#ijaw

The Ijaw people, also known as the Izon people, are an ethnic group found in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria, with primary population clusters in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers. They also have significant population clusters in Edo,Ondo.and small parts of Akwa Ibom.

The Ijaw people are located in about 29 of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas,primarily across six Nigerian states. Many are found as migrant fishermen in fishing camps and settlements in Benue, and Kogi states and as far west as Sierra Leone, Ghana and as far east as Gabon.

The Ijaw people are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria's Niger Delta region. They are also among the oldest tribes in Nigeria  and are considered one of the world's most ancient peoples.Historically, the Ijaw have lived near key maritime trade routes and participated in trade activities as early as the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

The Ijaw languages include about 20 closely related varieties, with Central Izon being the most widely spoken. Other languages in this group include Kalabari, Ogbia, Epie, Abua, Okrika, Andoni, Ibani, Nembe amongst others. The term Izon is commonly used as an endonym to describe the broader Ijaw ethnic nationality.

The Izon or Ijaw People have lived in the Niger Delta region since before the fifth millennium BCE, and they were able to keep a separate identity because they lived where the agriculturally dependent Benue-Kwa groups were unable to penetrate. Some of the earliest archeological findings of Ijaw tribes have been dated to as far back as the early 800s BCE. The timeline that the archaeological excavations provide offers about 3,000 years of evidence of Ijaw history and presence in the Niger Delta.

There has been much argument about which tribe in Nigeria is the oldest. The Ijaws started inhabiting the Niger Delta region of what is now Nigeria as far back as 800 BCE, thus making them one of the world's most ancient peoples. They have existed as a distinct language and ethnic group for over 5,000 years.

Agadagba-bou, the first ancient Ijaw city-state, existed for more than 400 years,lasting until 1050 CE. Due to internal conflict and violent weather patterns, this city-state was abandoned. Some of the descendants of this city-state created another in the 11th century called Isoma-bou, which lasted until the 16th century. This city-state, like the last, was founded in the Central Delta Wilberforce Island region. The Wilberforce Island region remains the most Ijaw-populated area of Nigeria.

The Ijaws are believed by some to be the descendants of an autochthonous people or an ancient tribe of Africa known as the Oru; the Ijaws were originally known by this name (Oru).These were believed to be the aboriginal people of West Africa and the region of Niger/Benue.

information from wikipedia.

this is quite and interesting tribe time for some shout outs

@tar1ma-k

         What is the ethnic tribe in Nigeria?

Hmmm, okay let me make an attempt to answer this dicey question.

First, I am going to assume Nigeria is made up of just 5 tribes for clarity of answer, and my chosen tribes will be - The Hausa-Fulani, The Igbos, The Yorubas, The Binis, and The Ijaws-Urhobos.

Going further, in Nigeria, there are 5 - 6 classes of rich people:

The Politicians (political class) & Politically Assisted Persons

The Genuine Businessmen and Industrialists

The professional working class - those working & earning fat salaries

The hustlers - internet scammers, drug peddlers, human traffickers,

The rich diasporas - Nigerians living. working & earning fat pay legally abroad

The entertainers - music stars, movie stars, sportsmen, etc

Now, before you can answer this question correctly, you must consider these class of rich Nigerians, and the number of each tribe that makes up the majority of these various class of rich Nigerians.

When you come to number 1 - Rich Politicians/Politically Assisted Persons, the Hausa-Fulani have more of this class of rich people, and the reason is obvious; they have been in political power since Nigeria got independence in 1960 more than any other tribe. After the Hausa-Fulani comes the Yoruba tribe, and then the Igbo tribe.

Genuine Businessmen & Industrialists - under this class, I think the Igbo tribe have a majority, followed by the Yorubas, and the Hausa-Fulani.

The Professional Working Class - here, the Yoruba tribe have the majority, followed by the Igbo tribe, and the Ijaw-Urhobo tribe.

The Hustlers - under this class, the Igbos have the majority, followed by the Binis and the Yorubas, and then other tribes

The Rich Diasporas - The Igbo tribe also take the majority for obvious reason; after the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1969, which was like a war between the Igbo tribe and the rest of Nigerian tribes, which ended in favour of the rest of Nigerian tribes, and pushed Igbos to the wall because after the war ended, Igbos were left with nothing to start life with, and even got shortchanged by the Hausa-Fulani/Yoruba controlled federal government in the after-war monetary, financial policies, which made Igbos to start migrating to almost anywhere possible in search of greener pastures, and this paid them off at the long run, as they are now found in almost every part of the world succeeding in various human field.

After Igbos comes the Yoruba and Bini tribes.

The Entertainers - Yorubas have the highest number of rich entertainers in Nigeria, followed by the Igbo tribe, and then other tribes.

When you put all these figures together, you will then realize that when it comes to total or highest number of rich people, Igbo is the richest Nigerian tribe, followed by the Yoruba, and then Hausa-Fulani and the Ijaw-Uhrobos.

My Nephew hipped me to this interesting connection recently .

The link between the Kalabari culture and Jamaica, and Calabar school a now prestigious high School in Jamaica , some family members attended this school.

Kalabari tribe

The Kalabari are a sub-group of the Ijaw people living in the eastern Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Originally, they were known as the Awesome. The name Kalabari was derived from their ancestor Perebo Kalabari who was a son of Mein Owei. Their original settlement was spelt as Calabar by the Portuguese which was pronounced Kalabari. This settlement was abandoned as the people moved to other fishing settlements. Portuguese settlers continued to maintain the name Calabari which became surrounded by the Efik people of Duke town. When the British came the word Calabari was pronounced as Calabar instead of Kalabari. At this time the original Ijoid Kalabaris had moved to a new location which became the new Calabar territory since the old Calabar is occupied by different people. Old Calabar became an Efik town with time which has the name Calabar. The Kalabari are a sub-group of the Ijaw people living in the eastern Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Originally, they were known as the Awome. The name Kalabari was derived from their ancestor Perebo Kalabari who was a son of Mein Owei. Their original settlement was spelt as Calabar by the Portuguese which was pronounced Kalabari.

Calabar High School is an all-malesecondary school in Kingston, Jamaica. It was established by the Jamaica Baptist Union in 1912 for the children of Baptist ministers and poor blacks, and was named after the former slave port Calabar, in present-day Nigeria. It has produced at least five Rhodes Scholars, and is respected for its outstanding performance in track and field.[1]

By Esther David The Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic groups of Warri Federal Constituency have declared their boycott of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, demanding that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must first implement the final report of the Supreme Court-ordered fresh delineation of electoral wards and units in the constituency. The protesters who…