₦airaland Forum

ibiso1986:
In Guyana(Central America), It was discovered that a nearly extinct Berbice Creole Dutch Language was spoken.. And its closely related to the Kalabari language. Click the link to watch the video m.youtube.com/watch?v=5PH1TvEE8Vw

kennygee:
Na their Soup i dey like pass.

#SeaFoodThings.

#FisherManSoup

Keneking:
Ok...they are indeed minorities in Ijaw Kingdom.

After Otuokeans rule Nigeria 2011-2015, I suggest that it is time for the real Ijaw Nation to produce a President in Nigeria. The real Ijaw leader would be great in my thinking. My thoughts though!

Ymodulus:
Don't forget one thing. A lot of Ijaw people & Kalabaris lived (and still live) along the coastal areas of Nigeria. These were the areas that first had contact with the Europeans, during the slave trade & during colonialism. One should expect that there were probably a large number of inter-racial relationships between the Caucasian colonial masters and some of the Ijaw women. Such early contact with the foreigners also probably explains why a lot of Ijaw & Kalabari people bear European names. That may explain why there are such unusual genetic features among some Ijaw families.

The Ben-Murray Bruce clan is a good example. Their great-grandfather was a Scotsman who came to Nigeria to trade & first settled in whatis now called Bayelsa state. Their great grandmum was a Kalabari woman. The man met her fell in love & married her and decided to make Nigeria his home, permanently.

ibiso1986:
The kalabari is a tribe of the Ijaw people of Rivers state living in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. They migrated from the Benin fringes of Ijaw land and became a large kingdom of about 35 communities/settlements including Buguma, Bakana, Tombia, ke, Soku, Bille, Bukuma, Degema, Obonoma, Sama, Abalama, Ilelema and others. The people were originally fishermen before the coming of the Portugese to the west African coastline. The Kalabari like most coastline tribes were wealthy as a result of interactions with Europeans.

The kalabaris share similar culture/language to the Okrikas, Bonny, Opobo, Bayelsa Ijaws (Nembe in particular as the language is almost the same), Delta Ijaws, Ondo Ijaws and some parts of Edo state. It was discovered that in the 1980s, that a nearly extinct Berbice Dutch/KALABARI LANGUAGE was spoken in Central America. Guyana to be precise (click on the link to watch).

The kalabaris do bear European names (Briggs, Horsfall, Jack, Harry, West, Braide etc) due to their inter- racial relations with their slave masters. Kalabari, Opobo and Bonny were the first to trade with the whites in Rivers state alongside Okrika and Andoni. Many of them do have light skin due to European mixtures.. They engaged in overland trade with the Portugese in the 1400s, later Dutch, then British whom arrived by sea for trade and missionary work. They also traded clothes from India. Since the early 1800s, The Europeans noted that the Kalabaris refused to trade their goods on credit. Their industrial prowess coupled with their lovable demenor has won the admirations from surrounding communities of the Niger delta.

The Kalabari constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in Rivers State with 3 LGAs and they are the largest Ijaws in terms of population in the state.. They constitute almost a million (90% of people based in Akulga, Asalga and Degema are indigenes, so the 2006 population census results states..(AKULGA:156,006 , ASALGA:220,110 , DEGEMA:249,773)..626000 altogether excluding the population of kalabaris based in Phalga LGA, Obioakpor LGA, LGAs in the state, indigenes outside Rivers State and diaspora.. Majority of Kalabari people stay at the PHALGA (Portharcourt old township, Borokiri, marine base, Dline, Diobu, Iwofe, Aggrey, Eagle island etc.) axis of Port Harcourt.

The kalabaris are highly educated and have the love for western education. They are known to have a high concentration of Professors, Lawyers and Doctors in Nigeria.. Because of their civilized and generally peaceful behaviour, the kalabaris were called English men in the past..

NOTABLE PEOPLE
Agbani Darego… First black African to win miss world

Jimi Rex Lawson… High life musician.

Dabota Lawson... Ex beauty queen(Miss Nigeria UK)

Asari Dokubo.. Human right activist

Tonye Graham Douglas… Politician

Albert Horsfall… Former SSS Boss

Dumo Lulu Briggs.. politician

Chief Dr Hutton.. Antropologist

Taribo West… Ex footballer

Prof. Tam David West… politician and many others..

KALABARI TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE:
This occurs in 3 forms namely; IYA, IGWA and WARRIBIOBESIME. The IYA is the most lawful and highest form of kalabari marriages. In this marriage, divorce is not permitted and the offspring belongs to the man’s house. An IYA marriage is not complete until the BIBIFE ceremony(buying the mouth) is undertaken. The BIBIFE signifies 3 things. First, a stage in a lawful marriage which gives the bride the right to eat in the husband’s house. Second, it signifies the man’s responsibility towards the wife and his willingness to feed her for the rest of her life.

Finally, it signifies and crowns the new communion between the 2 families. It involves serving the bride with innumerable courses of food., usually in the evenings. Thus, the bride is dressed with coral accessories, crown and chunky coral beads.

THE OWU ARU SUN FESTIVALS OF THE KALABARI KINGDOM:
This is a festival of unity in Buguma and it draws visitors from far and near to the Kalabari kingdom in Rivers State. It is performed by the Ekine Sekiapu society and it’s the famous and most outstanding masquerade in the history of the kingdom. Previous editions were held in 1908, 1927, 1973 and 1991 and 2009.

KALABARI DELICACIES:

TOMINA FULO: This is a kalabari soup prepared using fresh fish and sea food. Cocoyam is usually used to thicken the soup.

ONUNU: This is another delicacy prepared by pounding boiled plantain with yam. It is then finished off with palm oil.

obas01:
Most u involve thief's terrorist/militant in ur writeup u messup the whole script
Scrab
Meant for the Wast bin out of the tread... Next.

johnbosco97:
Stop lying Kalabari people are not Ijaw. My doctor friend who is a Kalabari always frown being called Ijaw. Please tell us another story. He said that Ijaws are descendants of Portuguese servants that settled in coastlines, hence their language similarities with Portuguese creoles. Please stop fabricating stories that will mislead uninformed people. Anyway am yet to see a Kalabari that call himself I jaw.

Ymodulus:
Kalabari people are 100% Ijaw people, The founder of the Kalabari was a man known as Perebo kalabari. his father was MEIN OWEI. tHEY MIGRATED FROM THE YENEGOA area of the central Ijaw land and moved east wards.

Kalabari territory today is actually sharing boundary with NEMBE AT THE OLUASIRI END where SOKU AND ELEM SANGAMA share border with NEMBE VILLAGES AT THE Kula side Kalabari villages like Robert kiri share border with NEMBE settlements too. infact Nembe is closer to Kalabari then it is even close to Yenegoa.

The Kalabari dialect is almost Ibani, INFACT. I'd say the Kalabari dialect is Ibani if I like and thats because 50% of Ibani people are off Kalabari originated from Kalabari, those people are called the KOROAME OF Kalabari who during the wars of Okoloma ( bonny) and Kalabaris were moved to the Bonny side, and many groups in Kalabari too are of Bonny blood. these are mainly the Jumbo of Bakana. Fyneface, the entire Tombia, Abalama village and families in Ke and Kula.

Besides this. the Kalabari dialect is every thing the same with the Ibani dialect, The ibanis only lost theirs to Igbos for reasons known. Today the finima part of Bonny and the kala-ibiama part of Bonny have reserved the Ibani dialect and the AMAYANABO OF Bonny has declared Iabni to be used even in Bonny island, names like, BELEMA, SENIBO, BOMA, DIEPRIYE, OBELE, IBIYE, IBISO would be wrong to be called Kalabari names since they are purely Bonny names too. words like BO ( COME) SO ( GO) MINJI( WATER) TAMUNO ( GOD) could also not be said to be KALABARI since they are also Ibani words. Bro Ibani is purely KALABARI.

iF YOU UNDERSTAND KALABARI you'd see that THE BONNY town KALA-IBIAMA, means small fine town in KALABARI, that is exactly what it means in Bonny too, but the real name of the town is KELE-KELE IBI ARI AMA, WHICH MEANS A TOWN THAT IS GRADUALLY BECOMING FINE, and that is exactly what it means in Bonny too,

Bonny and Kalabari are purely the same people and are all Ijaws

Many Kalabarius and Bonnies today have light skin due to European mixture. The Bonny and Kalabari chiefs traded with Europeans and had a lot of Igbo slaves. During that time some Europeans had sexul contact with Kalabari and Bonny people that produced new breed of people. Then after the slave trade many Igbo people were also adopted in to Kalabari and Bonny families.

ElekeNtioba:
Try harder. Nice copy-paste tho

ibietela2:
What are you saying

Ymodulus:
haha you expect me to give you more from my head see you.

Ilekeh:
I love the female attires......anything with a hint of Edo/Benin culture is gorgeous!

Mordyb:
just because beads are involved doesnt mean its is of benin origin i get tired saying this

ibiso1986:
The kalabari is a tribe of the Ijaw people of Rivers state living in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. [size=18pt]They migrated from the Benin fringes of Ijaw land[/size] and became a large kingdom of about 35 communities/settlements including Buguma, Bakana, Tombia, ke, Soku, Bille, Bukuma, Degema, Obonoma, Sama, Abalama, Ilelema and others. The people were originally fishermen before the coming of the Portugese to the west African coastline. The Kalabari like most coastline tribes were wealthy as a result of interactions with Europeans.

Ilekeh:
Are they going to a funeral?

How come the men are always dressed like figures from Edgar Allen Poe's stories, but the women are dressed in beautiful native attires?

www.nairaland.com/attachments/2236050_kalabarichiefsprotetstmatechinph2_jpeg4f13cd2774c82b97554d40d88580a9da

Ranchhoddas:
Your signature...Are you Ooman?

2kurupt:
I do get your point but there's a point you need to take note of. The larger Ijaw nation that cuts across several States such as Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo etc are actually referred to as Izon, while there also exists an Izon tribe that's called Ijaw in Bayelsa State. (President Jonathan's tribe). So you see, people tend to get it all mixed up. Am sure your Doctor friend's emphasis of not been called Ijaw is because the latter.