The story of Kurunmi is one that draws tears from the eyes of people who feel pity for a man who stood firm for tradition.

There was a time in the history of Yoruba where the heir to the throne is killed whenever the king dies. This tradition came about because it was discovered that a lot of princes killed their fathers so they could ascend the throne and become king instead.

It was believed that if the heirs were killed alongside their fathers, kings would live longer on the throne.

During this period, Alaafin Atiba was the paramount ruler of the Oyo empire, and he appointed Kurunmi, the son of Esiele as the Aare-ona-Kakanfo ( the generalissimo of the whole Yoruba warriors).

As it was with tradition, a king and an Aare-ona-Kakanfo cannot stay in the same town because their wield similar powers, so Kurunmi was assigned to Ijaiye, where he was given the power to lord over.

One day, Alaafin Atiba summoned the kings and lords of the neighboring towns and told them he wished to change tradition. Present at the meeting were kings like the Timi of Ede, Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan, and Kurunmi himself.

When they were seated, Atiba came down from his throne and held the sword of Ogun (the Yoruba god of iron) in his right hand, and the bolt of Sango (the Yoruba god of lightning and thunder) in his left. He charged the royalties present to swear by the sword and bolt that after his death, his son Aremo Adelu will be made king after his demise.

Kurunmi disagreed immediately, and he reminded Alaafin Atiba that according to the tradition, the moment Atiba does, his son Adelu must follow suit. Other royalties tried to persuade Kurunmi, but he was adamant. When he couldn't convince them, he walked out in anger and headed for Ijaiye.

The other kings and chiefs went home to their people to inform them of the latest developments. When Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan told his chiefs the news, one of the chiefs Basorun Ogunmola took the matter up and suggested they wage war against Kurunmi.

Kurunmi had once captured Ogunmola who had a secret affair with his wife. He captured him, tied him to a stake like a goat and fed him ashes as food. As a form of revenge, Ogunmola proposed war against Kurunmi.

Alaafin Atiba sent emissaries to Kurunmi to change his mind, but he remained adamant, and when Alaafin Atiba saw that he would not change his mind, he sent two calabash bowls to Kurunmi. One of the calabashes contained an effigy of a pair of twins (Yoruba symbol of peace), while the other calabash contained gunpowder (Yoruba symbol of war).

Kurunmi immediately chose war and sent the emissaries back to Atiba. Immediately, Kurunmi summoned his chief warrior Balogun Ogunkoroju and told him to prepare for war.

As part of the preparations for war, Kurunmi consulted the oracle, and the oracle warned him not to go to war with Ibadan because he would lose the war. Kurunmi was not going to have any of it, and he pestered the oracle to tell him what to do to win the war.

The oracle then told Kurunmi that in order for him not to lose the war, he must not cross the River Ose, which was the boundary between Ijaiye and Ibadan. Kurunmi agreed, and went ahead to plan for the war against Ibadan.

While Kurunmi was making preparations, the Ibadan warriors, led by Ogunmola went to meet the people of Ęgba who were said to possess very powerful charms.

The Ęgba people then prepared a potent charm called Eedi (a charm that causes someone or a group of people to ignore warnings or dare something that will harm them). The Eedi was set out to the River Ose so that the Ijaiye warriors will be tempted to cross the river.

When the war came, Kurunmi sent his five sons to war to fight the Ibadan people. During the face-off, Ijaiye warriors soundly defeated the Ibadan warriors, and the remaining Ibadan warriors fled back, crossing the River Ose.

Unfortunately for Kurunmi, his warriors fell to the potency of the Eedi, and they crossed the River Ose, believing that they had momentum, and that they could chase the Ibadan soldiers far away.

Immediately they crossed the river, their charms failed them, and they were killed in thousands by the warriors of Ibadan who had set a trap for them. Kurunmi suffered heavy losses, and lost all his five sons in the war.

Basorun Ogunmola mocked him and sent a message to him that he was coming for his head. On hearing the news of the death of his sons and his men, Kurunmi became very devastated and suicidal, but while he grieved, he held on to his belief that tradition remains tradition, and that he does not regret standing firm in the face of corruption.

Kurunmi committed suicide by taking poison, and he was thrown into the river Ose according to his wishes so that Basorun Ogunmola won't have the luxury of cutting his head and hanging it in shame.

I’m sorry if this isn’t the right section

Kurunmi committed suicide by taking poison

'These people' and taking poison

Zonefree:
[b][/b]
'These people' and taking poison

Iku ya ju esin lo.

They will rather die than be made humilated
Only honorable men will understand.
They are not afraid of death and they take their own lives to prove it.

The Japanese do it extremely well.

Our history is something that should have made us a much stronger United nation. But sadly it seems to be the one of the major thing dividing us

I once read this story in one book with a green cover. I can't remember the name, but it was about one great warrior from the Ibadan side,I think.

He would later ask for the title of Bashorun and die of some illness.

Great read!

kyber:

There was a time in the history of Yoruba where the heir to the throne is killed whenever the king dies. This tradition came about because it was discovered that a lot of princes killed their fathers so they could ascend the throne and become king instead.

It was believed that if the heirs were killed alongside their fathers, kings would live longer on the throne.

But killing the current heir only brings up another heir to the throne.

Am I missing something here?

According to this story, Kurunmi died because of heavy dose of ego and the fact that he didnt have the virtue of adaptability. You either adapt or die.

The king , chiefs and oracle were against him but because of his war-mongering nature, he chose to sacrifice his life and that of his people.
And talking about traditions, not all practices are right. In the past , there is history killing of twins, albinos or children with congenital anomalies. These were innocent people just like the princes butchered after their fathers in this story .

To me, he is not worthy of emulation.
Tradition cannot be always right and may be subject to change/adaptability.

CuriousCart:


But killing the current heir only brings up another heir to the throne.

Am I missing something here?

Yes

yomi007k:
According to this story, Kurunmi died because of heavy dose of ego and the fact that he didnt have the virtue of adaptability. You either adapt or die.

The king , chiefs and oracle were against him but because of his war-mongering nature, he chose to sacrifice his life and that of his people.
And talking about traditions, not all practices are right. In the past , there is history killing of twins, albinos or children with congenital anomalies. These were innocent people just like the princes butchered after their fathers in this story .

To me, he is not worthy of emulation.
Tradition cannot be always right and may be subject to change/adaptability.

He died a worthless death because the tradition he upheld was a disastrous and absurd one which the Oba wanted to change Buh he didn’t want any of it.

His death automatically changed everything

kyber:


Yes

Yes to what?
Answer intelligently?

Zonefree:
[b][/b]
'These people' and taking poison

This Guy ehn, Na Trouble U dey find so o? 😏😄😄

I still don't believe that 'Man' took Poison though.🤨

This is pure Hubris. He lost everything because of his failure to accept change. Change is the only thing constant in life and we should learn to accept it as it comes.

NB: Suicide is consider a coward's death. Whoever dies by Suicide,has no honour and no resting place.

The picture posted is of arab slave traders has nothing to do with the story. Serves aare kurunmi right . Traditions always change with time. Lost his children and legacy to a useless war.

kyber:
I’m sorry if this isn’t the right section

Lalasticlala biko put this in the right section.

Its a great story.

I wish Nollywood producers can make a movie out of this

Zonefree:
[b][/b]
'These people' and taking poison

its a honourable way to die.

Toks2008:


Lalasticlala biko put this in the right section.

Its a great story.

I wish Nollywood producers can make a movie out of this

I believe I have seen the Yoruba movie already

falcon01:
its a honourable way to die.

There's no honour in suicide. Dying for a good cause (sacrificial) is honourable

Zonefree:
[b][/b]
'These people' and taking poison

It's akin to the Japanese Samurai who takes his life to show his displeasure or whenever he fails his assignment.

otipoju:


Iku ya ju esin lo.

They will rather due than be made mockery of.
Only honorable men will understand.
They are not afraid of death.

The Japanese do it extremely well.

Expect Baby Gen diya that cried at the feet of Abacha 😁

Cowardice lives in yoruba land

But the logic here makes no sense. If they feel that the first son would kill his father to be king, then this new tradition would only make the second son to kill the father, knowing that the first son would follow suit for him to become king,

CuriousCart:


Yes to what?
Answer intelligently?

Of course it brings up another heir to the throne but that’s besides the point because they didn’t think that the second heir to the throne might kill the king so as to get them to kill the immediate heir for him to become the next king.

Reasons why they say some traditions are upholder blindly

SmithRussell:
But the logic here makes no sense. If they feel that the first son would kill his father to be king, then this new tradition would only make the second son to kill the father, knowing that the first son would follow suit for him to become king,

Exactly but I feel that makes the first son over protective of his father as his duty and to keep a watchful eyes on him.

But I think people In those days were logical enough to play that move unlike we 21st century individuals who are very cunning and self entitled

WantsandMore:
It's akin to the Japanese Samurai who takes his life to show his displeasure or whenever he fails his assignment.

They had rather not get killed by their enemies it’s a show of shame and defeat to them .

Cause they might suffer before they are being killed

Toks2008:


Lalasticlala biko put this in the right section.

Its a great story.

I wish Nollywood producers can make a movie out of this

Where is the right section?


Nlfpmod
Mynd44
Seun

Lol, seems this type of forefathers are not wise
If the "heir" must die with the king, then the person is not the heir but abobakun
Then the next in line after the heir could orchestrate the kings death so that they will kill heirs.
I think the right tradition in this line of thought would be to kill all the kings family members and all his relatives, then appoint a new king via voting.

No, that will not work, the right thing should be, once the king dies, they should kill the whole village

Interesting read…

thesicilian:
Our history is something that should have made us a much stronger United nation. But sadly it seems to be the one of the major thing dividing us

A nation as Yoruba (Odùduwà republic) nation or a nation as Nigeria... Which are you talk about?

Emyzoloye5:


Expect Baby Gen diya that cried at the feet of Abacha 😁

Cowardice lives in yoruba land

Na so una like to spit trash to provoke people. When they begin to deal with una with iron hand, una men go begin cry and lament victimization like women up and dan.

Ordinary Asari dey deal with una , una no fit cough.

kyber:


They had rather not get killed by their enemies it’s a show of shame and defeat to them .

Cause they might suffer before they are being killed

that also inclusive.