CONFLICT, WAR, DISPLACEMENT AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN PARTS OF OSUN STATE, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

This study entails archaeological and anthropological investigations in parts of northeast Osun. It also touches on aspects of previous archaeological works carried out in the study area. The work examines the concepts of conflict, war and displacement in the light of archaeological and anthropological evidences from the area. Before now, most archaeological works done in southwestern Nigeria were concentrated on Ile-Ife, Benin, Old Oyo and Owo focussing mostly on art works in bronze, terracotta, and wood. Other themes especially conflict, war and displacement vital to the areas‘ history and archaeology have been neglected. To understand this neglect, and other related issues in parts of Osun Northeast of Osun State, Nigeria, series of archaeological works were carried out since 1992 by the author. The first phase of the research work which took the author to Ila-Orangun, Ila-Yara, Oyan, Asi, Asaba, Iresi and Ajaba (Kajola) was meant to expose the archaeological potentials of this part of Osun northeast for future intensive archaeological investigation (Ogunfolakan 2006). The second phase was a continuation of the previous exercise with visits to other notable towns and villages in Northeast Osun such as Oke-Ila, Ila-Magbon, Para-Oke, Otan-Ayegbaju, Ire, Ikirun and revisit to Iresi which had earlier on been visited. This second phase was also aimed at exposing the archaeological potentials of these towns and villages. Also a potsherd pavement site at Ajaba earlier identified during the first phase was excavated. This excavation was meant to identify the material content, orientation, pattern and design of the pavement, so as to relate it to other known pavements in other part of Yorubaland (Ile-Ife, Ila-Oranguun, Iragbiji, Otan-Ayegbaju, etc (Ogunfolakan 2007). It was also meant to assess the relationship between the pavement and a sacred grove ‗igbo‘aiko‘. The sacred grove was later revealed as part of the abandoned settlement. Its investigation forms one of the bases for the study.