Information & Comments About Ikewerre Culture (Nigeria, West Africa)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a pancocojams series on the Ikewerre people of Nigeria, West Africa.

Part II provides information and comments about the Ikewerre history and culture of Nigeria, West Africa.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/04/homa-menema-ikwerre-nigeria-christian.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I showcases an Ikewerre Christian praise song with an English translation of the song's lyrics from that video's captions.

I'm most interested in seeing the Ikewerre traditional clothing, hearing their music, and noting the way that the women and men dance.

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The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION & COMMENTS ABOUT IKEWERRE CULTURE (NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA)
Excerpt #1
From https://www.nairaland.com/1878784/brief-history-ikwerre-port-harcourt
A BRIEF HISTORY OF IKWERRE
TONY ENYIA, PhD, MNIM; CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
IWHNURỌHNA CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
Saturday, 5 February 2011
..."Nigerian colonial history records that the name "Ikwerre" was given by the colonial administration when they wanted to acquire the Rebisi waterfront to build the wharf. Using an Ibo interpreter to talk to the illiterate Rebisi (Port Harcourt) chiefs, they asked them: Would you permit us to use the waterfront to build the wharf for ships to berth? And they answered: A KWERULEM, meaning - "We have agreed." What the white-man was hearing was "Ikwerre," so he recorded it in the official gazette that the IKWERRE PEOPLE have agreed for the colonial administration to build the wharf. And since it was the official record of government, the name Ikwerre became the name of the Iwhnurohna people in all official documentations till date.

Similar cases of Anglicization of native names in the Niger Delta region by the colonial administration are Benin for Bini, Okrika for Wakrike, Degema for Udekema, Abonnema for Obonoma, Brass for Gbara sni, Bonny for Ibani, Pepple for Perekule, Ahoada for Ehuda, etc

[...]

The Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, a cultural organization of Ikwerre people, in a paper presented to the Human Rights Violation Commission headed by Rtd. Justice Chukwudifu Oputa on 10 October 2001, said: “Ikwerre ethnic nationality is not and has never been a sub-group of any other tribe in Nigeria including Ndi-Igbo. There is no doubt that the advent of the British and later regionalization put Ndi-Igbo at the helm of affairs in Eastern Nigeria. This brought Ndi-Igbo into Ikwerre land. In course of time, the Igbo took advantage of their position in the then Eastern Regional Government to grab land in Ikwerre and occupy political positions such as the mayor of Port Harcourt. In the process, Ikwerre along with other minority groups were marginalized and driven to the background.”

[...]

This also obviously led to the Rumuomasi Declaration in 1965. " … in their meeting at Rumuomasi in 1965 the Ikwerre had, under the umbrella of a highly promising new body that was to get the Ikwerre together as a people of new and clearer vision, they had declared themselves as a people of the distinct identity of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality - not Ibo, not Ijo, not anything else but Ikwerre, Iwhnurọhna. This was the historic Rumuomasi Declaration of 1965 (G.O.M. Tasie, 2000). The full implication is that Ikwere people began to assert themselves forcefully as an ethnic nationality of their own and not Ibos or Ijos, and efforts were made to revert to the original Ikwere names for families, villages, communities and landmarks. For instance, there was the change from Umuola to Rumuola, Umuoro to Rumuoro, Umukrushi to Rumuokwurusi, just to name a few."...

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Excerpt #2
From https://ogbakorikwerreworldwide.org/history-of-ikwerre/
"GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Ikwerre people are found in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. They are within the rain forest belt. The area notices high annual rainfall. Some parts are blessed with mangrove forest and creeks that crisscross Rivers state. There is also abundant raffia forest. This features, coupled with adequate sunshine have made the soil in Ikwerre adequate for the cultivation of palm produce, cassava, yam, vegetables.etc. distillation of palm wine into gin (kai kai, ogogoro, akamere, manya beknu).

The Riverine Ikwerre villagers engage in fishing in addition to the general occupation of farming, and trading. The Ikwerre land played a promo0nent middleman position in trade (including the slave trade) between the hinterland and the coastal people.

The Ikwerre Ethnic Nation covers a land area of about 21,400 km2, which is about 20% of cultivable land in the old Rivers State. ...

The language spoken by the people is Ikwerre a corruption of Iwherr’oha. As a characteristic of languages, Ikwerre is spoken in many dialects among which are Elele, Akpor, Apara, Obgakiri, Odegu, Emohua, Allu etc. all the dialect are mutually intelligible. Professor Kay Williamson (1989) classifies Ikwerre, Ogba, Ekpeye, Ndoni and Etche as the Igboid languages of the lower Niger.

The Ikwerre land is bonded by other Ethnic groups. As the map below shows, to the Northwest are Ogba and Ekpeye, Northcentral, Egbema and Ndoni , to the North East, Ohaji of Imo State, to the East, Etche, to the South East, Ndoki and Eleme, to the South, Okrika, to the South West, Kalabari and to the West, Abua.

The blessed Geographical location of Ikwerre has endowed it with a strategic position in Rivers State and Nigeria at large. With regards to the city of Port Harcourt, which the people call Igwuocha, a tourist is at once introduced to the economic, Commercial, Industrial, Academic and Communication net centre of the Niger Delta. Of the eight federal and State tertiary institutions in Rivers State, six are situated in Ikwerre land. For the purpose of developing industrial and housing estate, military camps, barracks and shooting ranges, airports, seaports, railway terminals, prisons, and prison farms as well as tertiary and communication institutions, over 300 million hectares of arable Ikwerre land had been taken without adequate compensation by successive federal and state governments. This has given rise to different Ikwerre people selling off their inherited rights to whoever cared. This, in turn, has affected housing development without adequately planned road network. Little wonder why there are incessant flooding and unbearable traffic jams in the capital city of Port Harcourt."...

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Excerpt #3
From http://iwhnurohna.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-brief-history-of-ikwerre.html
BY CHOMSKYWEBIN
"Rivers State consist of many indigenous ethnic groups like: Ikwerre, Ibani, Opobo, Eleme, Okrika, Kalabari, Etche, Ogba, Ogoni, Engenni, Obolo and others. One interesting fact in this region is that each tribe speaks a different language. Rivers State is a multi-cultural region. However, today we will focus on the Ikwerre people of Rivers State.

Who are they?

Ikwerre is one of the largest ethnic nationality in present day Rivers State. It is made up of not less than four major Local Government Areas, and occupies the largest land mass in Rivers state. Location like Port Harcourt which is also called the capital of Rivers State has attracted alot of people and Tourist. Port Harcourt is also called the Garden City, filled with oil industries, businesses and trade.

Like most ethnic groups in Nigeria, the history of Ikwerre could be contested. Various scholars and researchers have linked the origin of the Ikwerre people to Igbos in the South Eastern part of Nigeria.

However, studies have shown that The Ikwerres are a small but distinct tribe. The Ikwerres have distinct linguistic, social and cultural traits and formations that distinguish them from other close neighbouring tribes like the Ijaws and the Ibos. Majority of the Ikwerre settlements have their roots traceable from the old Benin Empire.”

The Ikwerres and its culture is often highlighted as the richest and most industrious nationality in Rivers State.

One great thing about the Ikwerre people is the quality indigenes it has produced. The people are accommodating, friendly and loving. They have been able to accommodate other tribes into their Land. Especially the Igbos, Akwa Ibom, Calabar, and others have taken Port Harcourt as their home.

Another great thing about the Ikwerre people is that they are open minded when it comes to marriage. You can easily see an Ikwerre man married to an Akwa-Ibom woman, Ijaw, Calabar, Ogoni, Yoruba, Igbo, Delta, Hausa.

[...]

IKWERRE/IBGO’S NAMES

I have come to understand these two distinct tribes and region, though refused to admit they are the same–share the same names like Adanne, Ngozi, Ikechukwu, chioma, obinna, chidiebere, Amarachi, Chidi, oluchi, Eberechi, Nkechi, e.t.c and most Ikwerre people understand the Igbo language because of migration of igbo people in Ikwerre land.”...

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Except #4
From http://finto.fi/lexvo/en/page/ikw
"Ikwerre, also spelt as Ikwere, is a language spoken primarily by the Ikwerre people who inhabit Rivers State, Nigeria. According to a 1973 SIL International report, the number of Ikwerre speakers is estimated at 200,000. By taking into consideration the population of the four Ikwerre local governments (Port Harcourt, Emohua, Obia/Akpor and Ikwerre), this figure may extend to a little over a million speakers as per the 2006 National Population Commission census."

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Excerpt #5
From https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Local-Business/IKWERRE-MEKA-125892097220/
"IKWERRE MEKA!!!
July 13, 2014 ·
Ihuruoha must as a matter of urgency strive to bring back our declining language as it faces extinction in the nearest future. It shocks me to know that a 10 year old Ihuruoha child living in Port harcourt still finds it difficult to speak his/her language. This sacrilege is commonly found among the children of the elites who see language as local as compared to a Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo family who's house language is their local language. Ihuruoha Parents must as a matter of importance imbibe in their wards the culture and language of Ihuruoha people. Our language is our identity and we should identify and be identified with it. It even worries me more that some Ihuruoha kids speak more pidgin English than our language which is better and more formal. It is with pain and joy in my heart that I write this piece even tho I can do little or nothing about the subject matter. But I owe my fellow Ihuruoha people this information. Ihuruoha language should not die, let us all strive to keep it as a legacy for future generations.... To be continued.

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REPLY
Iche Charles Omekwoha -"Every sound thinking Ikwerrean should be worried about this issue. The notion that some how, English language is superior to Ikwerre language is just nonsense if not outright foolishness. We must cherish and uphold our language and make sure our children and even those who live and do business in our communities do their best to learn and speak our language."

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

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