1. THE ORANMIYAN
CONNECTION: The oral traditions of the Yorubas state
that Oranmiyan Staff was constructed by the family of Oranmiyan Omoluabi Odede
the Great Prince of Ife and King of the Yorubas as a commemorative monument at
the place where he died. This was to be around the year 1300.
2. DESCRIPTION:
The Opa Oranmiyan (Staff of Oranmiyan) as it is called, is a slim carved
granite column that is almost six metres tall (more precisely, 5.5 metres). So
that makes it quite tall in comparison with the average human height. Shaped
like the tusk of an elephant, this standing stone work has its body ornamented
with 123 nails (iron pegs) that are arranged in the shape of an elongated
trident leading one to question such a symbolic representation with Neptune the
god of the seas whose symbol is a trident. No one really knows how the nails
were driven into it and on the same side with the nails are some faded carvings
and inscriptions. For now, the meanings of these inscriptions are unknown but
are said to be similar to the hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptians.
3. NOT
THE ONLY OPA: Although the Opa
Oranmiyan has achieved global fame, it is really not the only Opa (or standing
stone work) in Ile Ife. There is also the Opa Ogun (Staff of Ogun, the Yoruba
god of war and iron) which is located in the main marketplace. It is however,
not as tall and imposing as the Opa Oranmiyan as it stands at 1.8 metres. Opa
Ogun is shaped to look like a cylindrical bulb. All over Ile Ife are various
stone works (made from local granite or gneiss).
4. 4. WHY IS IT CALLED A STAFF? According to oral traditions, the engraved monolith was used as a
walking stick or staff (which means ‘opa’ in Yoruba language) by the giant
Oranmiyan. Well, there is no evidence for that and it is obviously too much of
an exaggeration for a man to use such an obelisk as a walking stick. But for
the sake of tradition, here is a bit of the fable: Oranmiyan was a giant
warrior son of Oduduwa (some others say Ogun) and he was the first powerful
King (Alaafin) of Oyo.
The warrior Oranmiyan had left Ile Ife and marched south, conquering
everything on his path but he had promised the people of Ile Ife that if they
ever needed him, he would return from his march of conquests. He said if Ife
was threatened, all the people had to do was to congregate and scream his name.
So when the hour of need arrived, the people of Ife did what he had
told them and Oranmiyan came storming towards Ife, destroying everything on his
way. When he arrived Ife to rescue his people, he unleashed so much power that
one of the warriors he killed was his friend. Oranmiyan was so depressed that
he had killed one of his own from Ife that out of fury, he plunged his staff
(another fable says it was his sword) into the ground where it immediately
turned to stone and became a monolith. Oranmiyan then went off into the forest,
on horseback, never to be seen again. That is another variation of the fable.
5. IT HAS ITS OWN SHRINE: The Opa Oranmiyan is
located inside the Oranmiyan Shrine in Moopa in the Aribidi end of the Ile Ife
city. It is one of the major tourist sites and monuments in Ile Ife with the
others being the Lafogido Grove, Olokun Grove, Olu Orogbo, Ooni Ilare, Saint
David Potsherd (SDP) Pavement and the Yemoo Grove. The staff is still being
worshipped till date with the families of the Eredumi and Akogun being some of
its most devout adherents
6. IFE UNIVERSITY CONTROVERSY: The construction of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU, but
initially called the University of Ife) had significant input of the Israeli
architects Arieh and Eldar Sharon. In October 1962, they submitted their plans
for the building of the new campus celebrated by many as the ‘largest campus in
Africa and the most beautiful campus South of the Sahara and north of the River
Limpopo’. Work did not start until early 1965. The Ife campus was the first
Nigerian university to be established based on the recommendations of an
all-Nigerian committee.
Trouble started when the architects swung into action. They wanted to
incorporate some features that would reflect the local culture and tradition,
and this included a concrete replica of the famed Opa Oranmiyan. The shocked
Israeli architects were blasted and the idea was rejected as some felt it was
nothing but a way to smuggle a phallic representation of the decadent ‘West’.
7. THE STAFF
AND POLITICS: In 2005, a sociopolitical group
called Oranmiyan was established and this was to be the platform that launched
the governorship bid for Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State. This is an example of
politicians taking advantage of the legendary status of the obelisk in Yoruba
history to advance their own causes.
8. PROTECTION: The person in charge of the monument in Ile Ife today is called the
Akogun of Ife, Akogun meaning the ‘Brave Warrior’.
9. RECORD BREAKER: Standing
at 18 feet, the Opa Oranmiyan is believed to be the tallest obelisk of its type
in all of sub-Saharan Africa.
10. RITUALS:
Following the death of Oranmiyan, it was the tradition of the warriors of
Yorubaland to go to the Oranmiyan Staff before going to battle to offer
sacrifices so they could be victorious in wars and their countless conflicts
with neighbouring kingdoms.
11. THE STONE BOXES: In
the past, stone boxes with lids were placed at the foot of the Opa Oranmiyan.
These stone boxes were used as containers for kolanuts and other traditional
offering items.
12. MORE MYSTERIES:
The Opa Oranmiyan could have been standing in that position for thousands of
years but there is still a lot not known about it. Some archaeologists believe
that the Opa Oranmiyan and other granite monoliths must have been constructed
in a quarry by the percussion and pecking method with iron tools (iron is also
believed to have been used to drill holes for the insertion of the iron nails)
but no one really knows precisely. Standing erect and confidently pointing to
the stars, only time will tell when the Opa Oranmiyan will reveal all its
secrets to a curious world.
As culled by Abiyamo's Blog
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