The Western Apoi tribe live in

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to ...

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 tribe (also called Apoi, Ijo-Apoi or Apoi-Ijo) consists of nine settlements: Igbobini, Ojuala, Ikpoke, Inikorogha, Oboro, Shabomi, Igbotu, Kiribo and Gbekebo. The Apoi inhabited higher ground than most of the other Ijaw tribes. They speak the

Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-languag ...

as they no longer speak the

Ijaw language The Izon languages (), otherwise known as the Ịjọ languages, are the languages spoken by the Izon people in southern Nigeria. Classification The Ijo languages were traditionally considered a distinct branch of the Niger–Congo family (pe ...

. They are bordered to the north by the Ikale and to the west by the

Ilaje Ìlàje is a Local Government Area in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Igbokoda. The Ilajes are a distinct migratory coastal linguistic group of Yoruba peoples spread along the coastal belts of Ondo, Ogun, ...

. The clan also shares border with the Arogbo Ijaw to the south and the Furupagha Ijaw to the east across the Siloko River.Alagoa, Ebiegberi Joe (2005). ''A History of the Niger Delta'', Port Harcourt: Onyoma Research Publications. The Apoi people trace their origin to a migration from the Central

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

in present day

Bayelsa State Bayelsa is one of the states in the South-South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta region. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. Yena ...

and further to an early

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

from Ile-Ife. Prior to arriving at their present location, tribal traditions recall a long period of settlement at Ukomu in what is now Furupagha territory. The Apoi took their name from Apoi (Opoi) the son of Kala-Okun, who accompanied his grandfather Ujo on their way back to Otu-Ife or Ile-Ife. In a group of nine, they got lost in trying to trace the route back without the aid of a navigator. So, they decided to settle within the vicinity of the Nun River (Apoi creek), where the present village of Apoi is situated. Ujo who bore the title Kalasuwe (KALA-SUWE or KALUSUWE i.e., small god,), died here and his grandson inherited the title. Subsequently, Kalasuwe became a royal title passing through the family lineage of Apoi. The nine lineages formed out of the migrating group founded nine quarters (Idumu), of which only five are remembered, these include, Ogboinbou, Apoi, Okoto-aza or Okoto-aja (the original home of Kalasuwe or Ujo himself and the site of one of his ancestral shrines called Oborowi), Umgbuluama, and Inikorogha. Some descendants of Gbaran migrated from Gbaran settlement within the same area, and with the Apoi founded the villages of Keme-Ebiama, Ajama or Azama, Kassama, and Ogboinbiri, Kolokologbene, and Sampou. Together with Gbaran town, these have collectively become known as Apoi Ibe. The western Apoi who derived from the Okoto-aja or Okotoaza, Umgbuluama, Apoi and other Idumu’s, migrating with the royal family first settled at Ukomu in the area of Furupagha in the western

. They stayed here for a long period of time but had to leave due to the activities of soldiers from the Benin empire (this was the time of the expansion of the Benin empire 1500 AD onwards). Most of the ancestors moved on westwards to found the town of Akpaka. After the reign of Five Kalasuwes (approx. 150-200 years), a gradual process of dispersal set in causing the founding of the towns of Igbobini, Igbotu, Oboro, Ojuala (Oju-Ala), Gbekebo and Kiribo. The royal family moved from Akpaka to found Toru-Abukuba (Apukuba or Opukuba). Later on, Toru-Abukuba became the towns of Oboro and Shabomi. The Western Apoi call Kalasuo Kalasuwe or Kalashuwe and Oborowi, Oborowe. They no longer speak Ijaw language, but a dialect made up of the fusion of Ijaw and

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

. Of late, they have moved on to adopting the general Yoruba which most of them now speak. At a later stage as part of the Yoruba influence, the rulers took on the Oba title, before switching back to the ancient titles of Kalasuwe. As children of Ujo, at Ile-Ife the ancestral traditions name them as one of the sub-tribes that sprung from King Adumu-Ala (alias

Oduduwa Oduduwa was a Yoruba divine king. According to tradition, he was the holder of the title of the ''Olofin'' of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba holy city. He ruled briefly in Ife, and also served as the progenitor of a number of independent royal dynastie ...

). The Apoi are pre-14th century. Many Apois have begun seeing themselves totally as Yorubas; while some believe that the acculturation has been completed and Apois have now become part and parcel of the larger Yoruba race. Yet, some others say they are Yorubas by virtue of the oral tradition of their migration from Ile-Ife. The Apoi king is called Oba and the title is Kalasuwe and dual seats of the throne are in Shabomi and Oboro. Here is the list of Apoi Kings, and the communities they rule over: * Kalasuwe of Apoi Land - Oba (Prof.) Sunday Adejimola Amuseghan * Olu of Igbobini - Oba Oyedele Raphael * Odogun of Igbekebo - Oba Bamidele Dabo * Gbaluwe of Igbotu - Oba Adeniyi Ajayi * Alakpaka of Kiribo - Oba J.O. Ajayi * Takunbe of Ikpoke - Vacant * Jowe of Inikorogha - Oba M.A. Olasehinde * Ibini of Ojuala - Vacant * Okiribiti of Shabomi - Oba Felix Adeyemi Koledoye

References

Ijaw Ondo State Yoruba language {{Nigeria-ethno-group-stub