Etche; An Endangered Ethnicity. By Nwankwo Lesley Chimezie.

Physical map showing Etche land

An ethnic group refers to a group of people related or connected by race, tribe,customs and traditions and even language.
People from an ethnic group are easily identified and distinguished from other groups by their mode of dressing and language.

An endangered ethnic group is one that is at risk of going extinct, out of existence, in the near future.
Just like so many plant and animal species, some ethnic groups have become extinct. Some as a result of wars and genocides. Some victims of ethnic cleaning. While others were lost through globalization and civilization. The sad thing is that many more groups are slowly but steadily sliding out of existence and into oblivion. One of such ethnic group is the Etche Ethnic Nationality.

Yes, Etche is at a verge of extinction. Not due to ethnic cleansing or genocide. Instead Etche as an ethnic nation is suffering from the adverse effect of civilization and globalization.
Before we continue, let us take a step back and look at where we are coming from, so we can understand where we are headed.

A brief History of Etche

Etche is the name of the first settler and founder of Etche land. History has it that his original name was Echefu, some say it was Ochie or Echie. Whichever one it was, the underlining factor is that his name was changed to Etche by the White men because they could not pronounce the correct name, much in the same manner as Wakirike was changed to Okrika, Ehuda to Ahoada, Perekule to Pepple, Kala-lyo to kalio. Etc

Etche is the ancestor of all Etche people which are spread across at least 3 states in Nigeria; Rivers, Abia and Imo states. And possibly Edo and Delta states. They occupy 4 known local government areas; two in Rivers and two in Imo state.

The origin of Etche can be traced back to the ancient Benin Kingdom. According to history, Etche left Benin Kingdom around the 13th century and journeyed to Agbor in today’s Delta state. From there he crossed the Orashi river through Ndoni and settled in Omoku. Etche was not alone in the exodus from Benin. He was believed to be in the company of Akalaka, a member of the Benin Royal family and father of Ekpeye, Ogba and Ihruoha (Ikwerre). Akalaka was accused of plotting the death of Oba Ewuare, the then Benin monarch, and had to flee for his life.

From Omoku, he crossed to Abua, then moved on from Abua to Ndele on land before settling in Igbo, the first Etche settlement. Tracing the Etche ancestry to Benin can be corroborated by the similarities in the language of Etches and Igbodos of Delta state. (Igbodo is also the ancestral home of Etche land).

After the first settlements, the Etche people began to spread, some migrated Northward, these can be found in Ngor/Okpala L.G.A in Imo state including the Alulus, Obokwes, Umuekes Amalas etc.
Odogwa and Akwu moved Southeastward to their present settlements while Odufor moved in the South Western direction.

   Omuma.

As Etche continued expanding, its people started migrating in different directions. Ogba and Ajuloke his brother left Afara together and journeyed Eastward. Ogba crossed the Imo river and settled in present day Umuogba while Ajuloke settled temporarily at Akwu before joining his brother and establishing his own settlement known today as Umuajukole.

Eberi, who is believed to have links with the Mbieri people of Imo state migrated with Obiohia and Ulakwo his friend. Ulakwo moved south-ward and settled in their present location while Eberi and Obiohia crossed the Imo river and settled in present day locations in Omuma LGA.

The people of Ofeh are said to have migrated from Odogwa, in the same manner.

This is just a summary of the origin of the Etche people. Although there are other school of thought that believe Etche has its origin in Ibo. As part of the migrants from a tribe in Israel.

Back to the issue of extinction of Etche.

We have seen earlier that there are certain things that are used to identify an ethnicity. Without an identity the people of an ethnic group are nothing. And nothing robs a people of their identity and uniqueness as much as civilization and globalization; Making the world one big village where everybody speaks one language and is subject to the same laws, traditions and customs.

Some of what makes a people unique include their language, mode of dressing, customs and tradition and certain festivities. Another ethnic marker which is as important as any other is the geographical boundaries. Take these away from a people and they are left with nothing. They simply become another addition to the growing statistics of extinct people.

Let me start with geographical locations.

With the advent of civilization came the necessity for the creation of regions and provinces to make for easier administration of government. This eventually metamorphosed in the creation of states and local government areas. As a result of this, many people in an ethnic group lose their identity. Like the people of Obokwe, Alulu, Amala, Oburu, and parts of Ulakwo who are located in present day Imo State and are considered to be Ibos now. There are also the Umumbas and Amuzus who originally where part of Ofeh Amaitolu (ie 9 families of Ofeh) in Omuma. But today they are part of Abia state.

Also Oyigbo L.G.A in Rivers state was originally a settlement of the Igbo clan of Etche ethnic group. It was called Obi Igbo (Igbo settlement) it was also a bee hive of commercial activities where timber and oil merchants from Bonny, Opobo and other Riverine settlements met with traders from the East to do business. But because the Igbo people had moved to their present settlement and left Obi Igbo as no-man’s land, some of the traders began to settle and claim landed properties. As time went on, the name was changed to Oyigbo and the L.G.A was created.

That is not all. Umuebulu in today’s Etche L.G.A shares boundary with Oyigbo. But thanks, (or no thanks) to urbanization, over 60% of Umuebulu population is made up of foreigners (non Etche origin). Consequently, Umuebulu is fast losing it’s Etche identity. Matter-of-factly, the name of the place has been changed to Umuebele (which just like Oyigbo, has no meaning). Also, more than half of the inhabitants considers it part of Oyigbo. If this trend is not quickly checked, Etche as an ethnic nation is at the risk of losing another clan.

Another crucial part of what makes Etche a unique and distinct ethnicity is their language. But right now the survival of the Etche language is under serious threat. This also is another direct consequence of urbanization and civilization.

Because of the uneven distribution of basic amenities, there is an increase in rural-urban migration. And as people leave their rural communities, the leave their dialect and adopt the general language of their new environment (English or the Pidgin version of it). Some people even pick up the local dialect. Of course this is necessary to aid communication. But many people tend to forget their own dialect or adulterate it with the borrowed tongue.

 In urbanized towns in Etche land like Igbo, Umuebulu, Chokocho e.t.c. it is rare to hear the Etche dialect spoken in these areas. Only a handful of the residents who happen to be indigenes speak the dialect, and most times it spoken in impure form, because the language of majority of the other residents which are predominantly Ibos have over shadowed the Etche dialect. And because of the similarity in both languages, the Igbo language is easily adopted even by the indigenous people at the detriment of the Etche language.

More worrisome is the fact that there are a lot of Etche sons and daughters, especially those born and raised outside Etche land, who do not understand the Etche dialect. Parents prefer to converse with their children in English Language rather than their own dialect. Some of them do not even know the roads to the home towns. So we have a generation of people who have little or no knowledge of where they are coming from. This poses great danger for the survival of Etche ethnic nation and should be addresses as quickly as possible.

The next generation must be taught their history and dialect if the ethnicity is to stand the test of time. If possible institutions should be established to teach the Etche history, dialect, customs and traditions as is obtainable in places like Bonny.

Finally, let us about Etche customs, traditions, dressing, festivals.
It is easy to identify people from Ijaw, Ibo, Opobo, Kalabari, Efik, Yoruba or Idoma by their dressing. How does one identify an Etche person? Unfortunately, there is no distinct form of dressing that one can point to and say this is Etche dressing.

What about the cultural dance troupes; the Atilogwu and Wokorobo dances our fathers used to tell us about. When I was younger, I witnessed and even participated in Nkwa Udu ceremonies, were kids adorned in traditional attires sing and dance from house to house, entertaining people and got gifts and stipends in return.

How many children today would be interested in such things? These fun activities that used to highlight holidays in near past are fast dying and are being replaced by alien events like football matches and carnival where foreign and contemporary music are played.

Few years ago, there was an annual event that showcased the diverse cultures and traditions of the Rivers people. It is always a beautiful spectacle to behold as various ethnic groups displayed their colourful attires and danced to their indigenous music. But when it comes to Etche ethnic nation (Etche and Omuma LGAs), the story is different. They are shabbily dressed and dance to contemporary RnB music or at best Ikwerre ethnic music. It is like Etche has no identity. In fact, Etche maintained last position at this event as long as it lasted.

This is an evidence to the fact that Etche ethnic nationality is on a steady descent down the pit of oblivion.
Ironically, this is one reason why Etche has been relegated to the background on the political stage. The likes of Ikwerre, Okrika, Ogoni, etc, who dominate the political scene happen to be areas with strong ethnic institutions. Which is what makes them dominant forces to be reckoned with.

This is a wake up call to all Etche sons and daughters. Let everyone rise up and work together to restore Etche to its pride of place. We must not get too civilized that we forget our roots. A plant without root only exists at the mercy of the elements and environment.

Shun all forms of vices. We must rise above political differences and realize that we are first Etche people before members of political parties. Political leaders must put Etche interest ahead of their selfish interests.

Young men and women should shun violence, it has never solved any problem.
Believe in yourself, give yourself self-worth rather than turn to gangs and cults in order to gain confidence.

God bless Omuma LGA!
God bless Etche LGA!!
God bless Etche ethnic nation!!!
Nu chi ka oh!
Nu ka'nka oh!!