Historical background
The circumstances of the origin of Ondo kingdom and its people have been a subject of awe and discrepant views and reactions throughout history.1 Though there are about (but not limited to) three theories as regards the original source of Ondo and her indigenes,2 there is a dominant pattern. The founder and first ruler of Ondo Kingdom, a woman named “Pupupu,” was one of a pair of twins directly related to Oduduwa (the king who is widely represented as the Father of the Yoruba people).
Oduduwa, titled “Olofin Aye” and “olufe” of Ile-Ife,3 was believed to have hailed from Mecca (in the present-day Middle East). He was well known and recognized for his leadership and prowess. A great adventurer, he encountered several settlements on his way from Mecca, such as the Nile area in Egypt, and Benin. Eventually, he settled in Ile-Ife (in present-day Osun state of Nigeria)
Oduduwa successfully fathered lots of offspring, with some historical documents calculating them to be sixteen in number, many of whom eventually turned out to be enactors of other sub kingdoms/ethnic tribes of the Yoruba race. According to Ataiyero,4 the genuine names/titles of the documented children as regards their independently enacted kingdoms include:
1.Gbeje or Eleyo Ajori or Alafin of Oyo
2.Olu Benin or Oba of Benin
3.Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland
4.Obalufon
5.Elekole of Ikole
6.Ajero of Ijero
7.Oloye of Oye
8.Alaketu of Ketu or Alake
9.Orogun of Ila
10.Ore of Otun
11.Alare of Ara
12.Olowu of Owu
13.Olupopo
14.Awujale of Ijebu Ode
15.Olojudo of Ido
16.Oshemawe of Ondo
However, there are historical discrepancies in these names in scholarly works. Sometime around 1400–1500 (AD), when the traditional practice of the killing of twin children upon birth was still paramount, due to the belief that they were misfits, abnormal, and by implication diabolic, hence adjudged worthy only of death, Olu, one of the royal wives of the Oduduwa lineage (believed by some to be Oduduwa’s wife and others as a wife of his son Oladigbolu/Oluaso, the Alaafin of Oyo), gave birth to a set of twins (a female and a male) known as Pupupu and Orere respectively.5
This mysterious birth was quite a source of sorrow, concern, and conflict as the father, a monarch, was naturally expected, perhaps even required, to terminate the lives of the twins. The king is said to have dubbed the children “Ese Omo Re,” which roughly translates to an exclamatory statement meaning “these children are an abomination.6 (This name eventually, through linguistic and semantic variations over the years, became “Oshemawe”, the current title of king and paramount ruler of Ondo kingdom.) He then concocted a scheme for the twins, in a bid to save their lives, sending them on a surreptitious exile with the guidance of a strong herbalist/hunter and a trusted ally of his named Ija (“Uja” in Ondo dialect), and a generous retinue of servants and slave sojourners, along with a beaded royal crown, an Akoko tree branch, and some silverware to signify and communicate their royal status.7
A relevant fact to note was that the Alaafin of Oyo also digressed from the tradition of multi-tribal marks for Oyo indigenes; instead, he incised two long tribal marks, one on each cheek, on the faces of the twins.8 Consequently, this became the identification symbol for Ondo indigenes till the present. Thus, began the journey of the exiled twins, Pupupu and Orere, with their mother Olu and their escorts. As intended, the significant symbols signifying their royalty accorded them a notable degree of acceptance and respect upon their encounters with several settlement communities, towns, and people. In such encounters they were often surrendered to unconditionally upon identifying their royal status and before long they had amassed several territories, resources, and people.
One of the settlements encountered was Ijama, reflected in the oriki (cognomen) of Ondo, where they are referred to as “Ara Ijama.” Later they journeyed further to a relatively small town called Epe, seven miles from present-day Ondo city,9 where they stayed for several years before consulting the ifa oracle, as was the usual practice at such times, as regards their next point of action.
As directed by the oracle, they ventured further with a yam stake (Edo), and the divine instructions was to poke the yam stake into the soil as they progressed in their journey and were not to settle until they got to a point where the yam stake would not stick or sink into the soil. When they arrived at a farm area known in present-day Ondo as Oke Agunla,10 the yam stake refused to sink into the soil and the sojourners exclaimed “Edo du do,” which means “the stake would not sink.”11 This became the identifying name for the settlement and again semantic and linguistic dynamics over the years transformed the name to “Idi-edo,” later to “Uden-ndo” and then to “Ode-Ondo,” before evolving to Ondo, the capital city of Ondo Kingdom.12
However, the reign of Pupupu the female twin and the first oshemawe of Ondo Kingdom did not become institutionalized until she and her caravan got to Ifore community (near the present palace of the oshemawe), where they were accepted and submitted to by a man named Ekii, the leader of the settlement. Pupupu settled down to rule with a degree of authority equal to any male monarch. Before long, the Ondo Kingdom rose into prominence and trade and economic progress soon brought about the enactment of several other sub-communities such as; Igbindo, Igbado, Ilu-nla, Ajue, Odigbo, Igunshin, to mention but a few.
History has it, though, that Pupupu was the first and last female oshemawe of Ondo Kingdom, as several developments that ensued during her relatively peaceful reign as regards her natural feminine inclination towards domesticity in the light of serious state matters drove the kingmakers to declare it a taboo for any female to ever rule as the monarch of Ondo Kingdom. This tradition is still observed today as no member (male or otherwise) from the female lineage of the ruling families is allowed to ever ascend the throne.
The philosophy of communication in the pre-colonial era
The major fabric that links up society and fosters relationships is communication. Hambagda13 says that “we live in the world of communication.” It has been a major facilitator of human relationships and survival; in the pre-colonial era, economic, government/administrative, security, religious/customary sectors, and other facets of existence were hinged on the various modes of information dissemination.
Present-day society of the Ondo-Yoruba in South West Nigeria is still very dependent on communication in its diverse channels and forms. However, where knowledge gaps coupled with irregular timing proved a challenge in the pre-colonial era, technology, modernization, and globalization have filled those loopholes in communication and information dissemination in modern- day Ondo.
In the pre-colonial era, as a prerequisite for successful social integration, survival, harmony, and peace, several aspects of the society were cogently enmeshed into the institution of traditional government in Ondo Kingdom. Thus, it was naturally conceived as the responsibility of the monarch and the institution of (and retinue) of the three classes of chiefs to make up the traditional government. Such classes include the Eghaes, Ukules, and Elegbe chiefs, each saddled with various responsibilities for different sectors of the society and thus by implication required to communicate development about such sectors.
The traditional government system and hierarchical structure is comprised of the monarch (Oshemawe) and the Lisa who is the prime minister, second in command and the most senior member of the Eghae/Iwara-efa, i.e. six high chiefs, namely:
1.Lisa
2.Ojomu
3.Odunwo
4.Sasere
5.Adaja
6.Odofin14
These, alongside other lesser chiefs, have varying responsibilities of societal, economic, and traditional dimensions, alongside the Ayadi (chief priest/warlord) and the highest in the hierarchy of the lesser chiefs. These chiefs can be likened to modern-day ministers, with each one heading his or her section and by implication, responsible for gathering, compiling and disbursing of information/data on their respective institutions/offices. Thus, one cannot perform the function of another, and customary modes of communicating developments and information/news must be strictly adhered to, to avoid discrepancies, mix-ups, irregularities, and inconsistencies.
The value of communication in the pre-colonial Yoruba society cannot be overemphasized. The ...
