Isinro Festival in Ila-Orangun and Oke-Ila Orangun is the marking of the recognition of motherhood in the life of Orangun. The festival is usually celebrated on the 13th day of Iwa ceremony, and it is the last ceremonial day of the festival.
Isinro ceremony has been modernized overtime to be a carnival – like procession including both the – Kabiyesi, the Orangun of Ila and the entire people of the town.
According to the historians; ‘Iwa was the second wife of Oduduwa, (the Yoruba progenitor) who had no issue for many years. ‘In her search for children, she left Ile-Ife and arrived at Ijero-Ekiti (in the present Ekiti State). There, God later hearkened to her prayer and she was blessed with a male child for the Ajero of Ijero. She later decided to return to Ile-Ife, but the Ajero of Ijero dispossessed her of the child.
On her way back to Ile-Ife, she got to Aramoko Ekiti also in the present Ekiti State and decided to stay there. But Iwa being a single woman and a beautiful woman of a tender age, the Alara of Aramoko greatly admired her. He married her and she bore another male child for the Alara of Aramoko. She again wanted to return to Ile-Ife with the male child, but Kabiyesi also dispossessed her of the child.
Bent on returning to Ile-Ife Iwa left Aramoko and got to Ila. She lived in Ila and married Orangun. Again, she gave birth to a male child for the Orangun. She finally returned to Ile-Ife without any of her three male children.
“As years run by, the three sons grew up in their respective domains and were individually crowned as king in their domains. When the information got to Iwa (their mother) she prepared gifts for her three royal kings. In each of the calabash, she put Iyun, Ileke (Beads) and covered the beads with pounded yam. She assumed that when her sons received the gift and saw the pounded yam in the course of eating it, each of them would see the beads packed under the pounded yam.
“The messenger headed straight to Ajero, but he got there the following day, thus making the pounded yam became that of yesterday. This made the Ajero rejected the gift in its entirety. He sent away the messengers. The same treatment was meted out to the messengers by the Alara of Aramoko. He rejected the gift on the same excuse.
“However, when the messengers got to the Orangun of Ila, the Orangun was very happy to receive such a gift from his mother. He invited all his chiefs and households to celebrate with him the gift from his mother Iwa. “When he opened the calabash, he saw the pounded yam (iyan ewu) he ordered everybody present to have a bite. As he was taking out the pounded yam from the calabash, he saw the beads (iyun and ileke).
When Ajero and Alara of Aramoko came to Ila later the Orangun related the story to them. They were surprised and promised to be welcoming visitors into their domains henceforth”.
“Since then, the Orangun has always set aside a week long activities to celebrate her mother Iwa”. On the celebration day, the head of the drummers would recite Eka by mentioning all the past Orangun up to the incumbent. So also the group of chiefs would pay homage to the Orangun in succession.
Thereafter, the Orangun in full regalia, wearing Are Crown, would dance while the entertainment follows. The song sang by the Orangun when he hosted Ajero and Alara of Aramoko in his palace was Alara mo rire Ajero mo rire Ire to sonu, oti wa mi wa. Jokingly, Ila people are proud of iyan ewu (yesterday pounded yam) which has become the saying of Ila indigenes that Ojewuyan tan, o motun demi, o so mi di eru Baba re (meaning: you eat yesterday’s pounded yam and put down the fresh one for me you have turned me to your father’s servant; Ila people are proud of iyan ewu because of the gift which was derived from it.
Objectives of Isinro festival
• To bring together all sons and daughters of Ila Orangun and or Oke-Ila Orangun at home and Diaspora to their ancestral home for the purpose of celebrating, educating them and supplicating to their progenitors.
• To confirm and vindicate the prominency and paramount importance of Isinro in the history of Ila in Yoruba race which is an attempt to put the city in its rightful position among the Oduduwa sons and daughters.
• To mark the end of the year in the celebration of many festivals being carried out in both towns.
• To encourage and enjoin relevant authorities to take adequate recognition of Ila Orangun as well as Oke-Ila Orangun culture, custom and tradition which had been neglected for long.
• To encourage the recognition of the role of motherhood in the life of human culture, as evidenced in the attitude of Iwa, the unforgettable mother of Orangun, Alara and Ajero.
• To support the State Government in its effort to promote tourism and culture in Osun State and Nigeria.
• To promote the culture of the twin towns to attract standard and encouragement and
• To open up tourism centres for other people and generations yet unborn.
