Ogun Worship

Among the Yoruba people of Ede in the pre-colonial period, Ogun worship featured as the most important and dominant traditional religious belief and worship. Ogun in Yoruba cosmic mythology was a powerful, fearless and brave warrior who possessed the power of conquest and victory.  He is said to be one of the first of the Orisas to descend to the realm of Ile Aiye or the earth to find suitable habitation for future human life. This explains why one of his praise names is Osin Imole i.e., the “first of the primordial Orisas to descend to the earth from heaven”. He is the deified Yoruba god of iron and all users of instruments or equipment made of iron appeased him.

The reason for the pre-eminence of Ogun worship in Ede in the earliest times was probably due to the fact that the town was built on military exigencies prompted by the frequent military assaults suffered by Oyo people from Ijesa marauders. Therefore, the ever-military conscious settlers of the town whose main instruments were guns and rifles had to take Ogun worship very seriously because it was believed that Ogun had the capability to win wars for its committed devotees and adherents. This is why Ogun is referred to as god of iron and conquest.

Ogun worship was the first officially adopted traditional religion in Ede. The head of Ogun worshippers was called Olu-Ode i.e., the Head Hunter. The people engaged in Ogun worship daily, weekly and annually. The major items used in Ogun worship are cooked beans, kolanut and roasted yam. However, during the annual Ogun worship in the seventh month of every year (July), a dog has to be slaughtered at the designated Ogun shrine. The sacrificial dog was held lengthwise by two people while the third person cut it into two and the blood drained is poured on Ogun shrine. This dog must be cut into two at once and failure to achieve this is considered as unacceptable sacrifice. In traditional Ede town, there were compounds dedicated to the worship of Ogun. These included Ologun (Ogun devotees), Olode Ibadehin, Olode Afenle, Olode Olokuta (hunters) and Alagbede (blacksmiths) compounds. It should be noted that some of these compounds still retain this identity up till now in spite of the influence of Islam and Christianity in the town while some have changed their nomenclatures due to embrace of new religions particularly Islam. Up till date, Ogun is worshipped in contemporary Ede town by professionals such as hunters, blacksmiths, drivers, goldsmiths and other artisans who make use of iron and metals.  

Egungun Festival

Egungun worship is another popular traditional Yoruba religion in Ede. It is believed that people’s ancestors reincarnated through the Egungun masquerade and this explains why they speak in unnatural tone. Egungun worship is usually accompanied with huge festivities – singing and dancing with masquerades parading the market centres in colourful costumes and attires. Egungun worship is usually an annual event (holds every June) but some of its primary devotees (Oloje) engage in its worship daily and weekly. The Egungun festival in Ede holds annually for seven consecutive days in the month of April during which masquerades of various statures come out to perform and pray for the people. It climaxes in the appearance of Andu, the most powerful and important masquerade in Ede which is regarded as “Egungun Oba” (the King’s masquerade). Among other important masquerade masks in Ede are Alupe, Atere, Iyekiye, Gbajero, etc. Elegbara is the Chief Priest of Egungun worshippers in Ede. Ile Sanyin and Ile Eleegun (Sanyin and Eleegun compounds) are traditionally renowned for Egungun worship in Ede. Fowl is the main sacrificial lamb for Egungun worship, the blood of which is put on the grave of the ancestor who is believed to have reincarnated through the masquerade.

Sango Worship

Sango worship is the most famous traditional religion in contemporary Ede. Sango is the Yoruba god of thunder, lightning, justice, force and male sexuality among other things. Sango worship supplanted Ogun worship as the principal Orisa of Ede during the reign of Timi Lalemo in Ede-Ile. Traditions have it that one of Timi Lalemo’s sons, Ajeniju Bamigbaye, a future Timi, was born with both fists closed and upon investigation and elaborate ceremonies conducted by an invited Oyo Sango priest, the child opened his fists which contained a cowry shell and a small thunder stone. This was interpreted to mean that Sango not only claimed the ownership of the child but also made him a natural worshipper and follower of him. This event represented a milestone in the supplantation of Ogun worship by Sango worship as the principal traditional religion in Ede before the coming of Islam in the 19th century. This event was built upon by the emergence of Ajeniju Bamigbaye, the prince son born with Sango emblem, as Timi of Ede in 1825.  

The place of Sango in Yoruba mythology has two sources of explanation. It is believed in some quarters that there was one primordial Sango who was one of the Yoruba deities of old who descended from heaven. Another popular explanation describes Sango as that of a hero-king of old Oyo Kingdom, Alaafin Itiolu (alias Sango). This is what Adejumo calls the apotheosized or deified Sango. He is said to be the third Alaafin of Oyo and the second son of Oranmiyan, the acknowledged founder of the kingdom. He was a brave, strong and powerful man whose source of power was traced to Nupeland, his mother’s birthplace. He was said to emit smoke from his mouth when he talked and wild fire when he was angry. During his lifetime, Alaafin Itiolu, the deified Sango, was said to have three wives – Oba, Osun and Oya who later turned to rivers named after them after the disappearance of Sango at Koso.

The origin of Sango worship in Yorubaland is traced to Oyo during the disagreement between Alaafin Sango and one of his military generals, Gbonka Ebiri, who after killing his co-general, Timi Agbale, and escaped from being killed by Sango, not only disobeyed him but also demanded his abdication of the throne. Sango’s symbol of power Edun Ara (thunderstone) kept with Oya, his last wife, was said to have been neutralized by blood from her menstrual period and therefore could not strike Gbonka to death. An attempt to restore the efficacy of his thunderstone by Sango only resulted in the burning of his palace. As a consequence, Sango gave in to Gbonka’s order, vacated the throne and disappeared into the ground under an Ayan tree at a place later called Koso.

To ridicule the departed king, Sango’s enemies back in Oyo began to spread rumours of Sango hanging himself on the Ayan tree at “Koso”. To show that Sango was not dead and that his power to strike thunder was still strong even after his physical disappearance, the houses of all his enemies were razed down by fire, probably by Sango’s loyalists. People therefore changed their tune from “Oba so” i.e. “King hanged himself” to “Oba ko so” or “Olu ko so” meaning “The King (Sango) did not hang himself”. Sango’s followers and admirers led by Baba Mogba who later became Sango’s Chief Priest began to atone Sango on behalf of the ignorant people who said “Sango hanged himself”. This atonement led to the deification of Sango and it marked the origin and beginning of Sango worship in Yorubaland and among the Yoruba in Diaspora up till date. Sango is portrayed with a double axe on his head (the symbol of thunder) with six eyes and sometimes with three heads and his symbol is called Ose Sango i.e. Sango’s wand.

As an offshoot of Oyo town where Sango worship originated, Sango worship is one of the major traditional religions in Ede. As indicated earlier, it was second only to Ogun until the reign of Timi Lalemo in Ede-Ile whose son, Bamigbaye Ajeniju was born with Sango’s thunderstone in one of his fists. From the era of Lalemo and the emergence of Bamigbaye Ajeniju as Timi in 1825, Sango worship had emerged as the principal religion of Timi and his people of Ede. Today, the town is easily and generally identified with Sango worship in spite of the strong influence of Islam and relatively growing presence of Christianity in contemporary Ede. The centrality and influence of Sango’s worship to the Timi of Ede and the generality of his people is reflected in this popular statement in Ede: “Sango Timi” meaning “Timi’s Sango”.

The annual Sango festival in Ede comes up during the dry season preferably in late October or early November. This is in addition to daily and weekly obeisance and sacrifices to Sango by his devotees at Timi’s palace and traditional compounds of Sango worshippers in the town particularly Ile Onisango (Compound of Sango’s worshippers). The date of the annual Sango festival in Ede is announced twenty-one days in advance and is heralded by dancing to the main market square (Oja Timi) where members of Sango’s devotees perform magical feats and actions. The Chief Priest of Sango in Ede (Baba) Mogba  like Sango, is expected to be able to spit fire from his mouth and carry pot of fire on his head. At the Sango shrine in Timi’s palace, sacrifices of cows, goats, sheep, oxen, fowls and bitter kola are offered and prayers for peace, long life, prosperity, protection against natural and man-made dangers are said for Timi and the generality of people of Ede. The annual Sango worship and festival in Ede last seven days with different daily activities such as: First Day – Ojo Itagbe b’odo (Day of dipping gourd into Osun River to draw medicinal water for all kinds of ailment); Second Day – Ojo Irubo (Day of Sacrifice during which the Timi must partake by providing the sacrificial ram and cow and eating from them); Third to Seventh Days – Ojo Jije Mimu, Ijo, Ayo ati Idan (Days of Feasting, Dancing and Magical Feats). A high-point of Sango Timi’s annual celebration is the unusual magical performances by a Sango devotee called Elegun Sango i.e., Sango’s Spiritually Inspired Magician.   

Furthermore, it must be emphasised that ram is the primary sacrificial item for Sango Timi. The preferred or favourite colours of dress during annual Sango worship in Ede are red and white which are acknowledged as being holy colours. The Sango worshippers also dance a form of dance called Lanku which is supported by Bata drums. Sango priests plait their hairs like Yoruba women because they are regarded as Adosu or Iyawo Sango i.e., Sango’s wives. They hold Sango’s wands in their hands during the festival. Sango’s worshippers and devotees have a number of taboos and abominations particularly in Ede. These include forbiddance of smoking cigarette and eating ago (a type of rat), esuro (red flanked duiker) and ewa sese (cowpeas). A male and female adosu Sango and female must not marry each other.

Sango worship was so important in Ede that the greatest opposition to Islam in its early years in Ede came from Sango worshippers who were so strong in the town. However, two famous Timi of Ede who were strong adherents of Sango Timi Bamigbaye Ajeniju (1825-1843) and Timi Sangolami Abibu Lagunju (1847-1900), later played prominent role in the introduction and expansion of Islam in Ede in the 19th century. In spite of this fact, Sango worship has remained the most important traditional religion of the Timi of Ede. Also, many indigenes of Ede have continued to engage in Sango worship in spite of the influences of Islam and Christianity in the town and have continued to negotiate religious spaces with the majority Muslims and Christian minority inhabiting the town.    

Ipedi 

Ipedi is annual festival which takes place in July of each year. It is associated with the arrival of the new yam. In the olden days, Ede was walled and it had four gates to protect the people from invaders and marauders. It was the duty of Chief Jagun to guard the gates and protect the city when Timi and Balogun went to war. In addition, the Jagun protects the shrines, referred to as “Yara” making sacrifices as may be required.

Today, it is the tradition in Ede that any reigning Timi must go around the city on his horse and get to the city gates, located at Bode Popo, Bode Apa, Bode Ojoro and Bode Sagba. However, Bode Sagba is usually not visited because it was the gate taken into the city when the first Timi founded the present Ede. Sacrifices are usually offered to Ogun, the God of war, whose special function it is to protect the city. Timi’s procession during this festival usually includes his chiefs led by Jagun, the Chief Priest, drummers, women and towns people.