|
Urhobo Historical Society |
A
Review of Studies in Urhobo
Culture
By
Hope Eghagha, Ph.D
University of lagos, Nigeria
|
Title of book: Studies
in Urhobo Culture
Editor: Professor
Peter Ekeh Publishers: Urhobo
Historical Society Place of
Publication: Year of
Publication: 2005. Pages: 768 Cover price: Not stated. |
There is a sense in which we can situate the reasoning, logic
of and raison de’tre behind Studies in Urhobo Culture
within the phenomenon of the resurgence of ethnic nationalism. For, as
we know,
the prevailing political climate of our immediate milieu re-emphasizes
the need
to define and identify the ethnic identities of the nationalities which
predominate the Nigerian geographical space. This has to be done within
a
particular ambience, geographical, cultural and perhaps political.
Except we
correctly and explicitly write our history, our fortunes will be
decided by
external factors which are often at variance with our hopes and
aspirations.
What this implies is that intellectuals and contributors with varying
backgrounds have injected their knowledge into distilling the essence
of Urhobo
culture for general consumption. The editor makes the telling point
that
whereas the language and culture of some of the major ethnic groups
received
intellectual and anthropological attention nearly one hundred years
ago, ‘to
date’ and I quote, “the most comprehensive study of Urhobo culture by
any
Western scholar came with Perkins Ross’s edited companion catalogue of
an
excellent art exhibition titled Where Gods and Mortals Meet:
Continuity and
Renewal in Urhobo Art. It was published in 2004!”
Edited by renowned and
international scholar, Professor Peter Ekeh, the book parades an array
of
scholars of Urhobo extraction and two non-Urhobo who have distinguished
themselves in different fields of human endeavour and academic
disciplines.
There are also essays written by non-academics, men and women
sufficiently
versed in Urhobo customs and traditions as to offer views which
generally convey
the Urhobo worldview. This makes for easy and broad reading. In other
words,
both the academic and non-academic will benefit immensely from the
information
presented for consumption.
However, Studies in Urhobo Culture goes beyond
a window-dressed presentation of the cultural life of the Urhobo
people. It
vigorously interrogates the historical processes which produced the
Urhobo
nation. It also rigorously examines some theoretical postulations and
historical assumptions on the origins of the Urhobo people. It disputes
or
contests some broadly held opinions on history, interethnic relations,
land,
and values. The implication is that as a people we must be ready to
contest for
space by asserting the spirit and letter of our true history with a
view to leaving
a worthwhile legacy for the future.
It also boldly confronts the language question and how
imperative it is for the Urhobo language to continue. Dr Macauley
Mowarin takes
up this issue under the title ‘Language Endangerment in Urhoboland’. This problem is not unique to the Urhobo. It
is a problem of underdevelopment. Mowarin observes that
African languages
are going into extinction due to the
belief of
Africans in the inferiority of their indigenous
languages and the
superiority of former colonial languages.
African languages
are marginalized because Africans
believe that
their languages are not socially and economically
useful to
them.
We are therefore compelled to ask whether
Urhobo language is being taught as a subject in all Urhobo local
governments in
As an academic endeavour, Studies in Urhobo Culture boldly
traverses the entire spectrum of Urhobo cultural life. It is
interdisciplinary in approach drawing from Language studies, History
(including
an exegesis of migration theories and assumptions), Geography,
Religion,
Agriculture, Philosophy, Art, and Music. The book is thematically
divided into
nine sections, with a total of twenty-nine essays. A lucid and
evocative essay
written by the editor prepares the reader for the main contents of the
work.
Religion is central in all ramifications of Urhobo life. The
essays in this section examine the two main religions in Urhobo land –
traditional religion and Christianity. Within the broad group of
traditional
African religion, some beliefs and value systems are examined. It is
also a
framework that permits a study of totemism and an interface between
traditional
African religion and Christianity. Pursuing the subject of religion
further,
contributors to the book dwell on Igbe Ubiesha and Osanughegbe
as
ventures into monotheism. Against the background of a surge in the
activities
of the Pentecostal movement in Urhoboland, such a study can be said to
be
apposite at this time in the history of the Urhobo people.
In keeping faith with contemporary trends of academic
discourse, a whole section is devoted to the role of women in building
the
family unit in Urhoboland. All contributors are united by the view that
marriage remains a socio-cultural institution which brings two
individuals of
opposite sexes and their different families together. There is also an
essay on
‘Isoko-Urhobo traditional marriage ceremony in the Diaspora’ in this
section.
Marriage remains an institution for the Urhobo which must be respected.
As a
union between two families individuals are expected to circumscribe to
the
communal ethos in arriving at fundamental decisions. Within this
context,
religion as enshrined in the codes of ‘dos and don’ts’ plays a dynamic
role in
the marriage institution.
Studies in Urhobo Culture also
examines the contributions of Urhobo artistes to the poetry of
Space constraints restrict me from commenting elaborately on
the poem as an example of Urhobo culture. It is a mother’s day and the
feast
that follows is celebratory, giving thanks to the deities that govern
the
cosmos. Art forms also reveal aspects of culture which are inherent in
the mode
of expression adopted by the artist. They also reveal the verbal
strengths and
weaknesses of a people.
Academics and researchers know the significant role
played by ‘folk history’ in trying to reconstruct the history of a
people. In
the case of the Urhobo where there is a dearth of written historical
materials,
folk history as well as oral traditions has helped the process of
reconstructing the past. Folk history
captures like in prehistoric or preliterate times. It has provided
source
material for reconstructing the Omonose story of Okpara land. In this
section,
questions are raised about impotence, marriage as a responsibility, as
a
question of choice and the degree to which a family can intrude in a
man’s
personal life.
Under the broad title ‘Aspects of Urhobo Art’
the next section examines the creative dramatics, a poem on playtimes
written
by one of the foremost Urhobo historians Chief Daniel Obiomah,
socialisation
through dance and the art of one of the greatest artists of our time
Professor
Bruce Onobrakpeya.
The final segment focuses on the geography and
agriculture of the Urhobo people. It puts the land and area mass of
Urhoboland
at 5000 square kilometres. With a population of 1.5million, its major
towns are
Ughelli, Sapele, and Warri. The natural vegetation is that of rain/
swamp
forest. It further presents oil and natural gas as the mineral
resources of
Urhoboland. In terms of agriculture Urhoboland ‘occurs in the drier
landward
part of the Niger Delta where crop farming assumes considerable
importance’.
As we observed earlier on, one of the fundamental concerns of
this conference is the state of the Urhobo language both as a form of
communication and a form of identity. Ironically, if we were to conduct
this
conference strictly in Urhobo language, many scholars of my generation
would be
left out. In other words, most academics of my generation may not be
able to
convey their profound thoughts in their own mother tongue. This is one
of the
dilemmas of the modern youth. We are aware of the radical position of
Kenyan
writer on how the metropolitan language is a tool of mental domination.
This
most of us realised very late. But I remember that while in primary and
secondary schools in Sapele we were precluded from speaking
‘vernacular’,
vernacular being synonymous with our mother tongue. Now we know better.
The question therefore is: are we not certain to lose some of
the nuances of the very culture that we enunciate by entering into a
discourse
which to a great degree is language of exclusion? Although the book
does not
address this problem it points out redeeming features and how we may in
the
years ahead stress the cultural and social significance of language
growth and
development.
In spite of the profundity of the contributions there are
some infelicities that could have been corrected with a more careful
proofreading. For example ‘Okpewho’ is wrongly spelt as ‘Okpwho’
p. v; ‘bride price’ is
presented
as ‘pride price’ p. 579; and at page 591 ‘attunement’ is
incorrectly used for ‘atonement’.
In a prefatory note the editor acknowledges the absence of
certain spheres of Urhobo life from the book. It is hoped that
subsequent
editions of this book would incorporate such areas as modern political
culture,
education, the kingship system and the current state of things in the
family
unit. It may also be worthwhile to include an essay on how the
discovery of oil
has affected work ethic in Urhoboland. It is also hoped that the new
sub-cultures (?) of ‘born for’ and ‘credit marriage’ which are
gradually
redefining marriage relations and their implications on inheritance
would be
considered in a subsequent work.
Finally, Studies in Urhobo Culture is both a
collector’s item and a researcher’s delight. It offers historical and
sociological information about the Urhobo people expressed in such
language
that will be accessible to all categories of readers. The enormous and
stupendous energy put into this compilation of essays on Urhobo culture
is
commendable and should be sustained by all stakeholders in the Urhobo
nation.
Hope Eghagha, PhD
Senior Lecturer
University of Lagos
19th
October 2005.