NIGERIAN PEOPLES AND CULTURE
v 30/10/2009
F Course outline
·
Comment
on the Nigerian environment
·
Sources
of early Nigerian history
·
The
Niger
·
The
Yoruba Peoples
·
The
Igbo Peoples
·
The
Edo speaking Peoples (Benin
·
The
Tiv, Igala, Nupe Peoples
·
The
Hausa/Fulani Peoples
·
The
Kanuri People
·
Other
themes in Nigerian history
F The Nigerian environment
We begin by noting that the Nigerian
environment has a number of geographical features which has shaped the
historical culture of the various peoples that inhabit the Nigerian
geographical area. The factors of geography are therefore very critical in
understanding how the environment has impacted on the various Nigerian peoples.
For the purpose of our discourse, we will proceed by categorizing the Nigerian
environment into three broad regions namely:
·
The
Coastal Region
·
The
Forest Region
·
The
Savannah
F The Coastal Region.
The coastal region of Nigeria Lagos Atlantic .
The people who inhabit this region include the Ijo, Itshekiri, Uroboh, Efik,
Ibibio, and the Igbo. We also have a sprinkling of the Yoruba along the coast.
The region usually experiences the heaviest rain fall in the Nigerian region.
There is also a substantial crisscrossing of rivers. This has led to the
creation of a swampy area estimated at 70 square kilometres – one of the
largest of its types in the whole world.
Movement in this area in the
pre-colonial period was largely through the various rivers and streams. Canoe
was the major means of transportation. The inhabitants were predominantly
fishermen and salt makers, a few others engage in crop farming. Palm wine
taping was also a noticeable occupation among the people in the area. The
inhabitants of the coastal region were the first to come in contact with the
Europeans. They therefore acted as middlemen in the interactions between
Europeans and other Nigerians peoples in the hinterland.
In contemporary times, the coastal
region, particularly the Niger Delta region of that area has one of the largest
crude oil in the world. It is therefore described as the region that lays the
golden egg from which Nigerians feasts.
·
The Forest Region
The forest region of Nigeria Edo and some other Nigerian peoples.
The inhabitants are mainly farmers who produce tuba and tree crops. The timber
required for the making of canoe is gotten from the forest region. This region
witnesses substantial rainfall most of the year. Also some of the inhabitants
engage in hunting as their occupation.
Due to the soil’s structure, it is able
to sustain a large population. In the colonial times, movement in this area was
by foot through many bush paths. A number of prominent states emerged in the
forest region of Nigeria Benin
·
The Savannah
North of the forest region is the Savannah Benue falls into what is categorized within the Savannah
This area is the home of very many
ethnic groups such as the Nupe, the Tiv, the Igala, the Edoma etc. It enjoys
substantial rain fall and at the same time enough sun light. As a consequence
the inhabitants are able to produce forest products as well as other products
peculiar to the Savannah Savannah
To say that there are other features of
the Nigerian environment is the interdependence that geography has imposed on
the people. While the meat needs of Nigerians are met mainly by the Savannah
Another feature of the Nigerian
geography is the abundance of river networks such as The Niger, The Benue, Imo,
Cross River etc
F What is culture?
According to the English
anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, culture, is that complex whole
which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other
capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. Put
differently, culture is the composed whole of acquisition of knowledge, morals,
beliefs and customs which can be passed from one generation to another.
v 6/11/2009
F Early Sources of Nigerian History.
In
our interpretation of early sources of Nigerian history, it is important to
emphasise that these sources are similar to the sources of African history. The
sources of early Nigerian history can be categorized as follows:
·
Oral sources
·
Written sources
·
Archaeological sources
·
Linguistic
sources.
F
Oral Sources.
In
the reconstruction of the history of the Nigerian people, oral sources have
remained the dominant source of information with regards to the Nigerian past.
Oral source can be categorised into:
-
Oral
tradition and
-
Oral
testimonies
A
simplistic definition to embrace oral source is that it is the passage of information
verbally from one person to another. Such oral testimonies are said to have crystallised
into tradition when they have been passed from one generation to another. In
order words, to be termed oral tradition, such testimonies must have been
transmitted from one generation to another over a period of 30 years. In situation
where they are transmitted within a generation perhaps as eye-witness account,
they are regarded as mere oral testimonies.
Oral
sources, particularly oral tradition is relied upon in explaining the origins
of most Nigerian peoples. These oral traditions at times come in form of
legends, myths, folklores, etc. Also information about state formation and
empire building processes in the Nigerian geographical area can be derived from
oral sources. It is important to also note that some of the written materials
that exist today in form of archival sources are documentations of oral traditions
of various Nigerian peoples by the British Colonial administrators.
F
Written Sources.
Written
sources or early Nigerian history constitute a small proportion of the
information available for the reconstruction of the Nigerian past. Most or some
sources are mainly archival sources found within and outside Nigeria Nigeria
Written
sources also include European accounts of various Nigerian peoples which they gathered
during the colonial period. Written sources enable us to adequately study the
colonial experience of most Nigerian people; the colonial economy, the nature
of the colonial administration and missionary activities.
F
Archaeological
Sources.
Archaeology
is the study of the ancient remains of man. Historians are more interested in
the conclusions of archaeology rather than in their methodology. Their
conclusions inform us about some aspects of the history of the Nigerian
peoples. Their conclusions, including their dating system help to establish
some measure of chronology in our reconstruction of the early history of the
Nigerian peoples. There have been since after the Second World War, the
emergence of significant archaeological excavation sites in Nigerian prominent
among them are:
·
The
Igbo-Ukwu excavation that have helped us to understand the Nri civilisation
which flourished in Igbo land. Also professor A. F. C. RYDA Dike went with his
clue carried out the same excavation at the Benin Mould. We also have other
sites such as the Iwo Eleri in Ondo, Nok Culture etc.
F
Linguistic
Sources
Again
just like archaeology, the product of linguistic particularly to language
classification and dating helped the historians to understand the relationship
between the various Nigerian people of the past. For instance, professor
Greenberg and Westermann have concluded that the Yoruba, Igbo, Edoid languages
belong to the same Niger Congo
F
The Niger
It
is important to note that the coastal region is not synonymous with the Niger
Delta Region even though the Niger Delta region peoples are the major dwellers
of the coastal region. There are various definitions of the Niger Delta; there
is the political definition, the economic definition, the ethno-graphic
definition, the geographical definition of the Niger Deltans
For
our purpose, we shall restrict ourselves to the geographical definition since
it is more stable and defintive. It is important therefore to know that by
adopting the geographical definition, the peoples in Akwa Ibom, Edo , Ondo are excluded from the geographical definition
of the Niger Delta. The prominent dwellers are the Ijo, Itshekiri, Isoko,
Ikwere, Ichie, Ukwani and the Urobohs.
·
The Ijo
The
Ijo are geographically the furtherest group to the coast and the most populous
within the Niger Delta. They are today estimated to be over 20 million in
population. The major oil wells that have placed Nigeria Middle East and Egypt
Professor
E. J. Alagwa refused this thesis and says it is too simplistic. He argues that
the Ijo language is unique and without any residue in the hinterland areas from
where they were supposedly pursued. Furthermore, relying on the conclusions of
linguistics, Alagwa states that the Ijo language has been in existence at least
since 6000 years ago. He therefore submits that they emerged from the central
Delta region and that it was from this region they dispersed to other areas in
the Niger Delta.
The
Ijos (Izon) are said to have moved into their eastern location at about the 11th
century. Before their movement, they were a faming community. After their
movement, most of the places where they had migrated to became fishing
community. As a farming community the Ijo political unit was the village. The
head of the village is called the Amakasuwe. The Amakasuwe was the oldest man
in the village. Put differently, they practised a geruntocratic system of
government.
The
village was divided into family units. The oldest man in the family was the
head of the family. The oldest family head became the Amakasuwe. Apart from the
Amakasuwe, at the village level they have the Amagula council which is an all
male council and is presided over by the Amakasuwe. Their council meet as at
when necessary to deliberate on key issue affecting the whole clan. The
spokesman of the council (PRO) is called Ogulasuwe
F
The Uroboh
People
The
point need to be emphasised that the Uroboh are not of the coastal origin
though they dwell in the forest region. There are various theories of origin
with respect to the Urobohs. While some ascribed to them Benin Benin Benin
Historians
believe that the Urobohs arrived at their present location at about the 15th
and 16th century. Politically, they are decentralised people with
the Orje as the clan head. They have various age glades around which their
social organisation is structured. Also present in their society are title
societies. There is the Otota who is the spokes person of the Ivie and the
community. He is like the PRO of the community. He is usually chosen based on
his in-depth knowledge of the people’s laws and customs. It is a requirement
for him to have an oratory skill and charismatic origin. The Ivie is the priestly king who superintend
over the affairs of the community. There is also the Oratu regarded as the war
commander. He is chosen based on proven valour. All these title holders and
members of the title societies constitute the ruling council of the community.
Because they live in the upper Niger Delta in the ever green forest zone, they
are predominantly farmers. Amongst the various crops they produce is the palm
tree. They also engage in some fishing – a characteristic feature of the Niger
Delta peoples.
F
The Itsekiri
People
In
the western Delta are the Itsekiri, a minority people in the region. The
Itsekiri have traditions of origin liking them with the Yoruba land. There are
also other traditions ascribing their origin to the Edo
speaking people of Benin Benin Benin Benin
Although
a fishing people, they were very active in the trade between the Europeans
along the coast and their hinterland neighbours. They engaged in trade within
and outside the Niger Delta region.
It
is a truism that before the 15th century the Niger Delta people
evolved adequate state structures that fostered intra and inter group
relations. They were able to engage in substantial economic and social relation
among themselves in the region of Niger Delta and with their neighbours within
and outside the Niger Deltan peoples.
It
is sufficient for us to note that with the European presence in the Niger Delta
in the 15th century came the introduction of the slave trade. In
this trade, the Niger Deltan people acted mainly as intermediaries. Their
middle-men position continued with the abolition of slave trade and the
introduction of the palm oil trade. It is important to emphasise that the
phenomenon of the European presence along the Niger Delta coast line acted as a
catalyst in the changes in there political, economic and social formations
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