Usen people
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Ode Usen, also known as Ufe kekere and Ode Awure is the name of a small town in Edo state, Nigeria. It also doubles as the name of a Yoruba subgroup consisting of culturally related villages situated between Ofosu in the west and Ogbese in the east.[1] Usen is surrounded on all sides by smaller villages and farmsteads known in the local Yoruba dialect as Egunre. some of the villages under the authority of Usen include; Arere, Oladaro, Arekpa, Ogunweyin, Ogidigbo, Ilorin (Ulorin), Ukankan, Ajegunle, Obomen, Aghakpo, Leleji, Ofaran, Okeodo, Adeyanba.[2] These villages were all founded by people from Usen and speak the same dialect of the Yoruba language. There are also other communities that speak the same dialect of the Yoruba language as Usen, but are not within its political auspices such as Igue Ogho between Ekiadolo and Usen.[3]
Geography
Usen territory is situated in the northwestern portions of southern Edo state in the geographical Southwest of Nigeria[4] and is bound by the Ofosu river in the west, forming the local boundary with Idanre local government of Ondo state while the Ala and Ogbese tributaries of the Osse river are situated along its eastern flank forming another local boundary with the Okeluse and Ute area in Ose local government area of Ondo state. The Aden river runs through the middle of the territory. The area covers approximately 416 km² of land and lies almost equidistant (halfway) between Akure and Benin at 59 km southeast of the former and 55 km northwest of the latter as the crow flies. The natural vegetation of the land is tropical rain forest and the area is surrounded by dense woodland comprising the southern portion of the Akure Ofosu Forest Reserve. The town had a population of around 30,000 people in 2008.[5]
Sights
Some notable sights and geographic features in the town and its environs include:
- Erede stream
- Olu Awure's palace
- Esu Olofen
- Eseje festival
- Omomi waterfalls
- Odu waterfalls
History
Ode Awure originated as a farmstead founded around the 10th century C.E by some indigenes of Ufe (Ile Ife) led by one Oyebo, however, the first crowned ruler of Usen was prince Afelogiyan a brother to prince Oranmiyan, the founder and progenitor of the current dynasty of Edo kings.[6] They were both progeny to the Olofen in Ife (Uhe) who were both on their way to the present day Benin. The site of the original farmstead from which Usen sprung is situated in the present Odomukpe quarters of town. Folk oral tradition has it that during one of his hunting expeditions into the surrounding forest, he discovered a stream/river which he named Eri Ode (i.e Hunter's stream). This stream is today believed to possess some mythical properties and is one of the most revered deities of the people belonging to the usen cultural community today.[7]
In the political structure of the Benin region, the ambassador province was under the authority of the Olu Awure (Elawure) and was considered to be the conduit region for correspondence between the Yoruba and Benin kingdoms.[8]
In the year 1897, Major Roupell, a British officer in Benin wrote; "The country is entirely Yoruba in its customs, Yoruba is everywhere spoken"[9]
Traditional institutions
The usen community is ruled by Oba Oluogbe II, the Olu Awure (Elawure) of Usen, the seat of power is the Aghofen or royal palace.[10] The king is assisted by a council of hereditary (and appointed) chiefs like the Aro, the Olusoyen, the Obateru, the Elemo/Elema, the Odofin, the Eribo, the Ologbosere, Asoron Oba (Eson), the Olulemo, the Arase, the Osuma, the Asamo/Asama, the Asoron-ogwa (Ashorongwa or Oshorun), the Ojomo and their leader the Oliha amongst others. The current Olu Awure is said to be the 33rd Oba of Ode Awure in memory. Major deities venerated in the town include: Ogun, Ora, Sango, Uja, Uwen, Ifa (Oronmila), Erede (Eri Ode), Osanyin (Orhanyin) amongst others. The principal seat/shrine/grove of the state deities of Benin, otherwise known as Ebo n'Edo is actually situated in Usen and overseen by the Oligho who is chief priest.[11]
The Osolo (Eholor) is the high priest of Oluwa Ogun and was one of the titles conferred on some of the major personalties that were in the same journey with Oranmiyan and Afelogiyan from ife; The Oliha and Ine, The Odofin (Edohen) who is the second ranking Awo right after the Oluwo with the Ojomo (Ezomo), The Aro (Ero) who is the third ranking awo after the Oluwo and the Odofin with the Elemo (Elama), The Osolo and Olotun (Oloton), were also replicated from the Ife institutions and conferred there at Usen. As a result, all the original titles of the highest ranking Benin chiefs that continued on the expedition with prince Oranmiyan to Benin are exactly mirrored in Usen. Others included; The Asoron (Eson) and The Asamo (Esama). Irado (Erando), the founder of Utese,[12] and the Arujale Ojima of Okeluse amongst others were personages who were known to have later subsequently migrated away from Ode Awure (Usen)
The Jegun reigning dynasty of kings in Ode Idepe (Okitipupa) among the Ikale Yoruba group also migrated from Usen, as explicitly expoused in the praise panegyrics of the Okitipupa people which reads:[13]
- Oma Jegun a beyan meji, Onoja ke he'e waro - We are the descendants of Jegun
- Oma Onoja ti a ka gbe uwen le - The children of the town folks that constructed a stand for uwen
- Je eruku maa ku uwen ara - So that dust would not gather on the uwen deity
- Oluwen r'uwen - The priest of Uwen must carry uwen
- Ogbori r'uwen egungun - The uninitiated (ogbori) who carries it would join the eegun
- Ji irere ti ule uba bi ene ni Ode Usoyen - The house of the father that birthed us is at Ode Usen
- Oma Jegunyomi Abejoye - The children of Jegunyomi Abejoye
- Oge fifun ye se Oba Usen - The with robed Oba of Usen
Usen can thus be aptly described as a secondary point of migration for many of the various surrounding towns, including; Okitipupa, Utese, Okeluse etc
The Yeye Erede is the high priestess of the Eri Ode stream.
Oba Afelogiyan was the first ruler while Oba Alakaye was the tenth. The current ruler, Oba Oluogbe II was preceded by Oba Ufeluyi II and before him by Oba Agbaramuda II (Agbaramuda Oron). The heir Apparent crown princes in the Usen kingdom possess and are known by the title: Oronmija
List of rulers of the Usen Kingdom
| Part of a series on |
| Yorùbá people |
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The list of past Obas of Usen was largely compiled by H. F. Marshall (Sir Hugo), who was the British assistant district officer based in the Benin Division, who did extensive ethnological work in the surrounding region. He visited the Aghofen (palace) of Usen in the 1930s and got some oral accounts of names that could be remembered. His work was published under the title; Intelligence report on Usen district, Benin division, Benin province, 1939. It is one of the oldest dynasties in Edo state.
Beginning of The Afelogiyan dynasty
- Oba Obamoroyetufe - 6th
- Oba Aranmari - 7th
- Oba Ajagbolu - 8th
- Oba Igben - 9th
- Oba Alakaye - 10th
- Oba Oluogbe I - 11th
- Oba Usenmero - 12th
- Oba Obara - 13th
- Oba Agbaramuda I - 14th
- Oba Arodolu - 15th
- Oba Ufeluyi I - 16th
- Oba Ogborogboro - 17th
- Oba Olibara (Omode Uwenlarere) - 18th
- Oba Lukpekpeghe - 19th
- Oba Akeriha - 20th
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oba Olujoti | 21st Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Oba Ajibulu | 22nd Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Oba Olurokpo I | 23rd Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Oba Ugbolumaja | 24th Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Oba Olugun | 25th Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
Oba Ooduamufe
| 26th Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Oba Olugbiyelokun | 27th Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Oba Oburomusen | 28th Olu Awure. | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Arisoyen Osasheyi | Regent | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
| Oba Olurokpo II | 30th Olu Awure | House of Afelogiyan | ||||
Oba Agbaramuda II
| 31st Olu Awure. Born to Osasheyi. Was considered too young to rule when his father died, so his uncles Arisoyen and Akinsola fought themselves to rule as regents. The denizens supported Arisoyen who ruled for some years. | House of Afelogiyan |  | |||
Oba Ufeluyi II
| b.1921 | 7 December 1974 Ode Awure | 32nd Olu Awure. Son of Agbaramuda II and Tomola a daughter of the Eribo family of Usen. Became oba at the age of 53. | House of Afelogiyan |  | |
| Oba Oluogbe II | 1 February 2007 Ode Awure | ___ | 33rd and current reigning Olu Awure | House of Afelogiyan |  |
Festivals
Common cultural festivals in Usen include the Erede festival, Udasu (New Yam) festival, Eseje festival.
Dialect
The usen speech is a dialect of the Yoruba language, sharing around 69.3% cognacy with standard Yoruba based on a wordlist produced by Ibadan residents. However, it shares a significantly higher degree of similarity with the south eastern Yoruba (SEY) dialectal grouping, exhibiting the highest degree of similarity at more than 80% cognacy with the Ikale dialect, as well as with the Ifon (ose) dialect. 78% with Ogho (Owo), 75% with Ondo, 74% with Ilaje and Ikare Akoko, 70% with Ijebu and Ao.[14] It was found to be mutually intelligible with the Yoruba language based on analytical methods utilizing lexicostatistics and data based field research. It is thus classified within the southeastern dialects of the Yoruba language.
Majority of the natives of the central town of Usen are bilingual in both Usen and Edo
Institutions and facilities
Usen community is host to the following educational institutions of learning:
- Atamabale primary school
- Adeyanba primary school
- Osasheyi primary school
- Elawure grammar school
- Edo State Polytechnic, Usen is a tertiary educational institution. It was previously known as Edo State Institute of Technology & Management (ESITM) Usen. Founded in 2002, the current rector is Professor Abiodun Falodun.[15]
References
- ^ "The ambivalent sounds in Usen" (PDF). Ikhimwin, Gladys Ameze PhD, University of Benin, Nigeria. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Usen: Origin, Culture and Development. Arbor: Ambik Press. 2002. p. 31. ISBN 978-978-35712-1-1. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ ODIGIE, EMOKPAE (2015). WHEN REASONING IS ON VACATION. [Place of publication not identified]: STRATEGIC Book Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 9781631351914.
- ^ Ogwu, Matthew (July 2017). "Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used for traditional reproductive care by Usen people of Edo State, Nigeria". Malaya Journal of Biosciences: 3. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Icheji, Udoh, Anyanwu, Ndimele, Imelda, Lawrence, Ogbonna, Ozo-Mekuri (2014). Critical issues in the study of linguistics, languages & literatures in Nigeria : a Festschrift for Conrad Max Benedict Brann. Muenchen. p. 589. ISBN 9783862884599. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Blackmun, Barbara W. (1988). "From Trader to Priest in Two Hundred Years: The Transformation of a Foreign Figure on Benin Ivories". Art Journal. 47 (2): 132. doi:10.2307/777066. ISSN 0004-3249. JSTOR 777066. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "The people of Ode Awure". Usen Development Foundation – Chicago, USA – Medical Aid, Social Services, Educational Assistance and Scholarships - The People Of ODE AWURE (USEN). Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ Dennett, Richard Edward (1906). At the Back of the Black Man's Mind: Or, Notes on the Kingly Office in West Africa. Macmillan. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-524-03365-4. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "Exploring the Potential of Praise Poems for Historical Reconstruction among the Idepe-Ikale in Southeastern Yorubaland, Pg. 85". Olukoya Ogen, Cambridge University Press. JSTOR 23470999. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Edward Omoruyi conferred with the title; Uhe Obi Oba of Usen community". Independent Television (ITV) Benin. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "The Art of Fasting: Benin's Ague Ceremony". Cleveland State University, Kathy Curnow 1997. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ Usen : origin, culture and development. Benin City, Nigeria: Ambik Press. 2002. p. 86. ISBN 9789783571211. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Ogen, Olukoya (2012). "Exploring the Potential of Praise Poems for Historical Reconstruction among the Idepe-Ikale in Southeastern Yorubaland pg.85". History in Africa: 77–96. JSTOR 23470999. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "The Linguistic Status of Usen". Ameze FOgbeifun; Oye Taiwo Journal of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria, JOLAN, Volume 22 No 2 (2019) pp. 248 - 263. JSTOR 23470999. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ Nigeria, Media (2018-02-06). "Polytechnics In Nigeria With State & Location". Media Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
Category:Populated places in Edo State Category:Yoruba history Category:Yoruba subgroups Category:Populated places established in the 10th century