Though a minority in Nigeria, the Itsekiris are regarded as highly educated, flamboyant, and prosperous ethnic group with a high percentage of literacy and a rich cultural legacy. The Itsekiris have one of West Africa’s oldest traditions of western education, producing one of the country’s first University Graduate, the Olu of Warri Kingdom, Olu Atuwatse I, Dom Domingo, a 17th Century graduate of Coimbra University in Portugal. Many Itsekiris may be found working in the professions today; notably medical, law, and academic careers, as well as in commerce, trade, and industry and are also among the pioneers who spearheaded the growth of the disciplines in Nigeria throughout the early-to-mid twentieth century.
Ethnography
The Itsekiri are a cross-cultural people who speak languages very closely related to the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria and the Igala language of central Nigeria. The Itsekiri people are found in Delta State, Southern Nigeria. Some Itsekiris villages are also found in Edo State, Nigeria.
History
Itsekiri, also known as Jekri, Isekiri, or Ishekiri, are a Nigerian ethnic group that lives in the Southern region of the Niger River delta. The Itsekiri population is significant in the contemporary towns of Sapele, Warri, Burutu, and Forcados. Through various interactions, they speak the Yoruba language of the Benue-Congo, branch of Niger-Congo languages and share cultural aspects with the Yoruba, Edo, Urhobo, and Ijaw tribes.
Undoubtedly, the Itsekiris’ rich traditional and cultural legacy is the consequence of a development brought about by a cultural hybrid.
Elders are chosen as “leaders” under the Itsekiri people’s gerontocratic governing system.
The Itsekiri society is stratified by class and societal rank. The Otonolu (Royals) and the Omajaj are at the top of the list (Kingmakers). Then there are the Ibiedo (domestic workers), the Egugun (those with a questionable historical background), and finally, the Ejoji (strangers).
Around 1480, a Benin Prince Ginuwa (or Iginuwa in Benin Dialect) founded a monarchy in Warri with the assistance of the Benin empire. The people recognised this power and thus established the Warri kingdom. Ginuwa was the first King of the “Olu” kingdom. Before Ginuwa’s arrival and establishment of the throne, the Itsekiri people were a tribe of many independent settlements such as Omadino, Ureju, Ugborodo, and Inroin. The Benin Empire’s installation of the Olu monarchy in Itsekiri territory united these communities into a single nationality and government.
The Portuguese were the first to make contact in the 15th Century. As a result, the Itsekiri earned a reputation as excellent traders and mediators by supplying inland people with European manufactured goods in return for enslaved people and palm oil. However, the British colonial authorities gradually abolished their trade monopoly in the 1890s, and the Itsekiri economy declined.
Religion
Before the advent of Christianity in the 16th Century, the Itsekiris like many other African people, practised an ancient tradition of religion known as Ebura-tsitse (based on ancestral worship), which is still embedded in traditional Itsekiri culture today. As a result, Roman Catholicism was the dominant form of Western Christianity in Itsekiriland for centuries. Today, Roman Catholics constitute Itsekiris as minority, with the majority being Protestants most notably Methodist and Catholic.
In the traditional Itsekiri religion, Oritse is the supreme deity and creator of the world. Among the other deities are Umale Okun – the God of the Sea, and Ogun – the God of Iron and War. Divination may be accomplished by men through consulting the Ifa Oracle, and ceremonies are performed on the ancestors during various occasions.
Kingship of Itsekiri
The Supreme Authority of the Warri Kingdom is the Olu of Warri Kingdom. The people of the Itsekiri kingdom revere the Olu of Warri as their demigod. The Itsekiri people have historically been governed by 21 Olu’s, also known as Ogiame. It is worth noting that written records began with Olu Atorongboye Sebastian I’s coronation in 1570.
Trade
An Isekiri Woman
The Itsekiri were primarily fishermen and traders, but also dealt in palm oil, rubber, enslaved people, and agricultural goods. Warri was formerly an important town and trading hub for palm oil and other items like rubber, cocoa, groundnuts, palm products, animal skins, and skin. The Slave trade flourished and Warri became a stronghold for Dutch and Portuguese slave dealers. The abolition of slavery and the slave trade drove a shift to other commodities. Britain’s conquest of Nigeria resulted in the region’s many kingdoms losing their sovereignty and political and social structure. European players took control of the oil trade by force.
Itsekiri Dressing
Itsekiri women tie double George wrappers, and depending on the occasion Itsekiri women tie wrappers bound on their chest, or it is worn with a blouse with exquisite coral beads, gold, and silver accessories. In contrast, Itsekiri men tie wrappers and traditional shirts known as ‘IKimeje. The Itsekiri men’s shirt has evolved into a more dynamic style over the years. The word Ikimeje is corrupt Portuguese for shirt “Camisa.”
Food
Furthermore, their ladies are considered to be good chefs, and legend has it that they cook so well that a man can scarcely resist.
Banga Soup – produced from palm oil, Epuru, and Owo soup – both eaten with Starch, are unique to the Itsekiris.