Who Are The Ebiras? - Culture - Nairaland
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| Who Are The Ebiras? by musaak: 6:27pm On Oct 01, 2012 |
Can somebody in the forum tell me the history of the origin of ebira people. I have be trying to get the history but to no avail. I will appreciate ur assistance. |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by Nobody: 6:38pm On Oct 03, 2012 |
History of Ebira People in Kogi state of Nigeria History of Ebira Attempt to trace the actual origin of the people has not been easy. The early works in this direction are full of conflicting claims and contradictions. What is however certain among the scholars is that the various ethnic groups race, which collectively constitute the six linguistic groups of the Ebira race, are said to have migrated at different times before the First World War (1914-1918) to their present settlement which are respectively located in the State of Adamawa and Gongola among the Jukuns. Plateau among the Nassarawa, Benue among the Igalla extraction of Itobe and Ajaokuta, Kwara and Kogi among the dominant Ebira Tao and Ebira Koto stocks of Okene, Ajaokuta, Adavi, Okehi, Kotonkarfe and Lokojaa local government areas and Edo among the Igallas in present day Edo State of Nigeria. Records have it that the early history of the Ebiras dated back to the sixteenth century (circa 1500) when the defunct Kwararafa Kingdom was a flouring empire that engage in fierce wars of ethnic conquest with the Usman Dabfodio fame and the war moguls of the El Kanemi Kingdom of the Borno empire. This three pronged war later proved to be decisive in shaping the present identities and destinies of the minorities pagan tribes that constituted the then Jukuns, Idoma, Tiv, Anagas, Ebira, Igalla and Igalla sub-ethnic stock that made up the then Kwararafa Kingdom of these minority ethnic groups who were largely pagans before conversion by the Muslim and Christian missionaries. They were pagans because by the tradition of the ancestors they neither embrace Islam nor Christianity. Essentially, they worshiped the deities and consulted oracles as their original religion before the advent of Islam and Christianity. It is of interest to mention that this war of attrition among the natives of these dominant Kingdoms was the order of the day before the advent of the British colonialists. Resenting the central administrative authority of the Jukuns in the Wukari area of the Kwararafa kingdom, the Ebiras like the other disparate ethnic groups, migrated under their leader whose actual personal name remain unknown up till date, though one account has it that he was called Ebira. They migrated frequently and at different times from one unsuitable spot to another as an expression of their resettlement against tyrannical rule, among other reasons. In the case of the former reason, they did so in order to free themselves from the resented bondage and clutches of the Jukuns and headed southward before the end of the sixteenth century. In the course of this ethnic war of independence within and amongst the constituent natives of the Kwarafafa Kingdom, the sixth ethnic groups and their fellow travelers moved extensively in different directions south of the Sahara. The six Ebira ethnic groups according to oral history are given as follow: The Ebira Tao or Ebira Ehi of Kogi and Kwara State. The Ebir Igu of Ebira Koto of Kogi State. The Ebira Agatu of Benue State The Ebira Panda or Ebira Umasha of Plateau State. The Ebira Oje or Ebira Toto of Plateau State. In the course of this migration in search of local self rule and independence, as well as suitable farmer land, the Ebiras shared common experience and agonies with their Igalla, Idoma, Tiv, Umasha, Ebira Panda, Angas and Igarra (Ebira Etuno) brothers and sisters of the Kwararafa stock who were fleeing for new founded land north and south of the Rivers Benue and Niger.Like war-afflicted refugees, they collectively fled in and droves southwards towards the fertile banks of River Benue and Niger, and the wet savannah lands where pasture and aquatic life were rich and the topography identical to that which they were leaving behind in their original Kwararafa empire. In this way, some of the migrants settled at different spots, first among the Tivs and Idomas of Benue State, then among the Angas and Nasarawa people of Nasarawa State. This early group of migrants was left behind by the Ebira Koto and the Ebira Tao people of Kogi state. In the Edo State, the Igarras were the Ebira extractions who fled the Kwararafa Kingdom, and after crossing the River Niger together, left behind their kith and kins who were the Ebira Tao in Okene, Adavi, Ajaokuta and Okehi LGAs of Kogi State. It is of interest to note similarly in name between Kwararafa Kingdom and the defunct Kwara Local Government later Kogi Local Government in Lokoja reas, and the present Kwara Sate. Both terms were derived from the Hausa name for a river called Kogin Kwara. In all the place they traversed, the Ebiras left behind their erstwhile brothers and sisters with whom they hitherto lived together and shared a common language. Each of the six Ebira sub ethnic groups derives its language from a corruption of the same Ebira mother tongue, with slight variation in accent, diction and etiology. Those of them not contented with the geography and traditional occupation of the new settlements, migrated further south to Okene in the present day Kogi State and Igarra in Edo State. The route followed by the different Ebira migrant groups probably commenced from Wukari. Ibi and Lunga in Gongola State, and then proceeded through Lafia to Nassarawa and Toto. It tooks off again from Nassarawa and Toto and proceeded to the banks of River Niger and Konton Karfe, Lokoja, Itobe and Ajaokuta from where it branched off the Ebira-Okene (TAO) dialectical groups, while it terminated at Igarra in Edo State for the Igarra speaking group whose mother tongues is a corruption of the original Ebira Kwararafa race. These distinctive settlement patterns are found among the Jukuns of Gongola State, the Ebira Pandas among the Idomas of Benue State, and the Ebira Koto of Kontokarfe in Lokoja as well as the Ebira Tao in Okene, Adavi, Eika and Okehi Local Government of Kogi State, and the Ebira-Igarra of Edo State. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebira_people |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by musaak: 2:23am On Oct 05, 2012 |
Thanks. I appreciate ur effort |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by Matlab: 6:04pm On Sep 18, 2013 |
Your attempt at explaining the history is brave....but sadly wrong. Ebira in 1500 was not in the same timeline with Uthman Dan Fodio. Ebira coming into recognition coincides with a Jukun revolt in Wukari 1600c. against the then largely pagan Hausa rulers in what was described as a Coup detat. Lastly, change references from the history gathered. there is no Gongola, Taraba and Gombe are parts of Jukun-Kwararafa - not Adamawa. Jukuns are kindred of the Kanuris. There are no Ebira from Plateau; only in Nassarawa. You ignored the Ebira Mozum in Shintaku very close to Okene territories. Please dont take everything that explains migration to be related to Fulani wars as the Hausa never joined in as much history abuses. It is sad that we live in close proximity to people for centuries and remain ignorant about neighbours and relationships....aarihin, taangwa nini! |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by Nobody: 7:22pm On Sep 20, 2013 |
matlab is right. I have learnt that wen it comes to the histroy of African tribes,do not go to wikipedia. |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by donphilopus: 2:32pm On Dec 10, 2013 |
Thread opened! |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by macof(m): 4:13pm On Dec 11, 2013 |
Wats d difference between igala and ebira |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by Nowenuse: 12:02am On Dec 16, 2013 |
macof: Wats d difference between igala and ebira They have their great differences, they are not the same but are found in same state Kogi. But Ebiras are also found in Nasarawa and Kwara, Igalas are also found in Nasarawa, Anambra. |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by macof(m): 12:22am On Dec 16, 2013 |
Nowenuse: Ok thanks but I wanted to know difference in culture and language |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by Nowenuse: 12:31pm On Dec 16, 2013 |
macof: U can really learn dat by googling about them. Linguistically, igala hv great influences from yorubas, igbos and hausa. Igala is very close to Eloyi and Agatu languages in Nasarawa and Idomas in Benue. While ebiras bear influences from Edo and yorubas. D languages nd cultures of d ppl r very difrent. Ebiras r most likely 2speak yorruba as a second language frm their own hometowns while igalas closer to igbo language which some of them (especially those at d border areas with Anambra, enugu) can speak. The supreme leader of the Ebira is d Ohinoyi with his seat at Okene, while the igala is d Attah, with his seat at Idah. 1 Like |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by donphilopus: 1:57pm On Dec 16, 2013 |
Nowenuse:Nice explanation! |
| Re: Who Are The Ebiras? by tpia0001: 9:49pm On Dec 24, 2014 |
Matlab: plateau is often referred to by its old boundaries which included the present day nasarawa state. A lot of people find it confusing since sometimes nasarawa seems like it was carved from the far north, or kano. Ebiras were native to these old states: plateau, bendel and kwara before they were subdivided. |
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