Recommended listening: Yoruba music
Story
The sun had come out after a rainy day in Ile-Ife, the most powerful city in medieval Yorubaland. Queen Oluwo had spent the day trudging through the mud in full royal regalia on official business. When she returned to the palace courtyard and got a chance to look at herself properly, she was dismayed to see her robes and coral ankle bracelets splattered with mud. For a queen like Oluwo, it was the final straw. It simply wouldn't do for someone as regal as herself to be seen about the streets of Ile-Ife covered in mud. Something would have to be done about it... something big.
So goes the Yoruba legend about the origin of the spectacular paved streets of Ile-Ife! Oluwo is said to have been Oni (queen) around the year 1000 AD, making her the second entry in my Women of 1000 AD series. On either side of the millennium, medieval Ile-Ife (in modern-day Nigeria) can be broadly divided into the pre-pavement and the pavement periods, with Oluwo serving as the legendary catalyst for the change!
So goes the Yoruba legend about the origin of the spectacular paved streets of Ile-Ife! Oluwo is said to have been Oni (queen) around the year 1000 AD, making her the second entry in my Women of 1000 AD series. On either side of the millennium, medieval Ile-Ife (in modern-day Nigeria) can be broadly divided into the pre-pavement and the pavement periods, with Oluwo serving as the legendary catalyst for the change!
Artist's Comments
As soon as I read the story of Oluwo, I knew I wanted to draw her! This picture was a joy to research. I had no idea about the marvellous, hyper-realistic art of medieval Nigeria before researching this piece. You can see a collection of this fantastic sculpture here. The proliferation of queens' heads among the archaeological record of Ile-Ife made it easy for me to find references for how Oluwo might have looked. Ile-Ife was also a huge production centre of glass beads, which she's showing off here alongside her coral jewellery. Coral is a symbol of royalty and wealth and is still popular among the Yoruba. Oluwo's crown is one of beaded embroidery, and her dark blue robe is made from aso oke, a traditional Yoruba fabric. The lines on her face are scarification patterns which identified her royal lineage. I always hoped to finish this drawing before the end of Black History Month but didn't think I'd be able to, so I am proud that I managed to finish it in time. When working on this picture, it was humbling to see a whole world of medieval life that I knew nothing about! That's one of my favourite things about the Women of 1000 AD project - expanding my knowledge of world history. I hope you have also enjoyed learning a little about Oni Oluwo of Ile-Ife! ~ February 26, 2018
Resources
Want to learn more about the queens of Ile-Ife? Here are some recommended resources.
"Art and Life in Africa: Ife" by William Dewey
A photo essay from the University of Iowa featuring art from Ile-Ife. It covers the variety of types of sculpture surviving from this civilisation. The discussions of sculptural depictions of queens were useful for researching this illustration.
"Art in Ancient Ife, Birthplace of the Yoruba" by Suzanne Preston Blier
Very accessible article from Harvard University about decoding the meaning behind the great sculpture of Ile-Ife, exploring what the way the ancient artists chose to represent their leaders tells us about their society. Lots of great photos, including many sculptures of women.
"The Ancient Paved Roads of Ife" by Rossikki
A collection of posts about the history of Ile-Ife, including photographs of the unique pavement and a reconstruction of the courtyards which I used as a reference when drawing this picture. (Please note there are some off-topic arguments in the comments below the post.)
"Ife Pre-Pavement and Pavement Era (800-1000 AD)" by the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas
A short overview from the MET about how the pavements mark a turning point in Ile-Ife's history. There are a few other relevant articles hosted on the website about Ife's earlier history, terracotta sculpture, and place within the wider context of African lost-wax casting.
"Art and Life in Africa: Ife" by William Dewey
A photo essay from the University of Iowa featuring art from Ile-Ife. It covers the variety of types of sculpture surviving from this civilisation. The discussions of sculptural depictions of queens were useful for researching this illustration.
"Art in Ancient Ife, Birthplace of the Yoruba" by Suzanne Preston Blier
Very accessible article from Harvard University about decoding the meaning behind the great sculpture of Ile-Ife, exploring what the way the ancient artists chose to represent their leaders tells us about their society. Lots of great photos, including many sculptures of women.
"The Ancient Paved Roads of Ife" by Rossikki
A collection of posts about the history of Ile-Ife, including photographs of the unique pavement and a reconstruction of the courtyards which I used as a reference when drawing this picture. (Please note there are some off-topic arguments in the comments below the post.)
"Ife Pre-Pavement and Pavement Era (800-1000 AD)" by the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas
A short overview from the MET about how the pavements mark a turning point in Ile-Ife's history. There are a few other relevant articles hosted on the website about Ife's earlier history, terracotta sculpture, and place within the wider context of African lost-wax casting.