History of the Yoruba people facts for kids
The history of the Yoruba people is very old and rich. It officially began when Oranyan started ruling the Oyo Empire. This empire became very powerful in the early 1600s. Before that, much of the history of the Ile-Ife kingdom was passed down through spoken stories, not written ones.
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The Start of the Yoruba People
The story of the Yoruba people begins in Ile-Ife. Many believe this kingdom was founded by a god named Oduduwa. He is thought to have created the world. Oduduwa was the first divine king of the Yoruba people. It is said that Yoruba civilization began at Ile-Ife, where the gods came down to Earth.
The Yoruba people became well-known around the world because they traded with the Portuguese. They exchanged goods for guns. In the early 1800s, the Fulani people invaded the Yoruba land. This invasion pushed many Yoruba people further south. Later, in the late 1800s, the Yoruba made a deal with the British Empire. Britain then took control of their land starting in 1901.
People lived in Yorubaland as early as the seventh century BC. They were not called "Yoruba" at first, but they shared a common background and language. The Yoruba people developed right there, from earlier groups, around 1000 BC.
Archaeologists have found that the settlement at Ile-Ife dates back to about 1000 to 600 BC. City structures started appearing between 400 and 700 AD. From 700 to 900 AD, Ile-Ife grew into a major art center. By the 1100s, artists in Ife were creating beautiful sculptures. They used bronze, stone, and terracotta. The time before the Oyo Empire became strong, from about 1100 to 1600, is often called a "golden age" for Ile-Ife.
The Powerful Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire became the strongest Yoruba military and political power. It took over from Ife between 1600 and 1800 AD. The nearby Benin Empire was also very powerful during this time, from 1300 to 1850.
Oyo grew strong in the 1600s. It became one of the largest Yoruba kingdoms. Ile-Ife remained important for religious reasons. It was seen as the place where the Earth was created in Yoruba stories. After Oduduwa's time in Ile-Ife, he had a son. This son later became the first ruler of the Oyo Empire.
The Oyo kingdom took control of the kingdom of Dahomey. It traded with European merchants along the coast through a place called Ajase. The empire became very wealthy. Its leaders also grew richer. This continued until Oba Abiodun, Oyo's last great ruler. He got into a difficult civil war with his enemies. This war badly hurt the economy and trade with Europeans. The empire soon fell apart after this. Abiodun became more interested in showing off his wealth than in ruling. The Oyo Empire collapsed by the 1830s.
Most of the cities around Oyo were ruled by Obas. These were elected kings who also had religious duties. They ruled with councils made up of Oloyes. These Oloyes were recognized leaders from royal, noble, or even common families. They helped rule the kingdoms through different groups and traditions.
The power balance between the king and the chiefs' council was different in each state. Some, like Oyo, had very powerful kings who controlled almost everything. In others, like the Ijebu city-states, the councils were supreme. The Oba there was more of a symbolic leader.
However, Yoruba kings always needed the support of their people. If a king acted like a dictator or was not good at his job, he could be forced to leave the throne. The message to step down was usually sent through a special symbolic item. It was often parrots' eggs delivered in a covered bowl by the Oloyes.
Modern Yoruba History
The Yoruba people eventually formed a group of city-states. The city-state of Oyo became the most powerful. It was located in the northern part of Yorubaland. This area was on the plains between the forests of present-day Southwest Nigeria and the Niger River.
After a religious war led by Uthman Dan Fodio, the Fulani Sokoto Caliphate grew strong. It took over the Hausa city-states in northern Nigeria. Then, it invaded the Nupe Kingdom. After that, the Fulani armies moved south into Oyo lands. They soon took over Ilorin, which was the Yoruba military capital. They then attacked and destroyed Ọyọ-Ile, the main city of the Ọyọ Empire.
Because of this, Ọyọ-Ile was left empty. The Oyo people moved south to the current city of Oyo. This new city was in a forested area. The cavalry (horse soldiers) of the Sokoto Caliphate were not as effective there. The Yoruba people fought back against further Fulani attacks. They were led by the strong Ibadan clan, which came from the old Oyo Empire, and the Ijebu city-states.
However, the Oyo Empire had been badly hurt. The other Yoruba city-states broke away from Oyo's control. They then started fighting among themselves. These conflicts soon turned into a full-scale civil war. These wars greatly weakened the southern Yoruba people. The Nigerian government used strong methods to end the civil war. In 1960, the larger Yoruba land became part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Historical records from the 1800s, when Europeans arrived more permanently, tell of heavy attacks by Fulani warriors from the north. They also describe many wars between the Yoruba cities themselves. But archaeological findings show the greatness of their ancient civilization. There are impressive buildings like Sungbo's Eredo, which are centuries old.
Yoruba Towns, Cities, and People Around the World
Many Yoruba communities are organized into villages, towns, and cities. These are often like small kingdoms. Some major cities include Ile-Ife, Oyo, Ila-Orangun, Eko(Lagos), Abeokuta, Ipokia, Ibadan, Ijebu-Ode, Iwo, and Akure. Some Yoruba towns and cities are considered "clans." This is because they have similar origins and cultures. Several other cities, though not Yoruba, have been influenced by the Yoruba people. These include Warri, Benin City, Okene, and Auchi.
The Yoruba diaspora refers to Yoruba people living outside Yorubaland. There are two main groups. The first group includes recent immigrants. They moved to the United States and the United Kingdom after political and economic changes in the 1960s and 1980s. The second group is much older. It includes descendants of Yoruba people who were brought as slaves. They arrived in countries like the United States, Cuba, Trinidad, Brazil, Grenada, and other places in the Caribbean and South America in the 1800s.
Just like in Yorubaland, many Yoruba people living abroad are Muslims or Christians. However, traditional Yoruba worship is still important in these communities around the world.
