The Isu people are a subgroup of the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A s ...

of southeast

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. In the pre-colonial era, the Igbo people were protected from external invasion by the dense forests of the region, which also had the effect of encouraging diversity. Thus as warriors the neighboring Owerri people looked down on the Isu people, who were traders. Isuama is the name given to the south-central part of

Igboland Igboland ( Standard ), also known as Southeastern Nigeria (but extends into South-Southern Nigeria), is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. It is a cultural and common linguistic region in southern Nigeria. Geographically, it is divide ...

, which was a major source of slaves during the period of the

trans-Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and ...

. The name has been carried across the Atlantic, where it is found in the name of Cuban society ''Carabali Isuama''. This name pays homage to the group's ancestry in the Isuama area of

to the north of the Kalabari

Ijaw people The Izon people or Izon Otu, otherwise known as the Ijaw people due to the historic mispronunciation of the name ''Izon'', are an ethnic group majorly found in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, with significant population clusters in Bayelsa, in Delta ...

. At one time the Isuama language was spoken in Cuba, but eventually it and other Cross River languages was displaced by the standard Abakua language called Brikamo. As of September 2010 the traditional ruler of Amandugba, in the north of Isu Local Government Area of

Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo River which flows al ...

was Eze Innocent Ikejiofor. That month he asked his kinsmen in the United States to support the reelection bid of Governor Ikedi Ohakim in the elections due in April 2011. Some of the Isu people live on the

Nwangele Nwangele is a Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. The name was derived from the popular Nwangele river which marks the boundary between Amaigbo and Umuozu Isu. The river which is believed to have originated from Isiekenesi town passes thr ...

Local Government Area. Their community holds the annual Igba-nta celebration, a tourist attraction.

References

Sources * * * * * * * * * {{authority control Igbo subgroups Ethnic groups in Nigeria