Idoa is an Esan community in

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The city, an Esan tribe, stretches through the highlands and plains of central

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

. It is 120 kilometres north of

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

, the capital of

, having boundaries with

Ekpoma Ekpoma is a town in Edo State, Nigeria. It is the administrative headquarters of the Esan West Local Government Area. Ekpoma lies on the geographical coordinate of latitude . The town has an official Post Office, and it is home to the Ambrose A ...

in the west, Ukhun in the south,

Ewu EWU may refer to: * Ewu, a town in Nigeria * East West University, a private university in Dhaka, Bangladesh * East–West University East–West University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois. The university was founded in 1980. It ...

in the east and Agbede in the north. Residents are mainly farmers and grow crops, including yams, rice,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

and

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

. The city of Idoa is currently made up of the following five clans: Afuku-N'Edo, Afokolo, Atologua, Ubi and Ofie.

Religion

Idoa people were originally herbalists. During the reign of Ifidon in the late 1890s, Islamic Religion was introduced to the community with the assistance of Oba Momodu I of Agbede. The first mosque was built in 1918. Today, Islam, Christianity and other religions are present in the community.

History of Idoa Kingdom

In 1460 AD,

Oba Ewuare Ewuare (also Ewuare the Great or Ewuare I) was the Oba (king) of the Benin Empire from 1440 until 1473. Ewuare became king in a violent coup against his brother Uwaifiokun which destroyed much of Benin City. After the war, Ewuare rebuilt much ...

passed laws of mourning that prohibited sexual intercourse, bathing, drumming, dancing, and cooking. These laws proved too restrictive for many citizens, and these citizens fled the kingdom to

Esanland Esanland ( Esan: ''Otọesan''), or the Edo Central Senatorial District is a cultural region and senatorial district located in south-south Nigeria. It is composed of five Local Government Areas in Edo State. Esanland lies west of the banks of ...

. This exodus shaped Esanland's modern cultural identity and gave rise to the term "Esan," or "refugee." Oral tradition has heavily supported this theory. Prominent Esan and Edo historians have collected stories about this migration. During this migration it was said that three brothers, Ojie-Ekpende, Udah, and Ojieosan, left Benin and moved towards the north side called Ukukuruku. Udah stayed at Ekunma (

), and told his brothers and their followers to move further. He told them that Ojie-Ekpende is stronger than Ojiesan, and ordered that the weaker should stay closer to him while the stronger should move further with his men (meaning Ojie-Ekpend should move further). Among them was Okolo, the father Ojie-Amen. However, Okolo could not get to Idoa land. Among Ojie-Ekpende's companions was his wife, Urabi. They settled in this land but later discovered that a group of people were already living there. With

Edo people The Edo or Benin people are an Edoid ethnic group primarily found in Edo State, Southern part of Nigeria. They speak the Edo language and are the descendants of the founders of the Benin Empire. They are closely related to other ethnic group ...

all over the Edo Region he was respected by his group and those he met. Ojie-Ekpende's people were Ojie-Amen, Oghodor, and Okokhun. These men had wives except Ojie-Amen, who lost his father on their way to Odoa. Some months later Ijiekhea, also from Edo, traced his friend Ojie-Ekpende to the land of Odoa. Ojie-Ekpende gave birth to four sons and a daughter by names: Ebe-Ehirakha-Okogimen, Enabohifor, Okpikhor, and Ailmonka while the daughter was named Udumen. Some say that the warrior by name Ijie-Akhea founded Atuogwa and Ofie, though some said that he came with a brother, Ofie.

Festivals in Idoa Community

In all of Esan land, festivals are carried out periodically. They are a means to encourage social interaction and to promote unity among the people. Iluoror Festival, also called the New Yam Festival, is held in February every year and dates back to the beginning of the community. It is held to mark the beginning of the planting season, to appreciate the gods for the success of the last year's planting season, and to appease the gods for strength for the next planting season in ancient times. The first meal is ihihea and it is eaten either with water or yams, after which every household pounds yam and slaughters animals like goats, rams, and cows depending on their financial position. From there, everyone goes to the palace for display of traditional dance according to their groups. Ilukpe festival The Ilukpe festival is a thanksgiving festival held annually in June. In this festival, sons and daughters offer thanksgiving to their late fathers. This is normally done on the "eke" (ize) market day. Every first son of the family slaughter's a goat while the woman slaughter's a hen. In a polygamous house, the first son of the late man has to slaughter the goat and send the right leg that contains the tail to the eldest living uncle, while his or her younger siblings will do the same to him. The meat is used for cooking. Ihaelen Otu (age group naming ceremony) The Ihaelen Otu Festival is a festival held when the community deems necessary as an initiation into adulthood. The ceremony is carried out to give names to youths in Idoa community that have come of age. Once named, these youths (now classified as adults) are entitled to the same rights as all other adults. File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony5.jpg File:Idoa Community Chiefs.jpg File:Idoa Community Chiefs4.jpg File:Idoa Community Chief.jpg File:Idoa Community Chief1.jpg File:Idoa Community Chiefs5.jpg File:Idoa Community chiefs11.jpg File:Idoa Community Chiefs3.jpg File:Idoa Community Chief Eguakhide.jpg File:Idoa Community age group.jpg File:Idoa Community age group naming44.jpg File:Idoa Community Chief with Onogie.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony .jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony6.jpg File:Idoa Community1.jpg File:Idoa Community dancing after the naming.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony13.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony37.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony38.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony10.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony23.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony35.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony41.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony36.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony25.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony9.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony39.jpg File:Idoa Community Chiefs with Onogie HRH Zaiki Amedu Momoh.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony40.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony12.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony drummers.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony Onogie and Chiefs.jpg File:Idoa Community Age group naming ceremony before the naming.jpg File:Idoa Community Onogie HRH Zaiki AMEDU MOMOH.jpg

References

* {{coord missing, Nigeria Populated places in Edo State