Ifẹ
Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Ifẹ̀ Oòyè | |
|---|---|
City | |
Bird's eye view of a section of Ile Ife, Yorubaland. | |
Ilé-Ifẹ̀ | |
| Coordinates: 7°29′00″N 4°33′33″E / 7.48333°N 4.55917°E | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| State | Osun |
| Government | |
| • Ọọni | Ojaja II |
| • LGA Chairman, Ife Central | Oladosu Olubisi |
| • LGA Chairman, Ife North | Lanre Ogunyimika |
| • LGA Chairman, Ife South | Johnson Fayemi |
| • LGA Chairman, Ife East | Tajudeen Lawal |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,791 km2 (692 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
• Total | 509,035 |
| • Density | 280/km2 (740/sq mi) |
| National language | Yorùbá |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~ 755,260 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Osun State – 755,260 (2011) · Ife Central: 196,220 · Ife East: 221,340 · Ife South: 157,830 · Ife North: 179,870 |
Ifẹ̀ (Yoruba: Ifẹ̀, Ilé-Ifẹ̀) is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria founded sometime between the years 1000 BC and 500 BC.[2][3][4] By 900 AD, the city had become an important West African emporium producing sophisticated art forms.[5] The city is located in present-day Osun State. Ifẹ̀ is about 218 kilometers northeast of Lagos[6] with a population of over 500,000 people, which is the highest in Osun State according to population census of 2006.[7]
According to the traditions of the Yoruba religion, Ilé-Ifẹ̀ was founded by the order of the Supreme God Olódùmarè by Obatala. It then fell into the hands of his brother Oduduwa, which created enmity between the two.[8] Oduduwa created a dynasty there, and sons and daughters of this dynasty became rulers of many other kingdoms in Yorubaland.[9] The first Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ is a descendant of Oduduwa, which was the 401st Orisha. The present ruler since 2015 is Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ who is also a Nigerian accountant.[10] Named as the city of 401 deities, Ifẹ̀ is home to many devotees/votaries of these deities and is where they are routinely celebrated through festivals.[11]
Ilé-Ifẹ̀ is famous worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, dating back to between 1200 and 1400 CE.[11]
- ^ "FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA : 2006 Population Census" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ King, Charles Spencer (16 October 2008). Nature's Ancient Religion: Orisha Worship and Ifa. Charles Spencer King. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-4404-1733-7. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "BBC World Service | The Story of Africa". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Chukwumerije, Dike-Ogu Egwuatu; Chukwumerije, Dike-Ogu (2008). The Revolution Has No Tribe: Contemporary Poetry on African History, Culture and Society. Dikeogu Chukwumerije. ISBN 978-0-9557940-1-8. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Ranger, Terence O.; Ranger, T. O.; Kimambo, Isaria N. (1976). The Historical Study of African Religion. University of California Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-520-03179-1. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "World: Africa Arrests after Nigerian cult killings". BBC News. Monday July 12, 1999, Retrieved on October 31, 2011.
- ^ "Ile-Ife, the city of culture". The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ Bascom, Yoruba, p. 10; Stride, Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires", p. 290.
- ^ Akinjogbin, I. A. (Hg.): The Cradle of a Race: Ife from the Beginning to 1980, Lagos 1992 (The book also has chapters on the present religious situation in the town).
- ^ Olupona, 201 Gods, 94.
- ^ a b Blier, Suzanne Preston (2012). "Art in Ancient Ife Birthplace of the Yoruba" (PDF). African Arts. 45 (4): 70–85. doi:10.1162/AFAR_a_00029. S2CID 18837520. Retrieved April 7, 2015.