Iroko Oluwere is the name of a powerful tree in the forest in the ancient village of Ajangbe in Yorubaland. People would go there to ask the tree’s spirit for various favors.
The Iroko oluwere was benevolent, granting people their wishes in exchange for gifts.
There were many sterile women in Ajangbe’s past. They frantically needed youngsters and chose to ask the Iroko tree for help.
To ask for assistance from the Iroko spirit, they went to the tree. The Iroko tree requested each from the ones who made an appearance what she would offer as a trade off for bearing a youngster. Since many of these women traded at a weekly open-field market, they made promises to the Iroko tree spirit of goats, yams, handwoven cloth, or whatever else they sold for a living.
Oluronbi, one of the women, also sought assistance from the Iroko tree.
Olurombi begged the tree to give her a child when she reached Lroko Oluwere. If her request was granted, she promised to bring the child back to the powerful tree. Iroko was pleased with Olurombi’s promise because none of the others who had come before her had ever made such a commitment.
Olurombi got pregnant a few months later and gave birth to a girl. She gave the child the name Aponbepore, which means “the one as red as palm oil,” because she was so happy.
Aponbepore began to develop, but Oluronbi, Aponbepore’s mother, failed to keep the vow she had made with Lroko Oluwere. As a result, the spirit tree made the decision to visit Oluronbi’s house and take Aponbepore after lroko Oluwere had waited a long time for her to fulfill her promise. The spirit tree grabbed Aponbeore by the hand when it got to the house and started to drag her away. To serve as a reminder to everyone seeking favor, the villagers began singing.
Since then, people have sung this song to recall Oluronbi’s story:
Onikaluku jeje ewure (everyone promised to offer a goat)
Ewure, ewure (goat, goat)
Onikaluku jeje aguntan (everyone promised to offer a sheep)
Aguntan bolojo (A fleshy sheep)
Oluronbi jeje omo re (Oluronbi promised to offer her child)
Omo re apon bi epo (Her child who is as light skinned as palm oil)
Oluronbi O! (Oluronbi O!)
Jo’in jo’in (*make that up*)
Iroko (a mighty tree in the forest)
Jo’in jo’in (*make it up*)
Oluronbi O! (Oluronbi O!)
Jo’in jo’in
Iroko
Jo’in jo’in
Moral lesson: Be careful with the promises you make.