ESAN
PEOPLE Ẹ̀bhò Ẹ̀sán
The Esan people, or Ishan
people (Esan: Ẹbhọ Esan) are an ethnic group in
Southwestern Nigeria, mainly in what is now the Edo Central Senatorial
District, in Edo State. The Esan people live primarily in Esanland, a
modern term for the 35 kingdoms or clans making up the Esan
people: Irrua, Ekpoma, Uromi, Ubiaja, Egoro, Ekpon,
Ewohimi, Emu, Ewatto, Ewossa, Amalu, Igueben, Idoa, Illushi, Ifeku,
Iyenlen, Iruekpen, Ohordua, Okhuesan, Oria, Onogholo, Orowa, Opoji, Ogwa, Okalo,
Ebelle, Ewu, Ugboha, Uroh, Uzea, Udo, Urohi, Ojiogba, Ugun, Ugbegun, and Ukhun.
Each kingdom is led by a hereditary ruler, or an onogie. Esanland
is situated just north of the Niger Delta and about sixty-five
kilometers north-east of the state capital, Benin City. Esanland is also west
of the Niger River.
While traditional, oral accounts from both Esanland and the Benin Empire point
to a mass exodus of people, recent arcaheological evidence points to a
pre-Esan, pre-Edo kingdom in the savannah-forest, in present day northern
Esanland. This empire likely existed from 500 A.D. to 1000 A.D. The modern Esan
nation came to be during the 15th century, when citizens left the
neighbouring Benin Empire and formed communities and kingdoms
[called eguares. These kingdoms were subjugated in the 20th century
to the British Empire, only gaining independence in 1960 when Nigeria became
independent. Although the Esans were ethnically homogeneous, there is no
attitude for secession, save for a short-lived Republic of Benin instituted
by Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War.
It is estimated that the Esan people number about half-a million to 700,000
citizens in Esanland, not counting the Esan diaspora collected in
the slave trade, the number of Esan citizens in other parts of Nigeria,
and the number of Esan people moved to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and South Africa and
other parts of Europe. The Esan traditionally farm yams, palm-trees, meat, and
vegetables, hunt, fish, trade cotton, and other materials, and serve in
the army of the Benin Empire.
The Esans primarily speak the Esan language, an Edoid language related to the Urhobo, the Edo, and the Etsako.
It is believed by many historians that the name 'Esan' (originally, 'E san
fia') owes its origin to Bini (meaning, 'they have fled' or 'they jumped
away'). 'Ishan' is an Anglicized form of 'Esan', the result of colonial
Britain's inability to properly pronounce the name of this ethnic group. It is
believed that similar corruption has affected such Esan names as ubhẹkhẹ (now
'obeche' tree), uloko (now 'iroko' tree), Abhuluimẹn (now 'Aburime'), etc.
Efforts have however been made to return to status quo ante.
For academic purpose, Esan refers to
1. the ethnic group that
occupies central Edo State;
2. (plural unchanged)
a person or the people collectively from this ethnic group;
3. the language of these
people which, linguistically, is of the Kwa subdivision of the Niger-Congo
language family;
4. Something of, related to,
or having Esan origin e.g. uro Esan (=Esan language), otọ Esan (=Esan land),
ọghẹdẹ Esan (=Esan banana).
Esanland is bordered on the West by
Ondo/Ekiti States. It is bordered on the East by Lower Niger River.
Esanland & History
Esanland & History
A total of thirty four kingdoms (large villages/townships ruled
traditionally by monarchs) make up Esan and many of them seem to have their own
oral versions of the origin of Esan as well as its own starting point in
history. One of the most popular of these is the one advocated by the group
much of which constitutes the now defunct Agbazilo, one of the two former local
government administrative units in Esan.
According to the Agbazilo group, made up mainly of Uromi and Uzea, Esan came
into being when one of the children of Bini’s Queen Oakha and Ojiso Owodo,
Prince Uzia Asokpodudu (Ojiso Owodo’s crown prince and heir apparent) founded
Uzea in about 1188 AD after they fled their father's (the Ojiso's) palace
following the death sentence passed on their mother, Queen Oakha, who was
alleged to have committed adultery with a Bini chief, Ovior. The duo of Ozogbo
and Oigi, Asokpodudu's younger brothers, escaped along with him and the mother.
It is believed that not only did Prince Asokpodudu (the founder of Uzea
Kingdom) escape with the mother, Oakha, relations and some palace servants, he also
left with his father’s (the king's) royal trident, ‘Uziziẹnghain’, the Ojiso’s
heir loom.
The Uziziẹnghain used to be the royal regalia with which the Ojiso dynasty was
founded. Ozogbo later left Asokpodudu in his base in what is today known as
Uzea to found Ẹgbele in present-day Uromi while Oigi went and establish a
settlement with his mother, Oakha, which is today known as Ẹkperi (outside Esan
land). 'Ikhio' is an annual feast celebrated in Uzea in remembrance of Oakha.
While Queen Oakha and her children fled northward of Bini, Chief Ovior, her
alleged lover, fled eastward to a settlement he established, which is today
known as Obior (probably a corruption of 'Ovior'), near Asaba, Delta State
capital.
This is believed by some to be the very beginning of Esan, though the
Irrua group may not readily accede to this historical contention. The very name
'Esan' was not applied to this people until the arrival of other emigrants from
Bini, who fled Oba Ewuare's brutal reign. The Oba (Bini monarch) had decreed:
"No making of fire to cook; no cleaning of homes; no procreation; no
washing of clothes." Unable to abide by these rules, many natives fled the
Bini Kingdom. When the king sought to know where many of his subjects had gone,
he was told, "Esan fua" ("They have fled"), thus giving
rise to 'E-san-fua' and later 'Esan'.
In other words, the name Esan was never borne by the earlier group until the
arrival of the later groups. Other groups, such as Ekpoma, left Bini later to
establish bases where they occupy presently. Except some historical contention
to the effect that Esan has always been where they are presently, or that Bini
in fact migrated from Esan to its present abode, Esan in this sense is a
group/tribe of 'fled/jumped away' people from Bini for various reasons and at
different periods in history. Esan largely remains a migrants' settlement just
like the New World. This position has made some historians to argue that the
Agbazilo group, Uromi and Uzea, are a pre-Esan group which has decided to
coexist under the same banner of Esan. It was within this same group, in Uzea,
that Oba Ozolua met his waterloo and was buried in Ugboha's Otokhimhin,
originally called 'Oto-ukhimhin' (the land of Ukhimhin tree). This is the
origin of the popular saying among Esan that "Oba ii de Esan, Ozolua ii ri
Edo" meaning, "A Benin monarch does not visit Esan just as King
Ozolua (of Benin) will not return to Benin."
The traditional agogo bell. The agogo is a very important instrument in
Esanland. It is used to help keep of the rhythm of the region's various dances,
and the translation of hour in Esan is agogo.
 |
The traditional agogo bell. The agogo is a very important instrument in Esanland. It is used to help keep of the rhythm of the region's various dances, and the translation of hour in Esan is agogo. |
Geography
Esan land is bordered to the south by Benin City, to the south-east by Agbor,
to the north and east by Etsako, to the west by River Niger. From Ewu to Benin
City, the State capital, is 100 km long. No accurate demographic data of
the people is available and the various local governments in Esan appear to
lack reliable information in this direction. The people populate areas such
as Uromi, Ewohimi, Ewatto, Igueben, Irrua, Ubiaja, Ogwa, Ebele, Ekpoma, Ohordua and
Ewu in central Edo State, South-South Nigeria. It has a flat landscape,
lacking in rocks and mountains, and good for agricultural purpose.
Geographically, Esanland is on a plateau, surrounded by slopes down to the
lower Niger River, the valley and wetland towards Etsako, the Kukuruku Hills
and the plain around Benin City the state capital. The tableland though
reddish-brown in colour, is a fertile land for farming, which is the main
occupation of the Esan people. There is a dense thick forest, nutritionally
rich in economic crops and herbal plants. However, it is suffering from bush
burning, and wood felling for timber and as a major source of fuel (which is in
high demand) for the increasing population of the Esan people.
Agriculture
Rubber tree (used for the production of plastic products) and palm tree rank
highest among Esan trees. The land's variety of fruits range from mango, orange(ate),
grape, pineapple (edinenbo), guava, cashew, banana (oghede),
plantain, black pear, avocado pear, lime to walnut and even more. Cassava, yam,
cocoa yam, sweet potato, pepper, okra and rice are some of its farm produce. It
has numerous streams that are too small to afford fishing.
Beyond all of the agricultural products listed above are numerous edible fruits
and plants without English name. Oruru, for example, seems to belong to the
berry family. Purple or violet in colour as the specie maybe, is a very
delicious fruit, common at the beginning of the dry season, which formerly
comes up in late September/October yearly, But due to climate change, these
month are no longer guaranteed. A lot more research work is needed in the areas
of available fruits and plants, animals, insects, birds, etc. in Esanland.
Esan Language
The various Esan dialects are mutually intelligible. Irrua dialect, also spoken in Ewu, is used in education.
Military
Esan kingdoms did not have standing armies; rather, kingdoms set up
emergency programs in which all of the able bodied men in said kingdom would
fight. If a kingdom was attacked, the onojie would contact the edionwele to
mobilize the forces. The onojie or odionwele would then appoint a commander, or
‘’okakulo’’ to control forces. The ‘’okakulo’’ would usually be a noble,
physically strong, of the ‘’Igene’’ age group and a feared medicine man and man
of valour. Typical Esan weapons would include the bow and arrow, crossbow,
barbed cudgel and machete, in addition to Dane guns used after the fifteenth
century. War would be declared if the kingdom was attacked, if a wife was
seized, or if a man was killed (if the latter two occurred, the kingdom could
choose to make reprisals.)
Religion and Folklore
Esan folktales and folklore, like the igbabonẹlimhin and akhuẹ,
serve as forms of learning and entertainment. The Esan have prominent
traditional rulers who keep order in a society where beauty and manners are
intertwined. Despite the long-term impact of Christianity, the Esan are largely
traditional and a large number practice traditional beliefs in the form of
worship of ancestral spirits and other gods. A large percentage of Esan are
Christians, mostly Catholic and recently of other denominations. Esan has
various dialects all of which stem from Bini and there is still close
affinity between the Esan and the Bini, which leads to the common saying
"Esan ii gbi Ẹdo" meaning, Esan does not harm the Ẹdo (i.e. Bini).
Traditional Esan religion has many similarities to traditional Edo
religion, due to the Esan migration to the northeast during the 15th century
from the Benin Empire. There are many deities of the Esan religion:
·
Osanobua,
the main Edo-Esan god. This name for God was brought over to Christianity and
its missionaries, and thus the translation for God in Esanland
is Osanobua.
·
Olokun
·
Eshu,
the Esan trickster god. This god is shared with Yoruba and Edo myth. The name
Eshu was used as a translation for Satan by Christian missionaries.
·
Osun,
the Esan god of medicine. This is where the surname Olokun, or son of medicine,
originated from.
Esan
Local Government Areas in Edo State.
The autonomous clans/kingdoms in Esan land
are currently administratively arranged as follows under the current five local
government areas:
- Esan-North-East LGA,
Uromi: Uromi, Ubierumu-Oke,
Uzea,Arue
2. Esan Central LGA, Irrua: Irrua, Ugbegun, Okpoji, Idoa,
Ewu.
3. Esan West LGA, Ekpoma: Ekpoma, Iruekpen, Ogwa, Urohi,
Ukhun, Egoro.
4. Esan South East LGA, Ubiaja: Ubiaja, Ewohimi, Emulu,
Ohordua, Ẹwatto, Okhuesan, Orowa, Ugboha, Oria, lllushi, Onogholo.
5. Igueben LGA, Igueben: Igueben, Ebele, Amaho, Ẹwosa,
Udo, Ekpon, Ujorgba, Ugun, Okalo.
WPP Jr
Editor/Publisher
ESANLAND
WPP Jr
Editor/Publisher
ESANLAND
