What is "ijesha"

The Ijesha (written as Ijesa in Yoruba orthography), are a sub-ethnic of the Yoruba. This group is predominantly from the city and environs of Ilesha and the historic state of Ilesha in the same area.

The Ijesha territory is adjoined by the Ekiti on the east, the Igbomina to the north, the Ife to the south, and the Oyo and Ibolo to the west.

The Ijesha may have lost some territory to their neighbours during various conflicts and wars of the nineteenth and preceding centuries. The people of Oke-Ako, Irele, Omuo-Oke speak a dialect similar to Ijesha.