HISTORY OF ERIN OSUN
Erin-Osun, one of the two (2) major
towns in Irepodun Local Government
Area of State of Osun, has so much
honour. It is a land of brave warriors
and believe so much in the tradition of “Justice and Equity”. This was evident
in the town's “Oriki” Erin moje omo
saaja- Not easily provoked and highly
principled on issues. Omo elewe
l'adogba -Abhors cheating and staunch
believer in principle of equality Erin Osun is in the Central Senatorial District of
State of Osun, sharing common
boundaries with Ilobu, in Irepodun Local
Government, Ifon-Osun in Orolu Local
Government Aro, Iloba, Egbedi and Ido-
Osun -all in all Egbedore Local Government Area.
The Beginning
Erin-Osun was founded in the 18th
Century on an open grassland by Oba
Oyagbodun Ayoka who was a great
warrior. During the war of hostilities led by Alimi the Jihadist which led to the fall
of Offa in the early 18th Century, Oba
Oyagbodun Ayoka went to Ajayi
Osungbekun, the then Balogun of Ibadan
who stationed a military camp in Ikirun
to ward off the insurgence of the jihadist. Balogun Osungbekun gave
Elerin Oba Oyagbodun Ayoka the
present location formally called Erin-
papa. The location was later changed to
Erin-Osun as it is known today. Oba
Oyagbodun Ayoka was a descendant of a renowned Hunter and Prince of lie Ife
called Odumosa Apaayan who was
involved in a chieftaincy tussle with
Oranmiyan in Ile-Ife after the death of
their father OBALUFON. Odumosa later
fled from Ile-Ife to an unknown destination on Ifa oracle's advice. He
was accompanied by host of supporters
including his first son - Alawode
Arebiope. He took along with him
several valuable items which include
Beaded crowns. For fear of being apprehended by his brother-Oranmiyan-
a war like king in Ile-Ife then, and
because of the valuable things they
carried along with them, Odumosa
Apaayan hastened up members of his
team in the journey to move -“fast” “fast “ “fast“ which in Yoruba
means E rin, E rin, E rin. This word which
is a command to move fast, don't be
sluggish, don't slow down, move
forward became the acronym approved
by the Ifa Oracle as a name for all settlements founded by Odumosa and
his heirs. The settlements founded by
this great warrior are:
. Erinmo - where they stopped to make
palm front houses.
. Erin-Itadogun - A Junction where they rested after the 127th day of trekking
from Ile-Ife
. Erin-Oke - in the State of Osun
. Erin-Odo - (Now Erin-Ijesa)
. Elerinjare - in Kwara State
. Erin-Ile - in Kwara State . Erin-Osun - in the State of Osun (but
formerly called Erin-papa)
Erin Osun is a very big town in the State
of Osun and shares close affinity with all
other settlement that were founded by
Odumosa most especially Erin-Ile in Kwara State till today. Culturally, Erin-
Osun is a typical Yoruba town,
conversant with and observing all the
Yoruba | culture and traditions. An
annual festival peculiar to the town,
however is the OBALUFON named after their progenitor. Erin-Osun is divided into
five (5) quarters: (i) Oke Erin (ii) Oke Ila
(iii) Ehin Igbo (iv) Oke Afolu and (v) Oke-
Ore . With time, other immigrants came
to join and settle in the town. Today Erin-
Osun is made up of several family compounds and community settlements.
People and Culture of Erin Osun
Our fathers believed in the great God
living in the sky and we worshiped Him
through his representatives here on
earth called ORISAS. ORISAS were men who distinguished themselves in a way
while alive and before they died
commanded that we should be
worshiping them. They had had their
own faults. OBATALA shaped people’s
head and only if the was worshiped could he shape head well. But he used to
get drunk at times. ESU was too deceitful
and malicious. If he was not worshiped
he could bring a great block on one’s
way and confuse his ways. SANGO was
always angry and it was whenever he was angry that fire comes out of his
mouth.
We give time for ERINLE annually. When
the time comes, we take ram with
pounded yam, we take sekete wine for
the worship. Everybody in the town both males and females are to worship Erinle
with Olobu. On the fifth day, Erinle
images would be brought out. Twenty-
eighth day notice would be given,
around August before the actual festival
in September. Erinle had been worshiped before the arrival of Islam
and Christianity. The ram would not be
killed but would be thrown into the river
alive. Akodo was the priest and there
are many spots in the river we called
Ibus which represented where Erinle’s son are living
Traditional Beliefs
peoples' tradition and culture has to do
with the way they live, govern
themselves, their religion, language,
dressing pattern, the rules they set for themselves and their different festivals.
People of Ilobu have a very strong sense
of community and this has enhanced
mutual understanding and meaningful
development in the town. The basic
concept of the Ilobu people's tradition includes religion, music, festivals, arts
and crafts.
Arts and Craft
Nigeria as it's known for art and craft,
Ilobu is a big arts and crafts centre in
Nigeria. These include metal crafts, weaving, painting and sculpturing and
leather work. Also, dyeing of clothes
known as "adire" is well known in Ilobu.
It is a special art of tying and dyeing of
clothes to bring out unique designs. It is
very popular all over the world. 1. Oluminrin Waterfalls
Oluminrin Waterfalls, Erin-Ijesha Located
in Erin-Ijesha – a town nearby Osogbo,
the waterfalls has about seven layers
and only few visitors can climb beyond
the second layer. The breeze at the waterfall is cool and refreshing as the
water flows among the rocks and
splashes down with great force to the
evergreen vegetation around. It is an
idea place for picnic and relaxation.
2. Oranmiyan Staff (Opa Oranmiyan) Oranmiyan Staff is an historic object that
represents Oranmiyan the third Ooni of
Ife who was the youngest of
Oduduwa’s sons, the father of Yoruba
race. The staff which was erected at the
spot where people believed to have been buried, is a 5.18m stone column
(about 4-feet square at the base).
3. Osun Cultural Festival
This is an annual event that takes place
around August and September, and it
attracts visitor from all over the globe. It provides an opportunity to visit the great
Osun Grove, a sacred forest along the
banks of the Osun river just outside the
city of Osogbo #OLAUNSTAYBULs known for art and craft,
Ilobu is a big arts and crafts centre in
Nigeria. These include metal crafts, weaving, painting and sculpturing and
leather work. Also, dyeing of clothes.