Olukumi people
The Olukumi people is a subgroup of the Yoruba people of the Aniocha North area of the Delta State, Nigeria. The Olukumi occupy eight communities west of the Niger river, and are together known today as the Odiani Clan in Aniomaland. Historically, the Odianis are the Yoruba clans in the Anioma cultural area. Ukwu Nzu (Eko Efun) town is the historical headquarters of the Olukumi people and is traditionally headed by the Obi of Ukwu Nzu, Agbogidi The present Obi is H.R.M. Obi Ogoh 1. Olukumi villages select leaders through the Okpala Obi system, which is a fusion of the Obi (kingship) government of Benin and the Okpala (gerontocracy) of the Igbos. The Odianis today are known as Anioma people in Delta State, together with the Ezechime who migrated from Edo land and Idumuje clan who migrated from Esan land. The Anioma people are those from Aniocha (Enuani and Olukumi), Ndokwa (Ukwuani), Ika, and Oshimili areas of Delta State.
 Migration pattern of the Olukumi | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Unknown | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Nigeria | |
| Languages | |
| Olukumi, Igbo | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Yoruba, Igbo, Esan |
Geography
The Olukumi are native to an area just west of the Niger River's right bank. The area is rich in Chalk and Kaolin deposits which is known as "Nzu" in Igbo language and "Efun" in Yoruba, which has been traditionally mined and used by the people of the area for various cultural purposes.
Etymology
The word Olukumi means "My confidant" or "My friend" in Yoruba.[1][2][3] Modern usage of the word remains just in the southern and eastern Yoruba dialects of Ijebu, Owé (the dialect of Kabba town) among the Okun people, Ekiti people, Owo, Akoko and the Igala (where it is known and pronounced as Onuku mi), but has been largely replaced by the word Ore in the Western dialects, and by extension generalized Yoruba speech.[4]
History
According to Olukumi oral tradition, Olukumi are migrants from the Owo, Akure or the Akoko areas of Yorubaland, depending on the Olukumi town in question. All these towns are in Ondo State, in eastern Yorubaland. For example, Ugbodu claims to have received migrants in waves from the Owo and Akure axis. Ugbodu lore further claims that shortly after their migration from Owo/Akure, they settled in Benin, from where they left to settle in a place called Ewohimi, which is an Esan-speaking community and is today located in Edo State. From Ewohimi, they settled in Ugbodu due to threat of war. A quarter of Ugbodu town named Ologhosa was named after an Owo (Ogho) general who led the early settlers.[5] They speak a variant of the Yoruba language which most closely resembles those of the South-Eastern Yoruba dialect grouping (SEY), which has surprisingly remained relatively intact despite hundreds of years of separation from the main contiguous body of the Yoruba cultural area.[6]
About three or four generations after the establishment, one Agbe said to be a relative of the founders of Usen, a town now in Edo state near the Ondo state boundary and the town of Okada (they came from Ile-Ife) moved east and settled near the Ugbodu people. The group was attracted to a chalk (Efun) site and thus settled there. This was the beginning of the town of Eko-Efun (Ukwu-Nzu). Gradually, the Ukwu Nzu people began to earn revenue from the chalk mines and so were called Ago or Eko Efun, "chalk camp" in Yoruba.
Due to the subsequent blend and proximity of their settlements with Enuani speakers, they today speak both the Olukumi dialect and Enuani dialect of Igbo language. In some villages, the Olukumi dialect is threatened, but the people make efforts to preserve the Olukumi language and culture. Some consciously give children Olukumi names, and some adults have changed their names to Olukumi names. Prayers and recitals in their native language are also being encouraged, while making conscious efforts to speak the language to their children and in their communities as a whole. Of the towns in the Odiani clan, only Ugbodu and Ukwu-Nzu are bilingual; the rest are solely Enuani-speaking.
According to a report in the Sunday Tribune of October 24, 2010 by Banji Aluko, they have also started to organize recitation and oratory quizzes and competitions in Olukumi to preserve the language. Linguists are also documenting the language. For 40 years, Chief G B Nkemnacho, a lawyer of Olukumi origin has documented his people's history as told by its elders as life experiences and oral tradition.[7]
Olukumi towns and communities
| s/n | Town | Origins | Comment(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukwu Nzu (Eko) | Ile-Ife via Usen (Usehin) | After the founding of Usen town in Edo state by people from Ile ife, Agbe, the founder of Ukwu-Nzu is said to have come from there. Ukwu Nzu is the Head of the Odiani clan who founded Olukwumi Town. |
| 2 | Ugbodu (Ugbodumila) | Akure and Owo (Ogho) | Traditional centre of Olukumi people. Founded by early settlers from Akure and Owo axis. |
| 3 | Ubulubu | People from Ugbodu and Eko Efun | A relatively late Olukumi town said to have been founded in 1800 by some Ugbodu people later joined by others from Eko efun people (Ukwu nzu). |
| 4 | Idumu Ogo | ||
| 5 | Ugboba (Ugbo Oba) | ||
| 6 | Ogodor | ||
| 7 | Ogbe Onei (Obomkpa) | Owo | |
| 8 | Anioma |
Non-Olukumi villages of Yoruba origin
| s/n | Town | Origins | Comment(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Onichaku (Ubulu Uku) | Ilesha | Was founded by a warrior called Jowasoro who migrated from Ilesha in Osun State. |
| 10 | Ogbekenu villages of Onicha-Ugbo | Ikare-Akoko | Founded by people from the Akoko area of Ondo state. |
Language
Notable Olukumi People
- Nduka Ugbade - (Former Nigerian football star and coach)
- Helen Anyamelune - (Former Miss Nigeria)
- Mozin Oyomitole Raphael - (Real Estate Billionaire)
- Mozin Yewande Adetumininu - Media Tycoon
- Mozin Ogooluwa -
- Chinedum Mordi - (First Professor from Ugbodu, lectured at Delta State University, Abraka
See also
References
- Jacob Oluwatayo Adeuyan. Contributions of Yoruba People in the Economic & Political Developments of Nigeria. AuthorHouse, 2011. ISBN 978-1-467-0248-08.
- Robert Sydney Smith (1988). Kingdoms of the Yoruba. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-299-1160-40.
- Chudi Okwechime (1994). Onicha-Ugbo through the centuries. Max-Henrie & Associates. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-9-783-2091-07.
- "A Comparative Phonology of the Olùkùmi, Igala, Owe and Yoruba Languages, p. 2 of 4" (PDF).
- "Olukumi: How Anioma preserved an international language inn Nigeria". January 27, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- "Ugbodu Development Union UK branch Registered Charity Information and Projects". Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- Augustine Senan Ogunyeremuba Okwu (2010). Igbo Culture and the Christian Missions, 1857-1957: Conversion in Theory and Practice. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 13. ISBN 9780761848844.