Have read Alot of stories about this Man,but they are very Confusing,one says he is from Mecca while an other say he is from Edo.But main looking at it i don't think he is from Mecca,because i wonder how many mile he will would have walk from mecca to get here and how he survived all the Ocean and swim through them to get to Nigeria without any big fish hurting him.i could remember when i was primary school i was thought he is from Mecca,does it mean that the writers of the so called Yoruba story book deceived us or Wat,any Yoruba in the house can tell me which story was really true?

No one living can categorically verify any legend. You need to do some independent research, even if its only via google, then ask questions to clarify what you read or heard. 

eg:


Historical Relation Between Edo And Yoruba Culture And Politics

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-5002.0.html

Oduduwa is from the Kumoni tribe who originate in Egypt.

Did he even exist? What about this story that he descended from the sky?

Ibime:

Oduduwa is from the Kumoni tribe who originate in Egypt.

come oh- that article I read from your other post, I don't agree with all the stuff there sha. The Yoruba/Egyptian material doesnt quite jell.As in , doesnt look too authentic. This Kumoni tribe is based on what evidence?

Ndipe:

Did he even exist? What about this story that he descended from the sky?

That's classified as myths and legends. Most societies have those.

The basic premise here is that Oduduwa was an actual person whose descendants were appointed kings over all the major Yoruba towns. There's plenty of oral tradition all over Yorubaland that substantiates this.

i thought he was an Eskimo?

@Post,

Have you heard about Oromo people? They are also called Oromifaa. Oduduwa did not come from Bini. Oduduwa came from Axum or Aksum in Ancient Abyssinia, known today as Ethiopia. The Oromifaa people are Cushites and their ancestral home is Aksum, they are in the Aramaic group of languages. They share a very similar culture with the Egyptians.

In fact it is believed that Aksum itself was settled by Jews escaping persecution from Egypt, they went on exodus and rested at Aksum as their final home. Of course this was at a time in their history when they did not even know where home was and wherever they found solace and hospitality, there was home.


Here are few pointers to draw on the background:

1. The Ife obelisk is considered an evidence of the spiritual connection between Ife and Aksum
2. The terra cotta of the Ife Head is seen as a production from different times but without doubt the creation of a single consciousness with cast heads excavated from tombs of the Kings in Memphis, Egypt.
3. Cults and Ritual practices are symmetrical between Ife and Egypt. Some of their deities bear resembling names (example - Yamm is the god of the sea in Egypt. Yemoja is the goddess of the sea in Yoruba)
4. Name semblance (example - Akhen ; Akin. Binis also share in this name semblance - Aken.)


Anyway, read more on these stuffs and the dots wil begin to connect for your understanding.

Whatta mystery!!

@ Negro_Ntns

datz quite interestin'

tpia:

come oh- that article I read from your other post, I don't agree with all the stuff there sha. The Yoruba/Egyptian material doesnt quite jell.As in , doesnt look too authentic. This Kumoni tribe is based on what evidence?

Well, the Kumoni tribe did not take over the Agbeloomo but assimiliated themselves into their culture. Also the Kumoni had been in Nupe for several hundred years before they joined the Agbeloomo. Therefore, most cultural history with the ancient Egyptians would have been lost. On top of that the Efa (Edo) people conquered the Yoruba 500 years after Oduduwa, therefore current Yoruba culture is more closely associated with Bini culture than anything else.

Ibime:

Well, the Kumoni tribe did not take over the Agbeloomo but assimiliated themselves into their culture. Also the Kumoni had been in Nupe for several hundred years before they joined the Agbeloomo. Therefore, most cultural history with the ancient Egyptians would have been lost. On top of that the Efa (Edo) people conquered the Yoruba 500 years after Oduduwa, therefore current Yoruba culture is more closely associated with Bini culture than anything else.

you do know most of this is false, right?

blkmum700:

Have read Alot of stories about this Man,but they are very Confusing,one says he is from Mecca while an orther say he is from Edo.But main looking at it i don't think he is from Mecca,because i wonder how many mile he will would have walk from mecca to get here and how he survived all the Ocean and swim through them to get to nigeria without any big fish hurting him.i could remember when i was primary school i was tought he is from Mecca,does it mean that the write of the so called Yoruba story book decived us or what,any yoruba in the house can tell me which story was really true?

only if i was born during oduduwa's time!

tpia:

you do know most of this is false, right?

I am always willing to be enlightened. . . . .please post the true history then, lemme read it and judge.

Let's becareful in the use of terms here. Yoruba and Edo as used here is referring to ethnic groups. Ife, Bini is used to refer to seats of power. There's no truth to the statement that Yoruba was conquered by Edo - that's an untruthful statement. Its also untruthful that Ife was given birth or that Oduduwa came from Bini. Now, I believe that people are mixing up facts and in the course of relaying the story up and down, distortions have crept in. Let me say here that the only group under the Yoruba Empire that Bini ruled over were the Aworis and this happened in Erekusi. Does anyone know where Erekusi is? I will be surprised to find one here that knows even though you all claim to be from Lagos. This is not the thread to discuss all this but let me conclude and say The first Eleko was a Bini Prince and his name was Asikpa. Also called Asipa in Yoruba. Oba of Lagos and the royal lineage all have their ancestry pointing to the Bini palace. The first 12 Kings of Lagos have Bini names, though for popularity some of them assumed local Awori or Yoruba names, in addition to their Bini cultural names.

Ibime:

I am always willing to be enlightened. . . . .please post the true history then, let me read it and judge.

You do know truth can be relative- especially in Nigeria.

In the absence of written records, the most anyone can do is follow the language, culture, oral traditions and artistic trails. Then try to make informed (not hasty/mistaken) conclusions from available data.

Negro has made some interesting points. There does seem to be an Egyptian link which may not be peculiar to the Yoruba alone. However, I'm really of the opinion that Sudan is the smoking gun here.

The article you posted seemed to have a general idea about origins, but some of the specifics were kind of hard to swallow. Especially the Yoruba ones. However, the Urhobo roots do make sense, as far as the little I know.


Oral tradition all over Yorubaland verifies the fact that Oduduwa's descendants are the reigning monarchs of most major Yoruba towns. Bini only conquered some part of Lagos. The Portuguese met a Bini garrison there when they first landed, I think. The original owners of Lagos, however, are not the Bini but the Aworis (Yoruba).

I believe the Binis had lost their grip on Lagos by the time the British arrived. Binis also conquered some parts of Ondo state, but they were pushed back after some prolonged wars, and those areas reinstated their allegiance to Ife (kind of like Spain, Portugal and the Moorish invaders, imo). So its more like a tug of war between the Ife and Benin monarchs.

There was a book covering all these things in detail but I cant remember the name.

tpia,

On Bini's influence over Lagos, it was totally eroded by the time Olojo relocated from Lagos to his ancestral home to die. He was given regal recognition by the Bini palace and If im correct I even think a square or a street or some landmark was named for him. His father, Kosoko sent emissaries to Bini for reinforcement to fight the British but at the time Bini itself was under occupation and turmoil from the British. Like I said, this is not a topic for this thread. If we want to talk Lagos-Bini link, its not here.


You are right, the belt land from Egypt, through Sudan to Ethiopia and even down to Kenya. The Kenyans and the Ethiopians look the way they do today because of adulteration with Arab blood. Arab slave traders did not discriminate who their victim was, everyone and anyone within their sight King or no King was enslaveable if they succeeded in penetrating and conquering the town. This is what brought Aksum to its knees and destroyed the Empire. Those that fled went Westward and this is how Oduduwa ended up on this land.

In Hausa language, Arabs are called Larabawa and an Arab man is called Balarabe. Yorubas are called Yarabawa and a Yoruba man is called Bayarabe. The Hausas view Yorubas as descendants of Lamarudu, not Oduduwa. Even though Oduduwa started the dynasty, he was fkesh and blood begotten son of Lamarudu.

Well, Lamarudu is an Aramaic name. It is actually called "Al - Mahrud", but because Yoruba tongue cannot form these consonants well, it throws in volwels so it can be properly intoned much like Lamina, which is Al - Amin or Lamidi, which is Abdul - Hamid.

Tpia, to go back to your point, if you take the language belt for Aramaic and you overlay it on the African continent, it precisely coincides with the region of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia.

As I have already said and in my conclusion on the subject, there is no doubt, Oduduwa is of Eastern origin on account of his father's ancestry in the Kushitic tribes of Aksum in the land of Abyssinia.

who cares?

Matured minds!

@Post,
In trying to understand who Oduduwa was and where he originated from, here are some questions that will assist the research:

1. His father's name  Lamarudu, is the adulterated form and pronounciation for Al-Mahrud. Is it possible that the name Oduduwa is in its adulterated form? If so, what's the authentic form and pronounciation?

2. Is it possible that his grandson Oranmiyan could have been named in memory of his ancestry back to the Oromifaa people of Aksum? I don't know what Oromifaa mean but what does Oranmiyan mean in any Nigerian language? Oranmiyan itself could be an adopted version  

3. Obelisks were erected as dedicated structures to the worship of the deities. Its use in ritual practice  is exclusive to only two of world civilizations (Egyptian and Ethiopian). Anywhere else where Obelisk is erected, it exists as a work of art and not as a shrine. The only exception is the obelisk in Ife. It was built by Oduduwa's grandson as a shrine. There is a consciousness, even though they are materially removed from ancestral home, the spirit knows what to do.

4. Look at the white cap Chiefs in Yorubaland. Ancient Egypt had exact same ministerial structure around the King. In fact, look at the cap structure itself, very simple when compared with the elaborate headgear of the Pharaohs, but the folds are a match!

There are many clues and dots that need to be connected together to complete the puzzle. Europeans know, they studied the artifacts they stole from Ife, Bini, Oyo and they are without doubt certain where it all points. They will never admit the connection. How would it be broadcasted? That the seat of power in Ife, Bini and Oyo are all bloodline with the throne of ancient Egypt and Ethiopia? Good Luck!

Negro_Ntns:

@Post,
In trying to understand who Oduduwa was and where he originated from, here are some questions that will assist the research:

1. His father's name  Lamarudu, is the adulterated form and pronounciation for Al-Mahrud. Is it possible that the name Oduduwa is in its adulterated form? If so, what's the authentic form and pronounciation?

2. Is it possible that his grandson Oranmiyan could have been named in memory of his ancestry back to the Oromifaa people of Aksum? I don't know what Oromifaa mean but what does Oranmiyan mean in any Nigerian language? Oranmiyan itself could be an adopted version 

3. Obelisks were erected as dedicated structures to the worship of the deities. Its use in ritual practice  is exclusive to only two of world civilizations (Egyptian and Ethiopian). Anywhere else where Obelisk is erected, it exists as a work of art and not as a shrine. The only exception is the obelisk in Ife. It was built by Oduduwa's grandson as a shrine. There is a consciousness, even though they are materially removed from ancestral home, the spirit knows what to do.

4. Look at the white cap Chiefs in Yorubaland. Ancient Egypt had exact same ministerial structure around the King. In fact, look at the cap structure itself, very simple when compared with the elaborate headgear of the Pharaohs, but the folds are a match!

There are many clues and dots that need to be connected together to complete the puzzle. Europeans know, they studied the artifacts they stole from Ife, Bini, Oyo and they are without doubt certain where it all points. They will never admit the connection. How would it be broadcasted? That the seat of power in Ife, Bini and Oyo are all bloodline with the throne of ancient Egypt and Ethiopia? Good Luck!

very interesting points, especially the one about the obelisk.

I do wonder where the Yoruba got the cap design from.

Oranmiyan means My problem or issue has been resolved.

All of Oduduwa's kids' names are in Yoruba. Oduduwa is the only one of his lineage with a non-Yoruba name. Its rather hard to decipher the meaning of his name, so its probably not a Yoruba one. I could be wrong though. However, its not surprising, since Oduduwa himself came from somewhere else prior to becoming the chief ruler in Ife.

tpia,

There is no other culture in the sub-saharan area of Africa that has head adornments like that for its ranks of Chiefs. Usually a culture will have traits from neighboring cultures that serve as reference source for its principles, East, West or North of the Yorubas, there is no other culture where Chiefs wear hats like that.

Thanks for interpreting the meaning of Oranmiyan for me. Now I know what it means.

Negro_Ntns:

tpia,

There is no other culture in the sub-saharan area of Africa that has head adornments like that for its ranks of Chiefs. Usually a culture will have traits from neighboring cultures that serve as reference source for its principles, East, West or North of the Yorubas, there is no other culture where Chiefs wear hats like that.

Thanks for interpreting the meaning of Oranmiyan for me. Now I know what it means.

you're welcome. Your analysis is spot on as well. Very informative.


and @ bolded: true.


I even asked a Yoruba friend yesterday, about the origin of the cap design, and he said he didnt know.

tpia,

I checked into the name Oduduwa. I am not in any way concluding that these are definitely Oduduwa's names but I am suggesting doing a departure analysis where, the knowledge is empty but we can start somewhere to build possibilities and that somewhere is what I list below. From these, doing more indepth analysis and reasearch may reveal something thats not before disclosed. Below is what i found, not significant on its own but could serve as lead somewhere: I looked in all language types for Oduduwa; Odu-Duwa; Odu; Duwah; Oddwa; Arabic language produced the closest names and meaning.

Oud-Duwah > Oudu Duwa (Yoruba pronounciation)

1. Oud - wood instrument (a guitar like instrument; a cross between a guitar and a violin - in Yoruba)its called Goje)
2. Duwah - supplication (prayer, vigil)

I know it is said that he was found in the forest, but doing what? That should be the next thing _ retracing his steps from the throne back into the forest and filling in the gaps along the way.

Hurray!!!

Oduduwa has meaning in a nigerian language very close to benin.
It means 'their leader' in reference to someone leading some group of strangers.it varies in dialects as odu-wa,odu-du-wa,odudu-ha,odu-ha.in that language chine-du means God the leader.

who cares.nexttttttttttttttttt.

.

Oduduwa is frm Bauchi state.

i heard d dude is 4rm mecca or ife, 1 of dem sha. BUT DIS 1 dat am seein EGYPT, SPAIN, INDONESIA nd all dat, it baffles me oo
yh, yorubas have their own meanin of ODUDUWA, it means, ODU TO BI IWA, which means, d oracle dat brought forth good behavior,
i know it sounds somehow, but dats wat i heard

well, i am really confused with all these stories. is oduduwa real?


some tribes in ondo state ,are saying they are not from oduduwa s descendants.
why is it so

How are we sure Oduduwa isn't like the Columbus of Yorubaland? What I am trying to say is that it is very possible that people already lived in that particular part before Oduduwa came from Ethiopia, Saudi-Arabia or wherever he came from. There has to be a reason he is regarded as the "father/founder," but what is that reason?
Was he the first to unite the people?
Was he the first King when the people decided to choose one?
Did he come from a "more developed" culture and thus was able to influence a lot of things in Yorubaland?

If you talk to the traditional custodians of our history another World is opened to you. I remember wondering in that unique way of teenagers, how this "illiterate" men could know so much about things they had no business knowing.

I have since learnt that some of the items termed African art in the West are codified knowledge passed down the ages. Those who know can find meaning in these artifacts, for the rest of us, they are art

As for Oduduwa, the Edo have a tradition that calls him Odutodaiwa. I can't remember the exact details but, it starts from the time of Ogiso Owodo, whose wife Esagho committed kirikuva. Leading to her son Ekaladeran to flee Edo (then Igodomingodo) by crossing the Ovia river at Ughoton. The long and short is that he was taken in by the Yoruba's who where enthralled by his princely regalia--- You can guess the rest.

the answer is still blowing in the wind I see.

Oduduwa in Yoruba is translated as Odu- to- da- iwa meaning the oracle that created(or bequathed) good behaviour.