NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Written by Banji Aluko
Deep in the heart of the Igbo-speaking people in Aniocha
North Local Government Area of Delta State are Ugbodu
and three other communities where Oluku mi, a
derivative of Yoruba language, is the language of the
people. BANJI ALUKO, who visited the communities,
examines how close Oluku mi actually is to the Yoruba
language and traces how the people came about the
language.



HELLO, this writer said, while knocking at the door, and a
young lady, emerging from the building, replied, ta ni
yen? When the writer heard the reply, he taught it was a
mere coincidence or that his ears were deceiving him. Of
course, he had every reason to be surprised since he was
not anywhere near the Yoruba enclave where such a
reply can only be anticipated. After all, he was more than
100 kilometres away from the nearest Yoruba
community; he was in Ugbodu, a town in Aniocha North
Local government Area of Delta State.
While trying to decipher why the lady gave such a reply,
what further followed put the writer in a more confused
position. A girl of about five appeared and said, “mo fe ra
biscuit.” Perhaps, the people are part of the Yoruba
community living in the town, the writer guessed as he
tried to find out from the lady.
“Are you a Yoruba woman; what is the meaning of ta ni
yen?” The writer asked the questions at once. Reluctantly,
she answered, “I am not Yoruba o, I am just speaking my
language.” Apparently, she was not unaware of the
similarity between her language and Yoruba language.
The lady refused to entertain any further question about
her language and asked him to go to the king’s palace or
to the elders if he wanted to know more about the
language.
At the palace, the elders still would not talk about the
similarity between their language and Yoruba. They asked
the writer to wait for the arrival of the king, who they
said can only speak on the people, their language and
their history.



The period of waiting for the king afforded one time to
listen to the conversation and the discovery was
nonetheless remarkable. Following closely the
conversation between some elderly men and with a deep
knowledge of Yoruba, one could establish a nexus
between their speech and actions. In fact, some words
and expressions could be understood.
Following their conversation with rapt attention,
expressions such as Gbemu wa—bring palm wine, me wa
nani—I didn’t come yesterday, me ri e—I didn’t see you,
mu beer oka wa—bring one beer etc could be heard,
albeit with an intonation slightly different from that of
the Yorubas.
Seeing the desire of this writer to follow their talk, one
man finally volunteered to explain the similarity between
their language and Yoruba. “I believe you are a Yoruba
man,” he said. He continued: “We are Oluku mi speakers
but we speak a language that is very similar to Yoruba.”
This he demonstrated by pointing out some words and
expressions in their language (Oluku mi) which denote
the same meanings as Yoruba.
He gave some examples such as ita—pepper, ogede lila—
plantain, ogede keke—banana; ku wu se—what are you
doing; ule house; osa – market; oma—child; o dowuo—
see you tomorrow, e bo—welcome.



After explaining
some similarities between the languages, he still refused
to talk about how the people of Ugbodu, in the middle of
other Igbo speaking neighbours, came about Oluku mi.
Like others, he maintained that only the traditional ruler
of the town can speak about how Oluku mi became their
language.
But after waiting endlessly for the king, his brother,
Prince Adebowale Ochei, who later arrived the scene,
volunteered to speak on behalf of the king, H.R.M. Ayo
Isinyemeze, the Oloza (Obi) of Ugbodu. According to
him, history gave it that the Ugbodu Oluku mi speaking
people migrated from Owo/Akure axis in the present
Ondo State between 9th and 11th century AD to settle
down in Benin during the reign of King Ogiso of Benin.
He continued: “At this period in the history of the Benin
Kingdom, the most neglected of the wife of the Ogiso
gave birth to the heir apparent to the throne. After the
woman gave birth to the child, a male, the nobles
consulted the oracle and said that the oracle told them
that the child should be killed for peace to reign in Benin
Kingdom. At the end, the child was not killed as it was
said that the child was too handsome to be killed, so a
fowl was killed in his place.”
According to Ochei, this was the reason the Ugbodu
people left Benin. “They felt that if a crown prince could
be ordered for execution just like that, they could do
worse things to strangers in their midst. As a result, they
left Benin and came to Ewohimi, an Ishan speaking
community in Edo State. Due to intra-tribal wars, they
later left the place to settle down here in Ugbodu which is
a shortened form of Ugbodumila, which means bush
saved me in English Language.”




He further pointed out differences between Oluku mi
and Yoruba. He said one notable difference is the
changing of letter “j” in Yoruba words to “s” in Oluku mi
as seen in words like oloja or oja which are rendered as
olosa or osa and joko as soko.
With the movement of the people was the consequent
change in their language as shown in their names.
According to records compiled by Prince Humphrey
Ojeabu Ochei, the immediate Olihen of Ugbodu, the first
six Olozas bore Yoruba names namely Adeola, Aderemi,
Ariyo, Odofin, Adetunji and Oyetunde. These early kings
bore typical Yoruba names years and decades after the
establishment of the Ugbodu Kingdom.
As the people gradually lost contact with their kinsmen
back home, they began to gravitate towards the Benin
and Edo communities. The resulting acculturative
process gradually led to the adoption of Edo names
among the people. Hence names such as Ogbomon,
Ozolua, Izebuwa, Ogbelaka, Izedonwen, Osakpolor, Esigie
Igbinadolor, Osaloua, Osamewamen and Ebor emerged
as Olozas.
Since Ugbodu is surrounded by the Igbo-speaking
Aniomas, it did not take much time before the Igbo
Language started to interfere greatly on the people’s
language. Accordingly, Igbo influence steadily and
progressively made what has now become permanent
inroad and considerable impact on the socio-cultural life
as well as linguistic orientation of the Ugbodu people.
With this, the Edo influence began to wane, resulting in
the adoption of Igbo names in preference to Edo names.
Thus from the middle of the 19th century, the general
shift was from Edo to Igbo names. This can be seen in the
names of Olozas, who ruled between the middle of the
19th century and late 20th century such as Dike, Ochei,
Ezenweani and Isinyemeze.



Investigations conducted revealed that Ugbodu is not the
only community where Oluku mi is spoken in Aniocha
North Local Government as the language is also spoken
in Ukwu-Nzu (Eko Efun), Ubulubu and Ogodo.
At Ukwu-Nzu, only few kilometres away from Ugbodu,
the language is not also different. Although, the people
are less emphatic about their history, nonetheless, the
similarity between their language and Yoruba is evident
in their names and greetings. “Oju e ma won ke,”
meaning your face is scarce in Yoruba, was what a man
said to his friend he accosted on the road. When Sunday



Tribune approached the man, who gave his name as Ayo
Oke, he shed light on his language and provided more
examples between Oluku mi and Yoruba Language.
He said that “instead of saying e kaabo, we say e bo,
meaning welcome and wa ni we yi, meaning come here;”
He also gave example of words which virtually have the
same meanings as the Yoruba language. Some of these
include obe—stew; oni—today; ola—tomorrow; otunla—
next tomorrow etc.
Another elder in the town, who spoke with Sunday
Tribune, said that the name of Ukwu-Nzu before the Igbo
Language “infiltrated” their language was Eko Efun (efun
means chalk in Yoruba Language). He also attributed the
efun in the name of their town to the rich prescence of
white chalk in the town which he said the community
was richly blessed with.
Presently, the biggest challenge for the people of Ugbodu
and other Oluku mi-speaking communities is how to
protect their language and culture in general. According
to a native of Ugbodu, “the elders are more connected to



the original Olukumi language than the youth. In fact, we
have lost the real Oluku mi and what we have now is an
Oluku mi that has been greatly altered by Igbo language.
Most of the people who can really speak the language
right now are the elders. Ordinarily, the real Oluku mi is
like the Yoruba that is spoken in Owo in Ondo State.
Someone from that place is expected to understand the
language perfectly but right now someone from Owo
might not be able to understand more than 50 per cent
of our language. This language may die if care is not
taken,” he said.
Another factor that also contributed to the decline of



Olukumi, according to findings, is that there was a time
in the past when an understanding of the Edo or Igbo
language, was considered as a status symbol. According
to an elder in the town, “An Oluku mi who spoke the two
languages then was considered superior to others
because it meant that he had travelled wide. This was the
inferiority complex our people unwittingly created for
themselves which we are trying to correct now.”
In protecting their language which is gradually being
threatened, a revival process has been started. Part of
this is that some of them now choose to give their
children Oluku mi names and to sing and say prayers in
Oluku mi.


In some cases, some radical reformers and
revivalists changed the names given to them by their
parents from Igbo to Olukumi. The climax of the
restoration process of their linguistic ethos and identity
was the christening of the incumbent Oloza with an
Olukumi name, Ayo.
Reacting to efforts aimed at protecting Oluku mi, Prince
Adebowale said, “I am an Oluku mi man and I am proud
of my language.


I am not happy that Igbo language is
interfering with our language. We are trying our best to
correct the situation and part of that is what my brother
(the Oloza) is doing by organising an Oluku mi reciting
competition. We want to know the people who can speak
the real Oluku mi without mixing it with Igbo or English.”
As laudable as the task of protecting Oluku mi by the
people of Ugbodu(mila) is, only time will tell how far they
can go.

This is interesting

Hmmm Yoruba people sha

reminds me of Yoruba brazil

Nice article. But why were they placed under the Aniocha Local Govt area??

Proudly Yoruba anytime any day !!!

lol.

op pls give me source to take download this


until then.
it's all

lies About The Yoruba Enclave In The Heart Of Aniocha In Delta State

rose2014 ugomba cheruv mranalyst biafranking lionduke tonychristopher afam4eva chinology.

make una come hear oooo

chinology I see u. I hear say u get hope at hand picture. U kno d moniker. bro I go like see.

cos dem say I go laff forget my aass

chiefobdk:

op pls give me source to take download this



until then.

it's all


lies About The Yoruba Enclave In The Heart Of Aniocha
In Delta State

You're waiting for sauce to back up lies

My grandma categorically told me there are Igbo communities in Jigawa and Kebbi
So this is nothing new







No tribe has monopoly of lying

chiefobdk:
chinology I see u. I hear say u get hope at hand picture. U kno d moniker. bro I go like see.

cos dem say I go laff forget my aass

Nwanne I dey go pick my kids, I will respond later in the evening

chiefobdk:



rose2014 ugomba cheruv mranalyst biafranking lionduke
tonychristopher afam4eva chinology.


make una come hear oooo

my big bro na true na..dont you know..
Even bigfrancis21 is awared.they called them olukumi,they re migrants frm ondo state.
Na because of war or misunderstanding they run go stay for near igbos enclaves in anioma.
But most of them don dey change their name to igbo names. So the king of that place com dey vex about am.
The tori dey for newspaper na. Google am.

You will also find Olukwumi in Cuba and the diaspora. I am beginning to suspect that is what Yorubas were known as before adopting the Yoruba identitt.

And yet again no source to back up this osogbo man claims

kayfra:
You will also find Olukwumi in Cuba and the diaspora. I am beginning to suspect that is what Yorubas were known as before adopting the Yoruba identitt.

yes

Heard there is a Yoruba community in the heart of obigbo in our own rivers state called 'olufunmi' derived from Yoruba ancestry word 'fumilayo'

Rose2014:
You're waiting for sauce to back up lies
My grandma categorically told me there are Igbo communities in Jigawa and Kebbi So this is nothing new






No tribe has monopoly of lying

WHY ALL THESE OBSESSION?

Rose2014:
You're waiting for sauce to back up lies
My grandma categorically told me there are Igbo communities in Jigawa and Kebbi So this is nothing new






No tribe has monopoly of lying

WHY ALL THESE OBSESSION?

For those who still need the source of the story....here it is:

Delta State of the federal republic of Nigeria is made up of 25 Local Government Areas (LGAS) and like every other state, it is represented in the Nigerian senate by three senators; Delta Central, Delta South and Delta North.

Delta Central comprises eight LGAS and is inhabited by the Urhobos while Delta South also comprises eight LGAS and is home to the ethnic Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri while Delta North is home to the Ika, Enuani, Ukwuani sub-groups who are spread across nine LGAS.

The principal towns of Delta North are Agbor, Asaba (the Delta State capital) Ogwashi-Uku, Issele-Ukiu, Ibusa, Ubulu-Uku, Obiaruku, Kwale, Ashaka, among others. Its peoples are predominantly farmers, fisherfolk, businessmen, academic, bureaucrats and members of the defense and security forces. It is on record that at the dawn of Nigerian Independence on 1st October 1960, nine (9) of the fifty-eight (58) Indigenous commissioned officers of the Nigerian Army were from Delta North alone.....

As of April 2010, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Nigerian Armed forces and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service both hail from Amiodia North LGA of the said Delta North...

Today, the predominant speaking language in the area is a hybricized dialect of Ibo but the people somehow do not refer to themselves as Igbo for the simple fact that over eighty –five percent (85%) of Anioma people are said to have emigrated from Bini empire during the 14th and 15th century reigns of Obas (Kings) Ozolua, Ewuare and Esigie of the Benin empire which lies immediately to the west of Aniomaland. The festivals language, kinship systems of the people of Delta North appear to bear testimony to this fact even to this day. Possibly they may have lost their mastery of Edo Language on account of loud separation from the Benin Empire and became subsumed in the dominant Igbo culture as a result of the fact of greater proximity to Igboland.

Delta North also, has albeit unbelievably, an indigenous and living community of Yoruba and Igala speakers.

Aniocha North Local Government Area is the smallest, most northerly and most rural in the Delta state. It consists of 16 communities grouped into the three clans of Ezechima Odiani and Idumuje.

Odiani clan comprises 8 communities which are said to have historically emigrated from the Akoko area of Yoruba during the wars which raged in that part of precolonial African, during the 18th century when they arrived at their present day Delta State, the Yoruba Edo (Benin) émigrés and Ibos from the east of the Niger river had been on ground for a minimum of three centuries. Unable to communicate with the hostile people all around them, they courtesied all had Sunder who they came into contact with “Olukumi” a word in the Akoko of Yorba language which means “my friend”.

To this day, the variant of Yoruba Language spoken by my people is called Olukumi by neighbouring communities further east at Ebu, a migrant community of Igala who came from central Nigeria in search of prime fishing grounds had developed and to this day, the people of Ebu still speak Igala Language.

Deep in the heart of the Igbo Speaking people in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State are Ugbodu and three other communities where Olukumi, a derivative of Yoruba language is the language of the people. Read the rest here: http://nigerianobservernews.com/14012014/features/features2.html#.Vovx7rYrLMw

Here is another article that talks about the Olukumi communities in Delta State, and tries to relate it to the Igbo - Yoruba interaction over the past few centuries.

Author: Dr. N. Tony Nwaezeigwe - It is on record that both the Igbo and Yoruba cannot write a complete history of their respective roles in the development of the Nigerian nation without mentioning the other in one positive sense or the other.

Apart from the fact that both the Igbo and Yoruba were equal stake-holders in the nation’s Independence struggles, their contacts long pre-dated the arrival of the British colonial adventurers. The Yoruba were the first to establish effective direct contacts with traditional Igbo society long before European incursions. They had penetrated the Igboland before the Igbo themselves thought of coming to Yorubaland.

The evidence to this pre-colonial contact is today found in the existence in Igboland of a group of ancient Yoruba-speaking Igbo sub-group called Olukunmi made up of Ugbodu, Ukwunzu, Ubulubu and Idumuogo towns in Aniocha Local Government Area of Delta State.

Although these people could pass as normal Igbo in their general definition of ethnic identity when outside their communities, but they still maintain their Yoruba identity, speaking Yoruba language as their primary mother-tongue alongside Igbo and bearing mixed Igbo-Yoruba names. Most of these people claim to have migrated from Owo in the present Ondo State many centuries ago.

Similarly many Yoruba, mainly of Oshogbo and Ogbomosho origins, Nupe and Igala settlers today constitute a substantial portion of Asaba and Onitsha indigenes. These people had settled among the Igbo long before the coming of the Europeans accessing their present abode through the River Niger.

Above all, one cannot deny the positive roles such Yoruba missionaries as Bishops Samuel Ajayi Crowther and James Johnson played in the evangelization of Igboland during the nineteenth century.... http://247ureports.com/femi-fani-kayode-haunted-by-a-nupe-ancestry-fighting-a-foggy-yoruba-identity-complex-dr-n-tony-nwaezeigwe/

Jesus oooh
So igbo na from Yoruba no wonder dem no get kings
Na den

you igbos dee see??....

my hope is,the reasonable igbos convince the biafrauudians to have a rethink......

i use biafrauudians because "biafra" is an portugies name and an abomination......

attacking or separating from the rest of nigeria is like.....attacking or separating your own self......

you can not cut off your own leg,and still be ol....the biafrauudians mussst understand this....