Igala is the language spoken by the people located within the triangle formed by the confluence of the rivers Niger and Benue in Kogi State of Nigeria. 'The Igala people are found east of the confluence of these rivers. The land is bounded on the west by River Niger, on the east by Enugu State, the south by Anambra State,on the north Benue/Nassarawa States. It is 120 kilometers wide and 160 kilometers long. It is located approximately between latitudes 6°30' and 8° north and longitudes 6°30' and 7°40' East and covers an area of about 13,665 square kilometers. The population of the Igala people is estimated at two million in the late 1990s.



The people are evenly distributed all over the land but with ldah, Anyigba and Ankpa more densely populated. The Igala are also sparsely found in Edo, Delta, Anambra and Enugu States. But the huge bulk ofthe people are in Idah, Ankpa, Dekina, Omala, Olamaboro, Ofu, Igalamela/Odolu, lbaji, Bassa (and even Lokoja and Ajaokuta) Local Government Areas of Kogi State. The boundary of the land was by far larger than it isin our time. The traditional limits of the land included: 'The greater part of ldomaland, Nsukka area, Kogi, Anambra area (North of Onitsba).... The Atta of Igala formerly exercised suzerainty over them. The Igala are unmistakably the major language group in Kogi State of Nigeria today. .



Igalaland could be said to be a sort of terminus. It is located strategically at the natural cross-roads in Nigeria. Owing to this reason, it has been influenced both positively and negatively by trends of events as it is pulled in different directions. By and large, it has enjoyed some degree of encounter with the Yoruba, Edo (Benin), Jukun, Idoma, Nupe, Igbo, Hausa, Igbirra, Bassa-kwomo and Bassa-nge. This experience naturally left certain imprints on the tradition or culture of the Igala people. To some extent, its central positioning may account for the land being considered a cultural melting pot. Yet, it might not be quite true to conclude that Igala is totally a conglomeration of other ethnic groups. Igala existed as an entity on its own before the other cultures were assimilated into its mainstream



The Origin and Development

The actual origin of the Igala people is not quite known. Different people present many versions of legends of immigration There are claims, for instance, that the Igala people came from the Jukun (Kwarara/a), some says Benin, others Yoruba. Yet, others feel they migrated from Mecca (Southern Yemen) or Mali.



In the past, the reigning Atta, His Royal Majesty. Agabaidu (Dr.) Aliyu O. Obaje, had. for instance, explained: "the !gala came from Southern Yemen, passed through Ethiopia (where there is an ethnic group called the Gala) and through the (medieval times} Empire of Mali, to Jukun land; then finally, to our present location." In another instance, the Atta said that the Igala "came from the Arab country of Yemen and were in the present Nigeria at the same time as the founding fathers of the Yorubas, the Jukuns and the Beriberis or Kanuris Bornu. He also maintains that the earlier migration into Igalaland was at "about the 12th century A.D.... led by Amina, a Zaria princess and warrior. who fought her way to Idah ... with Hausa and Nupe followers.



Certain traditions even hold that the Igala are of Fulani origin, simply because of the similarities in their physical features. It IS clear that Fulanis do not speak a Kwa language. And owing to the linguistic affinity, others affirm the Yoruba connections. For Byng Halt notes that, "It is not surprising that within a short period of arrival in Igala land, a Yoruba is well acquainted withthe language.” He attributes the ease in learning the language to the closeness of the twolanguages. Armstrong sticks to this same view when he said: "the most definite historical statement that can be made about Igala is that . they had a common origin with the Yoruba and that the separation took place long enough ago to allow for their fairly considerable linguistic differences. There is a whole corpus of oral traditions on the origin of the Igala people.



While this study did not engage .in any detailed criticism of the diverse opinions on the Igala origins. it gave a thorough look: at certain .inescapable facts, These intricate issues were pin-pointed in order to allow us take a solid stand.



The view that Princess Amina of Zaria led the very first migration into Igalaland in the12th century does not hold water. This is because Queen Amina was a 14th C figure and history has it that the Igala people were already settled in this area and were relating socio-culturally with the Igbos right from the ,7th and 9th century A.D. Moreover, the obvious absence of a legend relating to this princess and warrior .in Igalaland is a clear indication that it might not be true afterall that she actually reached Igala land. Stories on Igala Benin war and Igala-Jukun war, for instance. are very popular. The near dead silence on an Amina war leaves room for great doubts. Niven argues against the presupposition that she died at 'Atagara' (that is ldah) when he said: "she died at Atagara, probably a place iii the Gongola valley then under Kwararafa, not Idah. which is now known as Atagara.'



The linking of the Igala with Yemen In Arabia is another highly speculative opinion. Thisstory was probably a device of the Muslims to Islamise Igala people. The people of Igala had long settled before the Galas entered Ethiopia. because tradition has it that it was only in the centuryA.D, that the Gala migration to Ethiopia took place. In addition, it is quite improbable that the Semite Galas would metamorphose into Negroes of the contemporary Igalaland overnight. Thesimilarity in name is thereby merely coincidental.



The Mali connection remains baseless too because the similarities between the words "Mela"(nine of them) of Igala-Mela (the nine Igala kingmakers) is in no way attributable to “9” as originating from Mali. To the Igala mind, "nine" simply symbolizes perfectness.



Likewise, the supposition that the Igalas came out of the Fulanis, carries no weight, since "no tradition in Igala supports it. History attests to the fact that the Fulanis were still in the region of Senegal by the time the Igala were already having a "centralized state system ... in the 12"century.



That the Igala have a traditional link with the Benin kingdom is indubitable. There aboundtheories for instance, that support a Benin origin of Igala kingship. However, there was already in existence indigenous Igala people with their kingship systems before the arrival of the Benin kings. But it must be understood that at some stage of Igala history, the Benin people wielded some power of influence over them. The difference in their system of government alone is enough reason to prove that it is never true to say the entire Igala originated from Benin.



The tradition, which holds that the Igala has the same origin with the Yoruba seem to be a plausible one. This humble submission is based on the fact that the Igala language has a lotin common with the Yoruba. Okwoli supports this view when he said: "When people speak the same language. or related languages, there is every reason to believe that they have common origin or have met somewhere.



The Jukun link with the Igala is another very strong tradition that immediately calls for serious attention. Stories about the Jukun origin of Igala kingship, for instance, cannot be waved aside. That there were certain Jukun immigrants who came among the Igalas at some stage of the development of the Igala kingdom is quite evident It is even a common knowledge that the present ruling dynasty is Jukun.



Ultimately, therefore, there is no single account of the origin of the Iga1a people, which is unassailable However, one may agree with Boston that the different tradition "probably correspond to different phases of history inwhich the Yoruba link may be the most ancient, followed by the Benin connection, and most recently. some form of Jukun suzerainty'. In order not to continue swimming in this shark-infested waters of legends and traditions, we concluded that the Igala kingdom originated from within their immediate vicinity, namely. West Africa. As a matter of fact, before the advent of the colonial masters, about seven very prominent black. kingdoms were noticeable in the forest belt, thus, Ashanti, Dahomey. ]fe, Oyo, Bini, Igala and Jukun(Apa) kingdoms.

in short you are Yorubas . welcome to land of peace

"The linking of the Igala with Yemen In Arabia is another highly speculative opinion. Thisstory was probably a device of the Muslims to Islamise Igala people. The people of Igala had long settled before the Galas entered Ethiopia. because tradition has it that it was only in the centuryA.D, that the Gala migration to Ethiopia took place. In addition, it is quite improbable that the Semite Galas would metamorphose into Negroes of the contemporary Igalaland overnight. Thesimilarity in name is thereby merely coincidental."



Don't mind the Muslims.
This is how they went about deceiving many tribes in the Middle Belt that they are from Arabia just to Islamize dem.
Nonsense.

But thank God for Jesus n exposure.
They HV been found out for whom they r. Deceivers.

NakedEve:
"The linking of the Igala with Yemen In Arabia is another highly speculative opinion. Thisstory was probably a device of the Muslims to Islamise Igala people. The people of Igala had long settled before the Galas entered Ethiopia. because tradition has it that it was only in the centuryA.D, that the Gala migration to Ethiopia took place. In addition, it is quite improbable that the Semite Galas would metamorphose into Negroes of the contemporary Igalaland overnight. Thesimilarity in name is thereby merely coincidental."



Don't mind the Muslims.
This is how they went about deceiving many tribes in the Middle Belt that they are from Arabia just to Islamize dem.
Nonsense.

But thank God for Jesus n exposure.
They HV been found out for whom they r. Deceivers.

gala is an offensive term! if u ever try to use it in ethiopia. u'll get in jail. its lyk when a white guy says 'NIGGA'. ITS ILLEGAL

gala is an offensive term! if u ever try to use it in ethiopia. u'll get in jail. its lyk when a white guy says 'NIGGA'. ITS ILLEGAL

so gala isn't sold in ethiopia??

Nice write up op... Great people I must say... I met some and I foundbit hard to believe they aren't from the west... They speak yoruba fluently.. And those that don't reside in west still understand yoruba quite well without visiting

richol:
so gala isn't sold in ethiopia??

Galla was the name used to describe Oromo ppl before 1974. Nowadays it isn’t acceptable to refer them by it.

Hati13:

Galla was the name used to describe Oromo ppl before 1974. Nowadays it isn’t acceptable to refer them by it.

What exactly the history of Oromo connection to the name, ‘Galla'?

Olu317:
What exactly the history of Oromo connection to the name, ‘Galla'?

No one knows exactly why and when Oromo started to be referred galla, but the name galla was known to be first mentioned in a 15th century map of the known world which includes Ethiopia. In the map there are river, forest and ppl in southern Ethiopia referred by the name galla. Majority Oromo lived around southern Ethiopia then and the ppl referred galla in the map were them.

After they started their migration in 16th century to 1974, almost all Ethiopian and European sources referred them as galla.

Hati13:

No one knows exactly why and when Oromo started to be referred galla, but the name galla was known to be first mentioned in a 15th century map of the known world which includes Ethiopia. In the map there are river, forest and ppl in southern Ethiopia referred by the name galla. Majority Oromo lived around southern Ethiopia then and the ppl referred galla in the map were them.

After they started their migration in 16th century to 1974, almost all Ethiopian and European sources referred them as galla.

Oh K. That's quite interesting to know. Do any of Ethiopia ancient Kingdoms have any hieroglyphs or pictographs that's as old as 1000BCE or 135AD ?

Olu317:
Oh K. That's quite interesting to know. Do any of Ethiopia ancient Kingdoms have any hieroglyphs or pictographs that's as old as 1000BCE or 135AD ?

I don’t if there are hieroglyphics in Ethiopia during that period or any other period, but there are script inscriptions during that period.