Olori, otherwise appearing as Oloorì, is a

title of honour A title of honor or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits. Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed d ...

within the chieftaincy system of the Yorubas of

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

. It is typically translated from the

Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-languag ...

as either queen consort or, more correctly,

princess consort Princess consort is an official title or an informal designation that is normally accorded to the wife of a sovereign prince. The title may be used for the wife of a king if the more usual designation of queen consort is not used. More informal ...

Usage

Olori is traditionally part of a longer aristocratic title, such as "Olorì Ọba" (lit. ''Princess Consort to the King'', a popular title whose usage has led to Olori's common - though historically incorrect - adoption among the Yorubas as the loose equivalent of the English term for a queen consort) or "Olorì Ọmọba" (lit. ''Princess Consort to the Prince'', although this latter title can also - depending on intonation - otherwise connote the ranking prince in a Yoruba kingdom). In

polygamous Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is marrie ...

families, an Olorì that is the recognized

senior wife Great Wife, otherwise appearing in West Africa as Senior Wife, is an honorific applied to contemporary royal and aristocratic consorts in states throughout modern Africa (e.g., Mantfombi Dlamini of eSwatini, who once served as the chief consort of ...

due to her marriage to the king or prince being the earliest one to be contracted is typically ascribed the attribute of the "Olorì Agba" (lit. ''Senior Princess Consort''). A king's Olori Agba is sometimes given a proper chieftaincy title instead however, usually that of the "Ìyáàfin" (lit. ''Mother of the Palace''), although this title can also alternatively be given to the principal member of the body of

dowager A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a " dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles. In popular usage, the noun ...

s that the king nominally inherits from his predecessors upon his succession in some kingdoms.

Women who bear or once bore the title

* Charlotte Obasa *

Efunroye Tinubu Efunroye Tinubu ( 1810 – 1887), born Ẹfúnpọ̀róyè Ọ̀ṣuntinúbú, was a powerful Yoruba female aristocrat, merchant, and slave trader in pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria. She was a politically and economically influential figure in ...

Jessica Oyelowo Jessica Oyelowo (née Watson; born 1978) is a British actress and singer. Early life She was born Jessica Watson in Ipswich and spent her childhood in Suffolk, England. She attended Woodbridge School as a child and was a member of the National ...

Kofoworola Ademola Oloori Kofoworola "Kofo" Aina Ademola, Lady Ademola MBE, MFR, OFR ( née Moore; 21 May 1913 – 15 May 2002) was a Nigerian educationist who was the president of the National Council of Women Societies in Nigeria and was the head of the women ...

Mo'Cheddah Modupe-Oreoluwa Oyeyemi Ola (born October 16, 1990), known by her stage name Mo'Cheddah (sometimes stylized as Mocheeda or Mocheddah), is a Nigerian rapper and singer. She released her debut studio album, ''Franchise Celebrity'' (2010), while signe ...

Oronsen Queen Oronsen is an orisha from Yoruba mythology The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collect ...

* Simi

References

{{Reflist Royal consorts Yoruba history Nigerian traditional rulers Yoruba royal titles

Usage

Women who bear or once bore the title

See also

References