Historical Sites In Nigeria- Ile Ife JSS1 Nigerian History Lesson Note

Ile-Ife also known as Ife was an ancient Nigerian city which flourished between the 11th and 15th century CE in what is today Nigeria in West Africa. Ife was the capital and principal religious centre of the Yoruba kingdom of Ife, which prospered thanks to trade connections with other West African kingdoms. Ife is particularly famous today for the magnificent metal sculptures its artists produced which include serene-looking human heads so masterfully crafted that Europeans once wrongly considered them the work of another civilization. 

Location of lle-Ife Site Ife is located in the southern forest of Nigeria west of the River Niger in the present-day Osun State. The town is located in the North East of Lagos. (218 kilometers away) and East of Ibadan. It lies at the intersection of roads from Ibadan, Ilesha and Ondo.

IFE CULTURE AND TRADITION. THE PLACE OF IFE IN YORUBA HISTORY. 

Ile-Ife was (and is still) the Spiritual Headquarter of ancient Yoruba states which at that time expanded eastward to Warri in the Niger Delta Area, and westward to Dahomey and Togo now in the Republic of Benin and Togo respectively. Ife is an ancient town located to the North-East of Lagos (218 kilometres away) and to the East of Ibadan. The town is ruled by a Monarchical king or Oba called Ooni of Ife. Ile-Ife has about 401 spirits called Orisha that are being worshipped. 

The current Ooni of Ife is Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ojaja II. The Ooni of Ife is the chief priest and custodian of the holy city of Ife. This he holds on behalf of the entire Yoruba nation (people). 

THE IFE CULTURE AND TRADITION 

The importance of Ile-Ife in Yoruba history is that Ile-Ife is believed to be the origin of life on earth and the centre of creation. Ile-Ife is the fatherland of the Yoruba people. One of the oral traditions of Yoruba origin reveals to us that Yoruba people came from Mecca. Lamurudu was an important Chief in Mecca and he is believed to be the progenitor (ancestor) of Yoruba people. 

After Mohammed killed Lamurudu in a religious war in Mecca, his sons, one of whom was Oduduwa flew from Mecca and moved west-ward. Oduduwa travelled for several years until he got to settle down in Ile-Ife after consulting the gods through Setilu Agboniregun; the Ifa-Priest. Odudwa gave birth to sons and daughters. 

The seven sons of Oduduwa are: 

• Orangun of Oke-Ila, 
• Olowu of Owu, 
• Alaketu of Ketu, 
• Onisabe of Sabe, 
• Onipopo of Popo, 
• Onibini of Benin and Oranmiyan of Oyo. 

These sons of Oduduwa later left Ile-Ife to establish their own Yoruba kingdom. The above tradition was captured by a British explorer of west Africa (Hugh Clapperton) when he had contact with Mohammed Bello in Sokoto.

The indigenous people of Ile-Ife speak the Yoruba Language. The People of lle-Ife are peaceful and spiritually conscious people. 

OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF THE PEOPLE OF ILE-IFE 

Ile-Ife as an ancient town is known for its naturalistic e bronze, Stone and Terracotta (clay) sculptures. Hence we can say that they are Sculptors and Artistic craft men and women. They are equally advanced in Iron technology as bronze casters and many of them are farmers and hunters. In the precolonial period, women played a major role in social and economic activities. 

Division of labour was along gender lines, and women controlled such occupations as food processing, mat weaving, pottery making, and cooking. Moreover, land was communally owned, and women had access to it through their husbands or parents. Many of the Artifacts created by people of the ancient Ife-Kingdom can be found in Ife Museum, the National Museum and some popular museums in Europe. Today, the people of Ife are mostly farmers. 

Ile-Ife is a major collection point for cocoa and cotton. For local markets, palm oil, yams, cassava, corn, pumpkins, and Kola nuts are also cultivated. Palm wine is produced in abundance. Blacksmithing is also practiced. Blacksmiths produce cutlasses, hoes, and other implements for farming. There are also hunters and carvers (gbénàgbénà). 

Some traditional festivals in Ile-Ife are; 

• Edi Festival 
• Olojo Festival 
• Itapa Festival 
• Igare Festival etc. 

Summarily, below are the different occupational activities of the people of Ife; 

1. Farming 
2. Palm wine tapping 
3. Palm oil production 
4. Blacksmithing 
5. Hunting 
6. Carving 
7. Pottery 
8. Trading 
9. Fishing 
10. Drumming

SIGNIFICANCE OF IFE CULTURE IN NIGERIA. 

The nature of Ife art lays credence to the fact that they have an affinity with those fromthe  Nok culture area. There are similarities, especially in the beaded neck, wrist and ankles with the artistic works in the Nok culture area. It shows that there was a relationship between these groups of people at a point in history. 

The historical importance of Ife’s works lies in their highly developed and distinctive style of making sculptures, their artistic objects appear in natural form and look like real human beings. The features on the art forms have helped to understand events and activities that happened during the reign of some of the Ife rulers and their achievements in a chronological sequence