₦airaland Forum

AreaFada2:
Lol. 30 years nor be short time ma.

Of course I didn't live in Urhobo/Isoko speaking town. It wasn't something I spoke daily. But at one point you could not say anything bad about me that I would not understand. Things just ring a bell now when I hear people speak.

Kids assimilate things fast as they build vocabulary. They also lose some fast to make way. Those not used are easily displaced/replaced.

fratermathy:
Point of correction: In Itsekiriland, not in Warri. Warri is not synonymous with Itsekiriland. Iwere, can be used but not Warri. You can also say Warri kingdom, which is different from Warri City!

We have to emphasise things like this so as not to create wrong impressions.

AreaFada2:
Lol. While we find Urhobo too fast.
Any language one does not understand seems fast.

Sadly I lost the little EdoidUrhobo/Isoko/Esan I knew as a kid. I was really good in Esan. Courtesy of the wives we married from those places and neighbourhood friends.

But without practice for a very long time, all gone. Pity. It reminds me of a family friends that moved from the North then. The kids spoke only Hausa, some Afemai (parents were from Edo North) and very little English. Within a few years the kids lost Hausa language.

AreaFada2:
Lol. You have to listen better. I listen to languages generally. With time you get a hang of it. First is to know that there are similarities. Then also know that grammar are different. Then learn the simplest words: greetings, numbers, days of the week, etc. Curiosity.

As for Western languages I always gave myself 3 months to get the rudiments of it upon arriving in that environment: to be able to read newspapers, read letters addressed to me, etc. Such basic stuff. It is possible even if not easy.

In 9ja local languages face serious decline. I have suggested before that Edoid languages should make I joint effort. Since the languages will re-enforce others.

I make my kids listen to various Edoid languages videos/teaching on you-tube. When they see Urhobo people and say "Migwo", they are often surprised.

Better they understand bits of these languages than none. I tell them these languages have a common root in the distant past.

Same applies to Germanic & Romance languages for example. Knowledge of German makes English easier & Italian makes French easier to learn.

AreaFada2:
Sure, both Kokodia and Ekokodia were used.

Cutlass is "opia". Gorilla is "Osa". Osia in Urhobo I heard. Duck is Ekpekpeye. Ikpukpuyeke I suppose it is in Urhobo.

AreaFada2:
Sure, Urhobo is very rich in deed. I hear words in Urhobo language that I used to hear old Benin people use like 3 decades ago. U used to listen as a kid. People over 90 then. All gone now.

These Urhobo words are ancient Edoid words. Would have been regular words in Benin centuries back.

Those old Benin people called coconut "kokodia" instead Ivin as it is called today. God as "Oghene-Osa" for God instead of Osanobua commonly used today. And many others.

So within two generations, you can see how a language changes quickly.

AreaFada2:
I think this is important.

Preserving unique features of regional dialects under the umbrella of one language is crucial. It took very centuries for Itsekiri to develop into what it has become now. So throwing all that away to embrace only "Oyo" dialect would be a big loss.

Even in Eastern Yorubaland, Ondo/Ekiti, the rich dialects are very important and very much influenced Yoruboid dialects in Delta/Edo.

I find the "gh" common in Itsekiri quite interesting. We have it too.

AreaFada2:
Actually Okoro is an ancient Benin name too. Meaning Prince. For example the native name of a crown prince like current Oba before investiture as crown prince (Edaiken) would be Okoro Eheneden. But English more commonly used as Prince Eheneden. All princes can bear the name Okoro.

More commonly in Benin Okoro is a surname. Basically given to a male child to mean boy.

As for the Itsekiri name you listed, most/very similar variations are common in my village in Edo State. The language is not much different from Itsekiri. Spoken alongside Benin Language.

I purposely write BENIN language because despite even Benin people erroneously writing "Bini", there is nothing like Bini. People feel the need to vernacularise everything African. The Palace has repeatedly corrected this "Bini" people write over the years.

lx3as:
Nothing like 'Sh' in standard Yoruba; the correct ones are: Sola, Seyi, Seye, Ilesa, Osogbo Orisa,. etc; also Pele, Patapata, Ope ( instead of kpele, kpaktakpakta, okpe). Some are even spelling 'were' as wherey!

In central and eastern Yoruba, both the local and General froms are employed when giving names, eg, Ademiluyi for Ademiniyi, Akinlua for Akinleye, Ogunluyi for Ogunniyi, etc.

I don't see why itsekiri must always bear the local forms, some were born in the SW. This notwithstanding, I respect their choice of not really wanting to have much to do with the Yorubas generally.

dtechbaze:
very similar to that of ilaje

asamaigho:
abugewa is an itsekiri name those guys bearing such names in uvwie and okpe has itsekiri ancestry or connection.

asamaigho:
Efe don't twist itsekiri names and meaning, EDEMA IS Does Not HAVE ANY CONNECTION TO EDO language.
ONLY PEOPLE OF ITSEKIRI,ILAJE,OWO,AND IJEBU BEAR SUCH NAMES.

AND IT IS VERY UNFORTUNATE OF U TO SAY " any itsekiri wordthat has no Yoruba origin is either borrowed from Edo or urhobo".
that's an insult.

scholes0:
Will do that.

So what does Exema mean in Edo then, and how does its meaning connect to being a gentleman? The burden of proof is on the edoids, since this name exists in Three Yoruboid groups if not more, and yet no single Edo group bears Edema as a name yet you wanna claim it comes from them.

I already told you about dialectal difference already, I don’t know how else to explain it - but take this as an example.

The name Jolomi is a Yoruboid name. BUT you will only see it in Itsekiri and certain Ondo groups. Jolo (pronounced as Jorlor) is a Yoruboid word meaning beautify, replace , replenish, repair etc... but its use has a restricted grographical scape.
Now you can tell what a name like Oritsejolomi means.

Now, if I don’t see Jolo in my Yoruba dictionary- I would be very wrong to jump into a hasty conclusion by automatically assuming that it is an Edo name.

Another example will be the Igala name Onuche, Ogwuche or Onoja - these are very apecific Igala names one might even be tempted to think the first or second one is igbo- but believe me they are proper Yoruboid names that have been accented by the Yoruboid language in question (Igala). In Yoruba the first and second one would be Olushe (Master don do am) , while the second would be Ogunshe (Juju don do am). Third one would be Oloja (village owner i.e Ruler)

I hope you are getting my point sha?

clefstone:
Uvwie people bear Itsekiri names such as Majemite. I believe that Uvwie people don't have a common ancestry, they must have migrated to their present location from Urhobo, Okpe and Itsekiri areas

Divay22:
Dolor But okpe still use it... My surname

scholes0:
Abeg no vex jare bros mi, sometimes people on NL can get on a gentlemen’s nerves and make him say some very unprintable things just to make a point

To your other point, gentle is different from being a gentleman. They aren’t of the same context, for example calling a guy a gentleman doesn’t mean you are saying he is gentle or calling a gathering of people “Ladies and gentlemen” does not mean you are saying the men are gentle people. It is just a stylish way of calling someone well mannered or cultured.

Secondly, dialectal effects might have come into play in the formulation of some nuances in the names here , because not every Yoruboid dialect calls everything the same names. Edema might even be a compound or contracted longer word whose actual meaning has been lost but just the general idea remains. The Edemas in Ondo are not a result of bini influence neigther are the ones in Itsekiri. Edema isn’t an Edo name.

I stand to be corrected.

scholes0:
errrm, are you sure Edema is an Edo name?

I have never seen any Benin man called Edema before, The only Edemas I know are Itsekiris,some from Ondo state and one guy from Ijebu waterside.

Olu317:
Just curious though about your perspective because of your assertion over your assumption that some Itsekiri use Yoruba letters spelling method to write out their names. My question for you is this; If Itsekiri was grouped within Yoruba enclave from the creation of Midwest, wont Itsekiri people use Yoruba spelling method to write out their names?

Note: I am not a believer in coercion,talkless of forceful subjugation of people who don't want to be part of Yoruba ancestors heritage.

Cheers

onuwaje:
let me clear dat notion. i have met Urhobos bearing Itsekiri names a very classic example are the Igbogidi people of Udu LGA. according to their history the founder of the town married an Itsekiri woman and gave her the privilege to name their settlement which literally translates to a land of trees tho many of the indigenes re changing their names but the truth is not that they re Itsekiri s but they bear Itsekiri names

secondly one of my Dads co worker whom i known as Temisan (Daddy Temisan) as intuition will have it its very normal to think he is from Itsekiri but he told us that he ia from Okpe LGA and that d reason why he is bearing Temisan is because his Dad had a childhood friend whom his dad insisted that he named him.

the Itsekiris have lived side by side with their neighbors until politics and colonialism brought about the current hatred. if u go through history tribes intertwined by naming their children and even themselves out of goodwill.

even Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh adopted the Itsekiris tribe as his tribe despite his Urhobo Origins

Onijagidijagan:
Bini, Yoruba words are reflecting in the names

onuwaje:
My fellow itsekiri please let always try and spell our name properly and not the Yoruba form despite the fact that we have similarities in our dialect the spelling are totally different, please let's try and correct ourselves

Tseyi not Sheyi
Tsaye not Shaye
Tsaninomi not Shaninomi
Tsola not Shola
Tsolaye not Sholaye
Tsegbone not Shegbone
Tsemaye not Shemaye
Omatseye not Omasheye
Omatsola not Omashola
Totseoma not Tosheoma
Tetsola not Teshola
Oritsetsegbemi not Oritseshegbemi
Omawumi not Omowumi

Sinistami:
Cameroon pidgin na somtin else tru tru oh.Rexia si as yu fall Efe hand like kurusu im try sha. I rimemba wan taim i been de fit hear am small sake of say many bayelsans dem bin de dia before dem kon deport dem kom back buh now na soso pass e de pass my ear.
Ehen Rexia you haven't decoded that warri pidgin yet I was gonna do it but I just decided to translate it in Yenagoa pidgin not to ruin the fun.

In case you missed the thread about Urhobo names you can visit the following pages ( https://www.nairaland.com/2207345/naming-urhobo-culture-meanings-significance, https://www.nairaland.com/2298724/urhobo-names-meanings).

Alero — Female firstborn

Abidemi (Demi) - A child born before either the father or grandparents arrive

Aboyowa (Oyo) - Child that brought joy

Arenyeka (Yeka) — You cannot walk the universe

Besida (Besi) — As destiny dictates/decides

Dolor — Money

Ebeji — Twins

Orighomisan (Misan) — My head is good

Toritsefe (Tofe) — What God wants

Agbeyegbe — You do not live forever

Agboghoroma (Roma/Ogho) — You cannot buy a child with money

Asorkpinmi (Aso) — I am tired of criticism

Atigbinolaye (Atigbin) — Remember who helped you

Atigbioritse (Itse) — Remember God

Atsegbaghan (Aghan) — Give them help

Edema — Gentleman

Edemadiden (Diden/Edema) — Gentleman with light skin

Edemadudun (Dudun/Edema) — Gentleman with dark skin

Edematie (Edema) — Small gentleman

Mene — First

Ofoeghareno (Ofeno) — Our elders speak the words of wisdom

Ofortokun (Otokun) — Nobody listens to poor men

Okorodudun (Okoro/Dudun) — Black guy

Okorotie (Okotie) — Small guy

Omatseye (Tseye) — Child is life

Toghanranrose (Toghanro) — Our enemies’ plans have failed

Towuaghantse — You act the way you want

Ayirioritse (Ayiri) — You should praise God

Ayonuwe (Ayo) — The blessing of today

Babaludewa (Oludewa) — The reincarnation of Our Father

Ebieshuwa (Shuwa) — Family is fortune

Ebisanjuwa (Ebisan) — Family is more than fortune

Ereofooluwa (Ofoluwa / Oluwa ) — God’s word is fulfilling

Esigbone (Gbone) — The law of the people

Esijolomisan (Misan/Jolomi) — I am moving in the direction of prosperity

Eyimofe (Mofe) — This is what I want

Eyituoyo (Tuoyo) — This is enough to be happy

Ofeoritse (Ofe) — The gift from the Lord

Ofoluwafo (Ofo/Oluwa/Wafo) — God’s words

Ogungbemi (Ogbemi/Ogun) — Protected by the God of War

Ojobon (Obon) – Name for a child born on Market day

Oludewa (Olude) — Lord came back

Olumagin (Olu) — The king knows

Oritsemeyiwa (Meyiwa) — Brought by the Lord

Oritsemodupe (Dupe) — God I am grateful

Oritsemoyowa (Oyowa/Moyowa) — Joy from the Lord

Oritseretseoluwa (Sowa/Seoluwa) — God is my king

Nowenuse:
I know. I live in Warri. You were the one who brought in the historical story of Ogbe-ijoh here.

Apparently Aladja has been peaceful for sometime now or are they still fighting? And how come Udu people even let Ijaws have so much hold and encroach their land?

onuwaje:
i wud watch from.the sidelines...

but the word Ogbe is neither Ijaw nor Urhobo...

but whatever the argument is.. both parties shud head to the supreme Court with tangible proofs and end it

Nowenuse:
If Udu people really owned Ogbe-Ijaw. Why wasn't the name really in Urhobo language?

All these claims and counter claims. Ijaws will never accept that. Only a concluded court case can suffice.

Aladja is a coastal town and one of the largest and highly
populated indigenous towns in Delta State. It is
located on the bank of southern part of River Warri,
opposite old Warri city. It is home to the Udu people, a sub-group of Urhobo ethnic group.

HISTORICAL FACTS

As at 1900, the area called Ogbe-Ijoh today was a farm land, owned by the people of Aladja. There was no Ijaw presence in the area at all. In fact, prior to this time, the people now living in the town where on the corner of the Warri River by what is known today as sand-sand Market, or Ogbe-Ijoh market in Warri. Prior to the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 to create what is known today as Nigeria, the colonial masters sought to establish the seat of consular government in Warri to firmly have control of their commercial enterprise on the hinterland. First government acquired 360 acres of land in Warri on leasehold in 1906.

Later, an additional 90 acres was acquired from the Ijaw people of Warri and this led to the resettlement of the Ijaws after the acquisition in 1908. The Aladja people who lived across the Warri river, offered the people their farm land and that is how the Ogbe-Ijoh community was founded first as a small settlement on the fringe of Aladja people’s farmland.

As the Ijaw people grew in number due of course to the fact that Ijaws are predominantly onshore dwellers, they decided to have a firm grip of their new found upland settlement by often extending the boundary to encroach beyond what Aladja’s magnanimity could accommodate. When the Ogbe Ijoh people could not control their greed for land through periodic encroachment on Aladja lands, a major war broke out in 1996 between the two communities resulting in scores of deaths.

Government stepped into the matter and both sides were urged to live together in peace with a buffer zone clearly identified as boundary between the two communities.

alBHAGDADI:
We have 2 billion People who call themselves Christians. That leaves you with 5 billion people who reject the path of life. Their actions is part of why we are suffering. They chose Satan.

Rexia:
I fit decode oda one dem no be di one se sef.
I sure say I go enjoi as you tok.
But can you translate this:
You fit ask all dat small perica dem for kwatta say na who a di helep?
But any tym njaka dem di see me witti cheleps for veranda for sharp sharp morning tym.
2.you no bolo for ghetto na only all ya famille na for dey ngeme go nkele.
3.tell principal make e lef De njaka make e turn back for lewa.Man di wash witti cup dat one na cutting seba.

Rexia:
I di feel warri e own but I ova like ma mboko took yah.Make no man fool you.