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| Ooni of Ife |
By Reno Omokri
The ‘Yoruba’ people are some of the most spiritual people on Earth, (if not the most spiritual bar none). Sadly, however, a lot of Yoruba people do not know that there is absolutely nothing like Yoruba as a people or as a language. Yoruba is a modern creation, from a mispronounced Fulani word. The term Yoruba did not exist before the 19th Century. Yoruba is just like the English language, which was created as a mixture of several Germanic languages, including German, Danish and Dutch, when a mishmash of Saxons came to Britain in the 4th Century and mixed in with the Angle tribe that was native to Britain. When Samuel Ajayi Crowther was captured by Fulani slave traders from his village of Osoogun in 1821 at the age of 12, he reported that he could neither speak or understand the language of the villages they passed through on the way to Lagos. These were villages in present day Ogun and Oyo. Google it yourself. Don’t take my word for it. At that time, there was Egba language, Ijebu language, Owu language, Awori language, Ijesha language, Ondo language, etc. So how did Yoruba come about? When the Portuguese entered Eko and changed the name to Lagos, it became a big trading post and attracted a variety of Edekiri peoples (Edekiri is the actual name for the group of languages now referred to as Yoruba). Gradually, they evolved a mixture of their various dialects and thus began the origins of the modern language now known as Yoruba. As Lagos grew in importance under the British, so did the new language grow in vocabulary and spread. But if you understand the pure root Edekiri language, you will be able to understand bits and pieces of all languages spoken from modern day Kwara, to Kogi, to Edo, to parts of Delta, and to the Southwest states, and to Benin Republic.
Now, in my present pilgrimage to Egypt, a land that was known as Kemet by the original Black inhabitants who were pushed deeper into Africa by wave after wave of invaders, my Egyptologist guide kept on mentioning names that would sound familiar to anyone who is aware of the pure Edekiri language, before it was diluted in Lagos. One of such names is Tiye, wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and daughter of Yuya and Tuya. Tiye was Black. This is undisputed in Egyptology. You ought to research this, or at least Google it. Her DNA was tested. But the interesting thing is that the root word of Tiye’s name and the name of her parents (Yuya and Tuya) is Iye or Iya, which is the pure Edekiri word for mother. Do you still doubt me? Okay. Let’s go deeper. Tiye’s son, who succeeded his father as Pharaoh was Smenkhkare. Google it. That is a pure Edekiri name that is still being used as a name amongst the Edo of Benin (also called Bini). You have such similar names as Nosakhare, Nehikhare being used till today. Another of Queen Tiye’s son’s name, who also became Pharaoh is Akenaten. This is also a root Edekiri name that is still being used in Benin till this very day. In fact, the Binis had a king (Oba) named Oba Akenzua. You will also notice a strong similarity between the ancient Egyptians and the Edekiri people-they did not write their history in words. They carved it, in wood, stone, and metal, using symbols.
Now, let’s talk about the pyramids of Egypt (which are in reality the Pyramids of Kemet). They were built 4600 years ago. By who? Google the Groundnut Pyramids of Nigeria. They were built entirely by native Hausa people. They were not built under the direction of the British. Native Hausas built them just like Black people once built the pyramids in Egypt. Do you know that there are pyramids in Nigeria? Google the Nsude Pyramids. These are pyramids built by people of Igbo origin for their god, Ala. it is not known exactly when these pyramids were built, only that they are prehistoric.
I am still in Egypt, and I have a lot more I could write. But I often hesitate, because when I write these things (especially if I don’t step them down), I end up frightening, or shocking too many people and that is not my intention. So, let me stop here and also encourage my readers to not only read, but even more importantly, do their own thorough independent and unbiased research, just like I have done. I will also encourage my readers to read my earlier work ‘The Ijebu, The Yoruba and Their Influence on The Bible and Judaism’.
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