THE HISTORY OF ILÉ ÀTẸ̀GBÈ
Àtègbè is a derivative of Ìretè and Ogbè which is one of the chapters of the 256 ODÙ of the IFÁ Literary Corpus. Literally, Ilé means house, home, compound, or lineage, whIle Àtègbè means “Stepping into greatness” or “Stepping into greater spiritual heights.” So comparatively, Ilé Àtègbè can be summarized to mean “The spiritual lineage that steps into greater spiritual heights.”
This lineage has existed for thousands of years. In the past 500 years, we trace the history of Ilé Àtègbè as follows:
Over five hundred years ago, Òjó Ifá was the Oba Àtègbè (King of Àtègbè ) and he ruled for about 150 years. He was such a prolific Oba that he basically reset the record of kingship for Ilé Àtègbè . He was so spiritually tuned to IFÁ that he didn’t have to throw the òpèlè (divination chain) to make divination for his clients[1]. He would simply hold his òpèlè in the air and look at the client through the opening. He would then place the òpèlè back in its container and start relaying to the client the message that IFÁ had for them.
Oba Òjó Ifá made many predictions in his lifetime. One such predictions was that, the thatched roof houses that they lived in then, will be mentioned in conversation as the type of house we use to build in our historic past. He predicted that the third king after him would continue his legacy and would be the one to open the Ilé to the whole world using a small box-like medium (Radio? TV? Computer?).
Oba Òjó Ifá also predicted that the second king after him would be the bridge between the third king and himself. He said that the third king would be born during the era of the second king and that this new king would be crowned at birth, thus passing the ASE of Oba Òjó Ifá on to this newborn king.
Oba Adédèjì passed away on December 26, 1976. However, his reign ended 16 years prior when the prediction that Oba Òjó Ifá made over 500 years ago proved true. In 1964 the third Oba Àtègbè since Oba Òjó Ifá was born. This is our own Babalawo Dr. Ifábùkúnmi Ònàolápò Adéwálé.
According to Oba Òjó Ifá, during this third regime, the positive activities of Ilé Àtègbè would project the people 500 years ahead of their time.
[1] Divination with òpèlè in today’s time normally requires at least three throws to compile a complete reading for a client or situation.
The second king Babaláo Adédèjì-A Dafa Bí Eni Wejú (The Crown becomes two – Divines as if he witnessed it happening). This name was earned due to his lucidity of the IFÁ Divination system. This gift of lucidity was passed to him from Oba Òjó Ifá when he became King. Oba Adédèjì only needed to throw his òpèlè once to make a complete divination for a client or situation. In his royal priesthood he was so highly revered and respected that he was also appointed as diviner for other kings.
Oba Adédèjì was born with extraordinary physical qualities that resembled that of ÒRÒ (the ÒRÌŞÀ that prevents paralysis) and because of this, he was directed to study IFÁ. It was after he began this study that his life started to transform. On Ita day of his initiation to IFÁ, it was revealed that he was to be crowned the second king of Ilé Àtègbè – since the reign of Oba Òjó Ifá, this position had been vacant for some three hundred years.
