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| Photo credit: Google |
BYLINE:ORESANYA BALIKIS AYOMIDE AND MUDASHIRU ROFIAT ADESHOLA
Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, it is believed that if you don't make it in Lagos, you can never make it anywhere. Lagos is not a place for the weak minded however there are lot of controversies about the first of people in Lagos, many believed it was the Awori's and some believed otherwise.
The awori are the sub-ethnic group of the Yoruba speakers speaking a distinct dialect of the Yoruba language. The Awori are direct decedents of Olofin one of the sons of oduduwa who is the father of the Yoruba nation.
Olofin and the followers left ile-ife and migrated southward along the river but before they left Oduduwa gave Olofin a mud plate and instructed him to place it on the water and follow it till it sank into the river.
Several days after leaving Ile ife the plate suddenly stopped near olokemeji near the present day Abeokuta, after seventeen days the plate began moving again only to stop at oke-ata for another seventeen days, some of the Olofin followers decided to remain there led by a man called "OSHI aro bi-ologbo Egan".
The plate began moving again after the seventeen days stop at oke-ata stopping at isheri where it remained for a much longer period of time. Olofin instructed his followers to begin a permanent settlement but after two hundred and eighty-eight (288) days the plate began to move again.
Olofin and his new followers followed the plate while the rest of his followers stayed behind, after two days the plate stopped briefly at idda the present day Lagos at idumota a few kilometers away from the central Lagos where it whirled around the water and finally sunk.
Olofin returned to where the plate sunk and said to his people that "Awo ti ri" meaning the plate has sunk, this is how the name Awori came into existence.
The Awori's are the first people in Lagos state, they are ifa believers but later combined Christianity and Islam along the line. The awori's due to nature major in farming, fishing, mat and basket weaving and palm oil production.
Their major festivals are Egungun festival and gelede festival.
EDITED BY:LUQMAN SHUKURAH TEMITOPE.
PUBLISHED BY:MONDIU SHERIFAT OLUWASEUN