Praise
Lineage, town, and crown. School, not a performance for tourists.
orile · Ọ̀yọ́
Ọmọ a-jí-fẹsẹ̀-wọ̀lẹ̀, ọmọ Ajíbóyè, ọmọ Ọ̀rànmíyàn, ọmọ Aláàfin.
Child of those who wake and plant the foot in the earth; of Ajiboye; of Oranmiyan; of the Alaafin.
A-jí-fẹsẹ̀-wọ̀lẹ̀ is the early foot in the soil — Ọ̀yọ́ as a farming and imperial house. Ajíbóyè and Ọ̀rànmíyàn name the royal line; Aláàfin is the title that still binds Ọ̀yọ́ people across towns. Reciting it at a naming or funeral tells a stranger you share a court, not only a dialect.
orile · Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Ọmọ Ọòni, ọmọ orírun, ọmọ ibi ojúmó ti ń mọ́ wá, ọmọ ẹni tó dá Ilé-Ifẹ̀.
Child of the Ooni; of the source; of the place dawn first breaks; of those who founded Ile-Ife.
Orírun is the source-head. Ifẹ̀ oríkì places the child at dawn — ojúmó — and under the Ọòni. It is used when two Yoruba houses meet so that Ifẹ̀ is not treated as ‘just another town’ but as the origin story that still knits the language together.
orile · Ìjẹ̀bú-Ode
Ìjẹ̀bú òde, ọmọ aláró, ọmọ a-bí-ọmọ-tọ́, ọmọ Ògbágán nínú omi.
Ijebu-Ode, child of the dyers; who raise a child with care; of Ogbagan in the water.
Aláró is the dyer: indigo and cloth were Ijebu wealth and a sign of care (a-bí-ọmọ-tọ́). Ògbágán sits in water-lore. The chant was a market passport — Ijebu traders heard their own mouth and trusted the stall.
orile · Abẹ́òkúta
Ẹ̀gbá Aláké, ọmọ Olúmọ, ọmọ Ògún, ọmọ agbẹ́ òkuta ńlá.
Egba of Alake; child of Olumo rock; of Ogun; who farm the great stone.
Olúmọ is the rock the Ẹ̀gbá hid under; Aláké is the crown; Ògún the iron that opened the forest. Saying it at Abẹ́òkúta still marks a person as of the stone, not a guest in Ògún State.
orile · Iléṣà
Ìjẹ̀ṣà ọmọ Òwá, ọmọ a-mú-ìlẹ̀-ṣọ́, ọmọ Ògùn tí ń ṣàn.
Ijesa, child of the Owa; who keep the land; of the river Ogun that flows.
Òwá is the Ijesa crown; Ògùn the river. The oríkì is sung so a child of Iléṣà is not folded into Ọ̀yọ́ or Ẹ̀gbá. It keeps the hill towns as kin with their own ọba.
orile · Èkìtì
Èkìtì kété, ọmọ òkè, ọmọ Ògún, a-jẹ-ìyán-lókè.
Ekiti the compact; child of the hills; of Ogun; who eat pounded yam on the height.
Kété (compact) and òkè (hill) are the etymology of Èkìtì as a cluster of kingdoms, not one city. Ìyán lókè is food and height. The chant lets sixteen towns sit as one people when they travel.
orile · Òndó
Òndó ọmọ Ọ̀semawe, ọmọ a-tó-ìlú-gbé, ọmọ òkun.
Ondo, child of the Osemawe; who fill a town; of the sea.
Ọ̀semawe is the Ondo crown; òkun the sea that feeds the coast. Used at marriage so an Òndó house is named before the in-laws, not lost under a generic ‘Yoruba’.
orile · Ọ̀wọ̀
Ọ̀wọ̀ ọmọ Òlowo, ọmọ a-bí-ọba, ọmọ ilé ẹlẹ́wà.
Owo, child of the Olowo; born to a crown; of the house of beauty.
Òlowo is the title; ẹwà (beauty) is the palace art Ọ̀wọ̀ is known for. The oríkì connects carvers, cloth, and crown — a visiting child is placed in that craft line.
orile · Òwu
Òwu ọmọ agbẹ́dẹ, ọmọ Ògún lákáayé, ọmọ a-lù-irin.
Owu, child of the smith; of Ogun who fills the world; who strike iron.
Agbẹ́dẹ (smith) and Ògún lákáayé tie Òwu to iron. After wars scattered Òwu, the chant is how a family still finds itself in Abẹ́òkúta, Ìbàdàn, or the diaspora.
orile · Àwórì
Àwórì ọmọ olómi, ọmọ òkun, ọmọ a-gbé-etí-odò.
Awori, child of the waters; of the lagoon; who live at the river’s edge.
Olómi / òkun: Awori are lagoon people. The oríkì stops Ẹ̀kó from swallowing them. It is said when land and water rights, and the old island–mainland tie, need a name.
orile · Ìgbómìnà
Ìgbómìnà ọmọ òkè, ọmọ àárín Ọ̀yọ́ àti Ìlọrin, ọmọ a-ṣọ-oko.
Igbomina, child of the hills; between Oyo and Ilorin; who keep the farm.
Ìgbómìnà sits between Ọ̀yọ́ and Ìlọrin. The oríkì is a border handshake: not fully Ọ̀yọ́ court, not Hausa north — a hill farming people with their own sitting.
orile · Òkun
Òkun Yorùbá, ọmọ agbègbè ìpínlẹ̀, ọmọ odò àti òkè.
Okun Yoruba; child of the confluence lands; of river and hill.
Òkun names Yoruba of the confluence (Kogi and the rivers). Reciting it tells a Lagos or Ọ̀yọ́ gathering that this mouth is still Yoruba, only further east.
orile · Rẹ́mọ
Rẹ́mọ ọmọ Akarigbo, ọmọ Sagamu, kì í ṣe Ìjẹ̀bú, kì í ṣe Ẹ̀gbá.
Remo, child of the Akarigbo; of Sagamu — not Ijebu, not Egba.
Akarigbo is the Remo crown. The line ‘not Ijebu, not Egba’ is the etymology of a people often misfiled. It is used so Sagamu and the Remo towns keep a separate handshake.
orile · Yewa
Yewa, ẹni a ń pè ní Ẹgbádò nígbà kan, ọmọ ìhà ìwọ̀ oòrùn.
Yewa, once called Egbado; child of the western side.
Yewa replaced Ẹgbádò as the public name. The oríkì carries both so elders and the young still meet. It binds the western towns that sit toward the border.
orile · Àkókó
Àkókó ọmọ ìhà ìlà-oòrùn, ọmọ ààlà Òndó àti Èdó, ọmọ ohùn tíróko.
Akoko, child of the east; the Ondo–Edo border; of a speech the coast does not share.
Àkókó is a border speech (Òndó / Èdó). The oríkì is how a child is not told they ‘don’t sound Yoruba’. It keeps the highland mouth in the family.
orile · Òkìtìpupa
Ìkálẹ̀ ọmọ igbó, ọmọ òkè ìlà-oòrùn, ọmọ a-jẹ-ẹ̀kùrọ́, kì í ṣe Òndó nìkan.
Ikale, child of the forest; of the eastern height; who eat palm-kernel; not Ondo only.
Ìkálẹ̀ is the south-east Yoruba of Òkìtìpupa and the forest. The oríkì stops Òndó from swallowing them. It is a travel name: two Ìkálẹ̀ people meet in Lagos and sit as one house.
orile · Ìlàje
Ìlàje ọmọ òkun, ọmọ ọkọ̀, ọmọ a-gbé-orin-omi, ọmọ ẹja.
Ilaje, child of the sea; of the canoe; who live on the water-song; of fish.
Ìlàje is water: creeks, òkun, fishing. The chant is how a child of the coast is not called ‘just Òndó’. It greets canoe and tide before it greets the road.
orile · Ṣakí
Òkè-Ògùn ọmọ òkè, ọmọ Ọ̀yọ́ ìhà ìwọ̀, ọmọ a-hun-aṣọ, ọmọ ọkà.
Oke-Ogun, child of the hills; Oyo of the west; who weave cloth; of grain.
Òkè-Ògùn is the Ọ̀yọ́ north-west (Ṣakí, Ìgboho, Ìsẹyìn). Ògùn here is the river and the height. The oríkì keeps the grassland towns as one sitting when they come south.
orile · Ẹrùwá
Ìbàràpá ọmọ Ọ̀yọ́, ọmọ oko, kì í ṣe Ìbàdàn, ọmọ a-gbé-àárín-gbùngbùn.
Ibarapa, child of Oyo; of the farm; not Ibadan; who live in the open middle.
Ìbàràpá sits under Ọ̀yọ́ yet keeps its own mouth. The chant is used so Ẹrùwá, Ìgbo-Ọrà, and Lánláté are not filed as ‘just Ìbàdàn’.
orile · Kétu
Kétu ọmọ Yorùbá, ọmọ ìhà ìwọ̀, ọmọ a-tẹ̀dó-sọ́hùn-ú, ọmọ Alákétu.
Ketu, child of Yoruba; of the west; who settled beyond; of the Alaketu.
Kétu is Yoruba beyond the present border (Bénin). The oríkì is a reminder that the language did not stop at a line on a map. Diaspora houses still open with it.
orile · Sábẹ́
Ànàgó, Ọ̀họ̀rí, ọmọ Kétu àti Sábẹ́, Yorùbá tí òkun ò pin.
Anago, Ohori; child of Ketu and Save; Yoruba that the sea did not divide.
Ànàgó / Ọ̀họ̀rí names western Yoruba (Kétu, Sábẹ́, Póbè). Reciting it in Ẹ̀kó tells the room this mouth is older than the colony, and still family.
orisa · Ọ̀yọ́
Ṣàngó Olúkòso, ọkọ Ọya, iná lójú, àrá lẹ́nu, a-bẹ́-ọ̀ràn-sán.
Sango, lord of Koso; husband of Oya; fire in the eye, thunder in the mouth; who cut a matter clean.
Olúkòso is lord of Koso; iná and àrá are fire and thunder — Sango’s work as ọba and as storm. The oríkì is drummed at festivals and naming so a Sango house greets another without a long introduction.
orisa · Òṣogbo
Yèyé Ọ̀ṣun, olóòyà iyùn, Ládékojú, ọmọ òdo Òṣogbo.
Mother Osun; owner of coral beads; Ladekoju; child of the Osogbo river.
Yèyé is mother; olóòyà iyùn is coral — the wealth of the river. Òṣogbo’s grove made the chant a pilgrimage greeting. Women and children still use it to claim Osun’s protection and sisterhood.
orisa · Ìrè
Ògún aládàá méjì, ó fi ìkan ṣánko, ó fi ìkan yẹ̀na, Ògúnlàkàyé.
Ogun of two cutlasses: one to clear the farm, one to open the road; Ogun who fills the world.
Aládàá méjì: two cutlasses — farm and road. Ògúnlàkàyé fills the world of iron, surgery, and travel. Drivers, smiths, and hunters open with it so the road is not taken as a stranger.
orisa · Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Ọbàtálá òṣèrèmgàgà, alásọ funfun, ọba òrìṣà, ẹlẹ́dàá ènìyàn.
Obatala the ancient; dressed in white; king of the òrìṣà; maker of people.
Alásọ funfun (white cloth) and ẹlẹ́dàá ènìyàn (maker of people) are the etymology of coolness and patience. The oríkì is used to cool a room and to remind a child they were shaped, not thrown away.
orisa · Àbẹ́òkúta
Yemoja olódò, ìyá omi, ọmọ òkun, a-bí-ọmọ-lọ́pọ̀lọpọ̀.
Yemoja of the river; mother of waters; of the lagoon; who bear many children.
Yemoja is ìyá omi — mother of waters. The chant links river towns and the lagoon. At naming it places a child under plenty (a-bí-ọmọ-lọ́pọ̀lọpọ̀) and under care, not under fear of water.
orisa · Ìrà
Ọya ọkọ Ṣàngó, ìyá ìjì, alágbára, ẹni tí ń ṣí ìlẹ̀kùn ọ̀run.
Oya, wife of Sango; mother of the wind; the strong one; who open the door of heaven.
Ọya is wind and the Niger’s mouth; ọkọ Ṣàngó is partnership, not ownership. The oríkì is sung at change — burial, storm, new house — so a family names the force that opens a door.
orisa · Kétu
Èṣù láàlú, ọmọ ìkọ̀lé ọ̀run, onílé ọ̀nà, a-ṣe-ohun-méjì.
Esu Laalu; child of the heavenly compound; owner of the road; who do two things at once.
Láàlú and onílé ọ̀nà: owner of the road and the crossroads. Èṣù’s oríkì is said first in many sittings so speech does not go the wrong way. It teaches that a message needs a carrier.
orisa · Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Òrúnmìlà ẹlẹ́rìí ìpín, ọmọ ìkín, a-sọ̀rọ̀-ọ̀run, baba Ifá.
Orunmila, witness of destiny; child of the palm nuts; who speak of heaven; father of Ifa.
Ẹlẹ́rìí ìpín: witness of destiny. Ìkín are the palm nuts of Ifá. The oríkì binds babaláwo houses and a child named Ifá-… to a long conversation, not a fashion name.
orisa · Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Ọ̀sanyìn ẹlẹ́we, dókítà igbó, ọmọ ewe tító, a-wòsàn-láì-fọwọ́-kan.
Osanyin of the leaves; doctor of the bush; child of complete herbs; who heal without the hand.
Ẹlẹ́we: owner of leaves. Ọ̀sanyìn’s chant is how herbal knowledge stayed a named craft. It connects healer to forest so medicine is not stolen from a town without greeting the leaf.
orisa · Ọ̀yọ́
Ọbalúayé, Ṣọ̀pọ̀nná, ọba àìsàn, a-dá-ilẹ̀-sọ́, ẹni a ń bọ̀ tọ̀wọ̀tọ̀wọ̀.
Obaluaye, Soponna; king of fever; who watch the earth; whom we greet with care.
Ọbalúayé / Ṣọ̀pọ̀nná names fever with respect so it is not mocked. The oríkì taught care in an epidemic age: greet the earth, do not boast. It still frames how elders talk about illness.
ilu · Ìbàdàn
Ìbàdàn ọmọ Ògúnmọ́lá, ọmọ a-là-ogun, Ìbàdàn mesi ọ̀gọ̀, ìlú ńlá.
Ibadan, child of Ogunmola; who split war; Ibadan the renowned; a great town.
Ògúnmọ́lá and a-là-ogun remember war-founding. Mesi ọ̀gọ̀ is renown. The chant lets a huge city still sit as one compound when two Ibadan people meet far from home.
ilu · Èkó
Ẹ̀kó ọmọ Àwórì, ọmọ olókun, ìlú èrékúsù àti ìlú òkè.
Eko, child of Awori; of the lagoon; island town and mainland town.
Àwórì and olókun: Lagos as lagoon, not only as port. Island and òkè (mainland) in one oríkì so the city is not split in the mouth. Traders used it as a water-and-market handshake.
ilu · Òṣogbo
Òṣogbo ìlú Ọ̀ṣun, ọmọ olóòyà, ibi igbó Ọ̀ṣun gbé wà.
Osogbo, town of Osun; child of coral; where the Osun grove stands.
Ìlú Ọ̀ṣun: the town is named from the goddess and the grove. The oríkì is a festival pass and a reminder that Òṣogbo’s fame is water and art, not only a state capital.
ilu · Abẹ́òkúta
Abẹ́òkúta ọmọ Olúmọ, ìlú Ògún, ẹni tó sá sábẹ́ òkuta.
Abeokuta, child of Olumo; town of Ogun; those who hid under the rock.
Sá sábẹ́ òkuta: those who hid under the rock. Olúmọ is etymology you can still climb. The chant turns a refugee story into a proud meeting-name for Ẹ̀gbá.
ilu · Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé
Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé, ààfin Aláàfin, ìlú ọba, ibi àṣẹ gbé ń joko.
Old Oyo; palace of the Alaafin; town of the king; where authority sits.
Ààfin Aláàfin: the palace as the town’s heart. Reciting Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé (even after the old city fell) keeps the imperial memory as kinship, not only as history class.
ilu · Ìlọrin
Ìlọrin ọmọ ọba, ọmọ a-mú-ẹsìn-pọ̀, Yorùbá ìhà àríwá.
Ilorin, child of a king; who hold faith close; Yoruba of the north.
A-mú-ẹsìn-pọ̀ names the northern court and Islam without dropping Yoruba. The oríkì is how Ìlọrin stays in the language family when maps draw a different line.
ilu · Iléṣà
Iléṣà ìlú Òwá, ọmọ òkè, ibi Ìjẹ̀ṣà gbé ń jẹun.
Ilesa, town of the Owa; child of the hills; where Ijesa eat.
Òwá and òkè: Ilesa as the Ijesa seat. Used at homecoming so a child raised in Lagos still answers as Ìjẹ̀ṣà, not as a guest in their own hills.
ilu · Àkúrẹ́
Àkúrẹ́ ọmọ Dájí, ìlú Òndó, ọmọ a-gbé-òkè-ìwà.
Akure, child of Deji; Ondo town; who live on the hill of character.
Dájí (Deji) is the Akure crown. The oríkì places Àkúrẹ́ in Òndó without erasing it. Said at marriage so in-laws hear a named town, not ‘somewhere in the east’.
ilu · Ìkòròdú
Ìkòròdú ọmọ Ayangburen, ọmọ Ìjẹ̀bú, ọmọ oko Ìródù, ọmọ ẹ̀bá òkun, ọmọ Ìjẹ̀dé àti Ìmótà.
Ikorodu, child of the Ayangburen; of Ijebu; of Irodu’s farm; of the lagoon edge; of Ijede and Imota.
Ìkòròdú is often heard as oko Ìródù — the farm of Irodu — an Ijebu settlement on the lagoon. Ayangburen is the stool. The oríkì is how Ìkòròdú, Ìjẹ̀dé, Ìmótà, and Ìgbógbó sit as kin, not as a suburb of Ẹ̀kó. It is said at Ògá, at the market, and when a child of Ìkòròdú meets another in the city.
ilu · Ẹpẹ́
Ẹpẹ́ ọmọ Ìjẹ̀bú, ọmọ òkun, ọmọ ọkọ̀, ọmọ a-jà-ẹja.
Epe, child of Ijebu; of the lagoon; of the canoe; who wrestle with fish.
Ẹpẹ́ is Ijebu on the water. The chant keeps Ẹpẹ́ from being swallowed by Ẹ̀kó or by Ìkòròdú. Fishers and traders used it as a lagoon handshake.
ilu · Sagamu
Sagamu ìlú Akarigbo, ọmọ Rẹ́mọ, kì í ṣe Ìjẹ̀bú òde, kì í ṣe Ẹ̀gbá.
Sagamu, town of the Akarigbo; child of Remo — not Ijebu-Ode, not Egba.
Sagamu is the Remo seat (Akarigbo). The oríkì names the town so Remo is not called Ijebu-by-mistake. It is the market and palace greeting.
ilu · Ìjẹ̀bú-Igbó
Ìjẹ̀bú-Igbó ọmọ igbó, ọmọ Ìjẹ̀bú, ọmọ a-gbé-inú-igi.
Ijebu-Igbo, child of the forest; of Ijebu; who live among the trees.
Ìjẹ̀bú-Igbó is the forest Ijebu. Ọgbágán and igbó in the name. Reciting it places a child in the timber and farm line, not only in Òde.
ilu · Ìjẹ̀bú-Ode
Ìjẹ̀bú-Ode, ìlú Àwùjàlẹ̀, ọmọ aláró, ibi Ìjẹ̀bú gbé ń joko.
Ijebu-Ode, town of the Awujale; child of the dyers; where Ijebu sit.
Ìjẹ̀bú-Ode is the Awujale’s town. The oríkì is palace and market. It stitches every Ijebu child — including Ìkòròdú — back to Òde without erasing their own stool.
ilu · Ọ̀tà
Ọ̀tà ọmọ Àwórì, ọmọ Olóta, ọmọ olómi, kì í ṣe ẹ̀kún Ẹ̀kó.
Ota, child of Awori; of the Olota; of the waters; not a suburb of Eko.
Ọ̀tà is Àwórì. Olóta is the crown. The oríkì is used so Ọ̀tà is not treated as an outpost of Ẹ̀kó — it is a water-and-land town with its own stool.
ilu · Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ ọmọ Ṣọ̀ún, ọmọ Ọ̀yọ́, ìlú ńlá ìhà àríwá.
Ogbomoso, child of the Soun; of Oyo; a great town of the north.
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, ọmọ Ṣọ̀ún. A northern Ọ̀yọ́ city that kept its own fame. The chant lets two Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ people meet in Ìbàdàn or London as one compound.
ilu · Ìsẹyìn
Ìsẹyìn ọmọ Aseyin, ọmọ a-hun-aṣọ, ọmọ Òkè-Ògùn.
Iseyin, child of the Aseyin; who weave cloth; of Oke-Ogun.
Ìsẹyìn is Òkè-Ògùn cloth: aso-òkè. The oríkì binds weavers and the Aseyin stool. It is said so the town is not only a stop on the Ṣakí road.
ilu · Ṣakí
Ṣakí ọmọ Òkè-Ògùn, ọmọ ọkà, ìlú òkè ìwọ̀ oòrùn.
Saki, child of Oke-Ogun; of grain; hill-town of the west.
Ṣakí, ọmọ Òkè-Ògùn, ìlú ọkà. The chant is a grassland greeting — farm, hill, and the Ọ̀yọ́ north-west sitting together.
ilu · Ìwó
Ìwó ọmọ Olúwo, ìlú Ọ̀ṣun, ọmọ a-gbé-àárín.
Iwo, child of the Oluwo; Osun town; who live in the middle.
Ìwó is Ọ̀ṣun, ọmọ Olúwo. The oríkì keeps Ìwó from disappearing between Òṣogbo and Ìbàdàn. Used at homecoming and at the palace.
ilu · Ẹdẹ
Ẹdẹ ọmọ Tìmì, ọmọ odò Ọ̀ṣun, ọmọ omi.
Ede, child of the Timi; of the Osun river; of water.
Ẹdẹ sits on the Ọ̀ṣun river. Tìmì is the title. The chant is water and Ọ̀ṣun-town kinship — a child of Ẹdẹ is named before they are folded into Òṣogbo.
ilu · Ìkirun
Ìkirun ọmọ Ọ̀ṣun, ọmọ òkè, ìlú kékeré tó ní orúkọ ńlá.
Ikirun, child of Osun; of the height; a small town with a large name.
Ìkirun is Ọ̀ṣun highland. The oríkì is a small-town handshake that still carries weight in the diaspora: we are Ìkirun, not ‘somewhere near Òṣogbo’.
ilu · Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún
Ìlá ọmọ Ọ̀ràngún, ọmọ Ìgbómìnà, ìlú orírun ìhà ìlà.
Ila, child of the Orangun; of Igbomina; a source-town of the east.
Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún is Igbomina royalty. Ọ̀ràngún is the stool that rivals Ifẹ̀ in old story. Reciting it places Ìlá as a source-town, not a footnote.
ilu · Ọ̀fà
Ọ̀fà ọmọ Ológun, Yorùbá Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwara, ọmọ a-mú-ogun-ṣe-orúkọ.
Offa, child of Ologun; Yoruba of Kwara; who made war a name.
Ọ̀fà, ọmọ Ológun. A Kwara Yoruba town of war-title and farm. The oríkì is how Ọ̀fà stays in the language when the state line says otherwise.
ilu · Àdó-Èkìtì
Àdó ọmọ Ewi, ìlú Èkìtì, ibi ọba òkè gbé ń pàdé.
Ado, child of the Ewi; Ekiti town; where the hill kings meet.
Àdó-Èkìtì, ọmọ Ewi. The chant names the Èkìtì capital so the sixteen kingdoms still have a meeting-place in speech.
ilu · Ìkẹ̀rẹ́-Èkìtì
Ìkẹ̀rẹ́ ọmọ Ògògà, ọmọ Èkìtì, ọmọ òkè, kì í ṣe ẹ̀gbọ́n Àdó nìkan.
Ikere, child of the Ogoga; of Ekiti; of the hill; not merely Ado’s elder.
Ìkẹ̀rẹ́-Èkìtì, ọmọ Ògògà. Hill, Ògún, and a stool of its own. Used so Ìkẹ̀rẹ́ is not called ‘Àdó’s younger sibling’.
ilu · Ìdànrè
Ìdànrè ọmọ òkè, ọmọ Òndó, ọmọ a-gbé-orí-àpáta.
Idanre, child of the hill; of Ondo; who live on the rock.
Ìdànrè, ọmọ òkè, ọmọ Òndó. The hill town. The oríkì is climb and crown — a child of Ìdànrè is placed on the rock, not in a generic east.
ilu · Òkìtìpupa
Òkìtìpupa ọmọ Ìkálẹ̀, ọmọ ẹ̀kùrọ́, ìlú igbó ìlà-oòrùn.
Okitipupa, child of Ikale; of palm-kernel; forest town of the east.
Òkìtìpupa is Ìkálẹ̀’s open town. The chant greets oil-palm and forest so the south-east is named, not guessed.
oba · Ọ̀yọ́
Aláàfin Ọ̀yọ́, ìkú bàbá yèyé, ọmọ Ọ̀rànmíyàn, alásẹ ìlú.
Alaafin of Oyo; death, father-mother; child of Oranmiyan; authority of the town.
Ìkú bàbá yèyé is a royal epithet: the king as life-and-death of the court. Ọ̀rànmíyàn roots the stool. The oríkì is protocol — it greets the office, and so greets every Ọ̀yọ́ person under it.
oba · Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Ọòni Ifẹ̀, ọba orírun, ẹni ojúmó ń kí ní kùtùkùtù.
Ooni of Ife; king of the source; whom dawn greets at first light.
Orírun and dawn: the Ọòni as first light. The chant is used so Ifẹ̀’s king is not ranked as one ọba among many, and so Ifẹ̀ children carry that rank quietly into other towns.
oba · Ìjẹ̀bú-Ode
Àwùjàlẹ̀ Ìjẹ̀bú, ọba òde, ọmọ aláró, alásẹ Ìjẹ̀bú.
Awujale of Ijebu; king of Ode; child of the dyers; authority of Ijebu.
Àwùjàlẹ̀ is the Ijebu stool. Naming the ọba in oríkì is how Ijebu towns stay one kingdom in speech. It is said before business so trust has a crown behind it.
oba · Abẹ́òkúta
Aláké Ẹ̀gbá, ọba Abẹ́òkúta, ọmọ Olúmọ, ẹni Ògún ń tọ́jú.
Alake of Egba; king of Abeokuta; child of Olumo; whom Ogun keeps.
Aláké and Olúmọ: crown and rock. The oríkì is the Ẹ̀gbá handshake — you greet the stool and you have greeted the people who hid under the stone.
oba · Iléṣà
Òwá Òbòkun, ọba Ìjẹ̀ṣà, ọmọ òkè, alásẹ Iléṣà.
Owa Obokun; king of Ijesa; child of the hills; authority of Ilesa.
Òwá Òbòkun: the Ijesa king-title. Reciting it at a sitting places Iléṣà in the room. It improved ties between hill towns that share the Òwá but keep their own quarters.
oba · Ìkòròdú
Ayangburen Ìkòròdú, ọba ọmọ Ìjẹ̀bú, alásẹ Ìjẹ̀dé àti Ìmótà, ẹni òkun ń kí.
Ayangburen of Ikorodu; Ijebu king; authority of Ijede and Imota; whom the lagoon greets.
Ayangburen (Ayangbure) is the Ìkòròdú crown. Greeting the stool greets Ìjẹ̀dé, Ìmótà, and the lagoon quarters. It is the protocol that says Ìkòròdú is a town, not a district of Lagos.
oba · Sagamu
Akarigbo Rẹ́mọ, ọba Sagamu, alásẹ ìlú Rẹ́mọ, kì í ṣe Àwùjàlẹ̀.
Akarigbo of Remo; king of Sagamu; authority of the Remo towns; not the Awujale.
Akarigbo is Remo’s king. The oríkì is how Sagamu and the Remo towns sit as one kingdom. Said before trade so the handshake has a palace behind it.
oba · Ìbàdàn
Olúbàdàn Ìbàdàn, ọba ogun, ọmọ Ògúnmọ́lá, alásẹ ìlú ńlá.
Olubadan of Ibadan; war-king; child of Ogunmola; authority of the great town.
Olúbàdàn is Ìbàdàn’s stool — a war-title that became a crown. Reciting it greets a city of compounds, not a single palace line.
oba · Èkó
Elékó, ọba Ẹ̀kó, ọmọ Àwórì, ọmọ olókun, alásẹ èrékúsù.
Eleko, king of Eko; child of Awori; of the lagoon; authority of the island.
Elékó / Ọba of Lagos: Àwórì and òkun. The oríkì is island protocol. It lets Ẹ̀kó children greet the water-king even when they live on the mainland.
oba · Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́
Ṣọ̀ún Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, ọba ìhà àríwá, ọmọ Ọ̀yọ́, alásẹ ìlú ńlá.
Soun of Ogbomoso; king of the north; child of Oyo; authority of a great town.
Ṣọ̀ún of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́. The chant is how a northern Ọ̀yọ́ city keeps a named king when it sits under larger maps.
oba · Àdó-Èkìtì
Ewi Àdó, ọba Èkìtì, ọmọ òkè, ẹni ọba kété ń pàdé.
Ewi of Ado; king of Ekiti; child of the hills; whom the compact kings meet.
Ewi of Àdó-Èkìtì. Greeting Ewi greets the Èkìtì meeting. It is used so the hills have a voice in any Yoruba sitting.
oba · Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún
Ọ̀ràngún Ìlá, ọba Ìgbómìnà, ọmọ orírun, alásẹ ìlú àtijọ́.
Orangun of Ila; king of Igbomina; child of the source; authority of an ancient town.
Ọ̀ràngún of Ìlá. An old source-stool. The oríkì reminds the room that Igbomina royalty is not a later copy of Ifẹ̀ or Ọ̀yọ́.
oba · Ọ̀tà
Olóta Ọ̀tà, ọba Àwórì, ọmọ olómi, alásẹ ìlú tí kì í ṣe ẹ̀gbẹ́ Ẹ̀kó.
Olota of Ota; Awori king; child of the waters; authority of a town that is not Eko’s side-piece.
Olóta of Ọ̀tà. Àwórì crown. Reciting it in Ẹ̀kó says Ọ̀tà is kin and neighbour, not a suburb without a name.
oruko · Gbogbo
Adéwálé, Adéyẹmí, Adébáyọ̀ — ọmọ adé, ọmọ a-dé-ilé-pẹ̀lú-ọlá.
Adewale, Adeyemi, Adebayo — child of the crown; who arrive home with honour.
Adé is crown. Adewale, Adeyemi, Adebayo are not ornaments; they announce a house that sits near honour. Calling the oríkì at naming tells the compound what hope was placed on the child.
oruko · Gbogbo
Ọládélé, Ọlátúnjí, Ọlábísí — ọmọ ọlá, ọmọ a-wá-sílé-pẹ̀lú-ẹ̀bùn.
Oladele, Olatunji, Olabisi — child of wealth-honour; who come home with a gift.
Ọlá is honour-wealth, not cash only. Ọládélé (honour arrives home) is a return-blessing. Families use it to stitch a child to generosity and to the people who must not be forgotten.
oruko · Gbogbo
Ọyínlọlá, Ọyínadé — ọmọ ọyìn, ọmọ a-dùn-bí-oyin.
Oyinlola, Oyinade — child of honey; who are sweet as honey.
Ọyìn is honey. The names ask that a life be sweet without being foolish. Elders use the oríkì to bless speech: may this child’s mouth not be bitter in the compound.
oruko · Gbogbo
Ìyábọ̀, Ìyábọ̀lá — ọmọ ìyá, ọmọ a-bọ̀-wálé, ẹ̀bùn ìyá.
Iyabo, Iyabola — child of mother; who return home; a mother’s gift.
Ìyábọ̀: mother has returned. It is given after loss or as thanks. The oríkì keeps the mother’s line audible — a child is not only the father’s house.
oruko · Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Ifágbẹ́mì, Ifáyẹmí, Ifátólá — ọmọ Ifá, ọmọ Òrúnmìlà, ọmọ ìkín.
Ifagbemi, Ifayemi, Ifatola — child of Ifa; of Orunmila; of the palm nuts.
Ifá in the name is a vow to Òrúnmìlà. The oríkì reminds the child (and the guests) that destiny was consulted. It connects a Lagos naming to an Ifẹ̀ and Ọ̀yọ́ sitting.
eranko · Gbogbo
Erin ńlá, ọmọ igbó, ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ ńlá, a-ya-igi-lulẹ̀.
Great elephant; child of the forest; of the large foot; who pull a tree down.
Erin ńlá: the elephant as strength and memory. Children’s oríkì of animals taught metaphor before schoolbooks. Reciting it in a yard still lets a child praise size without cruelty.
eranko · Gbogbo
Kìnìún ọba ẹranko, ọmọ ṣàà, a-bú-ni-lẹ́rù.
Lion, king of beasts; child of the grassland; who frighten with a roar.
Kìnìún ọba ẹranko: kingship explained through the grassland. Used in play and in royal metaphor so a child hears what àṣẹ sounds like before they meet an ọba.
eranko · Gbogbo
Ìjàpá òkò, ọkọ Yánníbo, ọmọ ọgbọ́n, a-fi-ìwà-ṣe-ohun.
Ijapá the tortoise; husband of Yannibo; child of cunning; who do things by character.
Ìjàpá òkò and Yánníbo are the tortoise cycle — wit, trouble, and consequence. The oríkì is a moral sitting: connections in the compound are kept by ọgbọ́n, not only by force.
eranko · Gbogbo
Adìẹ funfun, ìyá ọmọ, a-kó-ọmọ-sábẹ́-àyà, ẹni ojúmó ń jí.
White hen; mother of chicks; who gather children under the breast; whom dawn wakes.
Adìẹ funfun: the hen as mother-craft. Taught to children so care has a picture. It links ìyá ọmọ to the dawn (ojúmó) and to gathering, not to noise only.