There are various accounts of the
origin of ‘’Okebadan’’ but there is a common agreement among them with the
resolution that Lagelu: Oro Apat a-Maja
who was the founder of Ibadan was also
the one that established Okebadan.
The first account according to Femi
Osofisan in the prologue he wrote for a book [Ibadan Mesiogo] says that
dissident soldiers from Oyo, Ife and Ijebu all came to the place called Ebaodan
to settle after the sacking of owu
which w as as a result of the
disintegration of the old Oyo Empire. This new settlement was a savannah land backing
the forest of the Egba. Among these dissident was a great warrior called Lagelu
from Ife who became their leader as a result of his war expertise. He consulted
an oracle on-behalf of the new settlers to enable them know the future of their
new settlement and he was told that they should adopt [Eleyele Hill] as their
guardian deity. This eleyele hill then became Okebadan hill.
Another account By Late Oba Akinyele
in his book’’ Iwe Itan Ibadan Ati die Ninu Awon Ilu Agbegbe re bi; Iwo, Osogbo
Ati Ikirun ‘’ says that Lagelu left Ile-Ife to set up his own community as was
the order of the day then. According to Professor Bolanle Awe, before Lagelu
left, he consulted Ifa Oracle for guidance as was the custom of the Yoruba
people and was told to settle where there were many hills which he did, hence
the founding of Ibadan. After he had settled along with those that left with
him, their neighboring communities waged war against them.
According to late E.A. Adeyemo in an
opening address read during a lecture organized by the Okebadan Union on March
17th, 1988 at Mapo Hall, he said that, as an integral part of war tactics of the
Ibadan people, they receded and went on to the top of the mountain to plan a
counter attack against their enemies. During this period, the people believe that
the hill provided them with security, food, shelter and spiritual backing in
order to subdue their enemies. As a result, they decided to commemorate the
event annually. This was said to have happened at about 1820 and the Odu-Ifa
[Ifa divination verse] that was given them was ‘’Ose meji’’ which later became
‘’Ose Olubadan’’as given by Justice Fakeye in a paper he presented at a
symposium organized by ‘’Okebadan Union’’ in commemoration of 1988 Okebadan
Festival.
Another account given said, Lagelu
left Ile-Ife to settle in the present Ibadan, that on arrival, he met some
other people but being a great warrior, he settle with them but farther away
from them to the savannah part which prompted the name ‘’Eba Odan’’ [beside the
Savannah] which later metamorphosed to Ibadan. Within a very short period, the
new settlement started witnessing progress and prosperity as an answer to four
things that Lagelu requested from Olodumare before settling in Ibadan, viz;
prosperity, blessing upon the traders, responsible partners for his children
and for himself, good health and long-life. The answer to these request
instigated great influxes of people from different parts of Yorubaland to
Ibadan. As a result of the size of the new community [Ibadan], the Alafin of
Oyo; Sango, decided to make Lagelu the generalissimo of the Yoruba army [Aare
Ona Kakanfo].
With the new status of Lagelu, and
that of his town, they decided to practice some aspects of Yoruba traditional
belief which including egungun festival. It was during the course of egungun
festival in a certain year that the costume of a masquerade fell off thereby
revealing the identity of the masquerade to the glaring of the children and
women that were present. The news got to Sango –the Alafin of Oyo and was
furious at the deriding and desecration of the tradition of which he was a
custodian. He therefore sent for other Oba like Orangun of Ila, Owa of
Ijesaland, Alake of Egba and other important Oba, they deliberated on the issue
and decided to wage war against Ibadan, to kill their people including women
and children as a punishment for their abomination act. Lagelu got wind of the
planned invasion and summoned his warriors and civilians alike to be prepared
for the impending ‘’World war’’ as it was tagged. When the battle began, Lagelu
people fought gallantly and made it difficult for the allied forces to dislodge
them. The war lasted about three years contrary to the expectation of the
allied forces, many people were killed and the new settlement was scattered and
destroyed.
The remnants which included Lagelu, his
children and few supporters were driven to the top of Eleyele hill where they
dwelt for years. They lived on top of this hill for years without food, cloth
or shelter. They fed on the fruits of ‘’Oro’’ trees [Iryingia gabonensis] which
they found on top of the hill and also snails that were in abundance there.
This is why part of Ibadan’s praise song says: Ibadan, Omo ajoro sun, Omo
ajegbin je ikarahun, Omo afi Ikarahun fo’ ri mu,’’ translated to mean: Ibadan
indigenes/offspring of those who ate oro for supper, offspring of those who ate
oro for support, offspring of those who ate snails to satisfaction, offspring
of those who took hot pap in the snails shell. All these point to the fact that
the hill provided them with Oro fruits and snails for food. When they had
little peace, they started cultivating the land to plant maize which they used
for making pap and because there was no bowl with which to drink the pap, they
drank from the snail’s shells. They were on top of the hill for a long time and
from there, the children of Lagelu were invading their neighboring villages at
night setting their huts ablaze and carted away their properties. Because of
these acts of Lagelu’s children, they could not get married because people were
afraid of them. This prompted Lagelu to give his consent to his children
marrying one another so as to continue the generation.
It was on top of this mountain that
their number started to increase and when they discovered that the place could
not accommodate them again and the condition of the place not conducive for
their children, they decided to come down to settle on the flat surface. The place
where they settle was called ‘’Ori Yangi’’. There, they built new houses and
establish new market which people patronized. Within short period, the new
settlement began to witness influx of people from far and near and there was
progress and peace. Upon the observation of the progress recorded within a
short period, Lagelu’s children decided to worship Eleyele hill where they
dwelt for years. This later became ‘’Okebadan’’ [Ibadan hill] and a festival
organized for its commemoration. Their belief was that Okebadan was the factor
behind the success and progress recorded in the new community, coupled with the
belief that the mountain protected and fed them when they were dwelling on its
top.
Not quite long after they had settled
at ‘’Ori Yangi’’. Lagelu died at an advanced old age. His children buried his
corpse on top of the hill[Okebadan]. With this, their zeal to worship Okebadan
became high because the tomb of their ancestor is there. It was also alleged
that the hunchback herbalist that consulted the oracle for them when they came
to Ibadan and who later ‘’yielded’’ himself as the sacrificial material had his
remain buried on top of the hill. As a result of this, it is claimed that the
Aboke, [Okebadan priest] during Okebadan festival will have to go to the tomb
of the hunchback to offer sacrifice, this was before the shrinewas moved to
‘’oja Iba’’.
OKEBADAN FESTIVAL
The Aboke [the priest of Okebadan] is
the one that chooses and suggests the day for the celebration of the festival
to Olubadan and his chiefs. The day chosen is usually Thursday and it is always
in the month of March because it falls within the rainy season, so as to
appease the spirit of the hill to give them abundant rain for their crops. Also
Thursday is chosen as it is regarded as the day that Yoruba people worship
their deities as denoted by the name of the day ‘’Ojobo’’ [Thursday, the day
orisa is worshipped].
After the Olubadan and the council of
chiefs had approved the day, announcement is made to the people for necessary
preparations. Olubadan provides all the sacrifice materials such as cows,
snails, fish, tortoise, dogs, etc. as required by the Aboke.
On the day of celebration, that used
to be a work-free day, the people commence the day by thanking their ancestors
for keeping them alive to witness the day. Also they used to take cold meal on
the day as a reminder of the period their ancestors were on top of the mountain
without food. Later in the day, the Aboke performs the necessary rituals at the
shrine which has been removed from Okebadan hill to ‘’Oja ‘’ba’’ [Oba market ].
The Aboke, though a man dresses like a woman depicting the presumed feminine
nature of the spirit of Okebadan while performing the rites and the people move
about rejoicing.
After the rituals, the Aboke
for the house of Yade, one of Lagelu’s daughters who led a group of woman
warrior and subdued the enemies of Ibadan upon which a crown was taken from one
of the communities and torn by her which gave her the ‘’Yade’’[tear the crown].
From her house, the Aboke visits all other chiefs and any chief whose house is
not visited, the chief is
During the festival,
‘’embarrassing’’ songs are sang, but they portray the history of Ibadan people.
Most of these songs point at the time Lagelu and his people moved about
half-naked while others point at war expertise of Ibadan people. Few of the
songs are given below;
Baba to nlo Hey old man going
Jawajawa epon you are with dangling scrotum
Okoo tisa Teachers pennies
Kiki sooki Full of chalk
O sobo dandawi She opened her virginal wide
Omode yii sobo
dandawi This girl opened her virginal wide
SIGNIFICANCES OF
OKEBADAN
One
of the significances of Okebadan festival is to pave way for peace and smooth organization
of Ibadanland as given by Professor Bolanle Awe in a paper she presented at a
seminar organized by the Okebadan Union in 1988 at Mapo Hall Ibadan. She stated
that after the performance of the rituals by the Aboke, he moves round the
paramount chiefs palaces to pay homage and pray for prosperity and survival.
Similarly, she
mentioned that the festival brings peace and harmony among the Ibadan people
from far and near. Professor Bolanle Awe further stated that the occasion is
used to foster peace, improve sanitation and mutual cooperation among the
people to get ready for a healthy reunion and to pray for further blessings
upon the community.
Also mentioned was that the
festival is believed to increase fertility and paves the way for bumper harvest
as deduced from Okebadan songs. This fact was corroborated by the submission of
Mrs Kemi Morgan in a paper she presented at the same seminar when she tried to
explain reasons for vulgar songs and language used during the festival. She
said some of the songs are reminders of the period that Lagelu and his people
were going about half naked. She further stated that other songs came about as
a result of experience they had when due to panic the children born that period
in Ibadan died prematurely, while some pregnant women died even during labor.
This situation was said to have caused frigidity among the men making them
temporarily impotent. When they could no longer impregnate their women, the
oracle was consulted, and were told to be signing songs that will satiate their
sexual appetite during the festival and this justifies the significance of
Okebadan as an avenue to increase the number of children.
On her part, Mrs Kemi Morgan
advanced the significance of using the avenue to thank Olodumare for His
protection and for saving the whole town from extinction. She further stated
that it is a way of commemorating the past heroes and the founding fathers for
what they did to establish Ibadan. She therefore submitted that the celebration
is a kind of marking the founder’s day. She said it was the assistance that was
given to Lagelu and his offspring in terms of security, protection and
provision of food that prompted the people of Ibadan to commemorate the event
yearly and not as a form of idol worshiping as enunciated by some critics.
CONCLUSION
The celebration of Okebadan Festival
has elicited a lot criticism as it is being regarded as idol worshipping. This
insinuation has been debunked by the Ibadan people, saying that they are only
observing the tradition of the forebears. They further argued that it is a
means of commemorating the critical period in the history when they were living
on top of the hill without food and shelter and the provision and protection
they got from the hill during the period.
Irrespective of the opinion of the
critics, the event of the festival has not been defeated as the festival is
still being celebrated every year by the people with pomp and pageantry.
REFERENCES
Adekola Olagoke Alamu, ‘’Okebadan’’ Discussion on the Significance of Okebadan
Festival in contemporary period at a symposium organized by the Okebadan
Union
on 17th March, 1988 at Mapo Hall, Ibadan (1991)
Akinyele, I.B. (1981), Iwe Itan Ibadan Ati die Ninu Awon Agbegbe Re
bi Iwo, Oshogbo
Ati Ikirun.
Awe Bolanle ‘’ Ibadan, Ife Early Beginning’’ in Lloyd, P.C. et.al.(ed.) (1967).
The City of Ibadan, London,
Cambridge University Press
Morgan Kemi (nd), Akinyele’s Outline History of Ibadan,
Caxton Press (West Africa)
Limited,
Part l – lV
Kareem Kolawole Adesina
A.C.T.O (Antiquity)
National Museum, Ibadan.
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