Ooni’s Aare crown and its historical significance

AN oba’s crown represents the highest level of authority vested in Yoruba traditional rulers, as the beaded embroidered crown is the foremost attribute of a Yoruba oba.

An oba’s crown may also be referred to as an Adenla, or great crown. Adenla is an elaborate palm-like headdress, like the crown, but features a heavily-beaded veil that covers the face.

In his article on this topic, Robert F. Thompson writes: “The crown incarnates the intuition of royal ancestral force, the revelation of great moral insight in the person of the king and the glitter of aesthetic.”

After being installed as leader, a Yoruba oba must not reveal his face to the public. Instead, he wears an Ade or Adenla.

There are several crowns, including the one called Orikogbofo, which reflects the personal taste of the king, among many others.

For the Ooni of Ife, there are different crowns available to him, but the most important and sacred is the Aare crown, which a new Ooni must wear before being installed.

The sacred Aare crown is the only physical symbol of authority that the Ooni inherited from his ancestors. It is believed to have been made from several items, such as cutlass, hoe and 149 other undisclosed objects.

The Ifa oral tradition reveals that the Aare crown is very heavy and it is believed that the Ooni is spiritually empowered to wear it during the Olojo festival; the crown is too heavy for him to bear on any other day.

Historically, it is known that there is a strong relationship between the sacred Aare crown and the Ogun deity, the god of iron, due to the crown’s iron component. The crown must be brought before the Ogun deity at the Okemogun shrine during the annual Olojo festival celebration in Ile Ife.

According to Ifa oral tradition, corroborated by a chief priest of the Aare crown, the crown is believed to attract people to itself when the Ooni wears it.

During the Olojo festival, people often troop out to behold the crown and on sighting it, they offer prayers because the presence of the sacred crown symbolises peace, unity, blessing and prosperity.

History dictates that the reigning Ooni must not look inside the crown because any attempt to do so would result in him joining his ancestors. It is believed that when the Ooni puts on the mysterious crown, he is instantly transfigured into his true nature, Orisa (deity) whose visage has been said to become too dreadful to behold.

The crown serves as traditional legacy from one reigning king to another and this particular sacred Aare crown was the inheritance of the Ooni from his progenitor, Oduduwa.

All other reigning kings in Yorubaland have their distinctive crowns assigned for social functions; but none of them possesses the powers of the Aare crown. The Aare crown is very unique and symbolic in the sense that its components are spiritually inclined.

The sacred Aare crown is kept in a separate room in the palace under the watchful eyes of the high priest of the crown, while sacrifices are offered on a regular basis as tradition calls for it.

Therefore, the Aare crown serves different purposes, among which are cultural, spiritual and social purposes.

• Egbewole is of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Oyo, Oyo State.