“Bí ọmọdé ò bá ìtàn, á bá àrọ́bá àrọ́bá dẹ̀ ni baba ìtàn”.
(If a child was not privy to original history, he could still meet up with recounted history, which is the father of histories).
That there is a long historical connection between Benin and Ifẹ̀ has not been in dispute.
What appears to be disputed is who is superior among their monarchs. Benin and Ifẹ̀ are known as significant cultural centres in the South-western part of Nigeria. To date, both areas remain the epitome of our rich cultural heritage.
The British Museum still houses the treasures of Benin ingenuity in artefacts denoting a history of a very sophisticated civilisation. Ilé-Ifẹ̀ (the current Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ prefers to call it Ilẹ̀-Ifẹ̀; Ilé meaning home, Ilẹ̀ meaning land) is reputed for its claim to be the origin of humanity and the centre of Yorùbá spirituality.
So, what really is the connection between Ifẹ̀ and Benin? The clue here is that a major Benin monarch, Ọ̀rànmíyàn, the son of Odùduwà, was sent from Ifẹ̀ to reign as Ọba of Benin. How this came about is still a source of controversy between Yorùbá and Edo (Benin) historians. The account from Edo history paints a picture which alludes to Odùduwà as the prince of an Edo monarch (Ogiso Owodo, known as the last of the thirty-one Ogiso. It should be noted that the title of the Edo monarchs prior to Ọ̀rànmíyàn’s reign was Ogiso).
The story was that Odùduwà was the only son of, the last of Ogiso, Owodo, whose reign was fraught with problems. Consequently, divination was carried out to ascertain the root of Owodo’s problematic reign. Owodo was however tricked, with the connivance of his barren wives, into banishing his only son to the executioner. Rather than execute the son, the executioner took pity on him and freed him at the outskirts of the city. The son, whose Edo name was Ekalderhan, wandered through the wilderness until he finally settled at Ifẹ̀, which the Binis called Uhe. When Owodo died, he had no heir to his throne and news reached Edo that Owodo’s son did not die after all. Emissaries were promptly dispatched to seek the Edo prince out. After searching for him at various locations and making enquiries about the prince’s whereabouts, they finally located him at Ifẹ̀.
Ekaladerhan, was found in Ifẹ̀ to have become a prominent village head and proficient herbalist held in very high esteem by the people of Ifẹ̀. He had changed his name to Odùduwà which was said to be derived from the Edo phrase imado d’uwa, which means “I have not missed the road to good fortune”. The emissaries from Benin then delivered their message of requesting him to return to Benin to take over his late father’s throne. Odùduwà, having been well-entrenched in Ifẹ̀, responded that he was too old to return to Benin and, instead, volunteered his last child, Ọ̀rànmíyàn. That is the Edo version of the historical connection of Ifẹ̀ and Benin.
The Yorùbá story of Odùduwà is more mythical than historical, and it is complicated by various versions. There is the aspect of Odùduwà descending from a chain after Ọbàtálá drank too much palm wine and could not complete his assignment of creation. Other versions outline how Lamurudu, Odùduwà’s father, decided to leave the Middle East and settle down in Ifẹ̀. Some versions even talk about Odùduwà originating from Iraq.
Regarding how Ọ̀rànmíyàn became the Ọba of Benin, the story from the Yorùbá perspective has it that the Benin having recognised Odùduwà as their progenitor, called for his assistance in ruling the Edo and Ọ̀rànmíyàn had to be sent to rule over Benin.
Ọ̀run Ọba Àdó is a place of historical interest which attests to the ancestral ties between the two kingdoms. The phrase – Ọ̀run Ọba Àdó – literally translates to mean the “the heaven of the Edo kings” or loosely, “the resting place of the Edo king”. This was where every Edo monarch’s head was buried until about 100 years ago when it was banned by the British. It is also said to be an underground tunnel which enabled the monarchs of both kingdoms to traverse both their domains.
The question would necessarily be posed by all enquirers: why bury the heads of all Edo monarchs in Ifẹ̀? Does it mean Ifẹ̀ is, really and truly, the origin? We may never be able to provide specific answers to how the tradition originated. However, the ancestral ties of both kingdoms certainly have origins which may have been obscured by time. It begs the question that our ethnic origins are common and migration and political maneuvers may be responsible for the controversy surrounding the claims to superiority.
Dubi Imevbore
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