Igarra (also known as Etuno) is the

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

Headquarters of the

Akoko Edo Akoko Edo is a Local Government Area in Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Igarra. It has an area of 1,371 km and a population of 262,110 at the 2006 census. It consists of the Akoko people, who are split between Ondo a ...

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. The town is made up of the Ugbogbo, Utua, and Uffa quarters. It is beautified with rocky terrains, and is surrounded by the

Kukuruku Hills The Kukuruku Hills is a prominent area of dissected highlands in Nigeria, historically situated in the Afenmai Division. This region was previously known as the Kukuruku Division until 1956. Geographically, the Kukuruku Hills extend across parts o ...

. Igarra residents, known as ''Anetuno'', speak the Etuno language and share linguistic and cultural similarities with the Egbira of

Kogi State Kogi State is a States of Nigeria, state in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti State, Ekiti and Kwara State, Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, Fe ...

. Igarra is also one of the ethnic nationalities that makes up Afemailand. The founding fathers of Igarra migrated from Idah in present day

under the leadership of Ariwo Ovejijo who was a prince in Idah and who left Idah with his supporters because he felt cheated of his right to ascend the throne of the Attah of Igalla many centuries ago. He and his followers, made up of all the present families in Igarra, founded Igarra and he became the first ruler who ruled over his followers in the new kingdom under the title of “Otaru Ariwo Ovejijo Oshinoyi Etuno” meaning “Otaru Ariwo Ovejijo, King of Igarra people,” which, up till today, is still the traditional eulogy or appellation for the Otaru of Igarra. Apart from the fact that the

oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

(Eva) favoured the settlement at the present site called Igarra, other factors that contributed to their final decision to settle here, include the following: # Cool refreshing spring water from the hills such as the Ivokoto, Ifege, Idiko and Usege springs. Even after the construction of pipe-borne waters, some people in Igarra still prefer the cool spring water from Ivokoto and Ifege. # Hills offering protection against external aggression. Igarra is almost totally surrounded by rocky hills. # Fertile agricultural soil for crops like Yam, Cassava, and Palm produce. “UNO” mean palm produce in Igala language). Igarra possibly derived its name from this abundant palm produce which they met on their arrival on the land. # Flourishing trade in beads with the aborigine – Anafuas. At the time of the migration, one of the women that came to the present site with Ariwo Ovejijo harboured in her had some grains of guinea corn accidentally or deliberately. This woman was believed to be from Eziakuta family – one of the families that was loyal to Ariwo Ovejijo. This guinea corn grew up, was harvested and regrown. This is probably the reason why the Eziakuta family play significant role in the (osisiakumete) “Ete” is Igarra means land or soil. “Osisiakumete” therefore means the appeasement of the god of the soil and harvest. It is on this day that Upe Enu date is fixed. (Upe Enu is the new yam festival in Igarra). As stated earlier, Ariwo Ovejijo and his migrants met very few people residing on the hills of Igarra. These were the Anafuas (midgets), Anivas (foolish people) and Andokonis. Very little is known about these people except that they lived in caves and their life style was simple and unsophisticated compared to the Igarras. These people were eliminated when they began to constitute a menace to the Igarras after settlement. They were either killed or driven away from the area to join their kith and kin in the former

Congo Basin The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...

(pygmies of the Congo Basin). They are remembered till today by the Arigede song “Andokoni van reku ayi Ido wa” etc meaning Andokonis were our enemies and we conquered them. The Anafuas were a cunning set of people who use the strength of the Anivas to their advantage. The Anivas are believed to be very powerful that they could lift very big stones as barricades against the enemies of the Anafuas. The unfortunate thing amongst them was that they were very foolish hence any foolish behavior in Igarra today is attributed to an Iva blood on any one. The head of these people coincidentally was called Uno from which Igarra could have also derived its name ‘Etuno’ meaning the land of Uno. The Anafuas were very good trader in beads. They exchanged their beads for farm products. The use of

cowrie Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails in the family Cypraeidae. Cowrie shells have held cultural, economic, and ornamental significance in various cultures. The cowrie was the shell most widely used wo ...

s as a medium of exchange was further strengthened. ‘Ovene’, ‘Isu’, ‘Ofa’, and “Opa” were the different types of beads these Anafuas traded in.

Aba Festival

Aba festival is the most celebrated traditional festival in Igarra. It is usually held every seven years and starts during the month of August. The Aba Festival started as a celebration of victory by local hunters over the initial settlers of the land. The festival which is 228 years old marks the climax of activities as it signals the end of a seven-year traditional administrative tenure and the beginning of a new one. The festival is always colorful with fun and flair. The festival has been rated by Total E & T in 2006 as the sixty indigenous cultural festivals in West Africa.

References

3. https://www.igarrakingdom.org/founding/ {{commons category, Igarra Populated places in Edo State