{"id":1630,"date":"2007-12-22T13:13:10","date_gmt":"2007-12-22T21:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willdoherty.org\/wordpress\/?p=1630"},"modified":"2024-09-22T03:36:33","modified_gmt":"2024-09-22T03:36:33","slug":"ife-museum-in-ile-ife-nigeria-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/?p=1630","title":{"rendered":"Ife Museum and Oba’s Palace in Ile-Ife, Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The ride from Benin City to Ile-Ife was not as difficult as my prior overland travel in Nigeria. Evangelist Christians are omnipresent in most of the southern part of the country with Muslims predominating in the north and traditional animist and other religions hanging on to survival a bit behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ife Museum in Ile-Ife had the following exhibits–
\nMusical instruments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rattles (calabash)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metal gong<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gan-gan (talking drum with stick)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saworo (metal musical instrument)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metal ornaments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bracelets, ring, from 10-11th century CE, beautiful designs, woman-figures<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ibeji twin figures<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoruba consider twins a source of blessing, bring good fortune to parents<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barren women can approach Ogun during Olojo festival to gain fertility, possibly even twins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ibom masquerade among Efik people in Calabar \u2013 snake-like cords and raffia skirt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

King and Queen, probably Ooni and wife, his left leg around her right leg, many beads in their crowns, beads on hands, chest, feet, rings on second toes, excavated by Frank Willet at Ita-Yemoo, dated 11-12th century CE, bronze, his face brown, her face green<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emir of Kano’s fara (jester)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Royal stool, terracotta, largest known in Africa from Iwinrin Grove, Ile-Ife, human figure standing on four-legged rectangular stool, behind him a pole of some king with a protrusion over the stool and between its feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olokun head, god(dess?) of the sea, giver of children, healer of abdominal disease, treat water with herbs for drinking<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceremonial Insignia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy next ring with spiral decorations at bottom of think neck loop<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brass mace heads, with aged gagged men with hole for mounting on wood shaft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brace scepters, one with gagged men, from Ita-Yemoo, Ife<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glass beads made at Olokun Grove, melted in crucibles, various colors, Segi blue beads the most valued by Yoruba, thin and long, light blue<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animal Life<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rams, goats, kids represent offerings to gods and ancestors<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dogs also perhaps, but also as human companion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snakes and chameleons are sacred<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monkeys in legends<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Owl unique in west African art<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoruba oba may own 40-50 crowns, most made of colored beads, collars over necklaces of fold, fly-whisk of horse hair<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offering pots at shrine or sacred grove, or burial place<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ade Owo Eyo \u2013 crown of cowrie cells, worn by wealthy individuals<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunter mask \u2013 skin-covered wooden mask worn as camouflage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sango stool and staffs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orere Ifa (Ifa priest staff)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wooden tray for divination with palm nuts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divination tray (wooden) \u2013 with Opele divination instrument, dried fruit of Schnebera Golugensis \u2013 has convex and concave surfaces<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Araba \u2013 Ifa chief priest \u2013 bust adorned with cowries selected from male Ifa worshipers without facial marks, presides over Ifa meetings and annual Ifa festival proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ase juju \u2013 usually prepared inside horn of ram or goat, invoked for cursing or healing, protruding pin inside the Ase \u2013 when removed and touches tongue, becomes a potent force of command, cursing, or healing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ojboni metal crown \u2013 conical with facial representation, secret cult originating in Yorubaland and spreading elsewhere<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beaded bag \u2013 used by Yoruba ritual specialists, esp. Ife diviners and Sango priests<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archaeology in Ife:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lander, 1830<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elgee, 1908<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ennett, 1910<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frobenius excavated Olokun Grove<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wunmonjie finds in 1938<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osangangan Obamakin Grove, 1943<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abiri excavation by Bernard Fagg, 1949<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogun Ladin, Olokuri Walode, Ogbon Oya, 1953<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yemoo, Frank Willet, until 1983<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obamari Grove and Oduduwa College, Oliver Myers, 1964 and 1966<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone carvings from Ore (One?) Grove<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potsherds Pavement \u2013 Luwoo \u2013 during reign of only female ooni of Ife-Luwoo, c. 1100 CE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opa Oranmiyan (Oranmiyan staff)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legend of sword that turns into obelisk<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oranminyan, youngest son of Odududwa, c. 1200-1300 CE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Husband of Moremi, heroine of Ife<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benin dynasty founded by Oranmiyan, married one of their daughters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gave birth to Eulaka, first Oba of Benin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then went to Oyo where his son Ajaka became Alaafin of Oyo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oranmiyan then drove Ooni Aleyemore (son of Obalufon Ogbogboirin) off the throne of Ife (he had taken throne after Oduduwa’s death)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ile-Oduduwa – location where Oduduwa believe to have resided<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oke Mogun (Ojobo) shrine, sacrifice offered to Ogun, god of iron, during Olojo festival, Ooni of Ife must visit twice to offer prayers for subjects during Olojo festival, only day when ooni dons the Are (or Ave?) crown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Igbo-Ukwu, 9th century CE, found burial chamber and art in 1938<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conical heads, used offerings at shrines or memorials to ancestors as tradition possibly elder than naturalistic heads<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crucibles found at Itajero used for making beads<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olokun Grove only place with both iron smelting and glass bead technology<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lokoloko stick \u2013 used to control crowd during Olojo festival<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osangangan Obamakin Grove \u2013 terracotta figure with elephantiasis of scrotum (Ile-Ife)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ajilekege \u2013 granite head from Esure Ekiti, Ife<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone vessel excavated from Orangangan Obamakin Grove \u2013 bubble at top suggesting palm wine fermentation, palm wine essential ritual item for Ogun during Olojo festival<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edan Ogboni \u2013 brass insignia worn around neck, male and female figures joined by chain, given to every member of Ogboni\/Osugbo society among Yoruba<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceremonial insignia of Yoruba cults:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edau figure<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oluwo staff<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeye<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plier ceremonial tool<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small scythe-like ceremonial tool<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gun powder flask with double face<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogboni bell for heralding commencement of meeting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oluwo figure<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bell probably used by Ifa cult, tall conical brass, nine inches long<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I almost didn’t get to see the Oba’s palace in Ile-Ife, but luckily some other tourists wanted to see it at the same time, so they gave us a little tour for a little price. It was there I learned about Moremi, “the heroine from premordial times” who, when captured as a slave by the Ugbo people eventually married the Ugbo ruler and became the queen to discover the secret of the Ugbo’s power so that she could bring it back to her people, the Yoruba, and defeat the Ugbo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ride from Benin City to Ile-Ife was not as difficult as my prior overland travel in Nigeria. Evangelist Christians are omnipresent in most of the southern part of the country with Muslims predominating in the north and traditional animist … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12,109,148,157,250,226,228],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-africa","category-art","category-history","category-museum","category-nigeria","category-stardusts-research","category-torture","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1630"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15447,"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions\/15447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stardustdoherty.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}