Ila, Nigeria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ìlá Òràngún, (or Ila) is an ancient city in Nigeria that was capital of an ancient city-state of the same name in the Igbomina area of Yorubaland in southwestern Nigeria. Ìlá Òràngún is the more populous sister-city (and sister-kingdom) of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún located about 7.5 miles (12 km) to the northeast.

Before the division into two independent kingdoms several centuries ago, the twin kingdoms Ìlá Òràngún and Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún constituted the unified single kingdom founded at Ìlá Yàrà by Oduduwa's fourth son, named Fagbamila and nicknamed Òràngún. A dispute (said to be a succession dispute in one account, or a relocation site dispute by another account) centering around two brother-princes (Àpàkíìmò, the older and Arutu Oluokun, the younger) and their supporters, led to a spilt of the Ila-Yara kingdom and the emigration of both factions from the Ila-Yara site.

The younger prince's faction founded Ila-Magbon but moved within a short time to Ila-Odo which is the modern Ìlá Òràngún. The older prince's faction founded Igbohun, which (after successive temporary relocations), is the modern Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún.

The people of Ìlá Òràngún speak the distinctive dialect of the Yoruba language called Igbomina (or Ogbonna).

The oldest profession of the indegen of this town is Palm wine tapping. The profession is referenced in one of the most popular songs and proverbs in the town of Ila. The proverb "Ila o loogun, emu loogun Ila", means "Ila has no special medicine for any ailment apart from palmwine."

The folk song "Ila ni mi, ise mi o le/ti mo ba wa loorun ope bi ofusia ni i ri" is translated into English as "I am a citizen of Ila, my profession is very easy; if I am on top of a palm tree, I feel like I am upstairs in a multi-storey building."