Who Are the Yoruba People by Fani Kayode- Egypt and Yoruba

7/21/2019 Who Are the Yoruba People by Fani Kayode- Egypt and Yoruba

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Who are the Yoruba people by fani kayode

The Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria are a nationality of approximately 50 million people,

the vast majority of who are concentrated primarily within Nigeria, but who are also spread

throughout the entire world. They constitute probably the largest percentage of fricans that live

in the diaspora and they have made their own extraordinary contributions in virtually every fieldof human endeavour throughout the ages. !escendants of the Yoruba and indeed various ancient

derivatives and forms of the Yoruba language can be found and are spo"en in places li"e #enin

$epublic, #ra%il, &aiti, 'uba, the (nited )tates of merica and various other parts of the

western world. Today first, second and even third generation Yoruba have settled

down and spread all over the world and are amongst the best and most sought after lawyers,

nuclear scientists, doctors, industralists, academics, writers, poets, playwrites, clerics,

theologians, artists, film producers, historians and intellectuals throughout the world. *herever

they go they tend to flourish and excel.

This is nothing new and indeed has always been the case. The first Nigerian to be called to the

#ar was a Yoruba man by the name of )apara *illiams who was called to the +nglish #ar and

started practising as a lawyer in -/. Yet )apara *illiams was not a flash in the pan or a one

time wonder. 1ther Yoruba men followed in his footsteps in 2uic" succession and were called to

the +nglish #ar shortly after he was. 3or example after him came 4oseph +dgarton )hyngle who

was called in ---, then came abriel &ugh )avage who was called in -/, then came $otimi

lade who was called in -/6, then came 7itoye jasa 8whose original name was +dmund

9acauly: who was called in -/;, then came rthur 4oseph +ugene #uc"nor who was called in

-/< and then came +ric 1laolu 9oore who was called in /0;. =ronically )apara *illiams was

not the first Nigerian lawyer though he was the first to be called to the +nglish #ar. =n those daysyou did not have to be called to the #ar to practice law and the first Nigerian lawyer that

practised without being called to the #ar was a Yoruba man by the name of *illiam &enry

)avage. &e was described as a >selftaught and practising lawyer> and he was a registered notary

public in +ngland as far bac" as -6. These were indeed the greats and every single one of

them was a Yoruba man.

9y friend and brother the respected 9r. "in josedeogun, who is a historian by calling and

a lawyer by profession, is a man for whom = have tremendous respect. = have often described

him as the >living oracle of Nigerian history> simply because he has a photographic memory, a

"nac" for detail, first class sources and has read more boo"s on Nigerian history than anyone that= have ever met before in my life. "in has an extraordinary mind, he is a living genius and =

have often urged him to write a boo". You can as" him anything about anyone or any event in

any part of our country, since or before independence, and he will give you names, dates and the

se2uence of events immediately and without any recourse to notes, boo"s or sources. fter he

has given you the information he will then cite his sources and tell you which boo"s to go and

read in order to confirm what he is saying. = have learnt so much from him that =



must publicly ac"nowledge the fact that = owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. &e once told

me something that = found very interesting and that reflected the semi godli"e status that our

earliest lawyers, including some of the names that = mentioned earlier, enjoyed amongst the

people. These men were not only revered but they were also admired by all, including members

of the #ritish intelligensia, legal fraternity and elites. "in told me that many years ago in the

mid-0?s )ir deto"unboh demola, who himself was one of the legal greats, who was called to

the +nglish #ar in /;<, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a magistrate in /;-, who

was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a &igh 'ourt judge in /<- and who was the first

Nigerian to be appointed 'hief 4ustice of the 3ederation in /5- said the following words to him.

&e said, >when you saw the way that the earliest Nigerian lawyers conducted themselves in court

and argued their cases you would have been filled with pride and you would have wanted to

become a lawyer yourself. 9embers of the public used to fill the court rooms to the brin" and

sometimes even the forecourts and passages just to watch these great men perform and enjoy

their brilliance and oratory. They spo"e the @ueens english and they "new the law inside out. =t

is not li"e that today>. This is a resounding testimony from an illustrious Nigerian and it spea"selo2uently about where the Yoruba, as a people, are coming from and the stoc" and 2uality of

minds that they are made of.

Yet the dynamism of the Yoruba and their innovations and >firsts> did not stop there. =t went into

numerous other spheres of human endeavour 2uite apart from the law. Aermit me to cite just

two examples. The first lies within the field of medicine. !r. Nathaniel 7ing was the

first Nigerian to become a medical practitioner. &e graduated from +dinburgh (niversity in -B

and he was a 'reole of Yoruba origin. Next came !r. 1guntola )apara who was the second

Nigerian to become a medical practitioner and who graduated from +dinburgh (niversity in

--<. &e was followed by !r. 4ohn $andle who graduated from !urham (niversity in-/, then !r. 1risadipe 1basa who graduated from +dinburgh (niversity in -/6, then !r.

"inwande )avage who graduated from +dinburgh (niversity in /00, then !r. 'urtis deniyi

4ones who graduated from !urham (niversity in /0. 1thers li"e !r. 1yejola who graduated

in /05, !r. 7ubolaje 3aderin, !r. )esi "apo and !r. 9agnus 9acauly who all graduated in

/6, !r. 9oyses 4oao !a $ocha who graduated from +dinburgh (niversity in /; and many

others followed after that.

The second example lies within the ran"s of the clergy. The first frican nglican #ishop and

the first man to translate the &oly #ible and #oo" of 'ommon Arayer to any frican language

8outside of +thiopia: was a Yoruba exslave who gave his life to 'hrist, won his freedom

and rose up to become one of the greatest and most respected clerics and leaders that the frican

continent has ever "nown by the name of #ishop )amuel jayi 'rowther. (n"nown to many his

original name was $ev. 4ohn $aban but he changed it in his early years. 'rowther got his first

degree at the famous 3ourah #ay 'ollege in )ierra Ceonne 8which at that time was part of

!urham (niversity:. &e was ordained as an nglican #ishop in -B< and in that same year he

was awarded a !octorate degree from 1xford (niversity.



This extraordinary man who was blessed by od with an exceptionally brilliant mind was, as far

as = am concerned, one of the greatest fricans that ever lived. &e not only translated the &oly

#ible and the #oo" of 'ommon Arayer to Yoruba 8an extremely difficult, complicated and

painsta"ing venture which he began in -<; and which he completed in ---: but he also

codified a number of other christian boo"s and he translated them into the =gbo and Nupe

languages. &e was literally the pillar and foundation of the nglican church in west frica.

Throughout his adult life he courageously stood up and fought for the rights and the dignity of

the frican and he, more than anyone else, was responsible for the spread, influence and power

of the christian faith in Nigeria in the late /th century. &e was also the maternal grandfather of

the great nationalist &erbert 9acaulay who, together with Nnamdi %i"iwe, founded the political

party "nown as the N'N' in /<<. 'rowther was also the fatherinlaw of $ev. Thomas

#abington 9acauly who founded the 'hristian 9issionary )ociety rammar )chool

8'9) rammar )chool: in -5/ in what was then the Cagos 'olony. '9) rammar )chool was

the epitome of excellence and a citadel of great learning in those days. =t was also the oldest

secondry school in Nigeria and the main source of frican clergymen and administrators in theCagos 'olony. =t is not surprising that it was the soninlaw of the great #ishop )amuel jayi

'rowther that founded such a school and that it was his grandson that founded one the greatest

political parties that the frican continent has ever "nown. This is another first for the Yoruba.

Yet who are these people and where did they come fromD *hat is their origin and what is their

source of strengthD *hat were their migratory patterns over the last ;0,000 and more years and

how did they end up in =le=feD *hat is their connection to the 9iddle +ast, to the rabs

of 9ecca and 9edina, to the ancient +gyptians and to the Nubians of the )udanD *hat ma"es

them so special and so peculiar all at the same timeD *hat ma"es their religious setup so

complicated and so profund and what allows each of the great monotheic faiths of christianityand islam together with the traditional religions to flourish and excel amongst the very same

people at the same timeD *hy are the Yoruba so accommodating of outsiders and what is

responsible for their liberal disposition when it comes to their dealings with people from other

cultures, other faiths and other nationalitiesD *hy is it that so many Yoruba families have

mixed ancestral bloodlines that go bac" hundreds 8and in some cases thousands: of years with

so many different nationalities from outside Yorubaland and indeed from outside

Nigeria, including the #ahians of #ra%il, the &aitians and 'ubans of Aort u Arince and

&avana, the 'reoles of 3reetown 8)ierra Ceone , the a?s of ccra 8hana:, the tribes of

!ahomey 8#enin $epublic:, the +do, the #ini, the =tse"iri and other tribes from the old 9id

*estern region of southern Nigeria and the Nupe, the &ausa, the 3ulani, the )huwa rab and the

7anuri from the northD *hat is the cultural and spiritual affinity of the Yoruba with the people of

the old Northern region and the people of the old 9id*estern region and why are the

people from those two regions and those from the )outh*est collectively referred to as the

>)udanese Nigerians>D )ome of these 2uestions may never be answered but in the se2uel to

this essay we will attempt to at least view and analyse the Yoruba from a historical perspective



and this may explain why they are what they undoubtedly are >primus inter pares>, the first

amongst e2uals.

“The Yoruba are ancestors of the black Cushite migrants and settlers that did not go to

Africa…”

=n his 6000 page boo" titled ”Ile-Ife-The Source of Yoruba Civilisation”, Arince delegan

degbola wrote the following about the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria >the Yoruba

are the progeny of great "ingship, efficient "ingdombuilders and astute rulers. They have been

enjoying for centuries a wellorgani%ed pattern of society, a pattern which persists, in spite of all

the changes resulting from modern contacts with the western world. Their "ings have, from very

long past, worn costly beaded crowns and wielded royal scepters. No one remembers the time

when the Yoruba people have not worn clothes. Their character of dignity and integrity is an

ancient one. =n reality, the Yoruba claim to be descendants of a great ancestor.

EThere is no doubt at all that they have been a great race. They are, and they appear in some

ways to be detrimentally overconscious of their great ancestry and long, noble traditionsF..the

Yoruba are one of the most researched races in the world.>

ccording to Arofessor ).1. rifalo, by /B the available literature on the Yoruba, despite many

omissions, numbered ;,<-- items. These vast amounts of wor"s are 2uite substantial and

unrivalled in sub)aharan frica. lso the artifacts showed that the Yoruba were intelligent,

complex and wealthy people whose art and technological s"ills were unsurpassed in prehistoric

frica. lmost everything we "now about the Yoruba people comes from =le=fe.>

Arofessor degbola?s research is as fascinating as it is outstanding. =t is a >must read> for all

those that are interested in finding out who the Yoruba are, where they come from, what they

stand for and what their contribution to religion, culture, the arts and civilisation really is. &is

research into the history of the Yoruba and the various Yoruba "ingdoms is second to none. &is

findings certainly put a lie to the controversial assertion made by )ir &ugh Trevor$oper, one of

the best"nown and most respected historians that ever lived, who once said that >the history of

frica is dar"ness, nothing but dar"ness>.

Nothing could be further from the truth and it is clear to me that this +nglishman, despite his

outstanding credentials, "new next to nothing about our rich history, heritage and culture which,in my view, was far more advanced and goes bac" for thousands of years more than even his

own. =n this essay, = will ma"e my own contributions to the debate and = will concentrate

primarily on the prehistoric era of the Yoruba before the coming of 1duduwa to =le=fe and

before the establishment of the great "ingdoms and princely states. = will focus on their origins as

a people and their migratory patterns.



The Yoruba are ancestors of the blac" 'ushite migrants and settlers that did not go to frica with

the other descendants of 'ush but that rather chose to settle in the areas and environs that were to

later become the ancient cities of 9ecca and 9edina in what is presently "nown as )audi rabia.

They were not rabs but they were there as settlers for thousands of years and they constituted

an industrious, prosperous, powerful, large and respected minority within the larger 9iddle

+astern community.

&owever, they were eventually driven out of those rab towns and communities and forced to

leave them for refusing to give up their religious faith, their deep mysticism and paganism and

their idol worship after =slam was introduced to those places by the Arophet 9ohammed in B00

!.

They migrated to the ban"s of the great $iver Nile in +gypt where they intermingled and inter

married with the +gyptians, the Nubians and the )udanese of the Nile. The +gyptian roots and

connections of the Yoruba are deep and irrefutable and the third and final part of this essay is

dedicated solely to exploring and explaining those roots. 3or thousands of years many of the

Yoruba remained on the ban"s of the Nile but the bul" of them eventually migrated to what was

to later become "nown as northeastern Nigeria and once again they settled, mingled and inter

bred with the )huwa rabs and the 7anuris of #orno.

3rom there they eventually swept across the whole of the north and migrated down south to the

forests and farm lands of what is now "nown as southwestern Nigeria ma"ing their primary

place and location of settlement and pagan worship =le=fe. =le=fe is to the Yoruba traditional

worshippers what 9ecca is to the 9uslims and what 4erusalem is to the 4ews and the 'hristians.The establishment of =le=fe as the centre and source of all that is Yoruba was confirmed by

1duduwa himself when he sent his sons out from =le=fe to other parts of Yorubaland to establish

their own independent "ingdoms, including #ini 7ingdom. =t was after that that we bro"e up into

various "ingdoms and communities within what later became "nown as the old *estern $egion

of Nigeria.

)ome of those "ingdoms and empires were sophisticated, powerful, large and great 8li"e the 1yo

+mpire: and some were not so great and large. Yet each was fiercely independent and established

its own sophisticated system of government, customs, legal codes and conventions.

)adly these Yoruba "ingdoms spent one hundred years fighting one another in totally

unnecessary civil wars before the arrival of the #ritish, but it is a historical fact that they were

never defeated in any war or con2uered by any foreign army. Yet the only things that they had in

common amongst themselves was their language 8which bro"e into different dialects:, their

historical heritage, their affinity and respect for =le=fe and their ac"nowledgement of that town

as being their spiritual home and finally their acceptance of the 1onirissa of =fe as >the living



manifestation of 1duduwa, the 2uintessential icon of royalty and splendour and od?s chief

representative on earth>.

This collection of different "ingdom states with a common ancient root was collectively "nown

as the >Yoruba>. Yet the fact of the matter is that the word >Yoruba> has N1 meaning in our

language or any other language that is "nown to man.

Noone has been able to tell us with certainty the meaning of the word >Yoruba> or indeed where

it really came from. This really is very strange and is indeed a deep and unsettling mystery. 3or

all we "now it could even be a deep and ancient insult. That is why = have always preferred to be

referred to as an >=fe> rather than a >Yoruba>. nother 2uestion that is often as"ed is why did our

forefathers indulge in all the mass migrations from first 9ecca and 9edina, then to +gypt, then

to #orno, across the vast plains and desert lands of northern Nigeria and then finally settled in

the forests of the western regionD

&istorians have ventured a number of reasons for this, but the truth is that noone "nows with

much certainty. 9y own personal theory is that the reason that our forefathers "ept having to

migrate until we found somewhere of our own was either because of war or because we refused

to give up our pagan beliefs and practices. = believe that when =slam was eventually introduced

into the areas that we once settled our forefathers suffered all manner of persecution for their

tenacity to their ancient pagan faith and their refusal to convert and conse2uently they had to

move on. = may be wrong and many historians have offered one or two other explanations for

these mass migrations yet whatever the reasons for them may have been, whether they were due

to war, famine or religious persecution, it is clear that the influence of the rabs, the +gyptians,

the Nubians, the )udanese, the 7anuris, the Nupes and all the other nations that we once livedwith, mingled with and mixed our blood with through breeding and marriage is very strong

amongst the Yoruba people, their music, their language and their culture till today. *e shall

return to this theme in part three of this essay.

3or thousands of years, the Yoruba were pagans and =fa was their cornerstone. Their faith was

polytheic in nature and they believed, li"e the ncient +gyptians, not in one )upreme !eity, but

in a pantheon of gods each of which had its own place and served its own purpose. s a matter of

fact, most of the ancient gods that the +gyptians worshipped were introduced to them by Yoruba

diviners, sorcerers and pagan priests. )uch was the level of our influence on +gyptian culture,

religion and history. The monotheic faiths of =slam and 'hristianity were both espoused by theYoruba thousands of years later and were both established primarily by the strong trade lin"s that

existed between them and the &ausaG3ulani from the north, the Tur"ish traders of the 1ttoman

empire from the southern tlantic coast, the Aortuguese and +uropean traders who plied that

same southern tlantic coast and the 'hristian missionaries who vigorously evangelised the

whole territory.



#oth 'hristianity and =slam eventually too" full root in the land and in the hearts and minds of

the Yoruba people whilst paganism, >=fa> and the practice of their more traditional faith was

eventually pushed to the bac" seat. This was 2uite an achievement because for thousands of

years both 'hristianity and =slam were fiercely resisted by the Yoruba and even till today many

Yoruba people still tenaciously hold on to their traditional faith. That is why it is very difficult to

find a Yoruba family that does not have 'hristians, 9uslims and adherents of the more

traditional and ancient tribal faiths in their ran"s.

The slow and massive migration of the Yoruba from rabia, +gypt, #orno, through northern

Nigeria and to their own homelands in the southwest are why they, together with the other

numerous tribes in >midwestern> 8the #ini, the =shan, the (rhobo, the =tse"iri, the =so"o and all

the other tribes that were once part of the old *estern $egion of Nigeria: and >northern> Nigeria

are generally "nown as the >)udanese Nigerians>. This is because they all migrated from north

frica and the )udan to their present locations.

#y way of contrast, the various tribes from the rest of southern Nigeria who migrated from

eastern and southern frica to their present locations comprise of the =gbo and the people of the

eastern Niger!elta area 8including the =jaws, the ="weres, the 7alabaris, the +fi"s, the =bibios,

the ="a =gbos and all other tribes that were part of the old +astern $egion of Nigeria:. These

people are "nown as the >#antu Nigerians> and they are very different to the )udanese in terms

of their outloo" to life and their culture and history. Aermit me to explain this assertion. The

history of the people that are "nown as the >)udanese Nigerians> is welldocumented, well

entrenched and wellac2uainted with strong and respected hierarchical structures and the

administration of extremely large and powerful, culturallydiverse, cosmopolitan and

sophisticated empires that once stretched across thousands of miles of different territories andcivilisations. These great empires, which were headed by powerful "ings and emperors, such as

the 1yo, &abe, No", Nupe, Tiv, #orgu and )o"oto +mpires, con2uered many lesser peoples in

centuries past and administered many territories when compared to the #antus.

The #antus? only experience and "nowledge of ancient empire and "ingship is limited to a few

relatively small yet notable "ingdoms and coastal states in what is presently "nown as Nigeria?s

eastern Niger!elta area. +xamples of this are the 7alabaris who have their mayanabo, the

+fi"s who have their 1bong and a few others. The most populous tribe amongst the #antu are

the =gbo. They are originally of 4ewish stoc" and they have absolutely no history of "ingship,

empire and organised hierarchical structures at all. They were essentially republican in natureand they were a collection of village and forest communities that were bound together only by

their common language and their ancient heritage. That is why the =gbo often ta"e pleasure in

saying >=gbo enwe e%e>, meaning >the =gbo have no "ing>. 1utside of the royal "ings of 1nitsha

and saba, to have "ings and chiefs amongst the =gbo was a relatively new phenomenon which

certainly does not predate the last 50 years. s a matter of fact, the "ings of those two towns



and communities were not even originally of =gbo stoc", but were offshoots of the $oyal &ouse

of #ini in what is presently "nown as +do )tate.

The 1bi of 1nitsha and the sagba of saba and indeed most of their subjects were descendants

of the 1ba of #enin and the people of +do respectively. The =gbo did not even have chiefs up

until 50 years ago. =t was when the #ritish colonialists arrived in the east that they appointed

>warrant chiefs> for them. This explains why the =gbo particularly find it exceptionally difficult

to understand the complexities and subtleties of people that do not share their republican heritage

or beliefs.

Yet the truth about the Nigerian situation is that everybody and every tribe and nationality, no

matter how big or small, brings something to the table. That is what ma"es us so special and

uni2ue as a people and that is what ma"es our country so great. There is indeed unity in diversity

and whether you are a Yoruba, an =gbo, a 3ulani, a &ausa, a Tiv, an =doma, a Nupe, an (rhobo,

an =shan, an =tse"iri, an =so"o, a 7alabari, a 7ataf, a )huwa rab, a 7anuri, a #erom, an =gbira, a

#ini, an ="were, an +fi", an =bibio, a 4u"un, an =jaw or any other tribe or nationality, it is in the

greater collective and the beautiful racial and cultural melting pot that Nigeria has become that

we can find our true power and greatness. The Yoruba, no matter how rich our history, are only a

part of a much greater family of peoples each with their own noble heritage and proud history.

=n the third and final part of this essay we will explore the +gyptian roots of the Yoruba and we

will consider the remar"able similarities between ancient +gyptian culture, religion and language

and that of the Yoruba people

(p until 6/6 #' and the ascension of 7ing 9enpehtyre $amesses, all the Aharaohs of +gyptwere blac". These include some of the better "nown ones such as 7ing &oremheb 8who preceded

7ing $amesses:, 7ing 7hafra 8who was depicted by the reat )phinx of i%a:, 7ing

Tutan"hamun 8the young Aharoah whose tomb was discovered with enormous riches and a

terrible curse by a #ritish archaeologist and explorer called &oward 'arter:, @ueen 'leopatra

8whose beauty was enchanting, who captured the emotions of 4ulius 'aesar and 9ar" nthony,

who divided the $oman +mpire and whom this writer honoured with a poem titled EThe Nubian

@ueen>:, @ueen Nefertiti 8who was the wisest of the wise and the most compassionate of all the

+gyptian monarchs:, 7ing Aiye 8who was the con2ueror of +gypt, the master of Nubia and the

greatest of all the 'ushite warrior "ings: and the two Aharaohs that the biblical 9oses and the

biblical 4oseph "new respectively and that had such a great impact on 4ewish history and thefortunes of the 4ewish people. ll these Aharaohs were blac" frican Nubians who were to be

later referred to as the E)udanese>.

The fact of the matter is that right up until the establishment of the /th dynasty and the coming

of 7ing $amesses in 6/6 #', the rulers of +gypt were all Nubians and not the Ebrown and

olives"inned> +uroasiatics and rabs that the $amessesian era ushered in.



The Nubians not only ruled +gypt for thousands of years but they also constituted the majority of

those that made up the +gyptian middle class and intelligentsia including the clerics, theologians,

artists, writers, poets, medics, artisans, builders, architects, astrologers, mathematicians and

professionals. The ncient +gyptians themselves referred to their homeland as E7mt> 8which is

conventionally pronounced as E7emet>:.

ccording to the celebrated historian 'hei"h nta !iop, the ncient +gyptians reference to

themselves as E#lac" people> or E"mt> and E"mt> was the etymological root of other words,

such as E7am> or E&am>, which refer to >blac" people> in &ebrew tradition. !iop, *illiam Ceo

&ansberry, and boubacry 9oussa Cam have argued that >"mt> was derived from the s"in

colour of the Nile valley people, who they claim were blac".

nd they were absolutely right. These are the facts though some western and rab +gyptologists

find it hard to accept and often see" to deny it. Yet whether anyone li"es to accept it or not the

fact remains that the greatest civili%ation that the world has ever "nown, which is the +gyptian

civili%ation, was led and established by people of colour and those same people were the

custodians of the deepest mysteries and secrets of our world and of the human race.

The final batch of ancient 'ushites that remained in rabia for thousands of years after all the

others had left and that had refused to leave those lands for frica with their +thiopian brothers

and sisters eventually migrated to the +gyptian Nile Halley from 9ecca and 9edina.

Thousands of years later, this last wave of 'ushite migrants were to be referred to as the

>Yoruba>. Yet for thousands of years before the word >Yoruba> was even conceived and after

their arrival in the Nile Halley, these same people constituted an essential and vital part of theruling and middle class of the )udan, Nubia and ncient +gypt.

The 'ushite forefathers of the Yoruba were a learned and mystical people that were well versed

in philosophy, the arts, history, the mysteries of the age, science, anthropology and the secrets of

the spirit realm and human existence.

Their contribution to ncient +gyptian culture and art was second to none. 9ost importantly, the

pantheon of gods that they had worshipped, guarded jealously and served for thousands of years

whilst in 9ecca and 9edina before their migration to the Nile Halley, were accepted by the

+gyptian ruling elite and were fully integrated and superimposed on the +gyptian religiousstratosphere.

s a matter of fact, those gods were not only accepted but they eventually became the

cornerstone and foundation of ncient +gyptian culture and religion. That is the level of input

that the Yoruba made into the affairs and development of ncient +gypt.



=n our 2uest to further explore the ancient +gyptian roots of the Yoruba, permit me to 2uote

copiously from an excellent contribution titled >Y1$(# T&+ +YAT=N '1NN+'T=1N>

which was written by 1lomu and +yebira. The writeup is utterly fascinating in terms of its depth

and research. =n the section titled >The 1duduwan $evolution>. The authors wrote the following

T&+ 1!(!(*N $+H1C(T=1N

=n the first chapter, we tal"ed about the aboriginal nature of the Yoruban peoples. =n this chapter,

we shall tal" of a possible migration from ancient +gypt. 9any traditions point to a fact that an

alien group 8+gyptians: immigrated to Yoruba land and mixed with the original population.

9any oral traditions are replete with these stories. The wujale of =jebu land has shown that the

=jebus are descended from ancient Nubia 8a colony of +gypt:. &e was able to use the evidence of

language, body, scarification, coronation rituals that are similar to Nubians� etc, to show that

the =jebus are descendants of the Nubians. *hat the present wujale claimed for the =jebus, can

be authenticated all over Yoruba land. The wujale even mentioned 8600<: that the =tse"iri 8an

eastern Yoruba dialect: are spea"ing the original =jebu language.

)ince the Nubians were descended or coloni%ed by the +gyptians, the =jebu, and by extension, all

Yoruba customs, derived from the +gyptian. 9any traditional Yorubas have always claimed

+gypt as their place of original abode, and that their monarchical tradition derives from the

+gyptians�. postle tigbiofor tsuliaghan, a high priest of (male1"un, and a direct

descendant of 1runmila, claimed that the Yorubas left +gypt as a result of a big war that

engulfed the whole of +gypt. &e said the +gyptian remnants settled in various places, two

important places being 1de =tse"iri and =le=fe.'hief 1.N $ewane says�1ral tradition has it

also that when the Yorubas came from )outh of +gypt they did not go straight to where they now

occupy. They settled at =llushi, some at saba area� +bu, 1lu"umi ("wun%u while some

settled at 1de=tse"iri,.� 81.N. $ewane $oyalty 9aga%ine A='T1$=C )1(H+N=$ 13

T&+ #($=C N! '1$1NT=1N 13 1C( 13 *$$=, *$$= /-:

)ince these oral traditions are passed on by very illiterate people, we can augment whatever is

recorded with written sources. 'oncerning the migration of some of the Yoruban ancestors from

the east, 'onton saysI

The Yoruba of Nigeria are believed by many modern historians to be descended from a people

who were living on the ban"s of the Nile 6,000 years ago, and who were at the time in close

contact with the +gyptians and the 4ews. )ometime before ! B00, if this belief is correct, this

people must have left their fertile lands, for reasons which we can not now discover and have

joined in the ceaseless movement of tribes west wards and southwards across our continent.



*e can only guess at the many adventures they and their descendants must have had on their

long journey and at the number of generations which passed before they arrived. ll we can be

certain about is that they were a Negro people 8of which ancient +gypt probably had at least one

community as we have seen: and that one of the many princely states they founded on their

arrival in *est frica�..was =fe.� 'onton *3 8/B0.

lthough we agree with 'onton that some of the Yoruban ancestors migrated from +gypt, we

tend to toe the scientific line of 'hei" nta !iop, that the ancient +gyptians were pure Negroes.

deribigbe, an indigenous scholar, also accepts that the Yorubas migrated from +gypt. &e saysI

�The general trend of these theories, most of them based on Yoruba traditions, is that of a

possible origin from�the east�. )ome scholars, impressed by the similarities between Yoruba

and ancient +gyptian culture� religious observation, wor"s of art, burial and other customs�

spea" of a possible migration of the ancestors of the Yoruba from the upper Nile 8as early as

6000#'� 000#': as a result of some upheavals in ancient +gypt�. 8# !+$=#=#+

/B:

(nli"e 'onton, deribigbe was able to pinpoint a cause for the Yoruban migration� war.

1lumide Cucas did a lot of job to show similarities and identities between the ancient +gyptians

and the Yoruban peoples. The date that deribigbe gave 86000#'� 000#': is much earlier

than that given by 'onton. deribigbe�s date corresponds to that of the &y"sos invasion of

+gypt 6000500#'. 1n the possible eastern origin of the Yorubas, Tari2h )awandi saysI

�The Yoruba history begins with the migration of an east frican population across the trans

frican route leading from 9idNile river area to the 9idNiger. rchaeologists, according to

9. 1moleya, inform us that the Nigerian region was inhabited more than forty thousand years

ago, or as far bac" as B5,000#'. !uring this period, the No" culture occupied the region. The

No" culture was visited by the�Yoruba people�, between 6000#' and 500#'. This group of

people was led, according to Yoruba historical accounts by "ing 1duduwa, who settled

peacefully in the already established =le=fe, the sacred city of the indigenous No" people.

This time period is "nown as the #ron%e ge, a time of high civili%ation of both of these groups.

ccording to 1lumide 4. Cucas,�the Yoruba, during anti2uity, lived in ancient +gypt before

migrating to the tlantic coast�. &e uses as demonstration the similarity or identity oflanguages, religious beliefs, customs and names of persons, places and things. =n addition, many

ancient papyri discovered by archaeologists point at an +gyptian origin. 8Tari2h )awandiI

Yorubic medicineI The rt of divine herbology� online article:.



demoyega commented that the +"iti section of the Yorubas must have migrated to their present

area around B;-! when the 9uslims too" over +gypt and forced some of the Yoruba people to

migrate to their present area.

)o, we see that the Yoruba did not come in one migration, but in many different migrations� in

waves. The first possible migration might be connected with the &y"sos invasion. )ome words

in the Yoruban vocabulary echo the words used in +gypt in predynastic times and in the early

dynastic periods. )ome +gyptian gods of this period have strong identities with Yoruban deities.

3or instance, gods such as dumu 8dumu: &epi 8=pi: usar 8usa:, &orise 81rise:, and )�mi

8)�mi: Nam 8=nama: are present in Yoruba. ll these gods existed in the predynastic and early

dynastic periods of +gypt. T1!Y, 91N T&+ =T)+7=$=Y1$(#) ,T&+)+ 1!) 'N

)T=CC #+ A&Y)='CCY )++N, T C+)T, 1N'+ Y+$J Neighbouring peoples are

already initiated into the various gods systems and beliefs in yorubaland.the agban ancestral

worship was first organi%ed in (rhoboland during the funeral ceremony of chief yomanor of

)apele 8/</:. The =pi system was first organi%ed in (rhoboland in 9arch , 6005.

*e can also see words that existed in the raeco$oman period in some of the Yoruban dialects.

*hen the $omans too" over +gypt, they infiltrated the +gyptian area with their language. =n

present Yoruba, we can still find words of $oman descent. 3or instance, the Yoruba called the

palm frond�9ariwo�. This word is derived form the Catin $ivus 8$iver:. 1ne of the

declensions of river is $ivo 8by the river:.)ince the Yoruban possesses no�H�, the word

become riwo. Thus, the word�1mariwo� means the child by the river. )ome other words li"e

)angi 8blood in =tse"iriyoruba dialect: thought to have been derived form the Aortuguese were

actually brought as a result of the $oman 'on2uest of +gypt. )angi is blood and the Catin term is

)anguis. )ome eastern Yoruba use the term�=hagi� which is clearly a corruption of the$oman )anguis. 'hristian army in 5<0! invaded +gypt and some persons believed to have

reached Yoruba land were driven from +gypt.

*ith the commencement of the rab period in +gypt, some indigenous +gyptians who never

wanted to accept the =slamic religion escaped to present Yoruba land. =t was probably in this

period that words such as 7eferi 87afri pagan in rab: infiltrated into the Yoruboid vocabulary.

ll said and done, more than fifty percent of the Yoruboid vocabulary of today can be deduced

either directly or indirectly from the ancient +gyptian. These are the original ancient +gyptian

language devoid of rab and Catin words that are very few in the Yoruboid vocabulary

=t is not really certain when "ing 1duduwa came from +gypt. &e must have come in one of the

many migrations. #ut since the Yoruba religious discourse has a lot of identities with +gyptian,

1duduwa would have left +gypt at a very early period perhaps after the &y"sos invasion of

6000500#' ,but not later than ;0#'.



'ould the Yoruba have migrated from a white +gyptD 3arfrom the truthJ

A$113) 13 +YAT=N N+$1N+))

. +gypt was a part of frica and therefore should be blac"

6. The +gyptians believe that +gypt was a colony of +thiopia, and that the religion was brought

to +gypt by 7ing &orus from the south 8inner frica:. Thus when the +gyptians died, they

buried their corpses with their faces facing the )outh *est 8the direction of *est frica, home of

the Yoruba:

;. )ome *est frican peoples claim that their ancestors migrated to ancient +gypt. The Yorubas

claimed that a mysticprophet 1runmila 81ritse (deji among the =tse"iri: migrated to +gypt and

established a religion. rchaeology and crosscultural studies have shown that Negroes migrated

from *est frica to ancient +gypt.

<. nthropologists have discovered, to their dismay, that +gyptian cultural traitsI divine "ingship,

forms of burial, 1sirian cult, etc., permeate some parts of Negro frica.

5. )ome deities exist in +gypt and in Negro frica, such as dumu, &epi, =nama, )ami &oriseetc.

B. The ree"s referred to the +gyptian as�&oi iguptos�, 8blac" people:K the +gyptians

referred to themselves as 7am 8blac" in their language.:

. 9elanin test proved that the +gyptians were blac".

-. 1steological measurements which are less misleading than craniometry in distinguishing a

blac" man from a white man has proved that the ancient +gyptians belonged to the blac" race.

Cepsius, a erman )avant at the end of the nineteenth century, made the studies and his

conclusion remains valid. 3uture studies have not contradicted the�Cepsius canon�, which in

broad figures gave the bodily proportion of the ideal +gyptianI short armed and of Negroid or

Negrito physical type./. 9ost *est frican claim +gyptian ancestry. =f they are blac", their ancient +gyptian ancestors

must be blac".

0. ncient paintings on caves and temples in +gypt depict blac"s. t first there were only blac"

paintings, in later times, the blac"s were shown ruling over whites and yellows 8sians:.

. ncient statues and carvings found in (pper and Cower +gypt showed blac" s"ins, and

features.

6. ncient monuments such as the pyramid have been replicated in other parts of frica.

typical example is the *arri pyramid recorded in $oth 8B:.

;. Canguage similarities exist between the +gyptians and some groups in west frica such as

the *olof and particularly more so, the Yorubas 8 more then 500 similar words have been

discovered bearing identical meanings. )ee Yoruba is tlantis by the same authorsI to be

published:.

<. $ecent findings of enetics and 9olecular #iology and Cinear nalysis have proved the

+gyptians were Negroid.

5. The testimony of classical writers such as Alato, &omer, ristotle, Aythagoras etc., portrays

the +gyptians as blac"s.



B. the physical photograph of Yuyi of ancient +gypt is Negroid 8#arbara 9ert% I $ed Cand

,#lac" landI /B:

=n order to prove the +gyptians origin of the ree" oracle of !odona, &erodotus saysI

�nd when they add that the dove was blac", they gave us to understand that the woman was+gyptian�.

The doves mentioned in a text�+pirus� stands for two +gyptian women, reputed to have

brought the oracle from Tebu 8Thebes:Ltoday there are two Tebus in Yoruba landM in +gypt to

establish the oracle of !odona in ree" and Cibya.

nother anti2uarian, Cycinus, describing a young +gyptian, mentioned Negroid features.�This

boy is not merely blac"K he has thic" lips and his legs are too thin� &is hair worn in a plait

behind shows that he is not a free man.�

The mention of� blac" �,�thic" lips� and hair worn in plaits behind are totally of frican

origin. =n those days =tse"iri owned slaves 8mostly )obo: were either cleanshaven, or they wore

their hair in plaits until they regained freedom. Thus, un"nowingly, Cycinus had drawn an

identical cultural affinity between the 7amites and the Yorubas.

9arcelinus, a Catin historian writesI

�The men of +gypt are mostly brown or blac" with a s"inny and desiccated loo".�

ppolodorus, who lived in the first century before our era, commented on +gypt as NegroesI

�iguptos captured the country of the blac" footed ones and called it +gypt after himself.�

ristotle� an ancient ree" philosopher, a disciple of Alato� in a naive way showed that the

+gyptians were blac", hear himI

�Those who are too blac" are cowards, li"e for instance the +gyptians and the +thiopians, but

those who are excessively white are also cowards as we can see from the example of women, the

complexion of courage is between the two�.

&erodotus, <-5<65#', the father of history, further said concerning the ancient +gyptiansI

�=t is in fact manifested that the 'olchidians are +gyptian by race. )everal +gyptians told me

that in their opinion that the 'olchidians were descendants of the soldiers of )esostris. = had

conjectured as much myself from two pointers, firstly because they have blac" s"ins and "in"y

hair 8to tell the truth this proves nothing for other peoples have them too: and secondly more



reliably for the reason that alone among man"ind, the +gyptians and the +thiopians have

practiced circumcision since time immemorial. The Ahoenicians and the )yrians of Aalestine

themselves admit that they learnt the practice from the +gyptians, while the )yrians in the river

Thermodon and the Aathenoise region and their neighbours the 9acrons say they learnt it

recently from the 'olchidians. These are the only races which practice circumcision, and it is

observable that they do it in the same way with the +gyptians. s between the +gyptians

themselves and the +thiopians, = can not say which of them taught the other the practice, for

among themK it is 2uite clearly a custom of great contiguity. s to the further strong proof to my

belief is that all those Ahoenicians trading to ree" cease to treat the pudenda after the +gyptian

manner and do not subject their offspring to concussion�.

&erodotus mentioned blac" s"ins and "in"y hair as features of the 'olchidians of being

descendants of the +gyptiansK he also mentioned the survival of circumcision. =t should be noted

that braham� the rab patriarch of the 4ews� learnt circumcision from &agar, his +gyptian

slave wife, whence the custom spread to the 4ews. &erodotus also commented that other peoples8those in inner frica and the blac" )umerians and 'anaanites: also had "in"y hair.

The towns of ancient +gyptI 1n 8nnu: or &eliopolis, &ermonthis, !endera, Tebu etc., were

developed by nnu, the predynastic blac"s of +gypt. )"eletons of the Negro nnu were

ubi2uitous in ancient +gypt...

9ene, the first pharaoh of the first dynasty, sometimes identified with the odman 1siris 8

blac" forerunner of 'hrist: was a #lac"man. oser, )esostris, menhopis, 7hufu, 9enthuhotep,

@ueen muses, Nefertari etc., were also all Negroes.

The +gyptian religion and other cultural practices show strong frican and more so Yorubic

characteristics. These can be seen in the following areasI

. The lost wax method of brass or bron%e ma"ing, which was common to both the Yoruba

peoples 8particular =fe: and the ancient +gyptians.

6. The ritual of initiation

;. )triving to achieve the ultimate in �ood� and truth 8summun bonum:

<. The doctrine of transmigration of soul and reincarnation is widely believed in, by both

peoples.

5. The concept of the�god "ing�.

B. spiration to achieve the great�good� of the gods� �wealth health and long life�.. The Yorubic regalia, in most cases, are stri"ingly similar to pharoanic ones.

-. Heneration of the $am in both places. mong the eastern Yorubas 8=tse"iri especially, most of

the water deities are depicted as ram following the predynastic and pharoanic patterns:.

/. #oth peoples answer the theophorous names.

C=N(=)T=' )=9=C$=T=+)



)ince 3erdinand de )aussure, the surest way to prove a cultural contact between peoples is to

adduce linguistic evidence 83erdinand de )aussure 8/6: eneral &=)T1$Y 13 frica:.

1ne of the largest inhabitants of +gypt were Yoruboid , and it will be expected that a good

percentage of their language will be yoruboid ,too. )ee the table below.

+YAT Y1$(#

. *u 8rise: *u 8rise:

6. usa 81siris, father of the gods: usa 8father:

;. +re 8pythonG )erpent: +re 8Aython G )erpent:

<. &orise 8a great god: 1rise 8a great god:

5. )en 8group of worshippers: )en 8 to worship:

B. ed 8to chant0 =gede 8a chant:

. Ta 8sell G offer: Ta 8sellGoffer:

-. )ueg 8a fool: )uegbe 8a fool:

/. 1n 8 living person: 1ne 8 living person:

0. 7um 8a club: 7umo8 a club:

. +nru 8fear G terrible: +ru 8fear G terrible

6. 7un G 2un 8brave man: +"un 8title of a brave man:

;. *in 8to be: *ino 8to be:

<. 1donit 8festival: 1don 8festival:

5. 9a or mi 8to breath: 9i. 8to breathe:

B. Tebu 8a town: Tebu 8a town:

. dumu 8a water god: dumu 8a water god:

-. 7hu 8to "ill: 7u 8die:/. $e"ha 8"nowledgeO Cari"ha 8"nowledge:

60 &i"a 8evil: ="a 8evil:

6 9hebi 8humble: 9ebi, humble to ones family

66 )ata 8perfect: )antan 8perfect:

6; (nas 8la"e of fire: (na 8fire:

6< Tan 8complete: Tan 8complete:

65 #eru 8force of emotion: #eru 8fear:

6B +m 8smell: +mi 8smell:

6 Aa 8open: Aa 8brea" open:

6- #i 8to become: #i 8to give birth, to become:

6/ &epi 8a water god: =pi 8a water god:

;0 )ami 8water god: )ami 8a water god:

; 1siri 8a water god: 1shiri 8a water god:

;6 &e2et� $e 8frog deity: +"ere 8the frog:

;; 3eh 8to go away: 3eh 8to blow away:

;< 7ot 8build: 7o 8build:



;5 7ot 8boat: 1"o 8boat:

;B 1mi 8water: 1mi 8water:

; $a 8time: =ra 8time:

;- 1ni 8title of 1siris: 1ni 8title of the "ing of =fe:

;/ #udo 8dwelling place: #udo 8dwelling place:

<0 !udu 8blac" image of 1siris: !udu 8blac" person:

< (n 8living person: (na 8living person:

<6 $a 8possess: $a 8possessGbuy:

<; #e"a 8prayGconfess: #e or "a 8to pray or confess:

<< Ao 8many: Ao 8manyGcheap:

<5 &oruw 8head: middle +gyptian 1ruwo 8head: 8=jebu:

<B 9in 8a god: +min 8spirit:

< sh 8invocation: she 8invocation:

<- ru 8mouth: run 8mouth : =laje

</ !o 8river: 1do 8river:50 !o 8settlement: (do 8settlement:

5 )he"iri 8water god: )he"iri 8a water god:

56 #u 8a place: #u ,a place

5; 7hepara 8beetle "pa"ara 8beetle:

5< No 8a water god +no 8a water god:

55 $a )hu 8light after dar"ness (ranshu 8the light of the moon

5B $un"a 8spirit name: 1ru"o 8name:

5 !ebGdib to pierce !ibi 8to pierce:

5- 9aat 8goddess of justice 9ate 8goddess of justice:

5/ ru 8rise: $u 8rise up:B0 3a 8carry: 3a 8pull:

B 7af 8pluc": 7a 8pluc":

B6 #u bi 8evil place: #ubi 8evil place:

B; =n n 8negation =nn 8negation:

B< =set 8a water god: =se 8a water god:

B5 )habu 8watcher: shonbo 8watcher:

BB )emati 8door "eeper: )ema 8loc"Gshut the door:

B 7henti amenti 8big words of 1siris Yenti� yenti 8big, very big:

B- 9a 8to "now: 9a 8to "now:

B/ #ebi, a son of osiris: (be, a god

0 Tchatcha chief 8they examined the death to see if they tric"ed tsatsa 8a game of tric"s,

gambling :

$en8 animal foot: $en 8to wal":

6 7a 8rest: 7a 8restGtired:

; 9u 8water: 9u 8drin" water:



< bi 8against: (bi 8against G impediment:

5 $eti 8to beseech: $etin 8to listen:

B &ir 8praise: Yiri 8praise:

Ta8spread out: Ta 8spread out:

- 7urud 8round: 7urudu 8round:

/ "� male "o 8male:

-0 )e� to create )e 8to create:

- &oo 8rejoice: Yo 8rejoice:

-6 7amwr 8blac": 7uru 8extremely blac"

-; 1mitjener 8deep water: 1mijen 8deep water:

-< Nen, the primeval water mother: Nene 8mother

-5 Ta 8land: =ta 8land junction:

-B &oriwo 8head: 1riwo 8head:

- $o 8tal": $o 8to thin":

-- 7urubu 8round: 7urubu 8deep and round:-/ Aen"a 8divide: 7pen 8divide:

/0 9asu 8to mould: 9a or su 8to mould:

/ 1sa 8time: 1sa 8time:

/6 1sa 8tide: 1sa 8 tide:

/; 3are 8wrap: 3ari 8wrap:

/< 7om 8complete: 7on 8complete:

/5 +djo 8cobra: +djo 8cobra:

/B !idi 8red fruit: !iden 8red:

/ #a 8soul: 1ba 8"ing: soul of a people

/- 7e 8hill: 1"e8 hill// nubis 8evil deity: 1nubi 8evil person:

00 7an 8oneI 9iddle +gyptian: 1"an one:

0 Nam 8water god: =nama 8water god:

The words above are used to show that most Yoruban words are identical to the ancient +gyptian.

#=N=)I T&+ 1!(!(*N C+'Y

)ince the month of 9ay 600<, there has been a raging intellectual battle on the personality of

1duduwa. The #inis claim he was a #ini prince, the =fes claim otherwise.

This approach will be purely scientific and will be as objective as possible. The following areasI

8: The personality of�1duduwa� P="aladeranDOK 86: archaeological researchesK 8;: the

linguistic lin"agesK 8<: scientific analysis of the mythsK and 85: #enin�s historical debt to

1duduwa will be analy%ed. 8a: The monarchiesK 8b: the water religion, 8c: bead manufacturing

8d: salt industryK and 8e: the Cagos con2uest, will be scientifically analysed.



. T&+ A+$)1NC=TY 13�1!(!(*�

The personality of ="aladeranK whether he was the man who later became 1duduwa will be

scientifically analy%ed

=n this discourse, 1duduwa is seen as the founder of the Yoruba monarchical system, or at least,a founder of a prominent dynasty in Yoruba history. There must have been many dynasties in =fe,

as =fe legends put pre1duduwa monarchs at more than ninety.

The personality of 1duduwa has suffered many attac"s in recent times. The #inis claim he was a

#enin prince 8+"aladerhan:, who later became =madoduwa or =%oduwa, and then 1duduwa. The

=gbos claim he was an =gbo man from Nri. )ome =galas claim he hailed from =gala land. The

=galas have many =fes, and they claim 1duduwa was from one of such =fes. The =gala language is

close enough to the Yoruba, to assert a common origin for both peoples.

The present writers are holding the following positionsI

. The Yorubas are aborigines or autochthonous to their present environmentK

6. The monarchical structure seems to be alien. The present writers tend to place the origin of the

Yoruba monarchy in ancient +gypt and Nubia. This is because a lot of +gyptian related relics,

words and practices can still be discerned among the Yorubas, particularly among the followingI

=fe 8where the =fa oracle and Yoruba monarchical system blossomed:K =jebu 8with some ancient

settlementsK =jebu 1de, the seat of the wujale, 1de, the seat of Cenuwa, in present day 1gun

*ater side Cocal overnment, 1"e+ri, purported to be the home of the biblical 2ueen of )heba,

called #ili"isu in =jebu legends:, (gbo, the ancient city of the =lajes, =danre 8the home of 1gun,

the god of iron:, all show some similarities and identities in their monarchical and religiousauthorities.#asil !avidson, 1lumide Cucas, Tari2h )awandi, and even the present wujale of

=jebu land, have pointed to ancient +gypt or Nubia as the origin of Yoruba monarchical system.

ll the above have used the similarities or the identities of cultural practices to substantiate their

claims.

=f the Yorubas left the +gyptian or the Nubian axis, they must have left during turbulent periods

of war, economic stagnation or religious persecution. Thus, we shall examine the periods of

upheavals in blac" +gypt and blac" NubiaK and examine when the Yoruban aristocracy

descended from the Nile valley. They may not be one migration, but several migrations and the

personality called 1duduwa, must have led one of the various migrations.

The first crop of migrants or southward push of the +gyptians too" place about 6000#' �

500#'. The &y"sos invasion 86000500#': caused some of these southward migrations. 9any

of the blac" +gyptians seemed to have moved to Yoruba land during this period. .



The second wave of migrations will correspond to what Caoye )anda, of the department of

Aublic dministration,The Aolytechnic,=badan refers to as the blac" Nubian emigrants. The

Nubians were blac", they occupied present day )udan, which was an integral part of the

+gyptian +mpire. The vocabulary, body scarification, and religious discourse resemble those of

the =jebus and more so, the =tse"iri. The /-< wujale�s coronation manual will ma"e this

manifest. These migrations occurred about 500#'.

third wave of migration too" place between /0#' and ;0#'. The present writers feel the

personality called 1duduwa, came in that migration trend.

fourth migration will correspond to the 'hristian con2uest of +gypt, about 00!.

The last wave of migration will correspond to the rab enforced emigration, between 00! �

00!, when the rabs had consolidated their control over +gyptK they chased the last batch of

traditional worshipping +gyptians from +gypt. This occurrence would have led to many Yoruba

claiming that their ancestors were chased from somewhere in the 9iddle +ast for not accepting

=slam.

The proof of archaeology

There has been a dearth of archaeological researches in Nigeria. *hatever research has been

done is not final, for new finds can be found in future.

The most ancient archaeological finds in Nigeria are the followingI 8: the relic at =wo +leru

8with a radio carbon date of about 6,000#':. =wo +leru is close to "ure, 1ndo )tate. 86: The

findings at =gbo("wu of about B000#'. 8;: The findings at the 9ejiro cave near 1yo 8about

<000#':. The No" culture that is more than 000#'. 8<: The 1"e+ri walls and graves

purported to be more than a thousand years. The walls are reputed to be the biggest in the world,

but for the walls of 'hina. 85: The bron%e heads at =fe about 000!. 8B: The bron%e heads at

#enin about <00!. This might authenticate the =fe claim that the #inis got the civili%ation of

bron%e casting from the =fes. #oth the #inis and the =fes claim that =gueghae was the one who

taught the #inis how to cast bron%e, during the reign of the 1ba 1guola, fourth "ing from

+we"a, the son of 1ramiyan, a distant descendant of 1duduwa from =fe.

T&+ C=N(=)T=' C=N7+)

ccording to the studies of philology and etymology, most of the languages in Nigeria in the

7wa group of languages have a meeting point. The Yorubas and =doma separated some six

thousand years agoK while the Yoruba and =galas separated about 6 thousand years agoK two

thousand years ago corresponds to the time that the Yoruba dialectsI +"iti, =jebu, 1yo, =tse"iri,

=laje, ="ale etc started having distinct dialectical identities.



Cinguistic studies have indicated that Yorubas in the +astern 3lan"s of the Yoruba nationK +"iti,

Yagba, 7abba, 1wo, =jebu, =tse"iri and to some extent the =fes, spea" the most ancient Yoruba

dialects. lottochronological studies have shown that the dialects in the south east are more

ancient than those of central Yoruba land and western Yoruba land. The table displays it further

still.

table showing east to west ancientness of the Yoruboid languages.

+NC=)& =T)+7=$= Y1$(# 1Y1� Y1$(#

$+)A+'T 1&1 1*1

91N+Y 1&1 1*1

C117 &1 *1

)Y =N *=

31$#=! &18 r : *18 r :

T&+9 &N *1N

The table shows that the =tse"iri dialect retains the more ancient �gh� or�g� guttural sound

to the more li2uid�w� of the 1yos.

=f it is ta"en that the Yoruban ruling class came from +gypt, the southern Yoruba bloc",

particularly the =tse"iri, would have served as an initial stopping point and a secondary course of

dispersal. The table displays it further still

+YAT=N =T)+7=$=Y1$(# 1Y1Y1$(#

!(9( 8*ater god: !(9( 8*ater god: !9( 8 god:

7u"u 8!ar"ness: 1"u"u 8!ar"ness: 1u"u 8!ar"ness:

!udu 8#lac" =mage of 1siris: !udu 8blac" : !udu 8 blac" :

1mi 8*ater: 1mi 8*ater: 1mi 8*ater:

&e"et$e 83rog god: +"ere 83rog: "ere 83rog:

&orise 8)"y god: 1rise 8)"y god: 1risa 8 god:

&i"a 8+vil: ="a 8+vil: ="a 8+vil:

)hu 8+vil god: +shu 8+vil god: +shu 8+vil god:

'oopted from 500 wordword correlation between, Yoruba and +gyptian languages .

3rom the above, it means that the eastern Yoruba blocs such as the =tse"iri, =laje, =jebu and the1wo are more cognate with the +gyptian than those of 1yo or =fe. .

The wujale has testified that the =tse"iri are spea"ing the original =jebu dialect. . This is why

#olaji =dowu derived the origin of 1ritse to the =tse"iri1wo axis within the eastern Yoruba

"ingdoms...



=t is proper here to state that the word�1rise� is almost cognate with the +gyptian, &orise.

#oth deities represent very high gods.. #oth deities were first water divinities before they

became s"y or heavenly divinities. #oth words are derived from identical etymological origins.

&ori81ri: means head in both places.�)e�, means a source in both places. Thus both words

mean a source of creation in both places. This type of linguistic similarity or identity cannot have

arisen by mere accident there was a concrete historical intercourse. The #inis call od 1yisa, a

corruption of the eastern Yoruba form. This is certain because the #inis cannot derive the

meaning of 1yisa by brea"ing the word into morphemes as the Yoruba can display, or draw up

any identity with ancient +gypt.

)'=+NT=3=' NCY)=) 13 T&+ 9YT&)

. 1duduwa� The myth of 1duduwa seems to be valid. 9inus the fact that many Yoruba claim

descent from 1duduwa, some (rhobos and even =jaws also claim descent from 1duduwa.

6. +"aladerhan� This name exists in very little, if at all it exists, in the oral tradition of any of

the #ini neighbors. There has been no relevant oral tradition among any of the circumjacent

peoples that can recogni%e +"aladerhan or identify him as 1duduwa. )o, the =fe claim

concerning 1duduwa seems to be more tenable.

;. 1duduwa�s descent from heaven� The =fe�s have been totally embarrassed by the

invectives thrown on them by the #inis in their = claim that 1duduwa fell from the s"y.

YesJ =t is true. Aeople can fall from the s"y as modern interaction between earthmen and those

from other planets have authenticated, and this can be displayed both in mythology and in real

hardcore science in many parts of the world. The story of +%e"iel in the bible, the story of the

!ogon mystic tribe of 9ali are cases in point.

Then, some Yoruba ancestors would have been some of the (males 8aborigines: using their

(male1lunas 8spaceships: to travel across the universe, as this can still be sighted in Yoruba

land today.

<. The huge bodies of water which the #ini and Yoruba mythologies claim their ancestors landed,

would have been one of two waters 8: the tlantic ocean, the home of (male1"un at the

coastal flan"s of Yoruba land , or the 9editerranean which was the biggest body of water "nown

to the ancient Negro +gyptians.

#=N= N! +)T+$N Y1$(# &=)T1$='C C=N7+) The 9onarchies

There are areas where the eastern Yorubas and the #inis have a lot of historical lin"ages. =t is an

indisputable fact that the founder of the present =tse"iri dynasty was inuwa, the first son of 1ba

1lua of #enin. The #inis ruled over most parts of 1ndo stateI "ure and 1de1ndo, to be more

specific. They even established dynasties in some of these places, including 1wo. There are a lot



of titles that the +astern Yorubas derived from the #inis. Those titles includeI 1logbotsere,

=yatsere, 1tsodin, 1lisan 81liha: etc. There are also many areas where the #inis are indebted to

the +astern Yorubas. 9any of these have not been given prominence by historians. #ut the more

we delve into &istory, the more we are convinced of #inis indebtedness to the Yorubas,

particularly the =tse"iriyorubas. )ome of this indebtedness are the #ini religious discourse, the

con2uest of Cagos, the manufacture of salt etc.

T&+ '1N@(+)T 13 C1)

1n face value, the Cagos con2uest seemed to have been done by the #inis. 9any authorities

however, agree that it is the =tse"iri of *arri that served in the Navy that attac"ed Cagos. The

assertion is li"ely to be true because of the following 8: The #inis are not watermen and could

not easily travel on the lagoons to Cagos. 86: The name �1lu� is common among Cagos 1bas

eg. The 1lu of ="eja, the 1lu +"o of +"o 8+le"o: etc. The name�1lu� is =tse"iri or 1yo

yoruba and not +do or #ini 8;: The +yo mas2uerade attire and dance style is similar to that of

wan"ere of *arri. =t is true that the +yo mas2uerade originated in =jebu, but the attire is purelyof *arri origin. This will authenticate a nottoopopular 1"ere8*arri: legend, that it was the

descendants of +"pen that accompanied 1rhogbua 81sogbua: to con2uer Cagos. .

. lso, the drums used by the wori people bear stri"ing resemblance to the =tse"iri drums, but

bear no resemblance to the #ini drums. =n summary, the material culture of the woris is far

more a"in to the =tse"iri than to the #inis.

Now hear the authoritiesI 'aptain Ceonard saysK�1f the 4e"ri 8=tse"iri: also there is much more

definite, although to a certain extent contradictory evidence. ccording to one account, they are

said to be closely connected with the Yoruba, the *arri "ingdom having extended to andembraced Cagos as well as some of the surrounding territories to this day 8/0B:, in fact, 4e"ri

inhabit the strip of country, along the coast from the #enin river westward to Cagos� This might

be due to the fact that =tse"iri held most of the trading posts along the coast when Ceonard was

writing.

'aptain Ceonard in another section of his wor" saysI�nd from all accounts, it is more than

possible, if not evident that the army of warriors who founded Cagos proceeded in reality from

*arri, but doubtless by the command of the "ing of #enin�.

.

'orroborating Ceonard and Nirven that the =tse"iri aristocracy has at least some politico

economic interests in Cagos, &. Cing $oth says�)uch corals as the #inis had, were obtained

through 4e"ri traders either from the #enin $iver or Cagos�.

1$==N 13 #=N= #+!)



The =tse"iri have always claimed that beads started with them and that the #inis got their beads

from them. )ettlements such as 1madino, =norin, (reju and 7orobe area of the *arri "ingdom

are the ancient =tse"iri settlements with the bead industry.

The people of (reju and 7orobe in 7o"o claimed to have given 1gboruware 8+wuare:, probably

a usurper to the #ini throne, beads for the first time. There is a legend among the 7orobes, that

1gboruware 8+wuare:, had his swelling disease as a result of an affliction placed on him by

7orobe, a legendary spiritual woman. Now hear the authoritiesI

& Cing $oth says

ccording to #old, coral beads,�are the intrinsic treasures of the rich, being held in highest

estimation and from their rarity, are only in the hands of a few chiefs, whose avidity for them is

immeasurable, the species admired are the pipe beads of various dimensions and are valued at

ten large jars of oil an ounce, of the smaller sort, and so on in the proportion for the larger

si%ed�. 9r. Aunch informs me that�as a matter of fact, the "ing of #enin had few, if any of the

large coral beads such as Nanna, !ore, !udu and 4e"ri chiefs obtained from the merchants in the

#enin $iver. &is coral was insignificant pipe agate and was only significant when made up into

vests and hats. The #enin value more the agate beads and especially the dull agate was a "ing�s

gift and no one could wear such a nec"let unless it was given to him by the "ing. =t was death in

fact, to wear it otherwise. The shiny crystalline agate, with white 2uart%, anyone could wear.

)uch corals as the #inis had were obtained through 4eiri traders, either from the #enin river or

Cagos. The #inis said it was dug up at the bac" of #enin but everything in the days = am

spea"ing <� 5 years ago 8from -/-: which was at all mysterious came from the bac" of

#enin .

+ve de Negri says,

�This coral was first discovered 8so it is told: during the fifteenth century in the reign of 1ba

+wuare. This type of coral was obtained from a tree, growing on the sandy ban" of the #enin

$iver �.

A' llyod also commented that =tse"iri legends claim that their ancestors, the (males, got the blue

corals from particular trees that were growing in the 4e"ri country.

from the above 2uotations, it is evident that the #enin got their beads from the =tse"iri, and the

=tse"iri legends that they gave beads to 1ba 1gboruware 8+ware:, has to be positively examined

by scientific historians.



#=N=) C+$NT #1(T )CT 3$19 T&+ =T)+7=$=

The #inis are landbound people and they "now very little about salt. =tse"iri legends testify that

they gave salt to #inis for the first time

The =tse"iri are "nown as the manufacturers of salt.. lagoa, & Cing $oth, and 1baro ="ime,

agree to this position. &. Cing reports,

�ccording to $oupel�s officials, "ing 1sogbua 81rhogbua: is credited with discovering salt

in the 4e"iri country�. Ag. <6.& Cing $oth reat #enin

=t is now factual that 1rhogba discovered salt when he came to the 4e"iri 8=tse"iri: country to

see" the assistance of the =tse"iri navy in order to attac" Cagos. =n -- they also sought the

assistance of 7aye, an =tse"iri mysticwarrior in order to attac" "ure. &e was given 1logbo

some 65 "ilometres south of #enin city.

The itse"iri were the major salt producers in the Niger delta area. 1n this hear lagoaI�the

itse"iri supplied clay pots to to such =jo communities as the baramatu and #assan, and and also

sold salt to traders from eastern delta who too" it up the Niger ��1ther =jo exchanged dried

fish and salt ,which was manufactured by the =tse"iri ,with the (rhobo ,=so"o and =gbo groups

along the periphery of the Niger !elta and along the Cower Niger � 8lagoa /-/I6/:

*T+$ $+C==1N 13 T&+ #=N=)

The cult of 1lo"un 8the water religion: of the #inis seems to be purely alien. This is due to the

following reasonsI 8: the #inis are a land based people. Their main occupations areK farming,

hunting and sculpture. )o it will be unthin"able for the #inis to have a water religion as a major

cult. 86: =f a water religion exists among the #inis, and it has become prominent, the #inis might

have copied from one of their riverine neighbors 8;: these neighbours are the =jaws, the =tse"iris,

the =lajes, and more distant neighbours being, the sabas, the 1nitshas, the fenmai or =gala

people around the river Niger.

The fenmais and the =galas seem too distant from #enin to have a good influence on them. The

sabas and the 1nitshas, also, seem to be too far away form #enin. 9inus that, they don�t

seem to have any serious water cult to influence the #inis to have a viable water religion.

Thus, the #ini 8a land loc"ed people: must have had their water religion from the =jaws, the

=tse"iris or the =lajes. The #ini religious discourse has nothing to do with the =jaws. #esides that,

the =jaws that are the immediate neighbours of the #inis did not have any significant civili%ation.

These =jaw neighbours are the +gbemas, the rogbos, the pois�now Yorubaspea"ing�the

1gbe=johs, the =sabas, the baramatus, the 1gulaghas, the 1burutus, and the 9eins. No

significant civili%ation or "ingdom has emerged from these =jaw clans. +.4 lagoa asserted that



most of these =jaws did not arrive their area by 500, which is 2uite recent according to historical

chronology. The cases settled in the )upreme 'ourt between the =jaws and the =tse"iriK place the

date of =jaws coming to these areas at the early /th century. Now, hear Arof.lagoa , an =jaw

doyen of historyI

�Aereira�s record suggests that those =jo groups now living west of the 3orcados and east of

the #onny had not yet arrived at their present territory by 500�. Thus, it is unthin"able for the

#inis to have copied the water religion from the =jaws.

The =tse"iri and the =lajes receive the li"elihoodof having given water religion to the #inis for the

following reasonsI:The #inis situate the home of 1lo"un, the god of the sea, in the tlantic

1cean. #oth the =tse"iris and the =lajes are in the tlantic coast. 86: The #ini religious discourse

shows a strong Yoruba affinity. The name, 1lo"un, 81lu 1"un: is an eastern Yoruba name that

can apply to the =tse"iri as well as =lajes, as eastern Yoruba dialects. The #inis call od 1sa,

which is the same word that the =tse"iri call father. The other #ini word for od, 1yise, is clearly

corruption of the much older =tse"iri name, 1ritse. . =n the early days of November 600< , the

#ini 9onarch invo"ed an =laje deity, iyelala, to recover some property that was stolen from the

1ba 9ar"et in #enin . This will authenticate the =laje story of the #inis coming to (gbo once

every year to serve (maleo"un, the water god of the (gbo Yoruba

&. Cing $oth went further, 2uoting #urton saysI

�)imilar to other west fricans, the #ini *hen drin"ing,the #inis always pour a few drops

upon the ground, muttering the while 89obia, 9ala"u 9obia 89obie, (malo"un, 9obie:�

=beg, 1 9ala"u 8(male1"un, fetish guardian of lands and waters beg of thee to defend me

against all evil, to defeat and destroy all my foes�. This said, a bro"en bittoc" of 7ola 8sterculaacuminata: is thrown upon the ground, and is watered with a few drops of palm wine.� #urton

Ag. 6-. 9obia 89obie: is however the 4e"iri for� beg you I 5/.

=t is evident that the #ini religious discourse was, and to some extent is, still infiltrated with

=tse"iri and =laje. This is most evident in the water religion of the #inis.

3rom the above, we see that some of the most important aspects of the #ini civili%ationI their

bead industry, the cult of 1lo"un 81lu 1"un� 7ing of the sea:, their salt industry etc are from

the eastern Yoruba land of =tse"iri and to some extent the =lajes. part from this, the =tse"iri

warrior, ="aye, saved the #ini "ingdom from being crushed by the "ures. 3or his settlement1ba )emede gave him 1logbo.

gain when there was leadership dispute between 1base"i and igwobasinwin, it was an =tse"iri

chief, !ore Numa, who restored the #enin monarchy. &e also gave them a lot of beads which the

#ini aristocracy has not returned till today. =t is therefore unthin"able that =fe, where the Yoruba

"ingship blossomed, would have copied from #enin. This is most evident when we consider the

following factsI 8=: The name, 1ba 8the +do word for "ing:, is copied from the Yorubas,



particularly those from =fe 86: the heads of the 1bas of #enin were ta"en to =fe, until very

recently. The place where the heads of the 1bas of #enin were buried is still called�1run 1ba

do�,�the heaven of the "ings of #enin�. 8;: The #inis normally ta"e permission from the

1oni, to crown new "ings. There is no recorded history that the 1onis too" permission from the

#inis before getting crowned 8<: The official language in the court of the 1ba of #enin until

/;< was Yoruba. There was no time that #ini language was spo"en in =fe. The Aortuguese and

other +uropeans who were in the #ini area for more than 500 years 8from <-B when they got to

#enin till /B0.:had no "nowledge of 1duduwa being a #ini man.

)o, scientifically spea"ing, the =fe position seems more tenable than that of the #enin. 1ral

traditions can be fabricated. )o, rigorous history of the 6st century must be purely scientific�

even if we recourse to oral tradition, they must face scientific testing and not based on moribund

oral tradition. spects such as linguistic analysis, archaeological discoveries, cultural practices

etc, must come into the forefront when reconstructing the history of preliterate peoples li"e the

#inis and the =fes.T&+ +!1) $+ !+)'+N!+! 3$19 T&+ =$=#1 13 1!+Q=T)+7=$=

=n one of their accounts, the +dos claim discent from od himself, who they say is the grand

father of =so 8)"y: who in turn is the grand father of =du, ancestor of the #inis. 1ne of the

brothers of =du called. 1lu"umi 8the Yorubas were first called 1lu"umi, today a tribe called

olu"umi, spea"ing a language very similar to =tse"iriYoruba, and the legends claim they all

descended from +gypt, are to be found in parts of +do and !elta )tates: lived with him in (he

8=fe: before they left to found #enin. 9ichael 'rowderI�The story of Nigeria�, Aage B;.

The word 1lu"umi in =tse"iri, means a friend of mine. The word 1lu"umi, rather than 1re is still

used in =fe is evident that =du and his brothers left to =le=fe, after the southward migration of theYorubas to 1de=tse"iri and thence to =leife. This is why the story of a watery terrain remains in

the tradition of the #inis and the =fes who are located very far from the tlantic coast. The vast

expanse of water, where the ancestors of the #inis and the find themselves is no other place than

the =tse"iri territory of the tlantic coast.

t a time, the powerful #ini "ingdom was paying tax to the 1lu of *arri when the yo"e of

imperialism crumbled the once great "ingdom of the uinea. 'oncerning this issue 9ichael

'rowder saysI

�*ith the decline of (ghotonthe #enin had to use theports of the #enin river and thus, pay dues to the 1lu of *arri in whose

territory the ports was located�.

=n conclusion the =tse"iris introduced the following to #eninI salt, beads, and the worship of

(male 1"un. The =tse"iri under !ore also helped the #inis to revive their monarchy.



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