Economic Consciousness in Pre-Literate Erinmope Sub-Kingdom: An Instruments of Innovation and Creativity before the Imposition of Colonial Rule in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper documents the intrinsic value that the pre-literate Ekiti Sub-Kingdoms attached to the economy as circumstances as occasions provided opportunities for innovation and creativity with an emphasis on the civilization that “disappeared”. Erinmope people invented tools suitable for agricultural activities as they were compelled by the need to devise means of attending to the requirements of harnessing the resources in their environment. They also planted Owu (cotton seed) to run the textile factory with a weaving machine made of wood. These implements witnessed advancement by fashioning into better shapes and sharpened edges until c. 1900 when attention was shifted to westernization at the detriment of modernization. Thus with the objective by extension, the economy has not only been doing a yeoman’s job of stabilizing the society, but it has also been a reference index to which the people naturally recourse in times of need. The paper is a historical documentation with the use of historical methodology to the conclusion.