The Ìjẹ̀ṣà: Ilésà and the Ọ̀wá Obòkun
The hill kingdom Ọ̀yọ́ never took, the seawater story behind its ruler's title, its subjection to Ìbàdàn, and Ògèdèngbé, who commanded the alliance that ended Ìbàdàn's expansion.
Di Ìjẹ̀ṣà dey stay for di hill and forest land wey dey east of Ilé-Ifẹ̀, and their capital dey for Ilésà under di Ọ̀wá Obòkun. Two things define their history. Di land shape make dem no enter inside Ọ̀yọ́ empire, sake of say cavalry no fit work well for forest hills, so dem never join di Ìjẹ̀ṣà enter di system wey shape most part of western Yorubaland. And how Ìbàdàn take control dem for nineteenth century bring di reaction wey stop di expansion of Ìbàdàn, through Ògèdèngbé and di Èkìtìparapọ̀ alliance.
Ìjẹ̀ṣà still get another important meaning for di Atlantic record: plenty Ìjẹ̀ṣà captives dey among di people dem carry go during di wars of 1860s to 1880s, and di presence of Ìjẹ̀ṣà for Brazil and Cuba big well well because of dat.
Di name and di title
Di full official title of di ruler na Ọ̀wá Obòkun Adìmúlà of Ìjẹ̀ṣàland, wey dem dey address as His Imperial Majesty .
Obòkun na di interesting part and na im carry di story of how di dynasty take start. Odùduwà blind, and Ifá divination talk say make dem wash im eye with sea water. Im youngest son or grandson, wey di sources name as Ajíbógun, travel go di sea go fetch di water, and na from dat action di title Ọ̀wá Obòkun come from, as obòkun mean person wey fetch, or di fetcher of, sea water . Na so dem take dey call di Ìjẹ̀ṣà Ọmọ Obòkun, children of di person wey fetch sea water, and di phrase normal well well for Ìjẹ̀ṣà praise usage .
Di praise formula wey dey circulate for Ìjẹ̀ṣà usage na Ìjẹ̀ṣà ni ere, ọmọ Ọ̀wá, ọmọ Obòkun, wey dem dey quote well well when Ìjẹ̀ṣà people dey describe theirself. Dem reproduce am here as e dey circulate, and full three-layer treatment go need transcribed and attributed performed text wey dem no find; make readers no take di phrase as scholarly transcription.
Adìmúlà na compound word of di type wey common for senior Yoruba titles, wey mean person wey hold tight survive or person wey people hold unto to survive, and e dey show for several Yoruba royal titles.
How dem take start, and di dates wey no agree
Di dates for inside di sources wey dey available dey clash, and dem suppose report dem say dem clash instead of to calculate average.
Samuel Johnson account, wey reference literature dey follow, talk say na around 1300 Ajíbógun Ajaka, youngest son of Odùduwà, take start di state . Another account give di founder full title as Ajíbógun Ajaka Ọ̀wá Obòkun Onídà Ràhàràhà and put di founding around 1300 .
Dem separately date Ilésà itself to about 1250 with founder wey dem call Ọ̀wá Owalúsè, wey dem describe as grandson of Ajíbógun, wey start Iwara and den Ilésà as di permanent seat of di dynasty . Di same source give Owalúsè reign as 1522 to 1526 , wey no fit agree at all with 1250 founding by di same man. Make dem report di difference; no choose one.
Wetin di accounts agree on na di structure: dynasty wey come from Odùduwà, founding action wey concern sea, and capital wey dem establish for Ilésà with smaller towns around am. Di state of Ilésà consist of Ilésà itself and plenty smaller surrounding cities .
Di physical structure follow di classical Yoruba plan. Ilésà measure about three kilometres across inside walls wey dem build with mud plus ditch, get thirty to forty thousand people when e reach peak, and control territory wey stretch twenty to thirty kilometres go outside, including pass one hundred and sixty subordinate settlements. Di palace dey for centre with town roads wey spread go outside, wards gather along di main roads, and di farms of family groups stretch past di wards .
One missionary visitor, Reverend William Clark, record for 1854 say Ilésà pass any native town wey e don see for black Africa by far, as e praise how di streets clean and arrange well . Quote am as wetin e be, mid-century missionary assessment, but note say Clark don see plenty part of di region and say dat judgment match wetin archaeology show about planned town.
Di nineteenth century and Ìbàdàn
Ìbàdàn destroy Ilésà for 1870 and di Ìjẹ̀ṣà come under di tributary system of Ìbàdàn, with resident ajẹ̀lẹ̀ wey dem post to collect tribute and force people to obey.
Di ajẹ̀lẹ̀ na di main cause of wetin happen next. People no like dem for Ìjẹ̀ṣà and Èkìtì at all, and di reaction produce di alliance wey stop di expansion of Ìbàdàn.
Ògèdèngbé
Ògèdèngbé Àgbógungbòrò, wey dem born as Orisarayibi Ogundamola for 1822, and die on 29 July 1910, na di Sèrìkí, commander-in-chief, of di Èkìtìparapọ̀ forces for di Kiriji war of 1877 to 1893 .
Im military education come from im enemies. Dem capture am for 1864 when e dey defend Ìlàrà-Mọ́kin against Ìbàdàn, and e escape after e receive training from di Ìbàdàn warrior Bada Aki-Iko; dem capture am again for di Ìgbàjọ war of 1867 and e escape again, and di sources credit these events say na dem teach am Ìbàdàn methods . E gain popularity and power inside Ìjẹ̀ṣà by driving out Chief Odole Ariyasunle, wey dem accuse say e dey leak military information give Ìbàdàn .
For 1878 di Èkìtì and Ìjẹ̀ṣà lands join body for di alliance wey dem call Èkìtìparapọ̀, di combined forces of di Ìjẹ̀ṣà and Èkìtì, under Ògèdèngbé command . Di Kiriji war run from 1877 to 1893, drag several Yoruba states enter inside, and na di longest conflict for Yoruba history .
Di material advantage wey di eastern side get come from outside. Di Ìjẹ̀ṣà diaspora for Lagos, wey get money and arrange well, raise money buy modern breech-loading rifles wey dem transport go front line, and na so coalition of small hill states take hold di largest military power for Yorubaland down make dem no fit move for sixteen years.
Ògèdèngbé reject the throne of Ilésà plenty times, and na chieftaincy title Obanla dem give am instead for 1898 to honour wetin e do for the war . That refusal dey important: make war commander wey get power to take crown reject am, come accept title inside the existing system, no be the normal thing wey dey happen after sixteen-year war, and e show how people firmly believe say military person no suppose just take over the Ọ̀wá's office.
The Ìjẹ̀ṣà towns
Ìjẹ̀ṣàland get Ilésà and plenty other towns, wey include Ìjẹ̀bú-Jẹ̀ṣà, Ìbòkun, Ìpetu-Ìjẹ̀ṣà, Èsa-Òkè, Èrìn-Òkè, Ìlàrẹ́-Ìjẹ̀ṣà, Ìjẹ̀bú-Ìjẹ̀ṣà and Ìpólé-Ìjẹ̀ṣà.
Ìjẹ̀bú-Jẹ̀ṣà no be Ìjẹ̀bú for the Awùjalẹ̀'s sense even though the name dey like that, and this difference dey important. Dem tradition talk say na Ọba Agigiri Ẹgbọ̀rọ̀ganlada found am, the first Oníjẹ̀bú Ẹgbọ̀rọ̀, son of Odùduwà Olófin Ayé and senior brother to Ọ̀wá Obòkun Ajíbógun . Based on that story, the seniority of the town inside the Ìjẹ̀ṣà group old pass the one of Ilésà dynasty, and this na claim wey Ìjẹ̀bú-Jẹ̀ṣà dey make wey Ilésà no necessarily agree with.
Gold
Ilésà dey on top documented gold belt. Geological assessment of the Ilésà gold belt estimate the value to at least five billion US dollars . Mining na mostly artisanal and informal, with the environment and safety problems wey dey follow am, and formal exploitation don stop plenty times. E make sense to mention the gold because na real and unusual economic fact about the town, and because the pre-colonial Ìjẹ̀ṣà reputation as traders fit get material foundation inside am, even though no written record dey to prove that connection.
Current status
Ilésà na city for Ọ̀ṣun State wey get population of about 384,334 for 2016 , the seat of the Ọ̀wá Obòkun and the centre of the Ìjẹ̀ṣà local government areas. Na there Ilesa Grammar School dey, wey be one of the older secondary schools for the region and important institution for the education of the Ìjẹ̀ṣà professional class, the University of Ilesa, wey dem upgrade from college of education for 2023, and the Wesley Guild Hospital .
The Ìjẹ̀ṣà reputation for business spirit and for education don tey and e dey comparable to the Ìjẹ̀bú one, and the Ìjẹ̀ṣà diaspora inside Nigeria still remain distinct and well-organised group.