 Several
legends concerning the origin and ancestry of Oduduwa abound in Yoruba and
Benin mythology. The Yorubas believe he is the father of the Yorubas and progenitor
of all Yoruba Oba's and the Oba of Benin. The Bini believe that he is a Benin
prince called EKALADERHAN who was banished by his father, the Ogiso of Benin.
His name, the Binis claim, is derived from "Idoduwa", a Bini word
meaning fortune's path, symbolizing the painful exile from his ancestral home.
 In support
of this, they claim, Oduduwa's son Oranmiyan later returned to Benin to rule
the Empire around 600 AD. Oduduwa is believed to have had several sons (16
in number) who later became powerful traditional rulers of Yoruba land, most
notably Alafin of Oyo, Oni of Ife, Oragun of Ila, Owa of Ilesha, Alake of
Abeokuta and Osemawe of Ondo. Yoruba tradition holds that Oduduwa fled from
Mecca to Ile-Ife, bringing with him the Ifa religion which was under persecution
in Mecca. He established it firmly in Ile-Ife and founded the Ogboni cult
to protect the ancient customs and institutions of his people. The Oduduwa
shrine is still worshipped today in Ile-Ife as the cradle of Yoruba culture.
16th
century Copper
The large bulging eyes, proturding lips, and stylized ears of this figure
are characteristics of late Ife art as it developed into the mordern Yoruba
style, from the sixteenth century onward. The gesture made by the hands with
one grasping the thumb of the other, is characteristic of the Ogboni Society,
a secret society responsible for justice and for the Egbe of the earth in
Yorubaland.
By about
1400 A.D., Sudan was invaded by the Portuguese tribe of Europe. They established
trade ties with certain tribes and their leader in Sudan. However, as soon
as the Portuguese were well established in Sudan, they connived and concocted
with these tribes to kidnap and sell their fellow Africans for the sole purpose
of slave trade. In 1441 A.D. one of the first kidnapped Africans, were shipped
to Portugal. One of the first and the most notorious kidnapper was the Portuguese,
Prince Henry, The Navigator. |
