Portrait Of An Iyalaje

Iyalode, Iyaloja, and Iyalaje are three of the most significant leaders in the system, figures whose opinions carried as much weight as those of the male chiefs, despite the chieftaincy structure being largely patriarchal, according to research into the ancient culture and tradition of the Yoruba people. An Iyalaje is typically elected by her constituents democratically (and ratified by the oba) or solely by the oba himself in the many Yoruba markets and states to which they belong.