Ademiluyi Ajagun was the 48th

Ooni of Ife The Ooni of Ile-Ife (Ọọ̀ni of Ilè-Ifẹ̀) is the traditional ruler of Ifẹ, Ilé-Ifẹ̀. The Ooni dynasty existed before the reign of Oduduwa which historians have argued to have been between the 7th-9th centuries A.D. After the de ...

, a paramount traditional king of Ile-Ife, the ancestral home of the

Yorubas The Yoruba people ( ; , , ) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, which are collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outsid ...

. He was one of the most feared kings and was highly respected in Africa and around the world. He succeeded Ooni Adekola and was succeeded by Ooni

Adesoji Aderemi Oba (ruler), Oba Sir Titus Martins Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi (Atobatele I), alias Adesoji Aderemi (15 November 1889 – 3 July 1980), was a Nigerian Politician, political figure and Yoruba people, Yoruba traditional ruler as the Ooni (Monarch, K ...

Early life

Adémilúyì, meaning "my crown is honorable," was born around the year 1860 to the Royal House of Lafogido, one of the 4 houses of the Ọ̀rànmíyàn dynasty, descended from

Oduduwa Odùduwà (Ooduwa, Odudua or Oòdua) was a Yoruba divine king, a creator deity (orisha) in the Yoruba religion, and the legendary figure who ushered in the classical period that later led to the foundation of the Ife Empire. His earthly orig ...

and Oranmiyan. He was also a descendant of the 31st Ọọni of Ìfẹ̀, Otutubíọ̀ṣun. He was born to Prince Adémákin and one of his wives, Òbítọ́lá. He was the second child of his parents, his siblings were Adésanyà, Jọláadépọ̀ (the only daughter), Adébọwálé, and Adéyẹyè.

Reign

Ooni Adémilúyì was a feared warrior, hunter and a skilled farmer. He routinely went on dangerous expeditions in Èkìtì country where he killed many animals such as lions, leopards, elephants, and antelope. Due to his fearlessness and many other outstanding qualities, he eventually became the 48th Ọọni of Ìfẹ̀. In order to establish Ìfẹ̀'s dominance as the ancient capital of the Yoruba people, Adémilúyì pursued a close relationship with British rulers under the reign of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

. He became the Head of Native Administration in 1912, while in 1916 the Native Court Ordinance made him the President. During his reign, he also welcomed German ethnologist and archaeologist

Leo Frobenius Leo Viktor Frobenius (29 June 1873 – 9 August 1938) was a German self-taught ethnologist and archaeologist and a major figure in German ethnography. Life He was born in Berlin as the son of a Prussian officer and died in Biganzolo, Lago M ...

to Ìfẹ̀ where he did archaeological research and discovered the

Bronze Head from Ife The Bronze Head from Ife, or Ife Head, is one of eighteen copper alloy sculptures that were unearthed in 1938 at Ife in Nigeria, the religious and royal centre of the Yoruba people. It is believed to represent a king. It was probably made in t ...

. This sculpture, like many other works of art from Nigeria, was taken without the permission of the rightful owners and somehow ended up in the British Museum—an issue

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

pointed out in his 1986 Nobel Lecture. While Ooni Adémilúyì was a devout worshipper of the

Yoruba religion The Yorùbá religion (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in pres ...

, he supported the expansion of religious institutions throughout Ìfẹ̀. There were legendary beliefs that Ooni Adémilúyì was fond of using mystical powers, changing and transforming into wild animals, usually to a leopard-ambushing and killing his opponents. In fact, it was established that whenever the natives caught the glimpse or saw a wild animal crossing, they normally concluded that Ooni Adémilúyì was passing by on a vicious mission.

Death and legacy

The king (''Ọba'') died on June 24, 1930, at about the age of 70. He was succeeded by

. Ọba Ademiluyi had over 47 wives and is said to have had a range of 70 to over 100 children. One of his male children was Prince Okero Ademiluyi, and one of his female children was Princess Sijuade Adémilúyì from one of his wives Adefolawe. In popular culture, the painting called the "African Mona Lisa," is said to depict the niece of Ọba Ademiluyi - Princess Adetutu Ademiluyi. Among the most notable great grandchildren of the king is Ifedayo-Emmanuel Adeyefa-Olasupo, a British-born Yoruba

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

and the founder of Figbox, and Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, a Nigerian fashion entrepreneur who is also the 5th wife of the 51st

References

{{Rulers of Ife Oonis of Ife History of the Yoruba people