Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Benin and Togo, and covers a total land area of . Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Nigeria, 18.9% in Benin, and the remaining 6.5% is in Togo. Prior to European colonization, a portion of this area was known as Yoruba country. The geo-cultural space contains an estimated 55 million people, the majority of this population being ethnic Yoruba people.
Geography
Geophysically, Yorubaland spreads north from the Gulf of Guinea and west from the
Niger River into
Benin and
Togo. In the northern section, Yorubaland begins in the suburbs just west of
Lokoja and continues unbroken up to the Ogooué River tributary of the
Mono River in
Togo, a distance of around 610 km. In the south, it begins in an area just west of the Benin and Osse (Ovia) river occupied by the
Ilaje and continues uninterrupted up to
Porto Novo, a total distance of about 280 km as the crow flies. West of Porto Novo
Gbe languages begin to predominate. The northern section is thus more expansive than the southern coastal section.
The land is characterized by Mangrove, Estuary and coastal plains in the south, which rise steadily northwards into rolling hills and a jagged highland region in the interior, commonly known as the Yorubaland plateau or Western upland. The highlands are pronounced in the Ekiti State area of the region, especially around the Effon ridge and the Okemesi fold belt, which have heights in excess of 732 m (2,400 ft) and are characterized by numerous waterfalls and springs such as Olumirin waterfall, Arinta waterfall, and Effon waterfall.
File:Ikogosi warm spring way.jpg|Hill forest near Ikogosi
File:Watersided Hill of Ikole Town, Ekiti State.jpg|A hill lake near Ikole, Ekiti State
File:Idanre Ancient hill Ondo State (19).jpg|The granite outcrops at Idanre, the tallest geographical feature in the western half of Nigeria
File:Sun sets at Ogun River.jpg|View of The Ogun River
File:Badagry Slave Route, Journey to Unknown Destination 231547864.jpg|Coastline near Badagry
File:Mountains in Nigeria 04.jpg|Interior of central Yorubaland in the wet season
File:Hill at Erin Ijesha.jpg|A section of the Efon ridge, part of the Okemesi fold belt
File:Asejire Reservoir.jpg|Asejire reservoir on the Osun river
File:Erin ijesha waterfall main view.jpg|Olumirin Waterfall at Erin-Ijesha
Rivers
With coastal plains, southern lowlands, and interior highlands, Yorubaland has several large rivers and streams that crisscross the terrain.
These rivers flow in two general directions within the Yoruba country; southwards into the lagoons, estuaries and creeks which empty into the
Atlantic Ocean, and northwards into the
Niger river. Some southward flowing rivers include; The
Osun River and
Shasha River rivers which empty into the
Lekki Lagoon, the
Ogun River and its major tributaries; the Oyan and Ofiki which empties into the
Lagos Lagoon, the upper
Mono River,
Oba River,
Erinle River,
Yewa River which discharges into the Badagry creek,
Okpara River which forms part of the Nigeria-Benin border before fully re-entering Benin to join the Ouémé River (Ofe in Yoruba) which drains into Lake Nokoué and the Porto-Novo creek. On the eastern flank, the Owena (Siluko), Ofosu and Osse rivers empty into the Benin river creek. Those which flow in a northerly direction into the
Niger River include the Moshi river, Oyun,
Oshin, Awun, Asa, Ero, Lawiri, and
Oyi.
[ Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones in Awun Basin and Its Environs Using Remote_Sensing_and_GIS_ Techniques Ayanniyi, Jimoh, Bilewu and Kolade, University of Ilorin, 2017]
Subnational divisions
The Nigerian part of Yorubaland comprises today's
Oyo State,
Osun State,
Ogun State,
Kwara State,
Ondo State,
Ekiti State,
Lagos State and western part of
Kogi State.
[Defence Language Institute, Curriculum Development Division: Yoruba Culture Orientation, 2008] The
portion consists of Ouémé Department, Plateau Department, Collines Department,
Tchaourou commune of Borgou Department,
Bassila commune of
Donga Department,
Ouinhi and
Zogbodomey commune of
Zou Department, and Kandi commune of Alibori Department. The
portions are the Ogou, Anié and
Est-Mono prefectures in Plateaux Region, and the
Tchamba prefecture in Centrale Region.
Vegetation and climate
The climate of Yorubaland varies from north to south. The southern, central and eastern portions of the territory is tropical high forest, known as the Yoruba lowland forests ecoregion.
The characteristic vegetation is verdant closed-canopy forests composed of many varieties of hardwood trees including
Milicia excelsa which is more commonly known locally as
iroko,
Antiaris africana,
Terminalia superba which is known locally as
afara,
Entandrophragma or
sapele,
Lophira alata,
Triplochiton scleroxylon (or
obeche),
Khaya grandifoliola (or African mahogany),
Symphonia globulifera, and numerous other species. Some non-native species such as
Tectona grandis (teak) and
Gmelina arborea (pulp wood) have been introduced into the ecosystem and are being extensively grown in several large forest plantations.
The coastal section of this area features an area covered by swamp flats and dominated by plants such as mangroves and other stilt plants as well as palms, ferns and coconut trees on the beaches. This portion includes most of Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, Lagos states and is characterised by generally high levels of precipitation defined by a double maxima (peak period); March–July and September–November. Annual rainfall in Ijebu Ode in the middle of Ogun state, for example, averages .
The northern and western portions of the region is characterized by tropical woodland savanna climate (Aw), with a single rainfall maxima. This area covers the northern two-thirds of Oyo, northwestern Ogun, Kwara, Kogi, Collines (Benin), northern half of Plateau department (Benin) and central Togo. It is part of the Guinean forest–savanna mosaic ecoregion, a transitional zone between West Africa's coastal forests and interior .
The monsoon (rainy period) in both climatic zones is followed by a drier season characterized by northwest trade winds that bring the harmattan (cold dust-laden windstorms) that blow from the Sahara. They normally affect all areas except a small portion of the southern coast. Nonetheless, it has been reported that the harmattan has reached as far as Lagos in some years.
Major cities/towns
Administrative divisions
|
|
| Yorubaland |
|
|
| Ekiti State | 6,353 | Ado Ekiti | Ado Ekiti | Ikere-Ekiti |
| Kogi State | 9,351 | Lokoja | Kabba | Yagba East, Egbe |
| Kwara State | 17,000 | Ilorin | Ilorin | Offa |
| Lagos State | 3,345 | Ikeja | Alimosho | Ikorodu |
| Ogun State | 16,762 | Abeokuta | Otta-Ijoko-Ifo | Abeokuta |
| Ondo State | 15,500 | Akure | Akure | Ondo City, okitipupa |
| Osun State | 9,251 | Osogbo | Osogbo | Ife, Ilesa |
| Oyo State | 28,454 | Ibadan | Ibadan | Oyo, Ogbomoso |
|
|
|
| Borgu (Tchaourou) | 5,000 | ____ | Tchaourou | Tchaourou |
| Collines | 12,440 | Igbo Idaasha | Shabe | Idaasha |
| Donga Department (Bassila) | 5,661 | ____ | Bassila | Manigri |
| Plateau | 3,264 | Sakete | Pobe | Ketou, Sakete |
| Oueme Department | 500 | Porto Novo | Porto Novo | Adjarra |
|
|
|
| Central (Chamba) | 2,900 | ____ | Kambole | Aledjo Kadara, Goubi |
| Plateaux | 6,482 | Atakpame | Atakpame | Anié, Morita |
|
|
Prehistory and oral tradition
Settlement
Oduduwa is regarded as the legendary
progenitor of the Yoruba, and almost every Yoruba settlement traces its origin to princes of
Ile-Ife in Osun State, Nigeria. As such, Ife can be regarded as the cultural and spiritual homeland of the Yoruba nation, both within and outside Nigeria. According to an Oyo account,
Oduduwa was a Yoruba emissary; said to have come from the east, sometimes understood by some sources as the "vicinity" true east on the cardinal points, but more likely signifying the region of the
Ekiti State and Okun sub-communities in Yorubaland, Nigeria.
On the other hand, linguistic evidence seems to corroborate the fact that the eastern half of Yorubaland was settled at an earlier time in history than the western regions, as the Northwest and Southwest Yoruba dialects show more linguistic innovations than their central and eastern counterparts.
Pre-Civil War
Between 1100 and 1400, the Yoruba Kingdom of Ife experienced a golden age, part of which was a sort of artistic and ideological renaissance. It was then surpassed by the
Oyo Empire as the dominant Yoruba military and political power between 1700 and 1900.
Yoruba people generally feel a deep sense of culture and tradition that unifies and helps identify them. There are sixteen established kingdoms, states that are said to have been descendants of
Oduduwa himself. The other sub-kingdoms and chiefdoms that exist are second order branches of the original sixteen kingdoms.
There are various groups and subgroups in Yorubaland based on the many distinct dialects of the Yoruba language, which although mostly mutually intelligible, have peculiar differences. The governments of these diverse people are quite intricate and each group and subgroup varies in their pattern of governance. In general, government begins at home with the immediate family. The next level is the extended family with its own head, an Olori-Ebi. A collection of distantly related extended families makes up a town. The individual chiefs that serve the towns as corporate entities, called Olóyès, are subject to the Baálẹ̀s that rule over them. A collection of distantly related towns makes up a clan. A separate group of Oloyes are subject to the Oba that rules over an individual clan, and this Oba may himself be subject to another Oba, depending on the grade of the Obaship.
History
Government
Ife was surpassed by the Oyo Empire as the dominant Yoruba military and political power between the year 1600 and 1800. The nearby kingdom of Benin was also a powerful force between 1300 and 1850. Most of the city states were controlled by Obas, priestly monarchs, and councils made up of Oloyes, recognised leaders of royal, noble and, often, even common descent, who joined them in ruling over the kingdoms through a series of guilds and sects. Different states saw differing ratios of power between the kingship and the chiefs' council. Some, such as Oyo, had powerful, autocratic monarchs with almost total control, while in others the senatorial councils were supreme and the Ọba served as something of a figurehead. In all cases, however, Yoruba monarchs were subject to the continuing approval of their constituents as a matter of policy, and could be easily compelled to abdicate for demonstrating dictatorial tendencies or incompetence. The order to vacate the throne was usually communicated through an
aroko or symbolic message, which usually took the form of parrot eggs delivered in a covered calabash bowl by the Basorun the head of Oyomesi (the lawmakers) after Judgements from the Ogbonis which were in the judiciary wing. In most cases, the message would compel the Oba to take his own life, which he was bound by oath to do.
Civil War
Following a
jihad (known as the
Fulani War) led by Uthman Dan Fodio (1754–1817) and a rapid consolidation of the
Hausa Kingdoms of contemporary northern Nigeria, the
Fula people Sokoto Caliphate annexed the buffer
Nupe Kingdom and began to press southwards towards the
Oyo Empire. Shortly after, they overran the Yoruba city of
Ilorin and then sacked
Oyo Empire, the capital city of the Oyo Empire. Further attempts by the
Sokoto Caliphate to expand southwards were checked by the
Yoruba people who had rallied to resist under the military leadership of the city-state of
Ibadan, which rose from the old Oyo Empire, and of the
Ijebu Kingdom kingdom.
However, the Oyo hegemony had been dealt a mortal blow. The other Yoruba city-states broke free of Oyo dominance, and subsequently became embroiled in a series of internecine wars, a period when millions of Yoruba people were forcibly transported to the Americas and the Caribbean, eventually ending up in such countries as the Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Haiti and Venezuela, the United States, among others.
British colonization of Yorubaland
During the 19th century, the
British Empire gradually colonized Yorubaland. In 1892, the British declared war on the
Ijebu Kingdom in response to its barriers on trade. The British emerged victorious in the conflict and occupied the Ijebu capital.
After British colonization, the capital served as an administrative center for colonial officials as the kingdom was annexed to the colony of Southern Nigeria. The colony was gradually expanded by protectorate treaties. These treaties proved decisive in the eventual annexation of the rest of Yorubaland and, eventually, of southern
Nigeria and the
.
In 1960, greater Yorubaland was subsumed into the Federal Republic of Nigeria.[Gat, Azar. "War in human civilization", Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 275]
According to Yoruba historians, by the time the British came to colonize and subjugate Yorubaland first to itself and later to the Fulani of Northern Nigeria, the Yoruba were getting ready to recover from what is popularly known as the Yoruba Civil War. One of the lessons of the internecine Yoruba wars was the opening of Yorubaland to Fulani hegemony whose major interest was the imposition of Sultanism despotism on Old Oyo Ile and present-day Ilorin. The most visible consequence of this was the adding of almost one-fifth of Yorubaland from Offa [Defence Language Institute, Curriculum Development Division: Yoruba Culture Orientation, 2008 ] to Old Oyo to Kabba to the then-Northern Nigeria of Lord Frederick Lugard and the subsequent subjugation of this portion of Yorubaland under the control of Fulani feudalism.[ Ishokan Yoruba Magazine , Volume III No. I, Page 7, 1996/1997]
Notes
External links
