Oba (ruler)
Oba means "ruler" in the
The title is distinct from that of Oloye in Yorubaland, which is itself used in like fashion by subordinate titleholders in the contemporary Yoruba chieftaincy system.[1]
Aristocratic titles among the Yoruba
The Yoruba chieftaincy system can be divided into four separate
Oba
There are two different kinds of Yoruba monarchs: The kings of Yoruba
The first-generation towns of the Yoruba homeland, which encompasses large swathes of Benin, Nigeria, and Togo, are those with obas who generally wear beaded crowns; the rulers of many of the 'second generation' settlements are also often obas. Those that remain and those of the third generation tend to only be headed by the holders of the title "Baálẹ̀" (lit. 'Master of the land'), who do not wear crowns and who are, at least in theory, the reigning viceroys of people who do.
Oloye
All of the subordinate members of the Yoruba aristocracy, both traditional chieftains and honorary ones, use the pre-nominal "Olóyè" (lit. 'Owner of a title', also appearing as "Ìjòyè") in the way that kings and queens regnant use 'Ọba'. It is also often used by princes and princesses in colloquial situations, though the title that is most often ascribed to them officially is "Ọmọba" (lit. 'Child of a Monarch', sometimes rendered alternatively as "Ọmọọba", "Ọmọ ọba" and "Ọmọ-ọba"). The wives of kings, princes and chiefs of royal background usually make use of the title "
The Oba's crown
The bead-embroidered crown with beaded veil, foremost attribute of the Oba, symbolizes the aspirations of a civilization at the highest level of authority. In his seminal article on the topic, Robert F. Thompson writes, "The crown incarnates the intuition of royal ancestral force, the revelation of great moral insight in the person of the king, and the glitter of aesthetic experiences."[4]
Royal duties
The role of the oba has diminished with the coming of
As the oba leads the procession of nominees into a specially embroidered dais in front of a wider audience of guests and well-wishers, festivities of varied sorts occur to the accompaniment of traditional drumming. Emblems are given out according to seniority, and drapery worn by the oba and chiefs are created to be elaborate and also expensive. Most of the activities are covered by the local media and enter the public domain thereafter. Only the secret initiations for traditional chiefs of the highest rank are kept a secret from all outsiders. Ceremonies such as this, and the process of selection and maintenance of networks of chiefs, are two of the major sources of power for the contemporary royals of West Africa.[5]
Priestly duties
As a sacred ruler, the oba is traditionally regarded by the Yoruba as the ex officio chief priest of all of the Orisha sects in his or her domain. Although most of the day-to-day functions of this position are delegated in practice to such figures as the arabas, certain traditional rites of the Yoruba religion can only be performed by the oba, and it is for this reason that the holders of the title are often thought of as being religious leaders in addition to being politico-ceremonial monarchs.
See also
- Odigba
- Babalawo
- Eso Ikoyi
- Nigerian chieftaincy
- Nigerian traditional rulers
- Oba of Benin
- Oba of Lagos
- Ogboni
- Olori
References
- ^ Blair, Major J.H., Intelligence Report on Abeokuta: 65 year anniversary reprint edition (2002), p. 3.
- ^ Sotunde, F.I., Egba Chieftaincy Institution (2002), Appendix X.
- ISBN 978-1-4766-0886-0.
- ISBN 0299058204.
- ^ Lionel Caplan, Humphrey Fisher, David Parkin; The Politics of Cultural Performance. Berghahn Books, 1996, p 30-37.