Ondo Kingdom
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~ 1,044,400 (2011) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
Ondo State - 1,044,400 · Ondo West: 335,620 · Ile Oluji-Oke igbo: 199,690 · Odigbo: 269,880 · Idanre: 150,800 |
|
| Religion | |
| Christianity · Yoruba religion |
| Ondo Kingdom | |||||
|
|||||
| Capital | Ondo City | ||||
| Languages | Yorùbá (Ondo dialect) | ||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||
| History | |||||
| • | Founding of the Ondo Kingdom | c.1510 | |||
| • | Extension of British power over Ondo Kingdom | 1899 | |||
Ondo State - 1,044,400
The Ondo Kingdom is a traditional state that traces its origins back for over 500 years, with capital in Ondo City, Ondo State, Nigeria. The kingdom survived during and after the colonial period, but with a largely symbolic role. The ruler as of 2010 was Oba Adesimbo Victor Kiladejo, the 44th Osemawe, or traditional ruler.
The Ondo people are one of the largest subgroups of the Yoruba people. There are three different origin stories of the Ondo kingdom. Firstly,the tradition of Ondo town which is highly celebrated to this day claims that Ondo was founded by a wife of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba who had migrated from Mecca to Ile-Ife. Oduduwa's wife, Pupupu, gave birth to twins, which were regarded as unlucky and resulted in her exile with her twins. She moved southward until she came to the current location of Ondo City. Pupupu became the first ruler of the Ondo Kingdom in the 16th century and her descendants wear the crown today. Historian Samuel Johnson accounts a similar story but that Pupupu was the wife of Ajaka, the grandson of Oduduwa. A final origin myth contends that Ondo was founded by people from the Kingdom of Benin during the reign of Ozolua.
A military coup removed Pupupu in power and appointed her son, Aiho (or Airo in some versions) as the ruler. Aiho established the basic political structure for the Ondo state linked largely to his royal lineage and built the royal palace The royal lineage revolves largely around four different houses, each founded by one of Aiho's sons (although one house died out because of a lack of male heirs). From these different lineages, an Osemawe, or primary monarch for the Ondo kingdom, is selected. The current Osemawe is Oba (Dr.) Victor Adesimbo Ademefun Kiladejo and in 2010 the Kingdom celebrated its 500th anniversary.
...
Wikipedia