Note 187 — Chapter VII

The word “Eyeo” has greatly vexed West African writers before the days of Clapperton and Lander. D’Anville uses Gogo; Rennell, Gugoo; Adams (1823) writes it “Hio.” The “History of Dahomey” (1793) gives us Yahoo (from Snelgrave); Oyeo and Okyou (Barbot); Eyeo (Dalzel); and, in conclusion, they confound it with Anago, or the Egba country. “Probably this may be the kingdom of Gago (Kuku, or Gugoo!), which lies to the northward of Dahomey eight or ten days’ journey. The Moorish aspirated sound of g being nearly like a hard h, as in the word George, spelt jorje by the Spaniards, and pronounced Horké, or Horché; whence Gago may have been sounded Haho, Haiho, or Haiko.” Admirable reasoning! Mr. Norris’s map places the Ayoes or Eyeos north of Lagos, which is not far wrong. Bosman speaks of an invasion of Ardra, in 1698, by a powerful inland people, which some conjecture to be the “Eyeos.” Oyo (pronounced Awyaw), alias Katanga, was the capital of Yoruba proper on the northern region, destroyed in 1835 by the Moslem Fulas, and still, I believe, a heap of ruins. When the falling structure crumbled, the maritime provinces asserted their independence, and have ever since preserved it. The History gives wonderful accounts of Oyo’s former power. It frequently sent forth 100,000 horsemen. The general, it is said, used to spread a thick buffalo-hide before his tent and make the soldiery pass between two spears till a hole had been worn in it. When greater undertakings were in prospect, two hides used thus to be treated.