#ezillo

(misspelling in the drawing im so sorry and the drawing is heavily based on a picture on the 101lasttribes.com)

The Ezillo people are part of the Igbo ethnic group, one of the major ethnic groups in southeastern Nigeria.

Ezillo is one of the seven sub-ethnic communities in Ishielu Local Government of Ebonyi State (Nigeria).

Ishielu L.G.A has a population of 151. 048 (NPC 2006) with one of the largest concentrations of sub-ethnic and dialectic groups in Ebonyi State.

Ezillo and Ezza Ezillo has population of 37.022 (NPC 2006)

The Ezillo people are part of the Igbo ethnic group, one of the major ethnic groups in southeastern Nigeria. According to oral tradition, the Ezillo descend from Igbo ancestors who settled in what is now Ebonyi State several centuries ago, forming stable agricultural communities. Their history is closely linked to:

internal Igbo migrations

traditional land boundaries

relationships (and tensions) with neighboring communities

Location

Country: Nigeria

State: Ebonyi

Local Government Area: Ishielu

Neighboring communities: Ezza, Agba, Nkalaha, among others

Land is extremely important to the Ezillo—not only economically, but also spiritually and culturally.

Social and Political Organization

Traditionally, Ezillo society is organized around:

Clans and lineages

A Council of Elders (Ndichie), responsible for major community decisions

Traditional rulers, recognized both culturally and by the government

Important matters such as land ownership, disputes, and rituals pass through these structures.

Traditional Economy

Historically based on:

Subsistence agriculture: yam (highly symbolic in Igbo culture), rice, cassava, maize

Local and regional trade

Hunting and small-scale crafts

Today, many Ezillo people are also involved in:

education

public administration

urban commerce

Language

They speak Igbo, with a local Ezillo dialect

Language is central to cultural transmission, proverbs, and rituals

Culture and Traditions

Agricultural festivals, especially related to yam harvests

Traditional Igbo music and dances

Use of proverbs as moral teaching tools

Ancestral rituals closely tied to land and forebears

Ezillo identity is strongly expressed through community and ancestral land.

Historical Conflicts

One of the most well-known aspects of Ezillo history is the territorial conflict with the neighboring Ezza community.

The conflict is long-standing and centers on land ownership

It has led to violent clashes at various times, especially since the 20th century

State governments and federal courts have intervened repeatedly

Despite legal rulings, the conflict has been difficult to resolve permanently

This conflict has deeply shaped Ezillo identity, collective memory, and external relations.

Contemporary Identity

Today, the Ezillo people:

maintain a strong sense of community

blend ancestral traditions with modern life

actively participate in the political and social life of Ebonyi State

Sub-ethnic and dialectic groups

Sub-ethnic and dialectic groups are:

Agba

Ohofia-Agba (Ntezi dialect)

Ntezi

Okpoto (Korri dialect)

Ezillo (Ezillo dialect)

Nkalagu

Nkalaha

Iyionu (Nkalaha)

Azuinyaba (Ezza dialect).

Within some of these sub-ethnic communities are Ezza-settler-communites like Ezza-Ezillo, Ezza-Nkalagu, Ezza Ogboji-in Azuinyaba.

Igbo sub-groups

Ezza is an Igbo sub-group, in Southeastern Nigeria.

Ezillo community is made up of seven villages:

Amofia

Amaleze

Umuakpaa

Umuezeoke

Amuhu

Amorie

The Ezza-Ezillo community in made up of two villages:

Umuezeoka

Umuezeokoha

Ezillo comunity

Ezillo community is located at the North Southern fringe of Ishielu LGA and shares borders with Ngbo, Iyionu & Nkalagu communities in the North, Ntezi and Okpoto in the East and Inyaba in the south. Because of the strategic location of Ezillo across the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, it hosts both people and infrastructural facilities such as the Ezillo Farm Settlement, and the Ezillo Regional Water Scheme etc.

There are several schools of thought on the origin of the Ezillo people. However, popular documented literature traced the origin of Ezillo to Mgbom Eze in Ishieke Izzi in the present Ebonyi, LGA and Ikwo LGA. According to this thought, the Ezillos and their Ezzangbo/Ngbo brothers regard Mgbom Eze as the ancestral father of Amaleze village in Ezillo. This ancestral brotherhood accounts for the sacred relationship between Ezillo and Ngbo on one hand and Izzi people on the other hand. Hence the abhorrence of bloodshed between these groups (Enuke 2010).

The Ezza-Ezillo people came from Ezza South & Ezza North LGAs of Ebonyi State on the invitation of the Ezillo people to settle a land dispute between them and their Ngbo neighbour at Egu-Echara in the early 1930s (Ugbo et al, 2008 and Memo to Peace Committee,2008). Ever since the end of the dispute, the Ezzas have continued to live amongst their host community, Ezillo. However, the relationships between the two groups have not been harmonious as it has degenerated to indigene-settler conundrum. Even though, there have been several episodes of conflicts in Ezillo since the last 52 years, but the confrontational phase occurred on 10th of May 2008.

(info from 101lasttribes.com )

LETS CELEBRATE THE EZILLO PEOPLE

Ebonyi: Umahi suspends council boss over alleged involvement in Ezillo crisis

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi at the weekend suspended another council boss, the Ishielu development centre coordinator, Mr. James Abba over alleged involvement in the crisis that led to the death of some innocent citizens of the state at Ezzillo community. Recall that Ezzillo community has been engulfed in crisis, wherein lots of properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed and…

Ritual Cloth of the Ekpe Secret Society

Mazi Okereke Agbam of Arochukwu's personalized ukara cloth 1972 Cotton, indigo dye Collection of Eli Bentor

Ukara cloth symbolizes the power, wealth, and prestige of the Ekpe secret society, an interethnic all-male association, and the sacrality of Ekpe meeting lodges. Although commissioned and used by the Ekpe, located in the Cross River region at the border of southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, ukara is designed, sewn, and dyed by the Ezillo people in present-day Ebony State. The process of creating ukara cloth is laborious and involves many hands, but ultimately each cloth is highly individualized, clearly produced to be worn by a specific Ekpe person or to mark a particular Ekpe lodge. Nsibidi symbols, an ideographic and gestural system of communication, are dyed onto the cloth. The symbols’ meanings are largely guarded by Ekpe members, with more established members becoming deeply knowledgeable about the polysemantic signs.