|
Tribe Snapshots Urhobo |
| Location: |
Southern Nigeria |
| Population: |
450,000 |
| Language: |
Edo (Kwa) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Igbo, Izon,
Isoko, Bini, Ukwani |
| Types
of Art: |
The Urhobo produce numerous art forms, including
freestanding sculptures (Ivwri), a type of wooden
sculpture that is popularly associated with the
cult of the hand, and masks and masquerading.
|
| History: |
Although the exact origin of the Urhobo peoples
is not known, they are closely related to their
immediate neighbors based on linguistic and cultural
similarities. Urhobo oral history is contradictory
in that it claims that their origins are related
those of the Bini, but at the same time indicate
that they are not Bini people. Other connections
are made to the Igbo, Isoko, and Ijo. Since the
Bini, Igbo, and Ijo all have cultural systems,
which are distinct from one another, the notion
that the Urhobo somehow emerged from all three
seems doubtful. |
| Economy: |
Living in the tropical rain forests has helped
to shape the economic choices of the Urhobo. They
practice slash and burn farming that requires
frequent crop rotation for soil preservation.
Fishing and hunting are also important sources
for subsistence. They also gather palm nuts and
process them into oil, a commodity which is eventually
traded on the international markets. |
| Political
Systems: |
Urhobo political authority is based on kinship
groups, age-grades, and title associations. At
one time Urhobo leaders (ivie) were officially
installed by the Oba of Benin. Those who had achieved
sufficient status within their community would
travel to the Oba, who would endow them with ceremonial
swords and insignia that would add weight to their
quest for power among their kinspeople. |
| Religion: |
The Urhobo recognize the existence of a dual
cosmological system: the spirit world and the
physical world. It is believed that everyone in
the physical world has a replica in the spiritual
world and that these two worlds have great influence
over one another. Power, however, seems to be
in the hands of the spirits, who are constantly
making demands on and causing problems for the
living, who in turn must appease the spirits through
sacrifice. Every ten years the Urhobo hold a large
masquerade ceremony for the entire community to
honor the spirits (edjo). |
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