The idea is that the whole world was 100 percent under water instead of around 70 percent today. The first point where land rose above the waters to start expanding is called Ife from fe which means expand. There has always been an Ife so designated by all human beings from the beginning as representative of that first land where civilization berthed. An Ife Chosen to carry on the tradition, with some stories, celebrations and traditions for the remembrance of the founder of that Ife, someone named Obatala mostly depicted as a man but also depicted as a woman sometimes, mother to some prominent orisa. How long ago this original Ife was, no one knows. The tradition states that it blossomed as an advanced civilization and collapsed, possibly after hundreds of incarnations at different sites. The last is referred to as Ot u Ife meaning the dispersed or destroyed Ife. After the catastrophe, subsequent ones were Ife Ooye meaning Ife of the survivors established by remnants of a crashed civilization. There have been several Ife Ooyes. I believe there would have been many named Arigidi Ife, Ode Ife. The present one named Ile Ife is obviously a contemporary of other towns that use thesame prefix like Ilesa, Ile Ogbo and etc. The word Ile is acknowledged by an Awo I listened to on radio to be a new entrant to our vocabulary. The old word is Arigidi while Ode was also the word used by all Yoruba to refer to a city the way burg, ville and etc are used in Europe. Ode Ijesa, Ode Ifa, Ode Ibadan, Ode Itsekiri and etc were how cities were referred to in the past.

The Yoruba view is that there has always been an Ife chosen by the rest of the world as a sacred city not in the mould of Jerusalem or Mecca but to ritually carry on the tradition of being the source. The oriki of Ife is 'Ibi ti ojumo ti mo wa' which may be translated to mean Ife the initiator of human civilization. The Ife is not for the purpose of pilgrimage, it is just to keep on a tradition. Infact people were not free to approach the place unless summoned. Narrow paths and not broad roads led to the place in the past. The Oba was obliged to never leave Ife once crowned. Another oriki Ife goes thus 'Ebo ojoojumo lo mule baba won su mi lo' meaning 'The practice of daily sacrifice (human?) Is why I am never enthusiastic about going to Ife'. So the Ife tradition though believed by the Yoruba to have been established by all humans in the beginning of time is not in the mould of the holy cities of Christianity and Islam. No one may approach the place unless summoned and no human civilization must attack the place. The punishment for this was destruction of the erring civilization. This played out in Owu, a Northern Yoruba civilization that was once powerful enough to arrest an Alaafin of Oyo and lock him up in Owu until ransom was paid. Owu was also powerful enough not to totally abdicate to the newly arrived Oduduwa in Ife, they instead married a princess as did the Ijebu.

In the Apomu market, hostilities broke out between Ife and Owu traders, Ife attacked Owu and Owu responded by levelling Ife. This forced the other Yoruba to ally themselves and besiege Owu according to tradition. It resulted in the destruction and dispersal of Owu, the Olowu chose a weak point in the siege and bursted the siege to escape. Owu was destroyed and the people scattered. The allies entered the city and invoked curses on anyone that ever attempts to rebuild the city.

Owu used to be very prominent and was at a point greater than the Oyo. The national anthem of the Owu is a lamentation 'Owu la koko da, Owu la koko da bi e de Owu e bere wo!' Meaning Owu was the first to be established, Owu was the established, if you ever visit Owu, do ask them if this story is true or not' The Owu are now scattered all over.

Scientists say by their analysis of Y chromosomes, the Y chromosomal Adam lived in East Africa but there are evidences of human cities that predates this Y chromosomal Adam. There is also a mitochondrial Eve who never met the Adam in question. So the question of where the first Ife lied or where the first Ife Ooye lied is something that may never be answered.

I am very conversant with other accounts of the origin of human civilization and existence but I am somehow more comfortable with this one passed down by word of mouth. The current calendar of Ife Ooye is 10059 this year.

Thanks for your time.

Interesting