History and Origin of the Onitsha people
== History ==
The history of Onitsha began with the
migration of its people from the Benin
Empire towards the end of early part of
the Sixteenth Century AD. The migration
was as a result of a wave of unrest, war
and displacement unleashed by the
Islamic movement from North Africa.
It was during their passage through the
outskirts of Ile-Ife that they acquired the
name Onitsha – a corruption of the
Yoruba word Orisha and Udo, the famous
shrine worshiped by the people. As time
went on, the combination of the two
words, Onitsha for Orisha and Ado for
Udo culminated in the present name ,
Onitsha Ado.
The people of Onitsha left the out skirts of
Ile-Ife and resettled in the Benin Kingdom
and soon established themselves as one
of the clans in the Benin Kingdom
exercising all the rights and privileges
attached thereon.
As a result of a long process of
acculturation in Benin, the Onitsha people
jealously guarded their acquired rights
particularly with regard to their revered
Shrine Udo.
It was suggested that the reason why the
Onitsha people quarreled with Oba Esigie,
(1404-1550), of Benin was because of the
slight, the Oba gave their shrine-Udo. It
was customary for newly installed Oba to
pay homage to all important Shrines in
the Benin Kingdom by slaughtering a cow
in the shrines enclave. Oba Esigie failed to
do this at the Onitsha people's Udo-
Shrine, hence the quarrel.
It took the Onitsha people several years
before they got to Obior and Ilah and
finally crossed the River Niger and
established Onitsha Ado. They stopped at
several places in the then Mid-West now
called Delta State, places like Agbor,
Issele-Uku, etc. This explains the affinity
with the inhabitants of Delta State like
Ilah, Issele-Uku, Obbaamkpa, Onitsha-
Olona, Onitsha Ugbo, Agbo, Obior,
Onitsha Ukwu and so on.
Another version hold that the people of
Onitsha were part of the [[Edo] ] tribe. It
is for this reason that Onitsha people
fondly call their town "Onitsha Ado N'Idu"
meaning Onitsha of [[Edo] ] Origin. It is
also believed that the emigrants were
nicknamed "Onitsha" only after their
exodus from Benin by people whose
territories they marched through, ravaging
all that stood in their way. The name
Onitsha has also been translated to mean
dispenser. It reflects the manner the
emigrants dealt with obstacles placed on
their route by adjourning towns and
villages.
== Customs ==
All children roughly between the ages of
ten and twenty years were known as
Umu-Ilo. They are divided into
three age-groups, the senior being in
partial executive control of the rest, with
power to levy small fines
on any member who failed to turn out for
any of the duties which devolved upon
them. These duties are
confined to the up keep and cleanliness,
as understood by the Ilo, of paths,
compound and open spaces.
"'Age Grade Proper:"'
After leaving the Umo-Ilo stage, young
men would join together to form social
clubs corresponding to the successive
age-grades. Each grade or club adopted a
name. The Ndiche would periodically
select one of these grades to act as police
in enforcing their decisions. The grade so
selected would perform these duties for
as long as it was considered capable of
doing, after which it would hand over it's
duties to another selected grade.
== Age Grades: ==
The age-grades still keep their separate
identifies as social clubs, but Government
with it's Police and Court Messengers has
done away with the necessity for one of
the age-grade to acts as they used to. A
new body based on the age-grade system
has, however, arisen to meet modern
requirements. This body, know as the
Ogbo Isato, is made up of the eight age -
grades which have been formed from
those who left the Umu Ilo stage after
1900.
It thus, comprises roughly all the young
men in Onitsha between the ages of
twenty and thirty-five years – i.e,. the
young intelligentsia. The Ogbo Isato was
founded with the objective of bringing
non-partisan pressure to bear on the
Ndichie in the settlement of the Obi
succession and even if unsuccessful in
this object it has come to be an unofficial
power in the Town.
== Family Council ==
The administrative head of each family
was the senior titled man. If there were
Ndiche in the family, then he would be
considered the senior, if only [[Ozo] ]
titled men, then the oldest one amongst
them by age. In matters of any
importance, however all the elders
whether they had taken title of not, would
attend as well all the titled men. At such a
meeting, anyone would be allowed to air
his views but the titled men would consult
to decide the matter.
== Kindred Council ==
In each of the six kindreds the Ndiche
Ume was the administrative head; or
failing an Ndiche Ume, the senior Ndiche
Okwa. In the kindred Council as in the
family, any one who could command a
hearing might express his views but only
the title men would withdraw to consult.
== Town Administration ==
In all matters concerning Onitsha as a
whole, or in any family or kindred affair
which required an authorities order
greater than that which the [[Ndiche] ]
concerned could give, the Obi was the
final authority, though he was always first
approached by, and considered the
opinions of the Ndiche before giving his
decision. Confined to his house most of
the time as he was, the Obi would in
practice take the advice of his Ndiche on
most questions.
If they were divided opinion, he himself
might try to obtain more detailed
information from other private sources or
alternatively send the Ndiche away to
consult more thoroughly, and try to arrive
at some single decision. But no measure
adopted would be considered to be law
until it had the Obi's consent and
approval.
The history of Onitsha began with the
migration of its people from the Benin
Empire towards the end of early part of
the Sixteenth Century AD. The migration
was as a result of a wave of unrest, war
and displacement unleashed by the
Islamic movement from North Africa.
It was during their passage through the
outskirts of Ile-Ife that they acquired the
name Onitsha – a corruption of the
Yoruba word Orisha and Udo, the famous
shrine worshiped by the people. As time
went on, the combination of the two
words, Onitsha for Orisha and Ado for
Udo culminated in the present name ,
Onitsha Ado.
The people of Onitsha left the out skirts of
Ile-Ife and resettled in the Benin Kingdom
and soon established themselves as one
of the clans in the Benin Kingdom
exercising all the rights and privileges
attached thereon.
As a result of a long process of
acculturation in Benin, the Onitsha people
jealously guarded their acquired rights
particularly with regard to their revered
Shrine Udo.
It was suggested that the reason why the
Onitsha people quarreled with Oba Esigie,
(1404-1550), of Benin was because of the
slight, the Oba gave their shrine-Udo. It
was customary for newly installed Oba to
pay homage to all important Shrines in
the Benin Kingdom by slaughtering a cow
in the shrines enclave. Oba Esigie failed to
do this at the Onitsha people's Udo-
Shrine, hence the quarrel.
It took the Onitsha people several years
before they got to Obior and Ilah and
finally crossed the River Niger and
established Onitsha Ado. They stopped at
several places in the then Mid-West now
called Delta State, places like Agbor,
Issele-Uku, etc. This explains the affinity
with the inhabitants of Delta State like
Ilah, Issele-Uku, Obbaamkpa, Onitsha-
Olona, Onitsha Ugbo, Agbo, Obior,
Onitsha Ukwu and so on.
Another version hold that the people of
Onitsha were part of the [[Edo] ] tribe. It
is for this reason that Onitsha people
fondly call their town "Onitsha Ado N'Idu"
meaning Onitsha of [[Edo] ] Origin. It is
also believed that the emigrants were
nicknamed "Onitsha" only after their
exodus from Benin by people whose
territories they marched through, ravaging
all that stood in their way. The name
Onitsha has also been translated to mean
dispenser. It reflects the manner the
emigrants dealt with obstacles placed on
their route by adjourning towns and
villages.
== Customs ==
All children roughly between the ages of
ten and twenty years were known as
Umu-Ilo. They are divided into
three age-groups, the senior being in
partial executive control of the rest, with
power to levy small fines
on any member who failed to turn out for
any of the duties which devolved upon
them. These duties are
confined to the up keep and cleanliness,
as understood by the Ilo, of paths,
compound and open spaces.
"'Age Grade Proper:"'
After leaving the Umo-Ilo stage, young
men would join together to form social
clubs corresponding to the successive
age-grades. Each grade or club adopted a
name. The Ndiche would periodically
select one of these grades to act as police
in enforcing their decisions. The grade so
selected would perform these duties for
as long as it was considered capable of
doing, after which it would hand over it's
duties to another selected grade.
== Age Grades: ==
The age-grades still keep their separate
identifies as social clubs, but Government
with it's Police and Court Messengers has
done away with the necessity for one of
the age-grade to acts as they used to. A
new body based on the age-grade system
has, however, arisen to meet modern
requirements. This body, know as the
Ogbo Isato, is made up of the eight age -
grades which have been formed from
those who left the Umu Ilo stage after
1900.
It thus, comprises roughly all the young
men in Onitsha between the ages of
twenty and thirty-five years – i.e,. the
young intelligentsia. The Ogbo Isato was
founded with the objective of bringing
non-partisan pressure to bear on the
Ndichie in the settlement of the Obi
succession and even if unsuccessful in
this object it has come to be an unofficial
power in the Town.
== Family Council ==
The administrative head of each family
was the senior titled man. If there were
Ndiche in the family, then he would be
considered the senior, if only [[Ozo] ]
titled men, then the oldest one amongst
them by age. In matters of any
importance, however all the elders
whether they had taken title of not, would
attend as well all the titled men. At such a
meeting, anyone would be allowed to air
his views but the titled men would consult
to decide the matter.
== Kindred Council ==
In each of the six kindreds the Ndiche
Ume was the administrative head; or
failing an Ndiche Ume, the senior Ndiche
Okwa. In the kindred Council as in the
family, any one who could command a
hearing might express his views but only
the title men would withdraw to consult.
== Town Administration ==
In all matters concerning Onitsha as a
whole, or in any family or kindred affair
which required an authorities order
greater than that which the [[Ndiche] ]
concerned could give, the Obi was the
final authority, though he was always first
approached by, and considered the
opinions of the Ndiche before giving his
decision. Confined to his house most of
the time as he was, the Obi would in
practice take the advice of his Ndiche on
most questions.
If they were divided opinion, he himself
might try to obtain more detailed
information from other private sources or
alternatively send the Ndiche away to
consult more thoroughly, and try to arrive
at some single decision. But no measure
adopted would be considered to be law
until it had the Obi's consent and
approval.
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