Ademiluyi Ajagun was the 48th

Ooni of Ife The Ooni of Ile-Ife (Ọọ̀ni of Ilè-Ifẹ̀) is the traditional ruler of Ile-Ife and the spiritual head of the Yoruba people. The Ooni dynasty existed before the reign of Oduduwa which historians have argued to have been between the 7th- ...

, a paramount traditional king of Ile-Ife, the ancestral home of the

Yorubas The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

. He was one of the most feared kings and was highly respected in Africa and around the world. He succeeded

Ooni Adekola Ooni Adekola was the 47th Ooni of Ife, a paramount traditional ruler of Ile Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorubas. He succeeded Ooni Adelekan Olubuse I and was succeeded by Ooni Ademiluyi Ajagun Ademiluyi Ajagun was the 48th Ooni of Ife, a paramoun ...

and was succeeded by Ooni

Adesoji Aderemi Oba Sir Titus Martins Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi (Atobatele I), alias Adesoji Aderemi, (15 November 1889 – 3 July 1980), was a Nigerian political figure and Yoruba traditional ruler as the Ooni (King) of Ife (or ''Ilé-Ifẹ̀'', as it is p ...

Early life

Adémilúyì, meaning "my crown is honorable," was born around the year 1860 to the Royal House of Lafogido, one of the 4 houses of the Ọ̀rànmíyàn dynasty, descended from

Oduduwa Oduduwa was a Yoruba divine king. According to tradition, he was the holder of the title of the ''Olofin'' of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba holy city. He ruled briefly in Ife, and also served as the progenitor of a number of independent royal dynastie ...

and Oranmiyan. He was also a descendant of the 31st Ọọni of Ìfẹ̀, Otutubíọ̀ṣun. He was born to Prince Adémákin and one of his wives, Òbítọ́lá. He was the second child of his parents, his siblings were Adésanyà, Jọláadépọ̀ (the only daughter), Adébọwálé, and Adéyẹyè.

Reign

Ooni Adémilúyì was a feared warrior, hunter and a skilled farmer. He routinely went on dangerous expeditions in Èkìtì country where he killed many animals such as lions, leopards, elephants, and antelope. Due to his fearlessness and many other outstanding qualities, he eventually became the 48th Ọọni of Ìfẹ̀. In order to establish Ìfẹ̀'s dominance as the ancient capital of the Yoruba people, Adémilúyì pursued a close relationship with British rule under

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

. He became the Head of Native Administration in 1912, while in 1916 the Native Court Ordinance made him the President. During his reign, he also welcomed German explorer

Leo Frobenius Leo Viktor Frobenius (29 June 1873 – 9 August 1938) was a German self-taught ethnologist and archaeologist and a major figure in German ethnography. Life He was born in Berlin as the son of a Prussian officer and died in Biganzolo, Lago ...

to Ìfẹ̀ where he did archaeological research. However sculptures from Ìfẹ̀ was stolen during this time, as it is highlighted by

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

in his 1986 Nobel Lecture. While Ooni Adémilúyì was a devout worshipper of the

Yoruba religion The Yoruba religion (Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), or Isese, comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Ogu ...

, he supported the expansion of religious institutions throughout Ìfẹ̀. There were legendary beliefs that Ooni Adémilúyì was fond of using mystical powers, changing and transforming into wild animals, usually to a leopard-ambushing and killing his opponents. In fact, it was established that whenever the natives caught the glimpse or saw a wild animal crossing, they normally concluded that Ooni Adémilúyì was passing by on a vicious mission.

Death and legacy

The king (''Ọba'') died on June 24, 1930, at about the age of 70. He was succeeded by

. Ọba Ademiluyi had over 47 wives and is said to have had a range of 70 to over 100 children. One of his male children was Prince Okero Ademiluyi, and one of his female children was Princess Adeyefa Adémilúyì from one of his wives Dekunbi. Ọba Ademiluyi also has a great-grandson Ifedayo-Emmanuel Adeyefa-Olasupo, a British-born

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

scientist at the

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, fil ...

. In popular culture, the painting called the "African Mona Lisa," is said to depict a granddaughter of Ọba Ademiluyi.

References

{{Rulers of Ife Oonis of Ife Yoruba history