There's nothing more concrete then actual documentation. Thank you RichyBlack.

@ RichyBlack,

I think you need to review these explorers definition of "Eboes", as they view everyone as Eboes including Brass, Warri and even Cross River. . . . according to the paper you uploaded. . .

[center][size=18pt]Ju-Ju Laws and Customs in the Niger Delta

Published in 1899[/size]
[/center]

Page 51.

Page 52.

Ibime:

@ RichyBlack,

I think you need to review these explorers definition of "Eboes", as they view everyone as Eboes including Brass, Warri and even Cross River. . . . according to the paper you uploaded. . .

Ibime,

I noticed that too, but I'm not sure if the "part" in the sentence was used in an extensive form:

1. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, the natives of Warree Island, Rio Escia- vos, Brass Town, and the Quorra.

See the supplemental pages (just two) in my next posts. He tries to explain the "Eboe language".

Page 225, "On the Natives of Old Callebar, West Coast of Africa".

Page 226, "On the Natives of Old Callebar, West Coast of Africa".

RichyBlacK:

Ibime,

I noticed that too, but I'm not sure if the "part" in the sentence was used in an extensive form:

1. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, the natives of Warree Island, Rio Escia- vos, Brass Town, and the Quorra.

See the supplemental pages (just two) in my next posts. He tries to explain the "Eboe language".

From my little knowledge of English, the part bit only relates to the natives of the Rio Formosa. . . . as the writer introduces new adjective to qualify (the whole) of the natives of Warri, Rio Escavros (Delta State), Brass and the Quorra (River Benue) as proper Eboes.

Ibime,

This is the dilemma we find ourselves in:

1. ALL the older publications (pre-amalgamation) were not written by "natives" but by Europeans with their limited but less biased perspective.

2. SOME of the newer publications (post-Biafra) were written by "natives" but are likely tainted with the politics of the 1960s and hence more biased.

RichyBlacK:

Ibime,

This is the dilemma we find ourselves in:

1. ALL the older publications (pre-amalgamation) were not written by "natives" but by Europeans with their limited but less biased perspective.

2. SOME of the newer publications (post-Biafra) were written by "natives" but are likely tainted with the politics of the 1960s and hence more biased.

The first thing to acknowledge is that the need to qualify oneself as Ijaw or Igbo only came into effect post-amalgamation, as groups sought to find political concensus/relevance.

Back then, Okrika, Kalabari, Abo, Onitsha, Bonny, Aro etc did not see themselves as part of a larger group but as individual entities.

Within that context, this particular debate about origin of Bonny relates chiefly to Ijaw/Igbo struggle for political relevance. . . . Im also not discounting the fact that some hardcore Igbo nationalists view sea access as sine qua non for the viability of a future Igbo state, although that is a secondary concern at this present time.   

This debate is not about the genetic make-up of Bonny people as I believe that most of them are descendants of Igbo slaves/migrants. It is rather about claim to indegeneity/aboriginity, hence claim to land.

You only have to look at Ibani dialect, and you will find it is almost the same as Okrika and Kalabari dialect.

These three are also partially intelligible with Brass language but unintelligible with Igbo language.

It would be impossible to claim original Ibani as Igbo without also claiming Okrika and Kalabari.

Whilst all three (Okrika, Kalabari and Ibani) have strong link and genetic mix-up with Igbo, in the context of Nigerian political grouping (Ijaw or Igbo), it would be impossible to classify them as belonging to any other group apart from Ijaw.

Ibime:

From my little knowledge of English, the part bit only relates to the natives of the Rio Formosa. . . . as the writer introduces new adjective to qualify (the whole) of the natives of Warri, Rio Escavros (Delta State), Brass and the Quorra (River Benue) as proper Eboes.

But you'll agree with me that inline with avoiding the repetitive use of "part of the natives" in a list, the following could be identical:

A. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, part of the natives of Warree Island, part of the natives of Rio Esclavos, part of the natives of Brass Town, and part of the natives of the Quorra.

B. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, the natives of Warree Island, Rio Esclavos, Brass Town, and the Quorra.


Furthermore, if you itemize the list line by line, you'll notice the use of "progressive reduction of details":

i. part of the natives of the Rio Formosa ("part of the natives" is used - complete item)
ii. the natives of Warree Island ("part of" is removed - as part of ongoing reduction)
iii. Rio Esclavos ("the natives" is removed - as part of ongoing reduction)
iv. Brass Town (reduction is complete - essential information left standing)
v. the Quorra (reduction is complete - essential information left standing)

RichyBlacK:

But you'll agree with me that inline with avoiding the repetitive use of "part of the natives" in a list, the following could be identical:

A. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, part of the natives of Warree Island, part of the natives of Rio Esclavos, part of the natives of Brass Town, and part of the natives of the Quorra.

With my limited knwoledge of the English language, I think you would agree that had the writer wished to quantify "part of the natives of Brass, Warri" etc, he would have written thus:


1. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, Warree Island, Rio Escia- vos, Brass Town, and the Quorra.


However, by reintroducing[b] the natives of[/b] after Rio Formosa, he is quantifying the whole of Brass, Warri etc as Eboes.



1. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, the natives of Warree Island, Rio Escia- vos, Brass Town, and the Quorra.

Ibime:

With my limited knwoledge of the English language, I think you would agree that had the writer wished to quantify "part of the natives of Brass, Warri" etc, he would have written thus:


1. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, Warree Island, Rio Escia- vos, Brass Town, and the Quorra.


However, by reintroducing[b] the natives of[/b] after Rio Formosa, he is quantifying the whole of Brass, Warri etc as Eboes.



1. The Eboes Proper, which comprise part of the natives of the Rio Formosa, [color=Black]the natives of Warree Island, Rio Escia- vos, Brass Town, and the Quorra.[/color]

What you've described is a one-step reduction in detail, however, one can choose to do it in more than one step - I'm certain you've seen this style of writing before.

RichyBlacK:

What you've described is a one-step reduction in detail, however, one can choose to do it in more than one step - I'm certain you've seen this style of writing before.

This may be true had he not described the whole of Calabar and Ibibio as Eboes also.

It is either:

(1.) His language is sufficiently ambiguous

or

(2.) His definition of Eboe is not what we know it to be today.

Ibime:

This may be true had he not described the whole of Calabar and Ibibio as Eboes also.

It is either:

(1.) His language is sufficiently ambiguous

or

(2.) His definition of Eboe is not what we know it to be today.

Yes, it is possible that the term "Eboe" passed through a period of evolution, hence raising the possibility that the meaning then is different from today's "Igbo".

From all the documentations, it is clear that the Igbo were present in Bonny from the beginning and played a significant role in shaping the place, starting from the founder Azimini who was of Igbo descent.

My inference is that the Ibani/Ijaw were also present at some point, but have always been in the minority, hence the minority status of their language on the island to this day.

Everyone agrees that Bonny grew as a result of slave trade followed by palm oil trade, post slave trade era. Everyone also agrees that the two elements to both trades (humans and palm oil) were sourced from the hinterland while the buyers(market) were the Europeans who were anchored at the coast.

Back in the days, villages/clans were regarded as different countries, which made it easier for neighbouring clans to raid each other for slaves with the result that the Owere man for example did not have a problem selling the Mbaise man if he had the chance to do so.

All the slaves taken to Bonny for marketing were taken by Igbo merchants to the Europeans in their anchorage.

Ijaw people did not go to Igbo land to raid them for slaves and any story to that effect is contorted and false.

When the land of Bonny prospered, it attracted people from neighbouring brass, Kalabari etc, but the migration was not enough to put them in the majority. They also called themselves Ibani, after Ubani which was already in existence.

At the end of slave trade, Igbo merchants also took palmoil from the hinterland to Bonny, which was already a prosperous trading port. The fact that the leaders of the two key houses at the height of Bonny prosperity were Igbo people, coupled with the majority status of their language gives credence to the reports by Europeans who actually lived in and walked the lands, that the Igbo/Eboe were probably the first to settle there.

It is note worthy that not much was recorded of the other houses and their leadership, if not, I am sure it would have been revealed that a lot of them had Igbo leadership as well. It is also note worthy that in Annie Pepples house, leadership changed hands from Igbo father to Igbo son and to a freed Igbo man. If the Ijaw/Ibani were in charge, that would not happen.

At this point, I would like to point out that some people have made concerted efforts to rewrite history. Example, I was reading an Ijaw article on Opobo and they refused to acknowledge the roots of Jaja, whom they kept referring to as King Jack Pepple or Juwo Juwo as opposed to Jubo Jugboha. What would it take from them to tell the same stories of Jaja as known by everyone else?

My conclusion is that both parties migrated from other lands, which were their origin and settled in Bonny and both parties have rights of ownership of they lands they occupy and since the tail does not wag the dog, the majority settlers would be right to frown upon an attempt by the minority to claim ownership of the land and if absolute claim were to be allowed, the majority easily have it bagged.

FACE:

My inference is that the Ibani/Ijaw were also present at some point, but have always been in the minority, hence the minority status of their language on the island to this day.


When the land of Bonny prospered, it attracted people from neighbouring brass, Kalabari etc, but the migration was not enough to put them in the majority. They also called themselves Ibani, after Ubani which was already in existence.

It would then be funny that all Kings of Bonny and all people of Bonny have Ijaw names.

Which kain juju does this minority use? 


Feel free to join Bonny brothers on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=203086535376&topic=8841

People need to realize how prolific the Igbos were and now. Our numbers have always been many. Many of these smaller ethnic groups have descended from the Igbos.

We can't say that the Europeans were biased towards the Igbos, because they did not really like the "rebellious Igbos," which is widely documented.

Plus, one thing the Europeans, especially the British did very well is take very good notes about the inhabitants of their territory. They learned about the people so they can control the people. It is as simple as that.

It’s unfortunate that RichyBlacK quoted from a book that the author was ambiguous about the tribes in Niger delta.

From the two books I’ve referenced so far, the authors were clear about the tribes in the region and showed no ambiguity.
Here’s one, showed the author knew the difference.

From Wanderings in West Africa

"This Opubo, or Obullo, the " Great Man," was grandfather of the present
chief : his son took the name of Pepper (Pepple), which he now
spells with a change, and married a woman from the
Abilli (Billa) country, west of the New Calabar river."

From Memoirs of Captain Hugh Crow

Please read the attached pdfs, Captain1 and Captain2

I can't get these 2 pdfs to show lol
How is it done?

Man I had to laugh at the facebook group. Mayne hold up. Okay I'm not Ijo or Igbo and don't care to be one but as an outsider I'm gonna give an unbiased view. The fact that Igbo is the major language in Bonny and Opobo shows that the Igbo is a majority or atleast the Ijo who are mixed with the Igbo and the Igbo form a majority. They chose to speak more Igbo and that is why Igbo is heard more in that area than Ijaw. Igbo language wasn't imposed but it took hold naturally. Any attempt to try to wipe it out now is a sign of desperation by the Ijaw to make the town an Ijaw town and who knows one day chase the native Igbos away like they always do wherever they meet other people. This is the main reason why as an Ogoni I dont trust the IJAW period

I read comments where one guy was really against the use of Igbo language. Is it that serious? Why should the Igbo in Opobo and Bonny abandone their native tongue to speak your own language that is like in the minority? Some have proposed teaching the near dead Ibani language in school which is fine but also teach other languages that are native to the people in the town like Igbo. What makes the Ijo think they are a special breed with the license to Ijolize the whole SS and possibly South? I'm happy we the Ogoni as small as we are have maintained our heritage and don't really have so much ties to any group. We isolated ourselves so well we barely fell victim to slavery or outside interference. Imagine another group questioning your rights over a land? So to be Opobo or Bonny u must be Ijaw only and forget about your other half? Why can't people be Opobo-Igbo, Bonny-Igbo, Opobo-Ijaw, Bonny-Ijaw, etc?  Just like my dad said, the Ijaw are trouble makers in the delta and that is why y'all cant get along with any group. Shyt mayne.

^^^

I tire for dem no be small.

Dawgpound:

Man I had to laugh at the facebook group. Mayne hold up. Okay I'm not Ijo or Igbo and don't care to be one but as an outsider I'm gonna give an unbiased view. The fact that Igbo is the major language in Bonny and Opobo shows that the Igbo is a majority or atleast the Ijo who are mixed with the Igbo and the Igbo form a majority. They chose to speak more Igbo and that is why Igbo is heard more in that area than Ijaw. Igbo language wasn't imposed but it took hold naturally. [b]Any attempt to try to wipe it out now is a sign of desperation by the Ijaw to make the town an Ija[/b]w town and who knows one day chase the native Igbos away like they always do wherever they meet other people. [/b]This is the main reason why as an Ogoni I dont trust the IJAW period

I read comments where one guy was really against the use of Igbo language. Is it that serious? [b]Why should the Igbo in Opobo and Bonny abandone their native tongue to speak your own language that is like in the minority? Some have proposed teaching the near dead Ibani language in school which is fine but also teach other languages that are native to the people in the town like Igbo. What makes the Ijo think they are a special breed with the license to Ijolize the whole SS and possibly South? I'm happy we the Ogoni as small as we are have maintained our heritage and don't really have so much ties to any group. We isolated ourselves so well we barely fell victim to slavery or outside interference. Imagine another group questioning your rights over a land? So to be Opobo or Bonny u must be Ijaw only and forget about your other half? Why can't people be Opobo-Igbo, Bonny-Igbo, Opobo-Ijaw, Bonny-Ijaw, etc?  Just like my dad said, the Ijaw are trouble makers in the delta and that is why y'all cant get along with any group. Shyt mayne.

Oh please will you kindly SHUT UP!

Is it Izon people from Bayelsa, Kalabari or Okrika pple that insist Ibani people in Bonny and Opobo shld learn their Language? Who is Ijolizing who?
If Igbos are the majority why didnt they rename all the villages and streets in bonny and Opobo?
Why do they bear Ijaw names?
Who told you that Ibani people don't acknowledge their igbo roots?
You dont even know why Ibani people speak the igbo language

Please go and read abt other ethnic groups in yr Rivers State.

Seems like the Ogonis could not be "ritually accultured" by the Ijaws to become Ijaw. hahahaha

Ijaw girl,
Maybe the Igbo don't care to rename towns and villages coz its not that serious. Why must a town be renamed? It shouldnt matter. It also depends on how they arrived that town. If it was through war and conquest the maybe they'll want to change it but through natural migration I dont think any community will feel the need to change the names of a town. Ownership of land and towns can change hands depending on movement and ethnic mixes so its silly for the Ijaw to keep insisting that they own all of Opobo and Bonny in 2010 when majority of the land is occupied by the Igbo as natives not as tenants paying some monthly fee. I think the problem with y'all is that you aint got enough land. I mean come on y'all live on river banks and oceans. The Nigherian govt have fd up our land so now u are looking up north for a space u can call yours. You can also own parts of  Warri, Bonny, and Opobo but in a peaceful style only. Stop trying to erase people's identity to promote your own. I think if you remove all the Igbo and Igbo-mixed Ijaw ppl out of the pure Ijaw you guys are probably one tiny group and u know that and thats why ya so desperate trying to claim everyone and their land. I think Igbos, followed by Efik folks are the largest group in SS but for some reason the Ijaw wont let us hear.

I read somewhere and with the limited knowledge I have of the Igbo there are parts of Igbo land where people bare Efik-Ibibio names and even Bini names. The names of those towns haven't changed yet.

Obiagu1:

Seems like the Ogonis could not be "ritually accultured" by the Ijaws to become Ijaw. hahahaha

Ogoni is Ogoni, Ijaw is Ijaw. Not even the Romans could change who we are talkless of some fishermen tribe scattered all over the river banks. I'm getting tired of their uncompromising aggressive attitude towards everyone. Its shameful the Igbo as large as they are even let Ijaw intimidate them with their propaganda. The Ogoni might be small but we are well organized and can fend off Ijaw aggression.

Ijaw to keep insisting that they own all of Opobo and Bonny in 2010 when majority of the land is occupied by the Igbo as natives not as tenants paying some monthly fee.

Do the Natives of Bonny and Opobo consider themsleves Igbo?

Please uhm you are just saying crap

ijaw_girl:

Do the Natives of Bonny and Opobo consider themsleves Igbo?

Please uhm you are just saying crap

Well, for your information, the attempt by the FG to teach Ibani in Bonny failed because many parents withdrew their kids from such classes leaving only the Ibani natives. Why? Because they are NOT Ibani.

Obiagu1:

Well, for your information, the attempt by the FG to teach Ibani in Bonny failed because many parents withdrew their kids from such classes leaving only the Ibani natives. Why? Because they are NOT Ibani.

Well Ijaw girl can suck on that one.