Warrior Ansogun who turned into stone celebrated in Iresaadu, 'Its site, spiritual ground like Jerusalem, Mecca'

Warrior Ansogun who turned into stone celebrated in Iresaadu, ‘Its site, spiritual ground like Jerusalem, Mecca’

An intrepid warrior of ancient time who never lost a war but eventually defeated himself by transfiguring into stone along with his war dogs, soldiers and captives.

Femi OGUNLANA

Iresaadu, headquarters of Surulere local government area in Ogbomoso zone, Oyo state, came alive Friday (September 5), as the people of the ancient town led by the princes and princesses from the two ruling houses – Osunbiyi and Emiolu – venerated the Ansogun deity, a warrior whose real name was Olala and who was said to have turned into a standing stone in a moment of fury and depression.

The festivity began from early Friday morning; music blared, local drummers entertained, joy was visibly written on people’s faces, male and female. But not only Ansogun, a once venerable and redoubtable ancient warrior, Ogun Agbalu was also poured with libation. It is undiluted Yoruba cultural festival. Indigenes of the agrarian, sprawling town came from far and near for the celebration which was held last about a decade ago.

Both Ogun Agbalu and Ansogun Olala are accorded great recognition and reverence because of their contributions to the survival of the community. They are worshipped with similar items including kolanut, bitter kola, roasted beans, roasted yam, roasted corn, palm oil, palmwine, schnapps, salt and male dog. For Ansogun the dog must be black in colour.

High priest Aboderin Babatunde leading proceedings at the Agbaalu Shrine

The Ogun Agbaalu

Chief Priest Babatunde performing the rites at Agbaalu shrone

At the Ogun Agbalu shrine in the centre of the town, the Ogun insignia, a protrusion from the earth had palmfronds woven over it. It was the first to be venerated because “the rites can’t be performed after 12pm,” Prince Oyeniran Oyewumi of Osunbiyi Royal House told ogbomosoinsightonline.com.

The worship ceremony was led by the Oluode Arolu, Chief Priest Aboderin Babatunde. Chief Babatunde one by one put the items of worship at the base of the deity, offering prayers for the town and its people. He prayed for prosperity, peace and progress. He poured the oil and palmwine. He cast spilt kolanuts to divine for the community, the outcome of which was interpreted as propitious, a pronouncement greeted with elation and applause. The decapitation of the sacrificial dog by the ‘executioner,” Ganiyu Ibrahim, in one fell swoop at first attempt brought the ceremony to the climax. The venue erupted in jubilation amid sporadic gunshots from Dane guns.

The people lunged forward to pick up the various ritual items to munch and even drew the dog’s blood with their fingers to lick as they continued to jump hilariously. The dog was shortly after scalded by naked fire and cooked in stew.

The train thereafter moved to the site of Ansogun Olala, which is believed to also watch over the town, “but which was said to be angry because its worship had not been held in a long time,” Hon John Alabi, an indigene told Ogbomoso Insight. “When the town became riddled with inauspicious things and misfortune, Ifa was consulted and it instructed the deity be worshipped.”

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The Ansogun shrine located towards the boundary with the neighbouring Iresaapa, its twin town, in a bush thus received the throng of the people. The same items as mentioned were offered to the Ansogun Stone standing alone facing Iresaadu away from Iresaapa. However, the veneration of Ansogun was led by Baale Abdulrazak Olatunji, Onibaruwa of Baruwa, a tributary community to Iresaadu. He chanted the panegyric of Ansogun and of the other supernal beings, not ceasing to offer prayers particularly on the emergence of a new Oba, the Aresaadu, and cursing thieves and armed robbers ravaging the town.

He made divinations with the kolanuts but each time the message was emphasis on unity, oneness and cooperation among the people. The priest warned of dire consequences if unity is not fostered. Peace, progress and prosperity were similarly the

prayer points. The highpoint of the ceremony likewise was the decollation of the male black dog once again by Ganiyu Ibrahim. People also rushed to lick its blood, gobble other sacrificial materials, make personal prayer requests and offer monetary offerings as witnessed at Ogun Agbaalu veneration.

Ansogun Olala: Legend or truth?

Pathway to Ansogun Shrine, off Iresaadu – Iresaapa road

Ansogun Stone

Olala was said to be his real name. This’s according to the Bara of Iresaadu, Chief Olawale Akano, who spoke with ogbomosoinsightonline.com. Olala was a great warrior, an intrepid general in the Iresaadu army. He was an undefeated general until he vanquished himself. On this particular expedition he again romped into victory smashing the enemy and taking many captives. When he along with his soldiers and captives approached the town jubilant townspeople went out to welcome him back, escort him home and perform a victory parade. But a taboo was broken. An unpalatable information was relayed to him amid the rejoicing; this was a forbidden thing, to have bad news broken to him in that circumstances was a violation of tradition. Underwhelmed and propelled by anger he disappeared into the ground and re-appeared transfiguring into a granitic stone, standing at about 1.55m (five feet) high from the substratum and about 12 inches (one foot) in diameter. His two hunting dogs which he took to the expedition also transformed into stones standing at the base and a chain dangled just above the ground.

Seeing their supreme commander turned into a standing stone, all the soldiers and the captives suffered similar fate as they all also changed into rocks of various sizes and shapes. Today, the rocks can be seen scattered all over the place stretching over 100 metres and few metres wide. The striking thing is that the Olala Stone and its dogs’ figurines stood conspicuously in the front. That is the legend or reality of Ansogun as relayed by Chief Olatunji the Bara of Iresaadu.

Ansogun is held with reverence and because of his military service and for his powers he was deified. He became a deity, a god to be venerated. A warrior, he was associated with Ogun, the god of iron. “And so, the refrain during its worship – A nlo sogun (we are going to make (worship) Ogun,,” Chief Bara said, “got elided to Ansogun, that is Ansogun Olala.”

Bara then volunteered the reason the Ansogun Stone leans, bowing towards Iresaadu town. Iresaadu and Iresaapa used to be one community with one destiny, one monarch, Aresa. The birth of twin boys by one Aresa led to the split. The royal house did not want to deny any of the twins the throne and so created another kingdom splitting the land into two. The elder of the twins (Taye), who was darkly complexioned (Dudu in Yoruba) retained the old kingdom which became “Iresa Dudu,” a reflection of his skin colour while the second twin (Kehinde) who was light in complexion (Pupa) became the ruler of the new kingdom, ‘Iresa Pupa.”

Bara of Iresaadu Chief Olawale Akano

Controversy once ensued over the custodian of the Ansogun monument between the two brother communities. They consulted the relic and he reportedly told them they should return after seven days and that where he leans towards would depict its owner. “When they went back, it was in the direction of Iresa-Dudu he leans, that settles the squabble,” Chief Olatunji explains.

Only the stone relic of one dog is now visible. The reason for this according to him is that the second had gone underground. “When l was young there were two stones representing Ansogun’s two war dogs. But in recent years one had disappeared into the ground.”

He also confirmed the presence of the mysterious chain that sprouted from the ground at the foot of the Ansogun Stone presumably where the intrepid warrior entered into the earth, and that this chain they pulled at, which would draw out but would snap back when it reached its full length. “But today the chain had also disappeared,” he said.

The Bara, one of Iresadudu’s kingmakers, also informed of the significance of the Ansogun Stone and site. “It is a sacred land. Prayers are answered there. Make any solicitation at the site with a pure and longing heart and your prayers will be answered within seven days. Apart from its historical significance it holds spiritual importance.”

He exuded confidence when he declared that it compares to Mecca and Jerusalem where Muslim and Christian faithful travel to annually for religious rituals. “Religious people go to Mecca and Jerusalem to observe pilgrimage for spiritual renewal and to offer prayers. Ansogun holds similar significance. If government can develop this place and repackage it, this site will become a place attracting religious people and tourists. We urge government to invest in the site, let them build this place into a standard centre with walkway, fence it off and provide other facilities, after all they rebuilt Jerusalem and Mecca to become sites thronged from all over the world.”

Meanwhile, the Aresaadu is forbidden from going to the groove, “If any Aresaadu goes there, calamity will befall him,” he discloses.

Olanrewaju Oyedokun, a princess of Iresaadu, corroborated the spiritual and historical significance of the place saying as a young girl, they looked forward to the celebration of Ansogun. She testified to the relics of two dogs and the mysterious chain. ”It is because we abandoned it that untoward things beset Iresaadu today,” she lamented. “But we will now return to its annual celebration in regard to the priest’s divination.”

She urged the Surulere local government, Oyo state and federal governments to harness the potentials of the place like that of Osun Osogbo.

The priests divined during the rituals if it should be celebrated first Fridays of September every year but it rejected that date. Further investigations revealed it wanted April every year – first Friday, an outcome that drew applause – “Ah, Baba wants koro (cashew nuts) season.” That implies another celebration would hold next April. “We will buy common uniform, it will be grander,” Princess Oyedokun enthused.

At the return into the town centre from the Ansogun shrine, partying ensued, even as the countdown to the April celebration begins.

Epilogue

I’m the evening later that day, news emerged that the Oyo state government had in a letter to the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Olushola Alao, confirmed him as permanent chairman of Surulere Local Government Traditional Council, a position previously rotated on two – year basis with the Aresaadu of Iresaadu (vacant for now). Though neither the letter was made public (only its purported content was captured) nor government made a formal declaration on it.

Nonetheless does this have any correlation with the revelations at Ansogun and Ogun Agbaalu’s veneration?