Ondo Kingdom

The Ondo Kingdom is a traditional state that traces its origins back for over 500 years, with capital in Ondo City, Ondo State, Nigeria. The kingdom survived during and after the colonial period, but with a largely symbolic role. The ruler as of 2010 was Oba Adesimbo Victor Kiladejo, the 44th Osemawe, or traditional ruler.

Political foundations

The Ondo people are one of the largest subgroups of the Yoruba people. There are three different origin stories of the Ondo kingdom. A first tradition, celebrated to this day claims that Ondo was founded by a wife of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba who had migrated from Mecca to Ile-Ife. Oduduwa's wife, Pupupu, gave birth to twins, which were regarded as unlucky and resulted in her exile with her twins. She moved southward until she came to the current location of Ondo City. Pupupu became the first ruler of the Ondo Kingdom in the 16th century and her descendants wear the crown today. Historian Samuel Johnson accounts a similar story but that Pupupu was the wife of Ajaka, the grandson of Oduduwa. A final origin myth contends that Ondo was founded by people from the Kingdom of Benin during the reign of Ozolua.