According to tradition and word of mouth, Queen Luwoo was the 21st ruler of Ife – a pioneer way ahead of her time. Ile-Ife is a city in the province of Osun, considered the bed and ancient home of the Yoruba people, which is why any leading ruler, Ooni, is revered as a very strong leader. Entities recognize Ooni as spiritual leaders and the main custodian of tradition. The Ooni dynasty has been around for hundreds of years and has recognized that men have always taken their respectable stools.

Heritage of Ooni Luwoo

In some reports, Luwoo is called Gbàgídá and is a descendant of Otaataa of Okerewe from the Owode compound. She is said to have married to Chief Ọbalọran of Ilode , and was the mother of Adekola Telu, founder of the city of Iwo. She was the first and only woman to wear the Ooni crown after the departure of Ooni Geesi. Ooni Luwoo was a beautiful woman who was very proud of her appearance and environment. For this reason she works to keep the whole Ife house clean.

She was so sophisticated and difficult that she refused to walk on the bare floor, and some of the hand-made clay tiles she walked on while she reigned are still available in parts of Ife and other parts of Yoruba land she visited while on the throne. However, she was perceived as cruel and terrifying to the Yoruba people and was considered “unconstitutional” and “high handed” by the elders of the land. After his reign ended, Obas’ council came together and swore to to never make a woman the Ooni of Ife again.