Oduduwa was a Yoruba divine king, legendary founder of the Ife Empire and a creator deity (orisha) in the Yoruba religion. His earthly origins are from the village of Oke Ora According to tradition, he was the holder of the title of the Olofin of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba holy city. He ruled briefly in Ife, and also served as the progenitor of a number of independent royal dynasties in Yorubaland.
Ifẹ̀ is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria founded sometime between the years 500 BC-1000 BC. By 900AD, the city had become an important West African emporium producing sophisticated art forms. The city is located in present-day Osun State. Ifẹ̀ is about 218 kilometers northeast of Lagos with a population of over 500,000 people, which is the highest in Osun State according to population census of 2006.
The Yoruba religion, West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Lagos states, as well as parts of Kogi state and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo, commonly known as Yorubaland.
Ota is a town in Ogun State, Nigeria with an estimated 163,783 residents. Ota is the capital of the Ado–Odo/Ota Local Government Area. The traditional leader of Ota is the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi AbdulKabir Obalanlege. Historically, Ota is the capital of the Awori Yoruba tribe.
Ketu is the name of a Yoruba subgroup, historical kingdom and region straddling parts of what is now southeastern Republic of Benin and parts of southwest Nigeria. The chief town and traditional capital of the area was the town of Kétou (Kétu), which is considered to be one of the oldest capitals of the Yoruba-speaking people, tracing its establishment to a settlement founded by a descendant of Oduduwa called Sopasan or Soipasan. The Oba of the town were traditionally styled "Alákétu", and are related directly to Ile-Ife in present-day Nigeria. Other towns that were historically part of the Kétu Kingdom are;
Owo is a local government area in Ondo state, Nigeria. Between 1400 and 1600 CE, it was the capital of a Yoruba city-state. The local government area has a population of 222,262 based on 2006 population census.
The Ẹgbado, now Yewa, are a subgroup of the Yoruba people and mostly inhabit the eastern area of Ogun West Senatorial District, Ogun State, in south-west Nigeria, Africa. In 1995, the group's name was changed to Yewa after the Yewa River, the river (odo) they foraged towards. The name of this river is derived from the Yoruba goddess Yewa. Yewa/Ẹgbado mainly occupy four Local Government Areas in Ogun State, Yewa South, Yewa North, Imeko-Afon, and Ipokia, while the Ado-Odo/Ota LGA forms the fifth Awori part of the senatorial district. Other Yewa/Ẹgbado are located in Lagos West, Lagos East, Oyo North, and Oyo South senatorial zones.
Kétou is a Yoruba town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Plateau Department of the Republic of Benin. The commune covers an area of 2183 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 156,497 people, making it the 13th largest settlement in Benin.
The Awori is a subgroup of the Yoruba people speaking a dialect of the Yoruba language. The Awori people are the original inhabitants of Lagos State and some parts of Ogun State, namely Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. The Awori people are landowners, farmers and fishermen.
The Yoruba people are a West African ethnic group who mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by the Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outside the continent, and bear further representation among members of the African diaspora. The vast majority of the Yoruba population is today within the country of Nigeria, where they make up 20.7% of the country's population according to Ethnologue estimations, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Most Yoruba people speak the Yoruba language, which is the Niger-Congo language with the largest number of native or L1 speakers.
Imeko Afon is a Local Government Area in the west of Ogun State, Nigeria bordering the Republic of Benin. Its headquarters are in the town of Imeko at coordinates 7°29′00″N2°53′00″E.
Okitipupa is in Nigeria and part of the Ikale-speaking nation in Ondo State. Okitipupa Government headquarter is located in Okitipupa Major town with a university, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH) which commenced academic sessions in 2010–11.
Ado-Odo is the metropolitan headquarters of the ancient kingdom of Ado, renowned for its Oduduwa/Obatala temple, the ancient fortress of the traditional practice of Ifá. Oodu'a is also regarded by traditionalists as the mother of all other deities. All of these made Ado an inviolate territory in western Yorubaland—the same "father-figure" status accorded to Ile-Ife. Unlike the other kingdoms, which had at one time or the other engaged in the internecine wars that ravaged Yorubaland in the nineteenth century, Ado stood out as an unconquered sanctuary city-state throughout the period.
Iyalawo is a term in the Lucumi religion that literally means Mother of Mysteries or Mother of Wisdom. Some adherents use the term "Mamalawo," which is a partially African diaspora version of the Lucumi term, Iyaláwo and Yeyelawo are two more versions of mother of mysteries. Ìyánífá is a Yoruba word that can be translated as Mother (Ìyá) has or of (ní) Ifá or Mother in Ifá & is the Yoruba title for Mother of mysteries & the female equivalent of a Babalawo.
Olomu was a paramount traditional ruler of Iwoye-Ketu, a town in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. He was the pioneer King of "Iwoye Ketu" who brought Orisa Oluwa, a deity of Yoruba mythology that forbids the use of Umbrella in Iwoye-Ketu.
Orisa Oluwa is a deity of Yoruba mythology who forbids the use of umbrellas in Iwoye-Ketu, a town in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. The deity is one of the three items brought to the town by King Olumu from Ile Ife and the other items includes a crown and a staff called "Opa Ogbo".
Obalufon Alayemore, also referenced as Ọbalùfọ̀n II or just Alayemore, was the Third Ooni of Ife, a paramount traditional ruler of the Ife Empire. He succeeded his father Obalufon Ogbogbodirin. Obalufon Alayemore was forced out of power by Ooni Oranmiyan and later returned with the help of local residents to reclaim the throne.
Dele Odule is a Nigerian film actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He was nominated in the "Best Supporting Actor (Yoruba)" category at the 2014 Best of Nollywood Awards for his role in the film Kori Koto. He currently serves as the President of the Theatre Arts and Movie Practitioners Association of Nigeria.
Ilara Yewa is a Nigerian town in the west of Ogun State, Nigeria about 91 kilometers northwest of Abeokuta. It lies on the border between Nigeria and Benin. Its elevation is 600 feet above sea level. Ilara Yewa is about 50 kilometres by road from Ketu, a major trading town in Benin. The second-largest settlement, Ilara, merges into Ilara.
Ode Usen, also known as Ufe kekere and Ode Awure is the name of a small town in Edo state, Nigeria. It also doubles as the name of a Yoruba subgroup consisting of culturally related villages situated between Ofosu in the west and Ogbese in the east. Usen is surrounded on all sides by smaller villages and farmsteads known in the local Yoruba dialect as Egunre. some of the villages under the authority of Usen include; Arere, Oladaro, Arekpa, Ogunweyin, Ogidigbo, Ilorin (Ulorin), Ukankan, Ajegunle, Obome, Aghakpo, Leleji, Ofaran, Okeodo, Adeyanba. These villages were all founded by people from Usen and speak the same dialect of the Yoruba language. There are also other communities that speak the same dialect of the Yoruba language as Usen, such as; Egbeta, Utese and Igue Ogho between Ekiadọlọ and Usen.
Nigeria