This identity, which was probably first suggested by Eva Kraft-Askari during a 1965 field expedition, has gained wide acceptance among the indigenous Yoruba people and scholars.
In the version of Yagba oral tradition for instance, the man who led a group of people to their present location was sent from Ile-Ife to establish the settlement but did not return over a long period to give an account of his expenditure.
[5] The turn of events that followed the Nupe military incursion of the 19th century left the Okun people as minorities in the Northern Region of Nigeria, separated from their relatives in the southwest.
[6] Archaeological evidence implies that the Okun people may be native to their territory and linked to the Proto-Yoruba group who lived to the west of the Niger River, contradicting the Ile Ife migration legends.
[7] At Ogidi-Ijumu, archaeological evidence from open sites and rock shelters revealed that the region had been inhabited since the Late Stone Age (LSA) of West Africa, circa 2000 BC.
[8] The shelter excavated had pottery and stone tools (largely quartz) which were examined and contrasted with comparable discoveries from other sites in the area, especially Iffe-Ijumu.
[9] The date from Itaakpa has been used extensively as one of the few pieces of evidence of the transition from the Stone Age economy to Sedentary lifestyle in Nigeria.
[2] Historically, Okun people lived in small social-political units with unfixed political boundaries that allowed social, cultural and commercial interaction.
Settlements include Mopa, Ogidi, Ayetoro Gbede, Okedayo, Odo Ere, Ife, Egbe, Iyara, Iyamoye, Odoape, Ekinrin-Adde, Kabba, Isanlu, Obajana, Ikoyi, Agbaja.
Crops cultivated included coffee, cocoa, yams, cassava, maize, sorghum, groundnuts, beans, and cotton.
The Abunu women (and to a lesser extent, their Owe and Ọwọrọ neighbours) were known for the weaving and trade of Aso-Ipo, a red textile used in the burial of the wealthy and for making masquerade dresses.
Ofosi women spoke a language that was not intelligible locally and were believed to be able to call people home from whatever location by mystical means.
The central kingship system has led to the establishment of royal stools such as Obaro of Kabba, Olubunu of Bunu, Olujumu of Ijumu, Agbana of Isanlu, Olu of Ọwọrọ.