Sagogo nju
Okun mo losun kun molata
Oribiti Apelunda Solukue
Abanise mase banise mo
Osun mo sile sunmo eni
Igi meta ona ilare
Bi idi baba odi obadi
Ki ire baba ore obare
Bi ologun sese ba dari so o/ o daso
Oni ilare nfobi kan
Oloriburuku nfoju di
Nle o, Olodo Tunbumbi
Ogborun lokun, ajiwunmi bi omo
Oke ilare ko jugun, aje lo ngbeni gun
Omo Ogboru keke fo isa Olori
Omo Ladejokun, Ojire loni o.
Pictures from the Palace
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| Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the current 'Ooni of Ife' , relaxes in his throne room. Born in 1930, he has enjoyed a colourful life first working for his father's business, then with the Nigerian Tribune newspaper, before attending Northampton College in the United Kingdom where he studied business management. In 1963 he became Sales Director of the state-owned National Motor company in the Nigerian capital Lagos. He later formed a company to distribute Soviet-built vehicles and equipment in Nigeria. Photographer George Osodi According to Yoruba history, Ile-Ife is the cradle of human |
Obatala began the creation of the world. Thus, it is regarded
as the origin of all Yoruba people. Conversely, the Oòni (King)
of Ife, who is a direct descent from the god Oduduwa, is the
premier Yoruba king. The current Ooni of Ife is Oba Okunade
Sijuade.
Ile-Ife is the spiritual seat of Yorubas, and at the head of that
seat is the Ooni of Ife. This is why his Palace bears historical
significance. The Ooni’s palace is also called Oke-ile (the
house built on an elevated site).
The Ooni’s present day palace has been in existence for
centuries and is located at the centre of a city called Enuwa in
Ile-Ife. The palace is home to not only the Ooni but also to
his Oloris (wives) and his children. Besides being the abode of
members of the royal family, it is also the location of a
meeting hall for the high chiefs of Ile-Ife.
Until a few decades ago, the Ooni’s palace was constructed
with a mud wall but since the demolition of those buildings,
modern buildings built with cement have been erected. The
palace is a well-landscaped home of treasures.
The five main sections of Ile Ife flow from three major roads
that meet at an orita (intersection) called Enu Owa (meaning
“mouth of the king”, and from which Enuwa is derived). In
Yoruba traditional belief, an orita is not just a place where
three roads meet, but a place where sacrifices may be offered
to spirits and messages maybe conveyed to the gods or other
spiritual realms.
It is believed that the Ooni’s palace is protected by the city’s
layout around its centre. The palace houses relics of Yoruba
history and has been designated a historical monument by the
Osun State Government.
A tour around the palace is replete with tales from Yoruba
history. One of such is woven around one of the relics in the
palace, the Yemolu Well, from which only the reigning Ooni is
allowed to drink water traditionally. According to legend, one
of the past Oonis had a wife who was barren and one day she
turned into the well. Not even the offspring of a reigning Ooni
can drink from Yemolu Well.
A lot of Festivals in Ile-Ife either begin or end at the Palace
yearly. For example, the Agbon Festival, in celebration of one
of Oduduwa’s wives, culminates in an event held at the Ooni’s
Palace on the seventh day, where bean cake is freely
distributed to the crowd and the Ooni blesses the people.
A visit to the Ooni of Ife’s Palace is incomplete without
stopping next door at the Ife Museum, which is also in Enuwa
Square, Ile-Ife The history museum is dedicated to the
preservation of antiquities that were found in Ile Ife, including
many bronzes and terracotta sculptures dating back to the
13th century.
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