IDOMA PEOPLE: ANCIENT WARRIORS, EXPERT HUNTERS AND ONE OF THE MOST ARTISTIC ETHNIC GROUP IN NIGERIA The Idoma are ancient expert warriors and hunters and peace-loving Idomoid ethno-linguistic group of the larger Niger-Congo language family residing at the lower and western areas of Benue State in Nigeria. Other Idoma groups can be found in Cross Rivers and Nasarawa States in Nigeria. The Idoma people are considered to be one of the most artistic ethnic group in Nigeria with their sons and daughters enjoying massive successes in the Nigerian entertainment industry. Okpeh O. Okpeh and Yakubu A. Ochefu opined that It is difficult to ascertain for how long the Idoma have been in their present location. Evidence in the oral traditions (of the people)…indicate that the Idoma have lived within the Benue Valley from the earliest period of which we have any inkling. According to traditional history, Iduh, the father of the Idoma had several children who each established different areas. Hence the expression: “Iduh the father of Idoma.” Iduh begot the following children: Ananawoogeno who begot the children of Igwumale; Olinaogwu who begot the people of Ugboju; Idum who begot the people of Adoka; Agabi who begot the people of Otukpo; Eje who begot the people of Oglewu; Ebeibi who begot the people of Umogidi in Adoka, and Ode who begot the people of Yala ” The Idomaland lies in the south of the river Benue. With a population that has been estimated to be about 3.5 million, it is the area of land located within the broad valley of the Benue river and the Cross River basin. The main thrust of the land is a contiguous belt of territory which stretches from the Southern banks of the river Benue to the Northern fringes of Igboland. This territory lies within Latitude 60 degrees and 30 degrees North and Longitude 80 degrees East and covers a total land area of approximately 5,955 square kilometres.The Idoma are bounded by the river Benue to the North, by parts of Igbo and Ogoja lands to the South, by the Tiv and Igede lands to the East and by Igalaland to the West. The head of the Idoma kingdom is called Och Idoma and there are 22 districts and 144 clans in Idoma land. The clans and districts are administered by clan heads and district heads, who are directly under the supervision and control of Och Idoma, the paramount ruler. He is the spiritual head and custodian of Idoma cultural heritage and deities whose official palace is in Otukpo. Unlike in some parts of the country, where ascendancy to the throne is strictly limited to members of select royal families, in Idoma, any male Idoma holding a first degree is qualified to be an Ochi Idoma as long as he is of a sound mind without any disability. The kingship is rotated among the people of the districts and clans when the throne is vacant. The Idoma are known to be warriors and hunters of class, but hospitable and peace loving. The greater part of Idomaland remained largely unknown to the West until the 1920s, leaving much of the colorful traditional culture of the Idoma intact. Among the Idoma`s AGILA people of Agila Town, the Traditional Home of the Agila people of Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria has instituted The Agila Economic and Social Carnival which is a platform created to showcase the rich cultural formation of the Idoma nation and also to present Agilaland as a tourist site thereby opening it up to business and innovative ideas. It also aspires to build a broad based dynamic and competitive economic environment that will ensure the prosperity and well being of its citizens. Language Idoma people speak Idoma language, which belongs to the larger Niger-Congo language phylum. Armstrong’s study of this language identifies eight speakers of this language, namely: Afu, Alago, Akweya, Etulo, Igede, Yatche, Yalla and Idoma within the Idoma sub-unit of the language. O’Kwu, following Armstrong, identifies four major dialectical divides which he classifies geographically as Northern, Central, Western and Southern Idoma. The administrative breakdown of the districts are shown in the table below: Table 1: The Major Dialects of the Idoma Language GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION DIALECTS Northern Agatu and Ochekwu Central Adoka, Oglewu, Onyagede, Otukpo and Ugboju Western Edumoga, Ichama, Okpokwu, Otukpa and Owukpa Southern Agila, Igumale, Ijigbam and Ulayi Source: Adopted and modified from V. G. O’kwu, ‘Idomaland Under Colonial Rule, 1900-1950’, Niger-Benue Conference, 1974, p.5. Of the remaining five districts, two are Igede speaking, i.e. Ito and Oju. The small district of Akpa is Akweya-speaking. It has been argued that these two groups can be regarded as Idoma-speaking only in a very loose sense of the word 48. Both the Igede and Akweya like the Idoma, however, belong to the Kwa group of African languages. Utonkon speaks Ufia, which is associated with semi-Bantu language, although it is more closely related to the Kwa language family than hitherto been presumed. O’Kwu contends that Ulayi district is largely Igbo speaking, although available evidence suggests the contrary. The people of the district claim a common origin from Apa with the rest Idoma, having migrated from there with such Idoma groups like Agila and Ijigbam. It seems from the records that they passed through Igalaland before reaching their present location in Idomaland. One fact though cannot be contested and that is that, arising from their location on the Idoma/Igbo borders, they are evidently bilingual. #HistoryOfAfrica
Posted on: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:56:13 +0000
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