Selected notes.

p. 22. Three ruling houses in Iponrin today:

Laka family house—Ile Laka

Otobakin family house—Ile-Alasi

Danna family house—Ile-Kere

The Bale is usually the eldest person in the house of each family in turn.

Reign of Danna, 3rd village head, by this time, Iponrin had expanded to include other settle-/

p. 23. ments, so Danna created offices of Magaji [for heads of various compounds] and Elemasho for Edun compound to ensure effective administration (ref: Alh. Alhassan Tsado, 62 years old, farmer, Iponrin, 17 Sep 1985).

Other titles: Olori-Odo, Oluode, other honorary titles e.g., Basegun and Iyalode—recently created.

Before Fulani rule, traditional religion. Certain quarters of Iponrin identified with Egungun have since been named after it.

p. 24. When the Fulani took over in Ilorin, all gave way to Islam. The first Muslim personality “noticed” in Iponrin: Mallam Abdulkadir Tsado, migrant from Niger State believed to have had a large number of cattle and some Muslim followers (ibid.).

p. 112. Sample Oral Data.

Name Mallam Kolawole Ile-Kere

Age 73

Occupation Farming

Place Iponrin

Language Yoruba

Q foundation of Iponrin?

A “Like I was told by my grandfather, late Danna who was 3rd Bale, the person who founded this town was a royal prince of Ile Ife called Laka. A hunter and great warrior.

Q What brought him from Ife?

A Laka was a royal prince and so after he had contested the throne of Ooni and lost, just like what the great warriors of those days used to do, Laka decided to move out of Ile-Ife to found his own settlement elsewhere.

Q Does that mean that Laka alone founded Iponrin?

A Yes it was he alone. But later on his 2 brothers Otebakin and Danna came in search of him and found him near a rock where he pitched his tent.

Q How then was this settlement called Iponrin?

A In this particular rock—iron implements—were sharpened especially before they went out for hunting. Before long the rock was named Okuta-Iponrin.”

. . .

Q “Was there any settlement called Ilorin then?

A Yes but that time Ilorin was a very small settlement under Laderin and another man called Ojo-Isekuse.

Q So then one can say that Iponrin had been founded before Shehu Alimi came to Ilorin?

A Certainly. Even before Afonja became a popular figure. Don’t you know that Laderin was the great grandfather of Afonja?”