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“...and the Ogojas as Ekoi, Aku-
nakuna, Boki, etc.
In other words, the present Ibos, Ibibio-Efiks, Ogojas and I jaws
did not regard themselves as such until they were so classified by
foreigners. For example, the word “Ibo”² was probably derived from
“Heebo” which, according to some European traders of the 19th
century, was the name given by Biafran traders on the coast to the
hinterland area where they traded. Subsequent European traders
slightly changed the word to “Eboe” from which “Ibo” was derived.
It should be noted, also, that the same Biafran traders on the coast
differentiated between the “Ibo” in the hinterland and the “Kwa Ibo”,
that is, Ibos living on the Kwa river.³ The latter are now known as
Ibibios. The traders, of course, were merely using the word “Ibo”
as a general term for people living in the hinterland rather than for
a tribe in the modern sense of the word. The term “Ijo” was
applied by all the inhabitants of the Eastern Delta to those of the
Western Delta and never...”
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2 |
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“...commercial
relations within the territory and also fostered the integration of
Biafra. The Delta, from where the slaves were exported, became a
melting pot in which the “Ibos”, “Ibibios” and “Ijaws” virtually lost
their separate identities. New families and new ruling houses emerg-
ed from the admixture and modified the existing order. For example,
among the Delta communities Ibo-speaking men rose to the exalted
position of paramount rulers. An English trading captain, H. Crow,
who visited the Delta in the late eighteen twenties, recorded that
“the King of New Calabar (modern Kalahari)..., and Pepple King
of Bonny, were both of Ibo descent”⁶ ⁷ At the same time liberated
6 K. O. Dike, Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta (Oxford, 1956) pp. 21 ff.
7 H. Crow, Memoirs (London, 1830), p. 197. See also W. B. Baikie, An Exploring
Voyage into the Rivers Quorra and Tchadda (London, 1854), p. 355....”
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“...generalisations, the Europeans who
penetrated in"o and later ruled Africa found common names for
groups of people with the greatest obvious similarities and labelled
them as “tribes” “sub-tribes,” “clans,” etc.⁹ In place of the ever
continuing cultural diffusion a process was set in motion which not
only labelled groups but compartmentalised and isolated them. Thus
groups of people became more self-conscious than they had ever
been and learned to identify themselves with such “tribal” names as
Ibo, Ibibio, Ijaw etc. This tendency grew with the consolidation of
British rule and the introduction of “native” administration” which
emphasized the separateness of the “tribes”.
It could thus be seen that, comparatively, the current tribal labels
are of very recent origin. Nevertheless, as a result of the spread of
Western education, the names have gained wide acceptance. Further-
more, with the advent of self-government and the emergence of
political parties, the skilful and often unscrupulous...”
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“...(exogamy)
not only because this increased the population of the lineage but be-
cause it created an external alliance, sealed in blood relationship,
which widened the contacts of relatives on both sides. By this means
a member of a lineage became connected with the lineage of his
mother or wife or sisters and vice versa.¹¹ He could thus traverse in
peace vast distances merely by passing through areas inhabited by his
inlaws. If he was a trader the advantage of this arrangement was
11 M. M. Green, Ibo Village Affairs (London, 1964) pp. 151 fl....”
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5 |
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“...people as live there today. The people evolv-
ed a political system which for hundreds of years allowed each of the
small component groups to manage its own affairs but at the same
time to retain certain cultural and economic links that bound the
country into a relatively peaceful and homogeneous unit. With the
advent of Europeans and the imposition of colonial rule those links
were ignored in the search for labels so that Biafrans soon began to be
regarded as members of four main “tribes” called “Ibo”, “Ibibio-
Efrk”, “Ogoja” and “Ijo”. Subsequently, the formation of political
parties and the exploitation of these labels by unscrupulous politi-
cians led to popularisation of the tribal label. But, on the whole,
something of the old spirit of common identity remained and was
reinforced by the fact that the whole country was administered
throughout the period of colonial rule and after as a single political
unit.
Earlier, the creation of an artificial geographical unit called Nige-
ria by...”
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6 |
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“...people as live there today. The people evolv-
ed a political system which for hundreds of years allowed each of the
small component groups to manage its own affairs but at the same
time to retain certain cultural and economic links that bound the
country into a relatively peaceful and homogeneous unit. With the
advent of Europeans and the imposition of colonial rule those links
were ignored in the search for labels so that Biafrans soon began to be
regarded as members of four main “tribes” called “Ibo”, “Ibibio-
Efrk”, “Ogoja” and “Ijo”. Subsequently, the formation of politic?!
parties and the exploitation of these labels by unscrupulous politi-
cians led to popularisation of the tribal label. But, on the whole,
something of the old spirit of common identity remained and was
reinforced by the fact that the whole country was administered
throughout the period of colonial rule and after as a single political
unit.
Earlier, the creation of an artificial geographical unit called Nige-
ria by...”
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