Oyo Empire culture in Oyo where victory was obligatory and defeat carried the duty of committing suicide. This do-or-die policy no doubt contributed to the military aggressiveness of Oyo's generals. The Oyo Empire was the only Yoruba state to adopt cavalry; it did so because most of its territory was in the northern savannah. The origin of the cavalry is disputed; however, the Nupe, Borgu and Hausa in neighboring territories also used cavalry and may have had the same historical source. Oyo was able to purchase horses from the north and maintain them in metropolitan Oyo because of partial freedom from the
History of the Yoruba people main groupings. The first one is the recent immigrants that moved to the United States and the United Kingdom after the political and economic changes in the 1960's and 1980's. The second group of people are the slaves who migrated to South America countries like Cuba, Trinidad, Brazil, Grenada, and other countries. Many people today who are part of the Yoruba culture are Muslims and Christians. History of the Yoruba people The documented history of the Yoruba people begins with the Oyo Empire, which became dominant in the early 17th century. The older traditions of the formerly dominant Ile-Ife kingdom