THE ACTUAL HOME OF ORUNMILA: SAYING IT AS IT IS.

By Solagbade Popoola,
President of International Council For Ifa .
A lot has been said and written in recent time on this question: where is the actual home of
Orunmila, Ile Ife or Ado Ekiti? It is sad that even those who knows the truth chose to be
economical with the truth. They decided to twist the truth to suit them, sometimes in
ridiculous ways. It became clear that on this subject, to some, the truth is an unwanted
commodity. The trend now is to join the bandwagon of those who do not want the truth to be
said. People join this group to avoid being attacked and branded with various uncharitable
names. They either keep quiet and allow these falsehood mongers to have their ways or to
support their lies. They had done it so brutally that other innocent people are now beginning
to feel that falsehood is truth and truth is falsehood. But the truth must be said. The truth
cannot be suppressed for too long. That is why I have decided to write the truth. I know that
if I say the truth, I will be condemned. If I refuse to say the truth, I will be condemned. I have
chosen to speak the truth and be condemned on the path of the truth.
The truth is this: Ife, be it Ife Oodaye, Ife Ooyelagbo, Ife Akelubebe, or Ile Ife was the source
of human existence. That site was where all the 801 Irunmole responsible for making our
planet earth habitable for the habitation of all living beings landed when they were given this
assignment by Olodumare. All the Irunmole, without exception, made Ife their operational
base. They worked there and from there achieved the assignment given to them by
Olodumare. They also ensured that all living beings, human and non human lived on earth
without problem. When Olodumare changed the creation process to procreation when
human and non human beings began to multiply through sexual intercourse as against
creation process, all the Irunmole were in Ife.
But the story did NOT end there. Ifa explained that even though these Irunmole stayed in Ife
at that period, most of them did not achieve their individual identities until they moved out of
Ife to settle in other parts of the world. They were able to achieve their individual destinies in
the various parts that they moved to and they made those places their PERMANENT homes.
There is no argument about this at all. In a stanza in Eji Ogbe, Ifa says:
Odu yi gbirigbiri ja'na pa poo
Dia fun gbogbo okookanlenu Irunmole
Won n lo ree gba'bo ni'le Olofin
Ebo ni won ni ki won waa se
Dia fun Ori
Ori n lo ree gba'bo ni'le Olofin
Ebo ni won ni ki won waa se
Ori nikan ni n be leyin ti n tu'bo
Odu yi gbirigbiri ja'na pa poo
Dia fun okookanlenu Irunmole
Won n lo ree ba Ori j'ija agba l'Otu Ife
Dia fun Ori

Ti n lo ree j'ija agba l'Otu Ife

Ebo ni won ni ko waa se
Ori nikan ni n be leyin ti n tu'bo
Ori lo wa da Ogun si Ire
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da mi si yii
Ibi ire ni
Ori lo da Sango s'ode Itile
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da mi si yii
Ibi ire ni
Ori lo da Osun s'ode Igede
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da mi si yii
Ibi ire ni
Ori lo da Orunmila s'Oke Igeti
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da mi si yii
Ibi ire ni
Ori lo da Obatala s'ode Iranje
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da mi si yii
Ibi ire ni
Ori lo da Orisa Oko s'de Irawo Agba
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da mi si yii
Ibi ire ni
Ori lo da Esu Odara s'ode Ijelu
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da mi si yii
Ibi ire ni........
Translation
The giant pot rolled across the road and broke into pieces
Ifa's message for the 401 Irunmole
When going to Olofin's house on Ifa's mission
They were advised to offer ebo
The same message was given for Ori
When going to Olofin's house on Ifa's mission
They were all advised to offer ebo
Only Ori complied
Odu yi gbirigbiri ja'na pa poo

Ifa's message for the 401 Irunmole

When going to challenge Ori in a fight for supremacy
The same message was given for Ori
When going on a fight for supremacy
They were advised to offer ebo
Only Ori complied
Ori was the one who threw and settled Ogun at Ire Ekiti
Ori is better than them all
Where Ori has settled me
It is a comfortable place for me
Ori threw and settled Sango at Itile land
Ori is better than them all
Where Ori has settled me
Is a comfortable place for me
Ori threw and settled Osun in Igede land
Ori is better than them all
Where Ori has settled me
Is a comfortable place for me
Ori threw and settled Orunmila in Oke Igeti (Igeti Hill)
Ori is better than them all
Where Ori has settled me
Is a comfortable place for me
Ori threw and settled Obatala in Iranje land
Ori is better than them all
Where Ori has settled me
Is a comfortable place for me
Ori threw and settled Orisa Oko at Irawo land
Ori is better than them all
Where Ori has settled me
Is a comfortable place for me
Ori threw and settled Esu Odara in Ijelu land
Ori is better than them all
Where Ori has settled me
Is a comfortable place for me......
In this same stanza, Ifa concludes that:
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Eni Ori da
Ko se e f'ara we
Ori lo mo'ja ju won
Ibi Ori da'ni si la a gbe
Ori lo mo'ja ju won

Translation
Ori is superior to them all
Whoever Ori throws and settles
Cannot be successfully emulated
Wherever Ori throws and settles one
That is where one is expected to stay and live.
Nobody contests the fact that Ire is the home of Ogun. Neither does anyone contest Igede
as the home of Osun. Or Itile as the home of Sango. Or Ijelu as the home of Esu Odara. Or
Irawo land as the home of Orisa Oko. The list is long and continuous. It is only now that the
International Council For Ifa Religion decide to celebrate this year's Annual World Ifa
Pilgrimage and Festival at Ado Ekiti that this controversy began. In this stanza above, ifa
says that Orunmila was thrown and settled at Oke Igeti. The next sensible question now is:
where is Oke Igeti, Ife or Ado Ekiti? I say it without fear of any contradiction that Oke Igeti is
in Ado Ekiti. Oke Igeti is a HILL. The hill is in Ado Ekiti. The Hill in Ife is Oke Itase. Oke Itase
is the abode of Obaluaye. When Oduduwa invited Orunmila to come back to Ife to be his
personal doctor, he stayed with Obaluaye who was his personal friend and whose abode
was close to the home of Oduduwa. The facts are there for everyone to see. The site being
called Oke Igeti in Ife is NOT a Hill. This fact is also there for all to see.
Part of the pet names of Orunmila is "Ope teere ereke Ado" meaning "The slender palm tree
on the Hill of Ado". He is also known as "Olota Ile Ado" meaning "the holder of Olota title in
Ado land". The Olota Hill is still at Ado Ekiti for all to see.
Since this Eji Ogbe stanza says that where Ori threw and settled all the Irunmole were more
comfortable for them, let us compare the life of Orunmila at Ife and Ado Ekiti in order to see
which one was more comfortable.
In Ife, Orunmila was never more than a Babalawo, even though he was the Babalawo of the
high and the mighty. In Ado Ekiti, he became the Olota of Ado Ekiti and later became the Ewi
of Ado Ekiti, the Oba of the land. That was why one of his praise names is "Ewi ni'le Ado"
meaning the holder of Ewi title in Ado Ekiti". Not only this, at least eight of his children also
became Obas in various parts of the known world at that time. These include Alara, Ajero,
Owarangun, Oloyemokun, Onitagi, Elejelu, Olowo and so on. The fact that most of
Orunmila's children became Oba when he was in Ado Ekiti was celebrated by him in a
stanza in Oyeku Meji where he declared that:
....Orunmila ni hun-hun-hun
Ori oun waa san oun nigba yii
Ki oun bi'mo meje
Ki mejeeje si j'Oba
Ako n d'ade
Oruru n da'ja
B'Oru eni ba san'ni
N la a da'ja ire.
Translation

...Orunmila declared that hun-hun-hun

Ori has rewarded him abundantly this time around
For him to give birth to seven children
For the seven children to become Oba
Ako tree is wearing a crown
And Oruru tree is establishing viable markets
It is when one's Ori rewards one abundantly
That one establish the market of all ire of life.
Also in Iwori Meji, Ifa mentions the names of Orunmila's children who later became Oba
while he was at Ado Ekiti. Some of the names are stated above. It is clear that Ado Ekiti was
more agreeable to Orunmila than Ife. The truth is there for anyone who cares to find to know.
One can see that in all Ifa stanzas where Ifa mentions the names of his children, the name of
the Ooni Alana kan Esuu is always placed in the fourth positions AFTER the names of three
children of Orunmila have been mentioned. These names are Alara, Ajero and Owarangun
Aga. The name of Ooni Alana Kan Esuu will then be mentioned. Check ALL Ifa stanzas
mentioning these names from Eji Ogbe to Ofun Ose. The truth is there for anyone who
seeks the truth to see.
What then is the position of Ife to all the Irunmole? Ife is lije an airport in modern times. All
those who arrive at an airport are not necessarily going to stay in the town where the airport
is located. Some of the passengers will take connecting flight to other airports. Those who
disembarked in the airport may move to other towns and cities not too far from where the
airport is located. That is the way life is. This does not diminish Ife as the source of human
and non human origin in any way whatsoever.
We are going to celebrate Orunmila at Oke Igeti and Oke Olota in Ado Ekiti on Saturday,
June 6, 2015. We will also celebrate Esu Odara at Ijelu Ekiti, Ogun at Ire Ekiti and Osun at
Igede Ekiti on Friday, June 5, 2015. We invite everyone to join us to perform this year's
Pilgrimage and Festival with us.