CULTURE AND TOURISM PROMOTER, SOMI AJAYI TRACES HISTORY OF ‘EGUNGUN EDE’ AND FIRST MASQUERADE IN AKURE
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CULTURE AND TOURISM PROMOTER, SOMI AJAYI TRACES HISTORY OF ‘EGUNGUN EDE’ AND FIRST MASQUERADE IN AKURE
Chief Elemure Ogunyemi, in one of his epic records of the ’80s, asked…
“Ibo l’ule Ede”, and the chorus was, “ooo ljan, Ijan o”
One would think it was just a mere song not knowing he was actually saying the truth. EGUNGUN EDE originated from Ijan,
The ifa divination that brought about EGUNGUN was Eji Ede. The current Head of Ijan, Chief Gbenga Adeniyi cite the ifa lines thus…
Eji Ede awo egungun
Ti omode ba ti gbe egun, nise l’aye re ma n gun
Ilu ti won ba ti gbe ede, se lo ma n de won l’orun…
Egungun (masquerade) is one of the deities that are believed to bring peace to the society because they’re known for offering prayers for peace and usually they come out for a purpose. It might be for making sacrifices to combat certain epidemic, to bring development and make other good things to happen.
Ede came to Akure from IJAN in Ekiti State. The original source was Ise-Ekiti. It left Ise for Ijan. After leaving Ijan it settled at Igbo Ogun, eseayo in Iju. It left Iju and moved to Isinigbo.
The first bearer of Egungun was a woman. When she got to Isinigbo she got married to an Isinigbo man. She moved into the man’s house with her masquerade and hid it somewhere in the house. Her husband noticed this, he called her and asked, what it was she was hiding from him. She denied hiding anything from him.
One day when she left home, her husband searched the house for what he suspected his wife had been hiding from him and he found a sack. Upon opening it, he found what was frightening. It was something he had never seen before. He pondered on what this strange item could be. What he saw was a masquerade regalia that was designed exactly in a woman’s image. Upon her arrival, the husband confronted her with his discovery. She responded with tears and told her husband it was a masquerade and its name was “AGBODOGI”. This made Agbodogi to be the first masquerade. She was in tears because her husband had seen this secret and feared being exposed. Instead of what she thought, her husband pacified her and promised not to tell anyone about the secret. He also promised her he would be the bearer and make it popular more than her expectations. He told her it wouldn’t remain with them in the same house but instead its house would be built outside. The house was built faraway from the house. This was the reason why we have “Igbo Egun” today. It turned to a blessing for the inhabitants of the land where the igbo Egun was built and they began to witness prosperity. They therefore requested that they should replicate it for them and that was the beginning of its spread.
According to Alakogbo Ijan who is also the Oloyin of Akure, Ifadamilare, there were three egungun that came from above and they were all called Egun oni mariwo pako. They were ogun, orunmila and uja because they were children of the same mother, according to ifa. The Egun onimariwo (palm leaf) is peculiar to Akure and Ekiti alone.
Whenever Egun comes out, it always attracts followers. There is an ifa divination which has proclaim this and it’s “edise”. Therefore, in every community where masquerade comes out, there’s usually a large followership. This is believed to signify abundance. They believe it attracts good fortune in abundance.
The first Ede that entered Akure was “Iku atoripaja” that came from Isinigbo. It was also called orun Isinigbo. The Oloti Olomoyiye family bears it in Akure. Olebete was the first bearer of this masquerade into Akure. It usually comes out every 40 years then. There was the possibility that a bearer will not do it twice. At a time, it was reduced to 16 years interval. It was later changed to every 9 years. The last time it came out was about 30 years ago. It was named Iku atoripaja because any dog that’s on its route would automatically drop dead on their own. This is why it is called “Iku atori paja orun Isinigbo”. Isinigbo was its source.
There is another one called “Apojo ninu urere”. Urere is also called ado (gourd). Its power lies in this urere. It could command this ado to bring forth rain. It was invited to Akure at a time when rain ceased for many years. The masquerade made the necessary rituals and it rained in Akure and people were happy. It got “erinla” as compensation from the Deji. As powerful as the masquerade was, it slaughtered this animal with just a stick of broom.
There are many masquerades in Akure but the big one is Agbodogi which never see face to face with Ede masquerade or any other. Another is Egun jagunjagun and it is usually used during war. I’ve never seen it in my life
NB
For their roles in compiling this report, special thanks go to the members of Ijan Modu Alagada-Ogun Omeme, Akure South, North and Ifedore, whose officers are listed below:
1. Chairman Chief Gbenga Adeniyi Olori Ijan
2. Vice Ogbe Oda No Case Olowere
3. Secretary – Olusola Cookers
4. Alakogbo Ijan Fadamilare the Oloyin of Akure
5. PRO-Seun Oloju Edun
6. Oli Sunday Ajegun-Police
Ijan Modu Alagada-Ogun
Alaya bi Oke
Alaya bi Ekun
SOMI AJAYI
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