PART 3

Chapter I ORIGIN AND EARLY HISTORY

The origin of the Yoruba nation is involved in obscurity. Like the early history of most nations the commonly received accounts are for the most part purely legendary. The people being un- lettered, and the language unwritten all that is known is from traditions carefully handed down.

The National Historians are certain families retained by the King at Oyo whose office is hereditary, they also act as the King's bards, drummers, and cymbalists; it is on them we depend as far as possible for any reliable information we now possess; but, as may be expected their accounts often vary in several important particulars. We can do no more than relate the traditions which have been universally accepted.

The Yoruba are said to have sprung from Lamurudu one of the kings of Mecca whose offspring were: — Oduduwa, the ancestor of the Yoruba’s, the Kings of Gogobiri and of the Kukawa, two tribes in the Hausa country. It is worthy of remark that these two nations, notwithstanding the lapse of time since their separation and in spite of the distance from each other of their respective localities, still have the same distinctive tribal marks on their faces, and Yoruba travellers are free amongst them and vice versa each recognising each other as of one blood.

At what period of time Lamurudu reigned is unknown but from the accounts given of the revolution among his descendants and their dispersion, it appears to have been a considerable time after Mahomet.

We give the accounts as they are related: —

The Crown Prince Oduduwa relapsed into idolatry during his father's reign, and as he was possessed of great influence, he drew many after him. His purpose was to transform the state religion into paganism, and hence he converted the great mosque of the city into an idol temple, and this Asara, his priest, who was himself an image maker, studded with idols.

THE HISTORY OF THE YORUBAS

Asara had a son called Braima who was brought up a Mohammedan. During his minority he was a seller of his father's idols, an occupation which he thoroughly abhorred, but which he was obliged to engage in. But in offering for sale his father's handy- work, he usually invited buyers by calling out : " Who would purchase falsehood ? " A premonition this of what the boy will afterwards become.

By the influence of the Crown Prince a royal mandate was issued ordering all the men 'to go out hunting for three days before the annual celebration of the festivals held in honour of these gods.

When Braima was old enough he seized the opportunity of one of such absences from the town of those who might have opposed him to destroy the gods whose presence had caused the sacred mosque to become desecrated. The axe with which the idols were hewed in pieces was left hanging on the neck of the chief idol, a huge thing in human shape. Enquiry being made, it was soon discovered who the iconoclast was, and when accosted, he gave replies which were not unlike those which Joash gave to the Abiezrites who had accused his son Gideon of having performed a similar act {see Judges vi, 28-33). Said Braima, " Ask that huge idol who did it." The men replied, " Can he speak? " " Then," said Braima " Why do you worship things which cannot speak? " He was immediately ordered to be burnt alive for this act of gross impiety. A thousand loads of wood were collected for a stake, and several pots of oil were brought for the purpose of firing the pile. This was signal for a civil war. Each of the two parties had powerful followers, but the Mohammedan party, which was hitherto suppressed had the upper hand, and vanquished their opponents. Lamurudu the King was slain, and all his children with those who sympathized with them were expelled from the town. The Princes who became Kings of Gogobiri and of the Kukawa went westwards and Oduduwa eastwards. The latter travelled 90 days from Mecca, and after wandering about finally settled down at Ile Ife where he met with Agboniregun (or Setilu) the founder of the Ifa worship.

Oduduwa and his children had escaped with two idols to Ile Ife. Sahibu being sent with an army to destroy or reduce them to submission was defeated, and amongst the booty secured by the victors was a copy of the Koran. This was afterwards pre- served in a temple and was not only venerated by succeeding generations as a sacred relic but is even worshipped to this day under the name of Idi, signifying Something tied up.

Such is the commonly received account among this intelligent although unlettered people. But traces of error are very apparent.

on the face of this tradition. The Yoruba are certainly not of the Arabian family and could not have come from Mecca — that is to say the Mecca universally known in history, and no such accounts as the above are to be found in the records of Arabian writers of any kings of Mecca; an event of such importance could hardly have passed unnoticed by their historians. But then it may be taken for granted that all such accounts and traditions have in them some basis in actual facts, nor is the subject under review exempted from the general rule, and this will become apparent on a closer study of the accounts.

That the Yoruba came originally from the East there cannot be the slightest doubt, as their habits, manners and customs, etc., all go to prove. With them the East is Mecca and Mecca is the East. Having strong affinities with the East, and Mecca in the East looming so largely in their imagination, everything that comes from the East, with them, comes from Mecca, and hence it is natural to represent themselves as having hailed originally from that city.

The only written record we have on this subject is that of the Sultan Bello of Sokoto, the founder of that city, the most learned if not the most powerful of the Fulani sovereigns that ever bore rule in the Soudan.

Capt. Clapperton {Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, 1822 — 1824) made the acquaintance of this monarch. From a large geographical and historical work by him, Capt. Clapperton made a copious extract, from which the following is taken: — " Yarba is an extensive province containing rivers, forests, sands and mountains, as also a great many wonderful and extraordinary things. In it, the talking green bird called babaga (parrot) is found."

" By the side of this province there is an anchorage or harbour for the ships of the Christians, who used to go there and purchase slaves. These slaves were exported from our country and sold to the people of Yarba, who resold them to the Christians."

" The inhabitants of this province (Yarba) it is supposed originated from the remnant of the children of Canaan, who were of the tribe of Nimrod. The cause of their establishment in the West of Africa was, as it is stated, in consequence of their being driven by Yar-rooba, son of Kahtan, out of Arabia to the Western Coast between Egypt and Abyssinia. From that spot they advanced into the interior of Africa, till they reach Yarba where they fixed their residence. On their way they left in every place they stopped at, a tribe of their own people. Thus, it is supposed that all the tribes of the Soudan who inhabit the mountains are originated from them as also are the inhabitants of Ya-ory. Upon the whole, the people of Yarba are nearly of the same description as those of Noofee (Nupe)^"

In the name Lamurudu (or Namurudu) we can easily recognize a dialectic modification of the name Nimrod. Who this Nimrod was, whether Nimrod surnamed " the strong," the son of Hasoiil, or Nimrod the " mighty hunter " of the Bible, or whether both descriptions belong to one and the same person, we cannot tell, but this extract not only confirms the tradition of their origin but also casts a side light on the legend? Arabia is probably the " Mecca " of our tradition. It is known that the descendants of Nimrod (Phoenicians) were led in war to Arabia, that they settled there, and from thence they were driven by a rehgious persecution to Africa. We have here also the origin of the term Yoruba, from Yarba, their first permanent settlement in Africa. Yarba is the same as the Hausa term Yarriba for Yoruba.

It is very curious that in the history of Mahomet we read of a similar flight of his first converts from Mecca to the East Coast of Africa (the first Hegira), due also to a religious persecution; this fact will serve to show that there is nothing improbable in the accounts as received by tradition. Again, that they emigrated from Upper Egypt to He Ife may also be proved by those sculptures commonly known as the " Ife Marbles," several of which may be seen at He Ife to this day, said to be the handiwork of the early ancestor of the race. They are altogether Egyptian in form. The most notable of them is what is known as the " Opa Oranyan," (Oranyan's staff) an obelisk standing on the site of Oranyan's supposed grave, having characters cut in it which suggest a Phoenician origin. Three or four of these sculptures may now be seen in the Egyptian Court of the British Museum, showing at a glance that they are among kindred works of art.

of art.

From these statements and traditions, whether authentic or mythologic, the only safe deductions we can make as to the most probable origin of the Yoruba’s are: —

1. That they sprang from Upper Egypt, or Nubia.
2. That they were subjects of the Egyptian conqueror Nimrod, who was of Phoenician origin, and that they followed him in his wars of conquest as far as Arabia, where they settled for a time. How subjects’ term themselves " children " or offspring of them.
3. Vide Narratives of Travels and Discoveries, by Major Denham and Capt. Clapperton, 1826. Appendix XII., Sec. IV.

A' Tropical Dependency, by Flora L. Shaw (Lady Lugard), 1905, pp. 227 — 228.