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The Ijigban is one of the twenty-two districts found in Idoma land today. It occupies a land stretching from the southernmost part of Idoma to the fringes of Igbo land particularly, the Abakaliki Division. They fall within borderline of the Idoma ethnic group and the Ezza/Izze in the Northern part of Igbo land. The 2006 census figures numbered the Ijigban people to about 22,360. The people lived on a long bounded Northwest by the Igumale; Ulayi in the West; Utonkon in the North; Ekele and Igede to the Northeast and the Ezza/Izze Igbo in the south. The district is however located at the southernmost part of Ado local government area, and consisted of seven clans namely (according to seniority). Okpe, Ipole, Ehaje, Ogongo, Adegemi, Onogwu and Ai-Okpan, that collectively made up of two political wards. The traditions of origin of the Ijigban, like the traditions of origins of many Nigerian, including the Idoma peoples as a whole is highly problematic. The word "Origins" in the strict anthropological sense refers to the emergence of a species of either plant or animal as distinct from another species". Traditions of origin in the context of Ijigban here are stories which people use to explain where their ancestors came from. As well as how they arrived at the place they presently occupy. Although traditions of origins often time yield towards the Hamitic hypothesis. The case of the Ijigban people of the southern Ado is quite unique, given evidence under available sources. In this wise, we shall adopt a comprehensive approaches to examine the various versions of the Ijigban’s traditions of origin. ==Who are the Ijigbans?== The origin of this people forms a complex aspect of their pre-colonial historical information. Some of the earlier sources including the colonial once are mostly inadequate and contradicting. For instance, in attempt to trace this people’s origin, A.G. Armstrong asserted that the people of Ijigban, Ekele and Ulayi traced their traditions of origins to the Ngor in Ogoja province and are closely related. He therefore quoted Simey "that the Igumale, Ulayi, Agila and Ijigban are closely related, and all entered the area at about the same time and there are definite boundaries between these clans based on hunting right". His description of the people by name referred to as "Ijigbam-Ishieke" was not only contradicting but also has generated derogatory pitfall because, while the Ijigban people are one section of the original Idoma, the same could not be true about the Ishieke people of the Abakaliki. So how come "Ijigbam-Ishieke"? In another dimension, the Agila and the Ijigban (including Igumale, Ulayi and Utonkon alike) did not come to this present abode at the same time as claimed by Simey and supported by A.G. Armstrong. Reason been that while Agila traced the traditional of origin to "western origins" C. 165-1775, the Ijigban alongside Igumale attributed theirs to "Eastern origins" C. 1535–1745. For instance, according to E.O Erim, "The modern Agila district in Idomaland recalled that their ancestor Ago, who moved out from areas south of Idah C. 1625 – 1655, was of Bini extraction. He was the son of an unnamed Oba of Benin". The point we are trying to put across here, is that while Ijigban, Igumale claimed Apa as their traditional home land, the people of Agila may ignore that. At this juncture, R.G. Armstrong account could be say to be devoid of empirical historical fact. R. G. Armstrong for one reason failed to understand that Ijigban who begot the seven sons that made up seven clans of Ijigban district today is begotten by Ogene, and Ogene a son of great Edor who traced his ancestral homeland to Apa 1 that is presently occupied by the Tiv. On the other hand, the Ishieke (as earlier observed) is a sub-clan of Izzi – Igbo who for all historical evidence have nothing to do with Idoma traditions of origins. If the Ijigban people are different from Izzi sub-clan (Ishieke) Igbo, where then was the origins of "Ijigbam-Ishieke"? From this above evidence (or called it myth), it is possible that the nomenclature ‘Ijigbam-Ishieke’ came as a result of the colonial "pacification" of the area, just like the early travelers and colonial officers referred to the whole Idoma as "Akpoto". Nonetheless, ignoring this biasness, his (R.G Armstrong) work is still a valuable source of information. However, according to one informant, Chief Oriri Otseje (the District Head and Custodian of Ijigban History), As a result of the last war fought in Apa 1, (What Ochefu referred to as horse war), sacked heroes such as Ago, Ale and Edor, and that these leaders on the basis of hunting rights, founded their various settlements. Another informant said that the traditions of origin of the Ijigban could be traced to Apa. Although, no particular historical period was given but that they migrated from Apa and they settled at various places including Izzekatton (or Izzekato) near Iyala in Cross-River for many years. Problems developed in Izzekatton as a result of Izze several attacks. He finally concludes thus; We met the Izze arrived after our ancestors. Soon, the Izze started menacing us (our ancestors) destroying their crops and domestic animals. Menace lasted for some years. The Izze killed several of our people. When the Izze overpowered my ancestor, the latter fled to another settlement called Iyede. He notes Iyede to be the present day Nyimegu where Izzegodo live today in North East part of Abakaliki. Resulting from push and pull factors, especially lacked of water and continuous Ezza disturbances, the Ijigban in a process of hunting found a stream where they later migrated to, because of the availability of water. He referred to this settlement as Ole-Efuu (native home). At Ole-Efuu, an Englishman whose name was not disclosed, demanded that Agbo who was then their king should crossed the stream and settled in present day Ijigban District where his subjects in an earnest joined him. Erim O. Erim also acknowledges these facts when he expresses that within the period C. 1685-1805, various invasion were made on Apa 1. He further agrees that; the Tiv whose demand for land and food always seemed to be insatiable. It is thus clear that it was the Tiv invasion which forced several Idoma groups to abandon their Apa 1 homeland and migrated to the south. At the south, there were the challenges of refugees as a result of "severe famine" in the present day Igumale. Though Ale during this famine had already established an extensive corn-farm (igu) and shortly, the corn got finished thereby forcing out other refugees to migrated further south looking for protection and safety. Also agreed with elder Onoja Agbo’s oral account, "that the Ijigban migrated from Izzekatto and Iyede due to unending problems", Erim established that; between C. 1685–1805 of the last phase of the eastern origins, five kindred’s came north moving away from unrest in Abakaliki region… fights for land between the various inhabitants of that country. Note that the essence of this comparism account is to arrive at acceptable empirical historical evidence. From the above explanation also, the traditions of origin and migration of this people (Ijigban) could be seen as gradual process unlike the first version of Armstrong that "the people of Ijigban, Ekele and Ulayi came from Ngor in Ogoga province and are closely related". Indeed, according to intensive socio-political and economic interactions between the Ijigban and the Ishieke people in the pre-colonial period prior to colonial advent would have promoted a group like "Ijigbam-Ishieke". Added to the ongoing, Ochefu noted that the Ijigban (but spelled Ijigbam in his work), Agila, recognize "Apa" as their ancestral homeland from where they migrated to their present location. From every indication, by the middle of the eighteenth century, these proto-Idoma (of which Ijigban is included) groups, which claimed "eastern origins" had been pushed by a variety of factors into their second and from their second into a third homeland, of what could be regarded as modern settlement. And by 1800, the southern Portions (which Ijigban is a part) of modern Idomaland had already been settled. On the departure, the Ijigbam among other six Idoma kindred’s, adopted the Black monkey totem (iho) as part of indication of royal kindreds in Apa1. As noted earlier, the major cause of this migration was the invasion of the Tiv who were in process of incorporating the whole of Apa 1 into their homeland. Coincidentally, the expansion of the Keana Confederacy and troubles in Abakaliki to the south added to the pressures on the Idoma, inducing them to move. 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「Ijigban community」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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