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AH IZON !

AH IZON !

AH IZON !

IZON KEME EMI

EMI OH

ELEMENTS OF STRONG IJO CULTURAL IDENTITY

KNOWLEDGE OF

 

IJO LANGUAGE

IJO HISTORY

IJO CULTURE AND TRADITIONS

The Ijaw People, also spelt IJO, IZON, are a major Ethnic Nationality of Nigeria, whose ancestral homeland and territory covers most of the Niger Delta in Southern Nigeria.

The Ijo (Izon, Ijaw) People are one of the oldest peoples of Africa and one of the oldest in present day Nigeria. Language studies indicate that the Ijo (Ijoid) language is one of the oldest languages of Africa and differentiated from a parent language at a very early period at least 5000 years before the birth of other neighbouring language groups.

Based on language studies, thousands of years ago, the ancestors of the Ijo People originated from a north eastern location, around Lake Chad and beyond to the Sudanic Nile Valley. This north eastern and Sudanic origin is also traced to the ancient aquatic civilization that stretched across middle Africa on the ancient waterways linking West Africa River Niger and Benue with the Lake Chad Mega Sea and Nile Valley. Using these language studies, it is proposed that the ancestors of the Ijo People, the ancient ORU (H)ORU people, migrated in ancient times following the waterways and rivers that connected the Nile valley with the Lake Chad inland sea and the Niger/Benue river systems. Some also would have followed overland routes that traced through the waterways of antiquity. Consequently they were one of the first and aboriginal (autochthones) peoples of the West Africa region of the Niger/Benue.

Based on ancestral tradition, the ancestors of the Ijo People referred to as the ORUS or ORU People mythological descended from the sky or emerged from the sacred waters and settled the Nupe, Ife and Benin Regions, Lower River Niger and Niger Delta in antiquity as the ancient autochthones or aborigines.

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