The Ibani people are Indegenous
Ijaw people
The Ijaw people, also known as the Izon people, are an ethnic group found in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria, with primary Population, population clusters in Bayelsa State, Bayelsa, Delta State, Delta, and Rivers State, Rivers. They also have ...
who live in Bonny and Opobo areas of
Rivers State
Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...
, Nigeria.
Bonny town is the tribal seat of the Ibani, and is located on the bight of
Bonny River. Bonny's development was significantly shaped by the tribe's close interaction with European traders from the 15th century to the 18th century.
History
The
Kingdom of Bonny
The Kingdom of Bonny, otherwise known as Grand Bonny, is a Nigerian traditional state, traditional state based on the town of Bonny, Nigeria, Bonny in Rivers State, Nigeria. In the pre-colonial period, it was an important slave trading port, late ...
was a major trading center
from the 16th
century
A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
...
onwards. They traded in ivory, elephant teeth and spices before they became major players in the
trans-atlantic slave trade. Its people were later known for the exportation of
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
and palm kernel. The indigenes of the Bonny and
Opobo
Opobo is a community in Rivers state, South South region of Nigeria that was founded in 1870 . The people of Opobo are a mixture of the Ndoki tribe, Ndoki clan of the Igbo people and the Ibani clan of the Ijaw ethnic group. Their native languages ...
kingdoms are collectively known as the Ibani people.
Language
The Ibani language, is part of the
Izon Language classification, which is a dialect that has existed since before Nigeria was given its name, is widely spoken in Bonny Kingdom and the Opobo Kingdom, although its pervasiveness has been declining in more recent years due to
Westernization
Westernization (or Westernisation, see spelling differences), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt what is considered to be Western culture, in areas such as industr ...
.
Wars
Historically, Bonny engaged in several wars against its nearby rivals, such as
Elem Kalabari,
Obolo people and
Andoni.
[Alagoa, Ebiegberi Joe (2005). ''A History of the Niger Delta'', Port Harcourt: Onyoma Research Publications. ]
Settlements
Some Ibani settlements include:
Finima,
Abalama, Oloma, and Kuruama.
References
Ijaw
Indigenous peoples of Rivers State
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