Oba's crown
An Oba's crown represents the highest level of authority vested in Yoruba rulers. Referred to as an ade, the bead-embroidered crown is the foremost attribute of the ruler. An oba's crown may also be referred to as an adenla, or great crown. Andenlas are elaborate conical headdresses, like the ade, but feature a heavily beaded veil that covers the face. In his article on the topic, Robert F. Thompson writes, "The crown incarnates the intuition of royal ancestral force, the revelation of great moral insight in the person of the king, and the glitter of aesthetic experience."
Usage
After being consecrated as leader, a Yoruba oba must not reveal his face to the public. Instead, he wears an ade or adenla. Oba crowns typically feature at least one stylized face depicted in applied beadwork and designed to identify the king when appearing in public. Some examples of crowns have more than one face. Although their significance is unknown, depictions are frequently associated with Odùduwà, and suggest a shared destiny between a leader and his predecessors. Crowns embody the continuity of office, regardless of who may hold it at a particular point in time. Faces may also be depicted on other forms of royal regalia, which indicates the omnipotent, all-seeing power of the monarch and his capacity to provide good leadership.
OBA
Oba or OBA may refer to:
OBA
Oba (Orisha)
Oba (known as Obá in Latin America) is the Orisha of the River Oba, whose source lies near Igbon, where her worship originates. During the wars of the 19th century, her centers of worship moved to the more secure town Ogbomosho. She is traditionally identified as the first wife of Shango (the third king of the Oyo Empire and an Orisha). Oba was tricked by Oya or Oshun into cutting off her ear and trying to feed it to Shango. She is syncretized with Saint Catherine of Siena.
Worship in Ogbomosho
At her center of worship in Ogbomosho, Oba is described as the wife of Aganju and is praised as "Oba, who owns parrot tail feathers and fights on the left".
Myths of Oba's Ear
Oba's humiliation by a rival co-wife is one of the most well-known tales associated with this Orisha. While William Bascom's study identified several unusual variations of it, the most popular myth found in West Africa, Brazil, and Cuba has Oba cutting off her ear to serve to her husband Shango as food, because one of her co-wives (most often Oshun) has convinced her this will secure Shango's attention. Once Shango sees the ear and realizes Oba has mutilated herself, he chases her from his house and into permanent exile. Bascom notes that though this story is known in many parts of Yoruba country, it was not recognized by her priest in Ogbomosho.
Oba (ruler)
Oba is the word for King in the Yoruba language of contemporary West Africa Nigeria. Kings in Yorubaland are known as Obas, for example Oba Sijuade of Ile ife, Oba Aromoralan of Ijeshaland, Oba Adeyemi of Oyo. The yoruba people adopted the word from the the Binis. The Benin word for King is Ogie or Ogiso changed to Oba when Eweka l son of yoruba prince Oranmiyan(who could not rule bini) came to the throne in Benin.
Aristocratic titles among the Yoruba
The Yoruba chieftaincy system can be divided into four separate ranks: royal chiefs, noble chiefs, religious chiefs and common chiefs. The royals are led by the Obas, who sit at the apex of the hierarchy and serve as the fons honorum of the entire system. They are joined in the class of royal chiefs by the titled cadets of their royal families. The three other ranks, who traditionally provide the membership of a series of privy councils, sects and guilds, oversee the day-to-day administration of the Yoruba traditional states and are led by the Ogbonis, the Babalawos and the titled elders of the kingdoms' constituent families.
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