Miles Clifford, in his book, A Nigerian Chiefdom: Notes on the Igala Tribe in Nigeria and their “Divine King,” juxtaposes “the Idah chiefdom…and the Jukun chiefdom of Wukari,” This is not surprising, considering the long cultural association that the two groups had shared in Medieval times of Apa or Kwararafa confederacy. C.K. Meek, in A Sudanese Kingdom: An Ethnological Study of the Jukun-speaking Peoples of Nigeria, remarks that “According to early British explorers of the […]
Varying Vowels of Igala and English
As we all know, the Igala alphabet was created from the English alphabet. However, in the pronunciation of the letters of both alphabets, we notice stark differences in how their vowels and consonants sound. In terms of number, the vowels of English are five, while those of Igala are seven, as shown in the Table below. In this post, the individual vowels of the two languages are juxtaposed in two columns in the Table below […]
Five Tones of Igala Tongue
‘Ígálá’ is a tonal language; and, in tonal languages, only tone conveys meanings in words. For instance, the duplicated consonant, ‘kk’ per se, is meaningless but when you spice it with a vowel, or vowels, you see different meanings roll out. Example 1: Add the vowel, ‘ẹ,’ bearing a high tone (ẹ́); then, you will have ‘kẹ́kẹ́,’ meaning ‘small’ or ‘little’. E.g. Ọ́ma kẹ́kẹ́. A little child. Example 2: Add two vowels, ‘o’ and ‘e,’ with variant […]
Anecdotes From the Archives
The British Government, in 1838, passed an Act of Parliament aimed at abolishing Slave Trade in Africa. For that purpose, a steam-boat, named ‘Albert,’ was fitted for the voyage; and it set sail in 1841 under the Command of Captain H. D. Trotter. Other Commissioners were Captain William Allen, who was on the previous 1832 Richard Lander-led expedition, Captain T. R. H. Thompson, M.D. Surgeon, both of the Royal Navy. Rev. (later, Bishop) Samuel Ajayi Crowther […]
Ócho Festival: Origin, Facts and Features
Ócho Festival celebration dates back to the Middle Ages when Àtá Ìdoko Agánápojè – father of Àtá Áyẹ́gbà, founder of the ruling Third Igala Dynasty in Central Nigeria – was out hunting one day and lost his way in the bush. His followers searched everywhere but could not find him “till nearly nightfall.” The following day, he sent a message to his wives and retainers, saying: “It is not right that nothing should be done to mark the occasion, or that […]