John Adetoyese Laoye I, Timi of Ede, in palace courtyard, Ede, Nigeria

The photograph depicts John Adetoyese Laoye I, Timi of Ede. "'Alapo Tiemi Tiemi' (he who has a quiver full of arrows) is one of a dozen royal titles that are perpetuated in the town by the descendants of kings who took refuge in Ede in times of wars." [Ulli Beier, 1958: A Year of Sacred Festivals in One Yoruba Town. Nigerian Magazine]. John Adetoyese Laoye I comes from a family of drummers and was taught the art by his maternal uncle. He has made every effort to keep the tradition alive. During his trip to Nigeria, Elisofon visited Ede, one of oldest towns of Yoruba people; founded by Timi Agbale to establish a settlement to protect the Oyo caravan route to Benin. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.