ALAGBA, THE WORLD OLDEST TORTOISE

-

Tourism is not complete in Oyo State without a reference to Alagba – a giant male land tortoise believed to have lived in the palace of the king of Ogbomoso for 324 years. EMMANUEL
The primeval town of Ogbomoso, the second largest city in Oyo State, has an ancient resident – a giant male land tortoise, which is acclaimed to have lived in the palace of the Soun (the king) of Ogbomosoland for 324 years.
In deference to its age, it is called Alagba, which means ”the elderly one” in Yoruba. And, in Ogbomoso, where the legendary tortoise lumbers about in the palatial grounds of the king, it is almost a sacrilege to refer to Alagba as a mere tortoise.
Since Alagba is believed to be older than everyone in Ogbomoso, permutations about its true age relies heavily on oral history. Its present age was arrived at by situating it with the period of the Soun who reigned then. Alagba was allegedly brought to the palace by Soun Ikumoyede Ajao, the third Soun of Ogbomoso, who is believed to have been born sometime in the late 16th century and who reigned in the 17th.
Mr. Ajamu Oluwatoyin, the secretary of the current Soun says dating of the kingship of Ogbomoso was started by the elite in 1797 during the reign of Oba Toyeje Akanni (1797 to 1825), the fourth Soun and one time Are Ona Kakanfo (the Yoruba Nation Generalissimo).
Since it was customary in those days to transfer the property and all palace belongings to the new monarch, Alagba had allegedly remained in the palace till date.
According to IBKay’s blog on the Internet, the reigning Oba Oladunni Oyewunmi, Ajangungbade III, the 20th Soun, who has been reigning since 1974, confirmed that he knew the tortoise while he was a child-prince.
Mr. Adeniyi Alabi, Kakaki Oba (the oba’s praise singer) and Mr. Adeyanju Areo, who used to carry the umbrella that shields the oba from the sun, also carry out the oba’s instructions to take care of Alagba. They say the animal drinks water once in two weeks and that when it does, it finishes a 25-litre bucket.
Alagba is said to eat everything that human beings eat but likes pawpaw particularly. It is said to detest heat and plays a lot in the rainy season. Alabi and Areo put Alagba’s weight at approximately 100kg since, according to them, its weight is equivalent to two bags of cement and it requires four men to lift it up.
”No matter how heavy you are, Alagba will carry you on its back and be moving about,” Areo says and adds that the incumbent oba, who cares so much about the well-being of Alagba, was the one that stopped people from climbing the back of the animal as the animal was getting old.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History of Bartering age

-
Image
The history of bartering dates all the way back to 6000 BC. Introduced by Mesopotamia tribes, bartering was adopted by Phoenicians. Phoenicians bartered goods to those located in various other cities across oceans. Babylonian's also developed an improved bartering system. Goods were exchanged for food, tea, weapons, and spices. At times, human skulls were used as well. Salt was another popular item exchanged. Salt was so valuable that Roman soldiers' salaries were paid with it. In the Middle Ages, Europeans traveled around the globe to barter crafts and furs in exchange for silks and perfumes. Colonial Americans exchanged musket balls, deer skins, and wheat. When money was invented, bartering did not end, it become more organized. Due to lack of money, bartering became popular in the 1930s during the Great Depression. It was used to obtain food and various other services. It was done through groups or between people who acted similar to banks. If any items ...
Read more

Aso oke fabric: From Head to Toe Yoruba Beautiful attires

-
Image
Aso oke fabric , (Yoruba: Așǫ oke, pronounced   ah-SHAW-okay ) is a hand-loomed cloth woven by the   Yoruba people   of west   Africa .   Aso oke  means "top cloth" in the   English language , denoting cloth of high status.   Usually woven by men, the fabric is used to make men's gowns, called   Agbada , women's   wrappers , called iro, and men's hats, called   fila . Aso oke  is from the Yoruba culture in  Ondo ,  Oyo ,  Ogun ,  Ekiti ,  Lagos , and  Osun States  in southwestern Nigeria and  Ajase  in southeastern  Benin Republic The way of making the cloth has remained the same for centuries, however new techniques and production methods have been looked into to eliminate the weight and thickness of the Aso oke cloth, and to make it more accessible for casual wear. Types of aso oke Edit Other ways that designers have made this old traditional cloth be...
Read more

ODO OGUN: THE HUMAN RIVER OF SAKI

-
Image
Saki was once a Yoruba refugee settlement after the destruction in 1835 of old Oyo.  Ogun (god of Iron) was from this town. Traditionally, the work of inhabitants in the olden days of Saki were hunting, farming, blacksmith, goldsmith and clay pot mouldering  According to Omoba Olawuyi Maranroola, one of the princes in the royal family of Iji-ojiele, Iganran area of Saki town who made it known that in the ancient time, the first king that reigned in Saki was Akebekun meaning someone that shouts like tiger. He was a powerful king that married two wives. There was also a powerful woman who lived in Saki at this time whose name was Omujelewu, Ekunsumi meaning her breast was so big to the extent of falling out of her clothing. This prevented men from approaching her for marriage. Her parents tried all what they could do to get her problem solved, they tried all what they could, going from one herbalist to another but to no avail. Not until her father’s friend took her to an he...
Read more