The Yoruba tribe was believed to be descended from Oduduwa (one of the servants of Olodumare – the supreme being), who was sent into the world to create the earth. He was believed to descend from the sky on a long chain, carrying a gourd filled with sand and a five-toed bird. The whole country was flooded with water, there was not a single dry place, so Oduduwa (Oduduwa) poured sand on the water and put the birds in it, and the birds began to sprinkle the sand with their paws. Wherever the sand touched, the ground turned into solid ground and the chameleon was sent to check whether it was dry and solid enough. The remaining areas that were not touched by sand are still present today as water.Olodumare then sent Obatala (the god of divination) to create and mold the people to his liking and he (Olodumare) breathed life into them and also designed their various destinies.
According to some accounts, it was Obatala who was sent by Olodumare to create the earth, but on the way he joined a group of partying gods and drank wine until he was drunk and then fell asleep. Oduduwa then carried the gourd and the bird beside him and completed the mission intended for Obatala. When Obatala woke up, he discovered that Oduduwa had created the earth and became angry, but Olodumare calmed him down with another mission: to create humans. It was further believed that Oduduwa had a son named Okanbi who was also called Idekoseroake and that Okanbi also fathered seven sons who can now be referred to as the fathers of the seven major Yoruba tribes as follows (Owu, Alaketu, Benin, Orangun , Onisabe, Olupopo and Oranyan). The Yoruba people living in southwestern Nigeria strongly believe in traditional stories about their origins.
