Aganju of Oyo was a
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 ...
emperor of the
Oyo state
Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the east by Osun ...
, in present-day
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. He was said to have been the fourth
Alaafin
Alaafin, or ''The Owner of the Palace'' in the Yoruba language, is the title of the emperor of the medieval Oyo empire and present-day Oyo town of West Africa. He ruled the old Oyo Empire which extended from the present day Benin republic to Ni ...
(traditional ruler) or old Oyo.
Legacy
Aganju is believed to have been responsible for monumental building around the seat of power, including 100 brass posts marking his authority. These posts figure in later histories but none are known to still survive. His reign was said to coincide with a flourishing of industry, including the introduction of leatherwork at Oyo. The Alaafin's palace's 'Kobi Aganju' or 'Courtyard/Porch of Aganju' is said to date from his reign and is named for him. The porch section, called the 'Oju Aganju', was at the entrance of the ancient, now ruined, palace, and was "waiting hall of chiefs during coronation and other activities."
Oral history
Oral histories of his period of rule were transcribed by the Rev.
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
, a Sierra Leone born clergyman who published his history as 'The History of the Yorubas' in 1921. In it he records Aganju as succeeding the historical
Shango
Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafin ...
through the ruler's brother and Aganju's father,
Ajaka
Ajaka was an Oyo emperor who was twice on the throne. His father was Oranyan or Oranmiyan and his brother, according to the historian Samuel Johnson, was Shango.
Life
Ajaka lived in a fierce and tumultuous age, but he was originally a man of a p ...
and was in turn succeeded by his wife
Iyayun. Johnson describes his reign as the first of the "historical" rulers, and a time of growth, Aganju's reign being "long and very prosperous." Aganju's bride was captured in war with a rival 'Aganju the Onisambo', and at the end of his reign, the Alaafin was said to have had his only son from a previous wife was killed for attempting to seduce Iyayun. Aganju was then said to have died, "overcome with grief." Iyayun's unborn child was meant to succeed Aganju, with the mother acting as regent. His son was named
Kori, and ascended the throne following the regency of his mother.
Oral histories also describe Aganju as being able to tame animals, including "venomous reptiles" and a leopard he kept in his palace.
Relation to spirit
Aganju
Aganju (known as Agayú or Aganyú in Spanish speaking counties) is an Orisha. He is syncretized with Saint Christopher in the Cuban religion known as Santería. In Yoruba language, aginjù (not Aganjú) means a wilderness, inhospitable habitat ...
Because he shares the name of the Yoruba deity of the same name,
Aganju
Aganju (known as Agayú or Aganyú in Spanish speaking counties) is an Orisha. He is syncretized with Saint Christopher in the Cuban religion known as Santería. In Yoruba language, aginjù (not Aganjú) means a wilderness, inhospitable habitat ...
, and because some oral histories say he was the origin of the deity, later historians have questioned his historicity or simply declared him 'mythical'.
[Agiri, Babatunde A. "Early Oyo history reconsidered." History in Africa 2 (1975): 1-16.
]
See also
*
List of rulers of the Yoruba state of Oyo
Oyo, Oyo State, is the seat of the line of the rulers of Oyo. Their territory, a constituent rump state, is located in contemporary Nigeria. Since the 1900 political absorption into Southern Nigeria of the kingdom that it once served as a metr ...
*
Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba language, ...
*
Yorubaland
Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 or about 60% of the land area of Ghana. Of this ...
*
History of the Yoruba people
The documented history begins when Oranyan came to rule the Oyo Empire, which became dominant in the early 17th century. The older traditions of the formerly dominant Ile-Ife kingdom are largely oral.
Before Oyo Empire
The history of the Yorub ...
References
*Johnson, Samuel
The history of the Yorubas: From the earliest times to the beginning of the British protectorate London, 1921.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aganju Of Oyo
Alaafins of Oyo
15th-century monarchs in Africa
Yoruba warriors
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
Nigerian traditional rulers
Yoruba monarchs