Esan people

The Esan people are an ethnic group native to Nigeria, primarily residing in the Edo Central Senatorial District, a plateau region approximately 136 metres (446 ft) above sea level. The term Esan refers to both the people, their culture and their language.

Unlike some centralized kingdoms in Nigeria, the Esan people traditionally organized themselves into a loose confederation of 35 independent kingdoms, each governed by its own Onojie (king). This political system bears a striking resemblance to the Ancient Greek city-states (poleis), which, though sharing a common language and culture, operated as sovereign entities with their own rulers and governance structures.

The Esan are traditionally known to be agriculturalists, trado-medical practitioners, mercenary warriors andhunters. They cultivate palm trees, Irvingia gabonensis (erhonhiele), Cherry (Otien), bell pepper (akoh) coconut, betel nut, kola nut, black pear, avocado pear, yams, cocoyam, cassava, maize, fluted pumpkin, rice, beans, groundnut, bananas, oranges, plantains, sugar cane, tomato, potato, okra, pineapple, paw paw, and various vegetables.