Interpreting the Ifè ‘Prima Facie’ with the (Òbà-) Ìgbómìnà Autochthonous Traditions
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Date
2016-06
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Arewa House—Centre for Historical Documentation and Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna, Nigeria.
Abstract
Demystifying the ‘prima facie’ of the Ifè legend with the antiquity of (Òbà-) Ìgbómìnà autochthonous traditions is the thrust of this paper. After all, it was once generally accepted that the earth was flat until it was refuted as spherical; and that popular 'prima facie', hence invalidated. In a similar comparative analysis, Egypt for long remained uncontended as the Cradle of Man’s Civilization. However, that age-long reference to Egypt as the Cradle of Civilization later became contended and/or paralleled by that of Mesopotamia. The bid to demystifying the apparently popularised ‘prima facie’ of Ife and possibly reconciling it with plausibility provides the drive for this study. The researcher has employed a multi-cum-inter and trans-disciplinary approach, which includes some autochthonous evolutionary mythologies in Ìgbómìnà, inferences from Biblical Accounts, reports of archaeological studies in (Ọ̀bà-) Ìgbómìnà, as well as historical hypotheses, to divert attention to Ìgbómìnàland as the likely actual Cradle of Mankind. The study, therefore, concludes that the real Cradle of Man may be traceable to Ọ̀bà-Ìgbómìnà. In the alternative, however, both the Ife and Ọ̀bà traditions may be reconciled in a way; that man evolved in both or more areas and dispersed to populate the earth therefrom; rather than Ile-Ife alone, as popularly acclaimed. At least three reasons may be advanced, here, for carrying out a research: generating new knowledge, confirming knowledge of what is already known; and updating knowledge. This study has been advanced with the three in view; but at least if only to cause a ripple in the titanic ocean of knowledge.
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Keywords
Oba-Igbomina, 'Prima facie'
Citation
Aboyeji, A. J. (2016): Interpreting the Ifè ‘Prima Facie’ with the (Òbà-) Ìgbómìnà Autochthonous Traditions. Arewa House Journal (AHJ), Vol. 4 No. 4, June, 2016, 26-46. Published by Arewa House—Centre for Historical Documentation and Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna, Nigeria.