DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA

A REVIEW ARTICLE ON
A HISTORY OF WEST AFRICA VOLUME I (SECOND EDITION) EDITED BY
J.F ADE AJAYI AND MICHAEL CROWDER
CHAPTER: THE YORUBA AND EDO-SPEAKING PEOPLES AND THEIR
NEIGHBOURS BEFRE 1600 PP.196-263
AUTHOR: ADE OBAYEMI

BY

MBAAV, TERHILE ELIJAH P18ARHS8014

MICHAEL, JOHN SHEMANG P18ARHS8018
MUHAMMED, YUSUF OLAIDE P18ARHS8010
BASHIR FATIMA P18ARHS8007

SUBMITTED TO:

PROF MAMOUD HAMMAN

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR

HIST 803: ADVANCED STUDY IN THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF AFRICAN
HISTORY

NOVEMBER 2019
The author states that the principal subject of the chapter s the emergence of the
cultures of the Yoruba and Edo peoples and the outline of their history with
particular emphasis on the process of state formation and in less details, those of
their neighbours: Nupe, Ebira (Igbira), Igala and Idoma all of whom largely have
the same influences. He says the territories are a variety: beaches, lagoons,
sandbars, mangrove swamps and delta environment of the coastal areas through
adjoining evergreen/rainforests to the high savannah.

The author opines that the Yoruba and the Edo are among the better known peoples
of Africa, with sizable population with large scale political organization, long
tradition of urbanization, and outstanding heritage of arts and crafts, e.g sculpture
(for thousands of years).
On sources, the author says he relied much on Early Arabic documents different
from those available to scholars on early West African savannah and sahel history.

PEOPLING OF THE REGION

The author has it that previous attempts at reconstructing their early history rely on
a combination of more or less pure oral tradition derived from written sources with
an oral base.1 On the use by earlier historians of etymological considerations of
unscientific nature with fundamentalist narratives suggesting descent from heaven
at Ife and Benin and subsequent spread to other areas on the one hand and
migration from Middle East, usually after foundation of Islam and spreading out
from centres of initial settlement or Ife alone, 2 the author maintains that these
foundamentalist approach can be ruled out on grounds of incompatibility with
modern science. He adds that archaeological findings show that there have been
considerable populations in this area for several thousand years which seem to
have been physically and culturally continuous with the present day inhabitants.3

Moreso, linguistic research agrees with archaeological findings that the Yoruba,
Edo, Igala, Idoma, Igbo, Nupe, Ebira and Gbagi form aclster of languages within
the larger Kwa group on the area of the Niger-Benue confluence.4

MINI-STATES AND MEGA-STATES

The author argues that among these peoples exist mini states (deceentralised) and
mega States (centralized with capitals, etc) both at some points with similar
features like lineages, especially matrilineal for claim to land, entitlement to
leadership among a host of others. Some mini-states could either have developed
similar organization before arrival of mega states or were around them and got
attracted.
THE PROCECCES OF STATE

Ile-Ife and Central Yoruba land

The author says the various account show the existence of human settlements in
the Ile Ife area around which an impressive culture in the semblance to those in the
area flourished. It holds that Oduduwa (Oodua or Olofi Oodua) had an earlier
settlement in the Ora Hill to the north east of Ile Ife and seem to have made an
alliance Obameri at between Ilodo and Ijio east of present Ile Ife and defeated
Obatala.
According to the author, Oduduwa is strongly connected with a dynastic form of
government. That he was a conqueror but conceded some rights to the chiefs whom
he eclipsed. The inclusion of such figures as Obawinrin on the list of the ‘elders’
indicate this constitutional compromise between immigrant conqueror and the
representatives of the aboriginals, ‘the owners of the land.5
Tradition links Oduduwa with a revolutionary phase which produced a dynasty and
must have transformed the mini-states of the Igbo and Ife, setting them on a way to
becoming a mega-state. Evidence of this is found in the list of sixteen elders said to
have descended with Oduduwa which include names which could not have
belonged to territorial chiefs but represent archetypes of certain professional
occupations of a community which has become urbanized:
Orunmila(Agbonniregun)-divination or science; Ogun – metallurgy; Aje – wealth
and Elesije – the physician.6

The Ijesa
The author contends that the Ijesa of Ilesa are said to have had seven capitals (or
earlier seats of the Owa(King) before establishment at Ilesa. That there was a
constitutional arrangement by which rulers of some component states like Ijebu-
Jesa played roles: the Iwarafa Mefa(Outer Council) of the kingdom is made up of
three Iles chiefs and the three provincial Ogboni(Kings) of Ijebu-Jesa, Ibokun and
Ipole.
From the accounts of the migratory conqueror Owa, it appears that the dynasty
which later became paramount had to conquer the earlier Ijesa states and later
evolved a constitution which allowed the provincial rulers to participate in the
coronation of the Owa and in important decision making. For example, the Ogboni
of Ijebu-Jesa must receive an Owa elect where the latter will stay for three days.

The Ekiti and Akoko Region

The author says that the Ekiti area claims origin from Ife with polities a little more
than federations on the mini-state pattern preserving constitutional arrangements
even in their names: Ileje Meje, Ekan Meje,Opin Mejila(The seven Ileje, the seven
Ekan and the twelve Opin) all regarding themselves as the Ekiti. He adds that the
Ekiti-Akoko region illustrates the domination or progressive absorption of smaller
polities by larger ones, imperceptibly and without violence. Many villages from the
area entered the nineteenth and twentieth centuries preserving their ancient
independence outside the tentacles of the great dynasties.

Eastern and Southern Yorubaland and the Igala-Idoma Area

South east Yoruba from coastal lagoons to rain forest are the Ijebu, Ondo, Itsekiri
and Ikale while in the north east is the kingdom of Owo, all with political history
revolving around centres of Ijebu Ode, Ode Ondo, Idanre, Ile Oluji, Ode Itsekiri,
Ogholowo and smaller ones: Ikale and Ilaje. Next is Edo speaking peoples and
Benin City.
The author argues that Ondo, like the Owo kingdom includes native Edo-speaking
groups(Ishan) just as Yoruba-speaking groups are found within Benin
Kingdom(Utese) with inferences of early patterns of socio-political organization of
the Yoruba-Igala speaking zone.
Among the Igala, a village is known as an ewe or aja. The possessive equivalent of
the Yoruba Olu is Onu. Thus, the the village head is an Onu ewe or Onu aja or
Onoja(equivalent of Yoruba Oloja). The South east Yoruba-Igala -unity
also expresses itself in common cultural traits, for example, the staves of office
attributed to royalty survive in Idah, as Okwute in Ijebu and probably cognate with
the Ikhure of the Edo-speaking peoples.
The writer asserts that the setting in the ijube area on the eve of the arrival of the
founder of the Awujale dynasty. The mini-state was the primary form of territorial
political organization and the Agemo (cameleon) cultic unity could have assisted
that immigrant who, based at Ijebu Ode, was able to amalgamate the domains of
the Oloko, Elese,Jagirin Mogosu and many other mini state chiefs, some whom are
today Oloritun(ward heads) in Ijebu Ode.
The areas of Ikale and Ilaje did not have any dominant dynasty. There were mini-
states, eronmi of which Ugbo under Olugbo of Ode Ugbo is reputed senior. Of
fifteen mini-states of Ikale,three are known as Ado Ikale, near the Edo-speaking
people by whom these three – Ajagba, Ujosun and Akotogbo have been strongly
influenced

The author notes that there is a distinguishing feature of the Ondo area(with
varying traditions though) of the institution of women chiefs dating back to pre-
dynastic or Oloja days. Example, the installation of the Osemawe, the Oba of
Ondo, is performed by the female chief- the Lisa Olobun. Moreso, an Osemawe in
the making must visit Ekpe, where he offers propitiation, and Oke Idoko, where
after some ceremony, the Oba and the Oloja Idoko turn their backs and must never
set eye on each other again; at a later stage, the Osemawe goes to Ifore to be
installed at a sacred stone- Oriden. He remarks that this procedure suggests that an
outsider came and established a town and legitimized his power through ritual
while requiring the co-operation of Epe, Ifore, Idoko and Ile Oluji and others.
The Ogho(Owo),according to the writer, is the most north-easterly of the major
Yoruba kingdoms included within its boundaries communities and fringes of the
Yoruba-speaking area as well as speakers of Edo-related and other languages. Its
location brings out diversity of the systems of succession, and of state and title
organization which give insight into the transformation of the mini-states in the
area into a kingdom, as well as relationships between the capital and former
polities.
The mini-states which were to later form Owo appear to have followed the pattern
of the north-east Yoruba region. They include Idashin(Collective name for seven
separate settlements): Ilale Oko(Bush or Farm Ilale), Ilele-Ile(Home Ilale),
Isijogun, Ijegumo, Amurin, Ilemo and Ijelu between which leadership rotated and
has survived.of importance is the fact that Alale of Idashin is the custodian of the
principal Ogho deity, the god after whom the town and state Ogho(Owo) is named.
The author says this shows the dominance of Ilale in pre-dynastic Owo in the area
and their authority was sufficiently important for the centralizing tendencies of a
powerful dynasty to recognize it and to adopt its name ‘Ogho’ for the mega state.
The author has it that little is known about the emergence of mega-states in the
area of the Igala, Ebira and Idoma-speaking peoples inhabiting the lower Benue
valley. That here flourished the dynasties of the Ata(Atta, Attah or ‘father’) in
Igala, Andoma in Doma, Ohimege in Igu(Koton Karifi), and one other which
became extinct, in Panda(‘Funda’).8 The dynasty of Ata from which all the others
claim to be offshoots is traditionally believed to have been founded in the
seventeenth century. But archaeological and other evidences show that idah, the
Ata’s present seat could have been occupied definitely by the fifteenth century.
Furthermore, observances at the Ata’s installation leads to inference that an earlier
state had developed at Amagedde on the south bank of the Benue, close to the
boundary of Igaa and Idoma languages where many kings, the likes of Abutu Eje,
Eblejonu, Agenapoje and Idoko are thought to have reigned.
It is unclear whether the founding of the dynasty of the Andoma of Doma in the
Alago area to the north of the Benue river or of the Igbira kingdoms of Panda and
Igu belongs to this phase. What the author say is known is that a mega-state
emerged among the Idoma-related Alago, whom the Idoma ‘proper’ refer to as the
Idoma nokwu(‘great or ancient Idoma’), but the processes which produced this
kingdom did not lead to similar results among the south bank Idoma or the
neighbouring Afo(Eloyi) who have retained the mini-state form of political
organization till the twentieth century.9
The author says dynastic government in the Idah area is associated with a group of
local chiefs, representing the earlier mini-states of the area. The Igala Mela(The
Igala Nine) i.e the land owners often referred to as king makers but their power and
influence progressively eclipsed by the royal lineage and its branches as the later
extended its economic and political influence in the hinterland. The Igala extended
their influence through control of trade and traffic up and down the river by
establishing colonies in the mini-states to the interior along the Niger as well as
into Igboland. The author states that this power and influence of the Ata affected in
one form or another Igbo, Idoma, Ebira, Nupe, Yoruba and Edo-speaking peoples.

North Western and Western Yorubaland

This sub topic discusses the process of political interaction and the development of
mini and mega states in north Western and western Yoruba land. This region
features centralized (mega) political entities such as Oyo, Ketu, Sabe and Nupe
kingdoms. However, like other parts of Yorubaland, small scale structure such as
settlements in Igbinaland, Ibolo, Oyokoro and Oyo (precentralized Oyo), Nupe and
Ibariba states. Just like it has been claimed for other Yoruba states outside this
region, the idea that mini states represent the kind of socio-political organisation
from which the mega states emerged is demonstrated by taking into consideration
the process of centralisation of key political entities in the region. It is claimed that
following the process of centralisation, the mini states which could have been in
existence before or around the same time as the mega states began to tie
themselves to the centralized states by tracing their descent to politically and
culturally powerful states. This heralded the complications of the legend of origin
and tradition of the people of Yorubaland. As a result, the Yoruba proper of this
region link their ancestors to Ile-Ife and Oyo even though some of these States
such as Oba, are contemporary to the said ancestry.

Oyo, the most prominent mega state in the area however possesses peculiarities
which distinguish it from the processes of political formation witnessed in other
Yoruba land. Prominent of which are her neighbours to the north: Ibariba and Nupe
and the diffusion of technology and Calvary. Common frontier of these distinct
groups led to cultural and linguistic heterogeneity of the area. By Implications The
growth of Oyo as a centralized state is not only linked to the surrounding mini
states of the Igbomina, Ibolo and other Yoruba settlements, but also to the
interactivity of the neighbouring Nupe and Ibariba.

Interaction of Oyo and her neighbours make it even more difficult to trace the
origin of the first set of king before Alafin sango. A major characteristic of frontier
settlements is boundary readjustment. Etsu Shago was portrayed as Pre-Tsoede
Nupe king. Oyo tradition claims that Sango was the son of Oranmiyan by a Nupe
princess. It is clear that the mini states of Yoruba and Nupe could have had
dynastic intermarriage. As suggested from the traditions of both people, Sango
could have been the product of intermarriage. He was said to have succeeded
Oranmiyan or even displaced Ajaka(Ajuan) in Oko. It is not clear then Whether
Sango was related to the early ruler or a representation of outside influence which
established centralized dynasty. One major implication of the preeminence
enjoyed by Oyo as a result of being a frontier power to the surrounding settlements
is that these mini states which could have been in existence before the mega states
now claim descent from the mega state. All the regions of Ibolo and Igbomina that
were mini states during or before Oyo now claim descent from Oyo. The success
of Oyo was based on the subjugation of these kingdoms to her sway.

In the Nupe and Ibariba kingdoms, the same thing is obtained. The settlements in
the area attributed the first centralized state to Tsoede, ignoring the possibility of
earlier centralized dynasty. A tradition now claims the existence of pre-Tsoede
Confederacy of 12 Bini Nupe mini States, which could have been led by Tafie
earlier than the 16th century Tsoede kingdom. The traditions of Etsu shago and
Bini Nupe Confederacy offer explanations to Pre-Tsoede kingship institution.
Boundary adjustment explained why Yoruba towns of Ilesha and Okuta were
encroached by Ibariba and as such identified as Ibaribas.

West of Oyo are the Yorubas who fell partly in Nigeria and others in Togo and
Dahomey. Ancient kingdoms such as Ketu and Sabe which are as earlier as Oyo
claim descent from Ile-Ife and that their ancestors are related to Alafin of Oyo.
Whereas earlier settlements in Ketu were said to be Oke Oyan and Aro Ketu before
the seventh king found present Ketu. Other early kingdoms in the region Sabe,
Popo, Ifita, Igede and Iloji but all now claim migration from Ile-Ife. Idasa which
could have predated Egba now traced its origin to the latter in relation to an Egba
dynasty established in Idasa. Hence the major kingdoms that feature in this region
were fusion of several mini states which now trace their origin to them. Research
in this area is not exhaustive as Linguistic and archeological evidence is hoped to
clear road for more facts about the region

Benin and the Area of Edo Speaking

This narrative focuses on the kingdom of Benin which probably started a thousand
years ago, and by 500A.D began to shape up linguistically and culturally. The
question of whether this Edo speaking mini states that made up the Benin kingdom
is genetically connected is no doubt since, knowledge of linguistic history among
others, provides the essential basis for inference regarding the non linguistics
cultural history of the groups concerned (Greenberg) as the case of the Benin
kingdom and Ife in Yorubaland.
The major source of the history of Benin is oral tradition safe for accounts of
travelers, and even Lord Lugard in 1897(pg. 242)
According to the author, the kingdom of Benin operates a kind of loose
confederation mainly for the purpose of defence in view of the expanded military
expedition embarked upon by the dynastic rulers for the purpose of territorial
expansion. This led to the conquest of neighbouring settlements (also Edo
speaking) that consequently led to the establishments of a stable centralized
government. With this, a kind of a constitutionalism emerged with a traditional
local government system structure since the kingdom was a convergence of varied
mini states. But how Benin emerged strongly stronger still remains a critical
question, aside the oral source narrative which on its own may not be enough.
Possibly, economic trade and migration as narrated by the author.
The affinity between the kingdom of Benin and Ife, and Yorubaland in general is
mainly anchored on the ‘Oba’ titleship which lends creditability to the Yoruba
tradition of origin (of Benin people) because nowhere in the Edo speaking area is it
used. And if this affinity with Oba is anything to go by, then why the challenge to
the Oba by Ogeamwen? Could it be that the other city states were really loyal by
these continuous challenges? This clearly shows a level of dissatisfaction with, and
some weakness of the political system ,which was constitutional in nature. This
was evident by the position the Uzama occupied at the expense of the Oba.
On the negative side, the account contains a large element of conjunctures. In some
cases, the author(s) have to induate possible alternatives, rather than a possible
course of event which further research(es) may solve. The author, however
suggests archaeological and ethnographical studies to be intensified in this regard.
In summary, Benin Kingdom kingship was not rotational as in the case of the
Yoruba and Igala. Again, institutional development according to the author, in our
region of discourse down to C600A.D leaves us with three(3) crucial open
questions:
1. What were the forces that lay behind the process of centralization?
2. Who were the dynastic founders, and how did they manage to establish their
initial hegemony?
3. What were the reasons for the differences in political organizations between
the various mega-states (Benin, Yoruba and Igala)?
Tentative answers were provided by the author: Economic factor and political
centralization.

CONCLUSION
The author of this chapter has succinctly resolved the debate on the origins of
peoples in the Yoruba, Edo-speaking peoples and their neighbours. His reliance on
sources other than earlier written records that based more on oral traditions which
goes a long way in clearing the uncertainties is commendable. Moreso, the claim of
Middle East origin is discarded on the propensity of Islamic chroniclers to make
unwarranted assertions about trans-saharan origins of African people.
Detailed discussion of the emergence of mini-states and mega-states in the region
is also a credit to the author.
The author, however tended to present the predynastic states as mere appendages to
the mega states that absorbed them. Little is said about their political organization
before the emergence of the mega states.
END NOTES
1. Ade Obayemi, Methodological Considerations on the History of the Yoruba-
Edo peoples and their Neighbours before 1800 AD In S.O Biobaku (ed)
Savannah ABU Journal of Social and Environmental Studies
2. S. Johnson, The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest Times to the
Beginning of the British Protectorate, CMS, Lagos, 1921.
3. See Thursthan, Shaw, Pre History of West Africa
4. J. Ballard, Historical Inferences from Linguistic Geography of Nigerian
Middle Belt
5. P. Stevens, Orisha-Nla Festival(Ile-Ife) in Nigeria Magazine, 90, 1966
pp.184-199. In J.F Ade Ajayi and Michael Crowder (Ed) A History of West
Africa Volume I (Second Edition)
6. J.A. Ademakinwa, Ife, Cradle of the Yoruba, Lagos, 1953
7. J.H Beely, An Intelligence Report on the Owo and Ifon Districts --- Ondo
Province, National Archives, Ibadan,1934, CSO/26/3 ,File no 29956,p.18 In
J.F Ade Ajayi and Michael Crowder, opcit
8. See E.G.M Dupigny, Gazetteer of Nupe Province, London,1920; J.C
Sciortino, Note on Nassarawa Province, London,1920; O. Temple, Notes on
the Tribes, Provinces, Emirates and States of the Northern Provinces of
Nigeria, Lagos,1922.
9. Armstrong, The Idoma-speaking Peoples In J.F Ade Ajayi and Michael
Crowder, opcit

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ade Obayemi, Methodological Considerations on the History of the Yoruba-Edo

peoples and their Neighbours before 1800 AD In S.O Biobaku (ed)
Savannah ABU Journal of Social and Environmental Studies
J. Ki-Zerbo (ed) General History of Africa 1; Methodology and African Pre-
History, 1981
J.H Greenberg, African Linguistic Classification
S. Johnson, The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of
the British Protectorate, CMS, Lagos, 1921.