Public Group
This group features the total existence and usefulness of royalty in Africa. Kings and Queens in Africa are symbols and keepers of the customs and traditions of the African culture.
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In Yoruba culture of South-western Nigeria, the Ooni of Ife is the spiritual head and the traditional ruler of Ile Ife. The Ooni dynasty existed long before Oduduwa which dates back to the 7th to 9th centuries AD. The Ooni of Ife is seen as the direct descendant of Oduduwa. The Yorubas have their primary source of history through Oral tradition, the oral tradition of the Ooni of Ife indicates that there was once a female who became the Ooni of Ife land.
She was Ooni Luwoo, the 21st Ooni of Ife and the Supreme traditional ruler of Ile Ife. She succeeded to the throne after the reign of Ooni Giesi, and after her reign was Ooni Lumobi.
Ooni Luwoo was also referred to as Luwo Gbagida. She was the descendant of Otaataa from Owode compound in Okerewe. Stories reveal that she was married to Chief Obaloran of Ilode, and birthed Adekola Telu the originator of Iwo town.
Ooni Luwoo was the first and only female to be crowned as Ooni in the origin of Ile Ife, the Southwestern part of Nigeria today. She succeeded to the throne after the demise of Ooni Giesi. She was such a beauty who took pride in her physical appearance and her surroundings and because of this, she made both men and women of Ife keep on their toes to make the whole town beautiful and serene.
As she did not like to walk with her feet on the bare soil, she commissioned the unique Yoruba custom of constructing decorative pavements and open-air courtyards lined with pottery shreds, which she did in every town she visited. It was also used as punishment for anyone who committed an offence, as the streets of Ile Ife were paved with quartz pebbles and broken pottery.
Those who faulted were also commanded to bake the clay, and then use their bare hands to break it into pieces, later on, the broken pieces were laid on the floor for her to walk on. She was most feared especially by men because she was known to dislike lazy men who flaunted orders and was a nightmare to slackers. During her reign, there were no discrepancies between slaves and children, as everyone was treated on equal levels.
Ooni Luwo was seen as uncontrollable and high-handed and because of that, after her reign ended, the elders and councils of Obas had a meeting and swore never to make a woman the Ooni of Ife again.
Even after she was given all sorts of negative names by the council of chiefs, Ooni Luwoo still assisted her son Adekola Tolu to create the city of Iwo, who later became the first Oluwo of Iwo.
