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68-603: Alara may refer to: People [ edit ] Alara of Ilara-Mokin , the king of Ilara-Mokin land in Nigeria Alara of Kush , a king of Kush Āḷāra Kālāma , a hermit saint, a teacher of yogic meditation and teacher of Gautama Buddha Luis Alberto Fernández Alara (born 1946), Argentine Roman Catholic bishop Cheche Alara , music director Other uses [ edit ] ALARA , an acronym for "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" Alara (insect) , an insect genus in

136-598: A Crown Colony in 1808. The decrease in trade indirectly led to the collapse of states like the Edo Empire . Britain withdrew from the slave trade when it was the major transporter of slaves to the Americas. The French had abolished slavery following the French Revolution , although it briefly re-established it in its Caribbean colonies especially Martinique under Napoleon . France sold Louisiana to

204-625: A large share of this business until 1807 when they were replaced by the Portuguese and the Spaniards. By 1826–1850, the British Royal Navy was intervening significantly with Lagos slave exports. Whether British conquest of Nigeria resulted from a benevolent motive to end slavery or more instrumental motives of wealth and power, remains a topic of dispute between African and European historians. Many locals remained unconvinced of

272-488: A reasonable amount for any portion they may require. The said National African Company (Limited) bind themselves to protect the said King and Chiefs from the attacks of any neighbouring tribes (Ibid.). The company considered itself the sole legitimate government of the area, with executive, legislative and judicial powers all subordinate to the rule of a council created by the company board of directors in London. The council

340-418: A treaty whose meaning they did not understand, and then seize upon the country". The Headquarters of Gombe emirate was Gombe-Abba until when the then Emir of Gombe, Umaru Kwairanga (1898–1922), was forced to move from Gombe-Abba, a town founded by his grandfather and the founder of Gombe Emirate , Modibbo Bubayero, to Nafada town in 1913, and then to the current Gombe in 1919, that was after Gombe Emirate

408-399: A year by 1840—it was concentrated near the coast, where palm trees grew in abundance. Gradually, however, the trade forced major economic and social changes in the interior, although it hardly undermined slavery and the slave trade. The incidence of slavery in local societies increased. Initially, most palm oil (and later kernels) came from Igboland, where palm trees formed a canopy over

476-467: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Alara of Ilara-Mokin The first Alárá of Ilara-Mokin was Ọbalúfọ̀n Modulua Olutipin, who was also known as Obalufon Alayemore (some sources identify the Ọbàlùfọ̀n here as Obalufon Ogbogbodirin . According to oral history, Ọbàlùfọ̀n fled from Ilé-Ìfẹ̀ called Ará (meaning family or relative) (hence why Ilara

544-484: Is named Ilara, "The one who has many relatives") along with other people and fellow leaders such as Ajígun Ọlọ́fin after being deposed by Oranmiyan . There, Ọbalufon established many settlements and towns in what is now the Ekiti region. Among those towns were Ìlárá. Upon Obalufon's departure, he placed his son Àyájọ́ on the throne as the second Alárá. The name Alárá comes from the phrase, "oní ará," meaning, "The leader of

612-593: The Bight of Biafra . West Africa also bought British exports, supplying 30–40% of the demand for British cotton during the Industrial Revolution of 1750–1790. At the same time, British scientists were interested in exploring the course and related settlements along the Niger River. The delta masked the mouth of the great river, and for centuries Nigerians chose not to tell Europeans the secrets of

680-532: The CMS —succeeded in imposing peace settlements on the interior. Colonial Lagos was a busy, cosmopolitan port. Its architecture was in both Victorian and Brazilian style, as many of the black elite were English-speakers from Sierra Leone and freedmen repatriated from the Empire of Brazil and Spanish Cuba . Its residents were employed in official capacities and were active in business. Africans also were represented on

748-658: The Edo Kingdom , and programs of exploration sponsored by learned societies and scientific groups, such as the London-based African Association . Local leaders, cognizant of the situation in the West Indies , India , and elsewhere, recognised the risks of British expansion. A chief of Bonny in 1860 explained that he refused a British treaty due to the tendency to "induce the Chiefs to sign

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816-615: The 1800s. They caused major transformations in traditional society as they eroded the religious institutions such as human sacrifice, infanticide and secret societies, which had formerly played a role in political authority and community life. The principal commodities of legitimate trade were palm oil and palm kernels , which were used in Europe to make soap and as lubricants for machinery before petroleum products were developed for that purpose. Although this trade grew to significant proportions—palm oil exports alone were worth £1 billion

884-520: The 1840s. For some time, missionaries operated in the area between Lagos and Ibadan. The first missions were opened by the Church of England 's Church Missionary Society (CMS). Other Protestant denominations from Great Britain , Canada , and the United States also opened missions and, in the 1860s, Roman Catholic religious orders established missions. Protestant missionaries tended to divide

952-551: The Americas continued for years afterward. Lagos became a major slave port in the late 1700s and into the 1850s. Much of the human trafficking which occurred there was nominally illegal, and records from this time and place are not comprehensive. According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyage Database, 308,800 were sold across the Atlantic from Lagos in 1776–1850. British and French traders did

1020-672: The British were granted only extraterritorial rights that did not prevent similar arrangements with the Germans and the French and certainly did not surrender sovereignty. Even before gaining its charter, the Company signed treaties with local leaders which granted it broad sovereign powers. One 1885 treaty read: We, the undersigned King and Chiefs […] with the view to the bettering of the condition of our country and people, do this day cede to

1088-701: The British were the primary European slave trafficker from this area. In 1767, British traders facilitated a notorious massacre of hundreds of people at Calabar after inviting them onto their ships, ostensibly to settle a local dispute. In 1807, the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted the Slave Trade Act , prohibiting British subjects from participating in the Atlantic slave trade . Britain subsequently lobbied other European powers to stop

1156-712: The Colonial Office. In 1891, the consulate established the Niger Coast Protectorate Force or "Oil Rivers Irregulars". The legitimate trade in commodities attracted a number of British merchants to the Niger River , as well as some men who had been formerly engaged in the slave trade but who now changed their line of wares. The large companies that subsequently opened depots in the delta cities and in Lagos were as ruthlessly competitive as

1224-671: The Congo. But in the 1700s, the Bight of Benin (also known as the Slave Coast ) became the next most important hub. Ouidah (now part of Benin ) and Lagos were the major ports on the coast. From 1790 to 1807, predominantly British slave traders purchased 1,000–2,000 slaves each year in Lagos alone. The trade subsequently continued under the Portuguese Empire . In the Bight of Biafra , the major ports were Old Calabar ( Akwa Akpa ), Bonny and New Calabar . Starting in 1740,

1292-524: The Crown's authority to completely reverse the legal and moral attributes of a social institution through fiat. Regardless, slavery had decimated the population and fuelled militarisation and chaos, thereby paving the way for more aggressive colonisation. Portuguese Roman Catholic priests who accompanied traders and officials to the West African coast introduced Christianity to the Edo Empire in

1360-697: The Europeans possessed many considerable settlements both upon the coast of Africa and in the East Indies , they have not yet established in either of those regions such numerous and thriving colonies as those in the islands and continent of the America ." Earlier elements related to this were its founding of the Sierra Leone Colony in 1787 as a refuge for freed slaves , the independent missionary movement intended to bring Christianity to

1428-894: The Lagos Legislative Council, a largely appointed assembly. The Colony was ultimately governed by the British Colonial Office in London. Captain John Glover , the colony's administrator, created a militia of Hausa troops in 1861. This became the Lagos Constabulary, and subsequently the Nigerian Police Force . In 1880, the British Government and traders demonetised the Maria Theresa dollar , to

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1496-684: The National Africa Company (Limited), their heirs and assigns, forever, the whole of our territory […] We also give the said National African Company (Limited) full power to settle all native disputes arising from any cause whatever, and we pledge ourselves not to enter into any war with other tribes without the sanction of the said National Africa Company (Limited). We also understand that the said National African Company (limited) have full power to mine, farm, and build in any portion of our territory. We bind ourselves not to have any intercourse with any strangers or foreigners except through

1564-466: The Niger River to establish stations in the interior. An example was that at Onitsha , where they could bargain directly with local suppliers and purchase products likely to turn a profit. Some European traders switched to legitimate business only when the commerce in slaves became too hazardous. The traders suffered from the risks of their position and believed they were at the mercy of the coastal rulers, whom they considered unpredictable. Accordingly, as

1632-622: The Niger and the Benue, sometimes becoming embroiled in serious conflicts when its British-led native constabulary intercepted slave raids or attempted to protect trade routes. The company negotiated treaties with Sokoto, Gwandu and Nupe that were interpreted as guaranteeing exclusive access to trade in return for the payment of annual tribute. Officials of the Sokoto Caliphate considered these treaties quite differently; from their perspective,

1700-528: The Royal Niger Company. The Royal Niger Company established its headquarters far inland at Lokoja , which was the main trading port of the company, from where it began to assume responsibility for the administration of areas along the Niger and Benue rivers where it maintained depots. It soon gained a virtual monopoly over trade along the River The company interfered in the territory along

1768-485: The Sokoto Caliphate, Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton learned about the mouth of the Niger River, and where it reached the sea, but after suffering malaria, depression and dysentery, he died before confirming it. His servant, Richard Lander , and Lander's brother John were the ones to demonstrate that the Niger flowed into the sea. The Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down

1836-668: The United States in 1803, the same year that it gave up on trying to regain Saint-Domingue from the Haitian Revolution . By the end of the Napoleonic Wars , it ended slavery in its possessions. Between them, the French and the British had purchased a majority of the slaves sold from the ports of Edo. The economy suffered from the decline in the slave trade, although considerable smuggling of slaves to

1904-457: The Yoruba people, before he is presented to the people and crowned. His Royal Highness, Oba Abiodun Aderemi Adefehinti is the king of Ilara-Mokin , he ascended the throne on 17 July 1998. According to local historians, his father was Thomas Ojopagogo, who was a son of Fato. Fato was the sun of Fadulu, Fadulu was a son of Aderibido, and Aderibido was the eldest son of Alara Ajiperi. Ajiperi

1972-754: The area in the 1885 Berlin Conference . From 1886 to 1899, much of the country was ruled by the Royal Niger Company , authorised by charter, and governed by George Taubman Goldie . In 1900, the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate passed from company hands to the Crown. At the urging of Governor Frederick Lugard , the two territories were amalgamated as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria , while maintaining considerable regional autonomy among

2040-605: The area of West Africa which came to be known as Nigeria, a form of rule which was both autocratic and bureaucratic . After initially adopting an indirect rule approach, in 1906 the British merged the small Lagos Colony and the Southern Nigeria Protectorate into a new Colony of Southern Nigeria , and in 1914 that was combined with the Northern Nigeria Protectorate to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Administration and military control of

2108-563: The coastal area. In 1894 the territory was redesignated the Niger Coast Protectorate and was expanded to include the region from Calabar to Lagos Colony and Protectorate, including the hinterland, and northward up the Niger River as far as Lokoja , the headquarters of the Royal Niger Company. As a protectorate, it did not have the status of a colony, so its officials were appointed by the Foreign Office and not by

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2176-845: The considerable dismay of its local holders, in favour of the pound sterling . In 1891, the African Banking Corporation founded the Bank of British West Africa in Lagos. After the Berlin Conference of 1884, Britain announced the formation of the Oil Rivers Protectorate , which included the Niger Delta and extended eastward to Calabar, where the British Consulate General was relocated from Fernando Po. The protectorate

2244-578: The country into spheres of activity to avoid competition with each other, and Catholic missions similarly avoided duplication of effort among the several religious orders working there. Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo ; the CMS worked among the Yoruba . The CMS initially promoted Africans to responsible positions in the mission field; for instance, they appointed Samuel Ajayi Crowther as

2312-581: The delta towns themselves and frequently used force to compel potential suppliers to agree to contracts and to meet their demands. To some extent, competition amongst these companies undermined their collective position vis-à-vis, local merchants. In the 1870s, therefore, George Taubman Goldie began amalgamating companies into the United African Company, soon renamed the National African Company. Ultimately, this became

2380-596: The densely inhabited areas of the Ngwa , Nri Kingdom , Awka and other Igbo peoples. Palm oil was used locally for cooking, the kernels were a source for food, trees were tapped for palm wine, and the fronds were used for building material. It was a relatively simple adjustment for many Igbo families to transport the oil to rivers and streams that led to the Niger Delta for sale to European merchants. The rapid expansion in exports, especially after 1830, occurred precisely at

2448-607: The descendants of Alara Agbekorun, Iyata I and Alara Afunbiokin, Agbesa I, who were both male line descendants of the second Alara, Ayajo. The Kingship thus alternates between the two houses. The current monarch is a member of the Agbekorun House, and is a direct descendant of Oba Agbekorun. A council of 9 or 12 chiefs called the Kingmakers, "Afọbajẹ," headed by the Lisa of Ilara-Mokin, have the traditional power to enthrone

2516-444: The detailed reports of a pioneer German explorer, Heinrich Barth , who travelled through much of Borno and the Sokoto Caliphate, where he recorded information about the region's geography, economy and inhabitants. British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston detested slavery, and in 1851 he took advantage of divisions in native politics, the presence of Christian missionaries, and the maneuvers of British consul John Beecroft to encourage

2584-440: The extended family of the trader, including retainers and slaves. As its head, the master trader taxed other traders who were members of his "house"; he maintained a war vessel, a large dugout canoe that could hold several tons of cargo and dozens of crews, for the defense of the harbor. Whenever a trader had become successful enough to keep a war canoe, he was expected to form his own "house". Economic competition among these "houses"

2652-487: The family Derbidae Alara Castle , a medieval castle in Alanya, southern Turkey Alara (fairy) , a lake creature from Turkish mythology Alara block , a block of card expansions for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering Alara Kitan, a character on American science-fiction TV series The Orville Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

2720-644: The family," referring to the original place where the people of Ìlárá-Mọ̀kín originated from. Kings of other towns in the Ekiti and surrounding regions also founded by Ọbalufon also use the title Alárá, such as Alárá of Arámọkọ-Èkìtì, Alárá of Ará (in Osun State ). Because Ilara-Mokin became a part of the Akure Kingdom in the 19th century, the Alara answered to the Déjì of Akure and had to pay homage, tribute, and

2788-627: The fifteenth century. Several churches were built to serve the Edo community and a small number of African converts. When direct Portuguese contacts in the region were withdrawn, however, the influence of the Catholic missionaries waned. By the eighteenth century, evidence of Christianity had disappeared. Although churchmen in Britain had been influential in the drive to abolish the slave trade, significant missionary activity for Africa did not develop until

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2856-462: The first Anglican Bishop of the Niger . Crowther, a liberated Yoruba slave, had been educated in Sierra Leone and in Britain, where he was ordained before returning to his homeland with the first group of CMS missionaries. The Anglicans and other religious groups had a conscious "native church" policy to develop indigenous ecclesiastical institutions to become independent of Europeans. Crowther

2924-596: The interior. In 1794, the African Association in Great Britain commissioned Mungo Park , an intrepid Scottish physician and naturalist, to search for the headwaters of the Niger and follow the river downstream. Park reached the upper Niger the next year by travelling inland from the Gambia River. Although he reported on the eastward flow of the Niger, he was forced to turn back when his equipment

2992-406: The king, with the aid of the Ifa . The Lisa or another Chief Ifa priest often performs the Ifa rituals needed to consult the god Ọ̀rúnmìlà regarding who was the best candidate to become King. The royal house that is due to rule presents a series of princes who become candidates to the throne. Once the Kingmakers select the King, he is put through a series of rituals based on the Ìṣẹ̀ṣe religion of

3060-423: The local area. The company, as was common among European businesses in Africa, paid its native workers in barter. At the turn of the century, top wages were four bags of salt (company retail price, 3s 9d) for a month of work. Trade was also conducted through a mechanism of barter and credit. Goods were made available on credit to African middlemen, who were expected to trade them at a pre-arranged price and deliver

3128-453: The overthrow of the regime. In 1851 deposed king Akintoye of Lagos sought British help in restoring him to the throne. Beecroft agreed on condition that the slave trade be abolished, and British merchants have a monopoly in commodities. The Royal Navy bombarded Lagos in November 1851, ousted the pro-slavery Oba Kosoko and established a treaty with the newly installed Oba Akintoye , who was expectedly more amenable to British interests. Lagos

3196-414: The present day. In the 1700s, the British Empire and other European powers had settlements and forts in West Africa but had not yet established the full-scale plantation colonies which existed in the Americas. Adam Smith wrote in 1776 that the African societies were "better established and more populous than those of the Americas , thus creating a more formidable barrier to European expansion. Though

3264-426: The river to a waiting European ship. Initial British attempts to open trade with the interior by way of the Niger could not overcome climate and diseases such as malaria. A third of the people associated with an 1842 riverine expedition died. In the 1850s, quinine had been found to combat malaria, and aided by the medicine, a Liverpool merchant, Macgregor Laird , opened the river. Laird's efforts were stimulated by

3332-474: The said national African Company (Limited), and we give the said National African Company (Limited) full power to exclude all other strangers and foreigners from their territory at their discretion. In consideration of the foregoing, the said National African Company (Limited) bind themselves not to interfere with any of the native laws or customs of the country, consistently with the maintenance of order and good government … [and] agree to pay native owners of land

3400-446: The slave trade as well. It made anti-slavery treaties with West African powers, which it enforced militarily with the blockade of Africa . Some of the treaties contained prohibitions on diplomacy conducted without British permission, or other promises to abide by British rule. This scenario provided an opportunity for naval expeditions and reconnaissance throughout the region. Britain also annexed Freetown in Sierra Leone , declaring it

3468-532: The territory was conducted primarily by white Britons, both in London and in Nigeria . Following military conquest, the British imposed an economic system designed to profit from African labour. The essential basis of this system was a money economy —specifically the British pound sterling —which could be demanded through taxation, paid to cooperative natives, and levied as a fine. The amalgamation of different ethnic and religious groups into one federation created internal tension which persists in Nigeria to

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3536-434: The three major regions (Northern protectorate, Southern protectorate and the Colony of Lagos). Progressive constitutions after World War II provided for increasing representation and electoral government by Nigerians. The colonial period proper in Nigeria lasted from 1900 to 1960, after which Nigeria gained its independence. Through a progressive sequence of regimes, the British imposed Crown Colony government on much of

3604-451: The throne angered descendants of Afinbiokin, but his rise to the throne was made possibly by support from elders such as the Obaala of Ilara-Mokin. He ruled until his death in October 1994, member of the Afinbiokin Royal House. He was widely beloved for his promotion of festivals and cultural activities in Ilara Mokin Kingdom, and was the first monarch of Ilara-Mokin to wear a beaded crown. Colonial Nigeria Colonial Nigeria

3672-466: The time slave exports collapsed. The Igbo redirected slaves into the domestic economy , especially to grow the staple food crop, yams , in northern Igboland for marketing throughout the palm-tree belt. As before, Aro merchants dominated trade in the hinterland, including palm products to the coast and the sale of slaves within Igboland. From 1815 to 1840, palm oil exports increased by a factor of 25, from 800 to 20,000 tons per year. British merchants led

3740-405: The title Alara . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alara&oldid=1225718209 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Turkish feminine given names Hidden categories: Short description

3808-602: The trade in palm oil, while the Portuguese and others continued the slave trade. Much of this oil was sold elsewhere in the British Empire. To produce all this oil, the economy of the southern region crossed over from mostly subsistence to the production of palm oil as a cash crop . The Niger Delta and Calabar , which once had been known for the export of slaves, became notable for the export of palm oil. The Delta streams were called "oil rivers". The basic economic units in each town were "houses", family-operated entities that engendered loyalty for its employees. A "house" included

3876-404: The volume of trade increased, merchants requested that the Government of the United Kingdom appoint a consul to cover the region. Consequently, in 1849, John Beecroft was accredited as consul for the bights of Benin and Biafra, a jurisdiction stretching from Dahomey to Cameroon . Beecroft was the British representative to Fernando Po , where the African Slave Trade Patrol of the Royal Navy

3944-460: Was a great-grandson of Eyinmirin. Thus, he was a great-great-great grandson of Alara Ajiperi, who last ruled in the late 1700s. While originally Ilara-Mokin recognized three royal houses, Olugbo, Eyinmirin, and Itakiki, the government allowed the change to two royal houses, Afinbiokin and Agbekorun, to simply the number of princes, since Olugbo, Eyinmirin, and Itakiti were ancient figures who also were regarded as deities. Thus, this distant connection to

4012-412: Was annexed as a Crown Colony in 1861 via the Lagos Treaty of Cession . British expansion accelerated in the last decades of the nineteenth century. The early history of Lagos Colony was one of repeated attempts to end the Yoruba wars. In the face of threats to the divided Yoruba states from Dahomey and the Sokoto Caliphate, as represented by the emirate of Ilorin , the British Governor—assisted by

4080-431: Was conquered by British colonialists in 1903. European slave trading from West Africa began before 1650, with people taken at a rate of about 3,000 per year. This rate rose to 20,000 per year in the last quarter of the century. The slave trade was heaviest in the period 1700–1850, with an average of 76,000 people taken from Africa each year between 1783 and 1792. At first, the trade centered around West Central Africa, now

4148-482: Was headed by a Governor. The Deputy Governor served as political administrator for company territory and appointed three officials in Nigeria to carry out the work of administration. These were the Agent-General, the Senior Judicial Officer, and the Commandant of the Constabulary. However, the company did accept that local kings could act as partners in governance and trade. It, therefore, hired native intermediaries who could conduct diplomacy, trade and intelligence work in

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4216-412: Was lost to Muslim Arab slave traders . In 1805, he set out on a second expedition, sponsored by the British Government, to follow the Niger to the sea. His mission failed, but Park and his party covered more than 1,500 kilometres (930 mi), passing through the western portions of the Sokoto Caliphate , before drowning when their boats overturned in rapids near Bussa . On a subsequent expedition to

4284-497: Was not permitted to wear a crown. He was regarded as a, "baálẹ̀," even though historically, the Alara was regarded as a king in his own right. This continued into the absorption of Ilara into Colonial Nigeria . When Nigeria gained independence, the Alara was elevated to a monarch ( Ọba ), and beginning with Alara Ojopagogo, the Alara was allowed to wear a crown. Ilara-Mokin has two royal houses, Agbekorun and Afunbiokin (houses, whom were originally one royal dynasty before being split by

4352-413: Was organised to control and develop trade coming down the Niger. Vice consuls were assigned to ports that already had concluded treaties of cooperation with the Foreign Office. Local rulers continued to administer their territories, but consular authorities assumed jurisdiction for the equity courts established earlier by the foreign mercantile communities. A constabulary force was raised and used to pacify

4420-412: Was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1 October 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. Other European powers acknowledged Britain's dominance over

4488-453: Was so fierce that trade often erupted into an armed battle between the crews of the large canoes. Because of the hazards of climate and tropical diseases for Europeans and the absence of any centralized authorities on the mainland responsive to their interests, European merchants moored their ships outside harbours or in the delta and used the ships as trading stations and warehouses. In time, they built depots onshore and eventually moved up

4556-414: Was stationed. In 1850, the British created a " Court of Equity " at Bonny, overseen by Beecroft, which would deal with trade disputes. Another court was established in 1856 at Calabar, based on an agreement with local Efik traders which prohibited them from interfering with British merchants. These courts contained majorities British members and represented a new level of presumptive British sovereignty in

4624-585: Was succeeded as bishop by a British cleric. In the long term, the acceptance of Christianity by large numbers of Nigerians depended on the various denominations adapting to local conditions. They selected an increasingly high proportion of African clergy for the missions. In large measure, European missionaries assumed the value of colonial rule in terms of promoting education, health and welfare measures, thereby effectively reinforcing colonial policy. Some African Christian communities formed their own independent churches. The missionaries gained in power throughout

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