Igala people
The Igala or Igara people are a West African ethnolinguistic group native to the region immediately south of the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers in central Nigeria. The area inhabited primarily by the Igala is referred to as Igalaland. Situated in an especially ecologically diverse region of Nigeria, the Igala have traditionally engaged in crop cultivation, and have been influenced culturally by many surrounding cultures over the centuries. Today, people of Igala descent are estimated to be at a population of over 2 million people.
The Igala kingdom is ruled ceremonially and culturally by the Attah and has a long history of political warfare and campaigns with neighbouring groups along the Benue. Igala people traditionally worship the supreme being Ojo, as well as their divine ancestral spirits. Masquerades are an important aspect of Igala art and a prime example of the kingdom's cultural exchange with its neighbouring groups. Igala art, dating centuries back, also feature in Nigerian body decoration and cultural architecture.
Today, the Igala predominantly inhabit southern and eastern Kogi State where they are the majority ethnicity and a major regional bloc in Kogi state politics. In times past, the Igala have held key state government positions.
While the present kingdom has diminished in size, Igala people and their culture have been an integral part of the formation of the communities along the Niger River, with many communities claiming an ethnogenesis from Idah, the ancestral home of the Igala. Minorities of the group exist in and are native to Edo, Delta, Anambra and Enugu states.
Location
The Igala Kingdom expanded vastly beyond the present-day boundary. Their homeland, the former Igala Kingdom, is a triangular area of about in the angle formed by the Benue and Niger rivers. The area was formerly known as the Igala Division of Kabba province and is now part of Kogi State. Its capital was Idah, in Kogi state. The bulk of the Igala people reside in Kogi where they can be found in Idah, Igalamela/Odolu, Ajaka, Ofu, Olamaboro, Dekina, Bassa, Ankpa, Omala, Uloshi, Ifeku island, Iyelen Lokoja, Ibaji, and Ajaokuta Local Government. Smaller communities and enclaves exist in the surrounding regions and states along the Niger basin.Geography
The geographical location played an important role in the development of the Igala Kingdom. Igala is situated between the apex of the Niger River and Benue River, with the capital, Idah, on the Niger River. Being located by the two main bodies of water in Nigeria brought an abundance of cultural influence from various communities such as Igbo, Yoruba, Edo, and Jukun. The Igala economy grew from trading, but traditionally, the Igala people valued farming and hunting for their goods. Igala is located across the undulating, forested coastal region, and the dry savannah; the Guinea forest-savannah mosaic. This diverse ecological setting accommodates rainfed crops, as well as dry soil crops. Igala farmers, must be strategic with crop locations and the location of cultivar in various ecological locations. The Igala landscape is also conducive to hunting. These animals include the Buffalo, Antelope, and Wild pig.Government
Igala Kingdom
The Igala kingdom was ruled by an "Attah", of all of whom Atta Ayegba Oma Idoko and Atta Ameh Oboni are the two most revered. In Igala lore, Oma Idoko is said to have offered his beloved daughter, Inikpi, by burying her alive to ensure that Igala won a war of liberation from Jukun dominance. Atta Ameh Oboni is known to have been very brave and resolute because of his stiff resistance against the British and struggle to uphold the ancient traditions of Igala land. He died by suicide in order to forestall the plans of the British, who wanted him deposed and exiled.Idakwo Micheal Ameh II became the twenty-seventh Attah following the death of his predecessor Attah Alhaji Aliyu Obaje in 2012.
By Igala native law and custom, an Attah newly nominated by the four ruling royal houses is verified by the Igalamela Kingmakers, traditional chiefs of the Igala kingdom. The Igalamela kingmakers are made up of nine chiefs with Etemahi Igalamela as the head of the Kingmakers. The Kingmakers forward the nominated name to the prime minister of the Igala kingdom, known as the Achadu oko-ata, for onward approval by the Kogi State Government.
Igalaland
The word anẹ̀ Igala means Igalaland is regarded to be the territory where the people are speaking the Igala language. The early settlement in the Igala kingdom were founded by the ancestors of the people now known as the Igala-Mela with traditions that means "the nine Igala". The efunyi or ofigbeli was a large unit of settlement consisting of two or more clans under their am'onofe -unyi, the family heads. In these primary settlements, membership was strictly based on agnatic kinship ties such as Am'om'onobule, the am'ana, the in-laws, the am'adu, the domestic slaves were absorbed into the settlement on the understanding that they accepted their social and political limitations in certain issues.Igala political crisis
The Igala Central Government became weak leading up to the mid-nineteenth century, and up to the point of being taken over by the British. The Igalaland saw a rise in rebellion from Idah; this meant a rise in independent colonies by subjects of the Attah. Prior to the rebellions, around 1826, political turmoil in Idah led to the exile of their leader at the time. This was followed by discourse in the election for the new Attah. Differing clans in the area were in dispute over who should take the throne because each clan supported a different lineage of kingship. The dispute over who would take on the role of the Attah led to economic and political rivalry among the various clans.Beliefs
Origin
It is an Igala legend that the Igalaland was discovered and founded by a hunter who found the area to be ideal for hunting. The legend says that the hunter's camp became the original grounds for the Igala settlement and his family carried on the lineage of the area. While this legend is not considered a concrete historical account, the story represents important aspects of Igala culture, especially in the importance of hunting. In fact, several of the villages take on names that represent the type of game that would be found there. This naming convention includes a village called Oju-Ocha, meaning, 'the place where guinea-fowl come to wash'. Hunting is so important to the Igala people that there are several hunting ceremonies that take place throughout the year. For example, the earth festival begins the start of the farming year. This ritual features a communal hunt where animal remains are offered to the earth shrine, grass being burnt, and the first yam being planted. In another ritual, the king camps in the bush the night before the festival. The king then spears an animal to offer to the national earth shrine.Religion
The Igala people believe in a supreme creator referred to as Ọjọ. While Ọjọ is the highest ruler, he is considered to be so divine that he does not work among the human realm. Instead, Ọjọ bestows powers upon other gods to interact with everyday human life. Igala divine beings are organised into a three part hierarchy; gods, ancestors, and diviners. Igala ancestors are called Ibegwu. ''Ibegwu have a direct connection with Ọjọ'', serving as his representatives and messengers. Ibegwu have the power to protect the well being of humans in their fertility, agriculture, and society. If the ancestors are not properly honored, they also have the ability to punish humans. Every year, before the yam harvest, ancestors are honored at the Ibegwu festival. This is to praise them for their protection in the past year, in hopes for more blessings in the year to follow.Cosmology
The Igala people believe that there are three different realms the human spirit will occupy in their existence; life after birth, adult life, and life after death. The ancestral spirits are very important to the people of the mortal world. It is the goal of the Igala people to maintain a balanced relationship with their ancestors by honouring them through rituals and offerings. If properly honoured, the ancestors will offer blessings and protection to the living. Ancestral spirits interact with the living in various ways. The spirits can be reincarnated as babies, or be called upon through masquerades.In Igala cosmology, a human is not left to decide their destiny. It is believed that before a person is born, their destiny is decided by a choice they make before the creator, Ojo in the spirit world. When a person dies, it is very important that their body is treated with the proper ritual practices to ensure that they will make it to the spirit world; this is accomplished through a burial ceremony that has three stages. The first stage of the burial ceremony is called Egwu omi omi eji -When the body is placed into the grave. The second stage is the ceremony that takes place after the deceased is buried, called ubi eche. The third stage is Akwu eche, meaning the last shedding of tears. The third stage is where the Oloja masquerade is performed to say goodbye to the deceased.
Art
Masquerades
Masks are an important aspect of Igala art. Masquerades are rituals that aim to create a balanced relationship between the world of the living, and the ancestors of the spiritual realm. Igala masks feature symbolic markings that are meaningful in identifying political status and the culture's fashion. Because these markings are not strict for each culture, and fashion changes over time, it is difficult for historians to rely on them to identify their place of origin. Igala masks have influences from several bordering regions including Igbo, Edo, and Idoma.While these masks very across regions, they share some similarities, such as the first Atta appearing as a leopard. Igala masquerade culture would not have been able to flourish without the economic support from trade controlled by the Igbo in the lower Niger River. Igala brass masks, worn by the Atta, show evidence of Benin influence on Igala masks. It is presumed that this influence came from Igala being under suzerainty of Benin during the reign of Esigie.
Researchers have found that some Igala masks were actually from the Jukun region. This could mean that the masks were taken, or left behind by Jukun warriors on the Igala-Jukun battlefield.