A new dimension was recently introduced to the unending controversy about Yoruba history when Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi claimed that Igbos from the Eastern part of Nigeria and not Ugbo from the Ilaje, Ondo State, invaded Ile-Ife before Moremi sacrificed herself, to liberate her people.

The monarch, during an interview granted a national newspaper claimed that the Igbos have a strong lineage with the Yoruba, as against the claim by Ugbo people to be the aborigine and original owners of Ile-Ife. The claims had in the last one-week caused serious royal rumbles with the palace sticking to their oral tradition.

The Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, had in the book he presented to the public in August, this year claimed that his stool predates that of Ooni. He was particularly angered that the Ooni referred to his lineage as Igbo, describing Ooni’s narrative as a deliberate distortion of historical facts about ancient Ile Ife.

Oba Akinruntan insisted that the Ugbo people still have several quarters in Ile Ife and they are the aborigines of Ile-Ife, who played host to Oduduwa and his group when they migrated to Ile-Ife.

But the Ooni’s account vehemently denied such claim. To him, “If he (Olugbo) knows the depth of what is called Ife, he won’t be talking like that. But this is not the time to respond to that. Yes he can talk about the lineage of Oranfe, which is Sango’s lineage. They both came to this world twice.

“First, it was in the spirit realm and the second time, it was the physical. There is Ife oodaye, there is Ife ooyelagbo and the third is Ile Ife, now Ile-Ife. He does not know the story of oodaye, that is the Ife of the spirit. Everything that happened in the land of the spirit of the first happened again in the second Ife, so he could not link the two.

“At the first Ife, they were spirit, Oduduwa (Adua), it means prayer. Who doesn’t pray? That is the meaning of Oduduwa. He is called the mouth of God, words of prayers. If you go to the Arabia world, the Muslim world, it is duwa that they call prayers, which is Adura in Yoruba land. That is Oduduwa.”

Reacting to Ooni’s comment that he does not understand the historical timeline between Ife Ooye, Ife Oodaye and Ile Ife, Oba Akinruntan described Ooni’s claim as “completely laughable”. The Olugbo stated that there was Ife Ooye era, Ife Oodaye era, Ugbomokun era, before Ile Ife era. He further asserted that the two prominent markets in Ile Ife today, OjaIfe and Oja Aiyegbaju were founded by his own forefathers, Oranfe and Osangangan Obamakin. He maintained that contrary to what is popularly listed in some books, the reign of Osangangan Obamakin predates the coming of Oduduwa to Ile Ife. He also stated that the most revered inner portion of the palace of the Ooni where his initiation rites to the throne must be done is called ‘Ile Ugbo’.

Oba Ogunwusi had said, “This is my point, we don’t even appreciate the beauty of Moremi. She became a goddess of liberty that liberated her people. It was some people, the Ibos who took Ife into captivity”.

A Reporter, who seemed not clear with that statement asked: “Kabiyesi, is it Ugbo or the Ibos?” to which the Ooni replied, “It is the Ibos; here the real Ibos have a compound in Ife, the Oluyeri compound in Iremo, where the Igbo language is spoken. They are from Ife and you can trace many of them from Ife to Benin to Ibo land. Some of them will say they are from the Middle East but the people from the Middle East, left from Ife”.

However, the Ugbo Council of Elders have demanded unreserved apology from Ooni for allegedly distorting history, by referring to them as Igbos. They even advised him to clarify historical facts from the elders of Ife.


http://guardian.ng/features/again-royal-rumbles-on-yoruba-history/

;D7

Who is right here, the Onni, or the Ulogbo? Yorubas verse in history should help us..... from what the Onni is saying, its seems the Igbos sere once Lord over the Yorubas.

Okay

Can someone confirm if the Oluyares/Oluyare people still speak Igbo?

These are Ugbo people not Igbo.
UGBO as in UGBO not IGBO, it is standardardized Yoruba which does not begin words in a 'I" that replaced the initial U with an I.
Let these kings just stop it.....

bigfrancis21:
Can someone confirm if the Oluyares/Oluyare people still speak Igbo?

They don't. They never did.

RedboneSmith:


They don't. They never did.

But the king said they did at a time.... do you know more than the king?

blues2022:

But the king said they did at a time.... do you know more than the king?

The king also said Noah's Ark is in Ile-Ife right now...as we type. Being a king does not automatically turn you into a history expert overnight. The king is embarrassing himself and the Yoruba race in my opinion.

RedboneSmith:


The king also said Noah's Ark is in Ile-Ife right now...as we type. Being a king does not automatically turn you into a history expert overnight. The king is embarrassing himself and the Yoruba race in my opinion.

You could be correct, but I read about this Moremi in primary school days; are you saying the authors are also wrong?

The story of Moremi and the Igbo spirit warriors that invade from the forest......

.....more on Moremi.........

Moremi Ajasoro, Princess of the Yoruba, was a figure of high significance in the history of the Yoruba peoples. She was a member-by-marriage of the royal family of Emperor Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba people. She was the wife of King Oranmiyan of Ife (and later Oyo). A woman of tremendous beauty and a faithful and zealous supporter of her husband and the Kingdom of Ile Ife. Moremi Ajasoro, Princess of the Yoruba, was a figure of high significance in the history of the Yoruba peoples. At this time there were neighboring tribes called Igbo, who were regularly and successfully raiding the people at and around Ile Ife. enslaved by these people, and because of this they were generally regarded with disdain by the Yoruba city-states.

Moremi was a very brave and beautiful woman who, in order to deal with the problem facing her people, offered anything she had to give in sacrifice to the Spirit of the river Esimirin so that she could discover the strength of her nation's enemies.

Moremi decided upon a strategy. She went to the nearby river Esinmirin, and vowed to deity that she would make the greatest sacrifice possible if they allowed her to discover the strength of her nation’s enemies. She then went to a place that was raided frequently, and when the raiders did come she allowed herself to be captured. Being very beautiful she was taken as booty to the Igbo King. She was very confident and skillful, and soon won the trust and affection of the King and people in Igbo land. She became familiar with their customs and tactics of warfare. She found that the Igbo, in preparation for battle, would cover themselves from head to toe with Ekan grass and bamboo fibers. She realized that if someone could pass amongst the Igbo warriors with a torch that they could be defeated.

Feeling that she had adequate knowledge, she escaped, to the great surprise of her Igbo captors. She returned to her first husband, King Oramiyan of Ife (and later Oyo), who immediately had her re-instated as his Princess Consort. Knowing the warfare secrets of the Igbo, the people of Ife were forever freed from the terrors of these previously invincible warriors.

In order to fulfill the pledge she made to Esimirin before embarking on her mission, she made sacrifice of rams and lambs, but these were not accepted. The priests told her that the only sacrifice the gods would accept was her only son -Oluorogbo. Dejected she allowed her only son to be sacrificed in gratitude for saving her people The Ife nation mourned with her and she was held in the absolute highest esteem of any women in the Kingdom. They committed to forever be her sons and daughters in memory of her sacrifice.

The Edi Festival is said to have then been started as a means of celebrating the sacrifice the princess made for the people of Yorubaland. Furthermore, a number of public places are named after her in contemporary Nigeria, such as the Female Halls of Residence in the University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, Moremi High School, a government-run secondary school within the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria



http://moremi.oauife.edu.ng/history.php

blues2022:

You could be correct, but I read about this Moremi in primary school days; are you saying the authors are also wrong?

The story of Moremi and the Igbo spirit warriors that invade from the forest......

It is a different Igbo. Not the Igbo ethnic group.

blues2022:

You could be correct, but I read about this Moremi in primary school days; are you saying the authors are also wrong?

The story of Moremi and the Igbo spirit warriors that invade from the forest......

Doesn't "igbo" mean "bush" in the Yoruba language? I'm not well versed in the language so can a native Yoruba speaker correct me if I'm wrong?

Anyway, if "igbo" does mean "bush" then is it possible that these people were given the name by the people of ile ife because they came from the bush? Besides, the "Igbo" in Yoruba and the "igbo" in Igbo are very different in both semantics and sound; our "igbo" is very difficult for Yorubas to pronounce, hence they have to pronounce it as "ibo" instead. Surely, if the Ugbo were Igbo then the word "igbo" would have some meaning to them in the same way that it has to us?

RedboneSmith:


It is a different Igbo. Not the Igbo ethnic group.

Well its on record that the Igbo people are the oldest aborigines down sub-sahara.... you may need to do more un-prejudiced research on this topic.

Ngozi123:


Doesn't "igbo" mean "bush" in the Yoruba language? I'm not well versed in the language so can a native Yoruba speaker correct me if I'm wrong?

Anyway, if "igbo" does mean "bush" then is it possible that these people were given the name by the people of ile ife because they came from the bush? Besides, the "Igbo" in Yoruba and the "igbo" in Igbo are very different in both semantics and sound; our "igbo" is very difficult for Yorubas to pronounce, hence they have to pronounce it as "ibo" instead. Surely, if the Ugbo were Igbo then the word "igbo" would have some meaning to them in the same way that it has to us?

The king said that they were Igbos, before they move further down East.... remember..... Eze nri -the priestly lord - played major roles in the Ogiso period of ancient Benin. A lot is been hidden today because of ethnic supremacy and political ambition. History is one vital subject that need to be re-introduced...

blues2022:

Well its on record that the Igbo people are the oldest aborigines down sub-sahara.... you may need to do more un-prejudiced research on this topic.

On record? Whose un-prejudiced record?

blues2022:

Well its on record that the Igbo people are the oldest aborigines down sub-sahara.... you may need to do more un-prejudiced research on this topic.

To add to this, a Yoruba lady on here one time mentioned being told by a Yoruba professor that in ancient times, Igbos were the first arrivals in southern Nigeria (Nri kingdom is the oldest kingdom in southern Nigeria) and they occupied an area beyond their current territories extending up to the eastern parts of the modern region of Yoruba land but due to wars and southward expansion of yoruba peoples, they were pushed further east and east to their current boundaries. It was said that the ancient Igbos that raided Ife lived in the bush or forest, and by nature of their forest environment their name, Igbo, became associated with 'people living in the bush/forest'. The professor further said that the dialect of Igbo spoken by these ancient igbo was similar to the dialect spoken in Onitsha. However, due to latter southward expansion of the Yorubas, many of these people fled their lands moving eastward (the Ezechima story rings a bell here) while some remained and assimilated. The assimilation of ancient Igbos by Yorubas could be confirmed by DNA testing of the natives of certain areas of yoruba land where it is said ancient igbos once occupied, to test for unique Igbo genetic markers. This does not include the half-Igbos half-yorubas who are recent Yoruba-Igbo breeds and products of Yoruba-Igbo marriages but proper Yoruba natives of these aforementioned places. In DNA studies, certain DNA may undergo recombination generation after generation but part of its true form still remains.

Unfortunately, the lady is no longer active on nairaland, as this was about 3 to 4 years ago and I would have to dig up her profile and post.

blues2022:

The king said that they were Igbos, before they move further down East.... remember..... Eze nri -the priestly lord - played major roles in the Ogiso period of ancient Benin. A lot is been hidden today because of ethnic supremacy and political ambition. History is one vital subject that need to be re-introduced...

What a shame . Anyway, this is an interesting topic that deserves to at least be looked into a bit more. I've learned a lot from this thread so thanks .

bigfrancis21:

A yoruba lady on here one time mentioned being told by a yoruba professor that in ancient times, igbos were the first arrivals in southern Nigeria and they occupied an area beyond their current territories up extending up to yoruba land but due to wars and expansion, they were pushed further east and east to their current boundaries. It was said that the ancient Igbos that raided Ife lived lived in the bush or forest, and by nature of their forest environment their name, igbo, became associated with 'people living in the bush/forest'. The professor further said that the dialect of igbo spoken by these ancient igbo was similar to the dialect of onitsha igbo. However, due to later southward expansion of the Yorubas, many of these people fled their lands moving eastward, the ezechima story rings a bell here, while some remained and assimilated. This could be confirmed by dna testing of the natives of certain areas of yoruba land where it is said ancient igbos once occupied, to test for unique

Wow. Do you know (roughly) the dates of these migrations?

I guess another question one might ask is, why did the Olukwumis head towards the east after fleeing Ondo state? We see similar patterns of westward to eastward migrations in history - the ezechima eastward migration, the akalaka eastward migration, the olukwumi eastward migration etc. Could there have been an ancient reason for this? Was the Olukwumi migration back to the east due to an ancient knowledge or acknowledgment by the people of ancestral roots in the east, albeit forgotten today?

There's a lot that still needs to be uncovered about ancient southern Nigerian history.

Ngozi123:


Wow. Do you know (roughly) the dates of these migrations?

No idea, I was merely re-iterating what the Yoruba lady mentioned on here. From my speculation, this could have well happened around the establishment of the first Yoruba kingdom, the Ife kingdom, around the 12th AD or maybe a couple of years after or before that.

Absolute rubbish. The aboriginals of Ile-Ife were not Igbos. It makes absolutely no sense.

AkinPhysicist:
Absolute rubbish. The aboriginals of Ile-Ife were not Igbos. It makes absolutely no sense.

Where are your facts.... don't speak like them babies....Your Onni said otherwise.

RedboneSmith:


On record? Whose un-prejudiced record?

Conduct an unbiased research.... we could also learn from you

bigfrancis21:

To add to this, a Yoruba lady on here one time mentioned being told by a Yoruba professor that in ancient times, Igbos were the first arrivals in southern Nigeria (Nri kingdom is the oldest kingdom in southern Nigeria) and they occupied an area beyond their current territories extending up to the eastern parts of the modern region of Yoruba land but due to wars and southward expansion of yoruba peoples, they were pushed further east and east to their current boundaries. It was said that the ancient Igbos that raided Ife lived in the bush or forest, and by nature of their forest environment their name, Igbo, became associated with 'people living in the bush/forest'. The professor further said that the dialect of Igbo spoken by these ancient igbo was similar to the dialect spoken in Onitsha. However, due to latter southward expansion of the Yorubas, many of these people fled their lands moving eastward (the Ezechima story rings a bell here) while some remained and assimilated. The assimilation of ancient Igbos by Yorubas could be confirmed by DNA testing of the natives of certain areas of yoruba land where it is said ancient igbos once occupied, to test for unique Igbo genetic markers. This does not include the half-Igbos half-yorubas who are recent Yoruba-Igbo breeds and products of Yoruba-Igbo marriages but proper Yoruba natives of these aforementioned places. In DNA studies, certain DNA may undergo recombination generation after generation but part of its true form still remains.

Unfortunately, the lady is no longer active on nairaland, as this was about 3 to 4 years ago and I would have to dig up her profile and post.

DNA testing could be the last resort... but unbiased historical fact supports this proposition. Its a known fact that the earliest human are Ethiop - blacks with wooly hair - their area of influence began in Africa, then move Northward towards the Middle East; then circumnavigate the globe.... some of this elements of Ethiop actually moved down South, e.g Sub-Sahara, the Indian sub-continent, (Dravidians in India are blacks with wooly hair) down to the Australian continent..... Australian aborigines are blacks with wooly hair..... the Figi Islands etc.
When the Igbos claimed they came from the East, I believe they have a point. You may not point out the actual geographic position of the mentioned East, but in my opinion, it could be within the region of the upper Nile down to lower Nile where Ethiopia exist today.....
Do read this book for further information on the Ethiop - Ancient Civilization that was Black -

Yoruba and Igbo interaction did not start today....

@bigfrancis21, I'll like you to check out this link on ancient black civilization... this is one my favorite site...

http://realhistoryww.com/

blues2022:

Conduct an unbiased research.... we could also learn from you

The age-old tradition is that the Igbo in Ife traditions are the same with the Ugbo of Ondo State. That is exactly why the present King of Ugbo is claiming primacy over the Ooni of Ife.

If you know Yoruba dialects well, you will know that initial 'i' becomes 'u' in most of the Ondo dialects. Thus ile which means house will now become ule, and ikun which means stomach will now become ukun. Also ina which means fire becomes una. That is how Igbo became Ugbo in Ondo State. The Ugbo are the Igbo.

Ugbo people have known for the longest time that they were the ones driven away from the Ife area. All of a sudden the Igbo ethnic group have started claiming it was them. And for some reason, the present Ooni (perhaps in a bid to magnify Ife influence) has lent his voice to this ridiculous claim. You Igbos should feel insulted by all this. But perhaps, because you don't seem to have any grand history of your own, you all have decide to accept the role of people driven away from Ife by the descendants of Oduduwa. Anything to have a history. That is pathetic, folks. Go and search out your own history, instead of seeking to fix yourselves in another people's history.

RedboneSmith:


The age-old tradition is that the Igbo in Ife traditions are the same with the Ugbo of Ondo State. That is exactly why the present King of Ugbo is claiming primacy over the Ooni of Ife.

If you know Yoruba dialects well, you will know that initial 'i' becomes 'u' in most of the Ondo dialects. Thus ile which means house will now become ule, and ikun which means stomach will now become ukun. Also ina which means fire becomes una. That is how Igbo became Ugbo in Ondo State. The Ugbo are the Igbo.

Ugbo people have known for the longest time that they were the ones driven away from the Ife area. All of a sudden the Igbo ethnic group have started claiming it was them. And for some reason, the present Ooni (perhaps in a bid to magnify Ife influence) has lent his voice to this ridiculous claim. You Igbos should feel insulted by all this. But perhaps, because you don't seem to have any grand history of your own, you all have decide to accept the role of people driven away from Ife by the descendants of Oduduwa. Anything to have a history. That is pathetic, folks. Go and search out your own history, instead of seeking to fix yourselves in another people's history.

It's amazing to point out that 'ule' for house in ondo dialects is similar to 'ulo' for house in Igbo. There's much more to the igbo-yoruba relationship than meets the eye.

Interesting to know how strong Ugbo was.

bigfrancis21:


It's amazing to point out that 'ule' for house in ondo dialects is similar to 'ulo' for house in Igbo. There's much more to the igbo-yoruba relationship than meets the eye.

I know you were going to jump on that. You're so predictable.

Earth is Ale in some Yoruba dialects. Oya, jump on that one, too. Everyone already knows the languages are related. I don't why some of you keep acting like you have discovered some hidden secret whenever you see words that look/sound alike in the two languages.

RedboneSmith:


I know you were going to jump on that. You're so predictable.

Earth is Ale in some Yoruba dialects. Oya, jump on that one, too. Everyone already knows the languages are related. I don't why some of you keep acting like you have discovered some hidden secret whenever you see words that look/sound alike in the two languages.

Yea i'm quick to point out such similarities. I've got great penchant for that.

The Itsekiris use 'ale' for land, as in ale iwerre or Warri land. Similar to 'ala' or 'ali' in Igbo language. Once more, there's more to the Igbo-Yoruba relationship than meets the eye.

RedboneSmith:


The age-old tradition is that the Igbo in Ife traditions are the same with the Ugbo of Ondo State. That is exactly why the present King of Ugbo is claiming primacy over the Ooni of Ife.

If you know Yoruba dialects well, you will know that initial 'i' becomes 'u' in most of the Ondo dialects. Thus ile which means house will now become ule, and ikun which means stomach will now become ukun. Also ina which means fire becomes una. That is how Igbo became Ugbo in Ondo State. The Ugbo are the Igbo.

Ugbo people have known for the longest time that they were the ones driven away from the Ife area. All of a sudden the Igbo ethnic group have started claiming it was them. And for some reason, the present Ooni (perhaps in a bid to magnify Ife influence) has lent his voice to this ridiculous claim. You Igbos should feel insulted by all this. But perhaps, because you don't seem to have any grand history of your own, you all have decide to accept the role of people driven away from Ife by the descendants of Oduduwa. Anything to have a history. That is pathetic, folks. Go and search out your own history, instead of seeking to fix yourselves in another people's history.

Abeg, direct this your itchy irritation towards your Onni, and not my beloved Igbo nation. When will you restrain your emotion from popping up in academic discuss?