The word 'Iyale' is positioned between two conceptually related meanings in Igala ethnographic thought, language and literature. The word 'Iyale' when broken down has prefix and suffix, impliedly as; IYA and ALE. It was juxtaposed through etymological standard and consideration upon it's discovery. The two phrases as IYA and ALE connoted to the rare and brave men and women of super courage, madeup of the varying classes of people of common origin within the following demography; The grades of Hunters, Indomitable warriors with grave acts and hearts of isolence and rudeness, The Powerful Mythologists, The Cobweby Ifa Priests, Blacksmiths, Tree planters, Ancestry worshippers/ experts, Rich Land Discoverers, Best Medicinemen or Trado Experts, Mountain Observers, World Observers, Crafty Men and Women, Fairytales users and 'Spiriticists'. These people have later metamorphosed into substratum; traceable to large royal Igala families. They formed the Chiefdom of Iyale that had passed through higher degree of transformation in terms of emergence of Kingship within the four (4) clans.
These people were good at wandering into unfamiliar and uknown locations as the positivists' spirits behind them have directed during the days and nights with massive, intimidating and undecimated capabilities through powerful and mundane intelligence gathering system facilitated through the use of Ifa Ebutu and Ifa Anwa as was then known and employed. They have prosecuted many wars and acquired many slaves (Adu), Onoji (Eunuchs) and have gotten other charms through Marabauts during neonatal periods mainly to ward off evil forces thereby generating general cultural practices leading to attainment of emancipation from evils for their own people via the efficacy of those processes. Iyale has been transformed into a multicultural society; allowing not only worship of Ògbeehià at Etutekpe where all the Onuh of Iyale must pass through during the Royal Investitures after the passage of Aidoko-Anya with the observance of different libations and incantations before embracing of Ogede by the Onuh of Iyale as the traditional reprsentative of Iyale Royal Ancestors before descending of the new Onuh of Iyale, Ogede and the people who had come to honour the installation of the new king towards Iyale after visiting another god of the land in Ate-Ojuwo. The reunion between Onu of Iyale and the Ogede marked the end of sighting of the Masqurade or incarnate being by the new king and until death, From that day on, the Onuh of Iyale and the Ogede will never see each other again as forbiden by the tradition. The next time Ogede would appear again is during the burial and funeral ceremony of all our kings and during the Ogo Festival without been seen by the Onuh of Iyale. Iyale also has other gods domesticated by sub families and held by their posterior and anterior scions as Òkachoja, Òda, Anwunedu owned by Achimugu, Odanwa and the later day godlike Akwuchi that used Ichabolo botanically called 'Aframomum Daniellii'. These Powerful Men and Women then have trodden the land at different places of Igala kingdom before their current abode due to their bravery and effrontery in soul travels, wars intrigues, reincarnation precision of natals' gods discovery and the subdueing of wild animals around Ate-Ojuwo through charmy mysterious intelligence during the grazing of wild animals to the upland. They had lived on a farmland later called 'Oko Agiriki' enroute to Iyale from Iyale Ogbo in Ejule in the present day Ejule in Ofu LGA and have approached the valley where they met a dreadful thick forest then mainly through Agudoko Iyale route while on a hunting expedition and in search of water. They were faithless as free thinkers but had tripartite ordering of divine beings; all superseding the position and role of ordinary man in their pantheon. This do not imply that Iyale and/or Igala people as polytheistic society. The fact of the hierarchy already suggest that in their cultural practices, there is an ultimate being, who is at apex of the hierarchy of the supreme being who is Omnipotent; Ukpahiu, Ochamachala, Ufedo (Love), Ejumomi (Merciful) called Ojo Odoba Ogagwu before the advent of Islam and Christianity.
Another meaning of Iyale jokingly told through oral tradition portrayed it; as a place where some persons who had come to view plays, were disappointed because; before they could come, the play was over, leading to a statement as: Iya as play has finished 'IYA LE'.
Iyale people have never been conquered by all invaders or landgrabbers from time immemorial but have served many purposes of being safety camp witnessed during violent conflict situations and had been the longest serving tradomedical centre.
The word "Iyale" was coined from 'Ama' as a collective pronoun for these princely Hunters or Medicine-men or a proper pronoun as 'Iya'. These people especially their frontly protagonists discovered the "ALE" during their arrival at night time in this area that was filled with different wild animals that were made manifest through the appearance of the moon. These incident brought statements during interactions as "AMA YALE DE" meaning those who saw or discover the sky or "IBO KUMA YALE DE". This feat made them to be specially treated people after the discovery. A central character or apical head among all these Princely characters, first saw this sky as witnessed by the rest of them; ONWU YALE, AMA YALE AND ICHE YALE respectively during their resting time discussions. Through the sensu stricto as verbera literatum, it was finally resulted in the word called "IYALE".
Iyale in all ethnographic literature and comparative studies is a domain with an unchanging culture and traditions like Idah. Iyale is about 104 kilometres north-east of Idah. These same aborigines of Iyale have settled at Iyale Ogbo. The band-like moving people have everything or characters in their possessions on all their habitual sojourns or transits made by them. They had supersonic brainpowers and had named places visited during hunting expeditions like Ukpoya-Onu beside Community Secondary School Iyale during the era of kingship as a place to curtailing the infidelity or shortcomings of the Onu's wife as seen or witnessed lately. They also named Aji-eko or Ajeko after a stream which has typified as another symbolic powerful Earth Shrine with its custodian at Ate-Iyale by Ofanugba. The stream then was known to be festered by Leopard (Eko). This place has posed women with awful difficulties by preventing them from accessing the water therein for their own use. These animals had the potency to preying or killing their victims. These powerful people were the harbingers of all our subsequent generations that had brought forward all our known fore-bearers as; Adogbo, Obicha, Gbogbotika, Onoja-Gboguma, Akpoto-Wulu, Adehi Omojefu-Oma Ogula, Obaka, Atuluku Chegba, Adojo Ekpe Chenwu Mabo, Atumeyi, Egwu, Edino, Unenwa, Onoko-Ijame, Ame-Jigbe, Akpa Omajinwa, Odaudu, Otiyeke, Iyaji Egwu, Adojoh, Ochimana, Adaji Udade, Sabo Echu Baba Johnson and many others.
Iyale is the only unique settlement from the olden time till today that is surrounded by many offsprings of Ayegba Oma-Idoko like; Akwu Enede (Ologba), Negedu Awochi Oma Amocheje (Efoko Ajigbegu), Agomere (Agbagacha), Ocheji (Ikpakpala), Odoma Okwu ( Onukpo). Oki (Etutekpe). Iyale doubtlessly is one of the oldest settlement in Igala kingdom. It's cultural heritage has remained same or unthwarted for long. We have several emigrants living amongst us like Agatu, Hausa Bebeji, Akono Hausa. Other people of Ogbidu or Ogbaidu from Ukwaja in Idah LGA have passed through our land and settled at Ukwaja after Ogane-Uge just after Ate Uge. These people have tried to use war to decimate these Medicine-men of Iyale warriors but were resisted, retreated, subdued and conquered as their own subjects. These people after these war of attrition had formed new settlements and have resettled before, during 1940s and till today.
Iyale is one of the most oldest Settlements in Igala kingdom whose cultural heritage has remained immutable due to the geriatric agility of motley of gods pervading or doting her land; viz Òke-Kwu, Adaa'la, Òdejò-Adòkuta-Nedo, òdanwa, Ajekò as undying gods founded on hills and valley, above all the Erane as the super mother of all the earthen gods in Iyale. This Erane shrine had usually attracted circumambulation of this revered incarnate being known as Ogede which by ethnographic and necromantic standing was a product of trade by barter, that transpired between kingly deceased forerunner of our culture and the Idah Supreme Traditional Authority that ended Iyale ownership of Agbanabo discovered by Enyimokpa as obtained by Obaje Amana-Ede that resulted in Erane Iyale Earth Shrine at Ate-Iyale. It was the symbol of traditional authority till today.
The attempt at given Iyale known as an agelong enclave of kingship and cultural influence by breaking it's nominalisation as 'Iyale' into Iyali and Ogo, where the former is Family in Hausa and Ogo as valley is a wrong verdict of history which by all standard is unacceptable, callous and derisive.
Iyale and its people have remained an unconquered settlement and it's people were not subjected into slavery.
The Hausa definition of Iyale is an unrealistic illusory disposition as was further captured by Uncle Capt Ali Akpa Omajinwa in his submission thus: ''Thank you very much our dentist and historian of immense value, importance and status. I encouraged my son who read history and international studies to write his project on : Ogo Iyale Festival. I took him to Iyale and we encountered elders ( about 20 ) for days before going back. The Queen Amina dimension was never mentioned by anyone. Rev Fr Fidelis Egbunu , in his book, " Chieftaincy titles in Igalaland.......the Amina axis was knocked out. Coming from Ejule angle is highly corroborated but not by Agwudu Oko and Pride or Ate Iyale. You are a colossus and very enigmatic especially about your origin. I cherish your write up so much. But like Arome opined earlier, primary sources and data are indispensable in history. I'm happy for you and Iyale. Will like us to chart a way forward for History of Iyale in the nearest future. God bless you and all of us in service to our homeland."
Only Iyale have gods e.g, Adaa'la, Okekwu, Odejo Adokuta Nedo and others located on the hills and others like Erane,Agwifi Agwodo of Okwugbede Clan
Ajeko, Odanwa situated at different places in the valley.
Her hills have been for varying traditional Medical practices;
1. Ate-Ojuwo as tradomedical heritage of Ubenelo and AKPA-Okpanwu. This hill herboured; Oguja and Odejo Adokuta Nedo. Many people have visited this place seeking remedy for their ailments. Some have returned to their homes at end of the treatments and some have stayed there forever.
2. Uge: Ate Uge and Ogane Uge, the Ate-Uge clime with another powerful shrine usually visited by it's adherents at the wee time of the night and during day time where the mostly dreadful snake is seen after the gods have been appeased during sacrifices.
3. We have another one in Etutekpe called ÒGBEEHIA usually visited by coronated Onu Iyale after the passage of the kingship designate through the Aidoko-Anya.
4. Okekwu is on the hill at Agwudoko. This cylindrical hollowed portion there in Iyale never allow water into it, no matter water torrent during rainfall. There is a direct repercussion, if one forces water into it or as is the case of urination into it. One has done this type of a thing before and was befallen by fate.
Iyale is an agelong tradomedical environment; it's justified as follows; the aclaimed worshipper and protagonist of Aljennu called, Akpa Osani lived and treated all his patients. He had turned some of his female patients into wives. Aji Baba Idacha in Ogane Iyale was reputed for Anti snake venom and treatments and has been so till this moment.
The people of Iyale have moved to Amobia and Okolobia in the modern day Anambra state. We are in Udanebi-Omi and Ugbokolubo in Abocho, Biraidu in Dekina LGA. The Orhobo and many tribes have lived among Iyale people for years. Many families had relocated to Iyale from Ikpakpala, Onukpo, Idah, Oduh Ate and other places respectively.
Finally, Iyale as a Chiefdom had acquired slaves and other relevant heritage worthy of her heritage. Many medicine-men from Iyale were at different times consulted by different Attah of Igala. Our people were described as demigods and spiriticists because of their precisions in Ifa mythology and other areas.
“It is essential for ordinary people to be well-informed of historical truths and not to succumb to mere lies masqueraded as the truth.” - Odaudu Wada Isah,
This article was written by Odaudu Wada Isah,
From Lokoja, Kogi State on 15th December, 2021; 8:46am.
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