The tale of Ogbomoso’s Palace sacred chain

Palaces around the country are known to harbour different artefacts, historical materials whose stories many may not know.
These historical items have retained some significance to the traditional institution, the ruler and the subjects; they have existed despite civilisation and the religions many of the people have adopted.

In the Soun of Ogbomoso’s palace, in Oyo State for instance, apart from the famous late tortoise known as Alagba which many say is older than many of those living in the palace, there are artefacts that have been in existence for many decades and are still as potent as they have been reputed to be from time immemorial.

Many people believe that traditional rulers possess some powers that protect them and ward off evil from them. Some of such powers, they say, are visible while others are beyond human comprehension.

At the old palace of the Soun, there is a special chain fixed to the ground which every visitor must cross before getting to the main chamber to greet the monarch.

The chain, according to one of the palace aides, is so potent that whoever entered the palace with the intention of harming the king would be exposed by it as such a person will fall as soon as he crosses it. The person will confess and he will be taken to a place where such evil people are kept.

If there is anything harmful on the person, once he prostrates to greet, he won’t be able to get up again. Apart from exposing the person, it will also neutralise all the charms and other harmful items he has on him or her.

In the olden days, “Once a person is discovered with anything harmful,such person cannot escape it, the slaves at the palace took care of such person as the family will not have access to him or her any more. Rotioba family usually takes care of such person and they have a particular chain they use in tying such people,” the palace aide explained.

The special iron chain also extended to a room at the old palace where warriors prepared for war and the area is named Kaa Apo which harbours all Soun Ogunlola’s (the founding father of Ogbomosoland) outfits as a hunter and warrior.

The Kaa Apo also houses the Akatanpo which is a set of bow and arrows. Akatanpo is very poisonous because once they contact human blood, the person will die. It is without any remedy.

The Soun of Ogbomosoland, His Royal Highness, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi (Ajagungbade III) said: “As in every palace, there is a throne in the old palace and that is where the former kings ruled Ogbomoso from. The chain is in form of scissors. There is no how anybody would enter the old palace and such person would not cross the chain.

If the person crosses the chain and has evil intention, as the person prostrates for the king, he will not be able to stand up again.”

Not only that, other items of native intelligence and artefacts are in the old palace which the traditional ruler said despite civilisation have not lost their importance.

Another item of interest at the old palace is a tree known as Ajagbon. Situated at the back of the old palace,the tree is the first place the great grandfather of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Soun Ogunlola, settled when he first came to the ancient town.

“When Soun Ogunlola, the founder of Ogbomoso got to the spot where the tree stands, he hung his bow and arrow on it and built his house around the tree with his wife known as Olorungbekun,” the palace aide said.

When asked how long the tree had been there, he said considering when the founder of Ogbomoso met the Ajagbon tree it must be well over 400 years because the town was established over 400 years ago.

Other items of interest at the place are the small rooms occupied by then Soun’s wives.

The first woman to occupy one of the rooms is the wife of the founding father of Ogbomosoland, Olorungbekun, who usually brewed local drinks whenever her husband went for hunting expedition.

Also at the old palace are the rooms for wives of former Kings of Ogbomoso land. The doors to the rooms are over 300-years old and nothing has happened to them. They were made of wood from mahogany tree.

Similarly, the entrance to the old palace, our correspondent learnt, has remained where it is for over 400 years. It is one of the historical items there.

Another item of interest at the old palace is a spot where Soun Ogunlola and his wife, Olorungbekun, agreed to never fight.

“Anytime the wife fails to prepare his meal before he comes back from hunting, he will beat her and the wife will tell him to stop or else he will kill her since there was no one to separate them. She later came up with the idea of an agreement point that whatever her offence, once she runs to the agreed point at the palace, her husband should not touch her again and that point still stands till today.

Any Soun of Ogbomoso who quarrel with the wife, once the wife goes to the spot, the king must not touch her again. The woman can even insult her husband from the spot once she is already there,” the palace aide said.

The spot has been modernised and now painted in white and every year women in the royal family come together to slaughter local chicken for sacrifice there.

The tombs of late Souns are also located at the old palace starting with that of Soun Ogunlola with names of each of them inscribed on the entrance of each of the rooms.

According to the palace aide, “Every year, a big ram is slaughtered at the tomb of the First Soun of Ogbomoso land which is usually done by Chief Ogala with the present King. The ram will be slaughtered inside the room, the head dropped and the remaining part brought out and prepared for hunters to eat for the festival at night.

“Also, if the king is angry and enters the room, he must not say anything in annoyance to anybody because if he does, whatever he says is final.”

Despite the acceptance of both religion, one fact still remains, especially with the Yoruba, they are still in tune with their tradition.

In fact, some believe that the Yoruba accepted other faiths and absorbed same into their old ways of life.

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