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Lagos Belongs To Awori, The Bini Met Them There- Akintoye / Awori Youths Blast Oba Of Lagos, Akiolu. / History Of AWORI People. For Those That Do Classify Us As Not Yoruba People. (2) (3) (4)
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Oral History Of The Awori Clan by cahrym(m): 9:56pm On Oct 20, 2015 |
When Oduduwa was old and blind, his children were called together
and ordered to go and found their own kingdoms and each was
given a royal symbol. During this period, Ile-Ife was hit by a
prolonged drought which lasted for many years, causing faming
and diseases. Finally Agirilogbon, a babalawo of Oke-Itase in Ile-
Ife, counseled emigration.
According to tradition, the children went northwards and
southwards. Those who went south eastwards finally settled at
Ado, Owo and Benin. In addition, some of the migrants had a
change of rulers in their new homes. The date of this emigration is
still a subject of academic controversy. However, it is clear that it
was not later than 11th century A.D. It is also difficult to know how
many kingdoms resulted from this exercise. As new kingdoms
grew out of the old ones, descent from Oduduwa became the test
of legitimacy among the old new kingdoms.
From this period of Oduduwa, migrations out of Ile-Ife became a
permanent feature of the kingdom, Migrations also took place
during the reign of Ooni Luwo who was a female ruler. Luwo was
considered a disciplinarian and her rulership did not go down well
with the people which led to migration. Also, the success of
Lajamisan, a rich Ife bead trader to the Ooniship created political
crisis which was some migrations. In addition, the deposition of
Ogboru, a descendant of Lajamisan, who was barnish to Ife Odan
for reigning too long but more probably for cruelty, led to
emigration. Migrations southwards continued till the end of 19th
century. These early southward migrant were the founders of Ife-
Awori settlements in Lagos state.
Early migrations to the region of Lagos were political and economic
in nature. For instance, Ogunfunminire the founder of Isheri and
most other migrants from Ile-Ife were farmers. It was in the course
of hunting expedition that some of them finally journeyed to Lagos.
But the fact that some of the migrants were not alone but in
groups, suggests political organizations which could be explained
in terms of inland internal political crisis and population pressure.
Before migrating to Isheri, Ogunfunminire consulted Ifa oracle
which counseled migration. One of the traditions suggests that
Ogunfunminir and his friend Adeyemi Onikoyi left their homes on a
hunting expedition and overstayed, thereby absenting themselves
from the funeral of their father. Their relation thinking them dead,
put their junior brother on the throne and this annoyed the two
powerful princes, when they arrived. However, they were afraid of
the great damage they might cause if they decided to fight, hence
Olofin took the calabash which was willed to him by his late father.
The tradition continued that he followed the movement of the ritual
pot placed on water until it sank and they settled in the region.
The Awori are a tribe of the Yoruba people speaking a distinct
dialect of the Yoruba language.
Origin
Olofin and his followers left the palace of King Oduduwa in Ile-Ife
and migrated southward along a river. Oduduwa had given Olofin a
mud plate and instructed him to place it on the water and follow it
until it sank into the river. The plate is said to have stopped at
various locations and finally sank at Idumota in the present day
Lagos State in Nigeria. As they were to settle wherever it sank, the
people were filled with joy when this finally happened. The name
AWORI, which translates as "The plate sank", became the name by
which the clan is known till today.
Several days after leaving Ile-Ife, the plate suddenly stopped near
Olokemeji near present day Abeokuta. After seventeen days, it
began moving again, only to stop at Oke-Ata for another seventeen
days. At the end of seventeen days, the plate began moving again,
only to stop again on the southern outskirts of present day
Abeokuta, where it stayed for another seventeen days. At this
location, some of Olofin's followers decided to remain, led by a
man named Osho Aro-bi-ologbo-egan. The plate continued
downriver, stopping again at Isheri, where it remained for a much
longer period of time. Olofin began instructing his followers to
begin setting up a permanent settlement, but after 289 days (17 x
17) the plate began moving again. Olofin and a few followers
followed the plate, while the rest of the group stayed behind. After
two days the plate stopped briefly at Iddo in Lagos. At Idumota in
central Lagos, it whirled around in the water and sank to the
bottom. When Olofin returned to his group at Iddo, they are said to
have asked him where the plate was. He answered "Awo Ti Ri"
meaning "The plate has sunk". This is how the name Awori is said
to have come into being.
.
Adapted from Ruhollah Ajibola Salako (1999) edited by Proudly
Yorùbá . |
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