Dalohad:


You Ikwerre claim Ibos are a stigma, why bear their names?

Let me just add this jẹjẹ to the list of what I have been called:

1) Chinedu
2) Yoruba Muslim
3) From Ogbomoso
4) etc

Now I am Ikwerre.

Chai dis Nairaland ná cruise.

chrisxxx:

The illiteracy of the 21st century has shifted from those who do not know how to read to those who can read but do not read.
Try and read Mutual intelligibility in linguistics.

Chris Igbokwe (IkwerreKwe), stop playing around with words, you are in discussion with an Expatriate Adjunct Professor, even though we all know that Nairaland is a leveller.

However, pray tell, why is it is a herculean task to re-invent yourselves by re-linguinizing yourselves with the Bini language of your ancestors and dropping every toga of confusion that your borrowed Igbo names have conferred on you?

Shouldn't that be the most effectual solution to your current identity quagmire?

chrisxxx:

Ogonis celebrate New yam festival are they also Igbos?

My friend I thought that you left nairaland we didn't see your post for some time like you were during the elections, my thinking was that there was a lack of funds on your end for data to come in and continue to propagate your usual agenda.

Your right to opinion is respected. I hope you will also respect another Ikwerre mans right who stands his ground and says he's igbo without trying to bully him.

Once again to clarify the air on this issue while there might have been a very very tiny minority of ikwerre people in the 40s and 50s who thought or consider themselves to not be ibos(especially the ogbakiri because of their dissatisfaction with aros coming to sit atop every meetings) majority over 98% of the ikwerre people were very happy with their ibo identity. This identity crisis started when the Nigerian government thought it as a better way to weaken the Igbo ethnicity by using paid shills and propaganda machines to perpetuate the belief that certain distinct Igbo groups within access of crude oil or water are a different ethnicity. Those who were willing to stand on this propaganda were rewarded very well with contracts. Even the Masters of this propaganda would never have thought that this madness will continue up until now. At this point it doesn't even make any sense to any learned person today, more of an issue of when you tell a lie long enough it starts becoming the truth. Nigeria remained a country, every other Nigerian sees ikwerre people as Igbo people, but in order to continue to taunt the entire Igbo people in this post war antics they are very happy to welcome and reward any Igbo politician who comes out and speak openly that he is not Igbo.

Also in States where Igbo ethnicities share the state with other ethnicities the Igbo speaking groups are very bullied by other groups when they try to identify as igbo. Hence there is this weird disquiet and discomfort from anyone from an Igbo speaking group in these states to beat proudly with their chests that they are igbo for fear of backlash. This is helping to normalize the falsehood.

But this narrative can no longer hold sway, recently I spoke to a group of very smart young ikwerre men who are in the university and we can see clearly that this denial of what is obvious is no longer sitting well with them. I am very more hopeful that these our children and grandchildren in the future will be the ones to correct this madness as the events happening in Nigeria continue to bring every Igbo speaking group closer together.

Saying that the ikwerre people are not originally from River State is as dangerous as it is as stupid and for no reasonable benefit whatsoever. Why would any group choose to do this to themselves it's quite mind boggling. Removing themselves from their actual ancestral lands to fit a weird political narrative that only benefits other ethnicities far away from theirs. In the future these arguments can be used by any other indigenous group in River State to reclaim all lands in Ikwerre land in any competent court of international jurisprudence like the ICC while the ikwerres will be asked to go back to Benin which is where they honestly do not come from.


Call yourself whatever you want but know that no one has mandated you to be the mouthpiece for the ikwerre people. You are only entitled to your own opinion.

FOLYKAZE:


I really don't know the difference between Apoi and Ijaw from Edo or Bayelsa. But they identify much with Ikale and Ilaje. The Ikale people settle with Apoi and understand each other language. They trace their history to Ijaw in Bayelsa but have strong tie with Ilé-Ifè, just like the Ikale and Ilaje.

Like the Ikale who trace their history to Bini, the tie with Ilé-Ifè makes them Ọmọ Kaaro ojire

Ese Odo as its name depict is a Yoruba land. Also, the people are Yoruba with ancestral link with Ile Ife. The fact that some Ijaw settlers mingled with them doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry or the fact that Ese Odo is a Yoruba land.

That some were sometimes referred as Apoie doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry because back then, Yoruba had several clans with names such as Ilaje, Ikale, Akoko, Ijebu etc and since some Ijaw settlers mixed with the indigenous Yoruba in Ese Odo hence, they were sometimes referred to as Apoi since some Ijaw settlers mixed with the indigenous Yoruba but that doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry. So are the kings in Ese Odo who are core Yoruba with Yoruba ancestry.

Meanwhile, The Ijaw don't even know the meaning of Kalasuwe in Ijaw thus the reason why some Ijaws try to modify the name at times or while some Ijaws say it means "small God" 😂 Lol. As far I know, that's not even Ijaw word for God. Ijaw word for God is Tamara. So how did that translate to Kalasuwe? Lol. Kala and suwe have no meaning in Ijaw words. Even the word "calarba" for example is a Portugues word given to two south places which are referred as "old Calarba" (Efikk) and the "new Calarbar" which later became Kalabari. Same way the Portuguese gave the word "Lagos".

In fact, the word Kalasuwe is an old Yoruba word which means "a righteous friendly king". Kala means "light" or intelligence or righteousness, justice or can also mean "disciplined" or strict" while suwe is "to be friendly". Remember "Baba suwe". Anyways, Kalasuwe means a "disciplined/righteous friendly" king. It's just like a Yoruba proverb which says "ti a ba fi owo otun ba omo wi, a fi owo osi fa mora". Which means "we can admonish a child but also act playful and draw him closer again".. This is the duty of the king which means "the king should be stern when it comes to justice but also be friendly to the people".

In fact, all the kings in Ese Odo are Yoruba with Yoruba ancestry. Besides, the name Ese Odo is a Yoruba name.

[double post.

[..

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Dsimmer:


Ese Odo as its name depict is a Yoruba land. Also, the people are Yoruba with ancestral link with Ile Ife. The fact that some Ijaw settlers mingled with them doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry or the fact that Ese Odo is a Yoruba land.

That some were sometimes referred as Apoie doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry because back then, Yoruba had several clans with names such as Ilaje, Ikale, Akoko, Ijebu etc and since some Ijaw settlers mixed with the indigenous Yoruba in Ese Odo hence, they were sometimes referred to as Apoi since some Ijaw settlers mixed with the indigenous Yoruba but that doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry. So are the kings in Ese Odo who are core Yoruba with Yoruba ancestry.

Meanwhile, The Ijaw don't even know the meaning of Kalasuwe in Ijaw thus the reason why some Ijaws try to modify the name at times or while some Ijaws say it means "small god" 😂 Lol. As far I know, that's not even Ijaw word for God. Ijaw word for God is Tamara.. So how did that translate to Kalasuwe? Lol. Kala and suwe have no meaning in Ijaw words. Even the word "calarba" for example is a Portugues word given to two south places which are referred as "old Calarba" (the Efikk) and the "new Calarbar" which later becomes Kalabari. Same way the Portuguese gave the word "Lagos".

In fact, the word Kalasuwe is an old Yoruba word which means "a righteous friendly king". Kala means "light" or intelligence or righteousness, justice or can also mean "disciplined" or strict while suwe is "to be friendly". Remember "Baba suwe". Anyways, Kalasuwe means a "disciplined/righteous friendly" king. It's just like a Yoruba proverb which says "ti a ba fi owo otun ba omo wi, a fi owo osi fa mora". Which means "we can admonish a child but also act playful and draw him closer again".. This is the duty of the king which means "the king should be stern when it comes to justice but also be friendly to the people".

In fact, all the kings in Ese Odo are Yoruba with Yoruba ancestry. Besides, the name Ese Odo is a Yoruba name.

Let me add that the whole thing is funny.

One fact is the ancestry is from Ile Ife with Kala Okun which is actually a Yoruba name. The ancestry is from Ile Ife. It then stated that Kala Okun gave birth to Apoi. The question is, did Kala Okun marry an ijaw woman thus the name Apoi given to the child or it was actually 'Apo' (Opo) which some people started calling as Apoi, especially after the Ijaw settlers came to Ese Odo Arogbo. 😂Lol. Because the name "Apo" or "Opo" are Yoruba words which both means "plentiful". Likewise the name "Ujo" which means Dance. Some Yoruba even bears "Ujo" which is similar to "Alujo". It means Dance.

Funnily, the Ijaw settlers may not have even mixed with the indigenous Yoruba in Ese Odo but could have been a case of some Ijaw thinking the words such as Apo and Ujo are Ijaw words. Lol.

Anyways ,whether some Ijaw settlers mixed with the indigenous Yoruba in Ese Odo or didn't, it doesn't change Ese Odo Yoruba's ancestry or the name of the land which is a Yoruba name (Ese Odo)

I like the Ikwerre. A might tribe that bullies can't mess with.

Dsimmer:


Ese Odo as its name depict is a Yoruba land. Also, the people are Yoruba with ancestral link with Ile Ife. The fact that some Ijaw settlers mingled with them doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry or the fact that Ese Odo is a Yoruba land.

That some were sometimes referred as Apoie doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry because back then, Yoruba had several clans with names such as Ilaje, Ikale, Akoko, Ijebu etc and since some Ijaw settlers mixed with the indigenous Yoruba in Ese Odo hence, they were sometimes referred to as Apoi since some Ijaw settlers mixed with the indigenous Yoruba but that doesn't change their Yoruba ancestry. So are the kings in Ese Odo who are core Yoruba with Yoruba ancestry.

Meanwhile, The Ijaw don't even know the meaning of Kalasuwe in Ijaw thus the reason why some Ijaws try to modify the name at times or while some Ijaws say it means "god among man" 😂 Lol. As far I know, that's not even Ijaw word for God. Ijaw word for God is Tamara. Ijaw word for human is "Keme bo". So how did that translate to Kalasuwe? Lol. Kala and suwe have no meaning in Ijaw words. Even the word "calarba" for example is a Portugues word given to two south places which are referred as "old Calarba" (Efikk) and the "new Calarbar" which later becomes kalabari. Same way the Portuguese gave the word "Lagos".

Meanwhile, the word Kalasuwe is an old Yoruba word which means "a strict friendly king". Kala is "to be strict/Just/righteous" while suwe is "to be friendly". Remember "Baba suwe". Anyways, Kalasuwe means a "strict friendly" king. It's just like a Yoruba proverb which says "ti a ba fi owo otun ba omo wi, a fi owo osi fa mora". Which means "we can admonish a child but also act playful and draw him closer again".. That's the duty of the king which means "the king should be stern when it comes to justice but also be friendly to the people".

In fact, all the kings in Ese Odo are Yoruba with Yoruba ancestry. Besides, the name Ese Odo is a Yoruba name.

Insightful