Family History

map of benin city

The Oloke Family, one of the most prominent families in today’s contemporary Benin City, is identified with the morning greeting of “laloke.” Dr. Chris O. Igodan has beautifully written this family’s historical background and you can read about it down below.

 

It is not uncommon amongst the Binis to trace individual family history through simple morning salutations.  Morning salutations constitute an important distinguishing feature of the Binis in that it is only amongst the Benin people that the traditional salutations reveal more than a simple good morning when it is pronounced and as a greeting. According to Prince Ena Eweka (updated), “every family in Benin can trace to its original forebear; a fact which is borne out y their family morning salutations”.  Prince Eweka reveals a saying in Benin that “those who have no family salutations are either strangers or else not freemen, but even those who are supposed to belong to these groups (of strangers and not freemen) usually take on the title of their masters or guardians”

The Oloke family of Benin, often identified with the morning salutation “Oloke” is one of the most prominent families in today’s contemporary Benin City.  Many years ago, during the era of the expansionist movement on the Benin Empire, the Edos under the leadership of the Oba and his subjects went on several military campaigns.

The object of these campaigns was to seek more land and maintain administrative units, establish trading posts and offer business opportunities and relationships between the settlers and the natives of the area.  One of such ventures was to the city of Akure, a once-bustling town in the old Western region and the administrative headquarters of the current Ondo state in Nigeria.  It is believed with some historical certainty that the Olokes were part of that military expansionist group of the Edos during the reign of Oba Obanosa (1804-1816).  Along with many subjects of the Oba, the Oloke joined in the military campaign and remained with the Oba in Akure for many years.

In the early 20th century, the family returned to Benin and were rewarded with parcels of farmland to enable them to commence a new life among their people.  Family oral recollections of these events have it that they were fondly welcomed back home and referred to as “Edo na Kure”, a shortened form of “Edo ni ya kure”, meaning Binis that went to Akure.  Some have argued, although no convincingly, that Olokes are actually Akure people who migrated to Benin to begin a new life.  However, the new Oloke family arrivals came with a new language and perhaps new oral traditions and behaviors, having over the years mixed with the Yorubas of Akure.  In those days, most Benin landscape was farmland and the major occupation of the Benin people was farming.  This occupation provided the assurance that the family had something to eat and also shares with relatives and neighbors.  Given that other aspects to maintain livelihood was difficult to come by, the Olokes were very much into farming.  They settled in the area known as “Ugbo gha gue” meaning an area with lots of twine of rope.  In modern Edo language and speaking, the term has now been corrupted to mean Ugbague.  In those days, it was also the tradition to build homes around farming areas so that access to livelihood could be relatively maintained and all family members could share in the task of farming and subsidizing the household.  That is the reason today, the traditional root of the Oloke is the Ugbague area of Benin as early family members got a share of the land to build a house in that vicinity.

This area, Ugbague is also called Okemole, actually derived from the work Oke Imole.  It means “Hills of the Muslims”. It may not have unconnected to the conversion of the early Oloke family settlers in the area, notably, the Osagie family (Bellos, Giwas, Ben-Edo, Igho) into the Muslim faith and the congregation of the early Yoruba settlers who were themselves Muslims in the area.  They were led by Prince Oloke Kosoko of Lagos.  Many of today’s Edo words are closely linked to Portuguese and Spanish words and perhaps an important influence from encounters with the Spanish and Portuguese traders and visitors to the Edo kingdom far back to the 15th century.  Spanish-speaking Roman Catholic Missionaries were in Benin between 1550 CE and early 1770 CE.  They were sent by the King of Portugal to convert Edos to the Christian faith.  The present-day Holy Aruosa Church in Benin is a descendant of the missionary activities to better understand the word “LA” in laloke, it is important to examine the root and meaning of it in both Spanish and Portuguese….., For example, the word “quiye” is a Portuguese for spoon and a direct translation of it in Edo language is “quiye” which also means spoon.  Conversely, the word “Oke” means hill in Edo and in Yoruba. “Olarioke” means the head of Oloke or the head of the community.  In finding out the root of the word “larioke) and how it came into being, it is possible that our reference that our reference is the “head of the community or the Hillman” and Oloke is simply a corruption of those words. In forming the entire meaning, the addition of the word “la” is the respective verb that goes with it.  See for example, “la rie quieye mn”

Laloke in retrospect, will simply mean the please (as a respect for the elder or senior), you are head of the community as a salutation for someone older than you in the family.  It is a major sign of respect and greeting and salutations in the family of the Olokes in Benin.

 

Written by Dr. Chris O. Igodan, Professor, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA