Ekiti people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~ 3,706,010 (2011) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
Ekiti State - 2,801,200 · Ekiti: 63,200 · Oke Ero: 66,190 | |
| Religion | |
|
Primarily: Christianity Also: Yoruba religion · Islam |
The Ekiti are one of the largest historical subgroups of the larger Yoruba people of West Africa. They are classified as a Central Yoruba group, alongside the Ijesha, Igbomina, Yagba and Ifes. Ekiti State is populated exclusively by Ekiti people, however, it is but a segment of historical territorial domain of Ekiti speaking groups. The name Ekiti is a derivation of an earlier term Okiti which means "Hilly" in Yoruba, as characterized by the generally hilly terrain of the areas the Ekiti inhabit.
Geography
The Ekiti cover an area of 8,557 km², and are culturally bound by the Igbomina to the North, the Ijeshas to the West (The traditional Ekiti-Ijesha cultural boundary is at Ipetu-Ijesha). The Ondos are located to the Southwest, the Owos to the Southeast, and the Akokos, Yagbas and Ijumus to the Northeast. Ekiti country is generally an upland zone, with elevations being generally above 450m throughout. Around Akure, elevations drop to around 360m. It lies on an area underlain by metamorphic rock, and is generally an undulating country with a characteristic landscape that consists of old plains broken by steep-sided outcrops that may occur singularly or in groups or ridges. Such outcrops can be seen in places at Aramoko, Efon-Alaaye, Ikere-Ekiti, Igbara-odo and Okemesi-Ekiti among others. Rugged hills dot the landscape, notable among which are the Olosunta hills of Ikere-Ekiti in the south, Effon ridge which runs longitudinally around Efon Alaaye on the western boundary, and Ado Hills in the centre. The topography was perhaps the single strongest reason why the Ekitis never became a single unit politically. The area enjoys a tropical climate with two distinct seasons. These are the rainy season which lasts from (April–October) and the dry season which commences in late November and ends in March. Temperature ranges between 21° and 28 °C with high humidity. In the South, the vegetation is primarily Tropical hardwood forest, while a mixed / derived type savannah can be observed in the northern peripheries.
History
Ekiti as a nation within the Yoruba race had her progeny in Oduduwa, Just like every other major sub-ethnic division in Yorubaland. However, unlike the more centralized kingdoms and city-states to the West , the Ekitis traditionally lived in smaller less politically centralized kingdoms that were largely independent of one another, although they traded together, and the ruling families of the various kingdoms were involved in dynastic marriages. Even though The Oore of Otun Ekiti, a town to the north of the Ekiti cultural area was traditionally considered the most senior of Ekiti Kings, those of Akure, Ado and Ikere presided over the largest towns, and Akure was the Ekiti town with the closest links to Benin.
Until more recently, the area never centralized into a singular political unit. The pre-eminence of Oore among Yoruba and Ekiti Obas was demonstrated by the peace treaty signed between the old Oyo and Benin empires in the town, which the Oba of Benin entered into with the Alaafin of Oyo. Under this treaty, the Oba of Benin would have Ekiti, Ondo, Edo and other parts of his traditional areas of influence as part of Benin zone of influence / domain, and would be free of Oyo territorial incursions, while the Alaafin of Oyo would have the Western and Northern Yoruba territories, including parts of the non-Yoruba speaking neighbours like the Nupe, Ibariba and Aja in Dahomey(Now Benin).[1] Samuel Rowe the then Governor of Gold Coast Colony documented some useful hints concerning the pre-eminence of Oore of Otun on May 29, 1883, when He said in his own words:
-Ekiti Parapo is a name given to the confederation of "Efon tribes" There are said to be 132 kings among them. The principal of these kings is one Oray (Oore)-.
Due to a controversy between the Northern Government and the administration of Major Tucker, the territories of Otun, Obo, Ishan, Aiyede and Ikole were carved out of the South and then merged with the territories of Northern Nigeria. Subsequently, and following the readjustment of the boundary between the Ekiti (Southern) and Kabba (Northern) divisions in 1909, Ishan, Aiyede and Ikole returned to the Ekiti division while Otun, Obo and others remained in the North, under Ilorin division. In the period of Owore's absence in Ekiti land, the idea of Ekiti council of Obas became moribund. No meeting of the council held throughout the period due to lack of acceptable leadership among all the Obas. Leadership naturally fell to the Ewi of Ado who in fact represented the Ekiti Obas at the conference of Yoruba Obas held at Ibadan in 1939. Following the return of Otun town to the Ekiti Division in 1936, the council of Ekiti Obas was re-introduced in form of Pelupelu from "Pe Olu" i.e "The calling of Lords", and Oore was again made the president. In the biography of H.R.H Oba Aladesanmi, the then Ewi of Ado Ekiti, he said:
I am in the third position in Ekiti Division Council of Traditional Rulers which has Ajero of Ijero Ekiti as the second. The senior one, Oore of Otun has his district transferred to Ilorin Emirate Council which was later returned to Ekiti division of Ondo province after much agitation from the people to the government
However, as Ado and Akure became administrative centres of the more modern era, and correspondingly began to grow in size and status, the pre-eminence of the Oore's throne continually waned. After 1854, Akure and other Ekiti towns came under the rule of Ibadan, and many settlements were destroyed. This lasted until a rebellion in 1876 followed by a prolonged war between the Yoruba states.[2] in which the Ekitis combined forces with the Ijeshas and some Akoko towns as Ekiti Parapo, to resist Ibadan rule, led by Fabunmi Oke-Imesi and Ogedengbe of Ijeshaland.
Towards the end of the 19th century the British based on their Lagos Colony had established a protectorate over the area, although they ruled through "native" administrations. The British sought to combine the Ekiti kingdoms of the region into a single administrative unit, against resistance by the Ekiti people who preferred local autonomy. In 1899 Ekiti and Ilesha formed the northeastern division of the protectorate. In 1915, Ekiti, Owo and Ondo were combined to form the Ondo Province with headquarters at Akure.[3] Ondo Province later became part of Western State. In 1976 the old Ondo State was formed, and in 1996 Ekiti State was split off from the modern Ondo State, which has Akure as its capital.
Dialect
The Ekitis speak a distinct Yoruba dialect also known as Ekiti. Despite its comparatively large geographical spread, it remains relatively uniform within the areas where it is spoken. The dialect generally transients into Ijesha speech towards the west beyond the Effon ridge, and into Igbomina in the north and northwest towards the town of Omu Aran, both of which still fall within the Central Yoruba Continuum. Towards the northeast, as one departs the town of Ikole and Omuo the dialect gradually fades into Yagba and Ijumu types respectively.