By Jimoh
Babatunde
People
come here with a mindset to see some big animals like Roan Antelope,
Buffon, Buffalo, Bushbuck and a variety of birdlife. But this is not often the
case as this park is more than fauna and flora.”
These
were the startling words from one of the staff at the Old Oyo National Park’s
office in Oyo town, Oyo state.
I had
travelled from Lagos to the park that morning to experience the preserved
culture, historical and archaeological features in the abandoned sites of the
then capital city of the ancient Oyo empire at Oyo-Ile, Bara and Koso.
Old Oyo
national park is a unique park among the others in the country. It is so in the
sense that apart from the preservation of flora and fauna resources the park is
highly blessed with historical features.
Before
the almost two hours journey from Oyo town to Oyo-Ile, Adeniyi Bola prepared my
mind on what to see at the site. “The ancient Oyo empire was one of the first
states to emerge in the forest and coastal region in West Africa and one of the
most culturally advanced. The empire reached its peak between the 17th and 18th
centuries.
“Several
ancient histories, political sites both within and outside the park are
associated with Oyo Ile. Among these are Igboho, Ipapo-Ile and Koso. At one
time, these sites served as the capital of the empire,” she stated.
Listening
as she conducted me round the mini-museum at the Park’s headquarters, I was
eager to commence the trip when the tour guide, Ajadi said the vehicle was
ready.
As we
made to depart, Bola said, “In this park, we blend our history with nature”.
This stuck in my mind as I traversed the park in search of history and nature.
Having
driven for a long distance, we got to Akoto tourist camp, near a village called
Sepeteri, where the camp accommodation is available. The facility is well
furnished with good beddings, portable water and satellite television service.
We set out for the central and southern sector of the park where more of game
viewing tracks have been opened up.
At the
entrance of the Ibuya Base camp immediately after the buffer zone, we were welcomed
by rangers stationed to wade off poachers. As we were joined by some heavily
armed rangers, I was forced to ask why they needed such arms and ammunition.
“The area
has suffered indiscriminate and uninhibited destructive human activities
including hunting. As a result, the animal species have been greatly depleted
and some species have either become locally extinct or rare,” the ranger
said.
“Game
viewing is always good in the morning and during the dry season,” Ajadi, my
tour guide explained.
We drove
through the trails that have been mapped out in the park towards the river for
a boat ride on the Ogun River. At the river side, Ajadi pointed out some
foot marks of animals that had come to the river to drink water.
The
journey back to the Akoto base was an educative one as Ajadi became my
botany teacher, disclosing that there are four sub types of vegetation at the
park, “dense woodland and forests; mixed open savannah woodland ; outcrop
vegetation and riparian grassland and fringing woodland.”
We left
Akoto Tourist camp very early in the morning for the trip to Oyo –Ile. The trip
took us first to Igboho, the sites of the royal cemeteries, “four Obas reigned
here among them a lady,” Said Ajadi, my tour guide.
As we
drove from Igboho through Igbeti, the tour guide disclosed that the name
of the park is coined from the ruin of old Oyo empire , the park had been in
existence in the past as two game reserves- the upper Ogun games reserve and
the Oyo Ile games reserve.
The Oyo
Ile game reserve was the abandoned site of old Oyo Empire where the present day
Oyo came from. The Oyo people settled down in so many places before they got to
the present Oyo town.
“One of
those places is Oyo ile which falls within the park today. Before we
arrived Oyo –Ile, we stopped over at Ikoyi – Ile where there is the Antete
shrine . Inside the shrine is a pot that contains swarm of honey bees which
used to fight for the people of the town by stinging enemies to death. “Truly ,
he has been doing that whenever they call on him at the hill of Antete where
the bees will rise to sting their enemies to death. If there is
problem among two groups and they go before this hill, the group that is at
fault will be stung by the bees.”
We soon
arrived Oyo –Ile legendary sites, the largest concentration of archaeological
and cultural sites that contain more than twenty of the identified relics.
I was
struck by the hosts of cultural artefacts that litter the sites like grinding
stones; earthen pots potsherds; snags, snail shells; mud walls; mound of ashes
and charcoals that are still discernible with the abandoned old settlement till
date.
The walls
called the Koso defence wall, according to my tour guide , was built
round the city of old Oyo-Ile; it is about 6.5ft high and they made holes on it
where they spy on those coming in . The wall made with mud is still
standing till date right from 16th c.
PART OF THE WALLS AT KOSO STILL STANDING
To show
that people really inhabited the town, there are relics of mejiro industrial
sites that consisted of black smiting, iron forgery sites and grain milling
sites. Next to this site is the Akesan market.
The large
water reservoir is another great site. “This is the ancient well where
water is stored in the olden days . The town was located in a rocky area and we
know it is difficult to dig well and get water in rocky area, so that made them
dig underground reservoir where they stored rain water during the raining
season and made use of it during the dry season,” the tour guide revealed.
Old Oyo
national Park is not only about historical sites, there are beautiful and
marvellous sceneries of fascinating rock formations like the Oke Agbele looking
as though they would topple over the next minute.
“The
story behind Oke Agbele is that a woman with a baby on her back stole cassava
flavour , so this is the stolen property on her head and the baby
as she turned to a stone.”
Others
like Agbaku, Idi Are and Mejiro, have formed large caves that served as
good shelters in the olden days during the war.
The
Kosomo hill is another rock inside the park. This is situated in the central
part of Oyo Ile . In the olden days they believe this rock has the power to
find their lost one. “The great Agbaku cave. The cave was a hide
out during the Yoruba wars in the olden days , the cave has significance
, something like power of back to sender.
Any
opponent that met the Oyos at this point will fight and destroy
themselves instead of fighting the Oyos. The cave can accommodate up to
1000 people at a time . One of the mysteries contained in the park is the
mysterious iron which was said to have been used by
Alafin Sango, called Ogun Joko. “If you look at it as a very small thing
and try lifting it , you will not be able to do that, but just thinking
that they said this iron is heavy and try lifting it you will be surprise to
lift it. So there is mystery under the iron truly.
- See
more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/old-oyo-park-history-blends-nature/#sthash.BdfruZxk.dpuf
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