Everything about The Urhobo totally explained
The
Urhobo are a people of southern
Nigeria, near the northwestern
Niger River delta. The Urhobos are the major ethnic group in
Delta State; the Delta State is one of the 36 states of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak
Urhobo, a language in
Niger-Congo group. Together with another ethnic group in the region, the
Isoko, they're collectively known as the
Sobo. There is also the another related ethnic group known as the
Okpe. The Urhobos are noted for having their own unique style of speaking
Nigerian Pidgin English. Since their language is very demonstrative that translates into their style of speaking English and Pidgin English. As a result of their unique language style, their names are also unique. An example of a unique Urhobo name would be the name Onaodowan, belonging to the Onaodowan family from Warri.
Location
A bulk of the Urhobo people reside in the south western state of Delta in Nigeria also referred to as the
Niger Delta. Many live in the
Ughelli local government region and in
Warri and
Ethiope, while the Okpes live in Okpe ans Sapele Local Government Areas with Sapele as their major town, thus covering all areas of Delta state. Their language is also called Urhobo is believed to share similarities with the neighbouring
Bini or
Edo tribe.
Culture
The Urhobos live very close to and sometimes on the surface of the
Niger river. As such, most of their histories, mythologies, and philosophies are water-related. They have an annual fishing festival that includes masquerades, fishing, swimming contests, and dancing. There is also an annual, two-day, Ohworu festival in the southern part of the Urhobo area at which the Ohworhu water spirit and the Eravwe Oganga are displayed. The king in an Urhobo village is called the Ovie. His wife the queen is called Ovieya and his children Ọmọ Ovie (child of the king). Often nowadays, these names are also given to children without royal heritage by their parents. For the Okpes the king is called an Orodje, his spokesman an Otota, while palace chiefs are called Okakuro (a title/rank given to a top Bini chief of the Bini tribe in Edo (Edo State).
Food
As with most tribes in Nigeria, a certain food is considered to belong to or originate from a particular tribe as in pounded yam and egusi soup from the Igbos, Eba and Ogbono soup (sometimes referred to as Ogbolo soup by people of Esan or Etsakor descent). For the Urhobos there are two foods considered Urhobo in nature. They are: Ukhodo (a
yam and unripe
plantain dish sometimes cooked with
lemon grass and
potash) and Starch (actual name of this staple isn't often used) and Owo soup (the starch being that of the
cassava plant. It is heated and stirred into a thick mound with oil palm added to give the starch its unique orange-yellow colour. The Owo soup is composed of smoked or dried fish, unique spices, potash and oil palm juice).
The Urhobos are known for some special recipe which is called
Usi. This is also known as starch, and is made from cassava. Other food that's specific to the Urhobos for which they're known for are
Ukhodo, Ohwo soup, and
amiedi or
banga soup. Banga soup is made from the oil palm fruit. This soup is usually eaten with
usi or "starch" or even
garri, which is a kind of pepper soup source made with yams and unripe plantains with potash and various sauces.
Numbers
There are approximately 450,000 Urhobo people
(External Link
). Some sources put the number at approximately 1.5 million
(External Link). Their origin isn't known.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Urhobo'.
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