Ketu

Ketu was a Yoruba kingdom on the western edge of the Yoruba-speaking world. Its king, the Alaketu, was a focus of loyalty for people in the capital and in settlements farther afield. Royal traditions traced the ruling dynasty to Oduduwa of Ife, while institutions, titles and the gelede masquerade joined Ketu communities across a wider region.

In the eighteenth century Ketu benefited from routes linking Oyo-Ile with the Aja and western Yoruba country. Its king ruled with a council of chiefs, the Kobalede, which took part in decisions of state. As Dahomey pressed against its neighbours, Ketu resisted an attack in 1760 and fought another in 1789. The kingdom remained a significant power on the western frontier contested by Dahomey and Oyo.