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Obolo | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 700,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Rivers State & Akwa Ibom State | |
| Languages | |
| Obolo | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ibibio, Oron, Annang, Ibeno, Efik, Enyong, Ido, |
TheObolo people,[1] also known as theAndoni[2] orDoni, is anijoid tribe in theNiger Delta region ofNigeria.[3][4] Obolo people are ofIjaw ancestry and are primarily found inRivers State andAkwa Ibom State.[5]
The Obolo occupy the longest stretch of theCross River Basin of the Niger Delta mangrove belt, which also houses the largestoil andgas deposits in theGulf of Guinea.[4][citation needed]
Thedocumentation of the origin and the migration of the Obolo people is sparse and fragmented. The earliest data on Obolomigration is from around12th century BC.
Obolo people (Andoni, Idoni or Indo) existed before thecolonial era and commercial contacts with European traders. They interacted with theBonny,Okrika,Kalabari,Nkoro, and Ibono people in what is nowIbeno, as well as with the Okoro-utip and Mkpanak people of Ibeno.[clarification needed] In the past, the Obolo people frequently fought wars with theKingdom of Bonny and theOgoni people,[6] though they generally maintain good relations with the latter.[7] The Obolo people havemigrated and settled in various parts ofNiger Delta andWest Africa at large.
Prior to theBritish colonial era, the Obolo people were among the first to come in contact with theEuropeans and traded mainly with thePortuguese.[citation needed] They worshipped anational deity called Yok-Obolo, the founder and spiritual head of the Obolo people, said to have been elevated to a god status upon death.
Christianity was already accepted in Obolo land long before 1699. When John Barbot visited Dony Town (Andoni) in 1699, he observed that the King of Dony Town acceptedChristianity andpriests were regularly sent fromSao Tome andBrazil to him to act as ministers. The king of Dony Town also spokePortuguese.[7] Nonetheless, the Yok-Obolo was still feared among neighboring tribes, who spread rumors of their ferocity in battle even to the British.[8]
In 1869,King Jaja had to take an oath of allegiance to the Yok-Obolo before he was allowed to establish his new town Opobo (1870) in theAndoni territory.[citation needed] This was against the wishes of BishopAjayi Crowther, who lamented that King Jaja was entering the "Heart of Darkness" when he came to Obolo in 1869 for treatynegotiations with the Obolos.[citation needed]
In response to the stories about the Obolo, British colonial authorities decided to send a punitive expedition against them in 1904. The expedition was led by Captain A.A. Whitehouse, with the aim of destroying Obolo as a political entity and reducing their influence among neighboring tribes in the Niger Delta.[citation needed] Upon arrival, Whitehouse and his military team went straight to Alabie Town (Agwut-Obolo), burned, and destroyed the high altar of the deity of the Obolomonarchy, Yok-Obolo, and the site of the House of Skulls with over 2000 skulls of Obolo enemies killed in wars.[citation needed]
After destroying the House of Skulls and the Shrine of Yok-Obolo, the British splitAndoni into six parts, each attached to one of the six Native Courts in the Niger Delta, hoping to destroy the Obolo politically.[citation needed] Some of thebronze arts and crafts collected by the British during this expedition are still on display in theBritish Museum.[9]
The Obolo people speak theObolo language.[10] The Obolo language contributes to the identity of the people ofAndoni andEastern Obolo. It is one of the 535 languages inNigeria and belongs to theLower Cross River language sub-branch of the Delta Cross branches of the Eastern Division of South CentralNiger Congo language family.
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The Nwantam masquerade, celebrated every year on January 1, is among the highlights of Obolo festivities, which they share with theOpobo,Nkoro, and Bonny. Their ancient practices include a writing system known asnsibidi.
The annual fishing festivalIjok-Irin, celebrated every5th of July, is unique to the people ofUnyeada Kingdom,[11]and marks the end of the annual traditional fishing season betweenJuly andAugust. Fishermen, especially migrant fishermen, return home from long expeditions far into theNiger Delta to present their biggest catch (usually smoked dried) to the King ofUnyeada kingdom (Okaan-Ama). The highlight of the Ijok-Irin festival is thenet casting (Ogbo-njin)competition. This ancient, elaboratelychoreographedfishing method is peculiar toUnyeada people, and features net castingfishermen arranged in two opposite rows of 30 canoes or more. When a whistle-blower signals, the paddling of thecanoes from the opposite direction drives schools of fish into the middle, before thefishermen cast their nets insynchronization, ensuring a large catch. In recent years, the festival has beenrebranded to increase its potential forecotourism.[citation needed]
Present dayAndoni orObolo people follow Christianity and most parts have fully incorporated it into their culture while some still worship local god/gods.[citation needed]
Obolo territory, which spans from the Eastern Obolo territory inAkwa Ibom State toBight of Bonny inRivers State, has significant natural resources. Part of Nigeria'soil andgasrevenue comes from the Obolo land.[12]
