Iya Ayesomi

Daughter of Obin Aliu. At her youth, she was famous for her great beauty. She was fair in complexion and talented. Iya had very many virtues for which she became endeared to many people. She was outstanding among women of her own age.

Industry: Iya was a farmer of great repute. She had a big garden beside her house, while maintaining a huge farm at Uten. The garden produced all kinds of fruits and vegetables and throughout the year. It also served as the source of many herbs for curative purposes. Her menus are unique as she was capable of great improvisation. "Okokore" (snails) and "ileeken" (locust) were never wanting in her garden during the summer.

In her Uten farm were both cash and food crops. It had many threshing mills for the palm oil produced from the farm. She also produced yam, cassava and other crops from which she supported her ever full house.

Kitchen: Iya's house was a 4-bedroom brick house with "olore" (mud bed) in every room. Her kitchen was another story entirely. Uniquely, she kept an "akpase" (a wooden shelf on top of the local mud stove - "afo") which served as a kind of storage and preservative mechanism. From this she dishes out dry "ekpase" (bean cake), "odigba" (corn cake), coconut, yam, etc. to visiting children; some of who visited her solely for that purpose.

However, only disciplined children can enjoy her company. She sometimes tested their obedience by sending them to fetch her water from "Emakailu ebi" or "Otamurun" (whichever they are mature enough to go. Those who fail are likely to be greeted with sharp rebuke from her angry high pitch tone. She ended such rebukes with a broken. Yoruba dismissal statement "O lo joko".