The Ijaws are a nation of more than sixteen miillion people
in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the most populous indigenous inhabitants
of the Niger Delta and constitute the fourth largest ethnicity within the
borders of Nigeria.
The origin of the Ijaw people is clouded with uncertainty
and various myths and legends that have been analysed as historical sources
sometimes clash with each other. In fact, a particular cosmogenic theory states
that the Ijaws “dropped from
the sky”.
However, it is generally
accepted that their ancestors are the "ORU People" who were migrants
of an unknown origin (most likely the Nile-Valley of Egypt and Sudan). They
migrated first to Ile-Ife, then to Benin and finally to the Niger-Delta states
of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.
The Ijaw ethnic group
consists of 50 loosely affiliated clans. These clans are based along kinship
lines and/or shared cultural and religious traditions. Below is a list of some
ancestors and how the various clans of Ijaw came to being:
v
Oru, the first Pere is also known as Ujo and he
is the father of the Ijaw people and progenitor of the various ancestors below;
v
The ancestor ASAIN was a seer/priest and
companion to UJO and the founder of the original Ijo community at Abo
v
The ancestor GBARAN is the founder of GBARAN
town in Apoi (Southern-Ijo), GBARANMATU, AROGBO, TUOMO, KABO, KUMBO AND GBARAN
CLANS.
v
The ancestor OPU-BENI is the founder of the
MEIN, IBENI (OYAKIRI), OBOTEBE-KALABARI CLANS
v
The ancestor OPU-OKUN is the founder of the
OPUKUMA CLAN
v
*The ancestor KALA-OKUN (alias ALUKU-DOGO) is
the founder of the KOLOKUMA, APOI, IBANI CLANS, and sections of NEMBE, TUNGBO,
BUSENI, OKODIA
v
The ancestor APOI is the founder of the APOI,
UKOMU & AKASSA CLANS
v
The ancestor TARA is the founder of the
TARAKIRI, & ANDONI CLANS
v
The ancestor OPU-OGBO is the founder of the
EKPETIAMA & SEIMBIRI, EPIE-ATISSA CLANS and sections of WAKIRIKE &
NKORO
v
The ancestor KALA-OGBO (alias OGURU) is the
founder of the IDUWINI & EGBEMA CLANS
v
The ancestor OPORO is the founder of the OPOROMA
& OPEREMO, BASAN, FURUPAGHA, OGBE-IJO, CLANS
v
The ancestor OLODI (alias IGBEDIGBOLO) is the
founder of the OLODIAMA CLANS, and sections of NEMBE
Geography:
It has been
observed that the
entire delta area
is divisible on
physical terms into
three belts. These
are: the sandy beach
ridges, the salt-water
swamp areas and
the fresh water
swamp areas (Alagoa,
1972:12). Alagoa posits
that these belts correspond
to differences in
the nature of
the water, type
of deltaic soil
deposited and in
vegetation.
Accordingly,
they are also
belts along which
the lives of
the communities change,
population densities differ
and occupations suitable to
the particular environment
are carried on.
With particular reference
to our area
of study, Ijo communities
such as Ogulagha
and the Gbaramatu
settlements occupy the
area of the
sandy beach ridges.
The Ijaw had been mainly
fishermen since the precolonial era.
The mainly riverine
environment divided between
the salt water
and fresh water belts
determined to a
great length the
basic economic system
of the various
groups. The differences between the
parts ensured that
the inhabitants of
the lower delta
(salt water belt)
have had to
exchange their fish and
salt for the
vegetable produce of the upper
delta (fresh water
belt).
According to Alagoa
(1972), the salt water
belt group never
produced more than
a few plantains
and coconuts in
backyard gardens. On
the other hand, the
groups of the
fresh water belt
farmed their river
banks after floods
receded each year
depositing rich silt.
They farmed water
yam, plantain, bananas,
Thankful Thankful, cocoyam as
well as peppers,
okro, sugar cane
maize and other crops
in smaller quantities.
Marriage:
Marriages are completed by the payment of a bridal dowry, which
increases in size if the bride is from another village (so as to make up for
that village's loss of her children).
Funeral ceremonies, particularly for those who have
accumulated wealth and respect, are often very dramatic.
Religion:
Traditional religious practices center around "Water
spirits" in the Niger river, and around tribute to ancestor.
The ijaws are mostly Christians, an estimated 95% practice
Christianity while others are known to practice ritual acculturation
(enculturation), whereby an individual from a different, unrelated group
undergoes rites to become Ijaw. An example of this is Jaja of Opobo, the Igbo
slave who rose to become a powerful Ibani (Bonny) chief in the 19th century.
There are also a small number of Converts to Islam the most
notable being the founder of the Delta People Volunteer Force, Mujahid
Dokubo-Asari. Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin comes from the Ijaw ethnic group.
Food:
Like many other ethnic group in Nigeria, Ijaws also have
their special delicacy. They are known for love for mixture of fish in all
their soup.
Polofiyai — A very rich
soup made with yams and palm oil
Kekefiyai— A pottage
made with chopped unripened (green) plantains, fish, other seafood or game meat
("bushmeat") and palm oil
Fried or roasted fish and plantain — Fish fried in palm oil and served with fried
plantains
Gbe — The grub of
the raffia-palm tree beetle that is eaten raw, dried, fried in groundnut oil or
pickled in palm oil
Kalabari "sea-harvest" fulo— A rich mixed seafood soup or stew that is eaten
with foofoo, rice or yams
Reference
Alagoa, E. J.
and Ebiegberi A.
Femowei, (2009) “The Western
Delta”, in
E.J. Alagoa, T.N.
Tamuno and J.P. Clark
(Eds), The Izon
of the Niger
Delta, Port-Harcourt: Onyoma
Research Publications.
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