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Kuta, Osun State: 'Sell Groundnuts And Die', The Mystery Behind The Taboo


In Kuta, an agrarian community in Osun State it is taboo to sell pounded yam in food canteens. It also must not be hawked. Aside this, it is also forbidden to sell fried groundnuts in the rustic town. Kuta is one the major communities in Yoruba land, where Owu descendants are domiciled.

In a bid to unravel the mystery behind the taboo, Nigerian Tribune visited the community and had an interview with the king who explained the origin of the ‘great taboo.’

Speaking on the taboos during an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, the traditional ruler of the town, Olowu of Kuta, Oba Hammed Adekunle Makama Oyelude Tegbosun 111 said “it is true that nobody dares sell pounded yam and fried groundnuts here in Kuta. We have been able to strictly guard the tradition and effectively ensure enforcement of among our natives here.”

He stated that “these taboos have been in existence for close to 500 years. My progenitor Anlugbua Akindele that founded Owu Kuta lived for above 200 years and when it was time for him to pass on to the great beyond, he called his children, including my great-great grandfathers. He told them that ‘I (Anlugbua) have done enough and going to rest.’

“He subsequently mounted his horse with his wife and was accompanied by his dog because he was a great hunter. Anlugbua directed his people to escort him to a particular place. He said anytime they needed him in time of trouble, they should call him and he promised to answer them. When they got to that particular spot, which is still there in Kuta today, he descended into the earth or ground in a mysterious manner.

“His wife transformed into a river at that same spot and we now refer to that river as Odo Ayaba (Queen’s River). The chain that he put round the neck of his dog was there and it is still there now. You can even visit the place to see the chain. Then, his horse climbed a tree. If we have good preservation technology, we would have preserved the footprints of the horse because these footprints were still there on the tree up till 1986.

“Few months after Anlugbua descended into the ground, some of his children and people generally went on drinking spree. They were extremely drunk and said ‘this man that descended into the ground told us to call him.’ They started querying the sincerity of Anlugbua’s promise to answer them in time of need. They asked ‘have you ever seen a man who passed on and comes back to life’.

“Some of them said that they should not doubt him, while others insisted that they should try him to find out if he would answer them. So, they went to that spot where our progenitor descended into the ground. The village then was bubbling with people selling pounded yam and fried groundnuts in the market and other places.

“They pulled his chain and called him and behold he came out from the ground and he called his dog, whose colour had turned black. He mounted his horse and started coming into the village. As he was coming, he thought there was a war, which made his people to call him. There and then, he started beheading the people he sighted along the way.

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