ERE IBEJI! OSAA IBEJI!! EWA AND EKURU IBEJI!!!

OSA IBEJI

Ejire ara isokun

Edunjobi oba omo

Wini wini oloju orogun

Ejiworo loju iya e

Obe kiji be keje

O so ile alakisa

Doni igba aso…

I was at home sometimes ago when my grand Mother starts to eulogise my cousins who were twins and immediately, I prayed silently to God to bless me with twins. Immediately, my uncle was tongue-tied when I asked him about the history of twins and the cultural practises surrounding them.

If statistics were taken in every family compound, we would find out that at least a twin is present in every household. That is just to tell the reader that you are a relative to a twin. What do youOSA IBEJI really know about the history of twin in Yoruba land? You would probably tell me about the story of Mary Slessor who stop the killing of twins. That is actually too bad and you would be the very first person who will eat the Beans and Ekuru- a beans product that looks like moi-moi but have no pepper, salt nor oil in it but stew prepared separately to eat it.

Let’s give ourselves an eye- opener about the history of twins in yourba land and the practises that surround it. In the ancient times, anyone who gave birth to twins would be expelled from the town and the twins will have to be killed. Just like the yourba proverb, ojojo se iwofa wa lo gbe se de, to ba je omo- olowo ni wan i koroju fa ta senu which translate thus; if the slave is sick, they would say he has started again but if the children of the affluent get sick, the would pamper them. That was what happened exactly when one of the direct descendants of Oduduwa, a female gave birth to twins and Oduduwa told her to live Ile-ife and any-where she goes, she should tell them she is Oduduwa’s daughter.

She left Ile-ife at night walking through the bush until she gets to another settlement where she did as she was instructed by her father. She was warmly received by the people of the settlement and she nursed by babies until one morning when one of the twins stopped breathing, from this incident the settlement that is now one of the productive towns in Ondo State got her name- ILE-OLUJI meaning the land that olu (a special child) slept and didn’t wake.   A message was sent back to Oduduwa that one of the twins has gave up the ghost. It came like a shock to him and this led to the Abolishment of the killings of twins in Yoruba Land.

I have given you taste from the sweet soup prepared to the Ekuru ibeji. Why not join me next week to know more about the twins. Why are they regarded as god, why do we have Ere Ibeji, why do they give you ekuru and ewa and you eat? All these and many more…

Have a great week ahead

Fe3+home-call 

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