Legends of Africa wealth gained from trade and its possession of a powerful cavalry. The Oyo Empire was the most politically important state in the region from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, holding sway not only over other Yoruba kingdoms in modern-day Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, but also over other African kingdoms, most notable being the Fon Dahomey (in present-day Benin). The mythical origins of the Oyo Empire lie with Oranyan (also known as Oranmiyan), the second prince of the Yoruba Kingdom of Ile-Ife. Oranyan made an agreement with his brother to launch a punitive raid on their northern neighbors for
Yoruba people century. It is due to the influence of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther was himself an Oyo Yoruba and compiled the first Yoruba dictionary as well as introducing a standard for Yoruba orthography. The alternative name "Akú", apparently an exonym derived from the first words of Yoruba greetings (such as "Ẹ kú àárọ?" "good morning", "Ẹ kú alẹ?" "good evening") has survived in certain parts of their diaspora as a self-descriptive, especially in Sierra Leone. The Yoruba culture was originally an oral tradition, and the majority of Yoruba people are native speakers of the