Geography and Economy of Ile-Ife

Did you know back then in the Ife economy their jewelry and such was made out of beads and string? Beading, along with weaving, hunting and the geography itself helped make a good economy for Ile-Ife.

Back in Ile-Ife, which is now Nigeria, it was a sweaty, hot place, covered with many types of natural resources such as water, trees, vegetables, animals, and so much more. The water that came to the area always happened in huge rainstorms, though not happening very often, which caused droughts. But the landscape didn’t just include climate, there were also a vast numbers of animals that roamed the grounds.

In hunting, they would create various weapons from the branches found on the ground for crossbows, longbows, clubs and such. They would use the weapons for taking control of their animal prey, animals such as bush babies and bushbucks to lions and leopards.

With all these animals they must of used them for something, so of course they would hunt them for their meat and leather. Leather was made into things like bags and clothes, and the food was cooked and prepared for eating. As a side note, the indigo plant that came from the land was used in the cloth dyeing that was made.


Another thing that was important in the Ile-Ife was female roles in the economy. Woman in Ife-Ife would weave cloth then dye it to trade and sell in the market. They also made accessories such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings which they called beading. The woman went once a week to the market in order to sell or trade the products that they produced. These are some of the ways the woman helped the economy in Ife-Ife.

Finally one important thing that the males did was hunting. They hunted herbivores. Herbivores are plant eaters like cane-rats, giant rats, squirrels, variety of duikers (small antelope) and monkeys, bush cows, porcupine, and other herbivores. They also hunted wild animals like buffaloes, lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and elephants. To kill the animal they used hunting tools like a wooden club. The wooden club was the first weapon they had. They also used cutlasses, which are small swords. These tools were made from branches off trees. But of course the men didn’t just go out at any time. They had certain times to go. They knew an animal was around if there a narrow tunnel-like passage.

In conclusion, man and woman in Ile-Ife both contributed to the success of their economy. Men hunted while women beaded and weaved. The geography was an important feature to help the economy as well. So the next time you hear about economy remember it was not only one group that helped; every member in the society distinguished this complex economy.

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Sources: Rural Economies: Hunting and Fishing. Rural Economies: Craft Industries, Adire Eleko Cloth of Nigeria, Johnson,Revernened. The History of the Yourba. London: Lowe and Brydone Limited, 1973