The Eight most powerful women in Aláàfin of Oyo palace.
The old dynasty data back to the old Oyo Empire which recognizes Aláàfin as an emperor. There are powerful people within the Oyo kingdom who very few people know about. They are women who

Control the kingdom.
1)Iyamode: Iyamode is the only person in the world the Aláàfin is permitted to kneel down before. He kneels before no one else except Iyamode.
Iyamode occupies a role so highly deeply respected that the king call her 'Baba' (father).

Whenever the Aláàfin goes on his knees before this powerful woman,she returns the salutation by also going on her knees but never recline on her elbow while doing so as this is the custom of women in saluting their superiors. She is one of the most senior

Priestesses inside the Aláàfin's royal household. Obagunte (she represent the Aláàfin in the Ogboni confraternity and enter Ogboni chamber on all occasion) Eni Oja(she is the head of all the Eshu worshippers in the town,she is in charge of the king's market)

Iyamode resides outhouses of the palace and she is the superior of the celibates living in Bara (the royal mausoleum).
Once a woman becomes Iyamode,she becomes celibate and stays away from sex for life

Iya Naso: The Aláàfin of Oyo is worshipped as the living incarnation of the Sango, the god of thunder.
Inside the palace, the Aláàfin has a private place where he worships Sango. Iya Naso's is in charge of this spiritual room. She has to do with Sango

Worship generally and she's the one responsible for everything linked to it,the worship and rituals.

Iya Kere: Iya Kere is the person who places the crown on the head of the king at the coronation. She is the only in charge of the treasures and paraphernalia

Of the Oyo kingdom, including the crown. Iya Kere is also the mother of illaris(male and female eunuchs who are kept in the palace with half their heads shaved off).
She keeps in her custody all the sugudus that the marks of each illari in order to ensure

The safety of the king. Iya Kere exercises full power over the feudal head of Aseyin,Oluiwo and the Baale (now soun) of Ogbomoso.
Once she assumes the office,she remains a celibate for life

4)Iya Oba: Iya Oba is the official mother of the king. After the demise of the Queen mother,any other of the ladies of the palace is then made the Iya Oba and she is one who then supposed to play the role of a biological mother to him.
The prividileges

Entails for been Iya Oba are,she is the third person in the room when the king and Bashorun worship the Orun in the month of September every year. Iya Oba is the fedual head of the Bashorun.

5)Iya Monari; it is the role of Iya Monari to execute by strangling any Sango worshipper who has been condemned to death.
Sango worshippers condemned to capital punishment cannot be killed by the sword. She is also the first second-in-command and assistant to

Iya Naso.

6)Iya-Fin-Iku; She is referred to as the king's Adoshu Sango meaning the King's devotee to the Sango mysteries.
It's the normal practice for all Sango worshippers to devote one of their children to the worship of Sango and that is the role

Iya-Fin-Iku fulfills for the Aláàfin. She is also in charge of the Sango ram which is allowed to go everywhere and around the market without anyone molesting it and the ram can also eat with impunity anything it so desires from the seller.

7) Iyalagbon; she's the mother of the crown prince (Aremo) in a case where the mother of the crown prince (Aremo) is deceased, then another woman is promoted to that office and she becomes the mother of the crown prince (Aremo).
Iyalagbon enjoys massive

Influence and privileges and controls a portion of the kingdom.

8)Are Orite; She is the Aláàfin's personal attendant. It the Are-Orite who sees to it that the royal meals and royal bed is properly made.
She also makes sure that the royal chambers are neatly

Arrange, when an Aláàfin is enthroned,it is the Are-Orite who places the umbrella-like sliken parasol over his head as a canopy and she is constantly by the side of the Aláàfin to see to his needs.

These influential and powerful women communicate with the spiritual realm and guide every single step of the Aláàfin,most do not even know they exist.
They encourage him during time of trials, support him during periods of challenges and defend him from all

Forms of evil both physical and metaphysical. They educate him on what he can eat and what is forbidden for him to touch. They are the ubiquitous brains behind the kingdom. As only a mother can give birth to a son, only the great mothers can make a king.

Iba eyin iya awirere aboju sinsin
Mo seba Akoda Aye
Mo seba Olodumare
Mo seba eyin Iyami Olokiki
Oru anomo lai fowo kan
Ni Mo seba ba yin oooo
Iba eyin iya

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