The first and possibly only woman to serve as an Alaafin of Oyo is Oba Orompoto. She was renowned for her valor and outstanding accomplishments while in power.
Who was Oba Orompoto?
The sister of her predecessor, Eguguoju, and the seventh Alaafin of Oyo, was Oba Orompoto. Because there was no male heir apparent in the royal family at the time, or better yet, because the available males were too young to rule, Orompoto took the throne.
It was assumed that she ruled between 1554 and 1562.
Even her male counterpart feared Oba Orompoto, who was a fierce warrior. She launched the largest and last attack to completely destroy the Nupe during her previous regency to make sure they would never again pose a threat to Oyo.
Oba Orompoto being crowned Alaafin.
The reason Orompoto was installed as the Alaafin of Oyo is a riddle that will never be solved.
Orompoto was not to be crowned king by the Oyomesi in charge of appointing a new Alaafin. The Oyomesi considered it to be an abomination for a woman to be in charge of the empire.
She was given a deadline of seven days to change into a man in order to be fit for the throne, failing which she would no longer be eligible to ascend. Orompoto started dressing like a man in an agbada and a fila (cap) as soon as he made this declaration.
Orompoto revealed her upper body on the seventh day, and the Oyomesi were unimpressed because they believed it was possible for a woman to have a flat chest.
She then proceeded to take off her pants, and, according to oral tradition, the Oyomesi not only saw a penis, but also a scrotum dangling between her legs. Everyone instantly fell to their knees and chanted Kaabiyesi oooo; she was then crowned the Alaafin of Oyo.
The first transgender in recorded history is thought to have been Oba Orompoto. She earned the nickname “the custodian of the vagina that kills evil plots” in society.
