SPOTLIGHT DELTA: OLUKUMI PEOPLE

The Olukumi people are an ancient fragment of Yoruba people, located in Aniocha

North local government area of Delta State, Nigeria. The Olukumis 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. Ugbodu town is considered the traditional headquarters of the Olukumi people

and is traditionally headed by the Oloza of Ugbodu. The present Oloza is H.R.M Ayo

Isinyemeze. The other olukumi villages select leaders through the okpala obi

system, which was a borrowed feature from their neighbors, and is a fusion of the Obi

(Kingship) rulership system gotten from Benin, and the Okpala (Gerontocracy) system

gotten from the Igbos.

Geography.

The Olukumis occupy an area just west of the Niger River's right bank. The area is rich

in Chalk and Kaolin deposits which is known as "Efun" in Yoruba language, and "Nzu" in

Igbo, which has been traditionally mined and used by the people of the area for

various cultural purposes. Except on the Northern flank where the Olukumis share a

common border with Edo state and Esanland, they are almost completely surrounded

by Enuani communities.

Etymology

The word Olukumi means "My confidant" or "My friend" in Yoruba. [3][4][5] Modern

usage of the word remains just in the eastern Yoruba dialects of Owe (spoken around

Kabba town)/ Okun , Owo, Akoko and 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.

Olukumi Towns and Communities

s/n   Town                                   Origin.                                   Comment(s)

Ugbodu ((Ugbodumila)

Akure and Owo (Ogho)

Traditional centre of Olukumi people. Founded by early settlers from Akure and Owo axis.

Ukwu Nzu (Eko Efun)

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.

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).

Idumu Ogo

Ugboba (Ugbo

Oba)

Ogodor

Ogbe Onei

(Obomkpa ) 

Owo

Anioma

 Non Olukumi villages of Yoruba Origins

s/n                 Town                                    Origins                                               Comment(s)

Onichaku ( Ubulu Uku )

Ilesha

Was founded by a warrior called Jowasoro who migrated from Ilesha in Osun State.

Ogbekenu villages of

Onicha-Ugbo

Ikare-

Akoko

Founded by people from the Akoko area of Ondo state.

History

The Olukumis according to their own oral traditions are said to have migrated from

either the Owo, Akure or the Akoko areas of Yorubaland , depending on the Olukumi

town in question. All the aforementioned towns are in Ondo state , in the eastern

sections of Yorubaland. Ugbodu for instance claims to have migrated 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 as a result of a war that threatened them. A

quarter of Ugbodu town named Ologhosa was named after an Owo (Ogho) general

who led the early settlers. 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, even hundreds of years in their new location after

being detached from the main contiguous body of the Yoruba cultural area.

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 eastwards and settled near the

Ugbodu people. He and his group were 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 they for this

reason were called a people settled on a chalk mining camp. "Ago or Eko Efun" would

mean "chalk camp" in Yoruba.

Due to the subsequent blend and location of their settlements with the Enuani

speakers, they today speak both the Enuani dialect of Igbo language and Olukumi

dialect of Yoruba, in some of the villages, the Olukumi dialect is threatened, but the

people are making active and conscious efforts to preserve the Olukumi language and

culture. Some of these measures adopted by them have been aimed at ensuring the

retention and rejuvenation of their Olukumi names by making sure olukimi children bear

the names. Some of the adults have changed their erstwhile non olukumi names to

olukumi ones. Prayers and recitals in their native language are also being encouraged,

while making conscious efforts at speaking the language to their children and in their

communities as a whole.

According to a report published on the Sunday Tribune of October 24, 2010 by Banji

Aluko, they have also started to organize recitation and oratory quizzes and

competitions in Olukumi as a way of preserving the language for the future

generations. Digital and written documentation of the language is also

ongoing among linguists. Chief G B Nkemnacho, a lawyer of Olukumi origin, has over

the past forty years, documented his people's history as told by the older generation,

being the very people who lived through it. Prior to his groundbreaking work, most of

this history has been in oral form passed from one generation to the next.

Courtesy : Wikipedia