"Ade Otutuopn" Royal Crown of Ifa

Among all Yoruba people the Ade (Crown) is teh principal symbol of a king's
authority. The Crown is an Orisa when it is placed upon the head of the king. his
Oriinu (inner head) becomes one with those who have reigned before him and who are
now Orisa.

There is an ancient story that says that before he died, Oduduwa, the founder and first
king of Yoruba people gave a beaded crown (Ade) to each of his sons and sent them
forth to establish their own kingdoms. Another version, with many variations states,
that when Olofin Oduduwa was old and almost blind, his sons thier father's crown
(Ade) knowing that witht he authority of Ade, they can establish their own kingdoms.

Taken together as they should be, the story acknowledge the primacy of Ile ife as
earliest crown town from which all Yoruba kings must trace their own descent and
they reflect the tension that exists over the centuries between Ile Ife and other Yoruba
Kingdoms.

The Origan of Yoruba Crown

Bead work is not a stranger professionof the Yoruba people, it has being recorded in
an Ese Ifa stanza Owonrin meji: Ohunyowon: the princessof Alaafin of Oyo wsa bead
seller

"Owon owo ni won na owo mini,

Owo ounje la npe ni Iyan
Omi lo won lan lesun omi,
Adifa fun Ohunyowon omo Oba leyo ajori
Nijo tin ru apa ileke lo ile Onisin iko"

Scarcity of money, makes us spend less money,

The scarcity of food, is what we called famine,
The scarity of water, make use fetch drops of water
Ifa divination was preformed for Ohunyowon,
The princess of Alaafin at Eyo Ajori, on the day that she was carring her beads to the
home of Onisin Iko.

The Princess Ohunyowon was a trader who would like to make more profits on her
bead business, so she went to the aboved named Ifa priest, who then revealed to her
that not the king Onisin Iko would love her beads, but all the inhabitants in the town
including the Chief, the youth and the elders. And they said that she just need to make
sacrifice and she complied, after offering all the prescribed items as sacrifice, she was
given a black soap as a medicine and then she proceeded to Onisin Iko and she
eventually made a lot of profits, everyone she come across loves her beads and they
hereby says:
"Esure wa, ewa raja omo Oba
E posese wa, ewa raja Omo Oba
Atewe, Atagba ni o raja Ohunyowan"

Rush, come and buy from a Princess.

Come in plenty and come and buy from a Princess
All the young and the old, will love to buy from Ohunyowon"
What is a bead?

According to Webster dictionary, it is defined as a small, usually round piece of glass,

wood,
metel etc., pieced for string. Each Orisa has names and colors for their beads. Yoruba
culture defines and understands colors in a different ways as outlined in an important
article on indigenous religion, examples are pupa are red, funfun are white, dudu is
black etc. Funfun is represented as (Etutu) cool propitiation, it is also represents
coolness, it also associated with age and wisdom.

"Irun funfun nii gbori arugbo"

"White grey hair covers the head of a old man"

Red (pupa) connote heat or warmness, black (dudu) black can be consider lo woo lo,
not warm , not cool in one of the minor Odu Ifa Idinfun explained black color, it said
that when Obatala made several sacrifice in order to have good children. The first was
as white as snow, while the second one looked liked a mirror, the third one black, the
children grew up and became adults and when Obatala wanted to start his creation
works, the first gave assistance to his father and his work was shinning, the people
creatd on that day were all Albino, the second child came to assist on his father's
work. On that day all the products of their wrok are white men who looks like snow.
The third child came to assist their father and all thier products were mulatto ie not
white, not black. On the fourth occasion, the child came to assist their father and their
products are black people. Everything became dark, it was darkness that covered the
secret work of the creations,it means that black color is not as bad as some people
would like ut to believe.
It is true that color defines and revels the nature, character and personality of things,
person and divinities. The color of Oosala is sesefun (white beads), Sango's color is
combination of white and red (kele Sango), while Orunmila's color is dark-brown and
green (Otutuopon) showing the dark enigmatic and mysterious nature of Orunmila and
deep reflective nature of diviners.

In another passage from Owonrinsindin, the Odu Ifa revealed to us that the crown that
the first monarch Olofin Ajalaye wore belonged to Oosala.

In ancient time, anytime they gave birth to a child that would become a king in the
future will be a small horn at the centre of his head and they will not be allowed to go
out publicly rather they will identify him as the future Oba and he will be specially
treated. Egungun, the ancestral spirit, Oosala and Orunmila decided to send their
children to the earth, they were to come to the world, so they gave their children
money, food, etc. in their own capability. it was only Orunmila who divined and
performed sacrafice for his son Amosun for the success of his mission.

The three children arrived but found life so difficult and soon they ran out of all their
possession except Amosun who planted raw seed when he arrived, so the offspring of
Egungun lack money and food and he went to Amosun who is very comfortable to
trade food and money for Opa Iku (the object of ancestors) and also Akala, the
offspring of Oosala came to Amosun to exchange food and money for the crown
(Ade) in which his father gave to him.

There was an ancient king who had horn at the center of his head and he sent for
Amosun, the offspring of Orunmila to divine so as to enable him to live a normal life
like any other person. Amoson revealed to the king all he has to do is to be accepted
publicly and the king uncovered his head and Amosun saw the horn. He was amazed
and shocked and he was warned that nobody should know about it. Amosun
eventually performed the sacrifice for the king and gave him the ancienet crown of
Oosala, the one is which Akala (the offspring of Oosala) gave him but Amosun, was
still surprised.

So one day, he went tot the farm and dug a hole and spoke out all his amazement
about the horn headed king saying:
Oba huwo!!!
Oba hunwo!!!!!!!

"The king has horn on his head!!!

The king has horn onhis head!!!!!!!"

Not knowing that one hunter was at the topof a tree watching Amosun as he was
revealing the secret to the hole before coving it. The hunter then went to the town and
expressed his own surprise too and the secret eventually came clear to the whole town
and also it reached the Oba. Amosun was now afraid, thinking that the king will arrest
him. So, he consulted his ikin Ifa and Ifa revealed that he needed to ask for the
assistance of his father. Amosun therefore called his father to come andto aid him.

One day, Orunmila and Egungun advised them to prepare to make a trip to earth
together to visit their offspring. When they reached the earth. They first tried to pay a
visit to Egungun's offspring and he was not where to be found. People said that he
usually appeared from a sacred groove (Igbo Igbale). Akala was not even recoginzed
in the town, it is only Amosun (the offspring of Orunmila) was well know because of
all his clients and spiritual works in the town. Amosun then called his father to private
room and explained his problems with the Oba. Orunmila and Amosun then went to
the palace to see the king. Orunmila assured the monarch that there wes no need to be
shy at all. He then advised the monarch to make a public appearance with muaic,
dance and wear his crown. Those who asserted that the king had a horn on his head
would be put to shame. The king complied to the instructions and the process was
carried out successfully.

Hence, the king became publicly known. Homage and respect was given to the king
when he wore a crown with ten birds. Orunmila then explained to the Oba that the
crown originally belonged to him and he would like to wear ten bird-crown like a
monarch. The Oba then begged Orunmila to make his own crown differently; hence, it
was Orunmila that made the king to be publicly known.

"Emi Oba logboogba,

Oba ndade,
mo gbede borun"

"The king and I area equal,

The king wears the Crown
I wear the long bead (Ide) necklace
The King and I are equal"

Chief Priest Ifayemi Elebuibon

House of Culture
Osogbo, Osun State
Nigeria

Notes

Ade: Ancient Crown

Oriinu: Inner head
Orisa: Divinities

Owonrin Meji: One of the major Odu Ifa

Idinfun: One of the minor Odu Ifa
Oosala: Otherwise known as Obatala (god of creativity); he owns the ancient crown

Sango: Perfect Judge

Orunmila: An ancient prophet
Oworinsindin: One of the minor Odu Ifa
Oba Ajalaye: Ancient Monarch

Egungun: Ancestral Spirits

Opa Iku: Object of the ancestral spirit

Bibliography

The Yoruba World: Henry John Drewal, John Pemberton III, Roland Abiodun
The Adventures of Obatala I (vol. 2): Ifayemi Elebuibon