EBIRA
LANGUAGE & CULTURE STUDYING EBIRA IN THE
UNITED STATES?
Ebira means behavior when translated literally with ethics and
hospitality as compliments. The unique features of Ebira Michigan State University
culture with its ethnic aestheticism are appreciated most in the
event of traditional marriages. Ebira people are republican by
Please contact the National African Language Resource Center,
nature, outspoken and very hard working. Farming and cloth-
or check the NALRC web site at http://www.nalrc.indiana.edu/
weaving are occupations for which the Ebiras are well known.
Primary crops grown for export are yam and cassava. Guinea
corn is an important local commodity as the staple of most
meals and is used in the brewing of beer. Due to abundance
of rivers and streams on the Niger-Benue plateau, fishing is
conducted by individual households. In recent years, larger
fish farms have been developed by private and public firms.
They are presently spread in five Local Government Areas of
Kogi state namely: Adavi, Okene, Okehi, Ajaokuta and Ogori-
magongo. A sizeable number is also found in Lokoja Local
Government Area and Oyo state. The paramount ruler of the
people is called Ohinoyi of Ebiraland. The Ebira cherish their
traditional festivals and have several annual cultural festivals. NATIONAL AFRICAN
The most prominent ones are ‘Echane’, ‘Eche Ori’ and ‘Ekuechi’. LANGUAGE RESOURCE
CENTER (NALRC)
Ebira pay homage and respect to the dead. Many of the ritual
practices associated with the Ebira are directly related to those Room 3075, Hamilton Lugar
School of Global and International Studies
of the Jukun, their distant ancestors. Although political power 355 N. Eagleson Ave., Indiana University
often rests in the hands of the patriclan, religious power usually Bloomington, IN 47405
is in the hands of the matriclan. This arrangement allows for a Phone: (812) 856-4199 | Email:
[email protected] Website: http://www.nalrc.indiana.edu
EBIRA WOMAN IN TRADITINAL ATTIRE
balance of power between kin and also allows the kinship
relationships to be extended. NATIONAL AFRICAN LANGUAGE
RESOURCE CENTER (NALRC)
WHO SPEAKS EBIRA? WHY STUDY EBIRA?
Ebira, also spelt Igbira or Igbirra, is an ethno-linguistic Ebiraland, the home of Ebira Tao, is located in the central
groupof Nigeria. Majority of the Anebira’s are from Kogi 2
senatorial District of Kogi state. It has a landmass of 3,426 km .
State. Other groups of Anebira can be found in the Edo The 1991 national census puts the population of the area 722,032.
State (Ebira - Etuno), Abaji (Ebira - Koto), Nasarawa State Students interested in African Art, African history, anthropology,
(Ebira - Toto). They are the scion of the Igala. Like Igala, archaeology, the international relations, NGO (non-governmental Ebira Carnival Celebrations
they have their dwelling in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. organization) work and government work will find the Egbira a
valuable language to study.
Ebira history is tied to that of their neighbors, the Jukun
and the Igala. Oral history claims that they originally came Some typical Ebira greetings: Sidama farmers exhibiting their coffee
from the east and entered Nigeria between the Mandarra Wadahi---------------- general greeting
highlands and Lake Chad sometime during the last millen- Tao---------------------general greeting in the Okene dialect
nium. It is believed that Igala broke away from Jukun, and Chao-------------------general greeting in the Igara dialect
Ebira broke away from Igala. According to oral tradition, Taaru------------------greeting spoken to a chief
Ohimnagedu established the first Ebira chiefdom at Panda Ebira women in traditional attire
and was given the royal staff by Atah of Idah, Igala leader at
the time. Ritual connections, however, were still maintained
with the Jukun.
Ebira consists of two smaller groups: the Northern and the
Southern groups. The Southern group claims to have broken
away from the main group around 1850 during the time of
the Fulani-led holy wars. Northern Ebira traditionally had a Ebira Women Dancing
highly centralized government that recognized a chief who Ebira people are famous for Weaving
inherited his power in a patrilineal fashion. The supreme
Ebira chief was divine and resided at Panda. The South-
ern Ebira group was somewhat less centralized than their
northern counterpart. Their governing system acknowledges
local leaders for each of five founding families, but does
not recognize a supreme chief.
An elder beats the Agidibo Traditional Ebira Dancers
to salute the spirits
Ebiraland Royal Palace
