I AM IJAW

(Photo credit: Eldo Photos)

I was with a friend the other day and while we were talking he called me "Omo Igbo". I have had to explain to people on several occasions that I am Ijaw and not Igbo. A lot of people outside the Southern part of Nigeria assume that Rivers people are Igbos.

I am from Kalabari and we are Ijaws alongside the Okrikans, Bonny, Opobo, Nkoro, Andoni, Bille, Engenni, and Kula. Other ethnic settings in Rivers State include; Ikwerre, Ogoni, Etche, Ahoada, Ogba-Egbema, Orashi, Ndoni and Egbema.

We were part of the Eastern region before the creation of states in 1967 but this does not make us Igbos like people think. We have our own identity. Some people while arguing will say “abeg! you are all the same”. And I end up getting annoyed. My annoyance is not  because I have a problem with being Igbo, it is simply because I am not Igbo.

Do not get me wrong, being Igbo is not bad. In fact, I like the Igbo people. They are very hardworking and industrous, they have a beautiful culture and will boast of having some of the finest people in the country. They are urbanized. They go anywhere they have to be to make it. There is saying “if you go anywhere and there is no igbo man, run”. They make good use of opportunities. So there is absolutely nothing wrong in being Igbo.

Apart from us not belonging to the same geopolitical zone, we do not speak the same language. While they speak Igbo, we speak Kalabari, Okrika, Andoni, etc. Some people will argue that some of us understand and speak Igbo. This is not uncommon as we are bounded on the north by Anambra, Imo and Abia states. We do business with them. We inter-marry. The ultimate, being that we once lived together (Eastern Region) before the creation of states. We do not also have the same culture. Our marriage rites are different. We dress differently from them. I can go on and on.

(Photo credit: that1960Chick)

For the purpose of clarity, lets talk about the Ijaws. We are a collection of people found in Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta states within the Niger Delta area. Some are resident in Edo and Ondo states. There are two prominent groupings of the Ijaw Language. The first, termed either Western or Central Izon (Ijaw) consists of Western Ijaw speakers: Ekeremor, Sagbama (Mein), Bassan, Apoi, Arogbo, Boma (Bumo), Kabo (Kabuowei), Ogboin, Tarakiri and Kolokuma-Opokuma (Yenagoa). Nembe, Brass and Akassa (Akaha) dialects represent Southeast Ijo (Izon). Buseni annd Okordia dialects are considered inland Ijo.

The other major Ijaw linguistic group is Kalabari. Kalabari is considered an Eastern Ijaw language. Other “Eastern” Ijaw clans are the Okrika, Ibani (the natives of Bonny, Finima and Opobo) and Nkoro. Other related Ijaw subgroups which have distinct languages but very close kinship, cultural and territorial ties with the rest of the Ijaws are the Epie-Atissa, Engenni, Andoni, Abuloma and Bukuma.

The Ijaw ethnic group consists of 50 loosely affiliated clans. These clans are based along kinship lines and/or shared cultural and religious traditions. They include; Akassa, Andoni, Apoi (Eastern), Apoi (Western), Arogbo, Bassan, Bille, Bumo, Bonny, Buseni, Egbema, Operemor, Ekpetiama, Engenni, Epie-Atissa, Furupagha, Gbaranmatu, Gbaran, Iduwini, Isaba, Kabo, Kalabari, Kolokuma, Kula, Kumbo, Mein, Nembe, Nkoro, Obotebe, Odimodi, Ogbe,  Ogbia, Ogboin, Ogulagha,  Okordia, Okrika, Olodiam), Opobo, Opokuma, Oporoma, Oruma, Oyakiri, Seimbiri, Tarakiri (East), Tarakiri (West), Tungbo, Tuomo, Ukomu and Zarama all in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo and Ondo respectively.

The Ijaw people are known for their beautiful attires. The men wear etibo, worko, dorni. While the women wear blouse and tie wrapper. Sometimes depending on the occasion, they don’t wear blouses. We are known for the beautiful and heavy beads popularly called Kilali and su.

Yes yes! The best part. Just because I like food. Our foods include: the famous Bole and fish

(roasted plantain and fish), Kekefiyai (a pottage made with unripe Plantain, Fish and other seafood),

(Photo credit: Nigerian Food TV)

Native soup,

Onunu (pounded Yam and ripe Plantain), Apalapa,  Buru Fulo (Yam and fresh Fish pepper Soup), Gbe, Polofiyai and many others.

With these few points of mine, I hope I have been able  to convince you that I AM IJAW and not Igbo.


Thanks for reading 💋

@mstariah