Èsà Cave: Human sacrifice required to be open to tourists!

We heard of a beautiful ancient cave in Ekiti State, south west Nigeria and we packed our bags and hit the roads. With hearts soaked in gladness, anticipating another awesome encounter with nature, we dared the searing heat of the tropical Naija sun and the crazy pot-holes that punctuated some of the roads on our route…

We set out early and snaked from Lagos, through Ibadan, Ilesha, Effon-Alaaye Ekiti, then to Iyin-Ekiti, the whole journey taking about five hours.

We stopped a couple of times on the road because we could not resist the tantalizing aroma of dòdò ìkirè with its mouth-watering garb of red pepper and multicoloured spices, all wrapped in transparent neat polythene; and the piles of charming bòlì and roasted yam at Ile-Ife junction. Many sellers of fresh raw farm produce set at different villages along the road tempted us to stop, but the thirst for a sight of Esa Cave wouldnt allow us, we had to keep moving.

We finally got to the sleepy village of Iyin-Ekiti at mid-day. The sun burned mercilessly in its lofty skies, smearing its heat upon the sands of Ekiti on which we stood. Bare-footed village children happily played ten-ten under the canopy of a nearby tree; we wondered how they manage the heat beneath their feet. We began to ask the villagers for the direction to Esa Cave. Most of them told us they did not know Esa Cave. We later found an old man who said he knows the location of the cave, but that it is not for public viewing.

He explained that only initiated people from the village are allowed to visit the cave, and that they only go during chieftaincy ceremonies or during the annual Orò festival. According to him, “the initiated women lead the procession to the cave by carrying yam on their heads, but can only get to a certain point in the cave, at which the men then take over.”

However, he noted that the government attempted to open up the cave for tourists to visit, but that the efforts ended in futility because it will require human lives for the ritual process to be completed.

He pointed to the majestic granite mountain soaring high into the skies some kilometers away from Iyin and explained that the cave is located near the foot of the mountain. The original custodians of the cave is the Ijoro family of Oke-sale area of Iyin-Ekiti. The cave was inhabited for many centuries by the ancestors of Ijoros who discovered the cave. It was said that the cave still contains evidence of prehistoric human habitation as shown by the presence of mud walls partitioning the cave into rooms as well as small rounded boulders used as pillows and cooking stones. These remnants of human dwelling reminds one of those ones found at Olumo caves.

-  The majestic mountain on which the cave is located (photo by Kumbi Adefule).

Although the ritual constraints which was placed upon the opening of the cave to tourists could have been beneficial since it protects the site and its archeological objects from undue contamination and destruction by people who do not know their worth. However, as soon as the Nigerian system is strong enough to provide adequate support for the exploration and conservation of new archeological sites such as the Esa Cave, we believe the human ritual issue will be sorted out.

We departed from Iyin-Ekiti, deeply wishing we had a chance to see the cave and hoping that someday, such an amazing natural and archeological potential will experience sustainable development and conservation.

(*Cover photo source: www.zodml.org*)

Archeology, Ekiti State, Esa Cave, Iyin Ekiti, Talus cave