Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ and the Òkè Ògùn Towns
The towns of the old Ọ̀yọ́ heartland and its northwestern frontier, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ under the Sòun, and the Òǹkò country of Ìsẹ́yìn, Ṣakí, Ìgbòho, Kíṣí and Òkèhò.
Di town dem inside dis file dey for di old Ọ̀yọ́ heartland and di northwestern boundary, di land wey di empire direct govern pass di land wey dem just dey collect tribute from. Dem institutions na Ọ̀yọ́ institutions, dem tradition dey trace go Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé instead of Ilé-Ifẹ̀ for most cases, and two of dem, Ìgbòho and Kíṣí, shelter di royal family when di capital fall.
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́
Ruler. Di Sòun of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́.
Founding. Na Ògúnlọlá found Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ for mid-seventeenth century. Him na hunter of Ìbàrìbà descent wey migrate go di place around 1650 because of him hunting work . Him and him wife Esuu reach there, camp under one Àjàgbọn tree, come build hut near am and settle down permanently. As him discover oda hunters for di area, him take initiative bring dem togeda into di Àlóńgo society, wey dem main purpose na to defend diasef from slave raiders, do group hunting, and help each oda .
Na di Àlóńgo be di interesting institution here. Dis kind association of hunters wey no relate but gather to defend diasef and hunt togeda, wey later turn to di group wey found di town, resemble Ìbàdàn later war-camp origin pass dynastic foundation, and na di reason why Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́'s tradition dey value person ability pass him family line.
Di name and di title. As Ògúnlọlá's authority dey grow, dem make am head of di settlement under di title Sòun, from wetin him ask di Aláàfin, ṣe òhún, make I stay far yonder . Dem dey call di settlement èyí tí ó gbórí Elémọ̀ṣọ́, di place of di person wey carry Elemoso head, wey later soften over time turn to Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ . Depending on di version, Elémọ̀ṣọ́ na Ọ̀yọ́ war leader or messenger from di Aláàfin, and di founding act wey dem link to Ògúnlọlá na how him kill am.
Scholars don check dis founding origin again inside research work, so person suppose read di tori wey dey above as tradition wey dem receive pass down, not as matter wey research don settle completely .
Historical role. Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ na one of di towns wey block Ìlọrin's expansion go south for di 1830s, and di defeat wey dem face for Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ and Òṣogbo stop di emirate advance by 1838 . E absorb plenty refugees when Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé collapse, and e grow turn one of di big towns for di region.
Di Baptist mission establish diasef for Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ for mid-nineteenth century, and di town come turn di main Baptist centre for Nigeria, wit di Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary and di Baptist Medical Centre for inside. Because of dis, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́'s religious profile dey different from di Ọ̀yọ́ towns wey dey round am, and di connection wit American Baptist bring early and solid education infrastructure wey pass normal.
Today, e na big city for Ọ̀yọ́ State wey spread cover Ogbomoso North and Ogbomoso South local government areas, and na there Ladoke Akintola University of Technology dey.
Òǹkò and Òkè Ògùn
Di northwestern towns of Ọ̀yọ́ State form one recognised group wit dem own name and identity.
Di Òǹkò, wey dem also dey write as Òkè Ògùn, na Yoruba people wey dey stay areas wey upper Ògùn river dey flow through for northwestern Ọ̀yọ́ State. For history, dem be part of di Ọ̀yọ́ empire but dem keep dem own distinct identity . Dem reach around 1.6 million across ten local government areas, inside tropical savanna wey dey between three hundred and four hundred metres elevation . Dem dey trace dem ancestry go Odùduwà, maintain special cultural practices like textile weaving, and dem dey speak Northwestern Yoruba dialect wey get pronunciation patterns and sound elements wey no dey inside Standard Yoruba .
Dis last point make sense make person note am well. Northwestern Yoruba na one of di three main dialect areas, and di Òǹkò varieties dey among di ones wey stand out well. So reader wey think say Ọ̀yọ́ State dey speak Standard Yoruba just because Standard Yoruba dey built on Ọ̀yọ́ don get di relationship upside down for dis area.
Di Òǹkò towns and di titles of dem rulers include Ìsẹ́yìn under di Aṣẹ́yìn, Ṣakí under di Òkèrè, Kíṣí under di Ìbà, Òkèhò under di Ọnjọ̀, and Ìgbòho under di Alẹ́pàtà and di Ọ̀nà Oníbodè, togeda wit Ado Awaye, Iganna, Sepeteri and Ìgbẹ̀tì, each wit dem own ọba title .
Note say Ìgbòho get two senior titles, di Alẹ́pàtà and di Ọ̀nà Oníbodè, and di relationship between dem na matter of dispute; dem describe di Alẹ́pàtà as di paramount ruler .
Ìsẹ́yìn
Ruler. Di Aṣẹ́yìn of Ìsẹ́yìn.
Ìsẹ́yìn na di main centre of aṣọ òkè weaving for Yorubaland, and dem dey do di craft there on a scale wey you no fit find anywhere else . Di claim say dem don dey weave am there since twelfth century dey circulate well, and person suppose handle am as tradition instead of confirmed date; wetin dey documented na long-standing and continuous industry wey dey supply Yoruba ceremonial cloth market across Nigeria and di diaspora.
Dem treat Aṣọ òkè well for di textiles section. Wetin belong here na say Ìsẹ́yìn's identity na craft identity: dem know di town for wetin dem loom dey produce pass dynastic claim, wey no dey common among Yoruba towns of dat size.
Ìsẹ́yìn still be di place where di 1916 rising happen against colonial tax and native courts wey dem force on dem, wey be one of di early armed resistances against British rule for Western Provinces, wey dem stop wit executions.
Ìgbòho
Ìgbòho na di capital of di Ọ̀yọ́ empire for sixteenth century, wey Aláàfin Ẹgúgúọjọ establish as capital afta Nupe people don drive di Ọ̀yọ́ from Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé . Di place get strong natural defences and triple walls round am, wey allow di Ọ̀yọ́ stand against di Nupe . E remain capital throughout di time of Ẹgúgúọjọ's successors until Aláàfin Àbìpa go reoccupy Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé .
Dat interregnum na di period wey dem dey usually calculate to be like eighty years, di time wey di dynasty rule from exile for Ìgbòho and Kíṣí before dem return. Na di only documented occasion wey di Ọ̀yọ́ state lose im capital and come recover am back, and na why Àbìpa dey carry di epithet of di ọba wey return.
Four Aláàfin rule from Ìgbòho and dem bury dem there, inside Igbo Ọba beside First Baptist Church for Obaago, and na di Aàrẹ of Ìgbòho dey monitor and supervise di graves. Dis one make Ìgbòho di only place outside Ọ̀yọ́ itself wey get Aláàfin burials, and di royal tombs wey dey there na heritage site of first-class importance wey people no dey too pay attention to.
Ìgbòho na now di headquarters of Orelope local government area for Ọ̀yọ́ State, with di Alẹ́pàtà as paramount ruler .
Ṣakí
Ruler. Di Òkèrè of Ṣakí .
Ṣakí na di largest town for Òkè Ògùn area and one of di major Yoruba towns wey dey far pass for north, as e dey close to Benin Republic border for savanna land. Im position make am frontier post for di empire and station for di roads wey go north, and e still keep agriculture and livestock economy wey tie to dat geography. E get campus of di Ọ̀yọ́ State College of Agriculture.
Kíṣí
Ruler. Di Ìbà of Kíṣí .
Kíṣí na one of di places wey people run go when dem finally abandon Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé for di 1830s, alongside Ìgbòho and Ìlọrin , and e don earlier dey among di places wey dem hide during interregnum. E dey for di far northwestern edge of Yoruba settlement near di Borgu country.
Òkèhò
Ruler. Di Ọnjọ̀ of Òkèhò . Òkèhò na federation town, wey form from group of settlements wey gather together make dem defend themselves during di trouble of nineteenth century, and e still keep di quarter structure wey show di communities wey make am up.
Ìgbẹ̀tì and di others
Ìgbẹ̀tì, Ado Awaye, Iganna and Sepeteri complete di principal Òǹkò towns . Ado Awaye get Ìyáké lake, one of di very few suspended or hanging lakes wey dem don document anywhere, wey dey on top di plateau above di town, and di Ado Awaye hills with their rock formations na di area best-known natural site . Ìgbẹ̀tì get di Agbele rock and di Ìwo Ẹlẹ́rú-adjacent cave systems, and di tradition of Ọ̀yọ́ dynasty put one of their interregnum stopping points there.