Alafin of Oyo

Historical Background

To understand the role and place of the Alafin, one must appreciate the fact that the Yoruba are an ancient people who presently live in southwest Nigeria, but whose mythology claims a legacy from East Africa. Their history is long, and there are oral traditions that trace the origin of the [Page 34]people to the Nile Valley. One historian has written that the precise origin of the Yoruba is ancient Egypt. In many respects, the great body of customs and rituals of the Yoruba reflects their religious beliefs that are contained in a system called Ifa.

This system of Ifa is a philosophical corpus related to the myths of origin, ethical ideas, and cosmological understandings. Contained in 256 odus, the Ifa can be used by a babalawo to give insight into the ethical decisions that one makes in ordinary life. This system is responsible for keeping moral, cultural, and political order among Yoruba. No Alafin of Oyo rules without adherence to the traditions of Ifa.

In the tradition of Yoruba people, two leaders emerged as the principals of the society: the Oni of Ife and the Alafin of Oyo. Ife became identified with the spiritual and ethical life of the people and reflected in many ways the Yoruba's belief in the presence of cosmological influences on the life of the people. Thus, the Oni of Ife is usually referred to as the spiritual leader of the Yoruba nation. In contrast, the Alafin of Oyo was centered in the political capital of the kingdom and enshrined the notion that the nation could not exist on spirit alone.

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