Okeluse is a small community in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.
It has a population of about 1 million people and it covers an area of about 3,30 km. predominately, the place is dominated by farming activities.
It is a general believe that the descendant of Okeluse community migrated from Ise Ekiti in Ekiti State of Nigeria. When there was war in Ekiti State some people left Ise – Ekiti to settle in this present community called Okeluse. The community has a first class king (Oba) who happens to be a member of the councils of Obas in Ondo State.
The community has three primary schools, a secondary school, a maternity home, one post office, a police post and a market that is being run every five days, where people from other community like Sobe, Ute and Ogbese do come to buy and sell goods.
Farming is a major activity in this community. Okeluse have three types of farmers, those that are involved in subsistence farming i.e. farming mainly for personal consumption, commercial farmers which are people that farm for commercial purposes. Their main product is cocoa and the third set of people that engage in timber work i.e. falling of trees from the forest for commercial purposes.
The electrification of the community some years back brought the introduction of new businesses like opening of hotels, restaurant and beer parlor which has not been in the community before.
The story of Okeluse will not be complete without making reference to the Iro festival. It is a festival that is done to mark the anniversary of the descendant of the village. Normally a group of people within the age of 69 years to 71 years in the village are chosen as celebrant of such occasion. They will all be dressed in white, both men and women and be dancing form one angle to another with a lot of fun fair and music. The entire celebrant will dance to the king’s palace where they will be initiated into elder hood. The Iro festival normally come up around August each year.
It has a population of about 1 million people and it covers an area of about 3,30 km. predominately, the place is dominated by farming activities.
It is a general believe that the descendant of Okeluse community migrated from Ise Ekiti in Ekiti State of Nigeria. When there was war in Ekiti State some people left Ise – Ekiti to settle in this present community called Okeluse. The community has a first class king (Oba) who happens to be a member of the councils of Obas in Ondo State.
The community has three primary schools, a secondary school, a maternity home, one post office, a police post and a market that is being run every five days, where people from other community like Sobe, Ute and Ogbese do come to buy and sell goods.
Farming is a major activity in this community. Okeluse have three types of farmers, those that are involved in subsistence farming i.e. farming mainly for personal consumption, commercial farmers which are people that farm for commercial purposes. Their main product is cocoa and the third set of people that engage in timber work i.e. falling of trees from the forest for commercial purposes.
The electrification of the community some years back brought the introduction of new businesses like opening of hotels, restaurant and beer parlor which has not been in the community before.
The story of Okeluse will not be complete without making reference to the Iro festival. It is a festival that is done to mark the anniversary of the descendant of the village. Normally a group of people within the age of 69 years to 71 years in the village are chosen as celebrant of such occasion. They will all be dressed in white, both men and women and be dancing form one angle to another with a lot of fun fair and music. The entire celebrant will dance to the king’s palace where they will be initiated into elder hood. The Iro festival normally come up around August each year.
Everything you have posted is wrong...please make proper findings.
ReplyDeleteNarrated by Imolehin Baba Kayode , Written by Ogunleye Gbenga Joshua
ReplyDeleteOliyen, Ogho (now called owo) and Ido bini where prince to expand Yoruba territory. The three of them settled close to each other and shared common boundaries including Ikaro. At this juncture we would like to remind you that Ifon, Imoru, Ijagba, Ute and all other neighboring towns are tenants in the land and for the record they are all supposed to give tribute (A.K.A ishakole to the indigenous obas).
Oliyen being a great warrior and a great leader had so many followers and settled in Ugbo Okeluhe (A large land mass in okeluse now being used for farming) with about 200 districts and each district having its own Olu ( Like oba Eji of ogbado land in okeluse who oversees the entire ogbado now known as Ukpado ). Oliyen came with a crown, a magical knife and a magical cloth which serves as protection for the king and the entire community. The knife was so powerful that anyone who sees it would die (Its was majorly used during war (History has it that the people of Ijagba once borrowed the knife for a battle) also whenever there was crisis during the meeting of Oba’s the Oba of Okeluse was said to bring out the knife with a popular slang (Uhe poju da) to warn people of okeluse not to look at the knife. The magical cloth served as protection against any form of physical and spiritual gun shots. It was forbidden for a woman who is in her period to touch the magical cloth, if she does she would never stop bleeding likewise if a woman has not been seeing her period, the magical cloth was also used as a healing device. The crown he brought is what is still being used in Okeluse till date and it is forbidden for the Arujale of Okeluse kingdom to look into the crown.
One thing is peculiar to the king of Okeluse which is the “Ogbon” that is usually attached to the head of the Arujale of Okeluse. The Olowo of Owo kingdom is forbidden to see it (the Ogbon) that is why in ancient times the Arujale of Okeluse and the Olowo of owo do not see face to face. In our modern day the Arujale of Okeluse does not use it because of friendship, modernization and related reasons.
Few centuries ago there was a succession dispute during the death of Oba Ade Oba Iroko between two of his prince who aimed to be king at all cost. According to the chief olisa of Ise-ekiti He said “ Okitiko happened to be the elder brother of Akintoore and according to tradition, the eldest should assume the throne of his ancestor “ also according to chief oba Ejin of okeluse He said “ Akintoore happened to be the eldest” this are two conflicting statements from okeluse and ise-ekiti. Further investigation into history of okeluse through the Okeluse praise song “Edodo ehunhun te ori egban e ma le, ila gbori egban e ho” meaning a younger one who cheated his elder brother proved okitiko was eldest and as a result of this he would not allow his younger brother rule over him hence he and his loyalist emigrated and settled in the now Ise-ekiti and the remaining people decided to relocate to the present day okeluse (Although there was another occurrence according to history with the Oba of benin which lead to the relocation of okeluse people to its present inhabitant as shown to them by the Ajeran family (The hunters) ).
A visit to ise-ekiti and okeluse would show you that they share virtually everything in common and have a representative of virtually every household in okeluse. They also share same street names and chief tansy titles like they have their own Arujale of Ise-ekiti, olisa of ise-ekiti, oba Ejin of Ise-ekiti and many others.
Till date both ise Ekiti and okeluse still visit Ugbo okeluhe for one thing or the other.
LOL
ReplyDeleteYour story is authentic
ReplyDeleteBut Oba Oyeya is recorded as the first Ojima of Okeluse. Oba Oliyen comes second.
ReplyDelete