p e now embraced this O pportunity of going against

the S ett l ement of Ile Bioku hoping to recover his Wi fe and
45 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
On l a d o was at the head of all the Ogbonis and Og u n d eyi of the ,

war party the Alake being a nonentity It was said that Ogundi p e
, .

and On l a d o were more in consort the public m eetings were ,

general ly convened either at Og u n di p e s gate or in the front of ’

So d eke s house Ogundip e was a lways the spokesman queer in

’
.
,

his ways but shre wd in his methods H e generally spoke in his ,

own nam e Public acts were s ai d t o be done by his order but he

.
,

was only carrying o ut the conclusions which himsel f and his

col l eagues had arrived at Thus it was given out that the E ruwa
.

road t o n had been opened under the a uspices of Chief Ogundi p e .

E ruwa now becam e the m arket town for the exchange of com
modi f ies with the further interior .

I t was also shrewdly suspected that Ogundip e as the fri end of ,

the A r e of Ibadan was doing his utmost to re l ieve the I b a d an s at

,

this tim e H e had al ways been ag ai nst the closure of the roads
.
,

but he coul d n o t get his co l leagues t o see with him C l oth s alt .
,

and spirits were the articles sent to the E ruwa m arket in exchange
f o r slaves and produce from the interior but a l l but one of the s o ,

called demij ohns of rum a n d cases of gin sent up by Ogundip e were

, ,

gunpowder secretly being sent t o the A r e The gatem en at the .

tal l gates were supposed t o know nothing about them a glass of ,

rum or of gin was poured o ut of the genuine package for them and
the whole pass ed free especially as it was known t o be Ogun
,

d ip e s and thi s particular road was under the charge of the Egba
’

O ke On a of whom Ogundip e was the head as the river route was

, ,

under the imm ediate charge of the Egba A g b eyin This favour
'

of Og un di p e s was highly appreciat ed by t h e I b a d an s

’
.

This E ruwa market was called the Er eh e m arket only guns and ,

gunpowder were prohi bited as articles of trade .

'

B ut the road t o E ruwa was now and again infested by two

_
'

not able highway robbers Kurakura a Gambari slave of Chief , ,

Og u n d eyi and Gata an Ilorin outcast a notorious robber

, , Both , .

of them were shar ing the spoils with their masters O f whom ,

Og fim ef u n was one On e fourth of the booties went t o them the

.
-

rem aining three fourths t o the robbers themselves

-
.

In spit e of t h is the E ruwa market and the secret supply o f

,
-

O gundip e were a great boon t o the I b a d an s but for the supply of

a whole arm y something m ore was req uired hence a l l their efforts ,

were bent on keeping the Oke Igbo route open .

D erin the Chief of Oke Igbo now the On i elect of I f e seemed ,

at this tim e t o have the key of the Whole situation in his hands ,

and his favour and goodwill were sought by a l l ; The I b a d a n s

sent him slaves and excellent native cloths and other valuabl es
,

as presents that he m ight keep the road open T h e Ilorins sent .

 I B A D A N AT ITS E X T R E MITY— B L O O D Y ST R I F E S 4 59

him horses the E kiti kings se nt him baskets of ko l a nuts and

,

other valuable presents and other costly presents cam e a l so from

,

Ij ebu and from Ab eokuta that he m ight keep the road close d .

The Og u n s u a of Modak ek e refused t o a ll y himse l f with the If es ,

and a well to d o Q f a man resident at Oke Igbo was as a bone in

- -

D er in s throat as the safety of their respective tow n s d epe n ded

’

upon the safety o f the I b a d a n s S o this road c ould not be al together .

c l osed .

Abo ut this tim e the rumour spread that D erin of Oke Igbo with
the confederates sent t o tel l the Ibadan chiefs that if they wished
f o r peace they should send to beg the King for he a l so had his
gri evance T here was his nephew Lawani harboured a t Ibadan
.
,

wh o on l eaving Oy g emptied the pa l ace of a ll the royal treasures

, ,

s o that he the A L AF I N was practica ll y a poor King T o t his the

‘

, , .

I b a d a n s replied H e is our prince what can we do to him

, We ,

cannot ej ect hi m o u t o f the town and we cannot touch his property , ,

since he was a l lowed to leave n with all he brought with him

we cannot question his right t o them H owever they sent .
,

accredited m essengers to Oy g to beg t h e Kin g to arrange m atters

for them pledging their devotion and l oyal ty t o him
, .

His Maj esty as was his wont ret urned them a fair answer and
, , ,

sent them a few fighting men and a B abal awo (Ifa priest )
ostensib l y t o m ake charms for their success : but the I b a d a n s ,

having reason t o be lieve that the action O f the priest was j ust t o
the contrary drove him out of the camp
, .

About this tim e S neider rifles were introduced by the I j es as .

The I j es a s at Lagos purchased a l arge quantity with cart ri dges

for their country people for the defence of the fatherl and ”
At .

first the I b a d a n s di d n o t know what they were nor their deadl y

ch a racter they made a mock of them for the I j es as did not know
h o w to use them properl y B eing short compared with their long .

D ane guns and m aking but l itt l e noise when fired they cal l ed
, ,

out t o the I j es as in j est Are you reduced to using tobacco pipes

,

n ow D O send m e one (0 k u t emi B u t the scene was soon

,

changed when cert ain Ij esa young m en wh o had learnt the use
of these weapons at Ab eokuta during the D ah om ia n invasions
there cam e over t o teach and to he l p their people in the us e of
them L a b ir ia of Lagos G ur ej e and Apara of Ab eokuta being
, ,

the princip al leaders Moreover they form ed a ri fle corps which

'

they carefu l ly instructed .

These new weapons of precision n o w struc k terror i nto the

I b a d ans . What is this ? What is this ? they began t o “

say wh en they saw their e f fects upon the body of the slain To .

quot e an instance — I n the battl e fought on t h e 1 5 t h M a y 1 88 I , .

4 60 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Chief A kin t g la was S hot through the leg as he sat on horseback ,

the sam e bull et ki lled the horse and a page st a nding by To

m ake m atters worse for the I b a d a n s their precarious supply of ,

the coarse gunpowder f or their D ane guns wa s exhausted They .

-

were great l y perturbed by this new development thin king that ,

the B ritish Government at Lagos m ust be supplying the E kit is

with new weapons especial ly when they saw the rifle corps in
,

uniform From a great distance in the batt l efield men wome n and
.
,

children were shot dead wi thin the I badan camp som e m ortal l y ,

wounded others crippled for li fe

,

Og ed em g b e accorded these rifles a doubtful welcom e S ooner .

or later s ai d he the Oy gs will get possessed O f similar weapons

, , ,

and what is t o becom e of us then unless we can fin ish them up ,

before they d o which is very doubtful

,

It becam e a m atter of great di fficul ty for the I b a d a n s to m uster

t ogether and troop i nto the battlefield on the day of battle .

When they assemb l ed at the gat e of exit the rifles wrought havoc
amongst them every m a n had t o t r y a n d fin d his way thro ugh
,
'

nooks and corners crawling along valleys pic king o ut shelt ers ti ll
, ,

they cou l d approach near enough within the range o f their D ane guns ,

t o return the fire others sword or cutlass in hand woul d craw l

, ,

stil l nearer t o pounce upon them In this way som e I j es a s were .

caught wi th ri fles and cartri dges which were exam ined wi th great
c uri osity They were s o perp l exed in mind that they sent hom e
.

f or a native missionary — one O f thei r sons — and l a i d this m atter

before him Wh y should the Lagos Governm ent supply th e E kit is
.

wi th such weapons to fight us It was t h en expl a ined t o them that

the Lagos Government had nothing to do with i t the I j es as at
La g os f o r m e d a committ ee which purch a sed these weapons and
_ ,

sent them up vi a Aiyesan Itebu to Ondo and thence to I l eea t o

, , ,

assist their countrymen .

Can any of you chiefs be held responsible f or whatever a m an

may buy at the Ibadan markets a n d bazaars for their fri ends at
Oy g and O g b o m g s g —N o — S o then this matter stands
. .

S ti l l they were hardl y satisfied feeling that such strange

, ,
'

weapons and m en to teach the use o f t h em could not have left

Lagos without the Governor s know l edge
’
.

At this crisis they sent again to the A wuj a l e o f Ij ebu on the

2 8 t h J une 1 8 8 1 craving ei ther for the opening of the roads or for
, ,

hi s arbitration but the I j eb us di d not even allow the m essengers

t o enter the town of Ij ebu Od e they were refused a hearing .

N ow about the month of August 1 8 8 1 D erin of Oke Igbo as

, , ,

the n n i elect of I f e cam e forward professing to arrange t erms ,

o f peace for the be ll igerents His m essengers m et those of the

.
 C H APT E R XXV I

FA I L UR E S AT RE CO N CI LIATI O N
T H E A L AF I N E FFO R TS PE AC E
’
1 . S F OR

A F TE R the failure of Der in s e fforts circumstances compelled the

’

A L AF I N t o m ake a genuine e f fort f or the restoration of peace .

( )
a The D a h o m ia n ravages o f the western distri ct and the ,

threats t o visi t n this coming dry season .

(6) The men of the frontier t owns sent to him t o say that
they will all desert their towns if the King co ul d not send an arm y
t o protect them .

B u t the King s most e f fecti ve army are the I b a d an s an d those

’

with them and they are pre occupied -

On the 9t h of O ctober 1 8 8 1 he sent for the R ev D Olubi of

, , . .

Ibadan as head of the missionaries in the interior at the tim e and ,

with him any two of h is sensible colleagues The order was .

obeyed on the 1 2 t h and the interview took place on the 1 3 th .

There were present at the intervi ew :

T WO o ffi cials viz The Olosi who is the King s va de m ecu m
, .
,
-

,
’

as i t were and the Apeka wh o is the white men s intermedi ary

’

, ,

with the court .

Al so Mr Jonathan Q j ela b i the foremost Chri stian gentleman at

.
,

at the tim e These are of n

. The R ev D Olubi Mr . . .
, .

J O kus eh in d e and the wri ter both Catechists under Mr Olubi

.
, ,
.

at Ibadan Also Mr A F F oster by whom the letter to Mr Olubi

. . . .
,
.

was wri tten for the King being the C M S S cri pture R eader at
,
. . .

Is eyin and also the A s eyin s messenger

’

, .

H e consulted Mr Ol ubi in particular a s t o the best way to

.

reach the Bri tish Governm ent t o crave their assistance ( I ) to put
an end to the fr ui tless war ravaging the country and (2 ) to o f fer
a check t o the Da h o m ia n inroads into the Yoruba country .

H e said that he was led to take this step as a ll his eff orts to
stop the war at i ts commencement f ai led and a l so recently he ,

fared no better A l so because the Egbas would intercept any

.

m essages of his to the coast .

I t had happened m ore than once that when his messengers

were at Ab eokuta on peacefu l errands then the Egbas would start
an expedition ag ai nst the I b a d a n s as if he egged them on to i t .

S o i t was at the time o f the expedi tion against I l e Bioku and also ,

at a raiding expedi tion t o the Ibadan farms and twice in the ,

4 62
 F AIL UR E S AT R E C O N CILIATI O N 4 63

Oke Ogun distri cts The Egbas w oul d seize any letter that he
.

wrote t o the B ritish Governm ent and he wo uld be glad i f Mr Olubi ,

.

cou l d reach the B ri tish Governm ent for him .

After som e discussion i t was final l y arranged that a letter be

wri tten to the Lieut Governor W B r a n d f o r d Griffi ths at Lagos
.
-
.
,

and another t o the R ev J B Wood S ecretary of the C M S

. . .
,
. .

requesting him t o second his e fforts and as he knows the country

very we l l t o explai n m atters to the Governor of Lagos on any point
,

H is E xc ellency may requir e further eluci dation .

The Palace Oy g , .

Oct o ber 1 sth , 1 88 1 .

T o H rs E X C LL N CY
E E ,

L I E U T G O VE RN O R W B GR I FF IT H S
.
-
. .
,

SIR— I hereby approach your E xce l lency and through

you to the Imperi al Government of E ngl and with this hum bl e
request ( I ) My countr y has long been disturbed by a desu lt ory
war which your E xcel l ency we ll knows and which has put a stop
,

to al l trade and impoverished the country and thousands of ,

lives have perished by death or hopeless slavery .

I have several tim es undertaken t o bring about the long

desired peace but m y e f o r ts have from tim e t o tim e been
,
f

frustrated Instead of ter m ina t ing the war is extending t o

.
,

threaten the utter extinction O f the Yoruba race .

The Da h o m ia n s have taken advantage of this to ruin m y ki ng

d om .A few m on t h s a g o seven towns have fal len a victim t o
their rapacities and Is eyin is now threatened The next turn .

might be to my own royal city .

Wi th all possible speed I beg that the Imperial Government

— for which I have always a great respect — t o com e t o m y help
-

I crave your assistance both t o com e t o settle this unfortunate

war between the bell igerent powers and to stop the Da h om ia n s ,

wh o have made an inroad into m y kingdom .

T o assure your E xcellency of m y great anxiet y I pledge myself

t o undergo a n y expenses i f on l y peace be e ffected as the issue .

All m y frontier towns are in great panic now and if I make ,

no stir to prot ect them they wi l l all scatter and s o I will under
take this in the coming dry season .

I mention t h is lest you may say after asking your help I

m ake a m ovem ent .

I beg to remain ,

AD E Y E MI KI NG , OF TH E Y O RU B A S .
4 64 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
The second letter addressed to the S ecretary of the C M S
, . .

The Palace Oy g , .

October 1 s th , 1 88 1 .

TH E R EV .
J . B . W OO D
DE AR —I
beg t o approach you wi th m y humble request
SIR ,

You might have heard of the desultor y war in m y kingdom

which h as been wasting its thousands I have undertaken .

several tim es to e ffect peace but m y authority was not respected ,

by the be ll igerent powers A n d seeing that i f this is not done .

in time the extinction of the Yoruba race is inevitable I sent

,

speciall y on the 9t h inst to ca l l your representative here at .

Ibadan to consult with him how the Imperi al Government might

be reached that I might crave as sistance t o b ri ng about the
peace speedily .

N ow I humbly beg you t o assist m e in urging the Governm ent

,

to attend t o this m y request speedily The letter ad dr essed .

_

to the Government wi l l be forwarded by you and pleas e use

your influence in this important matter for the sake of humanity
t o save my kingdom from extinction .

I am etc , .
, etc .
,

ADE Y E MI KIN G Y ORU B A S

‘

, OF TH E .

2 . T H E A L AF I N
’
S M E SS E N GE R
The writer was the bearer of these letters via O ke Igbo Od e ,

O ndo and the Maw en country t o Lagos

,
.

S im ultan eous with the invitation by the A L AF I N t o Oy o the

R ev D Olubi recei ved a l so a strange oral message from D eri n of
. .

O ke Igbo by S olom on the C M S m ailman t o Lagos . . .

t o the e ff ect that as all the belligerents had applied to him t o

settle their di fferences for them he wished Mr Olubi to give him , .

authority t o d o s o and if he was bac ked by him he wo ul d have the

, ,

confidence t o act .

The fact was that D erin was over elated with the regard paid
,
-

t o him by al l the princi pal states in Yoruba lan d Mr Olubi -

. .
,

being then the head of the missionari es in the interior cam e to

be regarded as the representative o f the white man and D erin in , ,

his vanity wished for the recognition al so o f the whit e man ;

,

hence the message .

’
In sending the writer with the A L AF I N s let t er to Lagos Mr Olubi .

asked hi m to say to D erin that he had no power to authori ze hi m ,

but that he was sending down to Lagos and that the messenger
4 66 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
information The I j egas thought that the opportunity of their
.

countrymen had com e and that they shoul d not be interfered ,

wi th T h e Oy g s were in dignant with the A L AF I N S messenger

.
’

and discre di ted his mission al leging that the Oyos being the ,

l eading tribe S hould never be the first t o ask for the

Governor s interference ’
They questioned the genuineness .

Of the letter and asked where wa s the King s I l ari

,
’

(stat e m essenger ) and where h is sta f f as the m essen ger s ’

credential .

U nder the circumstances the Governor asked the messenger t o

put d o wn i n writing hi s O pinion O f the Situation the exact state of ,

things and his reasons for beli eving that the people wanted peace
,

and that the Lagos Government s interference wou l d be acceptab l e

’

And this he di d in a letter addressed to H is E xcel lency on the 2 8 t h

O f N ovember 1 8 8 1 ,
.

In the l etter he showed that a l l parties wo uld welcom e peace

but cou l d n o t arrange i t between themselves being j eal ous and ,

distrustful of one another That the I b a d a n s and E kit is wished .

f or peace was evi dent from the fact that the m essengers O f both
m et those o f D erin (the e l ect of I f e) in the batt l efield for the
purpose the on l y hitch being who was to decamp first D istr ustf ul
, .

of eac h other either party feared a treacherous pursuit by the

,

other of the one t o decamp fir s t h en ce the negotiations failed , .

With the represent atives of a power respecte d by both between

them there w as n o doubt that the war woul d at once com e to
an end .

As to the Egbas he showed that they were never unanimous ,

about the closing of the roads one party being for it the other , ,

ag ai nst hence they managed t o find a circuitous route to E ruwa

,

for trade They al so would welcome peace but wo ul d not take the
.

i nitiative f or fear of l osing prestige The same t hi ng m ight be s ai d .

of the I j eb u s In fact i t was well known that the A wuj al e their

.
, ,

King was the only one for h os t ilit ies t h e I j eb us themse l ves woul d
, r

rather have peace hence the str ai ned relations existing between
,

the peopl e and their king T hat at the time o f his leaving Ibadan .

f o r Lagos steps were being t aken t o renew their attempts at

,

negotiation the chances this time being more favourable from

,

the fact of the capture by the I b a d an s of the brother of the

B al ogun of Ij ebu in a raiding expedition which h e undertook
to their farms and his being sent home t o arrang e f or his
,

own ransom .

From these facts it seem ed evi dent that they would gladly accept
from a higher and neutra l power what all wished for but cou ld
not e ffect themse l ves .
 F AIL U R E S AT R E C O N C ILIATI O N 4 67

G O VE RN O R S D E L E GAT E S
3 . TH E
’

The Governor after due deliberation decided t o send accredited

messengers t o sound the feel ings of the chiefs of the tribes m ost
concerned as t o how far they desired peac e and also t o ascertain ,

whether the A L AF I N s l etter was genuine and i f so that he S hould

’

send an I l ari down wi th his sta f f The delegates entrusted with .

t h is business were F or the Oy gs — Messrs Simeon D Kester and . .

— Messrs Phi ll ippe Jose Meff re and

Q d erin gl Wilson for the I jes a s .

Joseph H aastrup These delegates with the A L AF I N S m essenger

’

left Lagos on their missi on on the s t h January 1 88 2 bearing letters , ,

t o the A L AF I N the Ibadan war chi efs and to the E kit ip ar a p gs

, ,

from the Governor A copy of the A L AF I N s l etter was sent bac k

’
.

f o r confirm ati on if genuine or otherwise The Governor himse l f .

,

visiting the eastern waters of the Co l ony at the sam e time conveyed ,

them in his yacht t o the l andi ng p l ace at Atij er e .

In order t o secure great er importance f or the mission his E x ,

cell en c y arranged t h a t t h os e interi or chiefs who occupied a n eutral

~

position such as the Chiefs O f O ndo and D eri n of Oke Igbo shoul d
, ,

send their own m essengers al so t o accompany either party .

Accor di ngl y the parties from Lagos proceeded first t o Od e Ondo

and then to Oke Igbo before directing their footsteps each to his
destinati on with messengers from these two places At Oke Igbo .
,

when all from Lagos were being introduce d D erin flew into a rage ,

with the A L AF I N s m es s en g er for not t e l li n g him the purport of his

’

m essage to Lagos H e was i nclined t o doubt the genuineness of

.

it H e sai d that the A L AF I N could n o t have sent him without first

.

consulting him that it was his cause they were defending that ,

blockading am munition from the I b a d a n s was done by his

instructions etc etc Th e m essenger in reply reminded him of
,
.
, .

the m essage he brought him fro m the R ev Mr Olubi which he . .

,

admitted and further sai d it was the s am e Olubi that sent him
, .

H e would n o t hear the m essenger defend himself any further .

Then Mr Joseph H aastrup o n e of the delegates who wa s f o r fair

.

p l ay and o n e A kit on d e o n e of D er in s own men int erposed on his

,
’

behalf the form er said the m essenger was a m an of God who was
,

n o t li kely t o bear a false message The latt er s ai d— H e was but a

.

m essenger and is n ot supposed t o know the contents of a sealed

letter h ow then was he t o communicate the same to you
,

The fact was that D erin was e l ated h y t he honour an d respect

accorded him by a l l the powers and also by the recognition of t h e
,

Governor H e thought it was because he was an I f e a city which

.
,

tradition says was the cra dl e of mankind and not because he ,

happe ned t o hold the key of the sit uation to l oc k a gainst or to open
for the I b a d a n s to O bt ain amm unition from the coast .
4 68 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
The delegates separated at Oke Igbo those for proceeded ,

t o I s g y a Modak ek e and I badan those for the E kit is returned to

, ,

Od e O ndo and we nt by Ipe r indo and O d o t o Ile ga

, .

The Oy g de l egates were we ll received at I badan in fact they ,

received such welcome as would be accorded t o the act ual peace

m essengers and also at I j a y e they were met at a distance of four
miles from the town by the B alogun and about 1 00 fo l lowers
drumming fifin g and the firing o f a f en d e j oie showing with what
, ,

eagerness they were seeking after peace .

They arr i ved at the capital o n the 1 oth H is Maj esty the A L AE I N .

had two interviews with the delegates he confirmed his letter to

-

the Governor as genuine briefly recounted the hi story of the war

, ,

adding H umani t y forbids me t o be indi fferent to the hundreds

o f l ives pe ri shing dai l y The whole Yoruba race is a gift from God
.

t o m e and hence every loss of life even t o an untimely birth is a

,

loss t o the A L AF I N of n .

The antagonists are formidable and without the intervention ,

o f a power stronger than both peace will n o t b e eff ec t ed hence

,

I applied t o the E ngl ish Government for their in t er ven t ron .

I f I cal l upon the whole Yoruba country at large they might ,

respond t o m y call for enforced peace b u t t h e issue will not be good , ,

peace wi ll be t o o dear l y bought What I desire is an int ervention

.

Without any further loss of l ife .

The A L AF I N also w rote thanking the Gover nor for his letter
, ,

confirm ed his form er letter as gen ui ne a n d s en t an Ilari Qb a ko eet an ,

a
,

by name with his sta ff which was a fan embroidered with red and
, ,

green as his credentia l

, .

From Oy g the de l egates proceeded to the Ibadan camp B y this .

time those t o the E kiti camp having a shorter route t o traverse

had come t o those o f their own side and gone back .

The Ibadan war chiefs received the del egates we l l According .

t o custom they O ffered them co l d water and afterwards suitab l e ,

presents and lodged them

, .

At the intervi ew Chief May e was the spokesma n H e recounted .

t h e history of the war and laid great stress on the desirabi l ity of
having a safe r oute t o the coast for trade whic h should n o t be subj ect
to the whims of their littoral neighbo u rs ; and O f the di fferent
possibl e routes they preferred the I korodu route t o Lagos wh ich
,

was freely opened f or their use in the tim e of Governor Glover and ,

said they were ready t o subscribe any amount t h at may be required

f o r O pe ni ng the road on their side provided the Lagos Government ,

woul d guarantee its security from the molestations Of the Egbas

and I j eb us .

The d el egates were the be a rers o f a l etter a l so from the Ibadan

4 70 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
heard them al l round and reserved his decision until further
deliberation .

The failure of the mission was evident from what transpired at

’
the m eeting At the Governor s instance the m essengers related
.

their m essages in t urn :

Ob a ko eet an the A L AF I N S Ilari s ai d
’
- -
My Master presents his ,

compliments t o your E xcellency H e has sent m e to invi t e your .

kind in t erference in the protracted war that has been going on

these several years in the interior in wh ich tho usands of lives are ,

being sac r ificed yearly H is o wn e ffort for the purpose proving

.

abortive he has been constrained t o apply to you a s representing

a higher power to enable us to e f fect peace throughout the land
, .

The m essenger of the Are of Ibadan had nothing else t o say ,

The A LAF I N said he is our King and where his representative

, , ,

speaks the I b a d an s cannot say otherwise We abide by what he .

says .

A p e ni di agba the Owa s m essenger s aid We have the I b a d an s

’
- - -

in our clutches now a n d they sho ul d not be plucked o ff

, The .

Governor replied Why then did you not eat them up before this
,

tim e ? And why com e here t o ask this Government for their
interference
The Ij es a m essenger further stipulat ed as their con dition that
unless the I b a d a n s wo ul d give a guarantee that they will neve r
m ake war in future with either the I j eb us Egbas Il orins I j es as , , ,

and E kit is they would not agree to peace

, .

The S er i ki Og ed em g b e s messenger agreed With what the Q wa s

' ’

m essenger said .

The Ondo messengers wished for peace al l round .

The Governor General a fortnight later dismissed the messengers

-

with a copy of an identical letter t o each of the di f ferent kings and

'

chiefs that sent them The letter reads as follows .

I have carefully thought over the m essage y o u gave to me a

fortnight a g o and I have hear d from the Lieut Governor all
,
.
-

that passed in this matter before I came t o Lagos .

I appreciate the action of the King of n in sending t o the

Governor of L a g os t o ask him to send an o ffi cer t o make peace
'

between the I b a d a n s and I j es as .

I thank the King of n f o r the compliment he has paid to

the E nglish Government in doing this showing that he beli eves ,

in the honour O f the E nglish Government and t hat he feels ,

confident that an o ffi cer from the E nglish Government will deal
j ustly I n this m atter .

The great Queen whom I serve H er Most Gracious Maj est y ,

the Q ueen of E ngland and E mpress of India has n o other ,

 F AIL U R E S AT R E C O N CILIATI O N 471

wishes th a n good wishes towards the entire African peopl e .

H er Maj esty s instructions t o her o fficers Whom S h e sends t o

’

govern this co l ony are t o promote by al l proper means friendly

interco u rse between the peopl e under thei r rul e and the native
tribes l i ving n ea r t h em . .

In doing this from time t o time her Maj est y has approved
the visits of her o ffi cers to many of the tribes neighbouring
Lagos .

B ut H er Maj esty has n o desire t o bring the inland tribes

neighbouri ng Lagos under B ritish rule and though wic ked people ,

have said that if the white m an comes t o the interi or he will

take the country I tell y o u publicly that my Queen has no
,

wish to take your country .

As to sending the m essenger asked f or by the King o f Oy g ,

I am quit e aware that in sen di ng to as k the Governor t o send a

messenger t o the Ibadan and Ij esa c amps t o make peace the ,

King of Oy g has done a grea t thing H e has m ade a request .

that is n o t to be lig h t l y a n s wer ed .

I have thought over it patiently and very anxious l y and what

I have to say is thi s the m essage given by the I j egas was n o t
a clear message They s a id they want ed the I b a d a n s to go away
.

and they wo ul d agree to make peace on certain conditions and ,

a part of thi s condition was — that t h e I b a d ans shoul d S ign a

promise that they wo uld never ag ai n make war on any of the
a l lied tri bes wh et h er Eg b a Ij ebu I j eea E ki ti or Ilorin
'

.
, , , ,

I cannot send an o ffi cer t o your camp t o dictate t o y o u what

y o u shall d o there b ut I will report all the circumstances to H er
,

Maj esty s pr incipal O fli c er and if h ereaft er the I b a d an s and

’

I j es as sho uld wish t o cease from fighting and t o agree t o such ,

a condition as one of the Queen s O ffi cers m ay think r ight and ’

i f H er Maj esty shoul d direct that one of her O fficers should

visit y o u t o try t o find o ut their condi tions then I will do a ll in ,

m y power t o carry out yo ur wishes

_
and al t h ough I have found
fa ul t wi th the di ffi c ulties in the road I woul d even com e willi ngly ,

mys elf i f I were directed to do s o .

The Queen is very m uch interested in your welfare an d she

wishes her o ffi cers to use every right endeavo ur to increase your
prosperity .

Government H ous e La gos , .

A p r il 1 4 t h 1 88 2
, .

E ach the messengers was sent back with presents f o r them

of

selves and for their respective m asters To the I b a d a n s the .

Governor sent two s p ecime ns O f the c a r t ri dges used for the regulatio n
 4 72 TH E H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
M arti i H enry
n -
rifle which were q ui te di f ferent from those of t h e
S neider showing that what the I j egas were us n were not Govern
,

ment property .

In the meantim e news had com e to Lagos of the unsafety of

,

the road between Oke Igbo and Modak ek e It was gi ven out that .

a body of Ij eb u kidnappers were stationed at I s g y a t o blockade

the t r a fli c in amm un ition only but what proved t o be the fact
,

was that at t h e i n stance of D eri n the I j eb us were concentrating

their forces at I s g y a with the obj ect O f attacking Modak ek e in the
rear whilst the If es attacked them in front The Og un s ua (B al e of
, .

Modak ek e) and a distinguished Modak ek e Chief A j a r a wa by name ,

di ed s uddenly and rather myst eri ously it was sai d by poison and , ,

f urther that D erin dist ri buted a rms and amm unition to the
neighbou ring town s of I ki re Gbangan Ipet umodu and ,

t o j oin i n the attack on Modak ek e which being removed out of the

,

way Ed e wo uld be besieged and thus the I b a d a n s in the camp

would be taken in front an d in the rear B ut thes e towns not only .

refused t o take part in such coal ition b ut a lso forwarded al l the ,

amm uni tion to the A r e in the camp .

This news m eant a great peril f o r the Ibadan and n m essengers .

The Governor General hea ri ng this sent a special m essage to

-

, ,

D erin by his s on that he sho ul d see t o i t that n o harm cam e to .

the m essengers between his town and Modak ek e B ut n o t wit h .

standing this D erin arranged wi th the I j eb us to meet his own m en

h al fway in the forest and that t h e A L AF I N S fir st m essenger with
,
’

the letter the wri ter) sho ul d be killed I t was in the pres ence .

of th e writ er that Derin s m en were sharpening their matchets

’

they went out early before dawn t o wa ylay the messengers but it
happened that for want of carri ers t hey coul d n o t go that day :
and when the ki d n appers saw som e traders coming with their
loads wrapped with tarpa ul in they mistook them for the m essengers
from Lagos and fell on them The news of this disaster reache d
.

the m essengers in the afternoon of that day and it caus ed great

consternation at Oke Igbo D eri n was approached again and
. ,

reminded of the Governor s orders and an es cort was demanded from

’

him After m uch trouble he sent one A § a j u with five m en three with
. ,

old and useless D ane guns one with a r evol ver and the fifth ca rried
, ,

a native bel l That was all The escort demanded presents from
.

them at once before leaving home for the services he was abo u t t o
render . In mid forest he demanded more or he woul d leave
them at the m ercy of the I j eb us M uch troub l e was ex perience d
.

so that they could not reach I s g y a that day ; th ey were soaked

by a drenching rain but this rain proved the provi d ential means
,

of clearing the road of ki dn appers who betook them selves to shelter

 4 74 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
to the steady fir e of their f e es their own men behind them coul d
,

not r eturn the fire for fear of wounding them and those who
accompanied them on horseback until all had j umped into the ,

trenches and dispersed the foes .

T h e I b a d an s were n o w determined t o possess themselves of

breach loading guns and cartridges at whatever cost Letters
-

were written t o the n s of Lagos in di vidu all y t o distinguished ,

m en am ong them and collectively to the Whole stating their own ,

case f or the war and c al ling for help as those on the other side
,

had been helped by their own peopl e but for political reasons ,

they received no r esponse as we shal l see hereafter , .

H o s t ilit ies by t h e Eg bas — N ot only at Kiriji was the Wa r being

vigorously prosec uted but the Egbas al so resum ed activities in
,

kidnapping in the I badan farms at hom e A bout the 1 st h of J une .

,

1 8 8 2 the Egbas closed t h e B er eko d o and E ruwa roads

, the A r e had
n o t ceased carrying on some negotiations with them all this time ,

f o r i t was by his goodwill and connivance m arkets were opened

form erly a t Ketu and E j io and afterwards at E ruwa and B erekodo
,

for trade t o the m ut u a l advantage o f both sides N o w they pro

,
.

fessed at this time to be di spleased wi th the m essage b r o rj g h t by

O ko the A r e s pri ncip al messenger hence they recal led all their
'
,

traders wh o were a s far as B er ekodo and Is eyin and ex pelled all

from Ab eokuta before closing the roads .

Lawore the A s ey in di d his best t o pacify the Egbas and bring ,

about a good unders tanding t o keep the r Oa d s open but all in ,

v ai n At a publ ic m eeting held at Iseyin on the 1 9t h he took

.

from a cert ai n man an Egba slave wh o had escaped to Is eyin and

sent him back t o Ab eokuta as a m ark of goodwi l l ; but h is
m essenger was n o t even allowed t o enter the town T his act was .

rep ai d on the 3 I s t by another rai ding expedition on the Ibadan

farms but the I badan hunters gave C hase overtook them and
, ,

rescued all the captives .

T h e D a h o m ia n s ag a in — On the 1 8 th August about 2 00 M eko ,

refugees a r rived at Is eyin who escaped the second invasion

by the D a h o m ia n s T hey were we l l received and a portion of
.
,

l and al lotted t o them to b uild on wi th ample room for more of ,

their f ri ends wh o might escape to this place .

A B og u s P ea ce Neg oti a t ion —About this tim e the Ilori n s sent

.

some m essengers t o the I badan cam p to negotiat e for peace between

them The I b a d a n s had good reas ons for s uspecting their sin
.

c e r it y and therefore they sent them back with the message that i f

they are sincere in their overtures for peace let them raise the ,

S iege of Of a and return home and if they are loth to return home
,

empty they may take the town of Ot t m Thi s pl ace was offered
‘
.
 F AIL U R E S AT R E C O N CILIATI O N 4 75

to the I l g rirrs t o be taken because of the mortal hatred they knew

the I l g r in s had harboured against i t It had hitherto been secure .

under the protection of I bad an b u t n o w had j oined the con

, ,

federates agai nst them S he however had a l ready submitted t o

.
, ,

I l g r in and accepted an I l g r in political R esident As this overture .

was only a ruse to lead the I b a d a n s t o withdr aw their contingen t

at so that they might capt ure that city and advance t o their
rear the negoti ation fe ll thro u gh
, .

About the 1 4 th S eptember 1 8 8 2 a comet appeared in the , ,

heavens which t o the Yorubas is a very ominous S ign T hey are

, .

al ways on the look out f o r the demise of a great ki n g or a mighty

chief or the destruction of a great city consequently at such a

tim e every important king or chief in the country usu al ly consul ts
his Ifa and o ff er s a propitiator y sacrifice for the pres ervatio n of his
l ife The last seen before this was in 1 8 5 9 when King Atiba
.
,

of n died .

Th e R evolt of t h e I — Al though the I f e auxiliary arm y was

with the I b a d a n s in the cam p at Ki riji yet i t was known that the ,

I f es at hom e sympathized rather wi th the E kit is than with their

overlords and would long a g o have attacked the I b a d a n s from the
rear b u t f o r t h e presence of the Mo d a kek es near them There .

might be other reasons for their hostility against the I b a d an s but

the chief one alleged was the forci n g o n them of A yikit i the s on of ,

a tyrant as their n n i (o r king) in 1 8 77

, .

I t will be rem embered that the A r e engaged the s ervices of the

If es and M o d a keke s in his raids on the Egba farms in 1 8 77 and ,

after the retreat from Osi el e A yikit i the I f e general reques t ed

as the greatest favour he co ul d show him that he S ho uld place him
’
on his father s throne i n order t o preserve h is seed from utter
destruction which he was s ure would happen i n revenge for the
,

great m ischief his father had done d uring his reign .

The A r e dem urred being unwilling t o force upon the I f es a

,

king not in consonanc e with their desire but A yi kit i brought great ,

press ure to bear and the A r e felt bound not only to r eward his
,

s ervices but t o secure at least the loyalt y and friendshi p of one

,

leading provinci al king B ut he very soon aft er t urn ed agains t

.

the I b a d a n s A yikit i however di d n o t s u r vi ve long but t h e

.

If es a l l the sam e harboured a fee ling of spit e a n d resentm ent

ag ai nst the I b a d a n s on that account and t h a t they were see king ,

a n opportunit y to gi ve e f fect t o The Mo d a kekes at their doors

.

rendered this impossible they refused to j oin in any coalition

,

against Ibadan and hence the I f e hostilit y was di rected in the

first instance to the Mo d a kekes themselves the y began ki dn a pping
in their farms at first Li ving in such contig uity to each other
.
4 76 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
intermarri ag es O f cours e were frequent and soci al intercours e
unrest ri cted but at this tim e several Mo d a kekes who went t o their
,

relatives at Ile I f e were h ea r d o f n o more som e the Mo d a kekes

’

had t o redeem back .

A distinguished I f e chief A kin g b a d e by nam e an d the A saj u

, ,

of D erin of Oke Igbo went and j oined the Ij ebu camp at I s g ya to

kidnap Yoruba caravans and they m ade no exception of Moda
,

k ek es their neighbours .

The A r e hearing this sent over and again to conciliat e them and ,

u rged on D erin rather t o com e over t o Ile I f e and be crowned the

n ui and restore peace to at least that part O i the country but

'

D eri n refused t o comply unless the I b a d an s wo ul d fir st c ede to him

the following towns which once may have belonged to I f e but
had ceas ed t o be so for at least 5 0 years viz Ipetum odu , .
, ,

Gb angan I kire Apomu an d the villages in their vi cinity Other

, , , .

wise (s ai d he) he would n o t g o until the close of the war which he

th ought could only end in one way which wo ul d in d u bit a b l y plac e
,

these towns in his hands .

To concili at e the If es t h e A r e sent one Té ki t o m ed ia t e between '

the two parties which done they were t o take a mutual oath of
, ,

amity an d to ratify the sam e with the blood of a sheep he took

wi th him .

But m att ers in the m eantim e had com e to a crisis The If es .

raided the Modak ek e farms caught and maltreated a woman by

,

c utting O ff her breasts the Mo d a kekes in t urn resent ed the a ffront

, ,

they ret aliat ed by r ai d ing I f e farms caught four persons and also ,

sent t o the camp at Kiriji to recal l Oy eb a d e their B alogun for it ,

was evident that war has now becom e inevitable .

The A r e did not li ke the look o f things In permitting Oy eb a d e .

to g o hom e he sent also an influential I f e chief charging each of ,

them to go and quell the faction put the ri ngl eaders to death on ,

either side and restore peace at home .

These chiefs went by forced marches and took the precaution

that the news of their coming should n o t precede them They .

reached home together Oy eb a d e an d A d ep g j u his second in

.
,

command marched straight to the house of one Qb a l aiye a

, ,

known intriguer who was carrying on s ecret correspondence with

the I l erin s and had O btained a horse from them and stood before ,

his gat e H earing that the war chiefs were com e he c a me out to
.
,

welcome them whilst these war c h ief s l a y prostrate to recei ve

the greetings of this venerable man a swordsman who had been ,

i nstructed walked round to his bac k and ere he was aware by on e , ,

sweep of the sword his head fell O ff from his shoulders His house
wa s immediately confiscated and levelled with the ground The .
4 78 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
to send as reinforcem ent the foll owing chiefs on the 4 t h D ecember ,

viz A kin t ol a S anusi B a m g b eg b in and At uru

, , .

At this new development the E kit is redoubled their energies to

overwhe l m the I b a d a n s in the cam p the ba t tle raged at Kirij i
with unabated fury and many valuable l ives were lost on both
sides Of the m en of not e on the Ibadan side were Al i La lu wo ye
.

the Otun (from illness ) Ader ibigbe son of the lat e Bal e Olugbode
(from wounds previ ously received) A wo the son of the lat e Lab o
sinde the Baba Isal e Ogunrinde son o f the late A g b a kin
, , .

S om e O f the reinforcem ent at Modak ek e had t o be recal led when

the fighting at Kiri ji was becoming too strong l eaving A kin t o l a
alone and subsequent l y S um ou n A p a m p a was sent t o j oin him
‘
.

Thus stood the Ibadan lion at bay facing five fron ts with ,

amm unition spent yet flin c h in g from none at Of a at Ki rij i at

, , , ,

Modak ek e and against the E gbas as wel l as the I j eb us at hom e .

 CH APT E R XX V I I

A R I FT I N TH E CLO UD S

§ 1 . A T U RN I N G P O I N T
WH E N everything was thus d a rk and gloom y for the I b a d a n s ,

q uite unexpectedl y o n the 1 7 th D ecem ber 1 88 2 Ij ebu m essengers

, , ,

arrived in the town t o negotiate for peace between the two

countries
The m essengers were received at t h e Ar e s gate at Ibada n ’
.

They were hooted at in the streets and called a ll sorts of names ,

being taken for spi es Their message was however conveyed to

.

the war chiefs in the camp and the hom e authorities were instructed
t o send a m essenger back along with them t o ascertain the truth
of thei r statements .

The hearts of al l were made gl ad on the return O f the messengers

when they heard that the I j eb us were sincere in their overture s
for peace Aj ako the messenger sent reported that about 8 00 of
.

‘
the Ogbonis met at Or rr an d without a dissentient voice all agreed
to make peace Ten kegs of powder and ten bags of salt were the
.

presents sent to the A r e and war chiefs as a token of their goodwi ll .

These sent as return presents s l aves gowns a n d sheep Thus , ,

.

peace was conc l uded with the I j eb us and tradi ng re l ations resumed .

Provisions which were scarce at I j eb u were taken down and bartered

f o r salt and cheap foreign m ade cloths and cutlery the I j eb u s
, ,

for the present forbidding the exportation of powder and firearms .

What led to this negotiation for peace has been to l d in a previous

chapter (vid e p . And again the I j eb us being essentially a, ,

commercial peopl e their only m arket f o r interior products an d

,

f o r disposing of their wares from the coast was closed t o them since
the commencement of the war and scarcity of foodstu f fs caused
,

m uch distress among them al so and yet the Egbas whose cause , ,

they were espousing— having n o grievance of their o wn — had _

m an aged t o open markets for themse l ves fir st at Ketu a n d E j io , ,

subsequent l y nearer hom e at E ruwa by wh ich their own wants

were reli eved The I j eb us had no such out l et they were there
.

fore inc l ined towards peace with Ibadan but the A wu j a l e their ,

king was for prosecuti ng the war vigorous l y for which purpose he
ordered the B al ogun ou t t o encamp at 01 13 from whence he might ,

send raiding expeditions out t o the Ibadan farms We have seen .

the disaster that b ef el them on the 1 oth of April 1 88 1 and the , ,

4 79
4 80 TH E H I S TO R Y OF T H E YO RU B A S
capture o f the B alogun of I j eb u s brother wh o was sent back by ’

the I b a d an s t o e f fect a good understanding between them and the

I j eb us . That episode made a deep impression on the I j eb us and ,

ever since they had been working for peace against the wish of
the A wuj al e and a sm all cli que about him but a quiet revolution
,

had been going on towards this end The people were now
'

determined to have the road o pen in spite of the A wuj al e and t h is ,

led t o something li ke a civil war as wi ll be seen below .

A n ot h er I l g r in E p is od e — Sim ul taneously with this event was

the arrival of a peace embassy from the S ultan of Gando to the
I l g rin and Ibadan camps The I badan chiefs who would not
.
,

listen to any overtures from the Ilorins knowing their treach ery , ,

pai d more regard to these messengers gave th em a cordial ,

welcome treated them respectfully believing them to be

, ,

sincere To show their wil li ngness t o accept peace wi th I l grin

.

the A r c; sent home for about 60 of the I l grin captives at

Ibadan wh o were men Of influence an d sent them all hom e
, ,

on horseback Moreover they accepted all the terms o f fered

.

by the Il orins Peace was so far concluded that the O pposing

.

armies at Of a exchanged visits wi th each other S everal Ibadan .

and Qf a peopl e even passed on t o I l gr in and traders on both sides

who had been shut up in other towns hailed the O pportunity of
returni ng home and others did a good trade as far as Bida in
,

po tash an d salt while the opportuni ty lasted .

B ut sti l l the Il orins refused to raise the siege of Of a on the con ,

‘

t r a r y they insisted on the Ibadan contingent going away The .

I b a d an s on the other hand promised that not only woul d they leave
Qf a but also that they woul d n o t cl aim the overlordshi p of that
,

city they would hand it over to I l grin but only on one condition
, , ,

n amely that the town be not destroyed but as they were there
,

t o defend that town they could not retire except the siege was first
raised This test of the sinceri ty of m otives of the Il orins being
.

insisted on the negotiations failed and hostili ties were resum ed

, .

2 . RA M B LI N G TAL K S OF PE A C E
The R ev D avi d Hinderer a retired missionary of the
. ,

wh o f or many years had laboured in Yoruba land and wh o con

t in ued to take a lively interest in the country and its people ,

addr essed a letter t o the representatives of the tri bes residing at

Lagos on the diffi culties present in the interi or well kn owing the ,

t ribal feelings and j ealousies existing at Lagos which were fanning

the flames of the hostilities in the hinterland H e invoked them .

as patriots and especiall y as Christians to see that all tribal feelings

an d j ealousies be set aside i n the interests of peace to their father
48 2 T H E H i s TO R Y OF T H E YO R U B A S
repeated the resolution explained the desire of the community
,

and advanced his hopes .

King D osum u next spoke but said nothi ng of importance .

H e was followed by the Apena who acted as spokesman for the

,

king and the remaining chi efs conveying that they would like the
,

matter reported to the Queen and if they w ere then asked to

,

exercise their influence with the king and chi efs of Ij ebu they would
willingly d o s o .

On e and all t h ey ex p r es s ed their desire for peace In support

'

of the aim of the commu n ity M essrs R obbin an d Willoughby also

.

spoke forcibly .

We may remark that the Apena evinced such caution and

reluctance in the m atter of action as desired because of the trouble
he fell into in I 8 75 during the administration of Governor D umaresq
when he was personally forbidden by the Lieut Governor Lees .
-

to interfere i n Ij ebu m atters .

The Governor sai d that if D osum u and the chiefs would put t o
loyal advantage their influence in the matter Of the restoration of
peace t o the country h e was confident that H er Maj esty s Govern
’

ment would be appreciative of any such e f fort and that a general

m ove for good i n the way of an honest endeavour to restore peace
was very di f ferent to direct and m eddl esome interference in the
interi or economy of a government such as Ij ebu .

This movement was the first of a series of fruitless meetings held

at Lagos between the years I 88 2 an d 1 8 92 which had for their obj ect
the restoration of peace in the hinterland by the exercise of
influence . The subsequent meetings however were no t under
the re gis of the Government but among the tribal representatives
themselves .

The A L AF I N S letter to Lieut Governor G

.
’
.
—
r i ffiths in 1 8 8 1 made it
-

clear that i t required a higher power which co m m a n d ed t h e respect

of the combatants on both sides to make them l ay down their arms .

The A L AF I N S messenger emphasised the fact over and over that

’

n ot h ing les s t h a n a n a r m ed in t er ven tion co uld p r eva il up on t h e

bellig er en ts t o d eca mp .

B ut then the interior at that tim e was so little known t hat

people l iving at ease and secu ri ty at Lagos had no idea of those
arduous circumstances of life that moved men resolute and brave
t o protect their interests by the sinews o f their own right arms .

Probably there were not h al f a dozen m en in all Lagos cert a in l y ,

not among the influentia l personages — s o call ed— who knew -

the exact state of things prevailing in the interi or or we would ,

have heard less of the influence whi ch the ex king of Lagos -

or the A wuj al e of Ij ebu Od e was able t o exert wi th the heroes of

 A R I FT I N TH E C LO UD S 483

a H omeric struggle incapable as they were to intervene with a

,

force or t o guarantee safety for an hour nor was i t apparent by

what mean s they cou l d sheath the sword of men who meant
business .

What was happening at Ij ebu at that very moment furnishes an

amusing commentary on the resolution read before the Governor ,

and affords incontestible proofs of how l ittle La g os ian s knew about

up country a f fai rs not even of what was going on s o t o speak at
, , ,

their very doors and also of what val ue the A wuj al e would be
in the matter of peace .

The tribal parties at Lagos evident l y missed the point of Mr .

Hinderer s letter The idea expressed in their resolution and their

’
.

procedure seem ed rather far fetched an d roundabout except the -

, ,

O bj ect had been t o show that the A wuj a l e of Ij ebu was an

important personage .

The remarks o f A p elid iag b a to the G overnor General Sir S amuel ,

Rowe which served t o wreck the peace embassy initiated by the

,

A L AF I N were di ctated at Lagos the same expression h ad been used

before by the Ij esa represent atives to the Lieut Governor W B .
-
. .

Grifli t h s
, As the tribal antagonism of compatriots at Lagos
serve d to inflame and excite the belligerents so unanimi ty amongst ,

them might serve to soothe their feelings and dispose them to yield
even at a mere message — say—o f the Governor behind whom there ,

was known to be a force of incalculable weight S uch was the .

intention of Mr Hinderer . .

On the 2 6t h o f D ecem b er r 88 2 the Apena w ai ted on the Governor

, ,

t o intimate t o His E xcellency that he was the person deputed by the

ex king and council to proceed t o Ij ebu on the above mission
-
.

TH E A PE N A S RE P O R T
’

The R eport makes long and tedious reading but the follo wing ,

extract is the gist Of the same .

The Ape na O f Lagos who was sent up on a mission to the A wuj al e

o f Ij ebu with the obj ect o f adopting meas ures for putting an end

to the war in the interior l eft Lagos on the 2 8 t h D ecember 1 88 2

, , ,

and landing at the fir st Ij ebu port at I t Q Ike he learnt of the civil ,

commotion at Ij ebu Od e the chief town and instead of sleeping ,

there for the night he left at mi dnight went through bush paths ,

with lighted torch es and by forced march reached Ij ebu Od e by

daybreak H e l os t n o time but was announced by the Apena o f
.
,

Ij ebu Od e to the A wuj al e wh o granted him an audience at once

,
.

The Apena told in few words the obj ect of his visit and what
gave rise t o it viz a letter written by a retired missionary to the
,

representatives of all the interior tribes at Lagos in the interest of

4 84 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
peace and that his mission was at the instance of the ex King -

D osum u and his council with the approval of the Governor of

,
‘

Lagos .

The A wuj al e after hearing the Apena s mission requested him

,
’

t o proceed to the Ij ebu camp at On ) to deliver the same to the

’
war chiefs there B ut the Apena would like to know the King s
.

mind as it was most likely the war chiefs would ask

, What did ,

he say to your message ? The King then said he could not

give an autho r itative reply to a political message without the
advice of his councillors and that they were all disaf fected now
, ,

and were deserting the town The Apena might be able to fin d out .

why they were leaving the town But he might mention that the .

’
obj ect of the Apena s mission strange to say bears strongly on , ,

the present condition of things at Ij ebu viz the restoration of , .

,

peace i n the interior That it was wi th the advice of all his

.

counci llors the O sug b oS I p a m p a s I lam u rin s and the Ogboni

, , , ,

Odis that he embarked on hosti l ities against Ibadan a n d that he

, ,

sent messengers to the S ixteen kings of the E kiti confederates also ,

to the king of I l g rin t o the A L AF I N of Oy o an d others be fore he

,

commenced hostilities a nd he promised the I j esas and E kit is his

,

support in breaking o ff the Ibadan yoke and now after entering

into an agreement with all these kings his own people turned round
and said they desired peace with Ibadan and he was to break his ,

word to the other kings

The war C hiefs by hi s commands are at Ou t as a base of
operation against the Ibadan farms but why were the civil chi efs ,

deserting the town f o r the vi llage of I m gwo ? The Apena might

be able to ascertain the reason when he got there The Apena o f .

Ij ebu Od e told hi m that the civil chiefs were having a meeting that
day at Im owo and that h e was to be quick so that he migh t
meet them all together .

Accordingly the Apena on his way to the Ij ebu camp at

,

o m passed through the vill age of Im owo where he met about

‘

3 2 0 of the O gbonis and others H e told them his mission .

and three times they asked him Is it customary with you ,

at Lagos to settle a quarrel or not ? H e replied in the

” ”
affirmative Then said they
.
, we are of the sam e mind ,
.

They s ai d moreover that they had been there seven days since
, , ,

under great personal discomforts to interpose between the A wuj al e ,

‘
and the war chiefs at Or 11 who were bent on a civil fight as the ,

A wuj al e would not listen to any arrangem ent to terminate hostili ties
and bring p eace and prosperi ty to the country H e was to hasten .

at once to On ) as the war chiefs were holding a council there to

day and the res ult might be some strenuous measures H e did so .
,
4 86 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
emblematic me s sages viz a fan Qs in feather and a whi te sash , .
,
1
, , .

B ut the A wuj a l e kept listening t o the advice of ill disposed persons -

wh o were against peace representing the message from the A r e as a

'

false message O ii gin at in g from the B alogun who , knowing salt

, ,

to be dear at Ibadan wished t o drive a lucrative trade therefrom ,

After a while Olu g un a the A wuj al e s own slave who was caught by
’

the I b a d an s in o ur raids was sent back with a present of twelve ,

slaves to the B alogun with a message that he should assist him to

beg the A wuj al e The A w uj al e approved of his receiving the
.

presents but arranged that future messengers should come to

,

himself direct by a new road and n o t by the old route through ,

‘
Or ii where t h e B a l o g u n was stationed This of course they di d not .

mind thin king he might thereby be amenable to peace

, .

After this the A r e of I badan sent messengers to the A wuj al e

,

several times and each time wi th presents 7 2 S laves in all v al uable

, , ,

cloths a demij ohn of s egi beads and a crown

,
All which he appro
p ria t e d but sti l l would not declare the roads open for commerc e
'

s o that we here might return home On the contrary he sent an .

,

army t o Is oya t o ai d the If es in destro yi ng Modak ek e We are .

su f fering and the Egbas on whose account we embarked on this

,

suicidal policy are trading on their own account at Er eb u B ut .

the A wu j a l e entered into all sorts o f intrigues wi th the men of Iwo ,

E d e Modak ek e I f e and the I j esa s and all I j eb us were scandali zed

, , , ,

at thi s after recei ving so much from the I b a d a n s They

att r ibuted i t t o the fact t hat since his accession he never removed
t o the pa l ace of the kings but remained in his mother s house
’

where he was accessible t o everybody and he followed other ,

advices than those o f the o fficial counci ll ors H ence they were .

determined he should reside in the palace if needs be wi th their

guns or he must be deposed They told the Ape n a he was free to
, .

inform the A wuj a l e of their determination nobody else would ,

tell him H e promised them he woul d

. .

H e thereupon went back to the king and remonstrated with

hi m The determination of his people was that he should remove
.

t o the palace demolish his present residence sen d away his sons
,

from hi m as by custom they were t o visit h i m only once a year

, ,

an d that he was t o execute all his bad advisers .

The King demurred H e sai d that ki ngs should reside in the .

1
A fan in Yoruba is Abeb i: the root b e m eans t o beg .

is a water bird S in in Yoruba m eans to serve .

A whi te sash — white is an emblem O f peace .

The m essage m eans we beg you we wi l l serve you let there be , , ,

peace between us .
 A R I FT I N THE C L O UD S 48 7

pala ce true but he declined t o receive orders from the people

, ,

and he could not be compelled t o d o so .

After much remonstrance showing him the evils of life in ,

’
exile reminding him of A kit o ye s case at Lagos etc he prev ai led
, ,

upon him t o yield H e asked him to take a retrospective vi ew o f

.

his life and try to meet the wants of his people that there was a
time when he commanded and his people obeyed now they com
mand an d he must obey H e had been fed by God hitherto with .

honey but n ow H e gave him a tas te Of bitter herbs : the King

wo ul d not refuse that .

After m uch di ffi culty he obtained for the A wuj al e five days
’

grace in which t o carry out the demands of the peopl e viz to , .

,

demol ish his present residence send his sons away and execute , ,

h is bad advisers (These marked victims however escaped to

.
, ,

Ep e an Ij ebu town in the Lagos protectorate )

, .

There wa s a great deal more of complications attending this

business but he (the A pena) shou l d n ot meddle with Ij ebu internal
,

a ffairs .

The King reluctantly took leave of him and wished there were
many like h i m for the sake of affairs of the country he gave him
t wo bags o f cowries and he left Ij ebu Od e on the 9th inst via E p efor
,
.

’
L agos On the r ot h the King s ill advisers who were marked
.

f or destruction met hi m at Ep e he advised A g b a j e the chief ruler , ,

of Ep e n o t t o deliver them up for death but rather refer the case

,

t o the Governor of Lagos through D osum u The mat whereon .

he sat at E p e valued about 2 0 heads of cowries was given him as

, ,

a present and they expressed high appreciation of his services

,

in bringing the affairs in Ij ebu to such a peaceful issue H e .

arrived at Lagos early on the 1 2 t h of January 1 8 8 3 , .

The following l etters marked A B and C from A gb a j e the , ,

B al ogun of Ep e (an Ij ebu port subj ect to Lagos ) to the Governor ,

of Lagos wi ll S how us the condition o f the I j eb u s at that time and

,

’
the sequel to the Apena s visit .

L et ter A .

SIR — I
have the honour of informing your E xcell ency that
,
’
I have had the mind o f laying before your E xcell ency s in f o r
mation the other day when here in H M S Ger t r ud e the . . .

quarrel between the King of Ij ebu and His Maj esty s subj ects
’

who compose His Maj esty s war camp at a place called 01 11 in ’

the Ij ebu terri tory .

The King s sub j ects said that they would not fight ag ai nst
’

the I b a d a n s any mor e: they having made three subsequent

r ai ds 011 the I b ad an s farms but were not s uccessful therefore
’

,
 48 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
they are tired of fighting they are t h r ef ore desiro us of making
peace with the I b a d an s and then resume trade .

The King not agreeing to peace making but determined to -

carry his purpose in fighting wi th the I b a d an s H e does not .

want any thing else but war H is Maj esty s subj ects sai d in .
’

charges agai nst him that since he has been proclaimed the King
’
of Ij ebu he was never seen to sit on the king s throne he resides ,

in his mother s house H e was requested by his subj ects to

’

sit on the throne as were his predecessors and to yield to the

peace making with the I b a d a n s These the King refused to
-
.

accept but determines t o fight with the I b a d a n s and no peace .

His Maj esty s subj ects are being prepared to fight a civil war
'

with their king and to have him dethroned while the King is
being prepared also to resist their purpose
The King and the subj ects are now ready to fight the civil
war I have however sent three messengers to the King at
.
,

di f ferent times towards peace making but he would not permit -

me and my chie fs N otwithstanding my further e ffort in sending

.

the fourth message to the camp at Or u but I am afraid they ,

will not accept my o ffer In a plain word war is imminent.

, .

Your E xcellency may say I have not given you a due notice ;
If I am successful a l l right otherwise I could not help .

I have the honour etc , .

,

A G B A JE , B a log un o f Ep e .

December 2 5th , 1 882 .

!N O TE that this letter was written three days before the Apena
left Lagos but the news i t contained was not known before he
,

left ]
.

L ett er B
’
. The B alogun of Ep e s second letter to the Governor
of Lagos .

j a n u a ry 1 2 th , 1 883 .

SIR ,
—
I have the honour to the receipt of youra s kn owl ed g e

E xcellency s letter of the 2 7 t h D ecember and noted its conte nts

’
.

AS per my promise in my last letter that I have sent message

to the I j eb us at 01 121 in the way of mediation — m ediation between
them an d their King—an d as I also promised to you the result
of such message the messenger has returned saying that i t is a
,

quarrel between a father and his s on we have no hand in it ,

and that in a few days after that I h eard that the Apena from
Lagos has arrived in the camp thin king that he would settle the
matter but sorry he could not do it i t is still continued
, ,
.

Since the Apena has left the camp and Ij ebu Od e to this
490 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS

3 . D E SPE R ATE M OVE M E N TS

The following letter addressed t o some gentlemen at Lagos , ,

will show h ow straitened the I b a d an s now were from the use of ,

the rifles against them .

To I H W ILL OU G H B Y
. .
, Esq .
,

D C T AI WO E s q
. .
,

S U M QNU A N I M A S A WU N , E s q .
,

S H ITTA E s q ,

And a l l L AG O S OY o s or Y O RU B A S ,

S I R S — We the A r e and Chiefs of Ibadan send you our

, , ,

greetings .

We have wri tten and sent a special m essenger to you and

that letter was our first t o you on the subj ect of the present
'

war We there mentioned that the I j esa s of Lagos have

.

supplied their brethren wi th superi or weapons of war and that ,

we beli eve the Lagos Government had n o hands in it O ur .

'

grounds for be l ieving so was this We have sent a specimen of .

the rifle shots that they have been fighting us with to the Lieut .

Governor W B Gri ffi ths by the hands of hi s messengers Messrs

. .
, .

Kester and Wilson ; asking at the same time whether it was the
Government wh o was supplying them wi th the same Our .

messengers wh o accompanied them down returned with t wo

di fferent kinds o f cartri dges one f or the H enry Martini and , ,

the other f o r the Government rifles and word was sent by our ,

messengers that their ammunition s of war were quite di fferent

from the specimens sent We believe them s o far and have .

agreed that they sho uld act the part of a peace maker -
.

B ut soon after our letter was wri tten we were informed from
good autho r ity that influential people of Lagos who could not ,

have left the co l ony wi thout the Government s notice have

’

actuall y left Lagos and have been fighting with us with superior ,

weapons of war viz with the Gattling gun an d with plenty , .

, ,

S n eid er s .

We undertake t o mention the names gi ven to us viz T F , .

, . .

Cole E s q La b ir in j g E s q F A s t r op e E s q Messrs Campbell

, .
, , .
, .
, , .

and O sifil a and that Mr V aughan was hired as the arti l lery
, .

man H ow is it that such eminent men should l eave the colony

.

'
wi thout the Governor s notice ?
The I j esas m ay truly plead that they are fighting for their
country but we have w r itten t o the Lagos Government te l ling
,

them the cause of this war I t was they wh o first originated the .

war by encamping against I kirun and their watchword was

Od o Ob a n i Al a The Ob a river will be the boundary ; .
 A R I FT I N TH E C LO U D S 4 91
’
tha t is t o say Iwo at a day s journey from us will be annexed
to their own territory They were once defeated and this is
a second confederation and we have s ai d and d o say now that , ,

we are in our frontier protecting the Oy o provinces from their

inroads .

Trusting you would give the m atter your serious consideration

for the interest o f your country and peopl e We submi t the .

matter to y o u our kinsm en that you bring the matter before the
, ,

Government that an enqui ry be made if the above mentioned

,
-

perso n s co uld be found in the settlement .

We have the honour etc , .

,

LA T O SI SA , A O K . . .

and the I B A D A N CH I E F S .

The above letter was read by the Y orubas of L agos and was
published anonymously Mr F A s t r o p e was at that tim e farming
. . .

at Ai yesan although all the same h e and the other Lagos I j esas
,

were there in the interest of trade or rather for easy transport to ,

their co un try but did not actual ly g o t o Ilesa much less t o the
, ,

E kiti camp t o fight H e n ow brought pressure to bear upon the

.

edi tor of the newspaper which published the letter and I H , . .

Willoughby was disclosed as responsible for i ts publication .

Mr A s t r o p e then took legal proceedings against Mr Willoughby

. .

f or li bel an d was awarded dam a ges of £ 5 0 .

The Ibadan war chiefs did not content themselves with the
letter t o the Qy o descendants at Lagos alone in general but wrote
also two other letters one to Mr D C T ai wo on May 2 6t h
, . . .
, ,

by one Joseph Ogunrinde and the other to S u m on u A n im a sa wun

,

on the 6th o f J u n e 1 8 8 4 by one Qt esil e B oth letters bearing the

, , .

same contents viz , .

As the I j esas are determined to spoil the Yoruba country ,

and their countrymen at Lagos are supplyi ng them wi th

E uropean weapons of war we send (h ere the messenger s name )
’

t o you for a supply of S neider rifles wi th cartridges and we ,

promise to pay in palm oil and palm kerne l s which we are

collecting f o r the purpose We wish you t o arrange wi th the .

”
B al ogun of Ij ebu in order that our produce might reach you ,

etc etc.
, .

We are ,

LA T OS I SA , A O K . . Etc .
, et c .

Warne d by what happe ned to Mr Willoughby great caution .

,

was displayed The follo wing was the repl y sent by one who
.

styles hi mself—A Yoruba .

 4 92 THE H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
Shitta S treet Lagos , .

j u n e r 6t h 1 8 8 4 , .

TH E A R E O KA K A N F 0
-
NA -

D E A R G E N TL E M E N ,

I hope this to meet you in a good health as I am at present .

Your message has been de l ivered to us and we rio t e your saying .

D oubtless what ever thing you are wanting if you give Ij ebu ,

goods they wil l suppl y it to you May Go d let this war settle .

sooner .

If you want t o send here again you must send t o Government ,

directly with King s token either walking stick or other ’

,
-

instrument but if you want to send to Yorubas you can send

, ,

i t separately You must believe a ll what your messenger will

.

tell and receive from the m advice for they have seen here and
, ,

yonder Y o u must n o t sen d such person as foolish as Apara for

.
,

he is thoughtless person If yo u want t o send here ag ai n you .

,

must elect clever an d wise person in order that your wishes may
be attended t o ; and you must not send verbal message all
"

that you have t o d o must be written in letters .

With kind regards and best wishes .

Yours very fai thfully and affectionately ,

A Y O RU B A .

Thus the I b a d an s received n o help whatever from their com

patriots at Lagos H owever with the deposition and expulsion of
.
,

the A w uj al e from his capital the strain between Ibadan an d the ,

I j eb us became relaxed Through Chi ef Kuku of Ij ebu Od e who .

,

had resided at Ibadan for many years as well as through the ,

Bal ogun of Ij ebu and from private traders through the Ij ebu
,

country the I b a d an s were now able t o obt ai n at very high prices

,

some rifles and ammuni tion j ust suffi cient t o render their position ,

more secure at Kiriji The gun s were sold to them at the rate of.

£ —
1 0 to £ 5
1 a piece and the cart r idges at 6d each
, prices which .

(considering the scarcity of money and the general impoverishment

induced by this prolonged war) only men in desperate condi tion
’
would care t o pay S anusi the Ar e s eldest son was the first t o
.
, ,

purchase a few then Lady , the daughter of the late

B a sgr un Ogunm ola procured a few f o r her nephew Kongi wh o
, ,

was n o w the head of the house After this the possession of a rifle .

became a general thing every war chi ef trying to get a few for ,

himself For t h is purpose many had to sell their s laves and slave
.

wives a matter of pain and grief to them as altogether contrary ,

to t h err custom but the body politic must be preserved at all costs
,
.
 C H APTE R X XV II I
TH E R E V .
J B . . WOO D A ND TH E A O K . . .

§ 1 . T H E V ISITS OF TH E R EV .
\

J B W OO D
. . TO TH E C AM PS
S U C H was the C on di tion of the country as related above when the
“

R ev J B Wood then the oldest missionary of the C M S in the

. . .
, . . .

Yoruba country resi ding at Ab eokuta obtained perm ission from ,

the E gbas to go on his round of visits to the Mission stations in

the interior chi efly Is eyin Qy o and Ibadan H e arrived at Ibadan
, , .

on the 2 4 t h August 1 8 8 4 The Ibadan war Chi efs hearing of the

, .
,

arri va l at Ibadan o f the whi te man through whom the A L AF I N

lately comm uni cated wi th the Lagos Government sent to him a ,

special messenger wi th a letter wri tten in the Yoruba language ,

once more asking for his kind interference in the interest of pe ace .

They thought that as a white man and one who knew the country, ,

well he could s o represent m atters to the B ritish Government

, .

wh o alone could interpose wi th e f fect .

The reverend gentleman was high l y desirous of doing something

in that direction but he felt that nothing could be done without
,

ful ler know l edge of all the facts obt ai nab le only from the spot .

H e was therefore determined to proceed to the seat of war taking ,

with him the R ev D Olubi Of Ibadan Mr Abraham F F oster . .

, . .
,

C M S Catechist at Is eyin wh o accompanied him from Is eyin to

. . .

Ibadan and the writer then C M S Catechist at Ibadan

, , . . . .

They left Ibadan on the 1 6t h of S eptember and got to the camp

on the 2 4 t h It was the period of the latter rains when i t poured
.

incessantly the roads were in their worst condition and the rivers
, ,

much swollen .

That a white man should brave it al l and visit them in the -

craggy heights of M esin at such a distance and under such con ,

dit io n s filled the Ibadan C hiefs with surprise and gratitude .

The first interview with the chiefs was held on t h e f oll owin g .

morning when the principal war chiefs met the R ev Mr Wood

, . .

and his colleagues in the Ar e s reception room H e ope ned by ’

.

telling them the obj ect of his visit to the camp that he was moved ,

to do so by their letter to him and that his wish was to visit both ,

camps if possible in order to know how to proceed about the

matter .

Chief May e was the Ibadan spokesman H e gave a full history .

of the origi n of the relations between themselves and the E kit is ,

4 94
 TH E REV .
J . B . WOO D A N D TH E A O K . . .
4 95

and how they becam e masters o f the Ij esa and E kiti countries .

That in most cases they were invited over by the E kit is themse l ves ,

who placed themse l ves under their protection after throwing O ff

the yoke of the Il orins and that they never had any war with
any of the E ld t i towns unless invited by one o r other of themse l ves .

H e ended his statements by telling briefly the cause o f quarre l

between themselves and the Egbas and how whi l e thus engaged ,

there fo ll owed the rebellion and aggression of the E kiti

co n federates into the Oy o territory
-
H e conc l uded by saying .
,

We a re here now in the interests of the Oy o tribes fighting

.

their battles and safe guarding our frontiers from aggression and
-

the country from being overrun by the enemy as they seem

-

determined to d o .

The R ev J B Wood o f fered no remarks or comments but asked

.

to be all owed t o visit the other Side and thus alternately going ,

and coming till he could bring both parties to understand each

other .

The I b a d an s at first demurred to this proposal saying that the

I j esas wi ll publish it far and wide that they were so hard pressed
that they were obliged to sue for help from the white m an But .

after some talk over the matter they agreed on l y out of deference
to Mr Wood that he should p ass from their camp t o that of the
.
,

other Side B ut how to reach the other side ? It was agreed that
.

Mr F oster and the wri ter should go to the E kiti side with a flag
.

of truce bearing a message from Mr Wood to Chief Og ed em gb e

, . ,

asking for an interview They proceeded therefore unarmed each .

,

wi th his boy Mr Foster s boy carryi ng the flag of truce before

, .
’

them The Ibadan s kirmishers in the field were wi thdr awn in

.

order to disarm suspicion thus they crossed the E leriko or ,

F ej eb gj u stream The events whi ch followed were thus described

.

The E ki ti soldi ers seeing us coming towards them adv anced to

meet us l evelli ng their guns at us the flag of truce was waved
,

vigorous l y an d we shouted D o not fire do not fir e we are peaceful , , ,

’
messengers sent to your Commander in Chief With that they - -
.

desisted but wal ked on towards us and we towards them when

, , ,

all of a sudden one of them leve l led his gun at Mr Johnson saying .
, ,

Ma Si yin eyi n a (I must first discharge this anyhow) With

’
.

t hat he let o ff The flag of truce was thrown away and we al l

fled precipitately back : Messrs Johnson and Foster who had .
,

their boots on fell down at the top of F ej eb gj u hi l l and ro ll ed

,

down the stream The Ibadan s kirmishers who were watching

.

from the E l ebolo hill hastened to our rescue and drove back the
I j esas recovering the flag and personal artic l es dropped in the
,

flight . The whole camp was astir at this incident an d ,

4 96 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO R U B AS
sym pathizers poured in on all sides congratulating Mr Wood on , .

our provi dential escape We o f fered our thanksgiving to God .

for this merciful deli verance .

B ut the E kit is reported this incident at home desc ri bing what ,

sort of men they fired on thereupon Messrs Gur ej e and Apar a , . ,

Ij esa Ch ri stians from Ab eokuta who formed and led the ri fle corps ,

came to the field the next day and desired the sentinel to ask those
men fired at yesterday to come ag ai n As they came unarmed we .
,

also a pproached them unarmed and when we met we recognised ,

old faces well known ye a rs ago at Ab eokuta They were surprised .

to hear that Mr Wood was in the camp

‘

. .

These men reported the m atter to the E kiti kings and leaders
an d a deputation was sent t o meet Mr Wood on the battle field .

to hear what he wanted There Mr Wood repeated the same words. .

as to the Ibadan chi efs The I j esas demurred to any proposal of

.

peace they s ai d their determination was to fight i t out to the

,

”
last drop of blood But La birin j g of Lagos who was amongst
.
,

them S poke most sensibly till he won them over he dilated on

,

the vicissitudes and uncertainties of war an d the desirabili ty of ,

peace H e begged Mr Wood to do all in his power to bring about

. .

the desired peace but they could not ask him over to their camp
wi thout first obt ai ning the consent of their kings and leaders .

The obj ect was g ai ned at last on the 2 9t h S eptember 1 8 84 , ,

when Mr Wood and his colleagues passed over to the E ki ti c a mp

.

an d stated his mission of peace There was a good deal of high .

flo wn t al k and a show of fierce determinati on not to yi eld ; at

,

the end there was an adj ournment till the next day '
.

That day S eptember 30t h h a p p en ed t o be the Moslem festi val

, ,

of Beiram n o meeting was held I n the morning The Moslems on

, .

both Sides had to repair to the battlefield for their prayers an d

sac ri fice On such days on previo us occasions the most sanguinary
.

battle used to be fought the E kit is being determined that Oy os

should not worship on their soil great prep arations for the strife
was usually m ade an d hum an blood often mingled with that of
,

rams o f fered in sacri fice But on this occasion out of respect to ,

Mr Wood s presence in the c am p there was no battle Mr A F

’
. . . . .
,

Foster and the writer were sent with the flag of truce to post them
selves between the t wo parties and t h us their worshi p was .

pe r formed in peace each party returning quietly to the camp

,
.

In the afternoon of the sam e day there was another meeting

of the ch iefs after whi ch an elaborately written document was
,

placed in Mr Wood s hands stating the terms on which they

.
’

woul d agree to make peace This was with some di fficulty .

deciphered to read thus

4 98 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
him only as a friend he had never been nor is he now under their
,
.

all egiance They are defending

. because they wou l d not li ke
t o see an city s o histor ic to be destroyed .

.
7 As to the King of Ij ebu they had n o hands in his dethrone ,

ment They o nl y heard the report of it in their camp they were

.

f o r years beggi ng the I j eb us to O pen the road for trade and they
refused : they were only t o o glad to accept their o ffer for trade
n ow : how it cam e about they are n ot supposed t o know but
they could not hold themselves responsib l e for the A wuj al e 5 r e
instatement .

On the next day Mr Wood and party returned ag ain t o the E kiti
'

ca m p wi th the Ibadan replies This the E kiti chiefs m et t o .

consider on that and the following day and then they formulated ,

their resoluti ons :

.1 That the four above m entioned towns be removed at once -

and go with the I b a d ans the Owa desiring them no longer as his
,

subj ects .

.2 That Of a should be evacuated at once and go with the I b a d an s .

.
3 The same with Modak ek e .

The R ev Mr Wood for once broke through his reserve and put
. .

in a kind word f or M odakek e in consideration Of the sick the ,

in firm women and children On accoun t of these t ime ought

, .

necessarily to be al lowed for their removal M odakek e being a ,

large town .

The E kiti C h iefs then said they would grant them 1 8 days and
n o longer after which they S houl d fall a prey
, .

With these demands Mr Wood and party returned to the .

Ibadan camp in the afternoon and reported to the Ibadan C h iefs ,

.

The chi efs were rather indign ant at the E kit is dictating terms to
them as to a conquered people they only submitted t o these ,

in d ignities out of deference to Mr Wood but t h ey r ef us ed point .

blank to remove any Of these towns until they had returned home
t o I b adan .

Mr Wood returned the next day to the E kit is and reported to

.

them the resolution of the I b a d a n s The E kit is now agreed to .

extend the 1 8 days t o 1 2 0 days after which they should fal l a ,

”
prey if not removed .

This ultimatum was conveyed to the I b a d a ns the next day by

the R ev Mr Wood It aroused a great deal O f indignation among
. . .

the Ibadan chiefs that the I j esas should be di ctating terms of

peace to them S ome hard words were used whic h threw a damper
on Mr Wood s spirit Finally the C hie fs met the next day t o
’
. .

speak out their own minds They sai d to Mr Wood Hitherto

. .
,

the E kit is have been dictating to us and we have practic al ly ,

 THE REV .
J . B . W OO D A N D TH E A O K
. .
4 99

accepted al l their terms but now we have only one request t o

make : as nothing can be done until we reach home in order to ,

expedi t e m atters let the E kit is retire from their camp into the town
of M esin behind them — o nly a mile distant — on that sam e evening
we sh al l be ready to leave .

And again why stipulate about the removal of these towns

,

when they s ai d they wanted uni versal peace ? Is it an essential

o f peace t o bring such distress upon thousands H owever if such ,

be necessary t o a lasting peace all over the country we require

1 5 months at least in w
,

hich to remove Modak ek e I g b a j g Otan , , ,

Ir esi and A d a
,
.

On the 8 t h of October Mr Wood returned again to the E kiti .

cam p wi th the requests O f the I b a d a n s which were duly considered , .

Whilst the E ki t is would be prepared t o grant the 1 5 months

respite t hey would on n o acc o unt remove from their camp into the
town They assured Mr Wood they wou l d never pursue after
. .

the I b a d a n s Their Commander ih Chief Og ed em g b e exclaimed

.
- -

Aj a ki ilepa E kun E kun ui wg n Aj a l awa Oyinbo maha m u

’

, , ,

wgn l g
”
The dog cannot pursue after a l eopard they are ,

leopards and we but dogs White m an do take them away

, .
, .

As an assurance of their sinceri ty the E kiti chiefs sai d they

were ready t o build a temporary house for Mr Wood and his .

party on the battlefield and leave with him al l the Ij esa Christians
t o stay there as a witness until the I b a d an s were clean gone .

Mr Wood returned to the I b a d a n s on the next day with these

.

proposals .

T o these the Ibadan chiefs replied We have n o obj ection t o ,

the temporary house being bui l t and the Ij esa Christians rem aining ,

there with the white m an (though what e ffectua l guarantee that

will prove we fai l to see) but we do certain l y O bj ect to entrap ,

ourselves in a defil e under their very eyes What the chiefs may .

d esire is one thing what the uncontrollable war boys m ay do is -

another If they are Sincere let them put a mile between us and
.

themselves M esin Ipole is n o t far We have accepted all their

,
.

terms that is the only stipulation we have t o make and that is

, ,

reasonable enough :
N o argument could prevai l upon the Ibadan C hiefs to yield this
one point and they asked Mr Wood t o try his utmost to get the
, .

E kit is to agr ee t o this then all wo ul d be right and the honour

, ,

of putting an end t o this war would be his With a tremb l ing .

heart Mr Wood made this last e ffort and the resul t j ustified his
.
,

fears T h e E ki t is wou l d not hear of it T hey grew wi l d at the

. .

very idea .

Thus ended in failure Mr Wood s e f fort at peace negotiation

’
. .
 5 00 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
On that very night the I j ggas came to the battle field and fir ed
three rockets into the Ibadan cam p which however did n o harm , , .

B efore M r Wood left the I b a d an s wrote him a letter O f than ks for

.

h is e fforts and ad dressed letters al so to Chi ef Ogundip e of A b e

,

okuta wh o had shown m uch interest in thei raffairs and al so to the

, ,

Governor of Lagos l a n din g Mr Wood s e f forts

’
. .
,

The R ev M r Wood and party left the Ibadan cam p on the

. .

1 7 th October 1 8 84 and hostili ti es were resumed with m uch vigour

, ,

during the remai ning months and during the whole of the following
year .

E arly in 1 88 5 Mr Wood I n order t o complet e his to ur of

.

inspection left Lagos to V is rt the C M S stations a t On d O and

, . . .
~

Ilesa via Leke Itebu and Ai yesan On reachi ng Ondo the R ev

, . .

C Phi lli ps the pastor of those parts accompani ed him t o Ile sa and
.
, , ,

thence t o the seat of war agai n from the Ij esa side an d he repeated , ,

hi s e f forts of the preceding year between the two camps as king ,

the sam e questions whether it was not tim e for a cessation Of

hosti lities H e had t o face the sam e O bj ections as before : and
.
!

this second e f for t al s o li ke the first ended in failure , , .

§ 2 . D E AT H Q KA K A N FO
OF LA T OS I S A THE ARE -
NA -

In the year 1 88 5 n o t long after the R ev J B Wood left the

, . . .

cam p the second time La t o s is a the Generalissimo Of the Ibadan , ,

arm y died His death being wholly unexpected vari ous reasons
, . ,

have been assigned as the cause of i t ( 1 ) That he had forfeited his

title as having exceeded the tr adi tion al 60 days in the
campaign B ut t hi s could hardly have weighed m uch with him
.

consideri ng that tim es had greatly changed and many an cient

customs with them (2 ) That he had lost hi s influence among the
.

war chi efs and therefore he com mi tted suicide

,
.

There is not the s lightest doubt about thi s loss of influence .

It was he himself who by reversing the poli cy of his imme di ate ,

predecessor an d advancing to high position m any of the young m en

,

heirs to great houses in preference to older and more expe ri enced

m en but wi th less m eans at their command brought i t about , .

The few older chiefs formerly his companions in arms ha ving

di ed out he n ow found hi mself surrounded by m uch younger
,

folks the companions of his son There is a certain ca m a r ad er ie

,
.

am ongst these young men nearly al l of the same age and sons of , ,

distingui shed bygone chi efs bred in the sam e atmosphere and , ,

natur al ly of a common sympathy wi th one another These young .

m en have never ceased to l am ent those of their number whose

deaths were due di rectly or indirectly to the intrigues of the A r g ,

especi ally O f I yap g the S eri ki son of the late B alogun I bikunl e , ,
50 2 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
messenger tell yo u the thi ngs were mine H e answered Yes , ,

he did but how am I t o know that he was speaking the truth when
,
’
he sai d It is the S eriki s
, I thought he was deceiving me .

There was no apology made his master looked on amused The , .

S eri ki thereupon arose unsheathed his sword and wi th one sweep

, ,

severed his head from his shoulders in the very presence of his
m aster
A l l the war chiefs present neither moved nor sai d a word The .

A r g i mperturbab l e as usu al but comprehending at once what it

, ,

al l meant sai d nothing The meeting was immediately adj ourned

, . .

It was s ai d that the A r g afterwards sent the S eri ki 1 1 heads of

cowries (This being the amount usually paid to the head chief
.

f o r unsheathing his sword ) This the S eri ki was sai d to have

.

accepted without any apology It is a m etaphorical way of .

asking Are you prepared t o take the headshi p

, His
acceptance of the money was an answer in the a ffi rmative .

N ot one of the C hiefs called on the A r g o r sympathized wi th him

on this direct a f front o ffered h im and t his grieved him most being
, ,

a clear evidence that their sym pathy was all on the other side .

H e then knew that thi s was but the begi n ning of the end and i t ,

became him to die an honourabl e death H e was n ot l ai d up for .

long the fact of his ai lment was not known throughout the camp
,

before the rumour of his death followed Just before the end he .

sent for S anusi his eldest son and gave him his last charge S anusi
, ,
.

left him smoki ng h is pipe his courtiers Sitting all around him H e
,
.

was heard to cough gently as if su f focated by the fumes Of his

pipe and putting down the pipe he lay quietly on his mat and
,

adj usted his cloth over himself and thus passed away gently Those .

Sitting about him and looking on scarcely believed he was dead

Thus passed away one whose name wi l l ever be remembered in
Yoruba history as the man who raised the fame of Ibadan t o its
highest pitch of glory and by his bad statesmanship brought i t
down to its lowest level and there left it , .

The late L a t os is a was the son of a pri vate man a native of ,

I l g r a a s uburb of O Y O
, H e joined the marauders at Ibadan
.

as a private so l dier and in early l ife he was a very unfor tunate

,

man ; although he never missed any predatory excursions he ,

never did well for himself in any H e lived to be an Ol d bachelor .

because he could n o t a fford the means of marryi ng a wife H e was .

a palm dresser and from his own statement he could tell the nature
of all the pal m trees for miles around Ibadan H is turn of fortune .

began when in a civil war at Ibadan he was fortunate enough to

have caught a woman with som e chi l dren It was then he had .

a wife And he sold the children to start life with .

 T HE REV .
J . B . WO OD A ND T H E A O K
. . .
50 3

Being inured a n d accustomed to poverty he continued to the

end of his days to be thrifty t o feed sparingly and mostly on dry ,

food as in early li fe when he could afford nothing else

, .

H e was one Of the fai thful followers of Ogu n m g l a the late ,

B a sg r u n of Ibadan the capt ai n of whose guards he was when

,

Og un m gl a was the Otun Balogun of Ibadan H e was a man of a .

geni al disposition and of winning manners .

His fir st military command as a captain was when he was sent

to take over charge o f the army under Ak awo before I wawun but ,

both were hard pressed and even besieged in their camp by the
-

I j ayes that came t o the succour of I wa wun before Og u n m gl a ,

and came to their aid and defeated the I j ay es (vid e .

Chap X V I I I p
.
, .

H e was origin al ly a pagan and thrice was he taken to an I f a ,

grove for pu ri fication in order to have children (for he had none

for many years after the firstborn who was killed at the I j a y e ,

war) but t o n o purpose H e then embraced the Moslem faith

'

, . ,

a n d b ecame confir med in the f ai th by the birth of a son whom he

named S anusi This was during the Ij ebu Er e war H e signalized

. .

himself at the l ate Ile sa war when in taki n g the last road t o the ,

city he had to O ppose the army from the country whilst Aj ayi
,

Og b o rief gn O pposed that from the city Together wi th his colleague .

he rose rapidly ; owing to poli tic al chan ges at Ibadan he soon

found himself at the head of a f fairs H e wrested from Oj o .

Aburu maku of Og b om g sg the title of A O K H e obt ai ned the

-
. . .

Oj iko (vid e p 74 ) from the King with two slaves ; he never wore it
.

himself but his favourite slave I d ag a n a used t o wear it in front of

him as A b og un rin that of the l ate A r g K u r un m i of I j a ye .

H e was the hero of the A d o and Aiyede wars when he took the
field in person The wars were unprovoked they were simply for
.
,

the love of slave hunting E l ated by the easy Victories won he . ,

declared war ag ai nst the Egbas against the expressed wishes of ,

the King and his own war C hiefs this com plication with the Egbas
gave r o om f o r the rebel lion of the I j gsa and E kiti provinces which
'

culminated in this war .

H e was undoubtedly an ambitious m an and envied the glory ,

of the t wo foremost houses at Ibadan viz those of I biku nl e and , .

,

of Og un m g la H e strove to e fface the fame and glory of both

.

houses and t o exalt his own over all but in t hi s he f ai led H is ,

.

death was rather inglorious His bones were preserved and taken .

home t o Ibadan f or interment .

3 T H E V I C ISSIT UD E S O F WA R
.

Af ter the death of the A r g Aj ayi q n g b gkun the S eri ki , , ,

became the leading General of the Ibadan army In fact he was .

504 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
the only titled war C hief t h e older men having all di ed and the
, ,

A r g di d not fill up several ? im portant vacancies before this war

began .

B ut the I b a d ans were l ot h t o retain a S eri ki as their leader ,

they had always been led t o victory (sai d they) by a B al ogun and
not by a S eri ki I t was unanimously agreed that he sho ul d assume
.

the title Of B alogun .

As the leading chief the title t hat really devolved upon him was
that Of B al e but that is a non combat ant title and f or him to take
-

,
-
-

i t woul d m ean that he should retire from the seat of war and go
home— Which was impracticabl e at this crisis .

And ag ain after the death O f the late B alogun Aj ayi Og b ori ef gn
, ,

when the nation al god Ifa was consul ted as to his successor the
oracle declared for A kin t gl a son of the late B alogun I bikun l e , ,

and brother of S eri ki I y a p o A kin t gl a then was an untitled chief

. ,

o n ly an A r g a g or b and the A r g was not prepared to grant s o hi gh

-

a title t o the head of a house he was then determined t o

see degraded consequently he left the title open and was n ot
, ,

going to fill up this and other vacancies till after the war In .

conferring the title on q ng b gkun now it was understood that he ,

was merely to hold it in trust for A kin t gl a as A kin t ol a could not ,

r ightly be placed over hi m but after the close of the war when
, ,

he entered upon his ri ghtful title O f B al e A kin t ol a would then come ,

t o his own .

B ut there are many amongst the I b a d a ns who attributed their

f ai lure in this war to disobedience t o the v oice of the oracle in
not m aking A kin t ol a the B alogun and that they were not li kely ,

t o win under any other ag ai nst the voice of the orac l e

'

A n d a g ai n .

it is to be noted that when A kin t gl a first arrived at Kiriji and had

to fight Single handed then Og ed em g b e was caught and let o ff
-

, ,

because of the secret combination against the A r g whi ch point ed ,

to the fact that the oracle di vined correctly B ut his advance .

ment now would be m ost inexpe di ent and the present arran gement ,
-

seem ed fair enough .

Th e Wa r un d er t he L ead er s h ip of Aj ay i —The young war chi efs .

who had resolved to wi n n o Vi cto r ies wh ich would redoun d t o the

pr ai se and glory of the A r g had been greatly seconded in their,

resolve by circumstances they never dreamt of and now that they ,

would wish to do s o events which had transpired were t o o much

,

f o r them . V ery few battles were fought during the years 1 8 8 5

and 1 8 86 as the I b a d a n s had now been able t o secure some rifles
, ,

and were n o t s l ow t o learn the use of them (though not h ing to be

compared t o those of the E kit is in point of number) The E kit is .

could n o longer approach the Ibadan camp t o shoot into it with

5 06 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
against the purs uers and fought d esperately like a hero against ,

great odds until he fell among the slain It was instantly reported .

in t h e town that both A kin t ol a and the B al ogun had fallen and ,

many had a l ready begun to pack up to flee when A kin t ol a s drum

’

was heard approaching H e himself by this time was completely

.

exhausted panting and thirsty H e owed his safety t o his cousin

, .

Latunji an intrepid horseman Latunji i t was said woke up

, .
, ,

that morning feeling sad and depressed and on consu l ting his Ifa ,

he was advised not t o go out that day and consequently he kept ,

at home but when he heard of the disaster he immediately saddled

his war horse and we nt to the succour of hi s cousin H e met him .

at the A kg g u n market being hotly pursued and al most ta ken ali ve

, .

H e dashed upon the pursuers spearing them right and left then , ,

cantering round and round his cousin said A r e agor o maha ri n

p el e p el e (A r e a g o r O do walk on gently gently) and kept the
, ,

pursuers a t bay unti l they reached the town of Modak ek e .

In this d isaster A ki n t g la lost his favou ri te charger his D ane ,

guns were thrown away in the flight and what he prized most of ,

a ll hi s father s war dress an heirloom in the fami l y It had

’ '

, , .

descended in due order through his elder brothers Ko ej o -

B a b a y gm i Ob em b e and I y a p g to himself being a garment studded

, ,

with charms it was too heavy for him to carry in the fli ght so he
,

entrusted it to one Of his men wh o in the rush fell down and lost
the garment It was picked up by the If es and carried away in
.

triumph together with his horse as a trophy of war

, .

The second disaster was at an engagement wi th the I j eb us at

I s gya
. The I b a d an s and Mo d a kekes were enticed into a distance
i n the forest in the direction of I s g y a and there the ambush ,

attacked them on every side A kin t ola had t o fight his way bac k.

and lost several of his guns his men throwing them away in their
,

flight The brave son of Chief Ol ub g d e fell in this disaster

. .

H aving fai l ed to dislodge the I b a d an s from Kiriji the con ,

federates were determined t o take Mod ak ek e at all costs so that ,

Ki ri ji might be taken at the rear They now reinforced the If es .

strongl y from the I j esa s an d E kit is Prince F a b fim i at their head , .

H e was determined t o take Mo d a kgkg at his first fight but in this ,

he fai l ed In the same way he had determined to defeat the

.

Ibadan army at Kiriji before Og ed em g b e came to take over t h e

command but in a fair fight he met with intrepid warriors like
,

himse l f in A kin t g l a and A p a m p a H e left several of his veterans

dead on the battlefield and many more— like h im s elf —wounded
.

in several places Og un s ig un the leader of the I j eb us was also

.

reinforced by the ex A wuj al g s party from Ep e-

’
.

The M o d a kekes now took great p ai ns to fortify their town .

 TH E REV .
J . B . WOO D A ND THE A O K
. . .
5 07

They rep ai red the w al ls thoroughly and built forts upon them in
several places placing in them sharp S hooters with rifles But they
, .

never shielded themselves behind these walls they al ways engaged ,

the enemy outside .

A kin t gl a also replaced his lost D ane guns with rifles m ainly at ,

the expense of his tributary town of Ipetumodu ; A p a m p a also

acquired some rifles but was far more le nient with his tributary
town of E d fia b gn (E dun .

The houses of the t wo most powerful war chiefs at Modak ek e -

in the sixties Oj o A kit ikori the B alog un and Aj ombadi the Otun
’

, ,

were duly uphel d by their worthy sons and successors Oyeb a d e ,

and A d ep gj u respectively both O f whom fell in the defence of their

,

town They were duly succeeded by their brothers Det om i of the

.
,

the latter and Oke (nic knamed pupa i e yellow from his light , . .
, ,

complexion) of the former n also fell in an engagement an d

.

was succeeded by his half brother n surnamed D udu (the dark)

-

from his compl exion .

Det o m i became lam e in both his feet but still directed the battle ,

on horseback .

With the command of a few rifles by the I b a d an s the ardour

of their foes cooled and the war here as at Kiriji becam e less
, , ,

frequent than formerly and might practically be said to be at a

s t andstill .
 CH APT E R XXI X

TH E I N TE R V E N TI ON OF T H E B R ITI S H G OVE RN M E N T
1 . M E AS U R E S BY G O VE RN O R M O L O N E Y
A B O U T the end of January 1 8 86 the Government of Lagos was
.
, ,

severed from that O f the Gold Coast and Lagos was constit uted ,

a separate colony wi th Capt A C Moloney as its first G overnor

. . . .

On e of his first publi c acts was t o feel his way towards the settle
ment of the interior diffi culties
In an intervi e wthe writer (who happened t o be at Lagos at the
.

time) had with his E xcellency on the 2 3 r d O f January the topic of

conversation turned m ai nly on the state of things in the interior
and he asked the writer to put down in w ri ting an account of the
intervi ew stating al l he knew about the compl ications from the
,

commencement and what prospect there was of peace ; a lso to

,

give the names of the pr incipal C hiefs of Ij ebu Ab eokuta Ibadan , , ,

E kiti and I l g rin concerned in this war and an account of the Visits
, ,

of the R ev J B Wood to both camps in 1 8 84 and also to state

. . .
,

h is opinion as to how they might receive some one like himself

coming among them to settle their di fference f Or them This the .

writer di d i n a l ong letter t o H E the Governor . . .

The Governor was then resolved to m ake use of the writer as

a messenger t o the Ibadan camp and of the R ev C Phillips to the , . .

E ki ti cam p .

H aving obtained the consent of the loc al secretary of t h e C M S . . .

for making use of their services (both being C M S agents) the . . .

Governor issued the following instructions

Government H ouse ,

M ar ch I s t, 1 886 .

SI R —The Ven b l e Archdeacon H amilton has most consider

, .

ately placed your services at m y disposal in connection with

satisfying t o the latest date on the feeling in th e direction of
peace that obt ai ns between the I b a d an s and the E kiti p a r a p o s .

You have in a most praiseworthy and philanthropic manner

come forward to carry out on the subj ect of m y wishes They .

are embodi ed in the accompanying letter a d dressed t o the

B al og un s chi efs elders and people of Ibadan with whom you
, ,

say you are on the most intimate and friendly terms .

508
51 0 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
this colony may they long conti n ue so knowing this I feel i t
, ,

due t o inform y o u o f my return .

7 As regards restoration O f tranqui lity once more to the

.

country and the desire of the contending parti es for mediation

,

t o be undertaken by this Government it m ay be conveni ent I ;

should remark that as a m atter of course distinct and u n , ,

condi tion al overtures f o r peace must be made to this Government

by all the parties concerned then I may feel myself in a position
of being enabled t o send an o fficer into the interior wi th a View
t o attempt to e f fect a peace based upon condi tions which are
likely t o render it a lasting one E ach side should but know .

what condi t ions as far as he is concerned he has to O f fer and ,

would be most li kely to prove of duration On this part I sho uld .

like t o be clearly informed .

8 Then i t would be well I S hould be clearly enlightened by

.

each on the nature of the terms of responsibility as such must ,

rest entirely with the parties craving peace for the ful film ent ,

of their engagements if peace be restored each is prepared to ,

o ffer and accept .

9 What are the guarantees each will gi ve f o r his since rity

.

and earnestness in his appeal for peace .

1 0 E ach side m ay for instance suggest or voluntarily o f fer

.
, ,

that he will enter i nto an agreement binding on him t o suspend

hosti lities for say six months or any other duration deemed
, ,

advisable then there should be no need for fresh supplies of

,

guns and amm unitions for s uch a time Such an agreement as .

t o cessation of hostilities and of armament should be entered ,

into not only at the cam ps but al so at all other places concerned
wit h i n the terri tories of the opposing parties .

1 1 E ach side m ay f o r al l I know to the contrary be prepared

.
, ,

to give as hostages influential persons t o any arbitrator ,

appointed by the Government against treachery during period ,

o f wi thdrawal of encam pment to home so that neither side m ay ,

have cause t o continue the entert ai nment of any doubt as to

securi ty of retreat E ach side may be ready t o engage t o with
.

draw his army a t a gi ven time t o subsequently disembody it , ,

and to a l low component parts to return to their respective towns ,

homes and fami lies and to the resumption once more of peaceful
, ,

avocations .

1 2 From past experience there must be prominent in the

.

minds of contending parties a desire of the Government t o

befriend them and t o bring about a reconciliation amongst
,

them if they will only place themselves to abide by the settle

ment the Governor may m ake '

.
 TH E I N TE RVE N TI O N OF TH E B R ITIS H G O V E RN M E N T 51 1

1 I shall be glad to hear from y ou soon and t o recei ve any

3 .
,

representative messengers you may be pleased to s end to m e ,

wh o can faithfully gi ve m e your mind on your interior troubles ,

and satisfy m e on the sinceri ty of your desire for the restoration

O f peace .

14 It shou l d n o t any longer be Viewed or allowed that the

.

pres ent di sordered state of things in the interior shou l d be sub

servient merely as I fear has been the case to the adv antage of
the f ew Peace should be established for the comm on good O f a ll
. .

I 5 The bearer of this letter the R ev S amuel Johnson is well

.
, .

known to you al l let m e commend him to your kind care and

,

consideration .

I 6 I have sent a like communication t o the other s ide

. .

1 7 B oth of my messengers may wi th the desire and

.
“

concurrence of parties concerned meet on the encamping ,

ground .

Wishing you and yo ur people p eace and to your country ,

an early resumption of peaceful occupation on the part of its

inhabitants .

I h ave the honour e tc ,

A L FR E D M O L O N E Y Gover nor , .

The R ev C Phillips is the bearer of a similar letter t o the E kiti

. .

chi efs with the exception that

, the R ev C Phillips is the . .

messenger named in paragraph 1 5 .

The writer l eft Lagos on the 2 n d March 1 8 8 6 vi a Ij ebu wi th an , , ,

or al message from the Governor to the Balogun of Ij ebu t o the

e ff ect that the Governor being his old friend desired t o announce ,

t o hi m hi s return t o administer the government of Lagos and that ,

du ring his administration he wanted peace all over the country .

That the bearer O f this message was a messenger from him to the
interior kings and chi efs f o r that purpose and that he wished him
t o convey this to the A wu j al e .

‘
This m essage was delivered t o the B al ogun in his camp at Or ri
on the 6 t h when the messenger g o t there
, H e was so pleas ed to .

hear that the Governor saw his way t o interfere in the interior
diffic ulties that he at once sent for the oth er war chiefs to hear
the j oyful news from the mouth of the Governor s own messenger ’
.

H e at once despatched a messenger to the new A wuj al e as king

hi m t o send one of his trusty A g irrin s to come and hear the good
’

news de l ivered t o him .

The A wuj al e felt rather hurt that he was ignored by n o t hearing

the message first bef ore the B alogun H e said that i t was for him .

to inform the B alogun and not the B alogun him H owever he

, .
,
SI Z TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y OR U B AS
would not let his feelings stand in the way o f so important a
message H e sent an A g irrin as desired who spoke out the King s '
’

.
,

mind on t h is (what he considered) breach of order but he was

immediately pacified when told that it was j ust otherwise but ,

that the Governor only wished to approach h is highness through

his old fri end the B alogun The A g urin then sai d The Govern or .
,

and the A wuj al e are of the same mind wishing nothi ng else but ,

peace .

The Ibadan home authoritie s were much pleased at the prospect

of peace and T a h aj o the senior C hief as sured the messenger that
, , ,

the war C hi efs would not hesitate to accept the terms of peace wi th
the Governor as arbitrator .

From Ibadan the Governor s messenger proceeded to n

, The
’
.

Rev D Olubi of Ibadan then the S uperintendent of the C M S

. .
, . . .

Missions O f that distri ct and who was equally interested in the ,

subj ect of peace embraced this opportunity of going wi th the

,
’
Governor s messenger t o pay his usual pastoral visits to ,

Is eyin and Og b o m g sg and t o see what influence he could exert

,

wi th the King t o induce him to send one of his I laris and His
’ ’
Maj esty s staf f wi th the Governor s messenger
, .

O n the 1 9t h March they had an au d ience wi th the King and the

follo wing letter from the Governor of Lagos to H is Maj esty was
read to him
G O VE RN O R M O L O N E Y , C MG . . To H I S M AJ E S TY KI N G AD E Y E MI
0 F QY g .

Government H ouse , Lagos ,

F ebr u a ry 2 7t h , 1 88 6 .

K I N G — I have the honour to convey that I take this op p or

,

t u nit y to announce to you m y return to Lagos on the 8 t h ult .

and my assumption as Governor of the administration of the

Queen s Colony unde r that name
’
.

2 I t is a ple a sure for m e to come among people whom I know

.
,

and wh o know me and i t is almost needless for m e to assure

,

y o u that as it has been in the pas t s o i t will be in the future ,

m y aim and O bj ect to promote in every legi tim ate and peaceful
way I can the general interest and development of West Af ri cans .

3 I attach as I am confident y o u do knowing how long you

.
,

have longed f o r the restoration of peace to the Yoruba and other

interior countries much importance to the promotion of good
,

relations h i p betw een this colony and our interesting and fri endly
,

neighbours among whom stands prominently yourself

, .

4 E ntertaining as I have al ways such a feeling and a due

.
-

appreci ation of t h e v al ue of gen eral good un derstanding and

51 4 TH E H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
as his messengers t o Lag os Taught by the experience of 1 8 8 1 ,

the Governor s messenger declined to proceed wi th these men except

’

’
with an Ilari and the King s staff Three times he was w ai ted upon .

the third day before he at last granted an I l ari wi th his sta f f and
, , ,

the I l ari was none other but the sam e Ob a kO se tan as before - - -

The Governor s messenger wi th the King s Il ari and his sta f f ’

left on the 2 2 n d March and reached the Ibadan camp on the

2 6t h .

The war c h iefs w ere glad to see the former but the presence of
the l atter— wi t h his signi ficant name—cast a damper on their
’
spirits After hearing the Governor s letter read they were very
.

re l uctant t o accede to the Governor s request of sending down a ’

messenger saying , I t will all end in f ai l ure as before thin king

, ,

that an embassy headed by an Ilari The King is not ready , ,

can scarcely ever be successful Consequently they r ai sed one .

obj ection after another al leging the absence of the messenger of

,

the King and the Bal ogun of Ij ebu that they could not a f ford to ,

ignore those t o whom t hey were indebted for being able to keep
their p osition at Kirij i t o that day et c H owever after further
__ , .
,

deliberation better counsel prevailed a n d they agreed t o send ,

their messengers down with the Governor s messenger ’

.

’
B y a happy coincidence the Governor s messenger t o the other
,

side reached the E kiti camp on the same day and almost at the ,

same hour and on the following morning both messengers met on

,

the battle field with their flags of truce and each had good news
to te l l of the paci fic tone of the respective chiefs they were sent to .

On the foll owing day they exchanged vi sits t o the opposite cam ps
and both were we l l received and were much pl eased to know that
,
’
the chiefs o f the opposite camp agreed t o the Governor s interference .

A pro posal emanating from the E kiti C hiefs pleased the I b a d an s

very much as showing the since ri ty o f their m otives U I Z that both ,
‘ ‘

the messengers O f the Governor should visit the I l grin camp and
induce the I l g rin s t o agree to the truce as the hostilities going on ,

at Of a were part and parcel of those at Kiri ji and Mo d a kgkg only ,

that they had no contro l over the independent I l gri n chi efs .

Th e I b a d a n c h iefs also proposed that both flags o f truce should

'

be set up and kept flying at the battlefield until the terms of

,

peace were definite l y signed Thi s also was accepted by the .

E kit is and it was accor di ngly done the next day

,
.

Both messengers read to the chiefs of the opposite c am ps the

letters with which they were entrusted in order t o S how that
.
,

they were identic al the better to secure their confidence

,
.

Th e messengers then took l eave o f each other to meet again at

the Of a and the I l g ri n camps each by his own route ,
.
 TH E I N TE R VE N TI O N OF TH E B R ITIS H G O V E RN M E N T 51 5

§ 2 . TH E P
I E AC E PR O
Lo R I N SP O AN D
SALS THE

The Ij esa chiefs were not willing to all ow the messenger of their
side (the R ev C Phi lli ps ) to pass through the Ibadan and
. .

camps to that of I l g rin although a shorter route of a day and a

,

h al f s j ourney lest i t prej udice the minds of the Ilo in C hi efs

’

,
r

at the outset ; he had therefore to take a circ uitous route of five

days with the messengers O f the Owa a nd the OwOr e through the
’
E kiti and I g b o m in a provinces to K ar ar a s cam p near
The Governor s Ibadan messenger who went by the direct route
’

, ,

arrived at Qf a on the r s t o f Apri l and m et the bell igerents on t h e

battlefield fighting and was n ot lodged till the battle was O ver
,
.

Simi l arly the Governor s E kiti messenger wh o arrived at the

’

I l g r in camp on the 3 r d met them on the batt l efield but as K ar ar a , ,

their Generali ssimo di d not take the fiel d in person that day he
, ,

had the opportuni ty of a preliminary talk wi th him on the subj ect

of his mission T h e battle lasted till 3 p m and he lost n o time
. . .

in obtaining permission from the Ilori n chi efs t o come over to

the battlefield t o m eet his co l league wh o he was sure would have
reached Of a The messenger at Of a had instructed the sentinels
.

that as soon as they saw a white flag coming towards them t h ey

should send for him and this they accordingly di d by despatching
, ,

t wo men on horseback t o appri ze him of the sam e .

B oth messengers welcomed each other on the Of a batt l efie l d as

they di d at Kiri ji they arranged t o rest the next day (being the (

Lord s day) and to commence work on the Monday as they did

’

at Ki ri ji .

Al though Chi ef K ar ar a received the R ev C Phil lips well yet he . .

,

showed pl ai nly by his conduct that he was n o t agreeab l e t o the

mission he appeared rather indifferent and his repli es were
evasive When he heard the Governor s l etter read he said The
.
’

, ,

I b a d an s are S O treacherous that we cannot agree to an armistice ,

and agai n I cannot act wi thout the orders of m y King and therefore
I cannot say anything good or bad .

At a second interview t h e R ev Philli ps had with h im he repeated

.

the same thing and l ai d s o much stress on the King s orders ’

that the messenger asked whether he wished hi m t o go t o I l gr in

t o Obtai n the King s consent The Genera l was gl ad Of the pro
’

posal whi ch he said he could not have m ade but he wished that
, ,

he should be accompanied by his colleague of the other side and ,

that they together visit the King at I l g rin .

This was perhaps to test the sincerity of the Governor s ’

mes senger The latter obj ected but the Genera l insisted upon i t
.
,

that he should not go to I l orin alone without his co l league at Of a ,

addi ng that as the Gove rn or di d not send to them direct and that ,
51 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
this visit to his cam p wa s an afterthought i t was but giving ,

King Ali b u the respect due to hi m that both messengers should

’
go together t o deliver the Governor s message to him .

The R ev C Philli ps cam e over the next day to inform his

. .

colleague of K zrr ar a s p r Op os al Alth ough they were not s ent as

‘ ’
.

far as to I l g r in yet they were resolved to leave no stone unturned

in order to bring about the desired peace even at their O wn risk , .

Accordi ngly both of them went accompanied by Adu the ,

Gener al s swordbear er and the messengers O f the Owa OwOr e and

’ '

, ,

Og e d em g b e
’
I t was but a day s j ourney I l g r in was reached the
.
,

sam e evening The King did not lodge them but sent them back
.
,

with K ar ar a s messengers to K ar ar a s house which augured i l l

’ ’

for their mission .

At K ar ar a s house the accommodation given them was a room

’

in which the sm al lpox epidemi c had destroyed all the inm ates
thereof the rags and r ubbish of the deceased being still left i n i t
,

uncl eared away they had therefore t o sleep in the open ai r and
fortunately for them the weather was fai r during the few days '

they spent at Il orin .

The next thing which augured the f ai lu r e o f the mission was the '

reception the King gave the messengers H e had no private .

interview with them they were sent for t o de l iver their mes s age in
,

open court amid the assembly of men w omen and children wi th , ,

a few O f the C h iefs After rea di ng t o them the Governor s letter

.
’

t o the belligerents King Ali b u aske d whether the Ibadan and

,

E kiti kings had heard it read and whether it was acceptable to ,

them We replied in the affirmative H e then asked

. Wh y .
,

then did the I b a d a ns give battle to the E kit is after the arrival
of the Governor s messenger among them ? ’
H e was told that
the last battle fought took place five days before the arrival of
the messengers to the camps After a pause he ask ed When .
,

are you returning ? As soon as Your Maj esty sends us back ,

”
even if it be to morrow was the reply -
You shall wait three
, .

”
days more continued he
,
and I believe the Governor will not
,
”
take it ill when he knows that it was I who det ai ned you .

With this reply the messengers were sent back to their lodgings ,

amid the j eers and scorn of these Mohammedan fanatics who were
calling them names styling them A n as ar as , N azarenes)
etc There was n o doubt but that communications pass ed between
.

I l grin and the camp in the m eantime .

The King dismissed the messengers the thi rd day with these
words :
I have not m uch t o say Who should be entreated t o gi ve .

up a struggl e the ass ailant or t h e a ssai l ed ? I want peace myself

,
51 8 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS

J alu m i war This he said was his third camp before Of a and
.
, , ,

from here that ci ty would be taken H e stated h ow he had fought .

with and killed in one day the B alogun and Otun of Og b o m g sg ,

and had tried conclusions with every one of the Ibadan chiefs
except the A r g himself They the I l g rin s had been m asters of
.

several towns in the and E kiti provinces and had their

A j gl gs (political R esidents ) in them
-

but the I b a d an s had ousted

them from every one of them and wou l d li ke t o oust them from
Of a also That he wou l d agree t o the armistice of six months
only on condition that the I b a d a ns wi thdrew their contingents
from Of a H e s ai d moreover that the I b a d a n s were remar kable
.
, ,

for their treachery but could they equal the F ulanis for wiliness
and cunning ? The F ulanis have seven di f ferent tricks they ,

have only used o n e as yet against Of a and Ibadan before they have ,

made use of the rem ai ning six Of a will be taken .

Two years ago the S ultan O f Gando sent his envoy here to
me d iate between us We O bserved the armistice for five months
. .

N ot only did we suspend hosti l ities but also allowed traders on ,

both si des t o carry on between Of a and Ilorin and even beyond .

Unexpectedly the I b a d ans S hut their gates upon our traders they ,

refused to release them though we sent back their people t o them .

H e went on to say that the I b a d an s were the common enemy of

all f o r even the A L AF I N their King was on fri endly terms with
,

I l g rin and had exchanged presents wi th the King of I l g rin If .

the Governor would interfere at all let him bi d the I b a d a ns retire

from the E kiti a nd I l grin territories .

H e went on further t o dilate on his own prowess and what his ,

horses could do and as a proof thereof he sent for the son of the
,

King of Erin captured a few days before t h e arrival of the

,

messengers heavily laden wi th a couple of ch ai ns for them to

,
-

see him and hear from hi s o wn mouth Wh ose son are you ? .

The son of the King of Erin H ow came you t o be here ?

.

I was captured by the Ilori n horse GO back to your .

prison .

After all this talk the messengers were dismissed to prepare

f o r the afternoon meeting .

About 3 p m a full meeting was convened in K ar h r a 5 reception

. .

room all the war chiefs being present before he sent for the
,
’
Governor s messengers The General opened the meeting by
.

introducing t o them those wh o were present thus

Sitting on m y left are the B alogun of the F ula nis A j i kobi the ,

B alogun of the Yorub as and the last in order t h e B al og un of the

4 t h S tandard of the I l g ri n arm y I myself being the Ba l ogun of the
,

G a m ba ris Sitting before me are A gidia ko the Balogun of Of a

.
 TH E I N TE RV E N TI O N OF TH E B R ITIS H G O V E RN M E N T 51 9

who deserted t o me at the rebel lion of the King of Of a ; next t o

him is Og un m g d gd e the head o f the Ij es a contingents here Sitting .

on my ri ght are the Princes the King s brothers N ow go on to

’
.
,

de liver your message ”

.

The Rev C Phi llips read t o them the Governor s letter to the
’

. .

be l ligerents after which K hr ar a threw the subj ect open for

,

discussion The B alogun of the F ul anis began and was followed by

.

each of the others givi ng vent t o their fee lings in bitter invectives
, .

On e O f them exc l aimed

’

A new era is come f o r us and A lin u s

,

Jehad has had a fresh start we sh all carry the koran to the sea , .

K ar ar a himself spoke last in the same strain On e and al l O f .

them evinced bitter fe elings against the Governor s Ibadan

’

messenger in particular now and then calling h im You Of a m an , ,

and further If you C hoose to remain at Of a you shall see what

we can do Another said In a few days we shall take Q f a and
.
, ,

you if you remai n there will be taken

, And another If you ,
.
,

loi ter on your way back to O f a the horsemen will be upon you .

and s o on t o that eff ect .

The Governor s messenger repli ed ’

I am not an Of a man but , ,

the Governor s messenger ’

Yes we know that replied one .
, ,

of them . D id you not go three days ago when at Ilori n to see

your g randmother s grave ? B ut you have com e t o us through
’

Of a and anyone who did we call an Of a man and is our enemy and
”
worthy of death .

The messengers were thereupon dismissed S eeing the excited .

fee lings of the mob a kind hearted man s tandi ng by suggested to

,
-

the Governor s I badan messenger

’
H ad you not better ask ,

K ar ar a for some one t o escort you across otherwise the m o b will ,

have torn your dress from your body ere you get to the gate of the
camp This fri endly advice was followed and the General told
.
,
'
O ff his sword be a rer to escort the Governor s messenger as far as
-

the locus t tree in the battlefie l d where he used to take his seat on
the day of battle His col l eague also was permi tted to accompany
.

hi m as far and they stood there till they saw the messenger safely
,

at Of a .

Th e people were q uite prepared for the failure of the

mission they sai d they expected as m uch a nd woul d never have ,

all owed the e f fort t o be made but that they thought that probably ,

the respect due t o messengers from the Governor of Lagos might

carry some weight with the I l grin s .

The I l g rin s true to their word and to show t o both messengers

,

that they were determined to take Q f a attacked the city furi ously ,

o n the nex t day The batt l e raged from the morning till the
.

afternoon when both sides r eturned t o their respective camps .

52 0 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
Th e nf
’
a s S t a temen ts .
—Before the Governor s messenger left ’

Of a he had an interview with the n f a who m ade the following

, ,

statements as t o the true cause o f the war

We are pure Yorubas by descent and as such the subj ects of ,

the A L AF I N O f n It was after the fall o f the ancient capital an d

.

the ascendancy of the Ful anis at I l grin that we became subj ected
to the conquero r s We have been loyal to them ever since we
.
,

pai d our tributes regul arly performed every meni al work for them ,

and submitted to all indigni ties wi thout any complaints We .

built their houses worked their farms and at every confinement i n

, ,
’
the King s harem we are to gi ve t ri butes in money called soap
money m eaning soap t o wash the babies with S uch was the .

meni al servitude to which we were com pelled to submit Besides .

all these we served in all their wars To all t h ese we submitted .

in order to avoi d such a crisis as this .

B ut nine years ago the King of I l grin sent t o inform my late

father the then n f a of his intentions to wage war with the
, ,

I b a d an s .My father warned him against embarking on such an

enterprise so unnecessary and so ri sky the I b a d ans having gi ven
, ,

n o cause O f o f fence on the contrary their influence on the whole

h a d been for good for the whole of the Yoruba country in general
, ,

and the I l g rin s also had de ri ved m uch benefit from the same
, .

This advice o f fended the Il ori n king and chiefs and they had
ever since regarded us as tr ai tors and rebels My father had to .

pay heavy fines for his advice s o heavy that al l Of a an d her

dependent town s had t o subscri be to it and yet they were not ,

appeased Agai n and agai n m y father sent to assure the King o f

.

our loyalty and each time he used t o utter smooth words and evasive
repli es .

In spite of the warnings the I l grin s j oined the E ki ti con

federates and besi eged I g b aj g whi ch they destroyed and pro ,

c ee d ed t o I kirun and there the I b a d a n s dealt them a crushing blow

,

in the J a l um i war Those of them who escaped here naked and

.

destitute we clothe d and fed the well to do we sent hom e on ,

- -

horseback All this we did to please our masters but all in v ai n

.
, .

Three days later they intended to resent the sham e and disgr ace ‘

o f their defeat upon u s b taking by stratagem A large

y .

arm y was co l lected and war was ostensibly declared ag ai nst Erin ,

a suburb town o f ours m y father being appri zed of this s o c al led

,
-

expedition repli ed that Erin could not be taken except Of a be

r e mov ed out of the way Then war was openly declared agai n st
.

Of a .

S uch was the cause of the present war . We h a d done nothing

really to provoke it
52 2 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
with his boy he then questioned them as to the message the
,

b o y was sent to proc l ai m at the E l ebolo camp l ast night .

Of course they denied all know l edge of any such thing E ni .

mow u thereupon confronted them describing how the boy came ,

with a b o w in his hand and h ow clad and what he s ai d B ut

’

.
, ,
’
the messenger s boy said he went nowhere last night whilst ,

E n im o wu insisted that he did for he saw him himself At this .

stage it dawned on Og g one of the B al og un s young men that

’

, ,

there is a lunatic a b i o a d answering t o the description of Enim owu

, ,

and wh o was accustomed to ro a m about the camp at night It .

was suggested therefore that he should be sent for Og un g b efir o .

,

the master O f the lunatic was reluctant t o al low him out by day
, ,

but as the B alogun insisted that he should be brought the lunatic ,

himself sent a message t o the B alogun to say if he wanted to see

him he should come himself to him as infe riors m ust always go ,

to their superiors Then the whole incident became a m atter of

.

laughter as a huge j oke Og un g b efir o was however ordered t o

.
, ,

remove him from the camp at once lest he might one day take i t ,

into his head t o set the camp on fire .

The Governor s E kiti messenger arrived on the other Side on the

’

1 6 th and hastened early on the 1 7 th t o his colleague at the Ibadan

camp to announce h is arriv al .

The Ij es a C h ieftains were much d isappointed at the f ai lure of

the negotiation with the I l gr in s but the I b a d a n s did not expect
otherwise Og ed em g b e the E kiti Generalissimo however s ai d If
.
, , ,

the I l g r in s would n o t agree to peace there was no re a son why he

”
should n o t on hi s part accept it The Ibadan C hiefs hearing t h is
.

urged on Oged em g b e to act the part of a plenipotentiary to the

Ilo rins and to do his best to bring them to reason and this he di d ,

by sending a S pecial messenger at once but the I l g r in s would not ,

yield The astute I l g r in s as we have mentioned above (vid e

.
,

p. had taken the precaution of holding the E kit is fast to the

alli ance by placing a contingent forc e among them whilst retaining ,

an E ki ti au xiliary force among themselves which they held m ore

o r less as a hostage .

The bel li gerents at Kirij i n ow proceeded wi th preliminary

’
arrangements between themselves through the Governor s ,

messengers of both sides Chief Og ed em g b e sent t o the Ibadan

.

chiefs t o say that whilst both parties had agreed to an armistice

, ,

and that hosti l ities should cease between them for at leas t S ix
months until the Governor or his deputy S hould arri ve among them
they should n o t avail themselves of the O pportuni ty for reinforcing
their contingents at Of a and at Modak ek e The I b a d ans could not .

promise that because the safety of their position here depended upon
 TH E I N T E RVE N TI O N OF TH E B R ITIS H G O V E RN M E N T 52 3

defensive m easures in both places unless the E kit is would pledge ,

themselves n o t t o reinforce both places ag ai nst them for if they

heard that the fighting was getting unusually strong and that ,

their men were li ke l y t o be overpowered they cou l d not help sending ,

reinforcement N ext the Ibadan chiefs considering that the in

.
,

t e r val of six months truce being so l ong and the possibi l ity of s ome
’

misunderstanding arising which i n the absence of the Governor s ’

messengers might undo the work n ow begun proposed that

,

a S peci al messenger on either Side be appointed t o meet in the

battlefie l d every morning wi th the compl iments of their respective
m asters and if any untoward incident should occur that they
, ,

shou l d have the power of arranging m atters amicably This .

proposa l pleased the E kit is s o well that at their suggestion t wo

were appointed on either side as a provision against i ll ness or any
disabili ty and a t hi rd from the Ibadan E lebolo camp wh o
,

was t o report on the approach of the messengers on either side The .

principal messenger appointed by the Balogun was an d the

A g b a kin appointed another t o represent the o t her war chi efs The .

principa l messenger appointed b y Og ed em g b e was Lup g n a n d a n o t h er ,

was appointed to repres ent the rest of the E kiti war chiefs and all ,

met wi th the Governor s m essengers at the batt l efield under the

’

flags of truce fir st on one side and then on the other side a li ttle
, , ,

ceremony being performed by this small party The hands of the .

’
special messengers o f both sides were j oined by the Governor s
messengers in friendshi p and by th e A L AF I N S I lari and the Q wa s
,
’ ’

messenger in the n ame of their respective m asters They were .

enj oined to have a friendly intercourse with each other t o help to

preserve peace until the arriv al of the Governor or his D eputy .

The ceremony was concluded by a ratification of the promises

made by the S pl itting of kola nuts
, .

The Governor s messengers and those O f the King a n d the

’

Owa thereupon bade each other adieu t o m eet ag ai n at the l i e and

Modak ek e battlefield each by his own route .

The war C h iefs on either side were grateful to the Governor f o r

his d isinterested interposition and this they S howed by sending
,

some valuable pres ents t o hi m by the hands of the accredi ted

messengers of either side The Ibadan chiefs sent hi m a horse
.

and an alari cloth the B alogun an ivory tusk the Owa and
, ,

E ki ti kings a l so sent v a luable presents Certain messengers whose .

names will be found below were deputed to accompany the

’
Governor s messengers to Lagos accordi ng to his wishes expressed
in Clause 1 3 of the Instructions .

A t M od a keke —The Governor s E kiti messenger had this time a

’
.

shorter route than h is Ibadan col l eague who di d not reach Moda ,
 52 4 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE
'

Y O RU B AS

k ek e till the 2 4 t h o f April The latter however lost n o time in

.
, ,

setting up his flag and going t o the battlefield to meet his colleague
,

who he was sure must have arri ved at the I f e camp some days
previ ously ; but he had t o wai t till 6 p m be f ore the colleague . .

made his appearance and expl ai ned the di ffi culti es in their way
, .

The If es would not l isten t o any pourparlers whatever until the

M o d a kekes S hould explain the reason for their being in arms and
prepared for a batt l e the previous day they regarded that
action as a chall enge they must take up B ut the exp l anation was .

’
soon made f o r the Governor s Ibadan messenger had heard the
,

story as soon as he arrived The Mo d a kekes having heard a shout

.

in the I f e camp on the night previous similar t o what usu al l y took

,

place when the If es were worshi ppin g the god O f war previ ously
t o a battle consequently put themselves in readi ness ag ai nst a
,

sudden attack i t is this precaution of thei rs the If es construed

into a C hallenge This expl an ation satisfied the If es wh o cam e
.

with the Governor s E kiti messenger ; the latter had had great
’

di ffi culty with the l ies in preventing them from giving battle

”
that day under the p l ea Of taking up the C hallenge .

The I f g chiefs being satis fied wi th the explanation O f the s o called -

chall enge agreed to confer wi th the Governor s E kiti messenger ’

and subsequently allowed him t o visit hi s colleague at Modak ek e ,

the same m ethods being pursued in this place as at Kiriji The .

m eetings took place on the 2 5 t h and 2 6t h after which interchange ,

’
of vi sits were allowed the Governor s messengers both at Modak ek e
a nd at the I f e camp .

D uring the conference at Modak ek e the report Of a gun was

heard which startled them all upon enquiry however it was found
, , ,

to have been fired at the Ij ebu camp at I s g ya .

The Modak ek e chiefs readily assented to the armistice as their

overlords at the Ki riji camp had done ; they h owever s t ip ul a t ed '

that the If es should refr ai n from ki dnapping them in their farms .

Both the Governor s m essengers then went over to the If es wi th

’

the result of the conference on this side and the requests of the ,

Modak ek e chiefs B efore listening t o what they had to say the

.
,

If es fir st wanted t o know the meaning of the firing of a gun on the

previous day That was expl ai ned to t hem It was done at
. .

I s gya . On heari ng of the requests of the Mo d a kekes they replied

th at they themselves had one requ est to make viz that they Should , .
,

be allowed t o go and reb ui l d their City B ut the Governor s

’
.

m essenger pointed out that that was too advanced a step to take ,

whi ch woul d surely bring about a collision The If es moreover .

obj ected not to the ar mistice but to the hoisting of the flag of
truce on their soil which was sacred to Od ud uwa who was a
, ,
52 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
invi ted them his victory would have been more complete This
, .

answer the Owg n i pondered over and as a result assigned them ,

this sett l ement so that all n s sho ul d remove from the City of I f e
to this pl ace and he had a strong guard of n s in his palace
, .

S oon their numbers rapi d ly increased in the settlement This .

favouri ng of n s irritated the If es the more ag ainst him .

After his death wh ich was due to poison by the If es the Moda
, ,

k ek es met and repelled two attacks of the If es on their settlem ent

at the first of whi ch they captured Of them but subsequently

rel eased them because they had n o t the heart to enslave their
quondam benefactors .

But thirty days after when one Chief Og fim akin received rein
forcement from Oke Igbo the Ifes attacked them again and were ,

defeated agai n At this second time they followed up the victory

.
,

captured the City of l ie and ventured to sell the If es caught .

The C ity was however rebuilt in 1 8 54 by the advice of Og n u m gl a ,

the Ibadan general U nder the I b a d a n s they had li ved amicably

.
-

together until the present war which h a d largely divi ded the ,

interests O f the country the If es sym pathi zing wi th the E kit is

, ,

and the M o d a k ekes whose safety and interests were intertwined

wi th those of Ibadan cast their lots wi th the I b a d a n s H e further .

related all that took place between them during the war up to
the present time .

Chief T ah aj o of Ibadan who was twice sent t o reconcile the

,

If es and Mo d a kekes together also made his own statement showing

,

the e f forts at reconciliation that were put forth and the im p l aca
b ilit y of the If es who broke f ai th and fired the first shot from a tree
,
.

Al l these statements as they have been noted in ful l above

,
.
,

were duly recorded to be placed before the Governor .

The Governor s messenger left Modak ek e on the 2 8 t h of April and

’

after a short stay at Ibadan proceeded to Lagos via Ij ebu .

The new A wu j al e of Ij ebu who was all for peace was very gl ad
, ,

t o hear o f the armistice at the seat of war H e assembled h is .

chiefs to hear the report from the mouth of the messenger himse l f ,

and at their advice he willingly sent his messengers down with the
Governor s messenger to show that he was at one with those wh o
’

wished for peace .

The fo l lowing is the list of messengers wh o accom panied those

of the Governor down
In the Oy g and Ibadan district :
The Rev S Johnson the Governor s messenger to the n s
. .
,
’
.

o y of the A L AF I N F eudal head of the ,

nobility .
 TH E I N TE RV E N TI O N OF T H E B R ITIS H G O V E RN M E N T 52 7

A ri n d e messenger of the B al ogun of Ibadan

,
.

A t gr g from the May e representing the Ibadan war

, ,

Ibadan c h iefs .

E l egbede from T a h a j o representing the Ibadan home

, ,

authori ties .

A wo n im g sin messenger of the A wuj a l e of Ij ebu ,

.

Og u n d gk g also messenger of the A wu j al e of Ij ebu

,
.

O d us a j o confidential messenger of the B alogun of

,

Ij ebu .

Those of the other side

R ev C P h illips the Governor s messenger to the E kiti p ar a p gs
. .
,
’

A p elidi a g b a messenger O f the Owa of I l e sa

{
.
,

Ol u kon i also messenger of the Owa of Ile sa

,
.

F a t iy e messenger of the OwOr e of Otun

,
.

Or is a l us i messenger of the Aj ero of Ij ero

,
.

E kiti Ob a s a messenger o f the Oloj u d o of Ido

,
.

Da wu d u m es s en ger o f Oged em g b e E ki ti Commander

, ,

in Chief -
.

Itebu Lomi m essenger of King Manuwa of Itebu

, .

A kin l a m m messenger O f the Os im owe of Ondo

On d o
{
.

S aba messenger of the E lders of Ondo

,
.

4 . TH E TR E ATY OF PE A C E
The Governor Of Lagos had several intervi ews with the di f ferent
envoys and messengers from the interi or kings and chi efs from
.
,

which he gathered m uch information His E xcellency thereupon

drew up a treaty which was read and interpreted to them and
whi ch obtained their assent ou the whole .

Qb a ko get an th e A L AF I N S envoy however obj ected t o Clause 5

’

, ,

o f the treaty which refers to the removal of Modak ek e from its

present site but he was to l d that as he had a l ready agreed to the

,

Govern or s arbitration he cou l d not obj ect to any artic l e Of the

’

treaty The treaty was accordi ngl y signed by all the envoys and
.

messengers o n behal f O f their masters .

The following is the text o f the treaty :

Treaty Of peace friendshi p and commerce between the A L AF I N
'

of the B alogun the May e the Ab es e the A g b a kin the , , , ,

Otun B al e of Ibadan ; the Owa of Ilesa the OwOr e of Ot un

,

, ,

the Aj ero of Ij ero the Ol oj u d o of I d o the S eri ki of I l e sa

, , ,

the O won i of l ie the Qb al uf g the Q b aj iwo the Qb al g r an

, , , ,

the A j ar u wa the Arod e the A ris a n r e the B a l ogun of I f e ;

, , ,

the Og un s uwa Of Modak ek e the B alogun and O tun of Moda ,

k ek e the A wuj al e of Ij ebu a n d the B al ogun of Ij ebu

, .
52 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B A S
Whereas the Kings Chiefs B al o g un s and Chi efs above
, ,

enumerated parties to this Treaty and to the con di tions and

, ,

artic l es of agreem ent hereinafter set forth profess to be earnestly ,

desirous t o put a stop to the devastating war which has for years
been waged in their own and adj oining countries and t o secure ,

the b l essings O f lasting peace to themselves and their peoples ,

and have appe al ed by their envoys and messengers duly

accredited to His E xcellency the Governor of the Colony of
Lagos as representing H er Most Gracious Maj esty the Queen
t o mediate between them and to arbitrate and determine
, ,

such terms and condi tions as shall secure a j ust and honourable
pe ace t o the conten d ing parties and have each and all O f them
,

agreed t o abi de by such arbitration and determination and to ,

do his and their utmost endeavour t o carry into effect the terms
and conditions so arranged and determined And whereas the .

envoys and messengers duly accredi ted by the afores ai d Kings ,

B al es B al o g u ns and Chi efs h ave been receive d in audi ence by

,

His E xcel lency the Governor and have themselves assented

,

both verbal ly and in wri ting to the terms and conditions of

peace hereinafter speci fied and have agreed to be bound there
,

by and faithfully t o observe the same

, .

N ow this is to testify that the Kings B ales B al ogun s and , ,

Chi efs afores ai d hereby ratify and confirm the s ai d agreement

m ade and entered into by their envoys an d messengers for them
and o n their behalf and solemnly pledge themselves f ai thfully ,

loyally and st ri ctly t o observe and C arry out the following ,

terms and conditions so far as they are individuall y or collectively

concerned
1 There S hall be peace and fri endship between the Kings
.
,

B al es B al og u n s and Chiefs the signatori es to this Treaty and

, ,

their peoples respectively and the Ki ngs B al es B alog uns and , ,

Chi efs afores ai d hereby engage for themselves and their peoples
that they will cease from fightin g and wil l remain wit h in or retire
to their own terri to ri es as herein provi ded and will in all thi ngs ,

submit themselves t o such di rections as may seem necessary or

expedient to the Governor of Lagos for better and more e ffect
u all y secu ri ng the obj ect of this Treaty .

2 The Kings Chiefs and peoples comprising the E kit ip a r a p g

.
,

all iance or confederation o n the one hand and the B a l e B alogun , , ,

Chi efs and peopl e of Ibadan on the other S hal l respectively

ret ai n their independence .

3 The
. A L AF I N and Owa shall stand to each other in the

relationship of the elder brother t o the younger as before when

the E kiti count ri es were independent .
5 30 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
The signatories agree if any cause of strife or dissension
1 0 .

should still exist after the ratification and carrying out of these
condi tions whi ch is n o t dea l t wi th herein to refer such cause ,

or matter unreservedly to the arbitration of the Governor of

the Lagos Colony and peaceab l y and without resorting to strife
or provocation to awai t his determination thereof and abide by
it testifying their gratitude to H er Maj esty s Government for
’

e f forts al ready m ade and undertaken in their interest and their

sincerity and earnestness in the cause of general peace and
g oo d ud h .

The armistice now existing b etween the hostile forces in

1 1 .

the camps of Kiriji a n d I s g y a shall be promoted and the ,

signatori es bind themselves to cease from all war li ke operations

or acts of provocation and t o do their utmost to promote friendly
,

relations until the Governor his envoy or m essenger shal l be

,

able to and shal l communicate with the signatories her eto

, .

1 2 As a guarantee of good faith and for the further and

.
,

bet ter securing the O bj ects of this treaty and the faithful and
strict observance of the terms and conditions thereof the ,

signatories agree to place in the hands of the Governor his envoy

or m essenger as and when he m ay determine such of their , ,

leading chiefs as he may require as hostages who will continue ,

and rem ai n wi th him on the battlefie l d o f Kiriji whilst the armies ,

and peoples o f the respective signatories are dis persing therefrom ,

and f o r and during such time or period as the circumstances or

necessities of the case may req ui re or to give such other o r ,

further guarantees as may seem j ust or expedient t o the

Governor his envoy or messenger
, .

In wi tness thereof we have hereunto put our hands and

seal s the days and dates specified .

D at e
J un e 2 5 t h 1 8 8 6
, .

J ul y I s t 1 8 8 6
,
.

J ul y r s t 1 8 8 6
,
.

J uly I s t 1 8 8 6
, .

J uly I s t 1 8 8 6
, .

J un e I 4t h 1 88 6
,

J
.

y
ul 7t h , 1 8 8 6 .

Jul y 3rd , 1 8 8 6 .

Jul y 3r d , 1 8 8 6 .

Jul y 3r d 1 8 8 6
, .

July z ud , 1 8 8 6 .

July 1 8t h , 1 8 8 6 .

July 1 4t h , 1 88 6 .

Ju ly 1 4t h , 1 8 8 6 .

Jul y 1 6t h , 1 88 6 .
 THE I N TE R V E N TI O N OF TH E B R ITIS H G O V E RN M E N T 53 1

C o u n t ry .

J ul y 4t h , 1 8 86
1 .

J ul y 1 4t h , 1 8 8 6 .

J uly 1 4t h , 1 8 8 6 .

J u ly 1 4t h , 1 8 86 .

J uly 1 4t h 1 8 86 , .

J uly 1 4t h 1 886 , .

J uly 1 4t h , 1 8 8 6 .

J u n e 9t h 1 886 , .

J un e r o t h , 1 8 86

Signed seal ed and de l ivered in the presence O f the under

, ,

sign ed after the t erms and condition therein contained had been
interpreted and ex pl ai ned by us or one of us to the respective
,

signatories .

(Signed ) S AM U E L J O HN S O N C ler k in H oly Or d er s , ,

M es s eng er a n d I n t erp r et er f or t h e Gover n or .

(Signed ) CH A R L E S PH ILLIPS C ler k in H oly Ord ers , ,

M es s eng er a n d I n t erp r eter f or t h e Gover n or .

A ffix t o Treaty dated 4 t h day o f June 1 8 86

, , .

The undersigned envoys and messengers du l y accredited to

His E xcell ency the Governor of Lagos to convey to the Governor
the terms and conditions which they and the Kings B a l es -
, ,

B a lo g u n s and Chiefs who have despatched them duly accredite d

as afores ai d are wi ll ing to observe abide by and carry into , ,

e f fect in Order to secure peace t o their respective peoples and

countri es having heard the foregoing treaty and the terms and
,

conditions thereof read over a n d the same having been inter

e t e d and fu l ly explained to them solemnly agree themselves
p r , ,

to abide thereby and faithfully and l oyal ly t o O bserve the sam e

on testimony whereof they have hereunto set their hands
and seals this 4 t h day of J une 1 886 , .

T h eir m a r ks .

Q b a ko s e t a n X accredi ted by the A L AF I N of OY O .

B el ewu X
A rin d e X B alogun of Ibadan
At er e X May e of Ibadan
E l egbede X Otun B al e o f Ibadan .

A p elid ia g b a X of Ile sa :
Ol u k oni X Owa o f I l e sa .

F a t uye X O wo r e O f O tun
Or is al us i X Aj ero O f Ij ero .

Ob as a X Ol o j u d o of Ido .
53 2 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU BAS
T h ei r M a rks
‘

Da wu d u X accredited t h e Og ed em g b e S eri ki of Ile sa, .

A p glid ia g b a X the Owgn i O f Ife .

O lu kg n i X
A rin d e X Og u ns u a o f Modak ek e .

A wo n im gsin X A wuj al e o f Ij ebu Od e .

O g u n d gk o X
Od us a j o .
X B alogun Of Ij ebu Od e .

Signed Sealed and delivered in the presence of

, ,

A L FR E D M O L O N E Y t h e Gover n or , .

S M A L M A N S MIT H J u dg e , .

H HIGGI N S A s s t C ol S ecy a nd P r iva te S ecr et a ry

.
, . . . .

C H A S PH ILLI PS
’
. Go ver n or s m es s eng er s t o t h e I n t er ior
,

S J O HN S O N
. a n d I n t erp r et er s on t h is occa s io n
, .

5 . TH E RE C E PTI O N OF THE TR E ATY B Y TH E IN TE R I O R K I N GS A N D

CH I E F S
His E xcellency A C Moloney the Governor took the envoys
, . .
,

and messengers with him in the coloni al steamer on his Visit to

the e as tern waters of Lagos on the 7 t h of June 1 8 86 Instructi ons , .

were also given to his special messenge rs to have the Treaty read
and interpreted to the di fferent kings and C hiefs concerned and ,

to O btain their signatures t o it and then to forward it down t o ,

Lagos and then not till then wou l d he see his way clear to go
, ,

personally or t o send to complete the arbitration .

’
The messengers wi th the Governor s special messenger were
landed at E jirin and the E kiti m essengers with the Governor s
,
’

special messenger t o the E kit is were l anded at Atij er e .

T h e T r ea ty in t h e n D ivis ion — O n the 9t h of June the A wuj al e

signed the Treaty in the presence of his chi efs N Of g wg ka n the .
,
‘
B alogun al so signed it the next day at Or rr in the presence of all
,

the war chiefs not being concerned they had nothing to say agai nst
,

i t The messenger passed on t o Ibadan and T a h a j o the head

. , ,

C hi ef at home who was represented at Lagos by h is messenger

,

E l egbede a l so heard the T reaty re ad and interp reted ; after

,

some consideration he subscribe d to i t in the presence of the H ome

authorities The Governor s m essenger with the rest of the
.
’

messengers passed on to O Y O .

At the A DAP I N expressed his surprise at the way m atters

were hurrying on to a crisis in the following parable
The Governor is li ke an E g fig u n enchanter who is abou t
5 34 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
who regarded him as their deliverer or whether i t is arrogated
0 n the principle of might over right
‘
H owever as this may be .
, ,

the fact stands that the S er iki I s invested with much authority ,

and all state business m ust be done with him Therefore I g ave .

him a full account of our interviews with the Governor of Lag os

and read to him the Treaty in the presence of his comrades .

H e s ai d he would not sign the Treaty on account Of the

fourth article wh ich transfers retains ) I g b a j g Ir esi Ada , , ,

an d to the I b a d a n s who l esale I was sorry to find that the .

S eri ki was instigated to this obstinacy by the I j ega emigrants

from Lagos and Ab eokuta wh o seemed to have gained much
influence over hi m There is a section of them in the camp under
.

the leadership of o n e James Thompson G u r ej e who came from

Ab eokuta a rid I al so found that a S pecia l messenger from the
,

Lagos E kit ip ar a p o S ociety had preceded me to the camp .

H e is a B r a zillian Creole a carpenter by trade his name is Abek

, ,
.

The opposition which I had from these emigrants was greater

than that of the S eri ki himself They were very c l amorous . .

N o t only di d they set up the S eri ki but they al so tri ed to influence

the E kiti kings not t o Sign the Treaty Their Obj ections t o the .

fourth article were principally t wo First that the cession of

'

.
,

those towns to Ibadan was an infringement upon I j ega territory

secondl y that the position of those places was too contiguous
,

for the Ij e s a and E kiti peopl e t o be safe in future from Ibadan

invasions or surprises In vain di d I advise the S eri ki t o confer

.

with the B al ogun of Ibadan on the subj ect In vain did I .

represent the imparti al ity of the Governor s decisions In

’
.

vain d id I remind them Of his former promise of unconditi onal

submission to the Governor s arbitration Still the Seri ki con’
.

t in u ed refractory until Th ur s d a y a f t er n oon J uly I s t ,

.

On that mor n ing Mr J ohnson wrote to me t o announce his

.

arrival at the Ibadan camp and I went out immediate l y t o have

,

a intervi ew with hi m on the battlefield At this interview he .

informed m e that the Ibadan chiefs had signed the Treaty

though the fifth article was galling to them and that they would ,

not yield any further upon the I g b aj g question H owever I . ,

asked him to tel l the B alogun o f the di fficulty I met wi th .

When I returned t o the E kiti camp I told the S eri ki that the ,

I b a d a n s h a d signed the Treaty and he would be responsible ,

for the continuation O f the war if he persisted in his refus al .

I should state that nobody stood by m e except Mr G A Vincent 1

. . .

the C M S agent at Ile sa The E kiti war chiefs were entirely

. . . .

l
L a t t er l y known as D addy A g b eb i .
 TH E I N TE R VE N TI O N OF T H E B R ITIS H G O V E R N M E N T 5 35

silent A p eli d iagb a and his comrades with Mr G W Johnson

. . . .

the Lagos book binder hi d themselves

-

, .

Wh en I found that remonstrances were of n o av ai l I retired

t o my l odgings and was on the point of leaving the camp t o
,

appeal t o the Kings OwOr e Aj ero and Olo j u d o when the

, , ,

S e ri ki sent for me and signed the treaty .

Whether he shrank from the responsibi lity of the continu

ation O f the war or whether his former Violence and stubbornness
was on l y a ruse to disconcert the Ij esa emigrants whom he was
unwilling t o displease (because he had been much indebted to
them f o r the supplies of breech loading guns and cart r idges ) I
-

could not tell B ut since he signed the Treaty I was astonished

.

to fin d that his language was C hanged and he O pen l y avowed his

indi fference about the I g b a j g question even in Mr Johnson and , .

’
the Ibadan messengers presence This could not be a mere .

capriciousness it seemed to me a deeply contrived artifice H e

, .

told me afterwards that if he h ad signed the Treaty at once h is

countrymen would afterwards reproach him and his children
wi th having handed a portion of their land to the Yorubas .

Lu g b gs un the head E ki ti war chi ef in the M esin camp told

, , ,

Mr Johnson and me afterwards that the I j ega emigrants who

.

made much gain by importing the breech loading guns and -

cart ridges desired the p r ol o n g a t ion of the war but he and his '

coll eagu es who had nearly spent all their possessions did not
approve of t h eopposition t o the Treaty They were anxious to .

decamp and were impatiently expecting the Governor

, .

The Aj ero asked Mr G A V incent to tell me in confidence

. . .

that they (the E kit is ) d o n ot make m uch of the I gb a j g question .

When I returned to Es a the Owa thanked m e very much for

the patience with which I endured the opposition I met with ,

and begged me not t o make much of it for i t was only unruly ,

people wh o resort t o the camp H e gave me some historical .

account of the defection of I g b a j g in whi ch he acknowledged ,

that it was due t o the ill treatment that the I gb aj g people

-

su f fered from some Ij esa head chiefs (wh o then tried t o keep the
Owa in the dark as t o the real state of matters ) that they were
obliged t o surrender themse l ves to the I b a d an s H e begged me .

t o urge the Governor to come or send at once t o put an end to

the war .

The Ibadan chi efs commenting upon the obj ection Of the E kit is
t o paragraph 4 of the Treaty remarked that their request for
the removal of I gb aj g was unreasonable n ot to say dictatorial ,

and presumpt uous F or if according to the terms of the Treaty

.
, ,

We are to live in peace and amity why should I g b aj g be left a ,

5 36 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S
desolate wilderness and a rendezvous for hi ghway robbers and m en
stealers And again I gb a j g is not nearer their town of Oke M esin
,

than their towns of Ibokun Ilas e Oke Bode are to our towns of , ,

I kirun and O so gbo S hould we then as k that these places be

.

removed from our Vicinity ? Thi s seems t o us to be promoting

unnecessary com plications and di fficulties .

After the signing of the Treaty at both camps at Kiriji the

messengers left by their respective routes to meet again at Moda
k ek e .

At Modak ek e the state of affairs was di f ferent from that at

Kiriji The latter place is a battlefield and no personal animosity
.
,

existed between the B alogun of the I b a d ans and the S eri ki of the
I j es a s only that they were unwilling to sacrifice public good f or
,

their own private interests hence the e f forts made to obt ai n a s ,

much as they could N ot so however at Modak ek e But for .

, , .

F a b fim i the E kiti General wh o was the m ollifier hosti lities would ,

have been resumed N o sooner had the Governor s messen gers left
.
’

them on the former occasion when the truce was arranged than ,

the road between Modak ek e and the I f e camp was thrown open and ,

not only the messengers of both parties met but al so parents , ,

chi ldren and fri ends and relatives long separated rushed into each
’
other s arms the If es flocked to Modak ek e some spending three t o
, ,

five days there and the I f e wom en and C hi l dren who were captured
,

at the f al l of Ile I f e were al lowed t o go and see their kindred at the

I f e cam p Some of them never retur ned again and the If es refused
.

t o give them up thus abusing the privileges granted them

,
Th ere
fore the Mod akekes resolved never to allow a riy of the rest to go
over t o the I f e cam p any m ore till peace was actually restored but ,

they allowed the I f e women t o come into the town to buy pots and .

utensils or what ever necessaries they were in need of .

As to the Signing O f the Treaty t h e If es were of C ours e very ,

glad to do s o because their wishes had been gratified in the

,

matter of Modak ek e they would now get rid of them altogether .

The Modak ek e chiefs on their part pained though they were by ,

the terms of Clause 5 which stipul ates for their leaving a spot
sacred to them as containing the graves of their ancestors yet ,

sign ed without demur hoping t o ask the Governor when the ,

time comes for an amendment provi ding for the separation of the
,

two towns by a wal l as there is none exi sting hi therto .

The A wuj al e of Ij ebu in complying with the articles of the

Treaty sent his A g firin s (state messengers) t o accompany the
,

Governor s messenger to tell Og un gigun the S e ri ki of Ij ebu Igbo

’

at the I s gy a camp to return home in peace with the forces under

hi m S carcely did the messengers expect an y opposition from that
.
 CH APT E R X XX

D I SP E R SA L OF TH E C O M B ATA N T S BY SP E CIA L
C O MM I SSI O N E R S

§ 1 . S P E C IAL C O MMISSI O N E R S S E N T U P .

THE Treat y duly signed was forwarded to the Gover nor of Lagos
‘

by his S pecial messengers t hemselves awaiting further orders at ,

their respective posts at Od e Ondo and Ibadan .

’
B y this time the Governor s furlough was due but with the , ,

sanction o f the S ecretary of S tate for the Coloni es he had arranged ,

everything for the accompl ishment o f this work and matters were ,

l ef t in the hands of the Acting Governor F E vans E s q

,
the -

, .
, ,

Colonial S ecretary to carry out Mr H enry Higgins th e

, . .
,

Asst Col S ecretary and Mr Oliver S mith Queen s Advocate were

. . .
,
’

appointed S pecial Commissioners for this business They were to .

be attended by an escort of 5 0 H ausa so l diers each provi d ed with ,

5 0 rounds of ball cartridges for their Martini H enry rifles They .

had al so with them a 7 pounder g un and a rocket trough with -

necessary ammunition .

Capt W S peeding the H arbour Master als o accompanied the

. .
, ,

expedition with instructions t o make geographi cal observations

,

al l along the route from E jirin on the l agoon — the point of dis

embarkation — through Ij ebu Od e Ibadan to Osogbo and Kiriji , , ,

to return to Lagos if possible via Ile sa Od e Ondo Aiyesan Itebu , , , ,

and Atij er e H e was al so to m ake as far as possible a survey map

.

of the route and t o fix the positions of the pri ncipal towns the ,

number of houses and inhabitants in each village names of chi efs , ,

depth wi dth and courses of rivers crossed heights of hills nature

, , , ,

of roads and all other useful and statistical information t o be

,

Carefully O btained and recorded The Commissioners were the .

bearers of the following letter

Government H ouse Lagos , ,

A ugus t 1 4 th , 1 8 86 .

To KIN G S , B AL E S ,
B A L OG U N S A N D CH I E F S ,

I send y o u greeting .

2 Your good friend Governor Moloney has bee n obliged t o

.
, ,

g o t o E ngland for health and rest B ut before leaving Lagos .

he put you al l in my hands he told m e h ow you had all s ai d

you were tired of war and wanted peace H e told me how you .

538
 D ISP E R SAL OF TH E C O M B ATA N TS 539

had all sent your most trusted messengers t o beg him to assist ,

you and how you had sign ed treaties promising to be faithful

, .

H e told me all he had done for you and how sorry he was he ,

could not be present when you broke up your armies and camps
accordi ng t o your promises .

3 If I could have come t o you myself I would have done so

. .

4 You wo uld I am sure have received me with welcome

.
, , ,

but my people in Lagos wanted me and I regret to say I cannot ,

arrange t o leave them .

5 I send y o u however t wo of m y o ffi cers i n whom I have

.
, ,

much confidence they are next in rank to myself .

6 I ask you t o r eceive them as m y envoys and to accord t o

‘

them the same cordial welcome you wou l d have given to me .

7 They have my ful l powers t o act f or me in helping you t o

.

fulfil the engagements you made in your Treaty and I ask you ,

to treat with them as if they were myself .

8 You have promised to pl ace hostages in the hands of my

.

envoys while your camps are being di spersed and while you are
settling the di ffi cul ties between yourselves .

9 I rely upon you to fulfil your promises and now call upon
.

you to do s o .

1 0 It is hard l y necessary for me t o remind you of the

.

advantages to be derived from a lasting peace you who have ,

been unfortunately so long at strife must know the troubles a

war entails you must feel when you see your people decreasing
in numbers your c h ildren fatherless your women wi thout
, ,

husbands your trade decli ning and your vil l ages decaying that
,
'
, ,

the time has arrived when you should fight n o more .

1 1 Let that time be now as y o u have promised it shall be

.
,

let there be peace and friendsh ip among you all ; go home to

your villages and make your women glad and see your ch ildren
, ,

grow around you and let me have the pleasure of telling my

,

Queen the great and good Queen of E ngland that your troubles
, ,

are now at an end .

I am Kings B al es B al ogu n s and Chi efs

, , , ,

Your good friend and well wisher ,

F R E D E VA N S A ct ing ,
-
Gover n or .

!Governor E vans letter seems very remarkable in its own way

’
.

T o us it rea d s like an a dmonition t o a number O f truant schoolboys

rather than an address t o commanders of about ha l f a m ill ion men
wh o for over ten years had been enga ge d in a death struggle with
one another pouring out thei r life b l oo d u n flin ch in gl y f o r hon our
, ,

power a n d freedom — worthi e r Obj ects than those whi ch often

~
5 40 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B A S
Th e expedition left La gos on the I 6t h August via I t g I ke the
.

first Ij ebu port Gre at di ffi culties were expe ri enced with regard to
.

the transmission of their loads the I j eb us are by nature averse

to carrying l oads they depend more on their slaves for such
,

purposes Besides they also considered i t derogatory to the digni ty

.

of a free people to r u as in gb a i e transmitting state loads fro m

, . .
,

point to point which in this country is a compul sory duty and

regarded a s a sort of taxpayi ng .

The Commissioners arr ived at Ij ebu Od e on the 1 9t h and were

well received The Lisa (prime minister) call ed on them im
.

mediately after their arrival wi th a message of welcome a n d presents

from the A wuj al e and conducted them to the quarters prepare d
,

for them On the same day the Governor s Ibadan messenger

.
’

‘
arrived at G r ir where he was ordered t o meet the Commissioners .

A public interview took place on the 2 r s t at which about

people were present .

What was uppermost in the A wuj a l e s mind was t h e case of '

Og un gig un the S eriki of Igbo wh o had been sent to I s gy a and

his refractory behavi our in refusing to decamp Thi s the A wuj al e .

considered a di fficulty in the way the Commissioners however

’

, ,

treated the m atter lightly saying they did not an t icipate any
,

diffi culty in his case .

The A wuj al e n o t satisfied with this repl y sent word t o the

, ,
’
Governor s Ibadan messenger (the writer) at 01 1) t o this e f fect .

When you reach Modak ek e if the Commissioners could not pre ,

vai l upon Og un sig u n to decamp at once tell them t o kill him he , ,

stained the swords of m i ghti e r nations— ambition j ealousy and ,

G o hom e t o your vi ll ages

”
greed 1 says the Governor and , ,

make your women glad etc T hose Villages are towns with
, .

to souls A n d is there a n y reason wh y their

women should be denied the right and dignity of being termed
their wives
Men who can control such huge masses o f hu m anity capacities ,

which can guide control a n d direct all the intricacies of municipal

, ,

and political machineries of a government and can wage honour ,

ab l e wars f or years without external aid or a nation al debt b e

q uea t h ed t o posterity might at l east be considered as possessing
som e serious qualities beyond those o f chi l dren as they appear t o ,

be regarded and deserving som e honourab l e consideration due t o

,

men al though they be N egroes But happi l y the patronizing .

language of the letter which disc l oses s o much thinl y vei l ed con -

tempt wi l l be lost in the trans l ation and in other respec t s

, ,

interpreters may be trusted t o make up in tone a n d expression for

what is wanting in style and ictio d n — ED ]
54 2 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
of a few of his big I lar is to m eet them at the Vill age of Fiditi a ,

distance o f about 1 4 miles from the city As soon as they appeared .

the escorts ordered their men t o fire a f eu d e j oie which they kep t ,

up till they reached the city of The leader of the expedition

was rather unsettled by these demonstrations he immedia t ely ,

ordered his H ausas to form around him and to fix bayon ets and ,

told the I l a ri s t o g o on before with their men .

At they were lo d ged at the house of the Apeka one O f the ,

chief I la r is who lodges white men

, .

On the 4 t h S eptember the A L AF I N accorded them a form al state

reception as a speci al honour due t o them H e was enthroned .

full robed at the Kobi A g a n j u with all the princes and the n
-

nobles about him and the usual state umbrellas and all the
,

paraphernalia of roy al ty displayed on the right and on the left ,

the trumpeters also sounding lustily the pr ai ses Of the King and
the welcome t o t h e white men .
1

The usual ceremonies over the King presented them wi th two

,

bul locks ten sheep four goats 2 0 bags of cow ri es and eighty
, , , ,

baskets of yams .

On the next day they had a private interview in which the

A L AF I N sat With them and discussed a f fai rs in a friendly and
f am iliar m a nner H is Maj esty advised them n ot to visit I l grin
.
,

as K ar ara the Ilorin Gener a lissimo at Of a was both obstinate a n d

t r eacherous H e gave them a horse and two bags of cowries and
.

wished them God speed -

.

On the 6t h o f S eptember the King having supplied the necessary

number of carriers the Commission ers left n with the King s
,
’

Ilari en r ou t e for the Ibadan camp via I f e Odan Masifa E jigbo

, . , ,

Ilobu I ki run They arrived at Kiriji on the r ot h of S eptember 1 88 6

,
.
, .

1
The ceremonies on this occasion were nearl y m arred by the
leader of the expedition who ag ai nst the rem onstrance o f the ,

writer of the untim eliness o f such a course insisted on going straight

to the throne t o shake hands sa ying that as he represent ed the , ,

Governor o f Lagos wh o is the representative of the Queen he con ,

s id er e d himself superior t o any African Monarch — which may or

m ay not be true of such a del egated superior rank but t h e writer ,

f ai l s to see h o w it confers the right to commi t a gross breach of

eti quette at the mom ent speci al honours were being done t o him .

B ut ere he was half way a l ong the avenue form ed by t h e princes

on the on e side and the courtiers on the other t wo or three big ,

I l aris rushed forward and wi th expanded arms barred the way

,
”
saying O yinbo m a ge ma ge (whit e m an pleas e don t please
’

, , ,
’
don t ) Then he desist ed and was shown to the seat prepared for
.

him .
 D ISP E R SAL OF THE C O M ATA N TS
B 54 3

The Ibadan chiefs wished to detain the Commi s sioners as their

guests f or a day or t wo before they passed on t o the tents built for
them on t h e batt l efield by both be ll igerents but they rightly ,

dec l i n ed and march ed on str ai ght t o the neutral ground

,
.

S oon after their arriva l Og ed em g b e c al l ed on the Commissioners

, ,

the B alogun of Ibadan did the sam e l ater on at dusk : presents

in cow ri es and provisions flowed in from both camps d a y by day ,

and from the Kings Aj ero OwOr e and the Ol oj u d o at M esin town , , .

The Commissioners returned the Visits to both camps on the

’
l 1 t h at 1 0 a m to the Ibadan camp and to the E kit i s at 4 p m
. . . .

2 . TH E CO MMISSI O N E R S AT K I R I J I
The interviews to arrange matters began on the 1 3 th the ,

Ibadan chiefs coming t o the Commissioners camp f o r the purpose ’

at 1 0 a m N O di ffi culties l ay in their way except in the case o f

. .

Q f a for whi l st the Ibadan chiefs lay no cl ai m t o Of a yet they were

, ,

loth to see the town destroyed because it is one O f the pr incipal ,

Yoruba towns and the birt h place of some of th eir chiefs

-

, .

When asked when it will be convenient for them t o decamp the y

replied as soon as they had informed their contingents at Moda
, _

k ek e and at Of a lest the news coming upon them suddenly and

,

probably in a distorted form there m a y be a rush in both places ,

with disas trous resul ts S even days may be al lowed for this but .
,

they cannot send as yet until they s h all have known the result of
the Commissioners interview with the be l li gerents of the other side
’
.

The interview with the E kit is took place at 4 p m of the sam e . .

day but the results were n o t s o satisfactory the E kit is ins isted
o n the I b a d a n s decamping first but the Commissioners were for ,

both camps t o be broken up together on the sam e day and hour .

As they co ul d not arrive at an understandi n g a lso in the matter of

.

the I l gr in s whom they were supporting at Of a the m eeting was

, ,

adj ou r ned till the next day .

At the next interview after much talk the E kit is agreed t o t h e

Commissio n ers propos al s ’
.

On the 1 5 th the Commissioners procee d ed t o the town o f M esin

Ipole to see the E kiti kings the Aj ero the OwOr e and the Oloj u d o , , .

The OwOr e was prolix and pointless in hi s remarks but the Aj ero
was more sensible ; his statements were few and t o the poi n t .

Th e Olo j u d o s ai d but little ; his words were We w a nt our inde ,

p en d en c e and not to be molested any m ore in future

, .

O n the 1 6th the question of the boundaries engaged the attention

of the Commissioners the elders of Mesin and I g b aj g s ai d i t was
the stream E l eriko that divi ded the m On the 1 7 th at another ,
.

interview defining the boundaries between M esin Otan Ada , , ,

5 44 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
‘
E s rrwrr
’

and Ipetu they all agreed that the boundar ies of each O f
,

these towns met at a place called Ata where al so was a river called
Om i A da The last interview was on the 1 8 th S eptember when
.
,

t h e elders of these towns were to sign the document de fining the

boundaries On this day the I f e C hiefs arrived at the E kiti C m p
.

about their own part of the Treaty On the 1 9t h the I b a d ans .

sent to b uild the ho use for their host a ge the I j esas and E kit is ,

having done their own two days before

'

The interview between the Commissioners and the I f e ch iefs

took place on the 2 0t h The latter wi th Og ed em g b e previously
.

in council had agreed to allow the Mo d a kekes ten months respite ’

in which they were to remove to a new spot on the other side of

the Ogun ri ver but meantime they might be al lowed to rem ai n in
,

the small towns of I pet umodu Qd fia b g n Moro et c , , , .

The intervi ew between the Commissioners a n d the M odak ek e

chiefs took pl ace on the z r s t In vain did they plead that peace
.

an d reconciliation be m ade between the If es and themselves In .

vain did they plead that there should be a town w all sep arating
the two towns from each other The Commissioners were for carry .

'

ing out the letter Of the Treaty which was also the resolution ,

arrived at by the Ifes and E kit is The Mo d a kekes thought i t .

strange indeed that as a res ul t of peace the vanquished should

d ictate t erms t o the victors and worse still f o r those terms to
,

include the evacuation of their hearths and homes and spots ,

sacred to them by a thousand ties and considerations If that .

m ust be then they prayed that the time be extended t o the follow
,

ing dry season which would all ow su ffi cient time to build a new
town and cul tivate new fields so that they m ight not peri sh from
,

starvation and exposure E ven this was not allowed them they
.
,

were to evacuate the present town of Modak ek e at once and in ,

ten months time build a new town and destroy the Ol d 1 To

’

this the messengers were obli ged t o yiel d .

H itherto the Commissioners interviewed the Chi efs of each of

the c amps by themselves but on this day S eptember z r s t they
,
’
were asked t o m eet each other in the Commissioners cam p in the
afternoon The whole of the fighting men of either side were
.

drawn up o n the battlefield but they were not al l owed to come near
except the leading chief of both si des The fifty H ausa soldiers .

accompanying the expedition were drawn up in t wo rows at

the t wo ends of the Commissioners camp facing those of both ’

b elh g er en t s and only the leading chi efs were al lowed to pas s
,

through to the Commissioners tents and there the B al ogun of ’

,

Ibadan the May e A g b a kin A d ej u m g and othe r s m et and shook

, , ,

hands wi th Og ed em gb e Lu g b gs u n and other l eading chiefs of t h e

,
5 46 TH E H I ST OR Y OF TH E Y O RU BA S
on either side of it Chairs stools and mats were pl aced for
.
, ,

the accommodation of the chi efs and representatives of signa

tories of the Treaty in lines from either side of the marquee s o
as to form a semicircle with it leaving an open spam in
'

, :

front .

About ten O clock the B al ogu n of Ibadan arrived aecom

’

p an ied by the principal C hiefs in the Ibadan cam p and the ,

Ij ebu and Modak ek e signatori es of the Treaty or their

,

representatives in all some 2 00 people They took their seats

, .

on the ch ai rs to the right Of the marquee A few minutes later .

the S eriki of Ij esa (Og ed em g b e) with the principal chiefs of the

E kit ip ar ap g army and the Ij esa I f e and E ki ti signatori es o f
, ,

the Treaty or their representatives arri ved The S eri ki and hi s .

part y about the sam e number as the I b a d a n s took their seats

, ,

on the left of the m arquee All being ready we cam e out of our .

hut and accompanied by Capt S pee d ing the R ev C Phillips .

, . .
,

R ev S Johnson an d Mr Will oughby proceeded t o our seats

. . .

under the marquee .

It was then discovered that the Modak ek e representatives

were n o t present and a mounted m essenger was despatched t o
,

fetch them They arrived short l y afterwards and were present

.

when the Treaty and the ratification of it were read and

, ,

translated .

We expressed o ur pleasure at s eein g all those present and

s ai d After the B alogun of Ibadan and S eri ki of I j ega had sworn
,

frien dship t o each other as we understood they wished t o do , ,

we woul d say what we had to say .

’

The B alogun and the S eri ki then swore eternal friendshi p

t o each othe r by their respective fetishes .

The Govern or s proclamation was then read and interpreted

’
.

The Treaty was next read and interpreted ; and after a few
remarks from us the ratification of the Treaty was read and
,

interpreted E ach signatory then came t o the tab l e as his name

.

was call ed and affixed his mark and seal to the document .

We then congratul ated al l in the name o f the Queen o f E ngl and ,

and the Go vernor of Lagos upon t h e peace which they had ,

concluded and ratified and said we sin cerely trusted that they
woul d O bserve the peace as f aithfully as they had obs erved
the Armistice .

The proclamation of peace was then read and interpreted

after which the bugles pl ayed and a salute of seven gun s was
fired (first gun The B alogun S eriki and others ,

came and shook hands with us hearti l y thanking us for what

we h a d done for them E ven the Ij ebu representatives . ,
 D ISP E R SAL OF T H E C O M B ATA N TS 5 47

generally undemonstrative and even supercilious in m anner ,

were e f fusive in their than ks and congratul ations .

The rains ceased before the meeting took place and the
mist clea ring away the s un shone bri l liantly on the scene .

Thousands of people were t o be seen posted on the huge

boulders of rock which were scattered through the Kiriji Camp ,

an d crowned the summit of the mountain (the O ke M esin Cam p

was not Visible from the place of m eeting there being a sligh t
rising in the groun d between ) and as we learned afterwards the
sound of the gun which was to announce that peace had been
concluded and that people could g o to their homes wa s m ost
, ,

anxiously awai ted in both cam ps and received when heard wi th ,

cheers and h urrahs .

§ 3 . TH E PR O C LAMATI O N OF P E AC E A N D FI R I N G OF TH E C AMPS
The following is the Proclamation of Peace between the I b a d a n s
and the E kit ip ar a p gs at Kiriji M esin battlefield on the 2 3r d -

S e ptember 1 88 6 , .

Whereas through the fri endly mediation of His E xcellency

the Governor of Lagos an understanding has been brought about ,

and a treaty of pe a ce f ri en d shi p and commerce conclude d

, ,

between the A L AF I N of the B alogun the Ab es e the May e , , ,

the A gb a kin and the Otun B al e of Ibadan ; the Owa of I lega

, ,

the OwOr e of Otun the Aj ero of Ij ero the Olo j ud o Of I d o the

, , ,

S eri ki of Ij esa the QwOn i the B alogun the Qb al uf e the

, , , ,

Qb al g r an the Ob aj io the A j ar uwa the Arod e and the Ori san ir e

, , , ,

of I f e the Ogun s u a the Balogun and the Otun of Modak ek e

, , ,

and the A wu j al e and B al ogun of Ij ebu .

And where as due p rovision has been m ade by us after co n

ference with the heads of the govern ments principally concerned ,

or their representatives duly accredited to us for the complete ,

ful filment of the conditions o f the sai d treaty .

N ow therefore we S peci al Commissioners appointed by His

,

E xcell ency the Governor of Lagos for the purpose of executin g

the sai d treaty in accordance with the provisions thereof d o ,

hereby proclaim in the name of the signatories of the sai d

,

treaty that peace has this d ay been established and sh al l

,

henceforth continue for ever between the signatori es of the Said

treaty and between their respective peoples .

D ated at Ki riji M esin battlefield this

-
2 3r d day of S eptember ,

1 886 .

(Signed) H E N R Y HIGGI N S S p eci a l C ommi s s i on er s

’

OLIV E R S MIT H
.
.
54 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
R atification of the Treaty of Peace Friendship and Commerc e , ,

between the I b a d ans and E kit ip ar ap gs .

We the undersigned signatories and duly authori sed r ep r es en

, ,

t a t ives of signato r ies of the Treaty of Peace Friends hi p and , ,

Co mmerce signed in the months of June and J uly in the

cur rent year by the A L AF I N of QY g the B alogun the Ab es e
,
‘

, , ,

the May e the A g b a kin and the Otun Bal e of I badan the Owa
, , ,

of Ilega the OwOr e of O tun the Aj ero of Ij ero the Oloj u d o of

, , ,

Ido the S eri ki of Ij esa the Owgn i the Balogun the Qb al uf e

, , , , ,

the Qb a l gr a n the Ob aj io the A j a r uwa the Arod e an d the

,
'

, , ,

Origa n ir e of l ie the Og un s ua the B a l ogun and the Otun of

, , ,

Modak ek e a nd the A wuj al e and Balogun of Ij ebu and having

, ,

f o r its O bj ect the termination of the war between the I b a d an s

and their alli es on the one hand and the E kit ip a r ap g con
‘
, ,

federacy o n the other hand hereby ratify and confirm the said ,

treaty and all and singular the conditions and stip ulations
,

thereof and do further agree to and approve of the following

, ,

provisions for the more perfect ful filment of the same made
, ,

after conference wi th the governmen ts of the parties pri ncipall y

concerned or their representatives by the S pecial Commissioners
appointed by the Gover nor of Lagos as representing H er Most
Gracious Maj esty the Queen of Great B ritain and Ireland t o
carry the said treaty into e f fect .

1
. Peace between the signatories of the treaty and their
peoples shall be proclaimed by the Commissioners immediately
after the signing hereof .

2
. Immediately after the proclamation of peace the breaking
up of the camps at Ki ri j i and Oke M esin respectively S hal l begin ,
’
and upon the signal being given b y gunfire in the Commissioners .

camp the I b a d a n s encamped in the Kiriji cam p an d the

E kit ip ar a p g s encamped in the O ke M esin cam p shall
sim ultaneous l y begin q ui etly and peacefully and without
any demonstration to withdraw from their s ai d respective
"

camps .

3
. The I b a d a n s encam ped i n the Kiriji camp S hall ret urn to
their homes by way of I kirun Os og b o Ed e and I wo and by , , , ,

I kirun Ilobu E jigbo and

,
and the E kit ip ar ap gs e n camped
, ,

in the Oke M esin camp shall return t o their homes by way of .

M esin Ip ole and M esin Igbo Od o and E s a Oke an d Es a

, , ,

E gure .

4 The
. evacuation of the s ai d Ki riji and O k e M esin camps
’
sh al l be completed by 1 2 O clock noon on Tuesday next the
2 8 t h i nst when a signal gun sha l l be fired in the Commissioners
’

.
5 50 THE H ISTO R Y OF T HE Y O RU B AS
T h eir mar ks

representing the A L AF I N of Oy o
X
X
Balogun of Ibadan X
representing the Ab es e O f Ibadan X
The Maye of Ibadan X
The A g b a kin of Ibadan X
representing t h e Otun B al e of Ibadan X
Owa of Mega X

Qwor e of Otun X
Aj ero o f Ij ero X
Ol o j ud o of Ido X
S eri ki o f Ij esa X
X
(the A j a r u wa ) for the I f e S ig n a t on es
(the Arod e of I f e) X
representing the Og un s u a of M odak ek e X
Acting B alogun of Modakek e
Acting Otun for Modak ek e

} representing the A wuj a l e of Ij ebu

'

B alogun oi Ij ebu
Signed sealed and de l ivered in the presence of
, ,

(Signed) H E N R Y HI GGI N S ,

Acting Col S ecretary .

Sp ecial C om mis s ion er s

(S igned) O LIV E R S MIT H
.

,
’
Queen s Advocate
(Signed) CH A R L E S PH ILLIPS ,

Clerk in H oly Orders I n t erp r et ers on t h is

(Signed ) S AM U E L J O HN S O N , occas ion .

C l erk in H oly Orders

As it was evi dent that the camps must be evacuated all the ,

women wi th their movable e f fects and live stock cleared O ff t o

I kirun within three days .

The Ibadan slaves wh o did not wish to return hom e with their
m as ters took this O pportunity t o escape t o their country In .

order to e f fect this with safety without drawing attention they

, ,

set fire to som e houses and d uring the confusion and bustle
,

atten d ing the con flag r a t ion hundreds of them made good their
escape t o the E ki ti camp which overl ooked the Ibadan camp .

The houses O f the May e of Ibadan and the Timi of E d e and those
,

of several men of lesser note were consumed in this con flagr at ion
,
.
 D ISPE R SAL OF TH E C O M B ATA NTS 55 1

This was on F riday the 2 4 t h S eptember On e chief alone (S anusi

, .

the s on of the A r e) lost abo ut 4 00 s l aves t .

The Ibadan C hiefs fearing they wo ul d lose all their slaves in

,

t h is manner thought they ought rather t o g o at once and wait

,

n o longer f or the 2 8 t h or t h e
y m igh t have to do so with grief and
'

gloom B y the 2 5 t h the camp was al l but deserted On the 2 6t h

. .

the B alogun with the rest o f the war chiefs left f or I kirun Og e .

d em g b e hearing that the Ibadan chiefs had gone left also wi th ,

his men for M es in Ipole The Commissioners however were .

, ,

determined to keep t o the letter of the treaty and t o fire both camps
on the 2 8 t h The hostages Chief Mos a d er in and F a key e of the
.
,

I b a d an s a nd A § ip a of the E kit ip a r a p gs w ere detained sti ll b v

, ,

the Commissioners u n til the camps were fired .

The fo l lowing extract from the Commissioners report will ’

describe the proceedings of the 2 8 t h when the cam ps were fired

Tuesday S eptember 2 8 t h — There was heavy rain during
,

the night and the thermometer registered 66 degrees the lowest

, ,

temperature we had experienced The mor ni ng was fine though .

c l oudy and there was a slight breeze

, .

Mr Johnson left for Ikirun wi th presents from us t o the

.

kings and chiefs whose su d den departure from Ki ri ji had not

a ll owed us the opportunity of giving them prior to their leaving
the camp .

We sent 5 0 of o ur carriers to either camp to be in readiness

to fire them on the signal gun being fir ed from o ur camp Two .

’
guns were fired at 1 2 O clock and three minutes later both camps ,

were in flames .

The breeze being slight the smoke did not clear away but
hung in dense clouds over the cam ps .

B y ha l f past one O clock both camps were al m ost completely

’
-

b u r n ed but the fire smouldered during the day and night

, .

The ho uses in the Ibadan cam ps were n o t s o completely

destroyed as those in the Oke M esin camp the former being
, ,

mud with thatch roofs while the latter were chiefly construc t e d
,

of bamboo wi th l eaf roofs .

Immedi at ely the camps were fired Ch ief Mos a d er in and the ,

O V O host a ge came t o say good bye to us H e was a fine Ol d -

.

man wi th very courteous manners and he was in a despe r ate

, ,

hurry to get away always fearing that something had happened

,

1
Man y of them fi n ding th eir Ol d hom es quite di fferent from
what they had expected a nd con d itions of li fe more arduous , ,

ret urned t o their form er masters at Ibadan .

55 2 THE H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
t o h is
wives and belo ngings at I kirun or that we might take ,

him t o Lagos .

The Ij esa and E kiti hostage also came t o say good— bye ,

a d t o express their gratification at the sight of the bur ing

n n
camps The Asipa was very anxious for us to allow him and
.

his party to w al k to the gates O f the Ibadan c a mp For obvious .

”
reasons we would not grant his request .

We may remark that Og ed em g b e the S eri ki o f the I j egas

.

, ,

Showed much anxiety about the camps at Qf a wishing this off shoot ,

o f the war t o come t o an end al so but the Ilorin Gener al i s simo

would n o t give in as we shal l see later on nor allow the I j ega ,

contingent with him to come away .

§ 4 T H E CO MMISSI O N E R S
. AT MO D A H E K E : FAIL U R E .

The Commissioners l eft their camp on the 2 9t h S eptember 1 8 8 6 , .

They th u s described the ruins of both camps in their report

The r ai n which fell heavily during the n ight t urned into a
d r izz l e in the early mo rning and the mount ai ns and country
,

enveloped in a thick cloudy mist f or some ho urs after sunrise ,

when the weather cleared up somewhat .

About 1 5 0 carriers al l E kit is furnished by Chief Og ed em gb e

had come t o our camp the preceding evening and so faci litated ,

our making an early start H owever not wi thstanding the fact

.

O f these carri ers bei n g o n the spot I t was a qu a rter past ten
,

0 cl o C k before they could all be got O ff and we ourselves able

’

to start
As the dense mist c l eared under t he rays of the sun we could
discern the sti l l smoking ruins o f the Kiriji (Ibadan) camp the ,

downpou r of rain during the night not having compl ete l y put
out the co n fl a g r a t ion .

Passing through the Oke M esin camp (E kit ip ar a p g ) a compl ete

ruin the leaf roofs and bamboo sides of the huts having burned
,

more rapi dl y than the m ud wall s and thatch roof of the huts
in the Ibadan camp we reached the town of M esin Ipole at ten
,
” ’
minutes past eleven o clock .

The Com missioners halted here awhile t o have an interview

with the kings for the signing o f the enactment for the abolition
of human sacri fice The S er iki s speech on the occ asion shows
.
’

the amo unt of power and influence he had ove r the E kiti
kings His speech t o the OwOr e embodied in the Commissioners
’
.

report of the occasion is as follows : I comma nd you t o sign it ,

554 THE H ISTO R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
The Ibadan chiefs promised to see the Modak ek e authorities
and return on the following morning .

On the 6t h the Ibadan c h iefs m essengers and o n e Modak ek e

’

Chief s m essenger cam e t o say their masters co ul d n o t come as

'
’

it was an unlucky day We s ai d we sho uld expect to see their

.

masters o n the foll owing day .

On the 7 t h the Ibadan and Mo d ekeke chiefs came t ogether

'

and the latter as ked f or five months in which t o remove to

Ipetumodu etc ,
.

In the aftern oon of the same day we saw the I f e chiefs and
their al lies and inform ed them of the Mo d a kekes request ’
.

The If es would not hear of five months being granted saying ,

it was only a ruse to get ri d of us and th a t the Mo d a kekes would,

never leave if they did n o t remove in our presence from their

t own .

On the 8 t h inst we saw the Ibadan and Modak ek e C hiefs

.
,

and told them that we had decided upon careful consideration

that the Mo d a kekes must remove from their town to Ipetumodu
within ten days from that day and that the I b a d a n s on the one
,

side and the all ies of the If es on their side should decamp also
within that tim e The A g b a kin sai d h e would tell the Og un s u a
.

what we had decided .

In the afternoon we informed the If es and their allies of our

decision On the 9t h the Ij ebu Ibadan and Oy g r ep r es en
.
, ,

t a t ives c am e to tell us that the previous af ternoon on our ,

decision becoming known there was an uproar at Modak ek e

, ,

t h e people saying they woul d die rather than leave their town .

The represent a tives considered matters se rious and therefore cam e

to ask us if some other arrangement could be made as the
Mo d a kekes seemed very determined .

We to l d the representatives that they had better g o and see

v

the Ibadan chiefs an d Modak ek e authorities and try to learn .

from them the true state Of af fairs and let us know .

In the afternoon the representatives returned and s ai d the

Ibadan c h iefs told them that the uproar had been directed ag ai nst
them the previous day the Mo d a kekes alleging that the Ibadan
,

chiefs had betrayed them and saying they would not leave their
town The representatives s ai d t h e I b a d an chiefs had sent a
.
*

messenger to the B alogun at I kirun as king for instructions as

’
t o how to act and expected an answer in about five days time .

On the 1 1 t h the A g b a kin and representatives of the Ogun s ua

and Otun A g b a kin and the Ibadan chiefs came to see us they
said they wished us t o reconcile the Mo d a kekes and Ifes that ,

the former never had intended to leave their present town and ,
 D ISP E R SAL OF TH E C O M B ATA N TS 555
'
that their proposi tion of five months grace being granted m ea n t
nothing We told them that the A g b a kin was the only chi ef
.

pres ent an d that i f the chiefs had any proposals t o make they
,

m ust make them in person .

On the 1 2 t h the j unior commissioner had an interview with

the Ibadan and Modak ek e chiefs and impressed upon them ,

that if the Mo d a kekes persisted in their refusal t o qui t their

present town within the time given the If es and their al lies ,

would not be boun d to break up their camps while the I b a d an s ,

would have t o retire from Modak ek e if we s o ordered them ,

they having made peace with the If es and their allies .

The I b a d ans appear ed to Side with the Mo d a kekes at this

interview and two of the C hiefs were somewhat ins ol en t
, .
l

No progress wi th a f fai rs under consideration was made We .

had subsequent intervi ews with the If es o n the 1 3 t h and wi th

the Mo d a kekes on the 1 4 th and at the reques t O f both parties
,

agreed t o the c hi efs on either side meeting in a shed by our house

wi th a View to their possibly being able t o come to an under
standing .

We gave them distinctly to understan d however that an y , ,

scheme they might agree upon m ust be submitted to us by

noon on Monday the 1 8 th o f O ctober .

S everal meetings of the I f e and M odak ek e chiefs were held ,

and at one time it almost seemed that they might be able to

com e to an understanding ; th e If es O f fering to allow all the
M o d a k k
e es t o i ”
l ve with them in Ile I f e provi ded the present
town of Modak ek e was destroyed .

On Monday the 1 8 t h both parties appeared before us and as ked

for an extension of 2 4 hours which was granted t o them .

1
These w ere A kin t g l a and S um g n u A p a m p a the latter being the
spokesman The chi ef commissioner being indisposed on this
.

’
occasion the Queen s Advocat e conduct ed the negoti ations in hi s
,

o wn way Foi l ed and silenced at every t urn by his di alecti c

.

skill the young war chief fiercely broke out You were sent here
,
-

t o m ake peace n o t t o destroy lives When y o u ordered a population

.

li ke that of Modak eke t o remove a t on ce and g o and li ve in a forest

what is t o becom e of the wom en and Children the aged and infirm , ,

h o w a n d where are they to live H o w t o be shelt ered and how fed

If an ything shoul d happen to them at your hands wil l God enqui re ,

t h eir li ves T hey and the If es h a d li ved i n peace be tween the m

.

selves before and they can d o s o again if only you would reconcile
,

them together —E d . .

2
Modak ek e cont ained a far larger populati on than Ile I f e
and more powerful war chiefs —E d -
. .
5 56 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
The chiefs then resumed their meeti ngs which shortly after ,

wards became very stormy and ended by both parties leaving

without having come t o any agreement N O proposal was .

submi tted t o us by the authorities on ei ther side at all

On t h e 1 8 th we had an interview w
.

ith the Ibadan chi efs

and pointed out t o them that we might have t o call upon them
t o retire from Modak ek e if the Mo d a kekes did not abide by the
.

treaty They begged us not t o send them away before the

.

all ies on the I f e side but gave n o hint that they would not
,

obey our orders .

O n the 2 0t h we saw the Iba d an chiefs and told them that the
Mo d a kekes having broken the treaty we called upon the ,

I b a d a n s to retire from the town of Modak ek e they being at

peace with the If es and their allies .

The Ibadan chiefs replied that they had sent all their things
away but would n o t leave M odak ek e unless the If es allies
,
’

al so decamped without orders from the B alogun

, .

We warned them that in rem aining in Modak ek e after we

had ordered them to leave they were breaking the treaty They
, .

s ai d they had n ot signed the treaty and therefore were n o t

responsible We sai d we should send direct to the B alogun
. .

On the 2 1 s t October we despatched the R ev S Johnson t o . .

Ikirun with a letter t o the B al ogun of Ibadan informing h im of

the state of a f fai rs and requesting him to wi thdraw the Ibadan
,

contingent in Modak ek e without delay and also to l et us know ,

what m easures he intended taking to carry into eff ect the

obligations undertaken by him and the other Ibadan authorities
in clause 5 of the ratification of the treaty .

On the same day we despatched the R ev C Phillips to M esin . .

Ipole wi th a letter to Chief Og ed em g b e and with orders t o

proceed on and m eet Mr Johnson at I kirun . Mr Phillips . .

returned t o us on the 2 6t h bringi ng a letter from Chi ef

Og ed em g b e as king us not to al low the Mo d a kekes t o remain in
their present town .

Mr Philli ps reported that the news he took t o M esin Ipole

.

about the Mod a kekes caused much indignation .

On the 2 7t h M r Johnson arrived wi th a messenger from the

.

B al ogun of Ibadan who delivered the fol lowing message to us

Qd ej ay i !the messenger] : The Balogun salutes you H e .

had heard of al l your trouble with his people wh o are here .

H e begs you to pass it over H e has sent them word that they
.

are all to clear o ut at once H e salutes y o u f o r being hungry

. .

on his account H e least expected that the Modak ek e people

.

woul d be so obstinate H e thought it would be a thread but

.
558 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E YO R U B AS
On the 3 oth we sent for the B al og un s messenger who cam e ’

with M r Johnson and learnt from him that the Ibadan Chiefs
.
,

said they could not leave until matters were settled or in other ,

words that they had decided to disobey the B al og un s order to

,
’

quit Modak ek e at once .

We now came to the conclusion that it was useless o ur wasting

any more time in endeavouri ng to see the treaty carried out ,

and accord ingl y addressed a letter to the Modak ek e authorities

which was read t o them by Mr Johnson on the I s t of N ovember
.

charging them with having broken the treaty and holding them
pri ma ri ly responsible for any complic ation which might arise
through their default .

We had twice since our arrival at I f e M odak ek e sent word -

t o the Og uns u a through Mr Johnson that we proposed to visi t

.

hi m but each time he had begged to be excused from receiving

,

1
us .

We had a final interview with the If es on the I s t N ovember

an d impressed upon them that neither they nor their al lies

sho uld do an ything to provoke a renewal of hostilities but

aw ai t the action of the B alogu n of Ibadan t o whom and also
to Chief Og ed em g b e we were sending par ticulars of the Situation
, .

They all sai d they had no wish to recommence the war and ,

woul d d o what they could to keep the peace .

Mr Johnson told us that the Mo d akekes and I b ad ans had

.

also expressed themselves as most strongly averse to more

fig hting .

We addressed letters to Chi ef Og ed em g b e and the Owa and ,

the E kiti kings telli ng them of our intention to return t o L agos

, ,

and pointing out t o them that every e f fo r t should yet be made

to have matters settled peaceably and that they shoul d af ford ,

the Ibadan autho ri ties every O pportunity of carrying out their

part of the treaty We al so addressed a letter to the B al ogun
.

of Ibadan impressing upon him that if the Ibadan authorities

did n ot at once actu all y with dr aw their contingents from
Modak ek e and ful fil their obligations under the 5 t h clause of
,

the ratification of the treaty they wo uld be equally guilty with

,

the Mod akekes of a breach of faith with the Governor Of La gos ,

and all the signatories of the treaty and be held responsible ,

1
Which is a great pit y ; f o r had the commissioners done so ,

they would possibly have been impressed with the size of Modak ek e ,

a town o f over i nhabi tants and the practical di ffi culties

in the carrying o u t o f their proposals Ipetumodu did not contain .

m ore than and h ow can —

accomm odat e 6o ooo ? E d , .
 D ISPE R S A L OF T H E CO M B ATA N TS 59

sho uld war ensue in consequence of their failure to abide by their

pledges .

This letter we entrusted t o the R ev S Johnson t o take to . .

I kirun and he was t o l eave M odak ek e on the 3 r d N ovember

, ,

and S houl d reach the B alogun at latest in fo u r days after .

We left I f e Modak ek e on the morning of the 2 n d N ovember

-

for Od e Ondo .

While we were at I f e Mo d akeke and especi a lly tow ar ds the

: ,

end Of the time there were constant comm unications between

,

the opposite camps and we were asked by A kin t g l a the leading

,

Ibadan chief and by F a b irm i t o allow them t o m eet in our

'

presence with a view to the withdraw al of the respective al li es

of the If e
s and Mo d a kekes .

This we dec lined to do as we di d not consider it consistent

,

with the obj ect of our mission : but we informed F a b frm i that
if he and A kin t gla choose to meet we had no obj ection to their ,

doing so and if t h ey cam e t o an arran gem ent between them

'

selves that was their concern

, .

H HIGGI N S .

S peci a l C om mzs s ron er s

O LIVE R S MIT H
.

After the Commissioners had gone F a b iim i sai d t o the envoys ,

from the A L AF I N of the A wuj al e O f Ij ebu and t h e B al ogu n of ,

Ibadan that if the whi te men co uld not wai t t o settle their
,

diff erences they sho ul d w ai t t o accomplish what they had begun

, ,

and t o bring matt ers to a fin al issue H e asked them to s ummon .

the Ibadan chi efs with A kin t gla at their head for a conference .

This was done and all the Ibadan chiefs went out but had n ot the
,

confidence to g o unarm ed as far as the Commissioners cam p

’

where the y us ed to meet the I f e chiefs when the Commissioners

were there They went hal f way and S ent word to F a b um i t o
.
-

say they had come Fa b fim i however co uld not prevai l upon the
.

I f e chiefs to meet them for a conference hence he sent word t o ,

say that he would meet with the I f e chiefs at a conference and

would let them know the res ult .

On the 3r d N ovember F a b fim i went to A yim gr g s camp and

’

brought pressure to bear upon him that under no circumstance

should they provoke a fight and recommence hostilities with the
I b a d an s and Mo d a kekes On hi s return he told Ob a kos et an that
.
,
-

he had secured the promise o f A yim g r g upon good faith that the
Mo d a kekes sho uld not be ki dn apped or provoked t o a fight and
that the armistice should continue .

The Ibadan C hiefs sent a message t o Fa b fim i that a sensible

messenger should be sent from each of the three cam ps to them ,
560 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
the If e s A yim g r g s and Og un sigu n s camps and they wou l d
’ ’ ’
vi z , ,

tell them their minds .

F a b irmi alone took t h e initi ati ve and he sent back to say that
'

unless he visited each of these camps in person and prevailed

upon the ch iefs t o send each a messenger they would never do so , .

H e also suggested that the free intercomm unication between them

sho uld continue for if communication be interrupted there would
,

soon be another di ffi cul ty .

Th e envoys were not al lowed t o leave Modak ek e f o r about a

month after the Commissioners had gone and as the result of their,

negotiations the I badan contingent at Modak ek e as well as

, ,

F a b fim i and the Ij esa contingents with the exception Of A yim gr g

(Ij esa) and Og u n sigun (Ij ebu) left their respective al lies the same
day the I badan contingent leaving for Ikirun t o j oin their
brethren and F a b fim i for M esin Ipole t o j oin Og ed em gb e and s ub s e ,

quently for M esin Ol gj a Oke his hom e

- -
.

The If es however remained in their camp refusing to go ho me ,

(as yet) and reb ui ld their city but there was no resum ption of
,

hosti lities
.
5 62 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
’
of the I j § § a and E kiti kings mediation wi th the I l grins and should ,

K ar ar a refuse t o let the m en q uit his camp the I b a d an s would be ,

quite ready t o let them pass safely through their ranks t o Of a and ,

thence safely t o their homes wi thout a cal abash or a pot being

broken H aving sworn fri endshi p to h im he would never go
.

back on his word As the result Of the messages sent to hi m

.

by Se ri ki Og ed em g b e K ar ar a sent to the Ibadan war ch iefs to say

that t h e I b a d ans should withdraw their contingent from Of a ,

a n d must not fear any molestation from the I l g r in s .

The m essengers arri ved at Ikirun on the 9t h of N ovember 1 8 86 , .

The I b a d a n s considered i t p uerile to demand that the defensive

should withdraw from a beleaguered city before the Of fen s i ve and ,

therefore repli ed as follows : B efore we remove a singl e m an

K ar ar a should deca mp first and if he refuse t o d o s o let him
,
‘

awai t us And why should he ask us t o wi th dr aw our forces when

.

he is still encam ped agai nst Of a ? When Al i his father encam ped
against Ot un and we sent Aj ayi Jegede to defend that city some
,

years ago and peace was made between us was i t n o t Ali his ,

father that dec am ped first ? S o it S hould be in t h is case also .

The messengers however were we ll treated the B alogun

entertained them wi th t wo large calabashes full of Iyan (pounded
yam) a potful of meat and also gave the m ten heads of cowri es
, ,

and a goat .

When this strong message was de livered t o K ar ar a he opened

a secret communication with one La gb ej a one o f the powerful ,

C hiefs wh o r e inforced Of a Lag b ej a was carrying on this com

-
.

m u n ica t ion without informing his brother C hiefs in the camp and ,

when this was found out they a l l set ag ai nst him and the ,

quarrel was so hot that L a g b ej a had t o escape from the camp over
the walls and took refuge in the town of Of a .

The news O f this disunion among the r e in f or cem en t al armed -

the Balogun and the other war c h iefs a t I kirun they immediately
'

despatched o n e Oyes un le to reconcile them and La g b ej a returned ,

to his post .

On the very night o f his return two messengers from the I l g r in

,

camp cam e to ask f or an interview with him H e declined the .

interview for obvious reasons but the other chiefs heari ng this
, ,

advised him to grant the interview and let them he a r what the ,

envoys had t o say H e was invited to the Ilorin camp for peace
.

negotiation .

Oy es u n le the B al og un s messenger was deputed to conduct the

’

negotiation H e was the C hief envoy and each O f the principal

.
,

war chiefs sent a man with him Thus he visited the I l g rin camp
. ,

and proceeded t o Ilorin city for an interview with the E mir .

 D IST U R B A N CE I N E VE R Y PA RT OF TH E CO UN T R Y 5 63

The E mir of I l grin received the messengers graciously and before ,

granting an interview he treated them with cold wa t er ba n a n a s , ,

ho n ey and s ug a r
,
saying As sweet and refreshing as these are ,

s o I wish the co untry t o be .

The following was the message sent by the E mir to the

Ibadan chiefs : Of a has al ways been mine the royal gift ,

of my father to m e and hence I d o n o t wish it t o be destroyed

, .

My request is that the I b a d a n s should treat m e as a King and t o ,

let m y words com e t o pass They should recal l their army first .
,

and I sh al l rec al l mine ”

H e presented the messengers with 1 3
.

gown s (one t o each man) fed them sumptuously and gave them, ,

som e co wries .

The I l g r in E mir also sent his own messengers to the B al ogun ,

about 1 7 of them a ll on horseback an d he also treated them wi th

,

simil ar generosity ; they were sent back with a simil a r message

a s the one they brought asking the E mir to withdraw his attacki ng
,

force and they would with d raw the defending one

,
.

The I b a d a n s were q uit e alive t o the I l g rin intrigues .

K ar ar a in the meantime never ceased t o breathe o u t vengeance

agai nst Qf a and to speak disparagingly of the Balogun Of Ibadan
,

he was often heard t o say And wh o else is c al led B al ogun,

besides myse l f ? H owever there was an armistice till the ,

month of June 1 8 8 7 when the A L AF I N as a part o f his engagement

, ,

in the Treaty and at the reques t of his subj ects took the negoti
, ,

ation in hand H is M ajesty sent Qb aj u wg n o n e of h is chi ef

.
,

I l a ri s wh o went t o the Ilori n cam p in a style befitting his rank

, .

A t um ult arose in the Ilorin cam p when he entered there with his
dr um . H e was set upon by the Gambari faction an d his drum ,

was ripped with a kni fe The Yoruba element in the camp

i mme di ately rushed around hi m to prevent Violence being done
t o his person and e f fected his safe return to Of a
, Qb a j uwg n .

a r rived hom e on the 3ot h J une 1 8 8 7 Thus failed the negotiation , .

of peace at Qf a and hostilities were recommenced afresh

, .

Al l prospects Of peace appeared very dark and cloudy once

more the war being vigorously prosecuted at Of a and it was
, ,

under consideration at I kirun whether the army at Of a should be

r e inforced or n o t
-

The Ibadan se ni or chiefs were reluctant t o

.

d o s o lest the conflict between themselves and Og ed em g b e be

,

renewed and the scene of war be but changed from Kiri ji t o Of a

,

and I kirun f o r Og ed em g b e had n o t d isbanded his forces

, .

The war C hiefs had once a stormy meeting at I kirun on this

subj ect when Chief Enim o wu (s on in law t o the famous B a sgr u n
,
- -

Og u n m g l a) in the heat of passion volunteered t o g o t o the re l ief

of Of a if the leaders would not move Without obtai ning any .
5 64 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
s anction he left the meeting in a rage to prepare f or Qf a Kongi .

his nephew and heir t o the house of Og un m gla being then but a
youth volunteered t o g o wi th h im as all the members of the hous e
,

m ust g o En im owu encamped at Erin a sm al l town a few miles

.
,

from Of a where he was of great help in provisioning the beleaguered

City .

Unfortunately this new re in f o r cem en t suffered a disaster s o

-

great as t o be compared t o none but that in which his brother in -

law the late Ilori the Os i was taken alive at the J al um i war .

The I l grin horsemen were in the habit of kidnapping the caravans

between and Erin bringing in provisions On this occasion .

Eni m owu attacked the kidnappers and in a short time put them ,

t o flight and pursued them rather too far

, On e notable I l g r in .

horseman N as a m u by name but surnam ed

, Gata ikoko
,
-

a devouring wolf from his great fondness f o r meat )

,

in the chase easily out distanced his pursuers and wi th a few C hoice
-

horsemen he made a wide detour and r e— appeared at the rear of

their pursuers The al arm was soon given at the rear The pursued .

had n ow become the pursuers Great was the havoc wrought .

by the I lg rins with their spears on the panic stricken pursu ers n ow -

taken in the rear En im owu the leader of the expedition was

.
, ,

found sitting on a keg of powder fanning himself after the chas e ,

his horse led t o be w atered and he congratulating hi mself that he

,

had given a good account o f the enemy when suddenly the enemy ,

burst upon him from the rear and there he was taken alive with
,

o ther i l lustrious war chiefs viz S al a kg the heir and successor of

, .
, ,

t he late A ij en ku Win kun le late Tub g s u n s son Mal ade son of the
, ,
’

, ,

late S eriki Od u nj g and others of lesser note S al akg refused t o

, .

t o g o with them as a prisoner of war and was ki lled on the spot ,

the rest were taken t o I l gr in and were there treated as respectable

pri soners of war .

Young Kongi was s o t er rified at the news of this disaster that

'

he wai ted no longer at Erin but fl ed p r ecip it a t ely back to I kirun '

F o r t h is abj ect cowardice he was cold shouldered by everyone -

o f the chi efs and forbidden to attend their councils H e was fined .

heavi l y f or this before he was al lowed t o re occupy his former -

position but all the sam e he subsequently lost the title that would
,

have been his on their return home .

N O sympathy was expressed for En im o wu because of the

arrogant m an ner he volunteered for the war as if all the rest ,

were cowards .

Whilst all this was going on reports from time t o time reached
,

the I b a d an s of the disaf fection existing at Of a itself a portion of ,

the people were in league with the I l grin s and their messengers ,
5 66 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
Thus they came and prostrated before K ar ar a I t was s ai d .

that he asked them H ave the I b a d an s gone ? Yes they

, ,

have gone H e then added . V ery wel l you can go home , , ,

I wi l l pay you a Visit shortly .

After breakfast K ar ar a rode up to Qf a with his arm y and took ,

his seat at the palace gates His first act was to despatch a body .

o f horsemen to occupy each Of the gates of the city s o as t o al low

no exit from any H e next summoned him al l the remaining

.

Of a chiefs and the influential men of the city to be brought before

him they came with leaves on their heads as a token of sub
mission H e then sai d to them
. You now say you are all on ,

my side if that be so why is it you he l d out so l ong agai nst me

, , ,

and did not open your gates secretly f o r m y troops to enter You
know now that the I b a d an s have gone then you say you declare
yourselves f o r me And when they l ay prostrate before him
.

he coolly gave the order E maha d um b u won S laughter ,

l

them away Thereupon fol lowed the process ; a m an appeared

.

’
with a butcher s knife in hand and another with a basin of water ,
.

S eizing these prostrate forms one by one they were forcibly he l d ,

down with head and neck raised and the throat coolly cut an d
,
-

the b l ood thoroughly drained and the corpse thrown down This .

done the kn ife was washed in the basin of water— after the m anner
,

of slaughtering animals and then they proceeded to the second , ,

and th ird and s o on till they had slaughtered t h e whole O f them

,

Then he ordered the S hade trees of the market place to be cut

down as a Sign o f victory and the city t o be sacked the inhabitants , ,

(such as were left ) to be made prisoners Thus was taken . .

Th e C on s equ en ces of th e F a ll of Of a — When a ll the towns in _ .

the vi ci n ity heard that the I b a d ans wer e gone and a par t of Of a
'

with them knowing what the consequences wo uld be they a ll

, ,

were deserted and the peopl e went with the I b a d a n s t o I kirun

, ,

viz .
Erin Ij ab e O kuku I gb a yi a n Iba E kusa O kuw a
, , , , , , , , ,

Agboye Ori and Asi , , .

Inisa alone was n o t deserted not being far from I kirun but within ,

a short time the Ilori n horse was at its gates .

The I l g rins who pro mised so f ai thf ully that if the Ibadan
,

contingent were withdrawn from they would decamp now ,

sent word t o the I b a d an s to say Qr u yin nmu wa n i I kirun ,

We are feeling the inconveni ence of your body heat at Ikirun -

Meaning that they sho uld withdraw from I kirun also Inisa had .

to be strongly re inforced and for a long time a desultory warfare

-

between the I b a d an s and I l g rin s was carri ed on there The .

1
D um bu is the word used for slaughtering animal s for sacri fice .
 D IST UR B A N C E I N E V E R Y PA RT OF TH E C O UN T R Y 5 67

coul d not leave their camp at Y an ay o t o encamp agai nst

I l g r ins
Inisa or I kirun as before and the I b a d ans did not consider it safe
,

t o g o against them at Y a n a y o where they would be exposed ,

on all side s to the cavalry attack The strength of the I l orins .

l ay in their horses and they could come f rom a day s j ourney

,
’

to attack Inisa or I kirun usuall y by brea king their j ourney hal f

,

way overnight and give battle next morning If defeated they .

,

were ab l e to retreat in good order taught by former experience ,

the I b a d an s did not venture to pursue horsemen far from their

base This continued for a good while
. .

In co urse of time the I l orin horse kept hovering constantly

between I kirun and Inisa as if to cut O ff comm unication betwe en
the two places about six or eight miles apart ; the war chiefs
,

therefore considered it more prude nt to concentrate their forces

at I kirun in order to prevent a surprise and therefore they with ,

dr ew B ab al ola who was stationed there Ikirun once more .

became the scene of con flict the I l g rin s with their horses paying
,

surpri se Visits now and then The Ibadan scouts and outposts .

being ever on the alert t o report their approach the s o called -

battles now dwindled into occasion al skirmishes for half a day ,

and these few and far between Taught by J alu m i the I l g rin s .
,

would not encamp against I kirun and from the experi ence of ,

En im o wu the I b a d an s would not g o after them in the plain at

Y an a yo .

§ 2 . R E VO L U TI O N A R Y M O VE M E N TS AT I J E B U
The I j eb us at this time were alarm ed at the quiet changes going
on in the country Traders and others from the i nterio r were
.

findi ng their way down to the coast through their country and
vice ver s a The traditional saying
.
.
Ij ebu Od e A j ej r k0 wg , ,

( Ij ebu O d e no alien t
, o enter ) was in danger of being abo lished ,

and they were determ ined t o put a stop t o it The b l am e for .

this was laid upon the A wuj a l e and on N of owo kan the B alogun
for entering into fri endshi p with the whi te men and befriending
Oy gs (that is for the part they had taken hitherto towards the
restoration of peace in the interior) They begrudged the B alogun .

h is influence wit h the n s and therefore recall ed him home from

,

Or rr and a civi l title was give n him

‘
They forced the king t o .

pass a law forbidding Oy gs t o reach Ij ebu Od e much less t o pass ,

through it t o Lagos ; all intercourse for merchandise was to be

carried on at 01 11 .

The younger I j eb us were instigated t o take the enforcement

of the law in hand and some of them went further and even
,

clamoured f or the death of th e king .

5 68 T HE H ISTO R Y OF T H E YO R U B AS
Their Ki ng exonerated hi mself from their charges by arguing
with them thus : Since we have had a closer intercourse with
the Oy gs during the late negotiations for peace— a peace clamoured
for and desired by yo ur s el ves e y ou I j eb us have had many of
their daughters to be your wives and they have had children for ,

you Is it not natural for the parents of these women to visit

.

their daughters and gr andchil dr en ? H ow can you sever the ties

of relationship by preventing brothers from visiting their sisters ,

and parents their children ? If you will be j ust and fair send these
, ,

women back hom e wi th the children born to you then there will ,

be no occasion for any outsiders to enter your country The .

l aw was m ade so stringent that P ri nce A d ekgy a the A wu j al e s

’

eldest s on went t o the R em g district which had hi therto been free

to caravans both ways and took up his station at O d e seizing all
La gos traders p as sing up or going down The writer together .
,

wi th the R ev D Olubi Of Ibadan on their way to Lagos met him

. .
,

there on E aster Tuesday 1 88 7 but j ust escaped him on their

, ,

return having visited other villages for the same purpose

, .

Previously to their passing down a son Of the reverend gentleman ,

on his way from Lagos t o Ibadan had no end Of trouble with him
he had in his custody a goodly n umber of traders from the interior
and from the coast whose goods had been seized and forwarded
to Ij ebu Od e and themselves loaded with ch ai ns ! This young
man was needl essly detained by the pri nce and when he grew ,

desperate he got into a rage and frightened the prince by firing a

w al king stick gun into the ai r j ust to show what he coul d do
-

,
.

This novel sight disposed the prince to let him pass on homewards .

His father when passing down took the Opportunity to s peak

to Prince A d ekg ya expl ai ning t o him the di f ference between
,
’

missionaries and traders and thus paved a way f or the mission s

,

m ai l man between Lagos and Ibadan by that route

-
.

S oon after their return home from Lagos news reached the ,

writer at Qy o by one of B al ogun N of owoka n s sons that the writer ’

had been declared by the A wuj al e an outlaw in any of the Ij ebu

provinces whether of Od e Igbo or R em o H e could be killed
, , , .

by anyone if found in any of these provinces The crimes all eged .

against him were these

.I That he was no longer on the side of peace but for the con ,

t in u a t io n of the war .

.2 That he was buil di ng a house for the A LAE I N whom he knew ,

t o be not favourable to peace .

.
3 That he was supplying the A LAF I N with ar ms O f precision
and ammuni tion for the I l g r in s in order to enable them to wage
a successful war agai nst the I b a d an s .
5 70 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E
‘

YO RU B AS
That the King was not quite satisfied with the above explanation
was evi dent by his remonstrance with the writer on his returning
from Lagos on the 2 6t h of May fo ll owing Aj os e said he
-
the .
, ,

whole Ij ebu nation love and respect you but you wi l l lose that ,

love and respect if you d o not reconsider your appointment t o

Oy e .

Prince A d ekgy a continued his b l ockade o f the R em g district

for a long time and many v al uable li ves perished an d much
,

property was confiscated in that district both persons and e f fects

were transferred to Ij ebu Od e and nothing more heard of them ,

most of the persons being ki lled or sold far away A Brazili an .

freedm an who had acquired some substance in his land o f exile was
returning to his native town o f Iwo H e happened to meet with .

A d ekoy a here and was sei zed by him wi th all his goods and person al
,

be l ongings and sent to Ij ebu Od e

, The goods were sai d .

t o be worth over £ 8 00 including cash : among them was a large ,

red silk damask umbrel l a with tassels all round intended f o r his

King the Ol uiwo The Ij eb u King in council in consideration of

, .

his heavy losses granted the man his freedom They told him he
,
.

c ould g o B ut the unfortunate man overcome with gri ef and

.
,

desp ai r groaned and said What is l ife worth to me now ? I ,

have committed no crime I have been utterly r uined N O prospect , .

before me now but utter destitution and beggary ! D e ath is

preferable All right said the A wu jal e
.
“
we wi ll oblige you
, ,

in this H e then gave the order E 19 ipg 9 (Go and kill

.

h im ) In a few minutes his head was Off his shoulders

.

N ot content with watching his own co un t r y the A wuj al e also

‘

sent an A g urin t o the I b ad ans with stri ct orders to arrest anyone

in E uropean dress white or black and if he is such as cannot be
, ,

dealt with they should at any rate send him back to Lagos An .

attempt was m ade thus t o tu rn the writer back to Lagos from the
very gate of Ibadan but he l eft his luggage with them at the town
,

gate and galloped into the town t o A wOnim esin the Chief A g urin , ,

his former colleague in his trave l ling up and down on the peace
negotiations in 1 886 he on seeing him sent orders that he should '

be al lowed t o enter the town in peace The R ev T H arding the . . .

,

E uropean S uperintendent O f the C M S Missions had to pass . . . ,

through Ij ebu t o the interior and was compelled to pay the sum ,

of £ 4 before he was al lowed to pass in I 8 8 9 and that was only ,

because he at that tim e had his home in the interior .

Thus the I j eb us were trying to prevent the opening up of the

co untry .

I t sho u ld be made clear however that the motives actuating , ,

the I j eb us t o these proceedings mistaken though they be were , ,

 D IST U R B A N C E IN E VE R Y PA RT OF TH E C O UN T R Y 57 1

not only the determination O f being the middle men between the
coast and the interior b ut also (as they thought ) in order t o
,

prevent the country from being taken by white men A report of .

”
what was called The scramble f or Africa then going on reached
, ,

them in one form or another and they were but safe guarding the ,
-

national interests .

§ 2 A M IL D TR E ATY .

About the month of May 1 88 8 all Lagos was startled by the , ,

report that the emissaries of the French from Porto N ovo had
reached A b eg ku t a and that they concluded a treaty wi th the
,

three leading chiefs Og un d eyi Onla d o and the J aguna of Igbein

, , ,

(Ogundip e being dead) giving them l arge presents and promising ,

them a profitable trade and the construction o f a line of r ai lway

,

from Porto N ovo t o Ab eokuta Advantage was taken of the .

constant misunderstandings and frictions between the Lagos

Government and the Egbas shown by the frequent blockading
of the river and land route by the Egbas and the stopping o f al l ,

trade with Lagos .

The situation was saved for the B ritish Government by the

Egba educated natives (i a S ierra Leoneans whose fathers were . .

of Egba origin) of Lagos wh o as soon as they heard the report , , ,

held a meeting among themselves without delay and sent a ,

deputation t o A b eg kut a t o enquire from the chiefs h ow far the

report was true The deputation returned t o Lagos on Whit
.

Tuesday May 2 2 n d I 8 S8 with a confirm ation of the rumo ur ;

, , ,

however the c hi efs were s ai d to have denied sign ing any treaty
,
.

Their language whi ch was regarded as not quite satisfactory

, ,

was t o this e f fect

We thank you for the solicitations you have manifested for
your fatherland You have done well in that though living out
.
,

of home you have not forgotten the homeland and i ts interests

, .

You call yourselves our childr en but what have we your parents , , ,

ever received from you B ut imm edi ately you heard that others
have m ade us a few presents you hastened t o s h ow us the danger ,

lurking in their gifts S ome of you were born abroad and never
.

made our acqu ai ntance until n ow very singular way indeed of ,

'
showing love and interest towards one s fatherland .

H ave you not O bserved the short weights an d the short lengths
in the folded cloths ? H ave you n o t noticed that the E nglish
cloths cont ai n increasingly more chalk than cotton fibres the ,

liquor diluted the pri ce of our produce always falling and never
,

rising ? What have you done to help us in these things to make

5 72 THE H IST O R Y OF T H E YO R U B A S
our labour more rem unerative ? N othing It strikes us that you .

only concerned yourselves in competing with the white men t o

m ake your own profits out of us We have been trading with the .

E nglish for years and the resu l t is like an O peration on the tread
,

mill always On the move but rem ai ning where we were with a
,

tendency to a backward motion in spite of e f forts continual l y put

forth B u t n o sooner we attempt to try for a profitable trade
.

with another people than you has ten to warn us of the danger
that lies therein We thank y ou for your anxious care but
.
,
”
neither to the French nor t o the E nglish are we giving our country .

N ot satisfied with the character the report of the deputation Of ,

the leading members of the educated Egbas of Lagos themselves '

went up to interview the chiefs and warned th em Of t h e d a nger,

they were running of p l acing themselves between the upper and

nether millstones of t wo E uropean powers What really passed .

between them in this interview was n o t made known but the ,

chiefs were said to have received them well and assured them ,

that they were not giving the country to an yone N othing .

further was heard of the movement and thus the situat ion was ,

saved .

When it was known that the Egbas claimed as far as E bute i

M eta as their territory surely n o B ritish O fficer at Lagos coul d

,

view this movement with indi fference The ver y e x is t en ce Of Lagos .

would be at the mercy of the power predomi nant at Ab eokuta .

B aulked at Ab eokuta rumour had it that the French emissaries

,

were procee di ng to to establ ish friendly relations with the

A L AF I N .

As it was about this tim e the overlapping of interests in the

scrambling had begun and it was said to be l ai d down by the F rench
,

that he who possessed the capital had the right to the rest of the
country the Governor of Lagos thereupon sent the writer— who
,

happened to be at Lagos at the time— wi th a letter and a Treaty

to the A L AF I N of Q Y Q as the S uzerain Of Yoruba land which he -

termed A Mild Treaty .

Government H ouse Lagos , ,

M ay 2 3r d , 1 88 8 .

No .

K I N G — I received with m uch pleasure your letter o f the

,

2 0t h F ebruary last and beg to thank you for the present of

,

two cloths of the country any manufacture of which interests

,

me indeed .

2 To S how m y esteem to you and my appreciation of the

.

position you occupy I have as ked the R ev 8 J ohnson who . .

,
5 74 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
I OYou will be at liberty to send your accredited m essengers
.

t o m e should y o u desire to have a longer conversation than can

well be put wit hi n the compass of an or di nary letter .

I I I venture to send you five pounds as a sm all present

. .

Wishing you an d all your people every good wish .

I am K ing , ,

Your good friend ,

A L FR E D C M O L O N E Y Gover nor .
, .

The Treaty .

Treaty between Adey emi A L AF I N of and H ead of

Yoruba land an d H er Maj esty Queen of Great Bri tain and
-

, ,

Ireland .

I AD E Y E MI A L AF I N O f
, , and H ead of Yoruba land the -

fo ur corners of whi ch are and have been from time immem ori al
known as Egba Ketu J eb u and Q Y Q embracing within its
, , , ,

area that inhabited by all Yoruba speaking peoples being -

desiro us of entering into and m ai nt ai ning for ever friendly , ,

relations with the subj ects of H er Maj esty the Queen of Great ,

Br itai n and Ireland and of developing the resources of Yoruba

,

by m eans Of legitimate trade with the subj ects O f H er Maj esty

and those under her protection or wh o may here after come
under her protection and in gratitude for what the Queen has
,

at s o m uch expense an d ri sk t o life done from time to time for

my country have this day at the city of
, in the presence of
those who have hereunto subsc r ibed their n am es as witnesses
declared my intention of abiding by the following
articles
I F rom henceforth there should be peace and fri endship
.

between the subj ects O f H er Maj esty the Queen and those ,

under her protection and the A L AF I N of 0 Y 9 and King of Yoruba

’

land and hi s people and all other peoples over whom he has
,

authority and influence .

2 The subj ects of the Queen m ay al ways trade freely with

.

the people of Q Y Q and the Yoruba speaking count ries in every

,
-

article they may wish to buy and sell in all towns rivers , , ,

creeks waters m arkets and places within territo ri es known

, ,

as Yoruba : and I Adey emi pledge myself to S how no favour

, ,

and to g ive n o privilege to the traders or people of other

countries wh ich I d o not give or S how to those of the
Queen .

3 British subj ects an d others under the Queen s protection

.
 D IST UR B A N C E IN E VE R Y PA RT OF TH E C O U NT RY 5 75

are to have the firs t consideration in all trade transactions with

my peoples .

4 N O to l ls duties fees imposts or charges Sh all be charged

.
, , , ,

or levied upon the person or property of any B ritish subj ect

or other person under H er Maj esty s protection other than and ’

beyond that or those which are custom ary and reasonable or ,

may from time t o tim e be agreed upon to be so levied or charged

by the Governor of Lagos and myself .

5 I will not allow any disputes that m ay arise betwee n people

.

frequenting or visiting the m arkets in my territory t o interfere

with or stop the markets and al l di fferences or disputes that
m ay arise other than trade disputes between my peoples and
those of other nations and tribes visiting the m arkets shall be
adj usted by me or referred for adj ustment and settlement t o
the decision of an arbitrator appointed by the Governor of Lagos ,

and the decision and award Of such arbitrator S hall be finally

conclusive .

6 I engage as far as in me lies t o bring about new m arkets

.

between the Q Y Q S and the other Yoruba spea king peoples to -

promote the enlargement of existing ones and to keep O pen ,

all the roads through my kingdom to the N iger and towards

‘

the coast .

7 It is hereby further agreed that n o cession of territory and

.

no other Treaty or Agreement shall be m ade by me other than

the one I have now made without the full understanding and
consent of the Governor for the time being of the said Colony
of Lagos .

8 In consideration Of the faithful observance of the foregoing

.

Articles Of the Agreement the Government of Lagos wi ll make

unto me a yearly dash t o the value of 2 00 (t wo hundred) bags
.

of cowries but such dash may upon breach or neglect o f al l or

,

any on e or more of the provisions of the Agreement and at the

discreti on O f the Governor of the Colony of Lagos be al together
wi thdr awn or suspended .

9 Provi ded always that the terms O f this Agreement be subj ect
.

to the approval Of H er Maj esty .

Signed and se al ed at OYO this z 3r d day of July , I 888 .

AD E YE MI , A L AF I N OF 0Y 9 X (his mark) .

In the presence of
S AM U E L J O HN S O N C l er k in , H oly Or d ers .

W ILLIAM M OSE R I S cr ipt ur e , R ead er .

576 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B A S
R ati fication of the above Treaty .

Government H ouse L agos , ,

j un e I Oth , 1 8 90 .

No .
/
2 55 r 42 .

K I N G I have the ple a sure o f informing you that H er M aj esty

,
-

the Queen of E ngland has been graciously ple as ed t o ratify and

confirm the Treaty between yourself and H er Maj es ty which
you signed on the 2 3r d J uly 1 8 88 and which subj ect t o H er
, ,

Maj esty s approval I subsequently signed on H er Maj esty s '

’

behalf .

2 I am glad t o thi nk that the Treaty will tend to draw

.

the people of this Colony and your subj ects closer together .

Both belong to the Yoruba race and it is but natur al that there ,

should be peace friendship and commerce between them

, .

3 It will be my duty in future under the Treaty t o contin ue

.

to pay to you as opportunities o f fer an annual present of 2 00

bags of cowries subj ect always t o the performance by you of
,

your own O bligations under the Treaty .

4 I forward to you £ 3 1 5 5 in cash which represents what

. .

will become due to you by the z 3 r d prox .

5 I write to you in the full hope and expectation that you

.

will not o nl y remember but faithfully and ze a lously fulfil all

,

your engagements under the Treaty and especi ally those relating ,

t o the increasing o f the markets and the O pe ni ng Of new roads .

I am K ing .
,

Yo u r fri end ,

A L FR E D M O L O N E Y ,

Gover n or a nd C om ma n d er l n C hief - -

of t h e C ol on of L ag os
y .

§ 4 T H E E X PL O ITS O F E SA N A N D T H E CO N T R O VE R SY T H E RE U P O N
.
.

In the year 1 8 8 8 negotiation was set on foot through the

instrumentality of the Ol uiwo one of the Oldest and most ,

venerable of the pro vincial kings in the E p o division who was ,

very m uch anxious f or the restoration of peace in the country .

H e prevail ed upon the A L AF I N t o appoint a messenger to hea d

those o f the principal provincial kings of Yoruba forming a
deputation to negotiate peace with I l grin The A L AE I N di d not .

obj ect but his appointee was a pri vate man and not an Ilari which
augured ill for the embassy and betrayed the actual feelings Of
,

His M aj es ty on the subj ect .

These messengers went by Ogbom oso on reaching .

the last toll gate to Il orin they were met by the ,

578 THE H ISTO R Y OF THE YO RU B AS
su f fered an immense loss of their merchandise This exasperated .

the Egbas and they complained o f it both to the A L AF I N OF OY O

and t o the Governor of Lagos whilst at the same tim e they them
se l ves kidn apped in the Ibadan farms as well as the caravans t o ,

Ij eb u.

The letter to the A L AF I N on the subj ect '

Iporo Ab eokuta ,

F ebr u a ry 8 ih ,
1 889 .

H rs M AJ E STY AD E YE MI K I N G O F OY O , .

Y O U R M AJ E STY ,

We the undersigned and authori t ies of Ab eokuta have the

, ,

opportuni ty of writing to you on a subj ect we have lately heard

from your territo ri es We l earnt that the Ibadan peopl e cam e
.

to stop or blockade the peaceable traffic road at the town

Lanlat e which was freely opened t o all free traders even from
, ,

interior to Lagos by catching the I l g rin and Egba peaceful

,

traders They even proceeded their attempts t o E ruwa clos e

.

t o our count r y Simpl y on account O f the war they are still

fighting We beg t o r equest and S how y o u that if this bad
.

practice is j ust and right ? for we know cert ai nly that i t will
soon create an uneas iness betwixt us and the neigh bouring
tribes which will cause a g reat war Kin dl y try and put a stop .

to this bad practice at once for the road t o I l g rin was freely
,
‘

opened for the Egbas Oy gs I l g rins B ari b as and al l these

, , , ,

peaceable traders and even the Ibadan people themselves are

,

tra din g al l along our s urroundi ng countries even t o o ur ,

countries We beg you t o drive out from your n eighbou r ing

.

countri es these rasc al s and vagabonds riot Ibadan people

, ,
.

We awai t your favourable reply to the succession o f our

request Wishing you h e al th and prosperity
. .

We are your true friends ,

ON L A D O x (their marks )
J A G UN A X
OG U N D E Y I x
A LI B AL O G U N X

The fol lowing is a copy of the reply to the above letter from the
A L AF I N .

The P al ace Qy o , ,

F ebr u a ry 1 9t h , 1 8 89 .

To TH E J AG UN A O G U N D E Y I A N D A LI B AL O G UN
ONL A D O , , .

M Y G O O D F R I E ND S ,

I have the pleasure to convey that I have received your

kind letter of the 4 t h inst and have perused its contents with
.
 D IST UR B A N C E IN E V E R Y PA RT OF T H E C O UN T R Y 579

the diligence i t requires and I beg t o return my sincere thanks

t o you f or the honour and good f ai th conferred on m e by referring
the matter of the rai d committed in my territory to me .

I beg t o express my regret for the action done by the Ibadan

r u ffi a n s and you are worthy of thanks for ma king this known
,

t o me and I shall take a prompt and decisive step in redr essing

,

t h is evi l I wil l lose n o time in sending to my subj ects about

.

the matter It is wel l that the peace of the country be preserved

.

that trade S hould flourish and war t o cease and al l my e f forts ,

wi ll be to this end Will y o u bear wi th me until matters are

.

rectified
I have the honour to remain ,

Your true friend ,

AD E Y E MI x (his mark)
K ing of Y or u ba .

The foll owing letter from the Acting Go vernor of Lagos G C -

, . .

D enton t o t h e Ibadan chiefs on the same subj ect

, .

Government H ouse La gos , ,

Octo ber 9t h ,
1 88 9 .

No .

G E N TL E M E N —I n connection with my le tter N O

,
.

of the 3 ot h August last t o whi ch I have as yet received n o ,

reply I have the honour t o inform you that in a comm unication

,

whi ch I have received from the Ab eokuta authorities it is ,

alleged that some four months ago the Ibadan sol di ers attacked
and plundered by night caravans of traders belonging t o Ab eo
kuta and amongst the peopl e killed were Egbas I l g rin s H ausas
, , ,

and B a ri b a s H orses catt l e asses kola nuts and cotton goods

.
, , ,

were carri ed o ff by your countrym en and a number o f ,

people were captured S ome of the person s seized and a portion

.

o f the plunder were sent to you t o the A L AF I N of O Y O and to the ,

A s eyin the rem a inder you conveyed to your camp at I kir u n

, .

2 On heari ng of this r ai d o n your part the Egbas at once

.

sent me s sengers to the A L AF I N and the A s eyin t o enqui re into the

truth of the repo rt which had reached them They discovered .

the rumour to be well founded and they therefore recal led their
-

people a n d the caravans pendi ng the adj ustment of the disturb

auces .

3 Again a few weeks after the occurrence t o which I refer

.

it is stated by the Egbas that y o u suddenly descended on their

farms and plundered them .
5 80 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B A S
The Egbas admit that in revenge for what you had done to
them they after this attacked the Ibadan farms .

4 It is further alleged that you carried your depredations

.

in t o the Ij ebu country and plundered some farms at Ipara .

5 I am very reluctant to beli eve that the acts with which

.

y o u are charged have been committed by you but in the face

of the statement which I now convey to you i t is har d for m e
'

to exonerate you from blame .

6 When I re member t o o the part whi ch you took in the

.

Treaty of 2 3r d S eptember 1 886 and the protestation o f the desire

, ,

for peace which have been made by your messengers in my

presence I am at a loss to understand your action unless there
, ,

be some explanation for it which I am not in possession of and

,

i t is to give you an opportunity of exculpating yourselves from

blame in this matter that I n ow address this letter to you .

7 In the letter to which I refer in the first part of this com

.

m u nic a t io n I endeavo u red t o remind you of the sad and bitter

,

disasters which attend on war and t o impress on you that the

,

prosperity of your country is best served by yo ur peaceful .

intercourse wi th your neighbours .

Let me again put this before you a n d with the as surance o f

my goodwill and of the great interest which I take in the
,

a ff airs of Yoruba land A llow m e to be

-
.
,

Your good fr iend ,

G C D E N T O N A ct ing Gover n or
. .
,
-
.

The reply of the I b a d a ns t o the above letter .

I kirun ,

N o vem ber 2 0t h , 1 889 .

To H I S E X C E LL E N C Y , C APT G C D E N TON
. . . .

YOU R E E X C LL E N C Y ,

We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your kind letter

which is a sort of supplement t o that of the 3 oth August It .

got t o our hands yesterday and it has received our due consider
ation .

2 . We thank Your E xcellency f or re quiring a clear statement

from us after the receipt of the communication from the Egbas .

We trust that ere this reaches you o ur reply to Your E xcellency s

former letter will have g o t into your hands wherein you will ,

find but a part of the reply to their charges .

It was true we kidnapped the caravans to and from I l g rin

3 .

but allow us to say that they were no Egba traders but H ausas
58 2 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
t un it y of a free communication with Lagos We say this in .

confidence t o the Governor as we d o not m ean to compl ai n of

the I j eb us wh o have done s o much for us If this get t o their .

hearing they wi l l take it as a compl ai nt against them an d we

shal l sm art for it H ence we say this is private and in confidence
. .

We had t o buy the road as it were before our messenger went

down also even this we do not mind .

B u t they are sti ll never ple a sed and they m ust know why we
send down We beg t o suggest t o the Governor that whenever
.

the Governor wishes to see our messenger t o let the A wuj al e

know of i t as we are ready t o send at any time
, .

Wishi ng Your E xcellency good he al th .

Your good friends t heir mar ks .

A JAYI B a log u n of I ba d a n
,

Q § U N T O K I M ay e of I ba d a n ,

F I J A B I A bes e of I ba a a n
'
,

F A J I N M I A g ba kin of I ba a a n
’
, .

In consequence O f the remonstran ce of the Egba chiefs the ,

Is eyin chiefs with the exception O f the A s eyin himself were

, ,

against further r ai ds being committed at least within their territory ,

but they could not prevent it .

Towards the end of J une 1 8 8 9 hearing of caravans going ag ai n

, ,

t o I l g r in Esan cam e and met them at Is eyin

, It was gener a lly .

believed that he was invited by Lawore the A s eyin but the c hi efs ,

insisted that E san s h a ll n ot capture these H ausa and Egba traders

in their town of Is eyin E san with his sm all body of troops there
.

fore left the town and encamped at a place c al l ed B oib oi over

against Is eyin spoiling their farms The A L AF I N hearing this sent
.

kegs O f powder and bowls o f b ullets to Esan not because he ,

favoured Es a n s r ai ds but because he fel t that the A s eyin s

’ ’

authority shoul d be upheld ag ai ns t h is chi efs .

The Is eyin peopl e dared not attack Esan because that would ,

amount to attac king an Ibadan army and consequently there ,

was nothing t o be done but to have a conference on the subj ect .

Esan woul d not agree to any terms but the expul sion of the H ausa
traders from the town This was done o n the 2 9t h of Jun e 1 88 9
.
,
.

Esan hearing of this expu l sion gave chase and overtook them
,

at the brook Od o Onké and plundered them carrying away much ,

booty .

This was the last of E san s successful ex ploits for early 1 n the
’

fol lowing year he l ed an expe di tion t o the Sab e country and ,

besieged D a n ika n their chief town H ere he was attacked by

,
.

the Sab es in overwhelming n umbers and hemmed in on every Side , ,

 D IST U R B A N CE IN E VE R Y PA R T OF THE C O UN T R Y 5 83

his little band of troops was dispersed and he was taken ali ve,

and Slain .

The late E san was a native of Modak ek e ; he came suddenly

into notice I n the years 1 8 8 7 t o 1 8 8 9 H e was a fir s t rate swords
.
-

man and special l y s kilful in the use o f the cut l ass c al l ed a

, .

H e l ed several kidnapping expedi tions t o the Egba farms attacked ,

and defeated several Egba ki dnapping expeditions t o the Ibadan

farms We have noticed above his exploits in the Oke Ogun
.

districts three times in succession did he attack and plunder

,

I l g rin H ausa and E gba traders

, H e now lost hi s life in attempting
.

with a handful of men to take Da ni ka n i n the Sab e country on

the s t h of F ebruary 1 8 90 , .
 C H APT E R XXXI I

AB O RTI V E M E AS UR E S TO TE R M I N AT E TH E WA R
1 . TH E M ISSI O N OF A LVA N M ILLS O N
WE have seen that by the t erms of the Kiriji Treaty the A L AF I N ,

was made responsible for the settlement of the Ibadan Il orin war -

and that Chief Oged em g b e failed in 1 8 86 to induce the Com

missioners to send messengers to the Ilorin camp because they ,

were n o t commissioned t h ither .

The A LAF I N however was suspected of dupli city by his people ,

for several of his pri vate messengers t o K ar ar a had been caught ,

and instead of making a move he had to be moved by the A wuj al e ,

of Ij ebu and the Ol uiwo of I wo to undertake measures towards

,

the restoration of peace Whenever he was as it were forced to

.

send a peace embassy to I l grin he would send a pri vate man for ,

that purpose instead o f an I l ari i f pressed for an Ilari he sent ,

Ob a ko se tan
- -
S howing he was not ready It became evi dent
-
.

that al though he wanted peace in the abstract yet he wished t o ,

keep the I b a d ans ful l y engaged at a distance from home .

The Governor received several communications from the interior

kings and chiefs notably the Ol uiwo of I wo praying H is E xcel
, ,

l en cy t o bring t o a finish the good work commenced in 1 88 6 by ,

sending up again special Commissioners for the purpose as it h as ,

proved t o be that the seat of war had but changed from Ki riji
M esin t o Y an ay o I kirun -
.

Unfortunately His E xcellency di d n ot consider the matter of

s o much impo rtance as to send up a strong embassy direct t o

Oy o and I l grin H e sent a single E uropean O fficer Mr Alvan

.
, .

Mill son the Asst Col S ecretary and a native o fficer Mr F

, . .
, , . .

Col ley Green a s ub in t en d an t o f police with instructions to

-

gather representatives from both the Ilorin and Ibadan camps

f or a palaver and to endeavour t o mediate between them
and get them to decamp and return to their homes
The Commissioners left Lagos on the 1 4 th January 1 8 90 , ,

arri ved at Ij ebu Od e on the 1 s t h left on the 1 7th and arrived at ,

Ibad an on the 1 9t h Leaving Ibadan on the 2 4t h they arri ved

.
,

at Oy o on the 2 5 t h They had an interview with the A L AF I N on

.

the 2 6t h when His Maj esty was informed of the obj ect of their
mission .

Obt ai ning t wo messengers from him the y left Oy o on the 2 9t h

584
5 86 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
v ai led and they were allowed to g o under shelter but not to proceed
,

an inch further on their j ourney ; in the meantime they were

communi cating with the authori ties at headquarters The .

Commissioners had t o write to the Qwa and the S eri ki of their ‘

detention and the reply they received was from one G W J ohnson
, . .
,

a bookbinder o f Lagos acti ng as secretary and wri ting in the

,

name of the Kings of the E kiti p ar a p os Who are you ? .

We d o not know you ; are you a Missionary ? Why do you

trespass on Ij esa soil without first notifying the 1 6 kings of the
E kit ip ar a p gs The Commissioner s wrote back to say wh o they
were and requested permission t o visit the Owa The reply cam e .

that the Oke B ode people should allow them t o proceed ; this
they did but refused to supply them wi th a gui de they had to
,

write again to the Owa for a g ui de whi ch they obt ai ned before they
could proceed after ful l ten days detention The
, and
’
.

Og ed em g b e subsequently apologised to them for this action of the

Oke Bode people .

They spent thr ee days at Ile sa before procee di ng to Es a E gure

where they m et with the Owa of the I j § § as and spent four days with ,

hi m discussing wi th him the obj ect of their mission

, .

At M esin Ipole they interviewed the S eriki and the three principal
E kiti kings but Og e dem g b e the S eriki obj ected to their going to
I l gri n by way of M esin N o road said he the path is ful l
.
, ,

of ditches On Mr Millson persisting and o f fering to go with

. .

onl y his cook if possible he told him plainly he co uld not be allowed
t o go as it would involve the loss of their li ves H e even declined .

to take a letter from him t o K ar ar a the I l grin Gener ali ssimo ,

telling him that i t woul d get him i n hot water wi th the I l grins as
was the case when the former Commissioners came in 1 8 86 to
disperse the camps at Kiriji .

The Commissioners had to go back to I kirun by the way they

came and told the Ibadan chi efs of the fai l ure of their mission
,
.

Thu s ended in failure this ill conceived unstatesmanli ke mission

-

which sought to i ntervene between t wo fier ce armies i n a confli ct

'

that had lasted 1 4 years by means which could scarcely have

separated two excited parties in a vill age riot .

§ S U2B SI
. D IA R Y E FF O R TS O F T HE R E V S J O HN S O N . .

Wh i lst the above episode was being enacted the writer who ,

was then at Lagos was invited to an intervi ew wi th the Governor .

His E xce ll ency Wishing hi m to j oin the above mission Obtained ,

permission from the local C M S S ecretary to send him up H e

. . .
.

was to be the bearer of letters t o the A wuj al e the A L AF I N the A s eyin , ,

and to receive accredited messengers from the fir st two as well as

 A B O RTI VE M E AS URE S TO T E R MI N ATE THE WA R 58 7

from the Ol uiwo of I wo and the B al e o f Ogbom oso and wi th ,

these as representatives of their m asters j oi n the Commissioners

,

a t Ikirun for a conference which was t o put an end to the war

The writer was al so to render assistance t o the Commissioners as
he did in 1 886 .

Whilst the Governor was interesting himself in the affairs of

the interior and doing his best to restore peace to the country
, ,

some i ll informed persons at Lagos under the plea of patriotism

-

, ,

were tryi ng t o undermine his e f forts After the Commissioners .

had gone up private messages were sent to the A wuj al e of Ij ebu

,

that they sho ul d not let the whi te man terminate thi s war for them ,

lest they r o b them o f their country deprive them of their wi ves , ,

give freedom t o their slaves and that eventual ly they wou l d be

,

reduced t o the condition of having t o hoe their own farms f or

themselves and to perform other meni al work
, .

This was spee di ly communi cated t o all the kings and chiefs
of the interior The Ij ebu authori ties went one step further
. ,

resolving not to allow any Lagos trader or any foreign er to pass

through their country to the interior and vice ver s a The law .

was so stringently enforced that the writer al though so well known ,

at Ij ebu duri ng the peace negotiations O f 1 8 86 found it hard t o ,

proceed up country he had to leave his luggage at the port I t o

I ke and t o enter Ij ebu Od e in the ni ght to obt ai n permission from
the king to p a ss through his country H is being al so the bearer of a .

letter from the Governor of Lagos to the A wuj al e emboldened him

to proceed to that capit al .

E ven the A wuj al e himself was careful not to infringe the law .

H e refused t o see the writer when he was announced to him ;

he sent word to say that whatever message he brought for hi m
from the Governor should be deli vered to the B alogun N of owokan
,

who would deli ver the same to him I t was in the dead of ni ght at .

last that the A wuj al e arranged for a private interview with the
,

writer and that Was owing to the influence of the Balogun H e

,
.

was very careful t o have this nocturnal visit in order that he might
not o f fend the I j eb us al though personally he did not approve of
,

these measures .

T h e writer was det ai ned at Ij ebu Od e for another day At the .

s uggestion of the B al ogun With the approval of the A wuj a l e all

, ,

the Ij ebu autho ri ties were summoned together to hear the

Governor s mes sage from the mouth of the messenger himself
’
.

After hearing the letter read and after consultation with one ,

another their spokesman c am e forward and s aid :

,
We have
already sent ou r messengers t o the interior for peace negotiations
wi th Il orin the King his A g urin the O sug b o s the Lam urins an d
, , , ,
 588 THE H ISTO R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
the I p am p as their messengers they are probably n ow at ,

Ibadan and we are decided n ot t o send up fresh messengers ;

,
’
those already sent the Governor s messenger will meet there
, ,

and they will g o with him together wit h the messengers of the _

A s eyin and of Ol uiwo to the A L AF I N who will appoint his

messenger with t hem to meet the Commissione r .

The A wuj al e as o n e interested in the peace of the country

, ,

moreover told the writer in confidence that he had been in com

m unica t ion with the A l afin and that His Maj esty complained ,

bitterly of the I b a d a ns but he had begged hi m to overlook his

,

grievances at present in the interest O f peace to the country at

large and after this he would exert his influence with the I b a d a ns
, ,

and that His Maj esty would find in the end that the I b a d an s
would be more loyal t o him .

B ut as the sequel Will Show it was evident that the in s in u

, ,

a t io n s o f the s o called pat ri ots of Lagos had poisoned the mi nds

-

not only o f the A wuj al e but of all the inte rior kings and c h iefs
,

also and the Governor s messenger was duped throughout where

’

ever he went .

'

Arriving a t Ibadan on the Z I S t March he lost no time in looking ,

up the Ij ebu messengers a nd informed them of the resolution ,

arri ved at by the A wu j al e in council and as ked when they would ,

be ready t o proceed t o O Y O They excused themselves by saying .

that they had a special message f or the war chiefs at Ikirun from
hom e and that they were expecting the answer on Monday the
, ,

2 4 t h after which they would be ready t o proceed

,
if the 2 6t h
sui ted him they might start together on that date To this he .

readily consented .

’
On the 2 5 t h the Governor s messenger sent t o ascert ai n from
these I j eb us whether they would be ready to start on the morrow
acco r ding to arrangement : they told his messen ger he sho uld
w ai t for them at the town gate e a rly in the morning and there . ,

they wo ul d j oin him B ut this they never me ant to do The

. .

Governor s messenger w ai ted for hours at the gate but they never
’

t urned up H e had to proceed al one

. .

These Ij ebu m essengers subsequently arrived at Oy o after the

Governor s messenger had proceeded to Is eyin on his errand ; i t
’ '

was after his return from Is eyin that he lea rnt indirectly from them ,

that they had not the intention of going wi th him to j oin the
Commissioner that was n o t part of their instructions from hom e
, ,

they were instructed t o rem ai n at and from thence conduct

al l negotiations with the messengers from the I mportant chiefs

of every part o f the country and never t o return hom e until the ,
’
war S hould end The Governor s m essenger had no alternative
.
5 90 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y ORU B A S
The Governor s letter to the A L AF I N
’
.

Government H ouse Lagos , ,

No . M a r ch 1 3th ,
1 890
.

To TH E A L AF I N OF OY O .

KING ,
— I have the pleasure
of announcing to you my return
in good health to my Government .

2 Since my d epart ure t o my country last year many things

.
,

have h a p p en ed s om e of which have caused me j o y and others regret

, .

3 It is a source of gratification t o me to reflect that my own

.

co l ony remains prosperous .

4 U nfortunately the war between the I l grin s and I b a d a n s

.

continues and the I b a d an s are still at I kirun

, .

5 H appily however both sides appea r to be tired of

.
, ,

hosti lities and I h Op e that my Commissioner who is charged

1
,

with mediating between them will induce them t o make a ,

lasting peace .

6 You have seen my Commissioner and been courteous and

.
,

hospitable towards h im I thank you and I remember that

.
,

my Commissioners who made a settlement between the I b ad an s

and the E kit ip a r ap gs four years ago ret ai n a pleasant recollection
of their intercourse with you .

7 My Commissioner is about to proceed by way of Ikirun to

.

Oke M esin o r some more northerly or easterly spot where the

final negotiations can m ost conve ni ently take place .

8 I think it due t o Yoruba land and desirable that he be

.
-

accompani ed thither or j oined there by accredi ted representatives

,

of the parties principall y interested in the restoration of peace

and I therefore invite y o u to send with him or after him
messengers wh o will possess your mind and wh o will have full
authori ty to enter into engagem ents on beh al f of yourself
an d your people .

9 My sorrow and astonishment were not small when I

.

heard that the I b a d ans had stopped the trade route whi ch leads
.

through your provi nce of Is eyin .

1 0 The prosperity of Yoruba land which I have at heart

’
-
.

depen d s l argely as i t seems to m e upon its trade routes being

kept open and I shall be g l ad t o consider any suggestions or
proposal s that you may be prepared to make with a view to ,

the opening and keeping Open of the trade ro utes of all Yoruba ,

or a t any rate of as many of them as possible .

I am King Yo ur true friend

, , ,

A L FR E D M O L O N E Y ,

Gover n or a n d C omm an d er i n Chief of t h e C olony of L agos - -

.

1
H ere the governor was mistaken . The I l gr in s —
were not E d . .
 A B O RTIVE M E AS UR E S TO TE R MI N ATE TH E WA R 5 91

3 . T H E A L AE I N
'
S DIPL O MAC Y
The above letter being read and interpreted t o the King he ,
’
expressed his willi ngness t o second the Governor s proposals .

On hearing afterwards what the Ij ebu messengers s ai d he was ,

n o t surprised but S imply s ai d

,
I f ull y expected they wo ul d act
,

thus but being most concerned in the matter I shall appoint my

, ,

own delegates B ut the A s eyin s messenger should not be l eft

.
’

out the A s eyin being equally interes ted in the matter

,
The .

Governor s messenger r eplied that although his instructions did

’

n o t i nclude the A s eyin he di d not think that the Governor would

,

have any Obj ection if the A L AF I N saw fit to incl ude a messenger

from the A s eyin Wh o could have doubted His M aj esty s sinceri ty
.
’

in such a rep l y B ut the sequel S hows that he was a past master

’
in diplomacy : he resented the Governor s treating wi th hi s
subordinate chi efs as on an equality with h imself and was deter
mined t o Show it .

H e act ually appointed his Ob a kO setan to go wi th the Governor s

- -
’

m essenger and sent to the B a sgr un to appoint another t o a cc om

,

pany h is own but as the Governor s m essenger was on the point ’

of starting ( Fri day 1 1 t h April) he told him that F ri day was an

,

inauspicio us day when they S hould never send messages abroad ,

but that the m essengers would j oin him the next day at I wo .

The Ol uiwo appointed hi s own man on the S aturday ag ai nst

’
the arrival of the A L AF I N S m essenger who was to bri ng wi th hi m
those from Ogbom oso and Is eyi n B ut they w ai ted in v ai n ! .

On the evening of S unday the 1 3 th a pri vate messenger cam e from

the A LAF I N t o the Oluiwo and the Governor s m essenger t o say ’

that since the departure of the latter from Oy o he had been informed
that the I b a d an s had sent an expe di tion to Ilero and as a goodl y ,

number of Oy o pri nces and princess es reside there and the I b a d a ns ,

were going to enslave them he m ust w ai t t o redeem them al l

, ,

before he thought o f helping them Thi s of course was a m ade up -

story purely i nvented as an ex cuse for not sendi ng anyone ;

m oreover the Ogbom oso messengers he sent back home
, .

T h e di sappointment of the Governor S messenger can we ll be

’

i magined H e had t o return at once at his call but to tell the

.
,

A L AF I N that if he co uld not carry out that part o f h is instru ctions

‘

h e m ust at all events proceed t o mee t the Commissioners He .

ret urned f o r this purpose the next day via Iwo agai n and met the ,

Commissioners at E d e on their ret urn j o urney after the f ai lure of

their mission Together with them he returned t o O Y O
. .

A few days after the happening of the above events the wri ter ,

i n conversation with a highl y respectable Q Y Q gentleman com ,

plained bitterly of the disappointments and rebu f fs he lately met

5 92 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E YO RU B AS
with not on l y from the I j eb us but al so by the action of the
,

A L AF I N t o which al so the action of the I j eb us could be traced

, The .

A L AF I N was always f ai r courteous and polite but no reliance

, , ,

could be p laced upon his words The writer recalled the incident
.

of the messengers how he wou l d send private gentlemen instead

,

of an Ilari on im po rtant state business when he knew the matter

would thereby end in failure etc The following dialogue
, .

which passed between them wi l l show the Q Y Q o ffi cial view O f

t h e matter To the messenger s compl aints the citizen
.
’

replied
C it . Ah yes but see what treatment the Governor has o f fered
,

our Master
M es s . What treatment
C it . S uppose the Queen of the G Qh és i (the E nglish) is at war
with the King of the A g rrd a (the Portugese) and the King of
‘

F r a n s é (the French) o f fered t o mediate between them and suppose ,

he sent his messenger to the Queen and to the B al es (Mayors) of ,

those great E nglish towns we have heard of such as the ship

bui l ding town ( Liverpool) the cloth weaving town (Manchester) -

and t h e town where iron goods come from (Birmingham ) asking ,

them to send their own messengers with that of the Queen for a
conference putting them as it were on an equ al ity with the Queen
, ,

how would she like it ? Although a woman I believe she would

resent it Yet that is precise l y what the Governor has done
.
,

sendin g t o the B al e of Ogbom oso and the Oluiwo to send their ,

messengers along with that of the A L AF I N with you t o meet the

Commissioner for a conference
M es s .Did n o t the A L AF I N hi mself suggest the A s eyin how ,

could it have displeased him when he himself suggested a

messenger from the A s eyin ?
C it (laughing he s ai d)
. But can t y ou see that that is ironi cal
’

D id you not come with a letter from the Governor to the A s eyi n
And yet in the matter of delegates y o u l ef t him out The A L AF I N .

simply meant t o point out to you your inconsistency in leaving

him out for he is higher in rank than either the B al e of Ogbom os o
,

or the Ol uiwo But don t you see that n o messenger from any of
.
’

them j oined you after all ?

M es s . Well if we made a mistake we are quite willing to be
,

corrected but why did he not tell us s o ? Why adopt measures

wh ich will serve t o wreck the whole scheme ?
C it . That is not Oy o etiquette You know it is never con .

s id er e d polite wi th Yorubas t o tel l one to whom respect is due

'

that he is wrong in his methods b ut when he meets with fai lure ,

then he will reconsider his metho ds It is not for the A LAF I N .

594 TH E H IST O RY OF THE Y O RU B AS

§ 4 CO RR E SP O N D E N C E A N D A TR E ATY
.

The following letter was sent t o the A L AF I N with a copy of a

’
Treaty by Ta ni afis ar a the A L AF I N S m essenger who returned , ,

to Lagos with Mr Alvan Millson M A : .

, . .

Government H ouse Lagos , ,

M ay 1 9 h , 1 890
t .

No .

SIR — On the 1 3 th March last I had the honour to inform you

,

of my r eturn and I express my sorrow and astonishment to

,

find that the I b a d an s h a d st opped the trade route through

Is eyin .

2 I now hasten to than k you for sending me your m es senger

.

Tan ia fis ar a H e was accompanied by representatives of the

.

B alogun o f Ibadan of the Ab es eof Ibadan and the Oluiwo of I wo

, ,
.

3 It p ai ned me m uch I m us t a dm it t o find closed on my ret urn

.
, ,

one of the commercial roads t o the inte ri or viz by E ruwa by .

, ,

whi ch this Colony the Egbas and Yorubas are benefited ; ,

and another t o R em e Ipara Ibadan route rendered insecure ,

-

from r ai ds H ere you have an ex ample of cause and e f fect

.

because E ruwa road was plundered the Ipara route was r ai ded , .

4 The Ibadan action was a breach by them unwilli ngly

.
,

perhaps of the provisions of the Treaty of peace fri endship

, .
,

and comm erce existing between t his colony and yo ur ki n gdom

further i t was an unfri endly act towards this Government
,

which has done s o much for them and the country .

5 I must disapprove of the Ibadan raids upon the Ab eokuta

.
,

E ruwa Is eyin road and as I feel bound t o hold the I b a d an s

, ,
.

responsibl e f or the cessation of comm unication between Ab eo

kuta and Is eyin I must look to the I b a d an s t o e f fect promptly
by negotiation the O pening of the Ab eokuta Is eyin road and -

al so the openi ng up of the Ab eokuta Ibadan road which has -

been c l osed since 1 8 7 7 .

6 D raft Of a Treaty in furtherance o f the obj ect I enclose

. .

A copy has been furnished to the I b ad an s and to the Egbas .

The I j eb u s will also be supplied .

7 S uch closures and r ai ds c an not be viewed wi th unconcern

.
,

and from such hindrances to trade there can only resul t a block ,

to the general prosperity of the country and universal discontent .

8 At an intervi ew I have had wi th your representative and

.

those o f the Ij ebus and Egbas I have advised m utual forbearance ,

and compromise and the substitution instead of the j e al ous

,

suspicion and hatred of the past of he althy and friend l y ,

em ul ation and intercourse .

 A B O RTIVE M E AS URE S TO T E R MI N ATE THE WA R 595

9
. The importance of completing the Treaty now forwarded
and the necessity f o r promptit ude should be manifest to you ,

and I venture to u rge that y ou open up commu ni cation without

delay with Is eyin Og b om es g Iwo Ibadan and Ab eokuta The
, , , , .

Egbas have been similarly ad vised .

1 0 To help y o u to bring about a bett er understanding and

.

to secure with all the despatc h I can recommend for an end so

generally desired I have taken the liberty t o send you the draft
,

Treaty which practic a lly embodies in a form al Shape all the

Yorubas Egb as and I j eb us professed they desire
, , .

1 1 In any further way I can help y ou pray let m e know

. .

My advice and assistance in prom oting your interests and those

of the country generally are at your servi ce .

1 2 I t rem ai ns f or me to convey to you my sincere thanks

.

for your courteous and hospitable treatment O f Mr Millson .

during his stay in your kingdom .

1 3 This letter and those addressed to the B al ogun and

.

a utho ri ties of Ibadan to the Ol uiwo of Iwo and to the A s eyin

are entrusted to the Egba messengers who have kindly under

taken their deli very .

1 4 I wish you and your people every good Wish and a n early
.
,

restorati on of friendly intercourse between Yorubas and Egb as .

I am sir your good fri end

, , ,

A L FR E D M O L O N E Y ,

Gover n or a nd C o mma n der in C hief

- -
.

D raft copy of the Treaty accompanying the above letter .

Treaty of Peace Fri endship and Commerce between the Egbas

, ,

the I b a d an s and the I j eb us

, .

Whereas the relations o f the Egbas the I b a d a n s and the , ,

I j eb us have in the past been frequently di sturbed by mis

understandings whi ch have only t o o O ften resul te d in rai ds upon
’
one another s terri tory and other hostile acts .

An d whereas the s ai d peoples are desirous of living for the

future in peace and amity with each other
N o w therefore we the undersigned authorities of the s ai d
,

peoples having power t o bind our respective peoples solemnly

,

and sincere ly promise each other and decl a re as follows

1 . The Egbas t h e I b a d a ns and the I j eb us (hereinafter called
, ,

the signatories ) shall henceforth wholly desist from making

raids each upon the territory of either Of the others .

2 . The signatories will respectively withi n three months from

these presents coming into force restore t o each other or m ake
5 96 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
compensation for or in respect of al l captives whom they may
respectiv ely have m ade during any such rai d as aforesai d ,

within the t wo y ea rs imme di ately prece di ng the first day of

j

J anuary 1 8 90 , .

3 There S hall henceforth be peace f r iendship and commerce

.
,

between the signatories .

4 The si g nato ri es shall henceforth keep open their roads

.

each to and for the benefit O f the others .

5 In partic ul ar the E gbas shall keep open s o far as in them

.

lies the road from Ab eokuta t o Is eyin by way of E ruwa and ,

the I b a d a n s and the I j eb us shall s o far as in them respectively

li es keep O pen the road from Ibadan t o I kor o d u b y way of '

Ipara and S agam u and the road from Ibadan to I t o I ke by way

,
‘
o f Or t r and Ij ebu Od e .

6 The las t preceding article hereof shal l in no way be con

.

s t r ue d as limiting the provisions of the fourth article hereof .

7 The Egbas and the I b a d a n s will forthwith open the direct

.

road between Ab eokuta and Ibadan wh ich was closed in the

year 1 8 7 7 .

8 The signatories will hencefo r th only levy and a ll ow to be

.

levied reasonable duti es and toll s upon goods imported into or

conveyed through their respective territori es and will in no
case levy or allow to be levied upon any such goods any duties
and tolls amounting in the aggregate t o m ore than double the
duties and toll s t o which similar goods shal l be for the tim e
'

being liable in the territory of either o f the others o f the signa

tories or t o more than on e tenth O f the val ue of the goods so-

imported or conveyed provi ded that none o f the signatories

,

shall be bound t o their tari f fs of duties and tolls more than once
i n every year .

9 These presents shall come into force when executed by the

.

I j eb us .

1 0 .In case any question sh al l arise upon the construction of

any of the provisions hereof or otherwise in relation hereto or ,

in connection herewith such question may be referred by any

,

o f the signato r ies t o the arbitrament O f the Governor f o r the

time being O f H er B ritannic Maj esty s Co l ony of Lagos whose ’

decision thereon sh al l be bin ding and concl usive upon al l the

signatories .

In w i tness thereof we have hereunto set our hands and se al s

o n the days be l ow set O pposite to our respective names and

titles .
5 98 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS

9. A copy of a D raft Treaty in furtherance of obj ects des ired

I n p ar agraph 3 of thi s letter I append .

Th e Dr a f t Treaty h as been sent to the A L AF I N O F OY Q .

1 0 . I have explained t o the A L AF I N the importance of com

l
p et in g this Treaty and the necessity for prom ptitude and I
m ust look much to the I b a d an s for the success of the undertaking .

1 1 . I n ow turn to an other act in the interi or dram a Taking .

up the negotiations f or peace between you and the I l gr in s where

they were left by Maj or Macdonald I have addressed a lett er
t o the E mir o f I l gri n I wish you t o know this and to exhor t
.

y o u t o avoid adding t o the di ffi culties of the situation as between

you and them ?
1 2 . In the restoration of freedo m t o the roads between the
Egbas and yourselves you m ust in no way forget your obligations
t o J eb u in the past With the I j eb us also remember I desire
.
,

you to continue to m ai ntain t h e b es t relations '

.

1 3 .It rem ai ns for me to convey my appreciative ac kn owled g

men t O f the courtesy and hospitality you were good enough to
extend to Mr Millson during his stay in your country
. .

1 4 Finally let me wish y ou and your people every good wish

.
,

and the early res umption between you and the Egbas of friendly
and commercial intercours e and the continuance of li ke relations
,

with the I j eb us .

I am gentlem en your good friend

, , ,

A C
. . M OL O N E Y .

To the B alogun and Ibadan Autho ri ties .

’
The tone of the Governor s letter did not please the Iba dan
chi efs ; they compl ai ned that it showed a want of s ympathy
wi th them in their trying position They were struggli ng f o r .

existence as i t were but he was only con cerned about trade with
,

Lagos at whatever cost to others .

What they took exception to were the charges brought agai nst
them o f breaki ng the Treaty and of ingratitude t o the Government
,

whi ch has done so m uch f or them Whatever their .

character m ay be they were certainly not an ungrateful p eople

, ,

and n o o ne had pai d more deferen ce to the wishes of the Governor

of Lagos than t h ey h a d done . .

A Treaty (said they) was made between them and the E kit is ,

but none whatever wi th the Egbas and when the E kit is br oke the ,

Treaty by kidn apping their traders the Governor s ai d nothing .

They yielded to none in their desire for peace and commerce .

If proofs of this were required it migh t be found in the patienc e

,

with which they were enduring their suf feri ngs and trials at t h e
 A B O RTIVE M E AS U RE S TO T E R MI N ATE THE . WA R 5 99

hands of the I j eb us at that moment with the same Egb as kid ,

napping on the route Agai n the very fact of the existence of the
.

trade by E ruwa the interruption of whi ch was now the subj ect
o f comp l aint was another proof in their favour for although this
, ,

war commenced with the Egbas and n o form al peace had been ,

a r ran ged between them yet they (the I b a d an s ) had hitherto

,

allowed this trade but cert ai nly not t o make i t operate t o their
,

detriment .

That f o r twenty years the Egbas had refused to sell them

ammunition but they woul d se ll t o the Ilo ri ns and uti lise their
,

terri tory t o convey the same would it not be folly and s uicidal
on their part to carry the pretence of a desire for trade s o far as to
al low that at a time the Ilo ri ns were la yi ng siege against their
,

frontier towns
On e O f them remarked We cannot blame the Governor the
, ,

Egbas have gained his ears and i t depends upon how they r ep r e ,

sented matters t o him It is all the fault of the Egbas They

. .

are li ke spoi l t children who in a fit of temper will hurl a knife

at you but if y o u in t urn flourish a whip at them they will ye ll
,

out before ever they are touched .

They conc l uded that as they agreed with the Governor s senti ’

ments in t h e m ai n they would only protest t o the one O bj ectionable

point viz t h e t r a d e wit h I lor in t h roug h t h eir t err itory bef or e t h e
, .
,

es t a bl is h men t of
p ea ce .

The following letter was then addressed to the Governor in repl y .

I kirun ,

J uly 1 6t h 1 8 90
,
.

T O H I S E X C E LL E N C Y S I R ,
A C MO L O N E Y
. .
,

Y O U R E X C E LL E N C Y ,

'
We were glad to receive Your E xcellency s letter on the
arrival of our m essengers from you and have gi ven i t deep
consideration .

’
2
. We have noticed the expression of Your E xcellency s
feelings respecting the closed roads .

Ou r reason for cutting O ff commun ication or trade with the

I l g rin s we have given to the Acting Governor in your absence -

in a letter under date N ovember 2 0t h 1 8 8 9 ,

.

We regret the Governor did not see with us in the reasons we

have given to the Acting Governor f or kidnapping the G a m b a ris
-

off Is eyin and n ot the E g ba t r a d er s which the E gbas retaliated

, ,

in closing of the E ruwa Is eyin road and ki d napping on the Ipara

-

road .
600 TH E H IST OR Y OF TH E YOR U B A S
H owever that has passed ; and now that Your
, E xcellency
is come we feel assured that there will be nothing to fear in
,

what you undertake t o d o o r see carri ed out We are ready .

for the opening of the E ruwa road to Ab eokuta and of the

Ibadan road t o Ab eokuta and will see t o it .

3 The appended copy of draft of a Treaty has been read

.

to us and we have considered i t duly

, .

4 We are glad to learn that negotiations for peace between

.

us and the I l grins have bee n resumed by Your E xcellency and

have no inclination to add t o the difficulties of it .

5 Al though we agree wi th the letter of the Treaty in the

.

m ain yet we wish to give our protest against the I l gr in traders

,

utilizing that road as long as we are at war with each other .

We are here on the defensive and earnestly wish t o return to

our hom es as soon as possible If the I l erin s are allowed t o .

utili ze that road is there any possibi lity of their agreeing t o any
t erms of peace and cessation of hostilities since the y have free ,

t rade H ence we feel ourselves bound to Open our minds to the

Governor in sen di ng our protest un til p ea ce is ma d e .

We have no personal ill wi ll agai nst their trading with us

-

but there m ust be cessation of hosti lities O t a die Or e d ie .

,

n i i pani A little enmity and a litt l e friendshi p I s always fatal

t o life says a Yoruba proverb .

6 We are thankf ul f o r Your E xcel lency reminding us of our

.

O bligation to the I eb us
j .

Since Og u n sig un has commenced his troubles the A wu j al e

has sent t o inform us and we feel it our duty to he l p him in
,

case he S hould be distressed b ut we trust Your E xce l lency will

,

d o your best to avert the impending war there .

7 We have to thank Your E xcellency f or the kin d reception

.

of our messengers the kind present of money sent and of the

, ,

v al uab l e seeds sent to us They Will receive o u r best care and

.

attention .

8 Wishing Your E xcellency good health and prosperi ty

.
,

and hope before long you sha ll hear that t h e Abeokuta roa d s
are O pened .

rem ai n t o be ,

Your E xcellency s faithful fri ends

’

hi t e r M ar k s
A J AYI X B a log u n of I ba da n .

Q § U N TOKI X T h e M ay e of I ba d a n .

F I JA B I X T h e A bes e of I ba d a n .

F A JI N M I X T h e A g ba kin of I ba d a n .
602 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS
From the A L AF I N
QY Q t o the Governor of Lagos
of .

The Palace j uly z 3 ra 1 890 , , .

T O H I S E X C E LL E N C Y S I R A C M O L O N E Y
, . .
,

G O VE RN O R ,

Your E xcellency s letters of the 1 9t h May and 1 6 t h J une

’

have been d uly received with the amount of money forwarded

with the letter for which pl ease receive my sincere thanks .

2
. I hope my last O f the 1 8 th J une has r eached Your
E xcellency .

3 In that letter I to l d the Governor that we w e

. re about sending
o u r messengers to Il orin t o negotiate peace and promised to ,

let him know the result .

4 I am happy t o say that my messenger with m essengers

. .

from Ol uiwo of Iwo A s eyin o f Is eyin and the messenger O f

’

the Bal e of Ogb o m ese left on the 2 5t h of J une and they ,

arri ved here agai n on the 2 0t h inst I am glad t o say with .

favourable resul ts Both parties have placed themselves in my

.

hands agreeing to decamp when I send my m essengers again

, .

5 Considering the great interest and kind assistance Your

.

E xce l lency has rendered us in this matter it would be very

disrespectful and a base ingratit ude on m y par t to send t o
disperse them without Yo ur E xcellency s knowledge and a p ’

proval I therefore earnestly beg that Your E xce ll ency lose no

.

tim e in forwarding m e a letter of approval s o t hat my messengers

should go in time as both parties are eager t o return t o their
,

r espective homes .

My messenger is also leaving for Ij ebu to morrow the 2 4t h -

inst to inform the A wuj al e of the same as he also has great

.
,

interest in the peace negotiation .

6 I am expecting Your E xcellency s reply wi t h in a fortnight

’
.

from date I fee l I ought not t o make a final move wi thout

.

your know l edge as we have a proverb which says H e that ,

planteth shou l d reap the harvest .

7 When the I b a d a n s are ret urned home then the Treaty

. ,

a copy o f which is a ffixed to Your E xcell enc y s letter to me

’

of the 1 9t h May will be enforced .

Wishing Your E xce l lency a good health .

I have the honour t o remain ,

Your E xce ll ency s good frien d ’

AD E YE MI X (his m ark) ,

R E C E IPT . T h e A lafin of Oy g _ .

R eceived per bearer Ta n ia fis ar a the sum of £ 3 1 53 by .

order of the Governor of Lagos on the 2 1 5 t J une 1 8 90 , .

AD E Y E MI X (h is mark) T he A l afin of Qy o ,
.
 A B O R TIV E M E AS UR E S TO T E R MI N AT E THE WA R 603

B efore the return O f these m essengers from I kirun the I l g rin ,

horse rai ded the I kirun farms and ki dnapped some people A party .

of horsemen r ai ded the Ilobu farms also and were equally successful
as n o o n e expected a raid whi l st peace negotiation was going on
but a third party which r ai ded the Og b o m e sg farms were worst ed ,

four horsemen being kill ed their horses taken and the raiders
,

dispersed .

After this the I l gr ins sent ag ai n to the Ibadan cam p to negotiat e

peace independent o f the A L AF I N the E mir of I l g r in went s o f ar
as t o send presents t o the B a l ogun of Ibadan but since their last
p er fid y the Ibadan chiefs would never trust them Terms of .

peace were being arranged when a fire broke o ut at I kirun The .

people took advantage o f the peace negotiation which was going

on t o g o out far (t o the Ila farms ) for sticks and leaves for roofing ,

all unarm ed : suddenly a party of Ilori n horsemen appeared but ,

suspecting n o mischief the I b a d a n s al l owed them to pass on

,

I ki run wards
-
but the horsemen later on wheeled round and
captured every on e of them and among the captured were t wo ,

of the B alog un of I b a d an s nephews the sons of his lat e brother

’

A kirim is a .

Thi s put an end to the negotiation and although the I l gri ns ,

sent twice afterwards to renew the negotiation and repudiated ,

the ch ar ge Of sending a kidnapping expedi tion while they were

negotiating peace yet as they did n o t send back the captives
, ,

especi al ly the B a log un s nephews they did n ot O btain a hearing :

’

the second set of messengers were even forbidden to see the

B alo g un s face lest they lose their heads
’
.

Fai ling t o negotiate with the I b a d a n s the I l grin s opened com

m u n ica t ion wi th the Ol uiwo of Iwo but wh en the I b a d a n s heard
,

O f i t kn o win g it to be an int r igue they sent to put a s t o p to i t at once

, .

Thus ended all nego t iations wi th Ilorin .

§ 6 T H E I L O R I N S AT I L OB U
.

We have related above that after the ta king o f and the

desertion of several towns in the neighbourhood including Inisa ,

near I kirun the I l g rins still kept to their camp at Y a n a y o a full

, ,

day s j ourney from Ikirun D ependi ng on their horses they could

’
.

Come all the way t o give battle to the I b a d a n s at I ki run but the ,

I b a d a n s Wi thout the S kil l or means to meet a vigorous cavalry

,

C harge were unabl e to go after them in the plain in which Of a is

,

situated After one or t wo sti f f battles the I l g r in s were convinced

.

that they could not dislodge the I b a d a n s by direct attack except

by stratagem They therefore left their women and the infirm
.

at the Y an a y o camp and came forward t o make a new camp at

604 TH E H ISTO R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
a place called Torib el a between Erin and Ij ab e from which they ,

m ay C arry on surprise attacks on the small towns between Iki run

.

and Ilobu cut o ff Supplies thr eaten the rear of I kirun an d thus
, ,

induce the I b a d a ns to retreat from their present position The .

I b a d an s therefore appointed Chi ef A kin t gl a t o Ilobu to guard

these strategi c points .

A sm al l town behind Ilobu called Ile Aro was surp rised and taken
by the I l g rin s When the news reached A kin t g l a at Ilob u he q ui ckly
.

marched out gave C hase and intercepted them as they were

, ,

returning wi th captives and booty I t was on this occas ion that o

.

a Singl e combat was fought between the C hampion lancers of the

two armies which recalled similar warfare of ancient ti mes The
"

t wo f a mous horse m en of both armies here met for the first time .

Gata Ikoko o f whom we have heard as

'

N as a m u nick named
,
- -

the captor of Enim owu at Erin the most famous of the I l grin ,
”
horsemen on his famous war steed named from its colour Arasi ,

”
here m et with Lat unji surnam ed Okiti kan of whom we have
, ,

heard as the rescuer o f his cousin Chief A kin t g la at Ile I f e when .

entrapped in an ambuscade on his favourite war steed named ,

’
N a s a fi ko r e B oth of them had heard of each other s fam e and
.

expl oits on various batt l efields and had been longing to meet ,

each other in a trial of valour The y n ow accosted each other .

,

Is that you ? Is that you ? and then the Single combat

began according t o their accepted rules with spear on ei ther ,

side and the hosts on both sides stood ho l ding their breath and
, ,

watching these two chi efs Of strengt h The combat lasted for .

som e time which shows they were equally m atched but by a

,

s kilful t urn N as am u with his S pear knocke d L at unji s S pear Off

his hand an d then went about to throw him o ff his horse and
,

spear h im on the ground when Latun j i hastily whipped out his

,

revolver from his side and wounded N as a m u in the right hand ,

causing his S pear t o fal l o ff his hand With the left N as am u .

gathered up his reins put spurs to h is ho r se and escaped : the

,
-

I l gri n s wi th one accord gave way and were hotly pursued and badly
beaten al l their captives and booty being recovered
,
.

N as a m u s spear was picked up and carri ed as a trophy before

’

A kin t gl a he ret urned with gr eat t r iumph t o Ilobu w ai ting out ,

side the gat e with the spear stuck on the ground before him the ,

war boys dr umming and d an cing around i t ti l l the p ursuers had

all come and s o he entered Ilobu in tri umph .

The vrct o r y was s o decisive the I l g ri n s lost S O m any in dead , ,

wounded and captives that they w ai ted no longer in their new

,

camp at Torib gl a but retreated t o the former camp at Y an ay o

,
.

The I l gri n plan if successful at Ile Aro was to attack

,
t edo ,
-
 CH APTE R XXXI II

TH E D A RK B E F O R E TH E D AW N
1 . L I B E R ATI O N O F TH E E C B A DOS

WE have related in previous chapters how the Egb a d os were

among the most peaceful t ri bes and m ost loyal to the A LAF I N of
OH ) from the earliest times down t o the peri od when the provinces
,

becam e di sorganized by the rebe l lion of the nobles an d h o w the

revolution fomented by the F ulanis spreading south involved the
E gbas wh o in their t urn conquered the Eg b a d o s at the battle O f
Owiwi and how up to 1 8 8 8 they were under a succession of Egba
r ulers t o whom they pai d t ri bute Ilaro the C h ief town was about
.

thi s time under Chi ef Og un d eyi of Iporo Ab eokuta They were .

now to change masters .

The Eg b a d o s were groan ing under the oppression of the Egbas

o n the one hand and were m uch harassed by the Da h om ia n s on
,

the other their m asters being unab l e to free them from the annual
,

raids o f the latter T hey were therefore determi n ed to place

.

themselves under the protection of the B ri tish Government .

Chief F al gl a of Oke Odan who at this time appeared t o be the

,

greatest of the Eg b a d o chiefs went t o Lagos in person and ,

represented their case t o the B ri tish Government whereby the ,

various branches of the Eg b a d o t ri bes should come under the

British protectorate Prince T ela of Ilaro son in law of F al ela
.
,
- -

was deputed by the combined Eg b a d o chiefs to carry out the

Treaty at Lagos The British flag however wa s not hoisted at
.
, ,

once in those places b ut subsequently when to the oppression of

,

the Egbas was added the encroachment of the French Government

from Porto N ovo the flag was hoisted at once at Ilaro I n 1 8 91
,

and at O ke
The following towns which had su f fered m ore or less from the
D a h o m ia n s were included in the Eg b a d o protectorate :
,

Ilaro Oke Odan Qwe I j a ke Isagbo Ajilete Is al u Onfo

, , , , , , , ,

Ipokia Sab asa I l ag b e Itakete Isiya n I y a kOt O Iwoye I d g g g

, , , , , ,

Igbeji I s o t o I t o l u P a h a yi Pokoto Ij ado Ibese Ilobi Er inj a etc

, , , , , , , , , .

The annexation o f I l aro caused great consternation and in dig

nation a t Ab eokuta ; sever al indignation meetings were h eld to
protest agai nst it They went s o far as t o threaten Il a ro with
.

war i f the flag was not hauled down On an appeal t o Lagos a .

 TH E DARK BE FO RE TH E D AW N 60 7

small force of H ausas was sent t o protect the place B ut the .

Egbas di d not attempt t o carry out t h eir threat .

The Egbas at lengt h wrot e t o the Governor of Lagos attesting

their rights and protesting ag ai nst the taking of Ilaro without
their consent .

T h e Governor of Lagos replied t o their letter of protest and sent

Mr F Colley Green a native s ub in t en d a n t of police up who ind uced
. .
,

the Egba authori ties to send wi th him a deputation down to Lagos .

The Egbas not satisfied wi th the explanation of the Governor of

La gos blockaded the lan d and ri ver route to Lagos
,
.

With the I j eb us an d Egbas hostile La gos at this time appeared ,

like a deserted village Canoes were drawn up markets were .

,

extremely poor shop keepers sat gazing on their goods there

,
-

being n o b uyers and the streets seemed t o have put on a mournful

,

appearance Lagos then was but a small town B ut it woul d

. .

appear that the Egbas su f fered equall y with Lagos having nowhere ,

e l se t o d ispose o f their produce Moreover the Egba authori ti es .

had not the means of making their b l ockade e f fective either by

land or by the river the blockade on ly benefited certain enter
,

p rising individuals at the expense of the comm unity

‘
the obj ect
o f i t was n o t g ai ned therefore the matter ended in negotiation
,
.

§ 2 TR O U B L E S AT I J E B U .

Wh ilst the interior and the Eg b a d o s were i n an uns ettl ed con

dition fresh troubles broke out at Ij ebu Og un sig un t h e S e ri ki .
’

O f Ij eb u Igbo wh o was sent by the exiled King A fidip e t e to r e

,

inforce the If es agai n st the Mo d a kekes and wh o refused to decamp

when the camps were broken up in 1 8 8 6 now ret urned home t o ,

Igbo Being declared an outlaw by the present A wuj al e for

.

refusing to acknow l e d ge him as his sovereign he returned at the

head of an army composed o f I j eb us If es and I j es as t o fight and ,

dethron e the present A wuj al e The B alogun of Ij ebu havin g .

be en recalled home (vid e p 5 67) Kuk u the S eriki of Ij ebu Od e .

alone remained at 01 11 as an outpost and he was attacked by

Og u n sig un s army Kuk u received a gashing wound in the
’
.

abdomen the scar of whi ch he bore to his grave but he was well
,

repaid for his liberal ity an d largess t o the Ibadan boys many O f ,

whom were wi th him at this time Many came down for the .

‘
markets at Or tI where in the absence of the B a log un K uku dis
, ,

p e ns ed j ustice to them and fair treatm ent against the grasping and
greedy I j eb us taking undue advantage H e furni shed them wi th .

arms and ammunition and they promised to repay his kindness, ,

and with the ri fles he possessed in abundance they were able

to repu l se Og un sigun and his army from On ) .
608 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
The I j eb us were for as king f or r e in f or cem en t from Ibadan t o
-

prosecute the war with Og un sig u n and crus h him but the elderly ,

I j eb us counsell ed other wise lest the Oy gs the Ibadan boys )

,

gained an insight into their country The matter ended in .

negotiation Og un sig un was s ai d to be fined 300 bags of cowri es

.

and 1 1 slaves Of these slaves the A wuj al e took five the Ij ebu
.
, ,

authorities five and one i f report be true was executed i n lieu

, , ,

of Og u n sig un the out l aw and peace was restored with the Igbo
,

di vision of the I j eb us .

§ 3 S T R AI N E D R E LATI O N S WIT H T H E I B A DA N S
.

N O sooner was the internecine war o f the I j eb us over than they

picked up a quarrel with the I b a d a ns Th e first thing they did .

was t o prohibit the sale of a rms and ammunition t o the I b a d a ns ,

because (as they alleged) they heard that the I b a d an s had

written t o the Governor of Lagos to say that the I j eb us were snags
by the way and that the Governor sho ul d assist them to remove
,

these snags in order that they might be able to supply the Lagos
m arkets with produce of every description .

B u t the truth of the matter was because they heard that on the
2 2 n d of August 1 8 90 the I b a d a ns rebuilt their toll gate leading t o
, ,
-

Ab eokuta with the intention of O pe ni ng the Ab eokuta ro a d B ut .

this was in accordance with the wish of the Governor o f Lagos in

his letter t o them of the 1 9t h May on the subj ect .

The friendl y relations of K uku the Seri ki of Ij ebu Od e with the

I b a d a ns at this c ri sis led to his exp ul sion from Ij ebu there was
a great disaffection between the younger I j eb us and their King
because he and Kuku were not pleased with their attitude towards
the I b a d ans The C harge against K uku was that he was b e
.

friending the I b a d a ns and the white men On his expul sion he .

came to reside at Ibadan and built a splendid house in Madam

Ef fid u fike s compound near the A r e egb e 9 m g market
’
.

_ S t r ict B locka d e —The I j eb us at this time were more resolved

_ .
-

than ever t o keep their position as middlemen between the interior

and the Lagos traders The Governor of Lagos on the other hand
.

was continu al ly receiving commu nications both from the A L AF I N

of and from the Ibadan chiefs relative to a road to the coast
independent of the Egbas and I j eb us preferably the R em g route ,

opened f o r them in the sixties by the late Sir John H awley

’

Glover then Governor of Lagos ; especiall y as the R em gs were

,

never in a hostile at t it ude towards the interior tribes even when

there was war between them and the I j eb us .

The Governor of Lagos had from time to time communicated

with the A wuj al e of Ij ebu on t h e subj ect reporting the s ame to ,
61 0 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
The road to Il erin was now partiall y and inform al ly open t o
enterp rising traders N O active m easures were taken any longer
.

o n ei ther Side each remaining in his camp Adamu on l y barking

, ,

a s a chai n ed dog .

Madam n sa of Ibadan whose husband En im owu had been ,

capt ured Since 1 8 8 7 and wh o had been S pending large l y for h is

,

release but all in vain now sent again to the A L AF I N praying His
,

Maj esty to renew his e f forts on her behal f at the present favour
abl e turn of a f fairs S uccess attended their efforts this time and
.
,

not only En im owu but also Malade and the two nephews of the
B al ogun of Ibadan were released Win kun l e T u b es u n s son having , ,
’

died in captivity at I l g r in The released arrived at 931 9 on the .

z u d of J une 1 8 92 and after paying their respects t o the A L AF I N

, ,

rej oined the war chiefs at I kirun .

§ 5 . I J EB U E X C E SS E S A N D I N F AT U ATI O N BE TW E E N THE YE A R S
1 88 4 A N D 1 8 92

As middlemen between Lagos and the interior O f Yoruba the

, ,

I j eb u s enj oyed great advantages which were as greatly abused .

Ibadan especi al l y was at their mercy f o r s u p p l yin g them wi th '

arms an d ammunition in which I j eb us themselves profited ,

enormously and on this account they held themselves practicall y

as their masters knowing that the I b a d a n s depended upon them
,

in order t o be able t o defend their frontiers against the Il et ins ,

and must perforce submit to any a f front of fered them .

An Ij ebu whatever his social standi ng only b eca us e h e is an

,
-

I j eb u —c onsiders himse l f superior to any n man The foll owing .

wi l l suffice for an i ll ustration

The son o f the Balogun of Ij ebu once s ai d in conversation with
,

the wri ter : A fi O yinbo a h Ij ebu dede aiye dede er u n i wen ,

.

K O S i Q j a ti a ita Oyinbo k0 si Q j a ti a ita Ij ebu (i e ,

E xcept .

the white man and the I j eb u s the who l e worl d besides are slaves
there is n o market in which a white m an may be sold and none
where I j eb u s may be sold Can conceit go any further ? .

An educate d Afric a n an n by birth resident at Lagos had

, , ,

occasion to reside at Ij ebu f or som e time where he made som e ,

friends On one occasion he was a b o ut t o pay a flying visit t o

.
«

the interior and one O f his young Ij ebu friends trying to dissuade ,

him from going said to him : ,

Are you going Ibadan way ?
Mark y o u there are no I j eb us there for you t o as sociate with ,

they are all d s there ! This innocent e f fort at persuasion

but provoked a smi l e but it showed what the I j eb us thought of
,

themselves .

AS the only m arket f or trade at this time thousands of d s ,

 THE DARK BE FO RE TH E D AW N 61 1

came down once a month from the eastern and western provinces ,

assembled at Ibadan and proceeded under escort t o Ij ebu for salt

, ,

especiall y and other necessaries The market was he l d at On ) an

.
,

Ij ebu frontier town Th e treatment they general l y received at

.

the hands of the I j eb us beggars description and can har d ly be ,

credited at this distance of time and change of circumstances .

For a load O f produce worth thirt y shillings an Ij ebu once O f fered a

bag of something tied up And wha t is in your bag ? asked
.

the Oy g man T h e Ij ebu repl ied

. A j O d al e S omething t o
,
’

make o n e dance till eventide As he was about to examine the

contents of the bag o f fered him in lieu of his produce the Ij ebu ,

went away wi th the produce and the unhappy man found nothing
,

but sn ail Shells left in lieu of his merchandise and redress

-

coul d not be O btained

Another o f fering a bag of somethi ng for a load o f produce was
similarly asked what the contents were a n d replied Ki eiy e luw e , , ,

a newl y coined word— To make birds s wim As their di al ects

-

di f fere d the seller woul d look at the contents of the bag o f fered him
to know what went by that name and the Ij ebu immediate l y went ,

o ff wi th the produce The contents were wooden emblems of

.
.

S ango N o redress The Ij ebu insisted that once the man had
.

taken the bag he had accepted his offer

,

If an d man or woman wa s selling h is wares for 7s 6d and the . .

Ij ebu O ffere d 5 5 the former dared n o t refuse If he attempted to

. .

take bac k his merchandis e from the inten di ng purchaser there ,

was s u re t o be a scu f fle in which the seller woul d be overpo wered by

other I j eb us coming t o the aid of the buyer some beating hi m , ,

others pricki ng him with their h airpins and S O forth .

The caravan route at that time was notorious l y unsafe from

brigands and Egba kidnappers ; an y Oy g carrier f o r an Ij ebu
wh o su f fered any losses o f his package in part or in who l e was
made to pay double the price or become the slave of the Ij ebu .

Accidents from slippery paths highway robbers thorns and , ,

'

thickets of the bush paths were of frequent occ urrence whatever

the losses an carrier for an Ij ebu might su ff er from any of
these causes must be made good at double the p ri ce by the carrier
,

and members of h is compound or he was c l ai med as slave by the Ij ebu .

The action of Ij eb u men towards d maidens need not be

referred t o : rapes and seizures for trumped up charges were of -

revol ting frequency A shoc king instance occurred of an Ij ebu

.

wh o a l leged he had contracted venereal disease from a woman

he had ravished and thereupon cl ai med heavy damages from her
,

husband
Whatever the price the I j eb us are pleased to offer for any article ,
61 2 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E Y O RU B AS
the Oy g man is obliged to accept as it may end in a total loss of
his merchandise and what was o f fered .

As t o flogging at the toll gates — that was so common an d

indiscriminate that Ij eb u youths were frequently found to com e
up t o the gates on market days with Whips ready t o find exercise ,

f o r their arms with or without any cause .

The only court to which appeal lay was to the B alogun N Ol owo
kan when he was stationed at On ) and latterly to Chief Kuk u , .

About a dozen appl icants would be found before him at once

hundreds had no chance to approach him before the return of
the caravan was due .

The su f ferings o f these people impressed these chiefs wh o were

dealing out j ustice to them and hence they were charged with
,

befriending n s This is but a poor description of the kind of

.

treatment Oy es had at the hands of the I j eb us during this period .

D eference and respect to age and station is a marked charac

t er is t ic o f Yorubas everywhere but at this period an Ij ebu man
even on soil wo ul d pay n o respect t o any C hi ef or elderly
person Their in di gnities and impertinences had to be borne
. .

There were n o t wantin g venturesome and enterpri sing persons

wh o would risk the way down the coast with an Ij ebu fri end ;
several o f these were discovered between Ij ebu Od e and the coast ,

and were sold into hopeless slavery .

Chief Kuk u the S eri ki of Ij ebu Od e had done much for the n
wa r chi efs and f o r his own pocket by selling them rifles and ,

cart r idges at very high prices S cores of Oy e beauties of whatever

.

town they may be were seized by him f or debts alleged to be owing

,

him by an Oy e i t might be by a man of another town unknown

,

t o her as long as the m ai den seized was an n

,
by birth as the
su pposed debtor was O nce in hi s harem he would never consent
t o their parents coming t o redeem them I Thi s example was
followed by sever al other well to d o traders - -
.

These are the causes that led the Ibadan chi efs in their letters
'

t o the Governor of Lagos as mentioned above to ask for a road

, ,

t o the coast which shou l d n o t be disturbed and preferab l y the R em g

route .

Added t o all this was the unsa f ety of the road from Egba ki d
nappers The caravans had t o be protected by armed escorts
.

every month as they trooped down and back The first station .

was OD O ON A N LA in the Ibadan farms H ere A di o the head

- -
.

priest of the S ango worshippers was stationed w th some elderly ,

w arriors N ext at O N IP E H ere was the camp named Budo Od e

. .
-

(hunters c amp )
’
H ere were
. stationed the hunters and reserved
forces N ext at QL Q WA H ere lay the main body of the army
. . ,
61 4 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
D uring his five years of a d m inistration he n ever once visited the
people and the scene of which he writes s o much : a Single visit
from him woul d have C le a red up many difficul ties in his way and
'

enabled him to understand much and he wo ul d have acted more ,

t o the purp ose No wonder then that matters remained in s t a t u

.

quo .

After hi s departure the Colonial S ecretary Capt George Chardin ,

.

D enton now Acting Governor in pursuance of the peaceful policy

, ,

o f the Governor proposed to

‘

visit the A wuj al e of Ij ebu t al k ,

matters over with h im in a friendly way and point out the a d van ,

tages that would accrue t o the Ij ebu nation by a free intercourse

throughout the country under the auspices of H er Maj esty s
’

Government of Lagos H e received permission from D owning

. .

S treet t o carry out his obj ect .

H aving communicated his intentions to the A wuj al e and o b

t a in ed his assent the Acting Governor st arted for Ij ebu Od e
,

accompanied by Oliver S mith Queen s Advocate Thomas Welsh ,

’

, ,

Es q a member of the Legisl ative Council and a mercantile

.
, ,

representative D r J W R owland the Colonial S urgeon Capt

, . . .
, , .

A F Tarbet and M r F Colley Green O f the H ausa force M r

. . . .
-

, .

Jacob Al esin l g y e an Ij ebu merchant resident at Lagos and Mr

, ,
.

A L H ethersett Government Interpreter wi th a guard of honour

. .
, ,

including the H ausa band t o give ecla t t o the occasion H e took .

with him al so large presents for the A wu j al e and his chi efs .

The I j eb us hearing of the Governor s approach sent to stop hi m ’

at the landing at I t e I ke ; he was wilful ly misrepresented as

coming wi th hostile intentions The Governor however sent t o .
, ,

remind the A wuj al e that the visit had been agreed upon between
them and that i t had received the sanction of H er Maj esty s
’

Government and the travelling expenses granted what explana

,

ation was he now to giv e for not being able to reach him H e was
q uite ready t o dispe nse with his guard o f honour and visi t Ij ebu
with his attendants only if they conceived any fe a rs and a p p r e
h en s ions .

It was not Without much trouble and annoyance that the

Governor s messengers with the above errand coul d reach Ij ebu Od e
’

being stopped repeatedl y by the way On reaching the town none .

of the Ij ebu Authorities would lodge them they were sent from
o n e c hi ef t o another till at length they had t o ret urn t o the town

gate t o await the m orrow They managed t o get audience of .

the king the next day and they returned wi th a message approving
of the Governor s visiting Ij ebu Od e b ut n o t wi th a mi litary escort
’
.

The Governor who was all the time in the Colonial ste a mer the
, ,

M a rg a r et now proceeded to Ij ebu Od e wi th h is ci vil attend ants

, .
 TH E DARK BE FO RE THE D AW N 61 5

only At Od e they were kept un der strict surveillance none of

.
,

the party being all owed t o l eave the compound They had .

audience of the A wuj al e on the fourth day of their arrival when

the Governor impressed upon them the determination of the
B ritish Government that the interior peoples S hould have free
access to the coast li ke themselves The Governor reasoned wi th .

the Ij ebu authorities showing them the advantages O f opening

,

up the country for trade and that the result wou l d be a general
,

increase in trade which would bring more money into the country
and that the I j eb u s themselves would enjoy a large share of the
sam e .

H e al so promised them that the Lagos Government would pay

t o t h em a sum equivalent t o what they were receiving in toll s
'

T h e Ij ebu chiefs received the Governor s words wi th d ispleasure

’

and with every si gn of anger a gainst h im and against their own king ,

putting the blam e of the Governor coming up t o dictate t o

them (as they call it ) upon the A wuj al e who granted him the
permission t o come They woul d listen to nothi ng else but that
.

the interi or Yorubas shoul d meet them at 01 11 f o r trade and that ,

the white m an s people ’

-

Lagos traders) meet the I j eb us at

E ji r in .

The Governor proceeded t o give the presents he brought for

them T h e king accepted hi s own but the chi efs unceremoniously
.
,

refused theirs T his of course the Governor Considered an insult

.
,

and he therefore told them he woul d return what had been given
him As they made no O bj ection to thi s he returned their presents
.

of sheep and cowries he had received and left Ij ebu Od e the next ,

morning T hus the Lagos Government received an unceremonious

.

rebuff in the person of its Chi ef of the E xecutive .

The H ome Government being informed of the attitude of the

I j eb us and their action towards the Acting Governor the S ecretary -

of S tate for the Colo nies after cons ul ting with the late Governor
, ,

Sir Alfred Moloney resolved upon coercive measures and hence

, ,

gave full power to the new Governor to deal with the I j eb u s .

§7 . C A U S E S T H AT LE D TO THE I J E B U WA R
(6) TR E ATY M A D E A N D B R O K E N
On the arrival of Governor G IL B E R T TH O MAS C A R T E R in the
latter part of 1 8 91 communicatio n was r e opened wi th the I j eb us
,
-
.

S pecial messengers were sent down t o greet the new Governor .

H e received them in state in the presence of the pri ncipal Govern

ment o fficia l s and heads Of departments members of councils , ,

and principal merchants

'

.
 61 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF T HE YO RU B AS
The first thing the Governor requi r ed of them was to apologise
f or their conduct t o Acting Governor D enton This they had to .

do Then the y were requ ired t o sign a treaty whi ch among other
.
,

provisions abol ished human sacrifices and enj oined the free opening
,

Of the road through their C ountry between Lagos and the interior

for a l l the Governor of Lagos stipu l ating t o pay the A wuj al e

,

£ 5 00 annuall y in lieu of tolls hitherto received from caravans .

The del egates obj ected and required authority from home to Sign
a treaty They were det ai ned at Lagos unt il they received
.

authority t o do so or if needs be men capable of Signing the , ,

treaty S hould be sent down This was duly effected . .

After this there was a small m easure of freedom to and from

,

the i nterior f or a few months to enlightened people who knew of ,

the treaty but caravans were still not all owed a foot beyond 01 11
, .

B ut the I j eb us were incensed with their king and were determined

on a revolution They showed their resentment in moving the
.

A wuj al e to several into l erant acts

'

They picked up a quarrel .

with the I b a d a n s threatened to stop all arms and ammuniti on

,

i f Kuk u was not expell ed out Of Ibadan Kuk u was accordingly .

expelled and his fine house at Ibadan was demolished by the I j eb us

,

there Kuk u returned t o Ij ebu but was obliged t o take refuge

.
,

at Ij ebu I f e which to all I j eb us is a city of refuge by which he ,

escaped death Kuk u remained there till after the taking of

.

Ij ebu in M ay 1 892 ,
.

N ext the A wuj al e al so raked up a quarrel against Solaj a that

i ntrepid Ij ebu horseman at Ibadan A beautiful cushion he had .

presented t o the kin g a few years before was sent back : that
meant h eavy fines which had to be p ai d or he would demand his
life Solaj a certainl y was not expected to keep the returned
.

article which had been in the possession of his king Al ong with .

this frivolous charges were brought agai nst the R ev D Olubi

,
. .
,

the C M S agent at Ibadan by the A wuj al e

. . .
,
.

( )
I That one of his sons took up some corrugated iron sheets
for the C M S house at Ibadan through Ij ebu when they had
. . .

forbidden al l intercourse wi th wh ite men .

( 2 ) That he was instrumental in bringing E uropeans up country .

H e sent t o the I b a d an s that he should be expelled the town The .

Ibadan chiefs w ere reluctant to d o S O as they had n o fault to find

with him since he had been amongst them over 4 0 ye ar s Mr . .

Ol ubi hearing this sent Mr W S Allen a colleague t o ascert ai n . . .

what the real cause of O f fence was and that he was to pass on t o ,

Lagos and to procure some presents t o appease him Th is was .

done and the C M S granted £ 5 f or the presents in the interest of

. . .

th eir interior agents that route being the only one available to ,
61 8 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
expressed their regret that they ever yielded s o as t o issue such an
order agai nst the lives o f men wi th whom they had hitherto lived
in the closest bond of fellowshi p from c h ildhood In t h is there is .

n o doubt that we can see the interposition o f divine Providence .

The treaty signed by the Ij ebu pleni potentiaries was accepted

with bad grace by the young I j eb us at home wh o kept goading
the king t o such intolerant acts as the one related above To see .

people passing up and down through their country was galling t o

them A treaty s o ba dl y received evide n tly could not last long
. .

I t was soon broken N ow and then it became known at Lagos

.

that in d ividuals going up or coming down were sent back The .

caravans were not all owed to proceed to the E jirin m arkets The .

R ev T E Will iams a Wesleyan minister who had gone to Lagos

. . .

for the annual S ynod o f that denomination returning t o his post

was driven back t o Lagos That the Ij ebus never meant t o O bserve
.

the spirit or letter o f the treaty was evident from the ev ents _

related above towards R evs Olubi and H arding the while un

.
,

known a t Lagos .

What sti rred their h os t ilit v mos t deeply wa s said to be the

action of a foreign mission a ry going up country who was received ,

with hostile demonstrations by the I j eb us Whilst w ai ting to pay .

.

his c a ll o n the A wuj al e a crowd assembled and he i t was s ai d

, , ,

w as going to preach to them against their wish they would h ear

nothing from him on his persisting this inflamed them and both
he and his party were li terally d r iven back t o Lagos This matter .

was duly reported t o the Governor An ultimatum was sent to .

the I j eb us which they ignor ed The Egbas especially Si nce the

.

Ilaro af fair were in sympathy with them and both began to prepare
for the fight The Governor O f Lagos sent a letter to the Egba
.

Government by the Inspect or of police Mr Adolphus Pratt which , . ,

they re f used to receive and ordered the bearer to leave the town
before sunset that Very day wi th h is letter A council was held .

the same day at Ab eokuta and i t was known that emissari es of

the I j eb us were in the town to take part in i t It was reported .

that the Egbas o f fered their services to the I j eb us but that the ,

I j eb us a ver t ed they co u ld hold their own and that i f they coul d ,

n o t dri ve back the whi te man in three months then the Egbas ,

m ay come to their aid Meanwhile the Egbas strictly enforced

.

the bl ockade of both lan d and river routes to Lagos War was now .

declared against the I j eb us .

8 . THE I J E B U CAMPAIG N

The officers and men who took part in the Ij ebu camp ai gn were
 THE DARK BE FO R E THE D AW N 61 9

Colonel Francis C S cott C B Inspector General of the Gold .

, . .
-

Coast F orces the Commander of the E xpedition , .

Officers f rom E ngland 2 0 4 92 : , . .

Capt The H on A S H ardinge I s t Battalion S cots F usiliers

. . . .
, .

Capt E R Owen I s t Batt Lancashire F usiliers

. . .
, . .

Capt A V Ussher I s t B att S cottish Rifles

. . .
, . .

Capt R L B ower 7 t h B att King s R oyal Rifles

’

. . . . .
,

Capt J R V Gordon 1 5 th H ussars

. . . .
, .

Lieut C E Laurie R oy al Ar tillery

. . .
,
.

Lieut J F D avi es I s t B att Grenadier Guards

. . .
, . .

From the Gold Coast 2 0 4 92 , . . .

Capt F M B ayl ey Asst Inspector Gold Coast Colony

. . .
, .
-

, .

Capt H D Lar y m or e Ass t Inspector Gold Coast Colony

. . .
,
-

, .

N ati ve Offi cer A li Gold Co as t Colony , .

N ative Offi cer Akero Gold Coast Co l ony ,

,
.

Mr H enry Plange Quart ermaster (Acting) Gold Coast Colony

.
, , .

2 S ergt Maj ors 4 S ergts 1 46

.
-
and m en H ausas ,
.
, .

From S ierra Leone 9 5 92 , . . .

Maj or G C Madden . . .

Lieut C V R Wright
. . . . .

Lieut E L Cowrie . . . .

S urgeon C apt R Croft . . .

99 N C O S and men zu d B att W I R egiment

. . .
,
. . .

Lagos H ausas .

Capt A F Tarbet Ass t Inspector Lagos Constabul ar y

. . .
,
-

, .

Capt G B H addon S mith Ass t Inspector Lagos C ons t ab u

. . .
-

,
-

lary .

Capt R E D Campbell Ass t Inspector Lagos Const abulary

. . . .
,
-

, .

S ergt M aj ors D angana and D an ka fi

.
-
.

Asst S u p d t s F Colley Green A Claud Willoughby

.
-
. .
-

, . .

Pay and Quartermaster W R H arding . . .

1 5 8 men rank and fil e , .

With 1 00 Ibadan Irregulars under their own Capt ai n Toyan .

The expedition left Lagos on the 1 3th of May 1 892 and arrived , ,

at Ep e e a rly on the 1 4 th .

The I j eb us had expected the expedi tion t o come by I t e I ke the ,

shortest route to the capit al and had therefore spread their army , _

ready at the Eluj u gr as s fiel ds not f ar from the town o f Ib efun .

Previously they had o f fered in sacrifice a man and a woman

, ,

goats fowls and pigeons at I t e I ke and charms of imprecation for

, ,

whi ch they were famous were uttered over the creek that the vessels
might founder and the expedi tion might end in f ai l ure B ut they .
62 0 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
heard t o their surprise that the transports had proceeded to Ep e
and the troops l anded there They hastily broke up the camp
and proceeded to the Ep e road Of the three routes gener al ly .

taken I t g I ke E jirin and Ep e the last is the longest but the best
, , , , .

It has the best and easiest landing and a village o f some consider ,

able size to be used as the base o n e hal f of the popul ation of which ,
-

consists of Lagos people The way t o the capital from here was .

mostly through farms The other routes h a d n o such advantages .

,

they were f or the greater part through bush paths : that through
E jirin especial l y at that tim e of the year was worse the road for ,

the most part v shaped paths The forward march from Ep e after
-
.

every preparation had been made was on the 1 6th May Arriving .

at Pobo after a S hort march an Ij ebu ambuscade opened fire about ,

a m and a smart brush took place the I j eb us hastily r e

. .
, ,

treating The vill age and hamlets surrounding were imme d iately
.

b urnt down In this engagement one of the Ibadan Irregulars

.

was wounded and died from the wound at Ij ebu Od e a few days
after Leaving Pobo on the 1 7 th a larger force was encountered
.

at E rebo ; here the I j eb us made a furious attack but were repulse d

with heavy losses and here fe l l A Claud Wi lloughby O f the Lagos
, .

force vent uring t oo far I n pursuit The engagement lasted from

,
.

8 a m till 1 1 a m when the village o f Maj ed a was taken

. . . .
, .

N O traces of the I j eb us were found on the 1 8 th except the

deserted camp On the morn ing o f the 1 9t h the order of m arch
.

was — the Ibadan Irregul ars first under their captain Toyan then ,

the Lagos H ausas l ed by Capt B ower then the W I R egiment .

, . .

under their Maj or the Gold Coast H ausas bringing up the rear ,

under Capts Campbell and H addon S m ith of the E nglish Mi l itia

.
,

Force .

’
The report of the day s event given by an officer who took a n
active part in the fight was as follows
As we marched al ong a few m en from the hills at the left
fired at us but soon ran away ; probabl y this was intended as
,

a signal to the m ain force We continued our march and all .

o f a sudden the Ibadan Irregu l ars h al ted and began drumming

, ,

and fixing on their war C harms Capt B ower ordered them to .

move on but their Captain replied Th e I j eb us are near we

, , ,
’
have smelt them They had not advanced twenty paces when .

at a bend in the road the I j eb us opened fire at us H ere their .

m ai n arm y was concentrated They C hose their spot well . .

The River Y em gj i flowed across the path at this time overflowing

its banks breast deep for the t a llest man The river flowed .

through marshes except at the ford through which we must

pass and this the I j eb us rendered dangerous by snags thrown
 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
Col S cott and said he thanked him for teaching a sharp lesson
.

to those disobe di ent young fellows whom he had warned and ,

warned in v ai n not t o v enture t o fight the whit e man The

, .

‘
Colonel replied I see y Ou cannot manage your di sobe di ent
,

boys s o I hav e come to help you to do so

,
T h e King was .
’

kept as a S tat e prisoner in h is own house and only al lowed t o ,

take a stroll about in the evenings with orderlies behind him .

H e fe l t himself safer with the conquerors than with his own

refractory subj ects .

Less th an an hour after we entered the town we saw an

'

Ol d man staggering on towards S ayin g I want my skin -

he has taken my S ki n I want it It was the aged B alogun .

’

N ef ewekan The H a usas looting one of them entered the

.
,

B al ogu n s house and saw him Sitting on a large leop ard skin ; he
’

drove him O ff from i t and took the s kin and this he came t o ,

the Col one l about E nquiry was made his s kin was restored t o
.
,

him and a strict order was gi ven that the old m an was not to
,

be moles ted .

The Governor of Lagos went up immediately after The Queen s .

’

birthday was celebrated on the 2 4t h with imposing military

ceremonies Chi ef Kuk u came from his place of exile and
.

welcomed the Governor .

It appeared that the Governor had written to the I b a d ans t o

attack the I j eb us on the north at the same time that the troops
from Lagos attacked them on the south N othi ng was seen of .

the I b a d an s and the Governor was inclined t o doubt their good

,

fai th but when Ij ebu was taken a large b atch of letters was ,

found in the King s quarters letters that had be en sent some up

’

country and some to Lagos the bearers of which had disappeared ,

among them was found the Governor s letter to the I b ad ans ’

.

The bearer had been made away wit h by the I j eb us The post al -

work of distributing these l etters to their respective owners was

the first duty of C ivilization pe rformed at Ij ebu .

The expedition left Ij eb u Od e on the 3 oth May leaving Capt ,

.

Campbell as head of the district and Capt Bower with 1 00 H ausas .

to keep order The I p ebi or the king s pri vate residence was
.
’

converted into a fort an d there all were quartered the king ,

occupying a separate quarter wi thin the compound The disused .

royal palace at I p or ogu n and the famous Ogboni ho use wherein

,

were several men kept in stocks and tortured were level l ed with ,

the ground the victims being released

, The king was all owed .

£ 2 00 a year and Chief Kuk u £ 1 00 p a t o assist the king in the . .

management of purely native af fairs and the aged Balogun £ 50 ,

p a out of regard t o his age an d position

. . .
 THE DA RK BE FO RE TH E D AW N 62 3

§9
. E FFE C TS OF THE C AMPAIG N
The taking of Ij ebu Od e sent a shock of surprise and al arm
throughout the whole l and The people fe l t instinctively that a .

new era was about to dawn on them A new and forei gn power had .

entered into the ar ena of active poli tics in the country and every ,

one was exercised in mind as t o how the country woul d be a ff ected

by i t Combatants suspended hostilities and all of them together
.

t urned t h eir f a ces coastwards .

A t t h e S ea t of War —The belligerents felt that their operations

,
.

must soon come to an end engagements therefore ceased , .

I n t h e C ou n try a t L arg e — T O the vas t maj o ri ty of the common

people it was li ke the Opening of a prison door and no one wh o
witnessed the pati ent long su ffering an d toiling mas s of humanity
,
-

that week by week stream ed to and from the coast with their
produce their manufact ures and other articles of trade and returned
,

wi th their purchases could refrain from heaving a S igh of ,

gra t ification on the m agnitude o f the beneficial res ul ts of the short

and sharp conflict .

The first night in whi ch after the fall of Ij ebu Od e the troop of , ,

the fir st set of c a ravans slept at the Kanakan a toll gate beyond

Aka l arge fires were lighted and all t h e men and women sitting
, ,

round spent the hours in recoun ting their su fferings and losses
,

f or years in this very place and the great change that has taken
, ,

place They continued thus far into the night and occasionally
.
,

r ai sed loud huzzah s for the merciful deliverance and the prospect ,

of freedom of trade and the discharge of their debts which the

,

long period of 1 6 years war had im posed upon every in divi dual ’

in the interior count r ies gi ving thanks t o God and invoking ,

blessings on the head o f the good Queen of E ngland .

They brought cloth s of native manufact ure C otton indigo

'

, , ,

palm oil p al m kernels beads cattle poultry yam flour pots and
, , , , , ,

pl ates of native man ufacture c al abashes in large quanti t ies turkeys , ,

and pigeons rubber etc etc and took bac k mostly salt cloths
, , .
, ,

and other articles of E uropean manufacture trade rum gin , , ,

matchets etc etc , .

, .

On t h e I j ebu s — E ven among the I j eb us themselves very few ,

if any outside the high Offi ci al s of the capital wh o had hitherto

maintained the iron system of inexorable exclusiveness and
rigour su f fered m uch from the C hange : the I j eb u s were exclusively
traders an d they benefited by the increased trade B ut the escape .

of slaves which was inevitable was their greatest cry Slavery as .

an institution however was doomed t o di sappear

, , .

The door was open to the preac h ing of the gospel There was .
62 4 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
already a small congregation of Christians the work of Ij ebu ,

citizens wh o had been converted at Lagos and Ab eokuta and wh o ,

had le a rnt t o read the S criptures in their own tongue These wh o .

,

hitherto dared n ot show their faces or profess their reli gion openly
were n ow released from fear and when a few months later delegates
—
,

from Lagos were sent form ally to introduce Christianity amongst

them — in an assembly of the King and his chiefs— these Christians
came in a body and in a humble but fervent address assured the
,

King and chiefs o f their loyalty and patriotic devotion that the ,

religion they professed enj oined both and that they would never ,

be found wanting in every duty appertaining to loyal citizens .

Permission was then gi ven for the teaching of Christianity

publicly and grants o f land were made f or ch urches schools and
, , ,

mission stations .

ou t h e Eg ba s — I t was generally known that a large section of

the Egbas was disposed t o render the I j eb us assistance but as ,

the comm unity of Ab eokuta included a l arge number of intelligent

Citizens mostly Christians wh o knew the magnitude of the power
,

they had to deal wi th their hands were held back by them But
, .

there is n o doubt that if the I j eb us had succeeded in repelling the

invasion even but temporarily there woul d not be wanting a ,

large force Of Egbas which would have volunteered t o lend their

aid and might even attack Ilaro .

As i t was a few months after t h is event when i t appeared

, ,

probab l e that Ab eokuta might al so come in for a S hare of attention

from the Lagos Government a diplomatic move was made by the
,

chi efs through one of their intelligent ci tizens a n d overtures were ,

m ade to the Lagos Government accompan i ed by carefully worded

,
-

apologies for their late actions especi al ly towards the m essenger

,

of the Government whom they drove away wi thout even accepting

the letter he brought H e apologized for the Egb as in these terms
.
.

The letter was addressed To the Chi ef of Ab eokuta .

N ow there was no one t o lay cl ai m to that tit l e The Alake was .

but a figur eh ea d and had no authori ty Ogu n d eyi of Iparo . ,

Onl a d o of Kunta and the Jagu na of Igbein who together managed ,

the a ff airs of the town were C O p a rtners so that n o t one of the

,
-

three co ul d by himself lay C laim t o that title and the Ogbonis ,

whose voices are supreme in important political crises coul d not

cl ai m the title either A n d again f or aught they could tell the
.
,

letter may have cont ai ned certain orders they were not in a position
to carry out It was better therefore that they did not know the
.

contents thereof than t o know and n o t be able to carry them out

,
.

Consequently their action in n o t accepting the letter was

dictated by the high esteem they had f or the B ri tish Government .
 CH A P T E R XXXI V

TH E E N D OF TH E WA R
§1 . G O VE RN O R CA R T E R S PR O G R E SS U P C O UN T R Y
’

G O VE RN O R C A RT E R was not the man t o leave his work h al f done .

The refractory and irreconcilable I j eb us had been subj ugated

the Egbas h ad submitted and their ap ologi es accepted H e now .

proceeded t o the fu rther interior t o put an end to the protracted

war fraught wi th s o much evil to the country The measure
, .

adopted for t h is purpose was the only one capable of dispersing

such fierc e combatants viz an armed intervention advocated f or
, .

by the writer all through these we ari some years Al though i t .

might not be necessary to pull a t ri gger yet a display of force offered

,

a far more convinci ng weight of argument than volumes of treaties ,

faultless though these may be I n ai m and purpose The presence .

of the Governor himself gave ad di tional weight and importan ce

to the Mission .

'

Governor Carter left Lagos on the 3r d January 1 893 for bis , ,

tour H e was accomp anied by a p os s e of H ausa soldiers with

.
,

Captain Bower one of the offi cers who came ou t for the Ij ebu
,

war The Maxim gun was en evid en ce throughout the whole way
. .

The Governor went via Ab eokuta H e there had a long con .

ference with the Egba chiefs and a treaty was sign ed on the 1 8t h
of J anuary 1 8 93 (vid e App A) Face t o face with the conqueror
, . .

Of Ij ebu and knowing the unsatisfactory relations that had al ways

,

existed between Ab eokuta and Lagos since the time of Governor

Glover in 1 867 and the part they played recently in conj unction
,

wi th the I j eb us they were certai nl y apprehensive of subj ugation

,

or annexation : and when the Governor assured them that he

wo uld do neither provided they mend their manners in fut ure ,

they respectfull y requested that that assurance should be

specifical ly stated in the treaty ; hence the C la use .

!Cl aus e 5 S O long as the provisions o f this treaty are

.

strict l y kept n o annexation O f any portion of the Egba country

,

sh al l be made by H er Maj esty s Government without the consent

’

of the lawfu l author ities of the country N o aggressive action .

shall be taken agai nst the s ai d country and its independence

shal l be f ully recogni ze d ]
This shoul d be parti cularly noted because in after year s other
62 6
 TH E E N D OF THE WA R 62 7

parts of the country whose independence was never even

,

threatened OY Q an d I B A D A N ) there being no need f o r any

such thing were held by some t o occupy less favourable positions
,

beca use a specific guarantee of their indepe ndence was not stated
in the treaties signed with them They were taken to be O pen t o
.

annexation .

The expedition leaving Ab eokuta proceeded to 0Y 9 the capit al ,

of Y O RU B A via Is eyi n .

The Governor was well received by the A L AF I N of Q Y Q and His

E xcellency s tent was pi t ched in the A s ip a s market hard by the
’ ’

King s garden This was a c on ces s ron due t o the owner of the
’
.

town the Asipa being the son o f the lat e Oj a the founder of A g e
,

H is Maj esty had sever al privat e interviews with His

'

d d
’
.

E xcellency bes ides the public reception accorded him an d a ,

treaty was concluded between the A L AF I N and the Governor .

( V id,
e App A ) . F rom O
. Y Q the Governor was now about to proceed

to I kirun vi a I l g r in Th e A L AF I N was asked f or an Il ari t o go with

.

him t o the former place f o r the dispers al of the Ibadan camp by

authority H e once more told off the Ilar i Ob a k0 se tan t o go
.
- - -

with His E xcellency but the Governor would have nothing t o d o

with that name of evil omen “
The King is n o t ready
, His .

Maj esty was told pl ai nly that it was time the King was ready for ,

thi s war m us t n ow come to an end S eeing the Governor was

.

n o t a m an t o be shu ffled or t r ifl e d wi th the King at once yielded ,

and ordered Qb a l olu (The King is t he Chief) t o g o instead

’
.

The short and sharp lesson t aught the I j eb us m ade an impression

on the whole country not soon t o be e f faced .

From OY O the Governor proceeded t o Ilorin via Ogbom oso H e .

was cor di all y received by the Bal e of Og b o m g sg wh o ever after ,

wards often referred t o the pleasant and pleas urable time he spent .

with the Governor H e was apprehensive about his proposed

.

visit t o I l gr in and he d id all he could t o dissuade hi m from going

,

there as he gr eatly feared the p er fid y of the I l g rin s and their

hostility t o Christian s generally .

From all accounts the Governor on the other hand unfortunately

’
left with the impression that the Bal e s seeming anxiety o n his
account was n o t due t o disinterested motives but t o the s ight O f
the large amount of presents he saw going forward to I l g rin
The reflective reader of these pages however will see that the , ,

B al e had good and ample reasons for distrusting the good faith
of the I l g rin s .

At I l g r in the Governor had sever al interviews with the E mir

and they part ed with an assurance of mutual fri endshi p B u t .

’
it was generally report ed that from the moment the Governor s
62 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
proposed visit t o I l g rin was known the Mullahs and others waited ,

upon the E mir and requested hi m t o give them b ullocks and

m on ey t o make cha r ms in order that the A n a s a r as (Christians)
«

might not enter their town The E mir ,although not in accord .

with them in this purpose nevertheless granted them their ,

request .

H e had occasion t o throw this in their face and reproach them

f or i t afterwards H e was reported to have said t hat he knew
.

the futili ty of their attempts and that they would have been ,

more candi d i f they had averred that they wanted something

‘

t o feast upon F o r why S hould not the Governor visit him

. He
liked t o see the Governor The Governor is a E uropean an d him .
,

self a F oul ah by descent and they know that the E uropean and ,

the F oulah were brothers and why should the Mullahs interpose ,

between the meeting o f t wo cousins ? H ad he not granted their

requests they wou l d have charged him with niggardli ness and
,

would have made the world believe that their C harms would have
kept the Governor back if the E mir had granted their requests .

H e concluded in this way B ut the Governor h as come and is ,

“

gone and what about the charms now ? You may now retire
'

and be more honest in future On e thing that struck al l the .

visitors to Il orin forcibl y at this period was the almost total absence
O f the fair complexion and straight h ai r o f the original F o ul a h s .

B y interm arriages and miscegenation the N egro element had

absorbed the S emitic The E mir h imself was of a purely dar k
.

complexion being partly of Yoruba descent which accounted for

, ,

h is disposition t o peace with the rest o f the Yoruba country .

From Il orin the Governor p r o ceed ed t o a station between the

'

two camps near the River Otin ; there he had several meetings
with the war chi efs on both sides The case f or the I b a d an s was
'
.

easy enough they were there t o defend the country agai nst the
,

I l gr in s as soon then as they decamp they (the I b a d an s ) would go

,

home The I l grin s averred that they were in their own farms and
.

sho ul d n ot be asked t o go home The I b a d an s came from full .

four days j ourney it is they wh o should be asked t o go hom e

’

, .

B ut the Governor repli ed that he knew all that he knew how -

the I l g r in s came t o be there he even knew how Ful ani s and ,

G a m b a ris came at all to be in Il eri n but he di d n o t com e there t o ,

discuss ancient history H e fixed a day in which both camps.

S hould be broken up together he appointed those wh o were t o

see the I l g r ins home and those wh o were t o see the I b a d a n s home
, .

The Aw er e stream near E rin was appointed as a boundary between

the two Stat es And s o the camps were broken up on the sam e day
. .

The I b a d an s had wanted t o stop a day or t wo at Ed e to compose

630 TH E H I STOR Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
he had n o time for a council and that if any on e had anything t o ,

say t o him l et h im com e t o him in his fa t her s house Thus did

,
’
.

t h e B alogun stifle all overtures intended f or his own benefit .

The chiefs were al l stung by t hi s remark and there and then ,

agreed t o rej ect him as head o f the town They however suppressed .

their feelings and followed the order o f proceeding The B alogun .

led the way and the others in the strict order of their ran ks
foll owed every man as soon as he entered the town gate fired a
gun and there was a regul ar f eu d e j oie the whole time as the
,

procession wended its way to the Ar e s house on the hill and ,

’

before his gate t o give account o f the war as they would have done
i f he h ad been ali ve Thousands upon thousands of spectators lined
.

the route the whole way shouting wel come to some of the chi efs
,

and hooting others The B alogun was received with a rigi d

.

silence by the crowd whom his slaves had wronged Thus they
, .

cam e to the front o f the Ar e s house The B alogun in front the ’

.
,

other war chi efs behind h im prostrated before the coffi n and wept
then he began to give h is account
Twas ye wh o sent us to the war We met the enemy on our
’
.

soil and we repell ed them and carri ed the war into their own ,

country We fought t o the utmost of our powers and finding the

.
,

battle t o o strong f or us we invited you t o come to o ur aid Ye

,
.

will remember h ow ye led us t o the fight and how many hard battles
we fought in your presence Then ye .

came to pass y e were transformed !E parad a] And after that

. . .

we fought several hard battles and d id al l we could t o keep up ,

the Ibadan prestige : we were n o t able t o conquer the enemy ,

and they W ere un able to dr ive us back till the white men cam e ,

and separated us .

We h a ve since then been at I kirun defending o ur frontier ag ai nst

the I l g rin s They were unable t o com e near t o encam p against
.

I kir un and we were unable t o g o and meet them at Y a n a y o until

, ,

the Governor of Lagos came and o rdered both O f us t o dec am p .

They wept once more and thereupon S anusi brought out the ,

customary presents his father woul d have gi ven them had he

been al ive The ceremonies over the next thing was for the whole
.
,

of them t o accompany the B alogun home and thus t o acknowledge ,

him the head but they h a d rej ected him

,
A kin t gl a was the first .

t o mount his horse and say t o the others H aven t ye your ,

’

”
father s house t o g o t o ? I am going to mine E ach of the
’
.

”
younger war chi efs took i t up I am going t o mine I am going , ,
”
t o mi n e and mo unting his horse each of them went hom e
,

direct leaving the Bal ogun and his own people to go h ome by
,

th emselves 1
 TH E E N D OF T H E WA R 63 1

I t nee d ed no prophetic eye t o see that a storm was gathering

which would burst at no distant date .

Th e usual pr esents a n d refreshments the B alogun had ordered t o

entertain the c h iefs with were a ll read y but n o one came to partake
,

of the m The B alogun at fir st treated the matter lightly a f fecting

.
,

to care nothing f or their plots but when he received no message

of congratulation from any of them and no secret m es s a ge from
,

any t o disclose the natur e of the plot then he began t o reali ze ,

the danger of his posi tion H e was severely isolated

. .

At dusk the next day he went t o the A g b a kin t o ask h im to beg

for him But the A g b a kin was his C h ief adviser aider and
.
,

abettor all the whi l e at I kirun he was by many considered as

guilty if n o t more s o and should be dealt wi th a l ong with the
B alogun therefore the A g b a ki n for the sake of self preservation -

spee di ly dissociated himself entirely from the Balogun trying h is ,

utmost t o secure himself whilst receiving from the B alogun l arge

presents intended to molli fy his brother chiefs But as the .

B al og un s fate was already sealed what he had th us received he

’

kept f or himself .

Governor Carter fo llowing slowly behi nd arrived at Ibadan on

, ,

the 2 6t h of M ar ch 1 8 93 and encamped at the B as g r un m arket

, ,

where booths and enclosures had been prepared against the

arrival of His E xcellency and his party .

The I b a d an s in the m eantime suppressed their feelings ag ai nst

the B alogun and His E xcellency not knowing what was going on
, ,

underneath had deali ngs with none else but the B alogun taking
, ,

him for the head of the town .

The Governor unfortunately left Ibadan highly di sappointed

with the conduct of the chiefs because they declined t o Sign an
agreement he drew up for the m and the i dea of a E uropean,

R esident he broached was repugnant to them .

They obj ected that they had been absent from home about
seventeen years they had only j ust arrived the town was as yet ,

without a head they were not yet settled down for civil admini stra
tion and hence there was no one authori zed to act in an o ffi cial
position . These essenti al s must fir st be seen to before they coul d
consider any treat y or agreement The Bal ogu n then s ai d to him
.
,

You have said you were sent from home t o separate us then ,

you g o home again and tell your masters you have ca r ried out
yo ur mission The Governor s last words t o them were whether
.
’

they were willing or unwill ing they would have t o do it .

’
At a banquet gi ven at Lagos in honour of the Governor s
successful mission His E xcellency in his after dinner speech
,
-

referred bitterly to this incident H e s ai d that he met with

.
63 2 THE H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
success all along h is tour in h is going and coming till ,

he g ot to the last stage where i t was least expected ; there he

met wi th a r eb iI ff and he believed they were instigated to it by
one in his own train but he hoped all would be right in the end .

T o anyone with an open mind the Governor s words sounded

’

very strange indeed i t could only be attributed to an imperfect

kn owledge of the people His E xcellency might have al lowed to
.

such men as could govern a town like Ibadan and all its dependen
cies some credit O f kn owing their own minds and not be swayed
by a mere clerk in his office .

But what people anywhere in Afr ica nay in the whole world , , ,

would readil y and speedily fall in with the view of a foreign

gar rison in their midst if they could help it B esides the argu ,

ment advanced by the chiefs seeme d reasonable enough .

’
As soon as the Governor left Ibadan the B al og un s troubles
began afresh H e pai d heavily in s l aves cowri es and goods to
.
,

beg f or his life After all had been received the chiefs sent f or
.

Og g the chief officer of Or owu s i s house t o come and represent

’

, ,

his master s house in t h e council held at the big market (always

’

the place of meeting when there was n o head of the town ) The .

Balogun was charged with all the enormities perpetrated by his

slaves the confiscation of S O many houses for little or n o cause
, ,

rapes and robberies all unp unished etc etc they ended by saying ,

that they had rej ected him and that he should honourably go
,

t o sleep .

We may remark that all these charges are such as would have
been condoned but for his personal un fit n es s which in the eyes of ,

the I b a d an s were unpardonabl e viz ( 1 ) His gr eat indulgen ce in

, .
,

liquor (2 ) his failure t o lead them t o victory as a B alogun .

A B al ogun who has won no victory has a small chance with the
I b a d ans The B al ogun received the message with much in d ig
.

nation he was determined n o t to die but t o fight it out When .

his determination was known t h e people were al so determi n ed

,

to meet him already his quarter of the town was being deserted ,

for they had begu n t o seize people about his quarters Private .

m essages were sent quic kly to his brothers Y o u know the .

consequences will y ou al low your father s house to be wiped o ff ’

at Ibadan They knew very well that when the people as s ai l ed

a hous e it is to level it with the ground,and make i t a dunghi ll
, ,

and the family—such as remain alive— d ispersed f or ever : no

member thereof ever to hold a public position in the town for ,

fear of his rising t o power hereafter and taking r evenge on the

children of the perpetrators .

The B al og un s brothers stayed their hands and held a consul

’
63 4 THE HIST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
Mr A d em uyiwa H aastrup a prominent ci ti zen on a m arkedly
.
, ,

big and powerful horse and in a gorgeous native robe kept on ,

c antering backwards and forw ar ds round the Governor all the

way al ong The Governor was visibly a f fected at the S ight of
.

these Sign s of j oyf ul appreciation of h is e f forts and the success ,

attending what he had accomplished .

The work was s o thoroughl y well done that from that time to
t hi s the roads have been completely opened from one end to the
other an d never has there been a uv obstruction to trade and all
, ,

this without firing a shot

As a matter of course (as things were at Lagos in those days )
a banquet by the eli te of Lagos foll owed a few days after at
w h ich His E xcellency was the princip al guest a n d he recounted
amidst plau d its the principal incidents of his mission from
beginning to end .

If Governor Carter did nothing more for the Colony his nam e ,

will be entitled to an undying fame in the Yoruba country But .

we have t o place also t o h is credit the ini tiation of the system of

good roads which n o w stretches all over the country being m uch ,
’
developed by Governor E gerton Carter s fir st road was from .

Ij ebu Od e to E jirin where the weekly caravan was the thickest ,

next the Ep e road then the Ibadan Ij ebu road These were the
, .

roads most used for the princip al markets .

H e built a proper Government H ouse at Lagos Then he .

started the railway between Lagos and Ibadan which under , ,

Governor E gerton was continued to K ano 1 All this with the

, .

sm al l revenue of Lagos at the time .

Two trai ts in Governor Cart er impressed the chiefs an d people of

this country O n e was the un failing deference us uall y p aid to native
.

’
-

r ul ers an d the non en cr o ach m en t up on their rights The res ult

,
-
.

of this was the al most entire absence of bullying and belittling by

subo rdinate o fficers which gener ally brought about disorganization
of N ative Governments and other evils consequent thereupon
,
.

The other was the Governor s int uiti ve an d al most unerring’

j u dgment of character an d hi s sense of j ustice The country was .

1 Carter s successor wa s Governor M C all u m whose term was only

’ ’

1 2 months spent chiefly ove r the q uestion of our northern

boundary with the F rench H e sec ured t o the Yoruba cou ntry the
.

ancient Yoruba cities t o the N W of ancient .N ext t o him

.

was Governor Mac Gr eg or under whom the syst em o f sanit ation was
perfected U nder E gerton his successor the work of his prede
.

c es s o r s was far advanced in roads and bri dges and fi ll in g swam ps ,

by dredgers and further st ar ted on his o wn i nitiati ve the opening

,

of t he bar by which ocean liners might ent er Lagos harbour .

 TH E E N D OF THE WA R 63 5

prosperous in those days S everal causes might have contributed

.

t o this but the mass of the peop l e set it down to the fair rul e
and government of Governor Carter .

§ 4 LO CAL O PI N I O N S A B O U T T H E WA R
.

As was inevitable opinions were freely exchanged and con

,

j ct ur es made in those days as t o what wo ul d have happened had

e

the B rit ish Govern ment not interfered in the interior wars but ,

had left the native states t o fight out their own battles N aturally .

opinio n was divi de d . Some thought the I b a d a n s would have been

driven from Kiriji f o r the E kit ip a r a p g s were al l an imated with a
,

determination t o break their yoke for ever ; they were fighting

f o r li fe hom e and li berty
, .

Against thi s the I b a d an s m aint ai ned that t h e f o r ce which could

dislodge them from Ki r iji would also be able to conquer Ibadan
i tself for if they were unable to hold t heir ground where they
,

were with all the provincia l towns on their s id e n eit h er would they ,

be able to do so at hom e with these towns hostile or neutral and ,

a ll their E kiti fighting s l aves escaped therefore in holding their

o wn there they were n o t merely fighting to m aintain honour and

prestige but also they were doing i t with all the desperation of
,

men guar di ng hearth and home As to determination therefore .

,

both sides were even .

B ut to the unbias sed observer the prospects of the I b a d an s

seemed m uch better for the foll owing reasons
( 1 ) If the E ki t is could have driven them they had the best ,

chance of doing s o when they were f urnished with tho usan ds of

ri fles and the roads being closed the I b a d an s had n o t even
, ,

am muni tion for their old fli n t lock guns When they used to
-
.

fir e into the Ibadan c am p wi th fatal results and these could not

reply : when the I b a d an s had t o go agai nst them in the battle
field crawling on the ground seeking cover ti ll they were near
,

enough t o spring upo n them with swords cutlasses and the butt , ,

end of their D ane guns capturing men and rifles B ut latterly

, .

when the I j eb us were compelled by C ircumstances t o open their

roads for tra ffi c and the I b a d ans were able to acqui re a few scores
of ri fles their chances became more even and the E kit is were n o
, ,

longer able to assume the O f fensive It was only a matter of time.

the I b a d an s would eventually h ave increased their stock o f rifles ,

a n d then the E ki t is would have had n o chance ag ai nst them .

(2 ) The I b a d an s moreover were inspired with hopes of a future

success by the fo ll owing circumstance derived from experience .

In all their previo us wars whenever in a diffi cult camp ai gn

, ,

whi le holding their foes in chec k they were able to send out a
636 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
detachment for a subsidiary p unitive expedition which proved
successful victory ultimately r este d with them S o it was in the
, .

case of I wawu n duri ng the I j a y e war of Ibokun duri ng the Ile sa ,

war etc The victory at Ile I f e showed i t wou l d be the same in

, .

the Ki ri ji campaign .

(3 ) The next ground of hope was o f a more solid nature .

Og e d em g b e was the only leader in whom the E kit ip a r a s relied

to hold their di f ferent sections together he had to expose himself
in every batt l e as any of the meanest sol diers in order to get his
countrymen t o follow him His body wa s covered with scars
.

from wounds I t was not unlikely that the I b a d a n s having acq uired
.
,

rifles a stray bullet might one day put him out of action ; and with
,

him the hopes of the E kit is wo ul d be extinguished .

The I b a d an s on the other h and coul d count upon scores of men

wi l ling an d able t o take the lead In fact they attributed their .

n on success to the disobe di ence to the voice of their national orac l e

-

which bestowed the Offi ce of B alogun on A kin t g l a but which the ,

A r e was not inclined t o follow consequently the fall of their own

,

leader was n o t likely t o have a bad e f fect upon th em but probably

j ust the contrary ; and the E kit ip ar ap es driven from the field ,

the I l g r in s were not likely to rem ai n any longer t o continue the

struggle as they were unable t o take the field ag ai nst a s t r o n g army
,

wi thout an infantry support .

CO N STIT U TI O N O F T H E I B A D A N TO W N C O U N C IL
5 .

We consider it important t o note h ow the titles were distributed

at this time at Ib adan because these men formed the To wn
'

Council and were offi cially responsible for the Agreement which
practic al l y m ade n o t only Ibadan but also al l Yoruba country a
British Protectorate .

B a le — There were t wo aspirants t o the title of B al e and each ,

was backed by the two most powerfu l j unior war chiefs viz ,
.

( ) O
1 s u n t o ki the May e backed by ,
A kin t g l a and ( ) j
2 F i a b i the , ,

Ab es e backed by S um g n u A p a m p a The latter was determined

,
.

to carry o u t his wish at a l l cost : he eventually succeeded and ,

F ij ab i was elected B al e A S pecial messenger was thereupon sent

.

to t o p l ace his name before the King An Ilari was sent .

by His Maj esty t o confer the title of Bal e on him The act was .

known as placing the l eaves of title upon his head because i t is

the plum l eaves (E we Iyey e) that are used on these occasions ,

Iyeye from the root y e t o live which rendered the act to mean
, , ,

May y ou live long .

B al e F ij a b i n ow appointed his rival to the post of honour The .

title of Otun B al e was conferred on the May e and that ,

of Os i B al e on F aj in m i the A gb a kin .
 CH APT E R XXX V .

THE E STA B LI S HM E N T OF THE B R ITI S H

P R OTE CT OR AT E
AF TE R the titles and Offi ces had been distributed and the town ,

settled down once more t o the duties of civil life the C hiefs held ,

a consultation about the Agreement Governor Carter had called

upon them to Sign and which they were not then in a position to
,

consider After the p r os and cons had been duly weighed it was
.

agreed that with proper safeguards they might agree to it provi ded ,

the Governor gave due consideration t o their obj ections .

A letter was then addressed to the Governor asking hi m t o send

up the document for them to reconsider in a regul arly constituted
assembly .

Governor Carter having in the m eantim e left for E ngland on ,

his furlough t h is request was cabled to Downing S treet and the

,

Acting Governor G C D enton Colonial S ecretary was ordered

-

, . .
, ,

i n reply to visit Ibadan in person and present the Agreement .

Accordingly in August 1 8 93 the Acting Governor visited Ibadan

, ,
-

for that purpose .

The document was agai n read and interpreted to them and ,

after due consideration the following letter was addressed to the

Acting Governor stating clearly the obj ections in their way t o
-

signi ng the Agreement .

Ibadan ,

A ug us t 1 4th , 1 8 93 .

YO U R E X C E LL E N C Y We are not unmindful of all the kin dn es s

-

done to us by H er Maj esty the Queen nor are we unappreciative ,

of it and in order to be fran k we desire t o state t o you our

,

fe ar s in obj ecting t o a Resident E urope an which we trust Your

E xcellency wi l l see to .

First we fear the authority and respect of the B al e an d

,

C hiefs wil l su f fer det erioration as there may be two courts of

,

appe al .

2
. We fear our S laves wi ll assert their freedom by run ni ng
t o the R esident .

3 We fear our wives will be taken by the soldi ers which

.

wil l be a source of great o f fence to us .

638
 TH E E STA B LIS H M E N T OF THE B R ITIS H P R O T E CT O R ATE 639

We consider our land as our in ali enable property inherited

4
.

from our forefathers and never subj ect t o sale We consider

,
.

i t also our greatest we al th bestowed upon us by the Almighty

and we do not desire i t t o go out of o ur hands .

If the Governor will see that our rights are not tresp as sed we
make no scruple to Sign all the terms of the Treaty .

We are your good friends ,

F I J A B I TH E B AL E X (his m ark) .

AN D O T H E R I B A D A N A U T H O R ITI E S .

G C D E N TO N
. .
, A ct ing Gover n or .

The fo llowing was the reply to the above letter by the Acting
Governor
Ibadan ,

A ug us t 1 4th , 1 8 93 .

G E N TLE M E N —I n reply to the letter of this date which was

,

handed to m e by you thi s morning I have the honour to inform ,

you that the con di tions of the Agreement you tell m e you are
prepared t o Sign do not contemplate interference with the
,

N ative Government of Ibadan in any way .

2
. I may al so say that the Offi cer in charge will not as at
present proposed hold an y court or take any action opposed t o
loc al customs and O bservances S O long as they d o n o t con flict
with the ordi nary principles of hum ani ty .

3
. The O ffi cer placed in C harge at Ibad an will be instructed
that it is not the intention of the Lagos Government to inter
fere with the domestic slavery S O long as it is conducted on
humane principles as the country will stil l remain vested in
,

the Ibadan authorities .

I fail to see that slaves will obt ain their freedom by running
to the R esident .

4 Any H a usa wh o takes a wom an of the country away

.

from her home agai nst her will wi ll be severely punished

, , .

5 With regard to t h e question of land the Agreement only

.
,

deals with a place for the erection of quarters for an o fficer

and men and sufficient gr ounds f or a construction of a line of
,

r ai lway S hould it be deemed advisable t o undertake s u ch a work .

6 In neither c as e can it be said that ali enation of the land is

.

'

contemplated And that there may be n o mistake on this

.

point I am qui te prepared t o guarantee that in recogn ition of

,

your right rent be p ai d to you for what land is uti li zed under
,

the Agreement .
64 0 THE H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS

7 I
. can with safety promise you that your rights wi ll not
be infringed by the Lagos Government the only O bj ect ai m ed ,

at being to preserve peace to secure open roads and reasonable

freedom of action t o the I nhabitants generally .

I am gentlemen
, ,

Your good friend ,

G C D E N TO N A cting Gover nor. .

,
-
.

After the receipt O f this letter and after further consideration

the Agreem ent Wa s signed the next day by the Chiefs (vid e App A) . . .

B ut before sign ing the Agreement and in consideration of the ,

Treaty signed by them at Kiriji in which the removal of Modak ek e

was m ade bin di ng on them an d in order to S peak their minds
,

with regard to the same they submitted the followi ng document

,

t o H is E xcellency the Acting Governor

,
-
.

A bri ef statement of the Modak ek e affair .

Ibadan ,

A ug us t 1 5th , 1 8 93 .

Y O U R E X C E LL E N C Y — We beg t o say that the re al intent of

,

the article respecting the Modak ek e a f fair in the former treaty

was n o t understood before signature but when the first Com
missioners (headed by M r H iggins) cam e up and were at Moda
.

k ek e and insist ed upon the remov al then the late A g b a kin of ,

Modak ek e who was on e of the signatories was surprised and s ai d ,

that he d id not understand it so and our contingents there then , ,

viz . the present B alogun and A sipa sent t o us and we expressed

, ,

our concurrence wi th the then A g b a kin of Modak ek e as to o ur

understanding of the article It obliged the R ev 5 Johnson. . .

to come to us at I kirun and we told him the sam e thing .

Wh en the Commissioners still insisted then the lat e A gb a kin

to l d them that it was one of the late I f e kings Degun le by name , ,

also known as Abi ewe ila wh o gave their fathers the land out
- -

of pity as the If es i lltreated them by m aking s aCr ific eS with

,

them : and Since then they lived and flou ri shed there an d ,

served them as landowners ; and the several times they fell

o u t the If es were the aggressors o r were the first to fir e at them
, ,

but God usuall y gave them the victory Th ey know n o other .

home .

When the Commissioners still insisted on their removal

then the A g b a kin said that the place beyond the river Osun
mentioned by the Commissioners was a forest without a h o us e
t o accommodate them and n o c ult ivation to supply them wi th
64 2 TH E H ISTO R Y OF T H E YOR U B A S
should hope the net result will be a distinct gain t o the coun try.

B ut that peace should reign universal ly with prosperi ty an d

,

advancement and that the disj ointed uni ts sho ul d a ll be once

,

more welded into one under one head from the N iger to the coast
as in the happy days of A B I O D U N s o dear t o our fathers that
, ,

clannish spiri t di sappear and above al l that Chri stianity should

,

be the principal religion in the land— paganism and Mohammedan

ism having had their ful l tri al —should be the wish and prayer of
every true son of Yoruba .
 TH E S E Q U E L .

TH E Protectorate h as been established and everyth ing h a s

settled down : but this end has not been easily attained as m ay
, very well be imagined The country had to be convinced that
.

a new regime h a d dawned upon it and that the people must con ,

form to it Th is was n ot unaccompani ed at first by a m ethod

.

high handed and somewhat vio l ent under successive R esidents

-

but that was not unexpected .

We sh all here but briefly indicate how the new order of things
a ff ects each un it and incidentally we sh all discover who were the
,

real disturbers of the peace Of the country .

1 . A B E O K U TA
The Egbas rigi dly kept t o the Treaty so that the Lagos Govern ,

ment coul d fin d no faul t with them The intel ligent portion of .

the communi ty was adm itted to a share in the Government and ,

they strove to condu ct everyt hing after the m odel of a civili zed
state In fact it was the general Opi n ion that in many things
.

they ign ored the rule Make hast e slowly

, The early career .

of the Alake and the new Government Secretary was hi ghly

beneficial to the well being and progress of the Egba community
-

2 . I B ADAN
It took the Ibadan rank and fil e som e tim e t o realize the fact
that intertribal wars are for ever at an end in this count ry It .

was customary with them after the conferring of new titles

,

that they shoul d go to a war for each chi ef and especially for ,

the B al ogun t o recommend himself thereby to the people as fit

for the title he holds The I l g ri n s rem ai ne d the only power
.

they h ad not com e to any de fin ite term s wi th s o we were not ,

s urprised to hear on all hands Nj e Bowe r k oni si ogun I l gr in

,

yi f un wa Wi ll not Capt B ower then open for us an I lg rin

.

cam paign ? To be at hom e wi th not hi ng de fini te to do was

rather irksom e to those whose trade was war H appily most of .

the importan t chiefs had huge farms wherein were engaged m an y

of their domestics and the maj ority of the men also were farm ers but
, ,

a good many were warri ors pure and simple N o wonder then that .

for som e tim e burglaries arson etc were ri fe in the comm unity
, , .
, .

64 3
644 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O R U B AS
Agai n there soon followed a series of blunders which startled
,

the community not only of Ibadan but also a ll the Yoruba country ,

eg
. . the threat t o arrest the B al e of Ibadan upon the ground of
,

a supposed intrigue with I l g rin B ut this C harge which had n o

foundation in fact was easily disposed of : all the same it seeme d
'

necessary in high quarters to d o som ething wh ich would strike

”
terror into the whole country in order t o keep order The
Os i Bal e therefore off ered himself t o be arrested instead f or the ,
’
B al e s person he s ai d was sacred and that to arrest him would,

mean the break up o f the town .

This was followed by the arrest of the B al ogun of Ibadan

until the man was found wh o had insulted Captain B ut
there was n o such man The salutation usu al ly accorded to a
.

gentleman on horseback by shaking the fist towards hi m was

mistaken for a threat and h o w was the B alogun to know wh o
thus s a luted the Captain out of doors some days after the event ,

i n a huge town l ike Ibadan some miles away from his residence ?
B ut t h is was speedily atoned f o r and the B alogun honourably,

returned t o his house The n came the clash with

. over the
case o f Lagunj u the ex Ti mi of Ed e who appealed to his S uzerai n
-

t o exert his good O ffices to restore him t o his post And again .

over the case of a man sent from Is eyin to be emasculated f o r

the usual O f fence for which that was the form of punishment .

T hi s resulted in what was known as the bombardment of QY Q ,

dur ing which a ricochet shot h it the A L AF I N on the knee This .

was however ad m i tted to be a bl under and the matter was ,

sp eedily adj usted by the Governor on his return from f urlough .

After a Short tim e the peopl e and the energetic R esident got to
know each other better and there was n o t onl y harmony but
, ,

even fri endship between them especi ally at , for i t was

subsequently found out that the mistakes and misunderstandings
were all due t o imperfect information in which the part pl ayed
by the interpreter was n o t only dishonourable but highly r ep r e
h en s ib l e and he was condignly de al t wi th
,
.

B ut Ibadan never really settled dow n till after about eighteen

m onths when the Government o f Lagos enlisted two battalions
,

o f men f o r military servi ce in N orthern N ige ri a Thi s ope ning .

a f forded relief t o all those ardent S pirits whose profession was arms ,

and wi th a wonderful celerity they imbibed and assimilated the

new method of drill and discipline , by which they were led to a
successful campaign Ag ai n the r ai lway undertaking absorbed
.
,

the energies of many Since then Ibadan has had varied

.
,

experience under various R esidents .

64 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE YO RU B AS
one ch ief am ongst them who was devoted to w ar s This was .

F a b um i of Imesi Oloj a Oke H e also had war boys gi ven to

.
-

violence as those o f Og edem g b e R eports had from time t o tim e .

t o be made o f him to the o ffi cer stationed at the River Otin of

violence t o peaceful traders capturing and selling them as slaves
,

t o Benin and other acts of brigandage

, The captain usually .

sent to warn the King of Oke M esi till on one occ as ion even the ,

King himself se nt his son to compl ain O f F a b ir m i : the n i t was

'

that the situation dawned upon Captain Tucker Then he knew .

that F a b fim i was the culprit and not the King who was powerless , ,

being a m an of about 1 2 0 years of age N ext he found a list

drawn up by Captain B ower in which the name of F a b fi m i appeared
as one of the trou blesom e spirits of the country nex t after ,

Og ed em gb e and on e t o be arrested
, H e consequently went up .

wi th about twenty H aus a soldiers and arrested him and brought ,

him bound to the River Otin camp and the next day he sent him ,

on t o the R esiden t Capt ai n H a wt a yn e at I badan The Capt ai n

, , .

gave him a good warning and set him at liber ty H e was hence
forth q uiet and subsequently became King of M esi Ipole It
, .

will be remembered that i t was he who e f fected the capture of

I l g r i the Os i by S imulating A kin t g l a 3 war cry i t was he wh o ’

decoyed the Ibadan army to the C lefts of M esi Ipole but he failed
to take Modak ek e H e was an honourable warrior
. .

5 . I FE A N D MO D A K E KE
Accord ing to the Treaty of 1 8 86 M odak ek e was to be remove d ,

from I f e soil an d rebuilt in a place between the Rivers

,

and Ob a and the I b a d a n s were t o see that this was carried out
, .

That portion of the Treaty was galling to the I b a d an s the ,

Mo d a kekes simply would not hear of it but the If es were j ubil a nt , ,

an d were determined to see i t c a rried out .

Modak ek e was a large town and the imme di ate removal was ,

simply impracticable In v ai n d id they ask that a reconciliati on be

.

made between themselves and the If es s o that they might rem ai n

on the sp ot dear t o them cont ai ning as i t di d the ashes of their
,

fathers ; the present generation knew no other home But the .

Lagos authorities would n ot stultify themselves by going behind

the Treaty as it were although they took 1 1 0 ste p s to enforce i t
, , ,

nor would the If es yield t o anything except removal Th us they .

rem ained together for years .

S ubsequent Governors who actual ly knew the towns had their

, ,

hands tied by the Treaty much though they Wo ul d have li ked

,

to see things e ffected di f ferently In course of time however .

, ,

the If es were practically indi f ferent about it as intermarriages ,

 TH E SE Q UE L 64 7

between them had all but made them one people and the hope ,

was being entert ai ned that the matter would die away and that ,

Modak ek e would rem ai n B ut A d el ekan the newly created

.
,
-

Owgn i O f I f e a man as austere as he was uncompromising was

, ,

unre m itting in his e f forts t o see Modak ek e removed H e went .

so far as t o conciliate Governor Carter in 1 8 96 by giving him three

of those national and ancestr al works of art known as the I f e
Marbles . B ut since the general peace was kept and t h e Moda ,

k ek es were as indust r ious as they were loyal t o the If es and both ,

popul ations seemed to li ve together in ami ty except for the

Owoni neither he nor hi s successors renewed the proposal to
,

remove Modak ek e .

Sir Willi am Ma c Gr eg or d uring his regime as Governor am ong

, ,

other places visited I l e I f e H e gr anted the Owg ni a n

.

annu al subsidy on account of his position Thinking he had .

secured hi s man in thi s Governor the Qwen i wi th plausible ,

excuses but chi efly for t h is purpose undertook the unusual

, ,

course o f visiting Lagos in person H e di d s o but without e f fect.

,

for Sir Wi l li am had seen the town s hi mself But still A d el ekan .
,

was unre mi tting in his hostili ties towards the Mo d ak ekes causing ,

them repeated annoyance fomenting d isorders and by false

, ,

reports and unsubstantiated C harges got the two most powerful ,

chi efs — the B alogun and the Otun— transported to Ibadan under .

charges of disturbing the peace Then later on during the re gime

.
, ,

of S ir Walter E gerton (himself being on furlough at the time) the

Owg ni ar m ed wi th a C opy of the old Treaty got round the officer
, ,

stationed at Ile I f e and it would seem secured his connivance

,
.

The If es thereupon took i t upon themselves t o moles t and annoy

the Mo d a kekes in every possible way even t o the extent of enteri ng ,

their houses and seizing anything they took a fancy to doing ,

violence t o men and women in a way they dared not do without

provoking a war before the Pax B ritanni ca was im posed The
, .

Owg ni knew what he was about when he g ot the B alogun and the
Otun removed to Ibadan The Of ficer located at Ile I f e saw all
.

this but s ai d and did nothing which was very sign ificant The
,
.

Mo d a k ekes saw that a hi gher power was n ow behind the If es

and that they wo ul d have n o redress Thus it c am e to pass that .

on the 2 7 t h day o f M arch 1 909 twenty three years after the

, ,
-

impos ition of the Treaty the town was broken up Those of them
,
.

who were descended from the Ow ns removed to their ancestral

homes t o Owu n le between I f e and Ij ebu others t o Gbangan
, , ,

som e to Qd ii a b en othe rs to Ed e the bulk o f the people however

, , ,

wi th the Ogu ns ua or B al e of Modak ek e removed to a place called

Qd ekom u som ewhere mid way b et ween Ed e I f e and the I j esas
’

, ,
 64 8 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
about t en miles from I f e j ust beyond the river S a sa whi ch after
,

the war was made the boundary of I f e territory .

A d el ekan seems to have been raised up for the purpose of

breaking up Modak ek e for he commenced his hostilities agains t
,

the town soon after he was r ai sed to the stool of the Owgni and ,

he died the year after the breaking up of the town They drove .

us twice from our hom e he used to say

,
and we must see ,

that they are driven perm anently from theirs .

Want of su ffi cient land for farming prevented the people from

concentrating in a spot as at M odak ek e U nfortunately .

komu is not on a caravan route and that has rest ri cted its p o p u
,

lation but i t is a sm all compact and flou rishing town the

, ,

people happy contented and progressive as usual

, .

Providence who ordereth and con t r ollet h all things saw that
, ,

i t was tim e Modak ek e sho ul d ce as e to exist after they had nobly

done their part in shaping the history of the Yoruba country .

6 . I L QR I N

The Ilorins quickly showed themselves as the real dist urbers of

the peace of the country an d the real cause of the protracted
,

war : for whereas the disturbances in the other provinces were

more or less domestic and local it was left for them to engage in
‘

political di sturbances which un der the old regime would have

drawn forth the Ibadan army o u t of home .

N O sooner had the I b a d a ns gone hom e from I kirun and Governor ,

Carter and his party had left them than they broke the agreement ,

arri ved at with them and placed A j el es (political R esidents) at

Ikirun and O sogbo .

The boundary between the Ibadan and Il ori n terri tory had
been fixed at the Aw er e stream t o the south o f Erin leaving , ,

Erin and Of a to the I l grin s but the towns and vi ll ages h itherto
,

under Ibadan protection were defi nitely excluded from I l grin

i nterference .

F o r thi s encroachment therefore Capt ai n B ower had t o g o to

Il erin to remonstrate wi th the E mir for disregarding the com pact
made wi th the I l g rins by S ir Gilbert Carter The I l g ri n chiefs .

took great exception to the manner Capt ai n Bower was addressing

their King but partly from fear an d partly from the intervention
, ,

o f the E mir they were restrain ed from laying violent hands on

,

him They cal led Capt ai n B ower B awa

.
(p r on o un ced B a h
“

wah) that in H ausa is the name of a slave All their great men .

ha ve each one a Bawa— their pri ncipal slave— and hence Captain
B ower was taken f o r Sir Gilbert Carter s slave
‘

For a slave t o ’

be t alking after that m an ner to and threatening their King was

, ,
65 0 THE H ISTO R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
taken unl ess they received timely as sistance F or this re as on .

Sergean t Maj or D angana was sent wi th abo ut eighty men with

-

som e rockets The S ergeant Maj or was a skilful and reliable

.

leader : he d ar ed not expose his small force to the overwhelming

hosts of the I l gr in s ; but he hid so me in a bush comm an di ng a b y
path t o their re ar and the res t he po sted on a rock in full view
,

of the I l g rins At the Sight of them the I l erin s g a ve a S hout and

.
‘

made for them led by thei r B al ogun Adam u son of the late
, ,

K a rara and leader o f the expe di tion B ut the horses could n ot go .

on the craggy rocks an d the Lagos troops were therefore saf e from
,

their l ances D angana then ordered volleys to b e fir ed on them

.
,

the rockets also rent t h e air about them and frightened m an y away .

Adam u was fatally hit on the neck and in their presence he ,

divested h imself of his war dress and entrusted it to one of his

-

m en with orders not t o stop till he reached hom e with it for that ,

he himsel f might not reach hom e The dress was an heirloom .

in the f amily from his grandfather Ali

, .

Their leader wounded the Ilorins gave Wa y and the Lagos

,

troops followed them cautiously till they cam e wi thi n stri king
di stance o f the cam p There they disch ar ged two or three rockets
.

which set the camp on fir e and the host gave way , A large
po rtion of them had gone a pi llaging in the morning an d these
-

, ,

returning to find their leader dead and the cam p fir ed and broken
up m ade the best of their way home being pursued only a li ttle
, ,

way by the E kit is of Ot un and neighbourhood H ere the I l grins .

lost hundreds of riderless horses .

Thus the camp at the Ri ver Otin was again saved from the
determined attack of these intrepid horsem en .

By these repeated attacks on the Lagos troops an d the disturb

ance of the peace the hopes of the I b ad an s were for a whi le r ai sed
,

for an Il erin campai gn But in F ebruary 1 897 the forces of

.
, ,

the Royal Niger Company having i ts headquarters at Lokoj a ,

with the two battali ons r ai sed at Ibadan entered Il e rin from the ,

north after a single pitched battle be fore the gate of that City .

Thus I l gr in has been subj ugated and a R esident placed there t o

t hi s day
.

The di sappointment o f the I b ad an s was shared by those wh o

had hopes of seeing the Yoruba country once more uni ted under
the A L AF I N o f Q Y Q by the subj ugation of Il erin by the Ibadan
forces backed by a force of B ri tish troops B ut i t seem ed this .

was not t o be The I l grin power h as thus been thoroughly broken

. ,

and the garrison was removed from the River Otin .

 APP E ND I X A

T R E ATI E S
1 . A B EO K U TA
TR E ATY of friendship and commerce made at Ab eokuta in the
E gba country this 1 8t h (eighteenth) day of J an uary in t h e year 1 8 93 .

B etween H is E xcellency Gilbert T hom as Carter E s q Com , .

,

p ani on of the Most D isting uished Order of S ai nt Michael and

S aint George Governor and Commander in Chi ef of the Colony
,
- -

of Lagos f Or and on behalf of H er Maj esty the Queen of Great

,

B rit ai n an d Ireland E mpress of Indi a etc her heirs and

, ,

successors on the one p ar t and the undersigned king (Al ake) an d

,

Authori ties of Ab eokuta representing the E gba Kingdom for and ,

on beh alf of their heirs an d successors on the other part We .

the un dersign ed King and Authori ties d o in t h e presence of ,

the E lders H eadmen and people assembled at this place hereby

, ,

promise
I st
. That there shal l be peace an d friendshi p between the
subj ects of the Q ueen and Egba s ubj ects and shoul d any di f ference
,

or dispute acci dentally arise between us and the s ai d s ubj ects

of the Queen it S hall be referred t o the Governor of Lagos f or
,

settlement as m ay be deemed expedient .

an d That there shall be complete freedom of Trade between

.

the E gba country and Lagos and i n View of the injur y to Commerce
,

arising from the arbitr a ry closing of roads we the sai d King an d ,

Authorities hereby declare that n o roads S hall in future be closed

wi thout the consen t and approval of the Governor of Lagos .

3 r d That we the said King and Authorities pledge ourselves

.

to use every means in o ur po wer t o foster and promote trade wi th

the countries adj oini ng Egba and with Lagos .

4 t h That we the sai d King and Authorities will as heretofore

.
, ,

a f ford complete protection and every assist an ce and encourage

ment t o all ministers of the Christi an reli gi on .

5 t h I t is fur ther agreed and stipul ated by the s ai d Gilbert

.

Thom as Carter on behalf o f H er Maj esty the Queen of E ngland

, ,

that s o long as the provisions of this Treaty are strict l y kept n o ,

annexation of any portion of the Egba country Shal l be made by

H er Maj esty s Government wi thout the consent of the lawful
’

Authori ties of the country n o aggressive action shall be taken

,

65 1
 65 2 TH E H IST O R Y O F TH E YO RU B AS
agai nst the s ai d country and its independence shall be fully
recognised .

6 t h The sai d K ing and Authori ties having promi s e d that the
.

practice o f o ffering human sacri fices shall be abolished in the one

townshi p where i t at present exists ; and having expl ai ned that
B ritish subj ects have already freedom t o occupy land b uild houses , ,

and carry on trade and manufacture in any part of the Egba

country and likewise that there is n o possibility of a cession of
,

any portion of the Egba co untry t o a F oreign Power without the

‘

consent of H er Maj esty s Government i t is desired that no speci al ’

provision be m ade in regard t o these subj ects i n this Treaty .

D one at Ab eokuta this eighteenth day of Jan uary 1 893 , .

O§ 0 KA L U X (his m ark ) K ing A la ke .

O S U N D A R E ON L A D O X of K ing
)
R ep res en t a tives .

S O R U N K E J AG UN A X A la ke a n d Eg ba U n ited
O C U N D E Y I M AGAJI X J Gover n m en t .

G T C A RTE R
. .
, Gover n or a nd C omm a n d er in C h ief ,
C olony L ag os .

Witnessed at Ab eokut a this 1 8t h day of J anuary , 1 893 .

G B . . HA DD O N S MIT H -
P o lit ica l Off icer , .

R L . . B O WE R C a p ta in
, , A s s t I n s p ect or L ag os C on s t a bu lary .
, .

J B
. . WOOD , M is s ion a ry of t h e C h ur ch M is s ion ary S ociety .

A L . . H E T H E R S E TT C ler k a n d I n terp r eter , Gover nor s Off ice

,
’
.

E R . . CK
B I E R STE T H , Tr a d er .

W F . . T I NN E Y S O M O Y E C ler k to t he Eg ba A u thor ities

, .

I the undersigned do swear that I have tr uly and honestly

, ,

i nterpreted the terms of the foregoi n g Treaty to the contracting

parties in the Yoruba language .

A L H E T H E R SE TT . .

Witness to sign ature

E R B I CK E R ST E T H Tr ad er . .
, .

§ 2 0Yg .

Treaty m ade at O Y O in the Yoruba country t h is 3r d day of ,

February in the year 1 8 93 between His E xcellency Gilbert

, ,

Thomas Carter E s q Compani on of the Most Distinguished Order

, .
,

O f S ai nt Michael an d S aint George Governor and Commander ,

in Chief of Lagos for and on behalf Of H er Maj esty the Q ueen of

-

Great Britain and Ireland E mpress of India etc H er H eirs and , , .

,

S uccessors on the one part and the undersigned King A L AF I N of ,

Q Y Q and H ead of Yoruba land f or and on behalf of his H eirs an d -

S uccessors on the other part , .

I the unders igned A L AF I N of do hereby promise

654 TH E H IST OR Y OF TH E YO R UB AS
1 1 I li kewise pledge m yself to obtain the consent and co
th .

operation of all the subordinate kings and authorities of r ep r es en

t a t ive towns in Yoruba land to the provisions of this Treaty -
.

AD E Y E MI A ldf in of Oy g a n d H ead of Y or u ba la n d X (h is m ark)

, _
-
.

G T CA R T E R Gover n or a nd C om m an d er in C hief C olony of L ag os

. .
,
- -

, .

D one at Q Y Q this 3r d day of F ebruary 1 8 93 , .

Signed in the presence of ,

G B HA DD O N S MIT H P olit ica l Off icer . .

-

, .

I the undersign ed d o swear that I have trul y and hones tly

, ,

interpreted the terms of the foregoing agreement to the contracting

party in the Yoruba language .

A L H E T H E R S E TT . . .

Witness t o signature ,

G B HA DD O N S MIT H P olitical Off icer . .

-

, .

§ 3 IB ADAN .

A G RE E M E N T made at Ibadan this 1 5 t h day of Aug ust 1 893 , ,

between His E xcellency George Chardin D enton E s q Companion , .

,

of the Most D istinguished Order of S ai nt Michael and S aint

George Acting Governor an d Comm ander in Chi ef of the Colony
,
- - -

of Lagos for and on behalf of H er Maj esty the Q ueen of Great

,

Brit ai n and Irel a nd E mpress of In di a her heirs and successors

, ,

of the one part and the undersigned B al e and Authorities of

,

I badan for and on behalf of their heirs and O f the people of

,

Ibadan o f the other part .

We the undersi g ned B al e and Authorities of Ibadan on behalf

,

of o urselves and of the people of Ibadan do hereby agree and ,

declare as follows
1 That the general administration of the int ernal a ffai rs of
.

the following Yoruba towns viz : Iwo E d e O sogbo I kirun , .

, , , ,

Ogb o m g se E j igbo and Is eyi n and I n all countries i n the s o c all ed

,
-

E kun Otun Ekun Os i i s vested in the general government of

, ,

Ibadan and the local authorities of the sai d towns act in harmony
t h and are subj ect to Ibadan notwithstanding that the A l afin
is recognised as the King and H ead of Yoruba land -
.

2 That we full y recognise all the p rovisions of the Treaty

.

dated the 3r d F ebruary 1 8 93 m ade at n between His E xcellenc y, ,

S ir Gilbert Thom as Carter Knight Comm ander of the Most D istin ,

g ui s h ed Order O f S aint Michael and S ai nt George then Com ,

p an ion o f the Most Dis t ig uis h ed Order on behalf of H er M aj esty

r
,

the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and the A l afin of n ,

as H ead of Yoruba land -

.
 A PPE ND I X A 65 5

3 . That we ful ly agree to carry out wi thin the terri tory of Ibadan
al l the provisions of the s ai d Treaty .

4 That we further agre e in amplification of the sai d Treaty

. .

on o ur o wn behalf t o the followin g terms and conditions :

First That we will use every e f fort to sec ure the free p as sage
.

of all persons coming through Ibadan either from the interi or

t o Lagos or from Lagos to the inte ri or and we promise t o
, ,

a f ford protection to per sons and propert y so passing .

S econd That for the purpose o f better securing the performance

.

of the s aid Treaty of the 3 r d F ebruary 1 8 93 and of t h is , ,

agreement we do hereby agree to receive at Ibadan such

,

E urope an O ffi cers and such a force of the Lagos constabulary

as the Governor shall from time t o tim e deem necessary for
the s ai d purpose and for securing to uS the benefits of the
sai d Treaty and Agreement ; and we al so agree to provide
land for the occupation of s uch O fficers and force .

Thi rd We further agree upon the request of the Gove r nment

.
,

of Lagos to provi de land for the construction and m ain

,

t en an ce of a railway through our territory S ho ul d the con ,

‘

str uction o f s uch a rail way be determined upon and to accept ,

for such land such compensation if any as shall be agreed , ,

upon between the parties hereto or between the authorities

of Ibadan and the persons undertaking the constru ction of
such railway .

5 And we d o finally agree that all disputes which may arise

.

under or in reference t o t his Agreement shall be enquired into and

adj usted by t wo arbitrators the one to be appo inted by the
,

Governor of Lagos for the tim e being the other by the B al e and ,

autho ri ties of Ibadan and in any case where the arbitrators s o

,

appointed shall not agree the matter in dispute shall be referred

t o the Go vernor of Lagos whose decision shall be final .

D one at Ibadan this fifteenth day Of August one thousand ,

eig ht hundred and ninet y three .

G E O R GE CH A RD I N D E N T O N , C MO. . A cting Gover n or .

F I J A B I t h e B a le
, X
O S U N T O KI , t he Ot un B a le X
F A JI N M I t h e Os i B a l e
, x
A K I NT QL A , t he B a log u n by his ,

r ep r es en ta t i ve O Y E N I Y I
, x
B A B AL O LA , the Ot un B a log un X
K O N GI th e Os i B a log u n
, X
S U M QN U A P A M PA t he A sip a , X
O GU N D I P O , t h e S er iki X (their marks)
65 6 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
Si gned in the presence of :
'

G B HA DD O N S MIT H A cting I n sp ector Gen er a l L agos C ons t a bu la ry

’

'
-
. .
, , .

W R H E ND E R S O N A cting Tr a velling C om mis s ioner

. .
, .

D W S T E WA R T Capt A s s t I n s p ect or Lag os C ons t a bula ry

. .
, .
, .
, .

We the undersigned d o swear that we have truly and hon estly

, ,

interpreted the terms of the foregoing Agreement to the c ontracting

parties in th e Yoruba language .

J O HN A W ILLIAMS C ler k to Tr a velling C ommis s ioner

.
, .

C J P B O YL E C ler k an d I n terp r eter

. . .
, .

Parti cipators in and witnesses to the Agreement

L A N LA T U I y a lod e , th e
M O S A D E R I N t he E ker in ,

O G U N G B E S A N t he E ka r u n
O B IS E SA N t h e A g ba kin
TA N I P E Y I t h e M ay e
A K I N T UN D E ,
th e E kef a
S A LA K Q t he A r e A la s a ,

B A M G B E G B I N , t h e A r eag oro
EN I M O WU t he A bes e ,

QLA I F A the A s aj u
Q M QS A N Y A t he Qt un S er iki X ,

A I N A FAG B E MI t he Os i S er iki X ,

E WE J E t h e S ar um i by h is , ,

representative A LAWO X
DAD A 01 0 t h e E ker in S er iki X (their marks ) , .

S ign ed i n our pres ence ,

J O HN A W ILLIAM S C ler k to Tr a velling C omm is s ioner

.
,

C J P B O YL E C ler k a nd I n ter p r eter

. . .
, .

§ 4 E G B A (B O UN D A R I E S) .

Agreement entered into at Ab eokuta between His E xcellency

S ir Gilbert Thomas Carter Knight Commander of the Mos t ,

D istinguished Order of S aint Michael an d Sai nt George Governor ,

and Commander in Chief Of the Colony of Lagos and the King - -

and Authori ties of the Egba nati on .

Whereas i t is expe di ent to define the boundari es between the

Egba country and the te r ri tori es bordering on or under the Bri tish ,

Protectorate of Lagos we the undersigned Governor of Lagos , ,

and the King and Authori ties of the Egba N ati on residing at
Ab eokuta agr ee as foll ows viz :, , .

1 The h n e of dem arcation between the two count ri es Shall

.

commence on the eastward at the town of Ori si on the left bank

65 8 TH E H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
We the undersigned declare that we have truly and honestly
, ,
.

interpreted the terms of this Agreement to the contracting par t ies

in the Yoruba lan g uage .

C J P B O YLE Gover n or s C ler k a nd I

’
ret er
. . .
, n t er p .

E R B I CK E R ST E T H T r ad er
. .
, .

Witness to the signature :

WM R T I N N E Y S O M O Y E S ec to
. .
, . t he Eg ba Govern men t .

A B EO K U TA ( RAILWAY) 5 .

Agreement made this 2 I s t day of February 1 899 between His , ,

E xcellency George Chardin D enton E s q Companion O f the , .

,

Most D istin guished Order of S ai nt Michael and S ai nt George ~

,

Acting Governor and Commander in Chief of the Colony of La gos

- - - .

for and on behalf of H er Maj esty the Queen O f Great Britain and
Ireland E mpress of India her heirs and successors of the one
, , ,

part and the Alake and Autho ri ties of the Egba nation for and
‘

o n behalf of themselves their heirs and successors and the Egba , ,

nation of the other part .

Whereas the Al ake and Authorities of the Egba nation for ,

and on behalf of themselves their heirs and successors and the ,

Egba nation have granted (as they hereby acknowledge) t o H er

,

Maj esty the Queen of Great Brit ai n and Ireland E mpress of ,

Indi a her heirs and successors the right t o construct establish

, , ,

and maint ai n a r ai lway wi th the proper wor ks a n d conveniences

'

for the conveyance of passengers an imals and goods through and ,

on the Egba terri tories And whereas it is deemed expedient to

’

m ake provision for the protection o f the s ai d railway works and

conveniences and for the purposes hereinafter appearing .

N o w therefore the Alake and Authorities of the Egba nation ,

f or and on behalf of themselves their heirs and successors and ,

the Egba nation hereby grant t o H er Maj esty the Queen of Great
,

B rit ai n and Ireland E mpress of Indi a her heirs and successors , , ,

for a period o f ninety nine years from the date hereof the following -

rights
I .To enter upon and occupy land to a distance of 1 00 yards on
both sides of the railway .

2 .To exercise upon such land all the powers for making main ,

taining altering rep ai ring and using the rai lway conferred upon
, ,

the Government of Lagos by the law for the time being of the
Colony of Lagos relating to railways .

3 T o apprehend in any part o f the Egba territories an d to

.
,

try and if found guilty to punish any person whether a British

, , ,

subj ect or not accused or suspected of having committed upon

,
 APPE ND I X A 65 9

the lan d afores ai d any o f fence of whatsoever nature against the

Law for the time being of the Colony of Lagos relating t o r ai lways ,

or against any regulation or bye law made in accordance with -

such law .

To apprehend in any part of the Egba territories and t o try and ,

if found g uilty to punish : ,

Any B ri tish subj ect an d any o ffi cer or servant whether

( a ) ,

B ritish subj ect or not employed by the Government of Lagos

,

on or in connection with the rai lway accused or s uspected of , ,

having commi tted upon the land aforesaid any o f fence of what
soever nature against t h e person or property of any B ritish subj ec t
or other person ; and
Any person other than a B ri tish subj ect accused or suspected
( )
b
of having committed upon the land aforesaid any o ffence of what
soever nature against the person or property of any B ri tish subj ect
or any officer or servant aforesaid .

And the Al ake and Authorities of the Egba nation f or and on

beh al f of themselves their heirs and successors and the Egba
,

nati on hereby un dertake

,

To apprehend and to deliver up to the Govern ment of L agos ,

and to ai d an d as sist in apprehen di ng any of the persons above ,

specified accused or suspected of having committed any Of fence

as aforesaid .

And His E xcellency the s ai d George Chardin D enton for and ,

on behalf of H er Maj esty the Queen of Great B ritain and Ireland ,

E mpress of Indi a her heirs an d successors in consideration of

, ,

the ri ghts hereinbefore granted and the undertaking hereinbefore

,

gi ven hereby promise

,

To pay t o the Alake and Authorities o f the Egba nation their ,

heirs and suc cessors during the continuance of this Agreement ,

the annual sum of t wo hundred p ounds by four quarterly payments

payable on the 2 5 t h day of March the 2 4 t h day of J une the 2 9t h
:
, ,

day of S eptember and the 2 5 t h day of D ecember in every year

, ,

the first of such payments to be made on the 2 5 t h March 1 8 99 , .

A nd it is hereby agreed that if owing t o unforeseen circum ,

stances it sh al l be considered by H er Maj esty the Queen of Great

,

B rit ai n and Ireland E mpress of India her heirs and successors

, , ,

that the provisions of t hi s Agreement or any O f them require ,

alteration am endment or revocation H er Maj esty her heirs and

, ,

successors S hall be entitled by gi vrn g three months previ ous ’

notice in w ri ting t o the Al ake and Authorities of the Egba nation ,

their heirs and successors to determine the Agreement at any

,

it m e and negoti ations S hall thereupon be entered into for the

,

purpose of making a n ew Agr eemen t in li eu thereof .

660 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E Y O RU B AS
In wi tness whereof the sai d parti es have set their han ds and
seals the day and y eer firs t above written .

(Si gned) G E O R G E C . D NTON

E , A cting Gover nor
-

G B A D E B Q A la ke ,

A D E P A G B A Olo wu ,

OLU B U M I A g u r a
m
,

S U LE M oha meda n C h ief

,

A L I D E L O UN B a log un K ,

A LI I J E UN S er iki ,

ID O WU A p ena I p or o , XX
C S O R U N T U N H ead P a r a koy i X (their
, m ark) .

Si gned an d se al ed at Ab eokuta by t h e sai d Alake and Authorities

of the Egba nation in t h e presence of
(Sg d ) F R A N K R O H R WE GE R
. .

G E O R G E AND E R S O N .

D O W ILLIAMS . . .

I do hereby certify that I have tr uly an d honestly interpreted

an d expl ai n ed in the Yoruba language the terms Of the foregoing

Agreement to the Alake and authorities of the Egba nation .

(Sign ed) WM A L FR E D A LL E N . .

S ign ed by the s ai d W A Allen in the presence of . .

LA D A P O A D E M O LA .

§ 6 I B A D A N ( RAILWAY) .

This Indenture made the 1 4 th day of D ecember 1 900 between

, , ,

His E xcellency S ir George Char di n D enton Knight Comm ander ,

of the Most D istinguished Order of S ai nt Michael an d S aint George ,

Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Lagos for and on beh al f

-

o f H er M aj esty the Queen of Great B rit ai n an d Ireland E mpress ,

of Indi a her heirs and successors of the one part and the B a sgr un
, ,

and Authorities of Ibad an f o r an d o n behal f O f themselv es their ,

heirs an d successors and the people of Ibadan o f the other part

, .

Where as by an Agreement made at Ibadan on the 1 st h day of

August 1 8 93 between His E xcell ency George Chardin D enton
, , ,

E s q Comp an ion of the Most D istinguished Order of S ai nt Michael

.
,

and S ai nt George Acting Governor and Comman der in Chi ef of

,
- - -

the Colony of Lagos for and on behalf o f H er Maj esty the Queen of
,

Great B ri t ai n and Irelan d E mpress o f Indi a her heirs and , ,

'

successors o f t h e o n e p ar t and the B al e and Authorities of Ibadan

, ,

for and on behalf of themselves and the peopl e Of Ibadan on the

other part the s ai d B al e and Authorities agreed among other
,

things to provide land for the constru ction and m ai ntenance of a

662 TH E H IST O R Y OF T H E YO RU B AS
the land aforesaid any o f fence of whatsoever nature against the
l aw f o r the time being of the Colony of Lagos relating to railways ,

or against any regulation or bye law made in accordance with -

such law .

(4) To apprehend in any part of the Ibadan ter ritories and to ,

try and if found guilty to punish

, , ,

(a ) Any British subj ect and any Officer or servant whether ,

British subj ect or n ot employed by the Government of Lagos , ,

accused o r suspected of having committed upon the land afore

said any O ffence of whats oever nature against the law for th e
time being of the Colony of Lagos ; and
(b) Any person other than a B ri tish subj ect accused or
suspected of having committed upon the land aforesaid any
o f fence of what s oever nature against the person or property of
any B ri tish subj ect or subj ect of a civilised power or any Offi cer
, ,

o r servant aforesaid
-

And the B a sg r un and Authorities of Ibadan for and on behalf ,

of themselves their heirs and successors and the Ibadan people

,

hereby undertake
T o apprehend and to deliver up t o the Government of Lagos ,

and t o aid and assist in apprehending any o f the persons above

specified accused or suspected of having committed a ny offence
as aforesaid .

And H is E xce ll ency the said George Chardin D enton for and ,

on behalf of H er Maj esty the Queen o f Great Britain and Ireland ,

E mpress of India her heirs and successors in consideration of the

, ,

rights hereinbefore granted and the undertaking hereinbefore

given hereby promise
,

T o pay t o the B a sgr un and Authorities of Ibadan their heirs ,

and successors during the continuance of this Agreement the

, ,

annual sum o f twenty pounds by four quarterly payments payable ,

on the 2 5 t h day o f March the 2 4 t h day of J une the 2 9t h day of , ,

S eptember and the 2 5 t h day of D e cember in every year the first

, ,

o f such payments t o be made on the 2 5 t h day of D ecember 1 900 , .

And it is hereby agreed that if o wing to unforeseen circum

stances it S hall be considered by H er Maj esty the Queen of Great
,

B r itain and Ireland E mpress o f India h er heirs and successors

, , ,

that the provisions of this Agreement or any of them require

alteration amendment or revocation H er Maj esty her heirs and
, , , ,

successors shal l be entit l ed by giving three months previous notice ,

’

in writing to the B a sg r u n and Authorities Of Ibadan their hei rs ,

and successors to determine the Agreement at any time and

, ,

negotiations shal l thereupon be entered into for the purpose of

making a new Agreement in lieu thereof .
 APPE ND I X A 6 63

In wi tness whereof the s ai d parties have hereunto set their

hands and seal s the day and year first above wri tten .

(Signed) G E O R G E C D E N T O N Li eu t Gover n or . .
-
.

F A J I N M A , B a s gr u n of I ba d a n X
O G U N D B E S A N Os i B a sgr u n
, X
DA D A Ekerin B a sg r u n
, X
O L A I F A M ay e B a sg r u n
, X
S U M QN U Ot un B a log u n
, X
B A M G B E G B I N Os i B a log u n
, X
S H IT U A s ip a , X
S U B E RU E ker in B a l og un , X (their mark s) .

Signed in the pres ence of

(Signed) F C F U LL E R P r es id en t I bad an
. .
, , .

C E J O HN ST O N E P r iva te S ecr et a ry
. .
, .

I the undersigned d o swear that I have truly and honestly

, ,

i nterpreted the terms of the foregoing Agreement t o the contracting

p a rties in the Yoruba language .

(Signed) H E N R Y L I B E RT C ler k a n d I n ter pr et er , .

C A S OD I P E C ler k a nd I n ter pr et er Witn es s t o s ig n a tur e

. .
, ,
.

7 I J E SA
E NA CTM E N T A B O LITI O N O F H U MA N S A C R I F IC E S I N T H E
F OR THE

I j E sA C O U N T R I E S
Whereas the practice of immolating human beings is cruel ,

barbarous futile and unj ust in the eyes of all civilised nations
,

and right minded persons and whereas the said practice has fallen
-

i nto disuse amongst the I j esa s and the present time appears ,

opportune for i ts total abolition in the Ij esa country and whereas

the I j esas are under a deep and lasting obligation to His E xcellency
the Governor of Lagos for having established peace between them
and their late enemies the I b a d a n s and for having thereby secured
, ,

the independence of the Ij esa country and Whereas H is E xcell ency

the Governor of Lagos desires no other proof of gratit ude of the
I j esa s f o r what he has done for them than that they should abolish
the abominable practice ; and whereas the I j esas have resolved
t o abolish the sai d practice accor d ingly : N ow therefore we the , ,

undersigned as representing the Ij esa nati on do hereby enact

, , ,

ord ain and declare as follows vi z

, , .

.1 The practice of immolating human beings whether at the ,

festival of any deity or before at or after the funeral of any , ,

king or subj ect or on any other public or pri vat e occasion shall
, ,

be and hereby is abolished for ever .

664 TH E H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
2 It S hall be and is hereby constituted a cri m inal o f fence for
.

any one in the kingdom of Ij esa or for any subj ect of the Ij esa
king to perform or p articipate in or t o ai d and abet others in ,

performing or p ar tici pating in any hum an sacri fice .

3 E very such criminal o f fence shall be punished by the infli ction

.

of a heavy fine impri sonment or forced labour

, , .

4 N o person condemned to death for a crim e puni shable wi th

.

death under the laws of the Ij esa country shall be utili sed for
the purpose of sacrifice .

Given under o ur hands and seals this 2 9t h day of S eptember ,

1 886 .

A G U N LOY E , Qwa of I lesa X

O GE D E M G B Ef I j esa S er i ki
m r ks ) X
.
,
(t h eir a o .

S igned and sealed in our presence after the contents had been
read and interpreted t o the signatories by the R ev Charles Phillips . .

gi gggs fim j Sp
cl
ecia l C om m is s ioners .

8 . E K ITI
E N ACTM E N T F OR A B O LITI O N O F H U MA N S A C R I F I C E S I N T H E
TH E
E K ITI C O UN T R I E S
Whereas the practice of immolating human beings is cruel ,

barbarous futile and unj ust in the eyes of all civilised nations
,

and right minded persons and whereas the said practice has
-

fallen into d isuse in the E kiti countries and the present time appears ,

opport un e for its tot al abolition in those countries and whereas

the E kit is are under a deep and lasting obl igation to His E xcellency
the Governor of Lagos for havi ng established peace between them
and their late enemies the I b a d a n s and for having thereby secured ,

the independence of the s ai d E kiti countri es ; and whereas His

E xcellency the Governor o f Lagos desires no other proof of the
gratitude of the E kit is f or what h e —has done for them than that
they Sho ul d abolish the said abominable practice and Whereas
the E kit is have resolved t o abolish the s ai d practice accordi ngly :
N ow therefore we the undersigned representing al l the E kiti
, ,

kings and countries and being duly authorised to s p ea k in thei r

,
'

name and on their behalf do hereby enact ordain and declare

, , , ,

as follows viz ,

I. The practice of immolating human beings wh ether at the ,

festival of any deity or before at or after the funeral of any

, , ,

king or subj ect or on any other public or pri vate occasion shall be ,

and hereby is abolished for ever .

2. I t shall be and hereby is constituted a criminal o f fence for

666 TH E H IST O R Y OF THE Y O RU B AS

§1 0 . FRA N C E
Arrangement concerning the delimitation of the E nglish and
French possessions on the West Coast o f Afric a Signed at .

Pari s August 1 0t h 1 8 8 9 (An n ex B )

, , . .

The undersigned selected by the Government o f H er Maj esty

,

the Queen of Great B r itain and Ireland and by the Government

of the French R epub l ic for the purpose o f preparing a general
understan di ng wi th a view t o sett l e al l the questions at issue ,

between E ngl and and F rance with regard t o their respective ,

possessions on the West Co ast of Africa have agreed on the ,

following provisions :

AR TICL E I V
S ect 1 On the slave coast the line of demarcation between
. .

the spheres of influence of the two powers shal l be identical wi th

the meridian whi ch intersects the territory of Port o N ovo at the
Aj ara Creek leaving Ipo kia to the E nglish Colony of Lagos
, .

It sha l l fol low the above mentioned meridi an as far as the ninth
-

degree of north latit ude where i t shal l stop To the south it

, .

S hal l
_
terminate on the seashore after having passed through the
territory o f A p p ah the capital O f which shall continue to belong
,

to E ngland .

The navigation of the Aj ar a and of the River Ado shall be free

and open to the inhabit ants and boats of both protectorates .

S ect 2 French traders shal l be guaranteed ful l l iberty O f trade

. .

with such districts as shal l n ot be included in the French sphere

of influence and especially as regards the Egbas
, .

E ngl ish traders Sha l l likewise be guaranteed ful l liberty of trade

with such districts as shal l not be included in the E ngl ish sphere
o f influence .

S ect 3 Guarantees sha l l a l so be given in favour of the in

. .

habitants of K et en u and of the F rench portion of the terri tory of

A p p ah . These inhabitants shall be free t o leave the country
shou l d they s o desire and those wh o remain shall be protected
,

by the French authori ties against any act of aggression on their

person their position or their propert y on the part of the king
, , ,

of Porto N ovo or of his peopl e .

S imi l ar guarantees sha l l be gi ven in favour of the inhabi tants

of the territory o f Ipokia .

S ect 4 It is furthermore agreed that (i) the E nglish Government

. .

shall have full liberty of political action t o the east of the frontier
 APPE ND I X A 667

line and that (I I ) the French Government S hall have full liberty
of political action t o the west of the frontier line .

S ect 5 In consequence of the understanding defined as above

. .
,

and wi t h a View to obviate any conflict t o which the d ai l y relations

of the inhabi tants of the Porto N ovo country with those Of Ipo ki a
might give rise i f a Custom house were t o be estab lished b y one
-

or other O f the contracting parties on the Aj ara Creek the E nglish ,

and French D elegates agree in recommending to their respective

Governments the neutral ization from a Customs point of view of
, ,

that portion o f the territory of Ipokia which is comprised ,

between the Aj ara Creek and the A d o until such time as a

definitive Customs Agreement can be arri ved at between the
French establishments o f Porto N ovo and the Colony O f Lago s
A RTICL E V
The t wo Governments reserve to them s e lves the right of nomin
ating S pecial Commissioners of D e l imitation t o trace upon the
spot wherever they may consider i t necessary the li ne of demarc
, ,

ation between the E n glish and Fre nch possessions in conformity

W ith the general provisions which are set forth above .

In wi tness thereof the undersigned delegates have drawn up

and signed the present Agreement subj ect to the approval of ,

thei r respective Governments .

D one at Paris in dupli cate the 1 0t h day of August 1 8 89 ,

.

(Signed) E D WI N H E G E R T ON. .

AU G U ST U S W L H E MMI N G . . .

A NI SA R D
. .

J E A N B A Y OL .

P O R TO N O V O
1 1 .

S ect 1 The meridi an which intersects the territory of Porto

. .

N ovo at the Aj ara Creek S hall be taken t o mean

”

1.
( To the north of the Port o N ovo l agoon ) the mid dl e of the
stream of the Aj ara River to the point where the said r iver ceas es
to separat e the kingdom of Porto N ovo from that of Ipoki a and
from thence the meri dian thereof a s far as the ninth parallel of
north latitude .

2 .
(T o the south of the Porto N ovo lagoon ) the mer i dian of
the middle of the Aj ara Ri ver where it flows into the Porto N ovo
,

lagoon .

3 The frontier li ne has been based in this Convention upon the

.
668 THE H ISTO R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
S ketch S urvey of the Inland Water Communication in the Col ony
of La gos by H arbour Master S peeding 1 88 6 , .

§ 12 . PR O CLAMATI O N O F I 3 T H A U G U ST ,
1 8 91

B y His E xcel l ency George Chardin D enton E s q ,

.
,
Acting
Governor o f Lagos etc etc , .
, .

G E OR G E C D E N T O N.
, A ct ing Gover nor .

Wh ereas H er M aj est y has been advised that it is for the best

interests of the people of the Colony and protectorate of Lagos ,

and also of the people of the kingdom of Ilaro that the said kingdom
sho ul d be transferred t o the Government of H er Maj esty and that
H er Majest y shoul d ass um e the Protectorate thereof :
And whereas the King Chi efs E lders an d peopl e of the ki ngdom
, , ,

of Ilaro have expressed their desire that the sai d kingdom should
be s o transferred and that H er Maj esty S hould assume the P ro t ec
f orate thereof
And whereas it is H er Maj esty s pleasure that the kingdom of
’

Ilaro be attached to the Colo ny of Lagos and form part of the

protectorate thereof
N ow therefore I George Chardin D enton E s quir e Co m p an ion
, , ,
‘

of the Most D istinguished Order of S aint Michael an d S ai nt

George Acting Govern or of the Co l ony of Lagos do publish
,
'

, ,

m ake known and proclaim as foll ows

1
. The kingdom of Ilaro is now under the S overeignty and
protection of H er Maj esty .

2
. The kingdom of Ilaro is attached to the Colony Of Lagos and
forms part of the Protectorate thereof .

Given under m y hand and the Great S eal of the Colony of

Lagos this thirteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and ninety one .

A F TA R B E T
. .
, A cting A s s t . C olon i a l S ecr et a ry .
6 70 THE H IST O R Y OF TH E Y O RU B AS
B agg r uns . E ven ts .

Oj o and A kio s o S ei zure o f Ilorin by the

F ulanis
Modak ek e
Ibadan and
founded .

I n t erreg n u m Fal l Of Ancient d

Ol uy o le G b enl a A g e became d o f the
3 7 Atiba
. and
present day B eb e .

celebrated
38 . Adel n G b en l a and Ogun sor o
39 . Adey emi Ogun so r o I y e La y ed e
, ,

2 . I B A D A N CH I E F R U L E R S A ND T H E I R B A LO G U N S FR O M I Ts

O CC U PATI O N T o T H E B E GI N N I N G O F TH E B R ITIS H
PR OT E CT O R AT E .

I . Ibadan as a Military Camp .

Generali s simo
Baba Isal e
Leader o f the Oy es
2 . Transition S tage .

Kakanfo (honorary)
Otun Kakanfo
Os i Kakanfo

3 . As a S ettlement .

Tit les . B a log un s .

B as or un Qd er in l e
Bal e vacant
I b ikun le
Akere
A j gb g
Aj ayi Og b or ief g n

A kin t ol a

§3 . TH E LE A D I N G CH I E F S O F A B E O K U TA FR O M ITS FO UN D ATI O N
To T H E B E GI N N I N G O F T H E B R ITI S H PR O T E C T O R ATE

S o d ek e Leader o f the Egbas t o Ab eokuta

,

His associates in the Govern

)
‘
Apati B alogun of Kemta
,

un r in Balogun of Ilugun
, ment .

1
Apati bought the title of B a sg r u n from Ol uy g le of I badan
but never lived to enj oy i t It passed on to S o m o y e . .
 APP E ND I X B 6 71

O ku ken u , al ias S a g b ua , King

Og u n b g n aBalogun o f I kij a
,

S ok enu B al ogun of Ij eun

,
Associates wh o
An gba Balogun of I ka
, helped t o rule
S o m o y e B alogun of Iporo
, , the town .

afterwards B as or un
Balogun of I kij a Ogundip e ,
A d em g l a Alake or a us ,
Kemta On l a d o ,
O yekan
Jaguna of I g b eI n
Ol uwaj r n ‘
B alogun of Iporo
The Q uadrumvirate who actual ly rul ed .

O so ka l u ,
Alake or Primus Og un d eyi 2

O ther di s tinguished B a lo g u n s
m ore o r less independent each
his own township .

Eg e of O ko O b ir in t i of I j a y e K uku d i
Ag badu of Ij em o A j a g u n j eun of I toko
A t a m b al a of I kereku Og u n sel a o f I j ej a
An g ba of I ka Ol um l o y e of Ilugun

§ 4 The E m ir s of I lg r in.
.

Alim i the F ulani pries t of A f gn j a wh o headed the mutiny of

the J am as and murdered their lord paved the way f or h is eldest
son t o become the first king o r E mir of Ilorin under the S ultan
of S okoto .

At his death he left four son s the succession in the E mirate ,

being confined t o the descendant s of the firs t two .

Alimi the Pri est

1 . A b u d us al a m i 2 S hi tta

3 . Suberu 4 . Ali b u

5 . A b u d us al a m i II 6 . S ule

l
C) l uwa j rn was a wealthy Itoku m an wh o bought the title of
A l a 1( e
.

2
Og un d ey i having out lived his ri vals assumed the title of
-

B as g r u n (being nephew t o S o m o y e) and r uled the town singly the ,

Al ake being only a figu r e head .

 IND E X
A ia b e . 2 34 Ak awo , 3 o4
-

Alahari 1 2 4 ,

Aj adi 2 7 2
,
Akere , 2 49 Asipa , Alake the first , 1 7
A j a g u n j eun .
83 : n at I ve o fficer Alak e 8 5 ,

Aj agusi 8 6 ,
61 9 A l a kor o 7 3 ,

Aj agbe 8 5 ,
A ker ed ol u , 38 0 , 390 ,
A l an a m u 3 09 ,

A J A GB O 1 68 , , 21 7 3 9I Alapinni 7O ,

Aj agbusi 3 7 ,
A kes e,
2 34 Alara 2 3 ,

AJA KA 1 5 2 , Ak ey e , 1 50 , 1 89 Alasia 7 6 ,

Aj aka d , 1 1 A kib et e , 2 07 A l awe , 1 1 9

A j ako 47 9 ,
A kid an 69 , 1 Alawo , 85 , 45 6
A j am u 85 , Akilapa 2 7o , Al aye , 23
Aj anaku 2 77 ,
A kin g b a d e 4 7 6 , A l a y ea y o 3 96 .

Aj ani 8 5,
A kin g b ehin 3 3 2 , A l ebio su 6 0 1 ,

A j a n l a p a 1 63
A j an p ad a 2 3
A j apa 4 73 ,
A j a r u wa 5 2 7
,
A kin iku 7 o , Alega . 397
, A kin j eb i 2 09 , A l eg b a t a , 1 65
A kinl a b i 2 91 , Alel e , 2 98
, A kin l am u 5 2 7 ,
A l esin l g y e
J acob 6 ,

Aj ayi 8 1, Akinliyi 2 91 , Ali B alogun o f I 191

Aj ayi Jegede 3 1 0 , A kin m e y er o 2 3 o ,
2 85 ; of Iwo 3 1 ,

Aj ayi Ogb o r ief gn 349 . . Akintaro 4 38 , native officer 6 1 ,

3 8 3 4 2 8 death O f
, , , A kigl a 2 92 ,
L a luwo y e 3 66 3 , ,

63 7 A kin t gl a 1
4 9 4 3 2 , , : 387
Aj ayi O sun gb ekun , 44 5 4 7 8 63 6
. . Ali b u 4 3 7 5 1 6
, ,

50 1 , B alogun 5 04 , Akiny ele 8 2 , death Of 609 ,

Aj e I 5 9
, A kiny ele F L 6 1 7 . .
, Alimi , 1 93
A j er e 1 5 9
, A kin y en i 2 1 0 ,
A l o b it iko 7 2 ,

Aj ero 2 3 5 2 7
, , A kio sa 2 5 9 , A l o d el o ko 2 07 ,

A j eb a b a 2 1 7 , A kir un 7 6 ,
A l u d u n d un 5 8 ,

A j er un 2 3 4 , A kisa tan 8 4 ,
Al uko s o , 5 8
Ajibade 34 2 , A kis g wen 2 93 , Amazon 31 3 ,

A j ib o so 2 2 4 , A kit o n d e 4 6 7 ,
A m ep o 7 5 ,

A J I B OY E D E 1 62 , Akodudu 4 8 5 , A M OD O 2 1 7 ,

Aj ikobi 2 8 8 5 1 8 , , A keh un 1 66 ,
A m o ib o 2 2 3 ,

Aj i se 2 4 9
. Akoko 1 3 8 ,
Am ek e 8 5 ,

Aj iya I 34 ; hunter
, , Akope 3 34
.
A m ed u 2 69 2 8 3 , ,

4 5 0 ; of Il erin , A ku j i , 84 A m u g b al egb e 2 73 ,

4 3 4 ; A b a y g m i 34 3 . A kun y un 8 5 ,
A M U N I WA I Y E ,

Aj ombadi 5 07 , A kun y un gb a , 65 A m u t er un wa 7 9 ,

Aj eb e 32 3 3 66. 3 83
. . Alaba 8 O ,
Ana , 1 1 4
A j g f a 1 83
, Alabi 8 5
,
A n as a r a 5 1 6 ,

A ies e (Johnson ) 569 Al a d a f a , 1 6o Amoba 33 7 .

Aj uan 8 3 ; al I as
, Alade 8 5 ; A b in u
,
A O LE 1 8 8 ,

Aj aka I 4 8 , pagun 2 84 ,
Apal a 1 74 ,

Ak al a 1 8 3 , Ala do ,59 1 Apa ra 8 4 4 92 , ,

A kan b i 8 5 , A LA F I N 4 1 ,
Apata I ka 336 ; ,

Akande 8 5 , Alagb a 2 9 1 38 , ,
. J abata 3 3 2 Ma ,

Ak ank e 8 5 ; A l a gb in 2 00 , 3 32 ; 1 8
Akara kuru , 1 32 A l a gb gn a I 55 ,
Apati ,
225
 I ND E X
A p elid iag b a , 4 83 5 2 7 , , A s t r Op e 4 91 ,
B amb e 55 3 ,

S3 I A su 2 98
,
B a m g b a iy e , 21 1 , 2

Apena 7 8 ; of I j ebu
, , A t a 2 3 544
. .
B a m g b eg b in , 47
8
4 4 of Lagos 4 8 2 , , A t a gb ein 1 5 2 ,
B a n ij a 1 55 ,

483 Atando 2 1 9 ,
B a n j o ko 8 4 ,

Apesi 7 8,
A t a wej a 7 6 1 5 6 , ,
B anking , 3o1

A p in ke 8 5 ,
At er e 5 2 7 5 3 1
. .
B an k el e , 223

A p in t i 1 2 1
,
ATIB A 5 7 2 1 8 2 74 , , , , B ant e 1 00 ,

Apomu 1 8 8 , 32 8 B aptism ,

Ara (war) , 31 7 A t in g is i, 68 , 1 87 B ara 4 3 ,

A r a kan g a (war) ,
2 51 Atipo 2 92 ,
B arbers 1 2 3 ,

Arapat e ,
22 Atonement 3 63 ,
B a r ib as , 591
A r awel e 3 4 6 ,
Aturu 4 1 7 4 33 4 78
. . .
B asala , 78
A r eb aj e 2 3 , Awaye 3 46 3 55 . .
B ata 1 2 1,

A r e ( Kurumi ) 3 50 , Aw ero 8 5 ,
B a y in b o , 78
A r e agoro 1 3 4 ,
A WQNB I OJ U 1 7 8 ,
B ayley Capt F , . .

Ar egb e ,
2 2 3 . 2 39 A wo n im esin 5 2 7 , 61 9
A r em e 47 .
A wuj al e 2 0 7 5 , , , 1 72 B eecroft Consul 3 1 ,

Ar emu 1 8 3 4 5 6, , A y a n gb agi 1 5 9 ,
B eer brewing 1 2 4 ,

A r eo r it e 5 6 64 , , A y a wo 2 5 o ,
B eiram F east of 49 , ,

Aresa 7 6 1 5 2
, ,
Aye , 1 21 B el ewu 52 6 531 , ,

A r in d e 5 2 7 5 3 1
, , A Y I B I I 72 , Belo S ultan 5 ; ,

A r in j al e 2 3 A y ib iowu 3 69 O su n din a 4 6 1
'

, , ,

A r is an r e 5 2 7
Armadillo 4 5
Aro 7 7 7 8 1 2 1
, ,
A r og a n g an 1 8 8
,
A y ikit i 4 2 1 4 2 3 , , Betrothal , 1 1 3
,
A yim g r g 4 2 8 4 7 7 . . B eb e 7 1 . . 1 63 . I
, A y e 2 3 8 2 69
, , 32 9
, A y e dele 8 2 , B er e 4 9 98
. .

Arole Qb a 68 , A y e p e 2 04 .
Bioku I l e 30 1 , , 4 55
Arole Iya Qb a 68 , A y er in d e 3 2 1 , B ioran 375 ,

A r g kin 5 8 1 2 5
, , B iri 1 5 1
,

A r g wesan l e 2 2 3 , Bisa 1 66 ,

A r ug b a ifa 1 5 8 , B ab a j egb e Osan and B o ib oi, 58 2

Aruna 2 7 2 , Or u 1 5 0 , B ol u d e , 21 0
As a (or Or oy e) 8 o , B a b a kewu 1 64 , B one setting ,
1 23
Asalu 7 8, B ab al el a 2 83 431 , , , B owen R ev , .
J .

Asara 3 , 5 67 63 7 . 34 5
A s ey in 7 6 ; at Ibadan
, , B a b a r I 5 04 , B ower , Capt . R .

3 67 B a b a r im is a 8 1 ,

A sabi , 85 B abatunde 8 1 B e kg fi 4 1 3 .

A saj u ,
1 32 of D erin , B ab ayan m r 1 52 , B 9k9 y 9 1 5 9 .

B a b a y igi 1 64 , B eni 1 65 ,

A samu ,
1 62 , 1 92 B ada 1 3 4 , B raima 4 ,

A sawo , 1 54 B ada Agidi , 61 3 B ritish Go ver n m en

A seg b e 2 02 2 1 2
, , Baki 78 , interference 5 08 ,

A § 1 p a 7 8 I 33
. . , 3 79 . B ala 7 8 , protectorate 63 8 ,

ssr B a l eil e , 98 B udo ed e 6 1 2 ,

A srr a wg , 2 3 o B al e 90 , B ugare 1 99 ,

A 315 9 7 4
. B al ogun , 1 32 B uilding 1 2 3 ,
 IND E X
Cal abashes , 1 1 7 Da n ika n 5 8 2 , E lebolo 44 9 Ca ,

Campbell , Da n ka fi 6 1 9 , of 5 2 3 ,

R . E . D .
, 61 9 Da riag b en 2 07 , E l ed uwe 2 6o ,

Carpentry 1 2 2 , D avies Lieut J F , . . E legbede 5 2 7 5 3 1 , ,

Carter S ir Gil bert, , 61 9 B l ekel e 2 3 ,

61 5 , 62 6 D awodu 5 2 7 , E l enr e, 1 5 2
Carving 1 2 2 , D eath C loth 5 6 , , 3 97 E lé p o , 2 56 , 2 84 2 ,

Character 1 01 , D egesin 2 4 1 , 3 00
Christening 4 7 , , 79 Dego ke , 2 23 E l er uwa 7 6 ,

Christianity 39 , D ele 2 8 3 , E l ese 8 6, 2 8 7 ,

C l ap p er t on ,
21 0 D elegates of Governor ,
E l ewi 2 3 ,

Coffi n 1 3 7 , 4 67 E l ewi Od o , 1 79-

Cognomen 8 5 , D enton Capt G C , . . E lu y a r e, 1 4 7

Co l e S amuel 3 5 3
, , 61 4 E mure war , 394
Com et 4 75 , D erin Okian 2 2 3
-

, E pil epsy 1 1 3 ,

Commerce 1 1 8 , D erin Ql egb enl a 4 5 2 , E p o 2 2 3 2 34

, ,

Commissioner S pecial ,
D et o m i 5 07 5 53 , , E rinl e 3 7 ,

53 8 D eku n 2 2 8 , E r in l e S anku 2 93 -

Comparison of a dj ec Di alogue A 592 , , E r uwen , 2 2 3

t ives xxxix , D iet 1 09 , E s a we 2 2 ,

Conj unction xlix , D istraining for debt , E s im ir in I 47 ,

Constitution al disease , E sinkin 77 ,

1 21 D i vorce 1 1 6
’
, E su o r El eg b a r a 2 ,

Corn guinea and D o nan 1 93 , E su the Ata 4 03 ,

m ai ze 1 1 7 ,
D olb ein Lieut 2 5 2 , .
,
E su of Iye 3 08 ,

Coronation 4 3 , D osumu E x king 4 8 1 ,

-

,
E sug o y i 2 63 ,

Cowrie Lieut E , . . L D owry s o call ed 1 1 3

,
-

,
E sug b ir i 1 5 8 ,

61 9 D ress 1 1 0 , E su kog b o I 7 7 ,

Cowry shel ls 1 1 8 ,
Du m ar es qu e , E su su 1 1 9 ,

Croft S urgeon Capt

,
Governor 4 8 2 , E t ip g fi g la . 34 '

61 9 D uro o r ike 8 4
-

, E unuchs , 5 9
Crow for co war d I ce , D uro sinmi 8 4
-

, E vans Actin g ,

3 33 D yeing 1 2 4 , Governor 5 38 ,

Cu p p m g , 1 23 E xtremity Ibadan ,

Currency 1 1 8 ,
E b o 8o , its , 4 50
Cust Dr R N
, . . .
, E g ug un 2 9 , A
E y eo or Katunga ,
I
xxiv E G U G U N OJ U 1 6 1 , 1 50
C ustoms Manners and ,
E gbej i , 1 5 2
98 E j igb a 4 5 . 5 1 . E b e Iyawo 1 1 4 ,

E 1 1 0 4 53
. Ed e 1 5 6
.

D ada 8 1 ; B al e
, .
E kit is 2 0 ; revolt of
, , E dun 7 5 ,

A d eyi 2 2 0 , E dun of Gbogun 2 ,

D ado , 2 35 E kI t I p ar a p e
4 39 , Ef a 1 1 1
,

D a h o m ia n ferocity ,
under the p r o t ec Ef u f u ko f er i 1 4 ,

3 62 ; invasion of t orat e 64 5 ; abo , Ef un d un ke 608 ,

Ab eokuta 3 1 3 3 61 ,
lit io n o f human E f un l a b i 8 3 ,

D angana S erg Maj or , .

-

,
sacrifice 664 , E f u n set a n 8 3 ; I y ,

61 9 E ku Ida , 1 02
-
lode , 391
 IND E X
Iba Biri 1 72 ,
Ij ero 3 1 8 , Inubi , 228
I badan under p r o t ec I j eb us 2 06 , I p a di 4 4 .

t or a t e, 64 3 ; Agree Ij ebu Er e 3 1 0 . I p a m p a 78 ,

ment With 8 5 4 ,
I j esas 2 0 Arera 1 68 , , Ipapo 609 ,

R ailway indenture , under protectorate , Ipara , 210

66o ; Chief rulers 64 5 ; abolition of I p er eg un , 34
o h 67 0 human sacrifice 663 , Iperindo , 4 68
I b al o g un , 1 33 I j I 86
, Ipet um odu 2 3o ,

Iba Magaji 68 I j im er e Ip eru 2 2 3 2 5 3 4 5

'

, I , 29 , , ,

I b am u , 1 07 Ij u S anya 1 6 1 , Iporo 2 2 3 ,

Ibar e ,
2 00 I ka 2 2 4
, Ira 1 5 2,

I bikun l e 2 98 , , 3 09 I ka Igbo 2 3 6 , O dan , Iran 2 06 ,

I b iy em i 8 2 ,
2 35 I ra we , 1 59
I b iyin ka 8 2 ,
I kereku , 2 23 Were , Ir esa 2 00 ,

Ibokun 3 1 0 ,
224 Ir esi 5 2 9 ,

Idi 4 ,
I ke eiy e . 225 Iron smelting , 1 1 9
Idi ib en 94
-

,
I kij a 2 1 0 2 2 4
, , Ir ek e 1 5 9 ,

I d o fian 2 00 ,
Ikire 2 3o , I r u ker e 5 1 ,

I d og b e 8 o ,
I korodu war 36o , I s e 32 3
.

Idomapa 2 2 4 , Ikoyi Igbo 2 06 , , 21 9 I s ed e 2 3 7 ,

Idowu 8 0 ,
I ke , 86 Is eyin , 1 2 , 1 3
Ifa 3 2 4 7
, ,
I k ele 3 09 , Is eyin Od o , 2 06
I f e destroyed 2 32 , , I ku n l e 3 1 , I s ey a 2 3 2 ,

4 75 ; abolition of Ila Massacre of

, , 42 I s o y ig i, 1 5 5
human sacrifice 665 , Ilare 553 , Isule , 321
I f ein , 2 49 Ilari 60 , I eaga ,
251 , 31 4
Ige ,
8o Ilaro 2 4 8 606 , , I san , 2 95
Ige g b en g b er u , 1 86 Ilas e 3 1 0 , I sih un , 1 1 3
Igi , 32 Ilayi 1 6 1 , I so kun 2 2 9 ,

I g isub u , 1 65 Ile Biok u 4 5 6 , I § 9n a 4 4 .

Igba 1 2 1,
I l e M al e 5 8 , I sop e 2 07 .

Igba Iwa 4 6 4 02 , , Ile Ol up on i 2 06 , I sug b in , 5 8

I g b aj g 368 4 2 5 4 4 1
. . . . Ile Ql ep a I 69 , I t a b e, 4 5 6
52 9 Ilero 5 91 , Itagi , 2 95
Igb e Igbin , 41 7 I ler u , 1 20 I t a h a ku n , 2 06
I g b ekey i. 8 4 I l em en a ,
2 01 Ita I b id u n , 1 59
I gb O 1 6 1
,
Il eri 8 1 , , 4 30 I ta Ogbol u 443 ,

Igbodo 1 4 8 , Il erin after treaty, , Ita Ologbo 1 8 6 ,

Igboho 1 6 1 , 64 6 E mir of 6 7 1 , Ita Oniyan 3 1 8 ,

I g b o m in a 1 09 I me 2 23 Itebu 4 65
'

, , ,

Igbo Own 1 93 , 3
I m e wo 4 84 , It es i 2 2 3,

Igbo Or a 304 ,
I n a koj u 2 2 5 , ,
2 5 6 , 2 93 Itoku 2 2 3 ,

Igbos , 1 47 Inisa 5 66 , I tori F ort at 4 5

, ,

Igb en , 2 00 Insanity 1 1 3 1 2 1 , , It eb e 2 5 0 ,

I g b e fra , 2 01 Insurrection against Ivory trumpet 1 2 ,

Ij ana 2 2 7 , ,
2 48 the A r e 4 1 7 , I wara 2 07 ,

I ia y e 2 36 .
Interj ection xlix , Iware 2 34 ,

I j a y e Maj a , 224 Interregn um 2 69 , Iwata 2 07 ,

 IND E X
I wa wun , 3 4 6 Jiga 2 2 7 2 5 1
, ,
Koso 34 44 1 2 1 ,
, , ,

I wem e 1 69 ,
Jimba 2 1 7 2 8 7 , ,
K o s e ko 8 4 ,

Iwere 1 91 J 9h 9i9 8 1 .
Koto 2 34 ,

J ohnson G W 5 35
,

Iwo 1 96
, , . .
,
K ebi A g a n j u 4 5 , ,

I wo ko t o 2 2 4 ,
K el eke 3 00 ,

Iworo 1 96 ,
K a fil eg b o in , 21 1 Kubusi 2 3 2 ,

I wef a 1 2 6 ,
Kafo 1 1 1 ,
K u d a y is i 2 2 3 ,

I y aj in I 8 7 ,
Kakaki 1 2 1 ,
Kud efu 397 .

I y a ker e 4 5 6 2 , ,
Kakanfo 74 ,
K ug b a yig b e 2 2 3 ,

Iya lagb en 63 ,
K al ej a iy e 2 2 3 ,
K n ien y o 339 .

Iyalode 77 ,
Kanakana toll gate , Kukawa 3 ,

I y a m g d e 4 3 5 6 65 . . .
62 3 K u ko m i 2 7 o ,

Iya m eneri 5 6 63 , ,
K an g id i , 1 87 Kuk u 4 92 607 , 6
, ,

Iya naso 5 6 63 , ,
K an l a ,
2 00, 21 8 Kukul a 34 2 ,

Iya Ori sa nla 64 ,

Kar a 98 ,
K u ku m e 1 1 0 ,

Iya Ob a 4 8 5 6 63 , , ,
KA R A N 1 7 o ,
K u m u yil e 3 92 ,

Iya Ql a 391 ,
Karaole 2 1 0 ,
K u p ol u 4 49 ,

Iya Ql esun 64 ,
Kar ar a 4 3 7 5 1 5 609
. . .
Kurakura , 4 2 5 4 5 8 ,

Iya Y em aj a 64 ,
Katunga 1 5 o ,
K ur ii m i 7 5 8 2 2 3 , , ,

I y a fin eri 64 ,
Kej i 2 44
,
Ku si 2 89
,

I y a fin I ku 63 ,
Kembe 1 1 1 ,
Kusu l 6o ,

I y a fin Os un 64 , K ende 1 94 ,
K uw e . I 94
I y a fin 64 Kester S D 4 67 , . .
,

I y ale Agbo , 65 Ketu 4 5 3 .

La b an ka d a 1 1 2 ,

Iyale M el e 5 6 64
.

, , K eh ér é 3 3 8 .
La b ir in j e 4 5 9 496 , ,

Iyale Od u d uwa 65 , K ek e 1 06 ;
, Olowu , LAB IS I ,

Iyale Or i 5 6 65 , ,
1 08 La b es in d e , 2 25, 2 4
I y a p e 8 2 390 4 1 0
, , ,
K eh in d e 8 o ,
L a b u d an u ,
2 83 , 34
I ya yun 1 5 5 R egent ,
, K ih is i 7 6 , Ladan u , 2 93
1 56 Kij ip a 1 2 4 , La d er in 1 99 ,

King Celestial 4 8 ; ,
La d eig 2 98 .

J abara war 2 5 1 , T errestrial 4 8 , La d ej ebi 2 7 6 ,

J abata 1 98 , Kin iun Onibudo 3 3 5 , La d ip e 8 2 ; ,

Jagun 2 07 , 430 4 32 .
Bioku 4 5 6 ,

Jaguna of I gbein 4 57 , Kiriji 4 4 8

, L a d oj ud e 32 1 ,

J ak e 2 2 7 2 5 1
, , K it o yi 2 65 , Ladugbo ,
1 1 1

J a ku t a 1 5 2 , K o b iowu 3 3 7 , La g ii a d e ,
2 79
J e l epa, 4 9 K o g b en 1 7 6 ,
Laguna 7 0 7 2 , ,

J al um r war 4 2 7 , K o g b on a 7 3 , Lagunj u the T imi ,

J am a 1 94 ; rapacity
, , Kokoro gangan , 75 , Lag b ej a 5 62 ,

I 97 69
1 La g b o yi , 2 34
Jambu I 75 , Kolo b o 4 00 , Lahan 2 38 2 69 , ,

J a n ag b ad i 1 06 , Kongi 4 92 637 , , La j ide 2 79 ,

J a n kal a wa 1 90 , Kongo 3 4 2 , L aj il a 7 8 ,

J an ke r e 2 62 , K OR I 2 6 1 5 5 , , La j em e 1 62 ,

J a yin Town 2 66 , Koro 3 1 8 , L aj ub u 2 9 1 2 95 , ,

Jefferies George 3 5 3 , , Kos ij a 6 1 , Laj um eke 2 8 3 ,

J egede 2 62 , Ko s ikosi , 224 Lakanl e 2 44 2 5 4 , ,

J ekin r iy in 84 3 1 2 , , K o seiko ; 223 Lakonu 2 72 2 76 , ,

68 0 I ND E X
Lal eit an , 2 23 Loro , 22 Mohammedanism
Lal eye . 308
”
L ek e 1 65 , M olon ey S ir Alf ,
,
r
Lam ed i, 225 L esa 2 76 , 5 08 , 609
Lampej o Z 99 Lu b eie 1 55 . Mon archy 4 Q ,

La m ur irr , 78 Lu fia n u 1 90 , Monjia of Rab bah ,

L am ur ud u , 3 Lug b gs un 5 3 5 . . 5 44 Moo ds an d Ten ses ,

Lan as e 2 48 , Moren ik e 8 2 ,

Land laws 95 , Ma b orisaj e 4 5 6 , MO I O, 2 3o

Lan is a , 393 Mac Do n al d aj or , M , Mos a d erin 4 1 8 5 , ,

La ni y en u 8 2 , 5 97 Moseb ol at an 8 2 ,

Lanlat e , 457 Ma d an ka n 34 3 3 57 , , Me d a d e 1 8 3 ,

Lanl o ke 2 1 7 , 2 59 2 68 , , M adden , Maj or G , C .

, M elaba . I 83
La p al a 2 4 8 ,
61 9 M9 19 4 8 .

La p em e 1 2 6 , Magaj i I y arm . 44 68 . . M em e E mir 609 , ,

Lar ym or e Capt H D , . . Ma g eb en , 3 1 8 M g r em i I 4 7 .

61 9 Mag b en 62 1 ,
Mug b a mug h a war
Las in m i, 2 1 0 M aj e 2 6 1
,
2 01

Lasil o . 2 83 MA J EOGB E 1 8 o , M usic , 1 20

1‘
MJ ins t r um en
'

Lasip a , 1 98 OT U .
I 97 . Musical
L a t ej u , 2 87 M AK U , 1 96 1 21
L a t on d e 3 05 , Makun ,
223 M usicians , 1 20
La t os is a 7 5 366 38 3 , , , , Malad e 5 64 .

3 8 5 5 09 . Mal em o 8 4
'

N am es 79 ,

L toya I 74
a ) . Mamu 6 1 3 .
N as alizat ion XX VI I ,

L t b e un 2 98
a u s , Mand e 1 06 ,
N as am u 5 64 604 , .

Latunj i 506 604

.

, , Mann R ev Adolphu , . s .
N as an ker e 604 ,

Laurie Lieut , . C E .
34 5 N oun xxxvi ,

61 9 M anners and Customs , N si se Ogun 1 83 .

Law of inheritance , 98 N t et u , I 83
32 6 Manuwa 4 65 ,
N t ewa , 78
o

Lawore 455 4 74 . . Marriage 1 1 3 , N um erals l ,

L wg y m 3 8 3 3 8 5
a . . M aw en 4 65 ,
N umismatics li ,

Learning 1 2 5 , May e 494

. . 52 7 .

Leas u 4 1 5 , 544 Ob a go 7 3 ,

Leb eb i 4 5 6 , M edi u m 1 2 1 ,

, C h ei 1 5 2
,

Lees Go v , . Ca m eron , Meff r e ,

Phillip Jose , Ob em b e 3 78 ,

482 3 69. 4 67 Obis esan 4 5 o ,

Lei ofi 3 1 9 . M ele 3 37,

bakin 63 7 ,

Lej eka 2 2 Mesin I pole 44 1 Ob o ku n 2 4

'

, , ,

Leopard King 2 90 ,. , M etemp ychosis 6 s , 2 O DA R A WU 1 69 ,

Leprosy 1 2 1 , Mil lson Alvan Mission , Od e 2 2 3

,

Lepsius xxii i , of . 5 84 Od ig b gn 7 3 .

Licentiousness 1 02 , Minimi 1 2 6 ,
Odig b a dig b a 3 84 ,

Lisa of Ij ebu Od e , Minors 96 , Od i I b ikun l e 3 2 7 ,

5 4 o Ondo 44 1 , Missionar ies Ameri , Od o g id o 2 98 ,

-

Lis ib a d e , 3 93 can 3 34 ,
Od o er a 1 7 ,

Locusts first seen , 30 1 Modak ek e 2 30 ; , Od u b o y e 1 7 8 ,

L difi 5 5 3 Apolo i o f 5 2 5 ODU D U WA 3

ga
o , ,

Lo e 5 2 7
rn . R em o l f o , 647 Od us aj o 5 2 7 ,
68 2 I ND E X
Onip e 8 6 6 1 2 , , OwOr e 2 3 5 2 7 , , Qf a r a 4 6 5 ,

Onip ede 8 2 2 7 5 , ,
Ot a 73 , Ofat edo 5 65 60 , ,

O nire 2 3 , Owu 2 06 , 2 7o
On ir un gb en 5 65 , Oy eb a d e 4 7 6 5 07 , ,
2 24
On is a m b o 1 55 , O yebisi , 8 2 223 .

On is ar e 1 68 , O y e d o ku n 4 5 6 , 4 2 0, 4 2
O N I SI L E 1 7 6 , Oy el ey e 5 5 3 . Og e 8 6 .

On it aj i 2 3 , Oy e sile 2 8 3 , Og ede I 8 3 .

On it ed e 1 55 , Oy es unl e 5 2 6 , Og in i 2 2 3 , , 2 41
Onj o 7 6 , .
Oyewel e 8 2 ,
9 39 . 63 2
On kO 1 69 , Oy ey em i 8 2 , 31 2
O n l a d o 45 7 , Oy i 3 1 8
, s agi . 32 3
Onom atopoetic , xxxv Oy O 1 6 1
, 1 9
‘
C Or iI n 2 2 3 , s ein u 2 77 .

Op o 8 6, 223 Oj a 2 1 8
,

Or i 2 7 4 8
, , Qb a , 2 07 9 19 3 34 ; of Ile
.

Oriki 79 8 5, , 83 B ioku 1 5 6 ,

Oril e 8 5 , 65 Qiel a b i 3 4 6 4 6 2 . .

O ri sa 2 6 , 5 2 6 5 63 , Qj en ir a n 4 69 ,

Ori sa eg un j u 2 7 ,
Ob a -
ko set an 4 68 5 2 6 , , , Om e 2 2 4
Ori sa giyan , 2 7 S3 I O kansa 2 07 ,

O ri sa Jaye , 2 7 22 55 3
Ori § a K ire 2 7 , Qb al ai y e 4 76 .
O ke dudu and p
Ori sa La 2 7 , OB A LO K U N , I 61 , 5 07
Ori sa lusi , 5 2 7 1 68 l r e 75 .

Ori sa Oko 2 7, 37 , 52 7 Okin 8 6 ,

Ori sa Ol uo fin 2 7 , Ob al uf e 5 2 7 , Q kin kin 1 2 1 ,

O ri sa Ow u 2 7 ,
O b a m er e 1 66
’

, l — adan 1 5 2 ,

Orita E l epo , 33 6 Qb an ifis un wa 4 5 5 , Ol a 7 8 63 7

, ,

Or O 3 2
, Ob as a 5 2 7 ,
Ol a b is i 8 2 ,

Or owus i 3 1 0, 3 79 3 8 2 , , Ob a t al a 2 7 ,
Q la kOt an 1 8 4 ,

OS I B al o g un 1 35 , 43 8 Od e 65 Qla l ey e 8 2 .

Os iwef a 4 6 5 9 , , Od erinde 4 69 ,
I 6O
O si el e 3 63 , Q d er in l e, 2 8 3 7 6 8 6, 5 2 ,

Q d eia yi 5 5 6 .
86
O so d ek e 8 3 . Od em u yiwa , 83 1 60
O so d ip e 8 3 . 83 9 1 9ia 9 I .

O sogbo 1 5 6 , Od eya l e 4 2 3 ,
'
O ke, 2 3
O soro 2 49 , O d ey al e hunter 4 5 0 , 9191 s 1 60 .

O su 4 5 2
, Od e 3 69
.
9 1 9m g 1 65 .

O s u war 2 93 , Q d e fin 77 .
26
O su g b o 7 6 , Od el e 2 2 3 68 , , Q l er un f fim i 1 4 3 ,

O sun 1 5 9 , ab en 2 30 4 76 , , 919 5a 5 3 .

Ot u t u 2 8 3 4 , , 34 M L 61 3
Owen Capt E , . . R Qd fiewu 2 2 1 ,
86
61 9 Qd un ie 3 5 7 . 9193's 2 3 .

Owiwi, 2 4 8 Q d un le 5 2 5 ,
Q m eigi 2 1 ,

Owoko , 2 5 3 Q d u n m b a ku , 4 5 6 Om oko 3 94 .

Owolabi , 3 06 Of a , 2 0 1 , 4 3 7 Qm ele. 3 69
 O m e eb a 4 2 68
-
1 58 O sun t o ki 8 3 Porto N ovo fron
—
, , , , ,

onikoko , 1 52 63 6 66 7
42 Ot a F all of
, , 2 55 Pottery , 1 25
81 52 9 P et un , 5 2 1
-
sanda , 1 52 Q t ef an , 2 62 Pratt Adolphus, ,

Q m e s un . I 73 82 Preposition xl vn r ,

Q m et a j o ,
222 Q t el ewe 2 77 , Proclam ation 668 ,

82 Q t esil e 4 91 , Profession 1 1 7 ,

G b en k a 3 66 , Otun B al ogun-

, 133 Pronoun xl ,

Q n a Aka 4 2 68 1 5 8
-

, , ,
Q t u n wef a 4 4 , , 59 Protectorate Bri t ,

On a ile M el e 5 7
- -

, Owa 7 8 5 2 8
, , 3 93
On a Mo d e ke 5 8
-

, Qwa j u ,
2 1

On a Onibode 7 6
-

,
O wara , 1 64 , 1 80 R eform , S ocial , 32
Qn a On se A WO 4 4 5 7
- -

. .
O we , 224 R ef u r ef u , 228

Qn a sokun 4 2 68 1 5 8
-

, , , 34 1 5 2 , R el igion 2 6 ,

Qu a wef a 5 9
-

. 75 1 84 , , 1 86 R oads 93 ,

Q p as a 7 6 . 99 2 R obbin H enry 4 8 , ,

Op a il n S I
-

I a t gp e 7 5 . R ogun 3 4 6 .

Qr a fiy a n 1 4 6 ,
Oy e B o m b ar d m en t
, of R ope m akers 1 2 3 ,

Qp eag b e 2 2 3 2 83 . .
644 ; Treaty with , R oper E dward 3 , ,

312 63 6 R oti 4 3 5
,

Qp el e I 93 . d ko r o ,50 1 R owe S ir S aml

,

M R owland D r J
.

44 9 OY O E S I 70 , , . .

Opin war 308 , 61 4

Q p eki I 7 6 Paka 1 39
"

. ,

Op en 2 8 34 1 5 9
. . . Pakaba R oad , 2 67 S aba 5 2 7
,

9 m 2 24. Paku 1 5 2 , S a b ig an a
7 6 1 68 , ,

un , 2 3 P a ku nd e 3 2 3 , S ad ee 7 3 1 8 6
, ,

O R A YA N , 8, 4 5, P a kun d ir in 4 9 , S aga un 3 03 ,

I 36 1 43 .
Pal m Oil 1 2 4 , S a g b ed e 7 3 ,

(Dr e 32 0
.
F a m e 2 02 , S a gb ua 73 ,

1 62 Papo 1 5 2 , S ah ibu 4 ,

Q R Q M P QT Q, 1 6 1 F as im 2 00 , S aki 1 6o
,

Qt u n 4 7 .
Pastoral 1 2 3 , S akula , 2 09
”
Qr u n kum ef un 63 ,
Pawn 1 26 ,
S alak e 81 , ,
2 34 , 5
QI u n t 9 7 3 .
Peace proclamation , S al e kuodi , 1 52 , 1 5

Qs a in 7 6 , 547 S al oro 2 2 ,

Qs em ol u 1 64 ,
Pele 1 06
, S al osi 2 2 ,

O s il e I 7 2 2 5
, , P eh e 2 1 5
, S al t introduced , 1

Q SI NY A GO , 1 73 Phi ll ips R ev C 5 08 , . S am ay an , 1 24
Pigeon 4 5 , Sam u 7 o ,

Piy e 1 3 2
. S A N G O 34 . . 49 I
Plange H 6 1 9 , .
, San g ob fim i , 83
q n Ogun m el a 3 8 3 , Ploughing 1 1 7 , S am , 1 21

Osun S arumi 2 44 2 5 1
-

, ,
Poker work 1 2 2 , S anusi , 4 4 4 4 78 , ,

Ogun d in a 3 1 0 ,
Po l e war 2 2 2 , 62 9
41 9 Policy The N ew 4 05
, , S ar ah a , 1 1 7
223 Popo 1 5 2, S arumi , 1 32
O su n rin d e, 4 91 P op on d o , 2 09 S a seg b en , Mos es , 6
 I ND E X
S cott Col : F C 6 1 9 S umaila 3 1 0 35 8 Warp ; 1 1 9 1 2 4
'

. .
, , , , ,

S eam anshi p 1 2 2 , S um en u A p a m p a 63 7 , Wasin 2 07 ,

S ee 33 3
, S u m en u B er ib ep o , 2 03 Weaving 1 1 9 ,

$ 93 2 98 . Welsh Thomas 6 1 , ,

S ek er e 1 2 1 , Tadpole 4 5 , West In d ia R egim

5 91 2 I S Z
. Ta h a j o 366 , , 38 3 5 2 6 , 3 60 ,
S ep et er i 2 65 . Taiwo 8 o , Wi l helm Andre
S equel 64 3 , ,
Talabi 8 1 , Da s al u , 2 96
S equels of I j ay e war , T a n ia fis ar a , 594 Williams R ev T , . .

35 5 Tanners 1 2 0 , 61 8
S eri ki , 1 33 Tarbet Capt , .
, 61 4 , 61 9 WillOugh b y , Clau
S ervice man 1 2 6 '
, T a wu s i , 1 35 62 0
woman 1 2 6 , Tela 8 3
, , 2 50 Willoughby I H , .

S et il u 4 , , 32 T ela of Ilaro , 606 Wilson Qd er in l e ,

S hitta , 222 T eng b a 4 7 6 , Win g b ol u 2 3 1 5 2 , ,

S ifir in 2 07 , T et e ko n ir u ,
1 52 Win kun l e 5 64 ,

S iki 1 2 1
, T et u 5 9. Win m el aj e 2 3 0 5 , ,

S in g us in 2 07 , Tij u iku 84
.

, Weku t i ex p ed it io
S ifio l u , 2 2 2 Timi , 75 , 1 56 4 03
S ir e 83 . T iy a ko , 1 21 Wondo , 1 1 2
S iy en b ela 2 1 9 , Toad 45 , Won wor o 2 34 ,

S mith Capt H addon , .

, T eb al o g b o , 2 37 Wood R ev J ; B , .

61 9 Tobi , 1 00 , 1 1 2 4 94
S mith R ev J T 369 , . . .
, T oki , 2 76 , 2 8 3 , 2 95 Woof 1 1 9 1 2 4
, ,

S mith Oliver 5 38 6 1 4
, , , T o n isea wo 1 8 3 , Words Formation ,

S mithing 1 2 1 , T o r ib e l a 604 , xxxiv

S nail 4 5 , T o r OS i 1 5 0
‘

, Wo r u d a , 1 70
S neider rifles intro Tortoise 4 5 , Wright Lieut C V , . .

d uc e d , 45 9 Totem 8 5 , 61 9
-

S ocial polity 98 , T ownsend R ev , . Wur al e , I 73

S ogun ro 2 5 1 , H enry 2 96 ,

S okia 1 60 , Toyan 6 1 9 , Yabi 1 73 ,

S okoto 1 1 0 , T o y ej e 7 5 1 97 2 0 1 , , , Yagba 1 09 ,

S o r un d i 2 2 , Trades 1 1 7 , Yaki Oy o 2 3o ,

S o y iki 1 7 7 , Treaty A mild 5 7 1 , , Y a m a t i, 223

So d ehi n d e 366 44 1 , , T ub e s un , 31 0 36 6 Yamba 1 74 ,

Sod ek e 2 2 6 , Ture , 1 06 Yana 1 5 2 ,

So kerin 3 3 6 . Y a n a y o , 5 67
Sel a g b er u 1 93 2 0 1 , , U mbrell as S tate , , 52 Y a n ged e , 1 2 1
Solaj a , 4 5 1 , 6 1 3 6 1 6 , Y a ns u m i 1 74 ,

Sol al u , 4 1 8 Yawo 3 1 8 ,

Som oy e , 3 37 V aughan J C , .
33 4 Y em et u 399 .

Son ikan 4 5 1 , V enn H enry , ,

x xiii Yemoj i 6 2 0 ,

Sep e 2 3 0 , V erbs xliii , Y en ib in i 2 63 ,

Sep ena 2 8 , V incent , G . A .

, 5 34 Y er o m b i 2 8 3 ,

§ ewo 55 3 . Y e t un d e 8 1 ,

5 38 Yoruba Kings an
Sug u d u 62 , B a eer un s , 669
S ul iy a , 1 1 1 Y 9y 93 9 . 4 50