Updates on Archaeological Investigations in Oyo-Ile And
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NYAME AKUMA No. 81 JUNE 2014 sites combine works of nature and of humans and NIGERIA consist of cultural landscapes, cultural materials, which include buildings, walls, objects of arts and Updates on Archaeological crafts among others. These heritage sites make up Investigations in Oyo-Ile and cultural tourism destinations the world over. Badagry Heritage Sites, Southwestern Nigeria: Implications Cultural heritage tourism has been defined for Tourism Development as that type of tourism that includes all movement of persons to specific cultural attractions, such as T.O. Olukole heritage sites, artistic and cultural manifestations, Department of Transport and Tourism arts and drama outside their normal place of resi- Studies dence (Richard 1995). Silberberg (1995) on the oth- College of Management Sciences er hand viewed cultural tourism as visits by persons Redeemer’s University, Km. 46 from outside the host community motivated wholly Lagos-Ibadan by interest in the historical, artistic and scientific or Expressway, Mowe, Ogun State, Nigeria lifestyle offerings of a community, region, group [email protected] or or institution. Cultural heritage tourism then is the [email protected] movement of persons to cultural attractions away Phone no: +2348033582150 from their normal place of residence, with the in- tention to gather new information and experiences to satisfy their cultural needs. This paper presents an updated account of archaeological investigations carried out in Oyo-Ile and Badagry heritage sites in southwestern Nigeria and relates it to the develop- Introduction ment of tourism in Nigeria. Archaeology as a discipline is concerned with reconstructing the past through human evi- Historical and Environmental Background of dence. In doing this, archaeologists require detailed Oyo-Ile and Badagry archaeological records. However, most objects of human evidence in tropical environments are either The general belief amongst historians and fragile or deteriorating and require preservation and archaeologists is that the Oyo Empire was founded proper documentation. More often than not, archae- between the 8th and 12th centuries AD by Oranmi- ological data are recorded on paper. Archaeological yan, the youngest son of Oduduwa. Willet (1960) data are therefore prone to errors of manual systems was even more specific with dates, and stated that of recording while also holding the risk of being Oranmiyan founded Oyo Ajaka (Old Oyo) between destroyed by the effects of varying climatic condi- 1400 and 1460 AD. It was the same Oranmiyan tions (Olukole 2009). The relevance of archaeologi- who established the surviving dynasty in Benin. Af- cal studies to tourism development can no longer ter his sojourn in Benin Oranmiyan left to found a be underestimated as more archaeological sites and new kingdom in the savanna region of Nigeria i.e., museums have become tourist centres. Tourism Oyo-Ile. centres, brought into the limelight by archaeologi- cal studies, are classified as cultural tourism desti- Oyo Ile was the capital of the Oyo Empire nations. Heritage sites are sites rich in cultural and that was abandoned around 1837 as a result of the th th natural resources, set apart for conservation. Ac- Fulani jihad of the 18 and 19 centuries. The ex- cording to the UNSECO 1972 convention, heritage pansion of the Oyo Empire met with resistance in 41 NYAME AKUMA No. 81 JUNE 2014 the 14th century from Borgu and Nupe who feared 1921). Population increase at Ife led to the estab- that Oyo might take a strategic position in the trans- lishment of ancient Yoruba towns like Owu, Be- Saharan trade to the disadvantage of the Borgu and nin, Popo and Old Oyo by sons of Oduduwa. Ac- Nupe kingdoms (Okpoko 1998). However, with cording to oral tradition, Oranmiyan founded Oyo conquest and expansion of the empire between the Ajaka (Oyo-Ile) between 1400 and 1460 AD (Wil- 15th and 19th centuries AD the Oyo Empire reached let 1960). He was regarded as the military ruler of its apogee and arguably was the largest political Yorubaland while Adimula known as “Oni” (of Ife) entity in Africa, covering most of present day Yo- and his descendants were referred to as spiritual rul- rubaland, Benin Republic and Togo (Oguntomisin ers of Yorubaland (Johnson 1921). 2002). Badagry’s history is reported by various There is no definite history of the Yoruba scholars. Badagry derived its name from the origi- nation. Most accounts on the traditions of origin are nal settler of Badagry that is “Agbethe”, which is from oral traditions and legends. Written history an “Egun name”. Agbethe’s Farm was the terri- was never part of the people’s culture until probably tory of the Yoruba speaking Apa people of Badagry. 1822 (Atanda 1980). Some of the widely accepted These first settlers were refugees from Dahomian view is that the Yoruba had inhabited their home- conquests to the west (Avoseh 1938). Apa was a land from the time of creation. This tradition of ori- Yoruba settlement on the south bank of the lagoon, gin states that the world was a mass of water and which claimed a conventional origin from Ile-Ife, God sent Oduduwa from heaven to earth. Oduduwa the founder of Apa being a prince of the Ife royal landed at Ile-Ife and created the Yoruba race and family. Traditions suggest an early foundation date mankind. Another tradition of origin states that for Apa, perhaps in the 16th century. Since the new Oduduwa claimed to be the son of Lamurudu, one settlement of Badagry was established in the 1730s, of the kings of Mecca. Lamurudu was said to have the King of Apa is said to have been the tenth or elev- opposed Islam and turned to the worship of idols. enth king of Apa out of a total of 23 kings recalled This was vehemently opposed by “Mohammedans” down to the 1930s (Law 1994). It is referred to and the civil war that later ensued as a result of the as the most important settlement in Badagry before so-called revolt, led to the killing of Lamurudu and its foundation in probably the 1730s (Law 1994). the expulsion of his children from Mecca. This led Law’s (1994) account of the history of Badagry at- to Oduduwa (Lamurudu’s son) and his children set- tributes its foundation to the European slave trader, tling in Ile-Ife. This origin tradition was challenged known as Huntokonu, who arrived subsequently by Johnson (1921) because there was no account after fleeing from the Dahomian conquests. Hunto- of this line of history in the Arabian records. The konu was said to have settled under the protection only written record by the learned Sultan of Sokoto of the King of Apa, at first at Agorin, on the south documented by Captain Clapperton (1822-1824), bank of the lagoon south of Apa, but was later per- indicated that the origin of the Yoruba is from the suaded to move for greater security to the north side east, and not Mecca. The Yoruba according to this of the lagoon at Badagry. Other groups of refugees account are descendants of the remnants of the chil- from the west also settled in Badagry with him. The dren of Canaan, who were of the tribe of Nimrod king of Whydah, named Heru, following the Daho- (Johnson 1921). Their migration is believed to be mian conquest of his kingdom, is said to have set through Arabia to the western coast between Egypt out to join Huntokonu at Badagry, but died en route and Abyssinia and later to Africa. Evidence of the at Seme. However, two of his sons called Kotog- Yoruba movement from Egypt to Ile-Ife is seen bosu and Kuton did reach Badagry. Huntokonu was in sculptures of the early ancestors known as “Ife murdered by Kotogbosu when he proposed to make marbles” (Okutinyang 2005). These sculptures are his brother Kuton king as successor to Heru. This Egyptian in form e.g., the Oranyan Staff (Johnson resulted in a civil war in which Kutogbosu and Ku- 42 NYAME AKUMA No. 81 JUNE 2014 ton were driven out of Badagry. who reside in the town of Badagry as well as in Ogun State in Nigeria and in the neighboring Re- th As it existed in the 19 century Badagry public of Benin. comprised eight principal wards. These wards in- clude Ijegba ward with the chief’s title being Akran, History has it that in the early 1500s, slaves whose origin is in Huntokonu (otherwise known as were transported from West Africa to America Hertogh); the Awhanjigo ward with the Chief’s title through Badagry. It is reported that Badagry export- as Jengen or Jingin, which originates from Whydah ed no fewer than 550,000 African slaves to America to the west; Ahoviko ward with Chief title Wawu during the period of the American Independence in which originates from Whydah prince Kotogbosu; l776. In addition, slaves were transported to Europe, Posuko ward with Chief title as Posu which origi- South America and the Caribbean. The slaves came nates from Weme. The earlier mentioned were doc- mainly from Benin and Togo as well as Nigeria. The umented before the 19th century. The other wards slave trade became the major source of income for not documented before the 19th century include the Europeans in Badagry (Muhammed 2005). The Bala of Asago ward, which claims descent from Ogu or Ogbugbe people of Badagry Local Govern- the royal family of the old Wydah kingdom. Boeko ment Area in the Lagos State in the southwest of ward, also claims descent from Whydah where its Nigeria are part of the Yoruba/Popo sub-group who founder was a priest (Avoseh 1938). The remain- emigrated from the ancient Ketu Kingdom of pres- ing two wards were purportedly founded later in ent day Benin Republic.