Ebira people 2 [culture, festival and traditional marriage]

Culture

The Ebira people are republican by nature,
outspoken and very hard working. Farming and
cloth-weaving are occupations for which the
Ebiras are well known. 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 in spite of the infiltration of
some negative tendencies.

Cultural Festivals (Eche-Ozi Ete)

The Ebiras have several annual cultural
festivals. Three of the most prominent ones are
'Echane', 'Eche Ori' and 'Ekuechi'.

Eche-Ane

This is an annual masquerade festival
celebrated in rotation from one district to the
other in Ebiraland (between April–June). In the
past, it was only during the period of the festival
that betrothed girls were given away in marriage
to their suitors. That is why the festival is called
'Eche-ane' (women festival).

Masquerades,
though carried long canes, came out primarily to
entertain people and received gifts in return. It is
regrettable that this very popular and interesting
festival has been bastardized and now a source
of constant breach of peace.[1]

Eche-Ori

'Eche Ori' is a new yam festival celebrated only
in two districts in Ebiraland. These are Ihima
and Eganyi. During the festival, traditional
worshippers make sacrifices in the secret
groove of 'Ori' (deity) high up in the mountain to
show gratitude for its protection and provision of
bounteous harvest. The worshipers carry long
canes with which they whip one another in turns
without anyone exhibiting any sign of pain. This
is a mark of strength or manhood. Another
important attraction of the festival is the
delightful 'Echori' music in which female singers
feature prominently. Only after this festival can
one eat or sell new yams in the market as it is a
taboo to do so before the festival in Ihima and
Eganyi. [1]

Ekuechi (traditional masquerade)

This is a night masquerade festival which marks
the end of the Ebira calendar year and the
beginning of a new one. Ododo is popularly
acclaimed to be the initiator of this masquerade
festival. The 'Akatapa' masquerade in heralding
the beginning of the festival often say "Irayi
ododo osi gu, Irayi akatapa osi gu eeeh! Osa
yeeeh!" which means "the year of the Ododo has
ended; the year of Akatapa has ended. Here is
another year". The festival begins with a festival
eve in which folk singers (ome ikede) perform to
the delight of both men and women. The
following day, the real festival in which
masquerades sing and dance to entertain people
from dusk to dawn takes place. It is restricted to
men only so all women stay indoors throughout
the duration of the festival. All dead relatives are
believed to return to an earth on a visit this night,
so, women prepare delicious 'Apapa' (bean read)
and he-goat meat for the visitors. The women
also, at times, leave monetary gifts with the men
for the visiting dead relatives. Trust men, the
meals and gifts are properly and neatly delivered
to the beneficiaries who only the men have the
privilege of seeing and interacting with, that
night. [1]

Traditional Marriage in Ebira
(Igbirra) Land

Ebira people, mostly living along the River Benue
plain down and beyond the River Niger, are a
tribe found in Kogi state in Okene, Okehi, Adavi
and Ajaokuta local government areas and in
some parts of Nassarawa and Edo states.

The word Ebira means behaviour when
translated literally with ethics and hospitality as
compliments. The unique features of the Ebira
culture with its ethnic aestheticism, are
appreciated most in the event of traditional
marriages.

Victoria Mayaki sheds more light on this. When a
man sees a lady he intends to marry, he
discusses his intentions with her, who, if
interested, tells him to bring his people to
express his intentions to her parents.

In respect to the Ebira tradition, the man does
not walk to the parents of the woman to disclose
his intentions; his parents or elders mostly the
women do this by going to the lady’s parents to
introduce themselves and also to inform them of
their reason for coming to the house.
After this is done, the parents of the lady then
conduct a thorough investigation on the
upbringing, background, family history and so on,
of the intending groom to unravel any history of
madness, terminal diseases or criminality in the
man’s family. This is with a view to deciding
whether or not to give their daughter’s hand in
marriage to a family with a tainted reputation in
the society.

After the research, if their findings are
appreciable, an approval is given to the man to
visit the bride-to- be from time to time to further
get to know themselves properly.
A date is later picked for the formal introduction
of both families and this is called “Ise Ewere”
which literally means what has been in secret is
now in the open. During the celebration, there is
usually the presentation of gift items made by
the family of the groom to the family of the bride.

The gift items usually include; about 42 tubers of
yam, dried fish or bush meat, 10 liters of palm
oil, a bag of salt, assorted wines and kola nut.
The groom may also decide to present two
wrappers to his would-be bride but this is
optional.

On the day of introduction, it is not necessary
that the man attends the occasion as his family
members do the necessary things on his behalf.

The bride’s family in turn, entertains the groom’s
with food and drinks. The families interact with
one another and formally introduce every
member of both families.

After this is done, the date for traditional
marriage is then fixed. The tubers of yam and
other items brought are distributed to neighbours
and members of the extended family no matter
how small. Much significance is given to this to
ask for their prayers for a happy marriage as
well as to ensure the acknowledgement of the
community that the lady now has someone she
intends to get married to.

The amount to be collected as bride price is also
agreed upon by the parents of the bride and it
depends to a large extent, on the financial
strength of the man. Apart from the bride price,
there are other things like “ozemeiyi” that is “I
am attracted to her” which a certain amount of
money is attached to, and “otanuvogei” that is
“joining hands together”. There is also “idoza”
that is “farming price” paid to the bride’s family
because Ebira people are predominantly
farmers. In the olden days when every young
man had to farm, the groom and his friends
appoint a day to farm for the father of the bride
but these days because most young men don’t
farm any longer, they pay money instead.
On the day of the traditional marriage, women in
the man’s family are seen singing and dancing
carrying tubers of yams on their heads to the
lady’s house. The singing and dancing continues
at their arrival at the lady’s house where the
ceremony kicks off. Other items to be taken are
cans of palm oil, groundnut oil, dried fish, some
clothing materials in some boxes, jewelries and
other things for adornment of the lady.

The ceremony is usually colorful with display of
dances by maiden groups mostly the bride’s
friends and by women groups. A religious leader
and the parents of the couple offer prayers for
them to bless their marriage and a certificate is
thereafter given to the couple by the religious
leader to acknowledge their marriage.

The lady is thereafter, escorted by her friends
and other women to her husband’s house with
her belongings.