A study of African sub-cultures in Nigeria's western Niger Delta. The progenitors of the Urhobo people are believed to have migrated in pre-historic times from Aka, now known as Benin, to seek refuge in the dense rainforests of Nigeria's Niger Delta. In this isolation, the ancestors were able to conquer the rainforest notwithstanding the presence of wild and dangerous animals. Politically, no outside authorities had sought to control the affairs of the Urhobo people before the rise of the Ẹwẹka Dynasty of modern Benin in 1440, and the arrival of Portuguese sailors at the Atlantic coast of West Africa in 1482. Yet, as noteworthy as the struggle for survival is in Urhobo history, the accounts of the painstaking undertakings have been largely ignored in much of imperial historiography. Neither has there been any ample recognition of the achievements made during the era of the Urhobo Renaissance (the 1930s-1950s). The era was known for the efforts made by Urhobo people in seizing the opportunities offered by British colonial rule to lift themselves from obscurity, into the limelight as citizens and active participants in the affairs of a modern state. This book is intended to cure the historical record. It is an attempt at the social history of a people. The sub-cultural units of Udu and Ughiẹvwen are chosen as the collective prototype to help highlight the socio-political life of the people. Udu and Ughiẹvwen are widely regarded as cultural centres of Urhobo people largely because both units have been successful in preserving many elements of Urhobo history and culture that seem to be dying away in other sub-cultures of the Urhobo people. Onoawariẹ A. Ẹdevbiẹ has been the Secretary of Urhobo Historical Society (UHS) since the founding of the organization in New York City, in August of 1999. His affiliation with UHS has led him to develop interest not only in the study of Urhobo history and culture but also in the role of British colonial rule in Nigeria with emphasis on the impact on Urhobo indigenous ways of life.

History of The Urhobo People of Niger Delta is the most comprehensive compilation and study of various aspects of the history of the Urhobo people of Nigeria's Niger Delta. It begins with an examination of the prehistory of the region, with particular focus on the Urhobo and their close ethnic neighbour, the Isoko. The book then embarks on a close assessment of the advent of British imperialism in the Western Niger Delta. History of The Urhobo People of Niger Delta also probes the arrival and impact of Western Christian missions in Urhoboland. Urhobo history is notable for the sharp challenges that the Urhobo people have faced at various points of their di?cult existence in the rainforest and deltaic geographical formation of Western Niger Delta. Their history of migrations and their segmentation into twenty-two cultural units were, in large part, e?orts aimed at overcoming these challenges. History of The Urhobo People of Niger Delta includes an evaluation of modern responses to challenges that confront the Urhobo people, following the onrush of a new era of European colonization and introduction of a new Christian religion into their culture. The formation of Urhobo Progress Union and of its educational arm of Urhobo College is presented as the Urhobo response to modern challenges facing their existence in Western Niger Delta and Nigeria. History of The Urhobo People of Niger Delta extends its purview to various other fragments of the Urhobo historical and cultural experience in modern times. These include the di?culties that have arisen from petroleum oil exploration in the Niger Delta in post-colonial Nigeria.

This is a study of the principal aspects of the Udje tradition Á poetry, dance and music Á of the Udu and Aghievwen divisions of the Urhobo of Delta State, Nigeria. It defines the territorial scope of the study, surveys Udu and Ughievwen social history, and situates Udje within the context of the Urhobo song-poetry tradition; reviews the theoretical perspectives on the practice of satire in the Udje dance-songs, and considers the conceptual views of some Udje practitioners of Udje, both as a literary art and as a medium for social reform; and attempts to classify and describe Udje songs. The concluding chapters consider the decline of the Udje tradition and the satirical song-poetry tradition in Urhobo, reviewing how post 1960s trends are likely to affect the artistic integrity of Udje in the future.

Oral Forms of Nigerian Autobiography and Life Stories discusses the oral life stories and poems that Africans, particularly the Yoruba people, have told about the self and community over hundreds of years. Disproving the Eurocentric argument that Africans didn’t produce stories about themselves, the author showcases a vibrant literary tradition of oral autobiographies in Africa and the diaspora. The oral auto/biographies studied in this book show that stories and poems about individuals and their communities have always existed in various African societies and they were used to record, teach, and document history, culture, tradition, identity, and resistance. Genres covered in the book include the panegyric, witches’ and wizards’ narratives, the epithalamium tradition, the hunter’s chant, and Udje of the Urhobo. Providing an important showcase for oral narrative traditions this book will be of interest to students, scholars, and researchers in African and Africana studies, literature and auto/biographical studies.