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Egede is one of the communities that makes the Udi Local Government Area(was one of the former Odo-Ozo Local Government Area) in Enugu State of Nigeria. It is situated between Ebe town at the south, Umuoka town at the north, Affa town at the west Okpatu town and Awhum town at the east. Introduction. Egede town is a member of the Ugwunye clan. Other members of the clan include ''Nike town'' and Affa town. Together, they constitute the off-springs of Amukwu. The town has six villages: Anekeneze, Amozala, Okwum, Umuokpala, Umuanum and Umuovu. The town has two major segments or divides: Ikeghe and Ibite. The town's website can be located at www.egede.org.Below is a short history of the origin and structures of the town. IDENTITY ETYMOLOGY Theories concerning the evolution of the name “Egede” revolve around the fact that it was a name given to a son that emerged from the marriage between a woman known as Ugwunye and Ukwu. Though historical record has it that Ugwunye had her first son (Nike) in her first marriage with Awuwa, the credible fact remains (through data collated) that Egede was the son of Ugwunye. Herein lies the background for the emergence of the terminology. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION Egede is situated in Udi local Government Areaa of Enugu State in the South eastern part of Nigeria. The people generally speak Igbo language which is spoken predominantly in the areas within the South east states such as Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu and Rivers. It is made up of eight (8) potential units or councils or villages. By the north and North east are: Umuanum and Umuokpala villages bounded by Amozalla Affa and Okpatu, Umulumgbe and Umuoka towns respectively. By the East is Okwum village bounded by part of Okpatu town while in the South East and South are Anekeneze village bounded by Awhum, Ukana, and Ebe towns. On the West axis are Amozalla and Umuovu villages bounded by Obinagu Affa. DEMOGRAPHY The official population count of the people within Udi local government council was two hundred and thirty-four thousand and two (234,002) at the 2006 census . Though there are controversies concerning the credibility of census figures in Nigeria, the people of Egede could be said to represent a sizeable percentage of the population record stated hitherto. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ORIGIN EGEDE: OUR ANCESTRY FROM UGWUNYE Ugwunye was the woman generally held to be the ancestral mother of Egede people. Some elders opined that she was the sister to Ojebe, (the man, who formed the ancestral fountain father of the towns under the present Ojebe-Ogene clan tie namely: Okpatu, Ebe, Abor, Awhum, Ukana, Ukehe, Umulumgbe) and stands as the maternal ancestral milestone of the towns under Umu-Ugwunye clan: Nike, Egede and Affa (and probably more). Ugwunye was acclaimed to have married to a man by name Onichaakulu, preferably called Awa by her direct descendants – the Nike people. The marital union of Onichaakulu (Awuwa/ Awa) and Ugwunye gave birth to Nike. Following a separation in the marriage between Ugwunye and Onichaakulu, She got married to another man named Onyimonyi, who begot Ukwu, the father of Egede. There was and is the popular opinion that Ukwu was the son of Onyimonyi, and father of Egede. A similar account from a different perspective presented by late Chief Michael Onwuzu, stated that Onyimonyi married the woman (Ugwunye) and died. Then after the son (Ukwu) remarried her to give birth to Egede. Furthermore, her nuptial journey culminated in his later marital union with Achalaukwu, which gave birth to Afamefuna, who became the ancestral father of Affa people/town of today, living a few kilometers away from the Northern part of Egede. UGWUNYE-EZEDIKE TALK There had been polemics concerning the relationship between Ugwunye and Ezedike, a different clan composed of Akpaakwume, Nze and Aku towns (the last town in the present Igbo-etiti Local Government Area of Nsukka section of Enugu state). While some people dismissed the relationship between Ugwunye and Ezedike as mere union of clans for administrative convenience without actually any ancestral stock, others hold the opinion that there was a primordial paternal ancestral union between Ugwunye and Ezedike clan. This was not anchored on objective fact but on the shifting sands of legendary. TRADITIONAL SOCIETY: The traditional Egede political organization was based on a quasi-democratic republican system of government. This system of administration was like a consultative assembly of the common people governed and administered by a council of elders. In tight knit communities, this system guaranteed its citizens equality, as opposed to a feudalist system with a king ruling over subjects. Although title holders were respected because of their accomplishments and capabilities, they were never revered as kings, but often performed special functions given to them by such assemblies. Law starts with the Umunna, which is a male line of descent from a founding ancestor (who the line is sometimes named after) with groups of compounds containing closely related families headed by the eldest male member. Law matters are often settled through mediators while the banking system for loans and savings were used. The Umunna could be seen as the most formidable pillar among the people of Egede in the traditional era. It is pertinent to note that a system of Indentured servitude existed among the people after and before the arrival and knowledge of Europeans. Indentured servitude according to Olaudah Equiano does not entail doing more work than other members of the community, but it indicates that those concerned were not permitted to eat with the free-born. It was against the backdrop of this early traces of serfdom that slave trade experience became feasibile in Africa. EARLY CONTACT WITH COLONIAL MASTERS The arrival of the British in the 1870s and increased encounters between the people of Egede and other ethnicities led to a deepening unique sense of identity. The people proved remarkably decisive and enthusiastic in their embrace of Christianity and Western education. Due to the incompatibility of the decentralized style of government among the people and the centralized system required for British indirect rule, British colonial rule was marked with open conflicts and much tension. Under British colonial rule, the diversity within each of Nigeria's major ethnic groups slowly decreased and distinctions between the Igbo and other large ethnic groups, such as the Hausa and the Yoruba, became sharper. The early encounter with the Colonial masters drastically transformed the traditional society. It brought about changes in culture such as the introduction of Warrant Chiefs, where there were no such monarchies. Christianity played a great part in the introduction of European ideology into the society and culture, sometimes shunning parts of the culture. Furthermore, there was a drastic change in the living conditions under the colonial masters. The tradition of building houses out of mud walls and thatched roofs began to phase out. People started building with cement blocks and zinc roofs. Roads for vehicles were built. Buildings such as hospitals and schools began to emerge. These were some of the impact of the people’s early contact with the colonial masters. THE ERA AFTER THE INDEPENDENCE This era was characterized mainly by series of intertribal and ethnic clashes. The climax of it was the civil war between Northern Muslims and the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria. The war, which came to be known as the Nigerian Civil War or the "Nigerian-Biafran War", lasted from July 6, 1967, until January 15, 1970, after which the federal government reabsorbed Biafra into Nigeria. Several million Eastern Nigerians, especially the Egede people, were believed to have died during the civil war. In July 2007, the former leader of Biafra, General Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, renewed calls for the secession of the Biafran state as a sovereign entity. After the War, the entire land (Igboland) was devastated. Many hospitals, schools, and homes were completely destroyed in the war. The post-war era posed great challenges to the people which ushered in the era for the development and preservation of cultural legacies. RESUME No history is complete without reference to origin. However, the knowledge of a people’s root is very exigent in understanding their worldview and perspective to life. The ongoing quest for a profound knowledge of the Egede people would help unravel her historical roots and also help the sons and daughters of the town appreciate their rich cultural heritage and values. This is the thrust of this historical documentation. == Feast == The town has three major festivals. The first is the Odo festival. Although fast disappearing, the festivals here are associated with the return and departure of the Odo spirits. These occur every two years which typically mark the Odo seasons. The second festival is the famous a ge-grade ritual called Ogba,. Ogba means the rite of passage into adulthood. Although it is also open to women but it is substantively a male rite of passage. It takes place every ten years. Within that cycle, each segment of the village celebrates its own at a different date. The choice of any date is based on the traditional dating system also guided by the Igbo native weeks. The third festival is the New-Yam Festival called 'aka-ani' meaning the handshake with the goods of the land. Apparently, the gods that are responsible for the bountiful yam harvest. It is celebrated on every Saturday Orie of every September. The festival commemorates the harvest of the new yam. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Egede, Enugu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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