The Itsekiri's are a tribe of mixed origin, and one of their ancestors are the YORUBA's

[b]"The Itsekiri (also called the, Isekiri, Itsekri or Ishekiri or Itsekhiri) are an ethnic group of Nigeria's Niger Delta area, Delta State. The Itsekiri presently number between 800,000–1,000,000 people and live mainly in the Warri South, Warri North and Warri South West local government districts of Delta State on the Atlantic Coast of Nigeria. Significant communities of Itsekiris can be found in parts of Edo and Ondo states and in various other Nigerian cities including Lagos, Sapele, Benin City, Port Harcourt and Abuja. Many people of Itsekiri descent also reside in the United Kingdom, the USA and Canada. The Itsekiris traditionally refer to their land as the Kingdom of Warri or 'Iwerre' as its proper name – which is geographically contiguous to the area covered by the three Warri local government districts. The area is a key centre of Nigeria's crude oil and natural gas production and petroleum refining and the main town Warri (a multi-ethnic metropolis) forms the industrial and commercial nucleus of the Delta State region.

The Itsekiri monarch is known by the title 'Olu of Warri'. The Itsekiris speak a language very closely akin to Yoruba and Igala but which has also been significantly influenced by other languages particularly Portuguese, Edo (Benin), English and a few borrowings from neighbouring Ijo and Urhobo languages. Although linguistically related to the Yoruba ethnic group, however, the Itsekiris are of very mixed ethnic origins (primarily of Yoruba (Ijebu, Ilaje,Ondo and Owo), Edo, Igala, Urhobo,Ijo and Anglo-Scottish and Portuguese descent) and are today mainly Christian (Protestant and Roman Catholic) by religion. Thus having had 6 centuries of direct cultural exposure to Western Christianity and other African influences, contemporary Itsekiri language and culture has successfully evolved into a hybrid of the many cultures that have influenced its development. Similarly owing to the complex genetic mix of most Itsekiris over the centuries, many individuals self-identifying as Itsekiri would usually be a complex mix of any of the aforementioned ethnic and racial groups."[/b]

"Whilst genetically, the Itsekiris are a complex mixture of the many different ethnicities and races that have settled in their area, however, the Itsekiri language is very closely related to the south-eastern and Ijebu Yoruba dialects and to the Igala language of North Central Nigeria. It has also been influenced significantly by the Bini, Portuguese and English languages due to centuries of interaction with people from those nations. However, it remains a key branch of the Yoruboid family of languages even retaining archaic or lost elements of the proto Yoruba language due to its relative isolation in the Niger-Delta where it developed away from the main cluster of Yoruba language dialects."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itsekiri_people



[b]"The ITSEKIRI

Now, we may first try to describe the Itsekiri peopl e whose kingdom is Warri. As already pointed out, the Dutch map of 1705 referred to above, marks their homeland as Awyri which over time had variously been spelt Iwere, Ouere, Oere, Warree, Wari. and now Warri. The Edo and the Yoruba call them Iwere. The people who constitute the Itsekiri tribe have diverse origins: early settlers from Ijebu, some from Igala and Aboh came to settle in various communities such as Omadino, Ureju, Ugborodo , Inroin, etc at various times out of human memory . Then a party from the Benin Royal family about the end of the 15th century set up a monarchy which constituted these erstwhile autonomous mini-communities into a nationality which it is today.

 
Prof. P. C Lloyd says that "in the English literature they are known as Warri or Jekri, though in the 19th century they were often referred to as Benin since contacts with them were first made on the banks of the Benin River". Here was a Kingdom founded by the royal party from Benin, but by the early sixteenth century through th e seventeenth, it had done so much overseas trade to match or exceed that of the mother - kingdom; the reason being its advantageous position within the empire on the rim of the Atlantic. The Itsekiri speak a Yoruba dialect whose vocabulary has been widened by the infusion of a large number of Portuguese, Bini and English words.

As an introduction of the influence of the Bini culture in Itsekiri land, it is pertinent to recall part of the address presented to Prince Solomon I.A Akenzua, then Edaiken of Uselu (now His majesty the Oba of Benin by the Itsekiri community in Benin) by the Itsekiri community in Benin on the occasion of his retirement from public service and return home in 1973.

We would like to recall the special historical relationships that bind your people and ours. Both Bini and Itsekiri histories agree that Ginuwa, a prince, as your goodself, left this great city to found the Iwerre (Warri) Kingdom about 1480. In the 15th and 16th centuries, these two kingdoms emerged as a civi l izing force in this part of the world and provided great splendour which attracted European adventurers, missionaries and merchants alike. The visit of D' Aviero of Portugal of Benin City in 1485 and the establishment of a Catholic Mission in Benin about 1515 AD were great historical developments that have had their parallels only in Iwerreland. At the beginning of the 17th century, a son of a reigning Olu went to Portugal for ten years (as the Oba's ambassador went to Portugal between 1481 and 1495 to be educated in the best schools and returned with a Portuguese lady of a high birth as his wife, their son , Antonio Domingo was Olu of Warri in the 1640s. The site of the Catholic Cathedral (St. Anthony) built in Ode-Itsekiri,  is still called (Satoni),  we have proud similar chieftaincy titles-Iyatsere as Iyase; Ologbotsere as Ologhosere; Uwangue as Uwanguel Otsodi as oshodin and many other,  Even your present esteemed title of Edaiken compares with "Daniken", the last ceremonial stage of the Olu-Elect bef ore coronation. And, our Itselu means "sacred quarters" of the Olu's mother as Uselu in Benin. Aslo, our war songs, lyrics and burial songs have common roots with Bini ceremonial songs.

Truly, these cultural bonds span the vast areas of royalty, chieftnancy, language, music and dancing, rituals to dynastic ties.

The Warri throne, being a direct off-shoot of the Benin monarchy, bears all its attributes. Historically, the Olu of Warri, like the Oba, is the personal focus of the people's loyalty and affection. The crown, highly glamorised, is the symbol of supreme authority in both kingdoms. The Olu, like the Oba (aiguobasinwin) does no wrong and can not be queried or challenged (Afo massin; Afo were tse were); he is the keeper of the corporate conscience of his people. The Oba is titled Uku-Akpolokpolo, which literally means high and extremely very large. In essence, it means next to God, divine and infinite. He is also addressed: Ogie N'Ogbomwan be edge uwuikomwam; i.e king who can confer life a n d death. A similar title of the Olu of Warri is Ogie-uwu i.e , king over death. The Oba is also addressed: Ekpen N'uwa i.e the tiger at home. In spite of the contemporary societal forces which have constrained the practical meanings of these titles, in the nitty-gritty of the norms of Benin and Warri societies, these mind-bending titles, theoretical as they are, still do provide the pillars and sign-posts that guide most traditional activities. These titles remain stilted and honorific.

Examining some royal titles in Benin and Warri, one would be amazed at the striking oneness of their roots. Even in some cases, Warri tended religiously to follow Benin titles every sixty years on the average. The fourth Olu of Warri, Ojoluwa who ascended the throne in 1550 assumed the title of the fifteenth Oba of Benin Ozolua who reigned in 1483; the fifth Olu Esigie who became king in 1570 bore the title Esigie, the sixteenth Oba of Benin who came to the throne in 1504. And the thirteenth Olu Akengboye (1710) took t he title of the twenty-second Oba Akengboi (1669). Others who followed were the fortheeenth Olu Atogbwua (1735) who bore the title Orhogbua, the seventeenth Oba (1550). And the sixteenth Olu Akengbuwa (1807) took the title of the thirtieth Oba Akengbuda (1750). Even Erejuwa in Warri and erediauwa in Benin sound alike. In both cultures, part from the crown, and other high-profile symbols of royalty are swords and scarlet cloth. The Itsekiri have derived the names of these items from Bini."[/b]
http://www.edofolks.com/html/pub123.htm

What were the itsekiris(sekiri,Ishekiri,etc.) actual name? The name is actually an Ijo name meaning "Evil". I don't think that is a coincidence.

Chyz*:

What were the itsekiris(sekiri,Ishekiri,etc.) actual name? The name is actually an Ijo name meaning "Evil". I don't think that is a coincidence.

Haba! How do you know?

jason123:

Haba! How do you know?

If you don't believe me go ask an Ijo or better yet, just google it.

Chyz*:

If you don't believe me go ask an Ijo or better yet, just google it.

Just cause it means something In Ijo does not mean that it has the same meaning in Itsekiri. "Igbo" is a word in Yoruba, but it is not the meaning of the Igbo ethnic group.


What if "Itsekiri" means Blessing everywhere or Blessing througout the land in Itsekiri?

lakal:

Just cause it means something In Ijo does not mean that it has the same meaning in Itsekiri. "Igbo" is a word in Yoruba, but it is not the meaning of the Igbo ethnic group.


What if "Itsekiri" means Blessing everywhere or Blessing througout the land in Itsekiri?

And im sure "Igbo" means something else in other African languages too but you are forgetting that yoruba is not beside igbos so that name didnt come from them. Also, that name "Igbo" has been in existance even before the supposed "birth" of the yoruba people. . . .The itsekiri on the other hand were neighbors of the ijaw and were made enemies to the ijaw. It is a word used by the Ijaw to describe the itsekiri. My guess is that the europeans just used it to name their tribe. Anybody who knows ijaws knows that thats an ijaw word/name, so is Warri although warri is not ijaw land.

Find out how the name came abt. It has nothing to do with blessing.

Chyz*:

And im sure "Igbo" means something else in other African languages too but you are forgetting that yoruba is not beside igbos so that name didnt come from them. Also, that name "Igbo" has been in existance even before the supposed "birth" of the yoruba people. . . .The itsekiri on the other hand were neighbors of the ijaw and were made enemies to the ijaw. It is a word used by the Ijaw to describe the itsekiri. My guess is that the europeans just used it to name their tribe. Anybody who knows ijaws knows that thats an ijaw word/name, so is Warri although warri is not ijaw land.

Find out how the name came abt. It has nothing to do with blessing.

1.) Hausa is not beside Yoruba, and yet the name came from Hausas, supposedly. So that point is dead.

2.) How do you if the word "igbo" is or isn't older than what are now known as the Igbo people?

3.) Again, just because it means something in Ijaw, does not mean that it can't mean something in itsekiri. You don't even know if the tones are the same, I bet.

4.) Warri is not an Ijaw word, and Ijaws don't claim it to be either. Ownership of Warri is a different matter.

lakal:


1.) Hausa is not beside Yoruba, and yet the name came from Hausas, supposedly. So that point is dead.

2.) How do you if the word "igbo" is or isn't older than what are now known as the Igbo people?

3.) Again, just because it means something in Ijaw, does not mean that it can't mean something in itsekiri. You don't even know if the tones are the same, I bet.

4.) Warri is not an Ijaw word, and Ijaws don't claim it to be either. Ownership of Warri is a different matter.

Read, learn, then STFU. Your emotions aren't going to change the facts. Too bad for you:

http://www.waado.org/Organizations/UHS/WarriPeaceCongress/BackgroundPapers/IjawBackgroundPaper.htm

Chyz*:

Read, learn, then STFU. Your emotions aren't going to change the facts. Too bad for you:

http://www.waado.org/Organizations/UHS/WarriPeaceCongress/BackgroundPapers/IjawBackgroundPaper.htm

I don't think that[b] I'm[/b] the one getting emotional.

lakal:

I don't think that[b] I'm[/b] the one getting emotional.

You're not.

Chyz tends to get overly sensitive/sentimental and less focused.

Ileke-IdI:

You're not.

Chyz tends to get overly sensitive/sentimental and less focused.

I know right.

lakal:

I don't think that[b] I'm[/b] the one getting emotional.

The itsekiri own the ijos a lot.

Chyz*:

I know right.

uh uhm

Ileke-IdI:

uh uhm

How've u been cutie?

.

We should be cautious of some stories we read on NL:

"NOMENCLATURE
The Itsekiri call themselves Itsekiri or iwere, and the Yoruba and Edo use the same names; the Urhobo call them irhobo, a term sometimes said to mean "those who float on the water"; the Ijaw call them selemo. In the English literature they are known as Warri or Jekri, though in the 19th century they were often referred to as Benin, since contact with them was first made on the banks of the Benin River. Warri and Itsekiri have been spelt in many different though recognizable ways by European writers, e.g., Oere, Ouere, Awerri, Owerri; Jekri, Jakri." - The Benin Kingdom and the Edo-speaking peoples of South-Western Nigeria by R.E. Bradbury together with a section on The Itsekiri by P.C. Lloyd, London, International African Institute, 1957.

Please can anyone help with the full meaning of the itsekiri name "omabegho" thanks

Itsekiri dede, mo kia han (greeting all d Itsekiri ppl in d house) so proud to b born into dis small but unique tribe
can someone help with d Itsekiri anthem.
Ogiame Suoooooo

[quote author=omabegho]Please can anyone help with the full meaning of the itsekiri name "omabegho" thanks[/quote


Omabegho-- A child with respect. Not very sure, but not too far from it

Chyz*:
What were the itsekiris(sekiri,Ishekiri,etc.) actual name? The name is actually an Ijo name meaning "Evil". I don't think that is a coincidence.

dis is not funny. I'm sure u did not ask ur parents b4 posting.
Itsekiri > blessing protectng us. Itse as in Amen, kiri means protect, guide, shield, cover etc.

mohadana: Itsekiri came from Benin City about the middle of the 15th Century, under the leadership of (Ginuwa) a son of the reigning Oba of Benin called Olua,  Oginuwa died at Ijalla and was buried there. The Itsekiri called the place "Eri-Olu Itsekiri," or "Itsekiri's Royal Grave." The 'Aramula' oracle was consulted as to the best land in which to settle. One Idibie, who was priest to the oracle,  hurled a harpoon into the river and Speared a large fish, which he followed by means of the float attached to the harpoon to Ode Itsekiri or Iwerri, which is now known as Big Warri" And of them an Asst. District Officer R.B. Kerr in his own report(2) in 1931 wrote:"The Itsekiris are a sub-tribe of the Yoruba tribe. It is said that their leader was one OGINUWA, a favourite son of the Oba who had him put into a magic box and conveyed in this fashion accompanied by seventy sons of Benin Chiefs to found a new and mystical Kingdom which is today the Warri Kingdom."The Itsekiri homeland with an estimated ltsekiri population of about 270,000 is traditionally known as Iwere, and the people themselves are called Itsekiri. How have they come about these names, and what are the myths about them? Ijijen, the first son of Ginuwa, and who became the Second Olu of the Kingdom, was given a royal welcome at Ode-ltsekiri: Egert Omoneukarin has given this account(3):"Before this stage however, Ijijen has already sighted a very large area of land with grown up leafs (sic leaves) which he identified as "EWERE-LEAFS"This leaf signifies "goodluck and peace" in Edo land. Knowing the importance of this leaf and its ceremonial significant in Benin Kingdom, he drew his host (sic host's) attention to his discovery……… Itsekiriene (the host) was compelled to Christian (sic christen) the land IWERE Another account(4)on the origin of Iwere says that"the purported blessing of Okhienwere by the Oba and his Chiefs (upon) the travelling royal team, when they were leaving the Kingdom, was continuously used by the group in wishing their leaders well as they journeyed On (through the Sea Kingdom)…… Iwere (is a) mispronunciation (of Okhienwere) a word of Edo language."Whichever is the source of the word, these myths are so strong in ltsekiri-land that one tends to believe one or the other.In several waves of migration before the 15th Century, and some a little later, groups from Igala in Nupe country came in through the creeks; Yoruba from ljebu-Ode, Akure and Owo found their way into parts of the Kingdom and a group from Aboh also came in. Some along the coast came in through Gulani/Amatu. No wonder the historian John Sagay(5) says "that the people who constitute. the tribe called ltsekiri have diverse origins". And Stride and ifeka(6) say that "the ltsekiri are probably a mixture of several people …… And in my book(7) published early this year; I have said."Before long this hotch-potch of several peoples from Ode, the coast via Arnatu or Gulani Aboh, Akure and Owo, Igala in Nupe country and Benin welded into a coherent ethnic group which is today called ltsekiri. They synthesized a Yoruba dialect whose vocabulary today has been widened by the infusion of a large number of Portuguese, English and Bini words."                                                                   Prof.P.C. Lloyd( has said of them; "The ltsekiri call themselves ltsekiri or Iwere, and the Yoruba and Edo use the same names; the Urhobo call them Irhobo, a term sometimes said to mean ‘those floating on water’, the Ijaw call them Selemo. In the English literature they are known as Warri or Jekri, though in the 19th century, they were often referred to as Benin, since contact with them was first made on the banks of the Benin River"And according to Prof. Obaro Ikime(9) " Warri, the name of the modern township is clearly a corruption of the name Iwere which the Itsekiri sometimes use to refer to themselves or their capital, Ode-Itsekiri," The African Encyclopaedia(10) says: "The Itsekiri people live on the Western edge of the Niger Delta in the Midwest State of Nigeria……… The largest town of their area is Warri which has become an important center of Nigerian’s petroleum industry. The Itsekiri language is closely related to Yoruba."So far, no doubt we have seen that the Itsekiri people, also known as Iwere, call their homeland Warri, a corruption of Iwere. P. C. Lloyd(11) has said:"Warri and Itsekiri have been spelt in many different though recognizable ways by European writers, e.g. Oere, Ouere, Awerri, Owerri, Jekri, Jakri".

A captain John Adam(12) probably early in the last century spelt it Warre; Consul John Beecroft in the 1850’s wrote Wari; Consul Richard Burton in 1862 spelt it Wari. It was Vice Consul Captain Gallwey who at the end of the 19th century introduced the variant Warri, which has stuck till today.

HOMELAND

I have always appreciated Prof. Lloyd’s description(13) of Itsekiri homeland which says:"The administrative unit known as Warri Division (now, Warri Local Government Area) of Delta Province whose area is 1520 Square miles, is approximately co-terminus with the territory of the Itsekiri ……"This homeland of theirs they romanticise as Warri Kingdom.The Itsekiri homeland is bounded approximately by lat.5deg 20min and 6deg N and long,  5deg 5min and 5deg 40min E.ITSEKIRI SOCIETYNow we have known the ltsekiri people and their homeland i.e. Warri Kingdom. It is now time to say something about the structure of their society over the centuries. Historically, the ltsekiri have a monarchy, over 500 years old, and which, as a rallying point in their society, remains its supreme government. From 1480 to now, there have reigned 19 Olus: five Olus of the pre-Christian era; 1480 - 1597: eight Roman Catholic Olus from 1597-1735, and six Olus of the post-Roman Catholic Christian era. Atuwatse I, baptised as Dom Domingo. reigned between 1625 and 1643, having studied in Coimbra University in Portugal for eleven years where he obtained a degree. It may interest you to learn that the first-ever church monastery built in what today is Nigeria was erected in Big Warri (Ode-ltsekiri) before 1700 and was christened Saint Anthony (Today, the site is known as Satone).Traditionally, the ltsekiri are fishermen and traders. In the 16th -19th Centuries they acted as middlemen to carry trade between Europeans at the coast and the peoples. further inland. Prof. lkime (14)says of this state of affairs:"The promotion of economic activity thus became a major pre-occupation of the ltsekiri monarch from the 16th Century,  The Europeans tended to go to areas which had a political system that could guarantee peaceful trade. Hence Benin, the States of the Eastern Delta and Itsekiriland in the Western Delta. In other words, the fact that there existed a kingdom was important in the decision of the Europeans to do business with the ltsekiri".And the African Encyclopaedia (15) states as follows:"In the 17th-19th centuries they (Itsekiri) acted as 'middlemen' to carry trade between Europeans at the coast and the peoples further inland"According to Sir Alan Burns(16), the distinguished administrator and historian the account is:The Itsekiris were formerly important as middlemen between the early European traders and the inhabitants of the hinterland".And in a booklet by Nigeria Magazine (l7) it is written:

"the Itsekiri tribe of the Delta area,  has always been a unique tribe………They were among the first to have contact with the Portuguese traders in the 16th Century

LIFE IN PRE-COLONIAL ERA

At this point, it may now be instructive to give you some perspectives into the typical pre-colonial ltsekiri community life. First, let us see the image of the Olu of Warri at the turn of the 18th Century, i.e. about 200 years ago. A British Captain John Adams who paid a courtesy call on an Olu of Warri then wrote in his report(18)."We arrived at Warre about Five O'clock the following day. After passing through five or six apartments of various forms and sizes we were ushered into the audience chamber where we found his stable majesty fully prepared for the occasion,  A boy was holding a pink umbrella over his head and another was brushing off flies with an elephant's tail. To our surprise, we found the King rigged in European style"Then let us see a typical Itsekiri town, i.e. Ebrohimi, before its destruction by the British during the Nanna War of 1894. Captain Alan Biosragon (19), one of the two survivors of the Benin Massacre, who had known Ebrohimi well wrote in his book:"………Brohoemi (Ebrohimi), made by (Nanna's) father Alluma (Olomu) was a most wonderful sight, the ground on which the greater part of it was built having been reclaimed from the mangrove swamp by millions of canoe - loads of sand poured on it. The whole place was kept extremely clean, and the houses built in streets running at right angles to the main road, broad as Piccadilly (in Westend London) which connected Nanna's own part of the town with his father's which lay some half-mile distant".But this beautiful city was burned down during the British expedition against Nanna in 1894. An insight may be gained into the enormous wealth of this typical Itsekiri town of Ebrohimi in the mid -19th Century from the little that was salvaged from Nanna's treasures which today form the collections of the National Antiquities housed in Nanna's Palace in Koko. Much still remains to be done to attract people to this place as a tourist centre. Not only was Ebrohimi was so beautiful. Jakpa, Bateren, Bobi, Deghele and Ode-Itsekiri. the Olu's seat, were all said to be beautiful. Captain Adams (20) about the close of the 18th Century wrote of Ode-ltsekiri in these words:

"This town is situated on a beautiful island, about five miles in circumference", "and (Ode-Itsekiri) might(2l) have fallen from the clouds in the midst of a desert - for it is a little elevated above the surrounding country,  is well cultivated and has much appearance of an extensive park. The substratum of the island is composed of a tenacious red clay, from which the inhabitants manufacture jars for holding water, and utensils of various forms for domestic purposes. The capital of Warri is divided into two towns, distant from each other half a mile. The most populous one is that in which the King resides, and the combined population amounts probably to 5,000 souls". However Landolphe(22) had earlier, about 1770-90, suggested a population of 12,O00-15,000.

WARRI TOWNSHIP:WARRI TOWNSHIP:

Now let us consider the development and growth of Warri City, the centre of today's oil industry in the Delta. In the centuries under review, the trade in Itsekiriland grew extensively and Big Warri (Ode ltsekiri) as capital, remained its focal point. As time went on the expanding trade in Itsekiriland ,spilled over to the mainland - "New Warri" (a British name). Then from 1900 on-wards most parts of "New Warn" were formally acquired by the British on a 99~year lease from Chiefs Dore and Ogbe as Olu's representative (there was an interregnum then). Thereafter the new town was laid out and developed, and became the headquarters of the Old Warri province. Following this development new patterns of trade, transportation, communication and public institutions emerged within and around "New Warri", and the need arose for the ltsekiri people to re-order their way of life to suit the new dispensation. For example, it became necessary for the Olu thereafter to maintain palaces both at Big Warri (Ode ltsekiri) and "New Warri " (Warri township).The Niger Coast Protectorate in its report(23) dated 19th August 1894 on the Consulates said of Warri as follows:"Warri, a trading settlement of considerable importance, is situated some 40 miles up the Forcado River……… Warri itself is the ancient chief town of the Jekri people (the middlemen and traders of this part of the Protectorate)……… The town of Warri itself is the usual collection of native huts, but is held in considerable veneration by the Jekri people, "No wonder, the first Warri Native Council set up by the British in 1896 had fifteen ltsekiri of its sixteen members. The sixteenth member was an ljaw. And it couldn't be a coincidence that all the eight Warri-based Warrant Chiefs in 1896 were ltsekiri. And when Sir Claude Macdonald, the Consul-General visited Warri on August 19, 1891 he reported (24) "that the chiefs of Warri were ltsekiri who were under Nana the great middlemen Chief of Benin (River)".

Up to this point, we have examined the origin of the ltsekiri people; we have considered their homeland; we have studied the outline of their system of monarchy and looked at their traditional life pattern. Then we briefly have to look at the cultural and economic life in Itsekiriland.

CULTURAL

Considering culture as the sum - total of a people's relationship with their environment, we would find the field too wide to discuss in this short address. In which case we would need to examine the language, the music, poetry and costume of the Itsekiri to their occupation,religion and what have you. However, it would suffice for our purpose here to say that the ltsekiri are a highly cultured people. Over the centuries they had impressive trade and cultural links with different peoples and these ties have broadened and enriched their own cultural life.Their early contacts with medieval Europe, especially Portugal, helped to foster a conservative Christian education and civilisation in Itsekiriland and the people remain proud of this historical circumstance. ltsekiri words such as oro, sangi, garafa, kidibe etc are derived from Portuguese as are torosi, tapita, woske etc from English. The ltsekiri royalty's affinity with Bini is another area of their cultural life: chieftaincy titles, funeral dirges, royal terms such as Ada, Omada, Daiken, Uselu etc carry' almost the same connotations among the Itsekiri. The famous Imaba dance of the Uwangue dynasty in Jakpa to all intents and purposes is a derivative of the Ugho royal dance in Benin.In the old ltsekiri perception the Ijaw possessed machismo and martial virility and were adventurous. Hence by and large ltsekiri noblemen of old delighted in deriving and adapting their sobriquets/appellations from Ijaw phrases or sentences e.g. Akaliparalogbe (never do you have two moons) Deideikumo (all. shut up). Amakimi (we have the land) Ojiguoguoseiname - (No one querries the damage done by waves or storms). And Ijaw songs are used in Itsekiriland; some Urhobo names for food items are used by the ltsekiri. Urhobo adopt ltsekiri names and some of their towns bear names of ltsekiri towns or villages. e.g. Deghele in Ukpe and Idimi Jakpa in Effurun.There is no denying the fact that the Nigerian women’s dress popularly known as George and blouse identified with the Delta in Bendel State had its origin in Itsekiriland.So too for the men's Kemije (Camisa in Portuguese) and the pleated wrapper. Until comparatively recently ltsekiri as a language was the lingua franca that was used by all Urhobo, ltsekiri and Ijaw - in the Warri area. In fact up to the 1940's, anybody in Warri area, stranger or not, learned to speak Itsekiri, dressed the Itsekiri way and even boreItsekiri names.

All that is being put across here is that Itsekiri, as middlemen in the foreign trade between Europeans and the hinterland peoples between the 16th and 19th centuries, imbibed the cross-fertilisation of cultures of the peoples that participated in the trade. It enriched and broadened their own cultural base which they claim has made them not only a role model but also a decent, peace-loving and disciplined ethnic group in our polity.

Name Abbreviation Gender Meaning
Ajemigbitse Ogbitse Unisex Give me the blessing
Abidemi   Unisex A child born before either the father or grandparents arrive
Alero   Female First-born female child
Amajuoritse
Ama or Amaju Unisex We do not know more than God
Besida   Female As destiny decides/dictates
Omasan   Unisex Child is good
Oritsebemigho
Bemigho Unisex Lord watch over him/her for me
Oritsegbubemi
Gbubemi Unisex God answered my prayer
Onetoritsebawoete Bawo or Ete Unisex Whom the Lord is with cannot be put to shame
Oritsetimeyin
Oti or Timeyin Unisex The lord is behind me or the lord has my back
Oritseweyinmi Weyinmi Unisex The lord is with me
Oritsejolomi Jolomi Unisex The lord has fixed me
Oritsematosan Tosan Unisex God knows best
Eyituoyo
Tuoyo Unisex This is enough for joy
Mogbeyiteren
Mogbeyi Unisex I will take this (child) for now
Eyimofe
Mofe Unisex This is my desire
Orighomisan
Misan Female My head is good
Toritsefe
Tofe Female What the lord desires
Toritseju
Toju Unisex God's (will) is supreme

This is a very useless piece of write up. It says Itshekiri are from Benin and it also says Itshekiris are Yoruba.. Then it says Itshekiri are of diverse origin.. Just as confusing as NIGERIA itself. Yoruba people founded Akure and still speak Yoruba, Founded Ilorin and still speak Yoruba. Hausa people migrated to Ghana and maintain Hausa.. How then would Benin or edo people just move to a short distance like Ode Itshekiri and forget their EDO dialect ? . They are Yoruba of the Ilaje and Egun..settled in Ijaw land. They were Timber men or people living on floating timber that drifted to different places. They even floated to as far as Rivers state where they mingled with ijaws in Nembe, KALABARI and even Okrika and were assimilated. They were the ones that took the yoruba words in the Ijaw language of the people to them. Words like OLOSHI, Anyi or enyi, Iro for lie . Suun for stretch and so on.. They were just concentrated at the Warri area and when the Portuguese came a point man or leader met at Ode Itshekiri was made the lead who took advantage of that to establish authority. His authority was over all the people inclduing the native Ijaws and other Ilajes. The settlement of ODE ITSHEKIRI was the Ijaw evil forest known as SHI KIRI meaning evil forest..The people settled there who were both Ilaje and Ijaw were then known as people of SHI KIRI and their leader who was the chosen lead by the Portuguese became the leader of the entire region.. The shi kiri people who were speaking a form of the Ilaje Yoruba dialect became lord of the entire region which included Ijaw settlements and other Ilaje speaking areas. The mixture of the Ilaje dialect and Ijaw and even Uhrobo became the new dialect of the SHI KRI people.. They were behaving abnormally and so were dubbed WERRE which means insane people.. werre or shi kiri became a name which was recorded as Warri also associated with the family arrangement of the Ijaws called WARI...

DereI:
Lemme continue.



ANCESTRAL HOMELAND OF THE ITSEKIRIS

History has it that, IGINUA (GINUWA) the ancestor of the ITSEKIRIS was a disowned son of Oba Olua of Benin. As a result, in 1480 Iginua was sent away from his home in Benin City and wandered to an unspecified location in the swampy forest regions around the Benin River. By a stroke of fate, he was picked up by the Ijaws of that region in their evil-forest referred to as 'SEIKIRI'. The Ijaws, in their usual act of kindness provided transportation to Iginua and his entourage, numbering about seventy people, all men, across the river to the Ijaws homeland of AMATU. This is the settlement were Iginua and his entourage underwent their first rehabilitation.

This view is supported by the account given by a British national and former professor of history at the University of Ibadan, Professor Allan Ryder, in his book titled "BENIN AND THE EUROPEANS 1485 - 1897". Chapter one, page 13 of the book reads, "Tradition relates that OLUA'S eldest son, IGINUA, became extremely unpopular in Benin where it was made clear that he would not be accepted as Oba. His father therefore…. sent him off…. into the swamp forest around the Benin River. Around this wandering band formed the embryonic Itsekiri Kingdom…". Note the reference is to Itsekiri Kingdom and not Warri Kingdom. In yet, another book titled "HISTORY OF THE ITSEKIRI" written by a renowned Itsekiri historian, William A. Moore, came more revelations. He wrote, "Prior to the advent of the Benin Prince Iginua, the territory now known as the Kingdom of ITSEKIRI or IWERE, was inhabited by three tribes, namely, Ijaws, Sobos and the Mahims. The most populous among them were the Sobos. They (Sobos) occupied the hinterland while the Ijaws occupied the coastline and the Mahims squatted on the seashore near the Benin River…. Prince Ginuwa first landed at Amatu where he squatted for about three decades. He moved to Oruselemo where he married an Ijaw woman named Derumo. After several years stay at Oruselemo, a dispute arose between him and the Ijaws of Gulani (Ogulagha) on account of the woman, Derumo who was killed by him…, He therefore moved to Ijala where he later died and Ijijen (Ijeyem), his senior son took his place. Hence Ijala is held to be the Olu's burial ground by the Itsekiri. Ijijen led the entourage from Ijala to Iwere or Ale-ode-Itsekiri…." The settlement at Ode-Itsekiri, the ancestral homeland of Itsekiris occurred at about 1520AD.


IGINUA and his entourage haven been picked up in that portion of the forest known to the Ijaws as 'evil-land' were aptly named by the Ijaws as "SEIKIRI-OTU", meaning people from the 'evil-land'. 'SEI', in Ijaw language means 'EVIL', 'KIRI' means LAND, while OTU means PEOPLE. Similar Ijaw compound words that are descriptive of land that, some of the readers would recognize are; AMAKIRI, BOROKIRI, TORUKIRI, TARAKIRI, DAUKIRI etc. With the passage of time, SEIKIRI-OTU became adulterated to ITSEKIRI by the non-indigenes, but the Ijaws to-date, still maintain the usage of SEIKIRI-OTU in reference to the descendants of IGINUA. Thus, ITSEKIRI, is not a derivative of either an Edo(Bini) or Yoruba language, but of an Ijaw word that underwent an innocent transformation.

It is a sad commentary that, today the descendants of Iginua are claiming ownership of the territories of their benefactors with utter disregard to the magnanimity of their hosts. How ungrateful or low could one get? We would like to remind these descendants that "those whose palm kernels were broken for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble." History surely will not forgive them, should they continue in their path of self-aggrandizement.



PS: My name is Miss Oritsedere meaning "God Decided". AM an Itsekiri too

Op from your post I can clearly tell you are Itsekiri,well its good to know your history but its a shame you know only part or maybe what you have been told or read online..let me break it down..PA Alfred Rewane wrote that according to the Benin historian Jacob Egharevba, the Benin crown prince Iginiwa,who later became Ginuwa 1 Olu of Warri,was mandated by his father oba olua (in 1473) the oba of Benin to go and found a kingdom in and reign over the Riverine areas,Hence,the Olu is called,Ogiame,which in Edo means "The king who Reigns over riversland".Ginuwa 1 founded the warri kingdom in 1480".
THE IJAW VERSION OF THE HISTORY OF ITSEKIRI
In 1475 Olua was king of Benin and his sons where Ginuwa and Ozolua,Ginuwa was outsmarted by his brother and driven out of the kingdom...Benin Historical Records according to MR Talbot
Ginuwa and seventy followers where put in a canoe and st towards the ijaw domain they sailed to the west Atlantic and finally into the Estuary of the River dodo where they were intercepted by Iduwini(ijaws) fishermen they had camwood(isele in ijaw) pasting all over them the ijaws called them Iselemotu (people coated with camwood paste) and they(Itsekiri) are still called that till today

THE CHANGE OF THE THE OLU OF ITSEKIRI to OLU OF WARRI
After the blody riots in warri of 1952 a 9ommision was set up by the late Awolowo in Ibadan and funny only the urhobos and Itsekiri were invited,to show how long the Ijaw man has been marginalized,Alfred Rewane in his book "The link with the past" wrote that through the suggestions of chief Okorodudu,the warri province would be changed to Warri and that the tittle Olu of Itsekiri would become Olu of warri,both the Urhobo and Government delegation accepted and it has remained till this day

Dom Domingos
It is not far from the truth that Itsekiri women can be loose,and this was affirmed by women of Itskiri stock milandiring with portuguese traders,they unlike the ijaws and urhobos who at that time saw it as an abormination to marry outside from their tribe,had affairs with these traders and the result where children of mixed stock known as mullatos,Dom Domingos(Eyeomason Atoangboye) he returned from portugal and was installed as king (Atuwatse) in 1625

In conclusion it is a known fact that the Area known as warri today is originally owned by the Urobos who where farmers and stayed hinther lands and the Ijaws who where fishermen and lived to the coast,I say it with all sense of Confidence cos I have done years of research on this topic and time and space won't let me on this forum but the Itshekiri were visitors to these lands and the Urobos and Ijaws welcomed them with open hands,the Ijaws have always been people who were timid and hardly mixed with the outside world things that still affect them today,the Itsekiri were open to Education vis avis their relationship with the Portuguese this made them enlightened and made them Educated people hence it was to their advantage has they started having people in power and government,these were the issues that led to the warri crisis in 97/98 but all said,we have come to live together in one state and I believe God placed us together for a purpose

Detongue:
Itsekiri dede, mo kia han (greeting all d Itsekiri ppl in d house) so proud to b born into dis small but unique tribe
can someone help with d Itsekiri anthem.
Ogiame Suoooooo

Small and unique? oluku wo gha rin.

Chyz2:


And im sure "Igbo" means something else in other African languages too but you are forgetting that yoruba is not beside igbos so that name didnt come from them. Also, that name "Igbo" has been in existance even before the supposed "birth" of the yoruba people. . . .The itsekiri on the other hand were neighbors of the ijaw and were made enemies to the ijaw. It is a word used by the Ijaw to describe the itsekiri. My guess is that the europeans just used it to name their tribe. Anybody who knows ijaws knows that thats an ijaw word/name, so is Warri although warri is not ijaw land.

Find out how the name came abt. It has nothing to do with blessing.

This an old comment, but I would like to correct something, if you know Ijaw language you will know that wari means house

Ok