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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE BENIN-OWAN PEOPLE OF ORA

In line with our promise, today is to explore the history of another great Owan clan, the Oras.

Oba Ewuare Ozolua is traditionally regarded as the ancestor of the Oras in Owan. He was known as Prince Okpame before he became known as Oba Ozolua. He had sought refuge in Uokha( Founded by an earlier Benin Prince,Odion) in the kingdom northern areas in c1473. From Uokha, Oba Ozolua founded Ora, Ozalla and other villages. Oba Ozolua was a warlord. He is styled Ozolua the conqueror because he subdued many enemies and quelled many rebellions. He extended his carnage to Uromi when the Enogie was reported to have been rude to his messengers. He went up through Akoko land, wandering into Nupe lands where he acquired a lot of sophisticated weaponry then. He attacked the Igallas and Igbirras in the present Kogi and Kwarra states. After spending the greater part of his life in ORA, he left behind his son UGUAN and returned to Benin City. But before he left, he proclaimed everybody free men and free women, entitled to enjoy the privileges of Edo princes and Princesses, for all the services they had rendered in his military campaigns. That is why the Oras call themselves today, the CHILDREN OF OZOLUA Major festivals and ceremonies in Ora clan are Owewe, Oisa, Aselegun, Ekhae, Ukpasa and funeral rites.Sabongida is an Hausa name given to Ora by Hausa settlers who came to make Evbiobe home. Today,Ora people want to reverse the name Sabongida-Ora to Evbiobe.

It was believed that Prince Okpame left Benin with his young nephew Prince Obazuaye the great Hunter who was the younger brother to Prince Imaa ( both sons of the late Edaiken of Uselu,Crown Prince Kuoboyuwa,Prince Okpame’s Eldest brother). Imaa had already left Benin and settled near Uokha. He left when Obazuaye had gone hunting in forest near Ife.

At Uokha,Okpamen also met Okpowewunma who later married Ororuah.Okpamen and his followers wandered south to Iregbe from where the Ora clan was founded.

Another version has it that when Okpame Uguan was banned from Benin, he moved with his nephew Obazuaye towards Edo north with his followers and they settled in Ozalla.From Ozalla he went further and set up a camp with his Nephew Imaa( Obazuaye’s Elder brother) at Ugboa near Uokha.They were both farmers.Among the people they met was Akpowowuma,the father of Ororuah.They all settled at Uokha,which is further down Edo north.Ororuah stayed with them for some time ,got married and his wife became pregnant.

When Okpamen visited his nephew Imaa,he met Ororuah's wife under labor. Spiritual divination revealed that the woman under labor must be removed from Uokha immediately to Iregbe,or else the baby will die.Obazuaye( who is also gifted with spiritual foresight) predicted this occurrence. When she got to Iregbe,woods that were used to dry leopard meat, they set up fire to keep the nursing mother warm .In Ora language ,leopard means Ekpen.

The baby delivered was named Orai -Ekpen[in Ora language Oran Ekpen means leopard wood].The nickname of Okpame was Uguan meaning- "I will not serve anybody'.This made Ora people not to have an Oba or King until recently Iregbe is significant in Ora history because it was the place Okpame-Uguan settled in when he left Uokha with his pregnant wife. His son Ora Ekpen, was born in Iregbe. Iregbe has ceased to exist today as a settlement and village. It was renamed Odorere and had become a burial ground for Ora people. It is a bush behind Ojavun village-[on the west side of Ojavun toward Avbiosi-Iuleha].

Because of its location,Ojavun people refused Ora people from taking dead bodies across their village to Iregbe that had become a cemetery.There is a river in Iregbe called today river Iregbe. Okpame bore Ora Ekpen in Iregbe. As the child grew up he left them and went back to Benin following the death of his father-the Oba. He went back to Benin to inherit the Obaship as he was the next in line to ascend to the throne. Ironically ,the king makers in Benin refused has ascension to this throne but preferred his younger brother Esigie who had a fierce mother.

Oran Ekpen married six wives from Uokha and each wife had two children .This made all his children to be 12 in Iregbe.From Iregbe or Odorere,the moved to Ugbubezi from where they settled in their present settlement.

The most senor child of Ora Ekpen is Umale or Imale. Umale turned out to be very lazy and unambitious. He was a disappointment. His brothers [with the exception on his brother of the same mother called Obe]colluded among themselves and killed him.

Obe his blood brother then reported this occurrence to their father. As a result of this occurrence, Ora- Ekpen dispersed all the children to different settlements that formed the six major clans that made the present day Ora.[the six major clans represents the six wives of Ora Ekpen].

The six major clans that represents the first sons of each wife are Ohia,Ovbiokhuan rin, Evbiobe, Uhonmora, Oke and Eme.

History and origin of Iru-Ekpen After umale was killed,the other children could not see their father eye to eye. This brought about a belief in Ora that children of Obe see and tourch a dead body as Obe,the same mother with Umale was able to see their father as he did not have any guilt conscience. He eventually buried his brother on his fathers orders.

Before Umale was killed,he had a child named Iru from a wife called Ayamon. Because of how her husband was killed, Iru's mother ran away with him to Ekpoma. He married and eventually settled today at the present day Iruekpen[Iru-Ekpen].

Incidentally Iru-Ekpen is the grandson of Ora-Ekpen.Iruekpen is today geographycally next village to Ora and Ozalla.

Though Iru Ekpen is located in Esan,and but their Edo dialect is closer to Owan than Esan. Ugbubezi and Atoruru are hamlets of a large expanse of farmlands between the extreme mid west side of Sabongida -Ora and south western part of Iuleha. It is a very fertile land that is good for cultivation of palm oil, rubber, Ogbolo.

The Urhobos, Itsekiris, Oras and Aomas from Iuleha inhabit this farmlands as farmers.The ownership of this expanse of land is currently being disputed by Avbiosi-Iuleha on one side and the Ora people on the other side.

Ora Ekpen next senior son- Ohia [after the death of Imale] committed a heinous offence of impregnating his fathers wife. Consequently seniority fell on his next senior son Ovbiokhuan. Obe was rewarded with spiritual authority because of his closeness to his father Ora Ekpen.

In 1953, Oba Akenzua II of Benin came to Ora and created 18 traditional councils in the six unit villages of Ora:

Ohia got Eson,Olaye and Uwaya.

Ovbiokhuanrin got Esama,Osai and Ebolor.

Uhonmora got Osula,Ogua and Osiogua.

Oke got Obaraye,Ezama and Ebagua.

Eme-ora got Ozague,Auen and Osasomoyon.

The Oje of Ora: Chief J.O Agbi of Ohia was made the traditional ruler on 8/12/1987 till he died in 1999..He was suceeded by Chief Matthew Porta Imona from Ovbiokhkhuanrin.

The highiest shrine or Ikute in Ora land Ora-Ekpen bi Uguan at Evbiobe The twelve children of Ora-Ekpen in order of seniority are as follows:Umale, Ahiedu, Akhauize, Odu, Obe, Ibiaro, Eghomi, Owato, Uguanroba, Ohela, Agba and Ofebe.

Eboguan is a hamlet in Ora land and they claimed to be followers of Uguan Okpamen when he was exiled from Benin.They claimed not to be direct descendants of Ora-Ekpen.The currently are in Evbiobe by Commercial road in Ora.They claim to be Uguan Okpamen's cousins. As a consequence of this claim,the get certain privileges today in Ora.It was alleged that Ora-Ekpen took them in as cousins and ordered the Eghomi of Uvbiatothe Eboguan people to be priests and custodians of the Uguan shrine.

This priesthood position is hereditary: it stays in that family for ever.They are also responsible for calling for Ora meetings after consultation with Ohia.

These peoples claim to superiority made them demand for privileges like: they do not celebrate to age grade festival,they do not do communal work,the forbid going to farm,they cannot be prosecuted for sundry offences and they enjoy immunity from any form of justice.. They claim to be responsible for collecting levies for the Ora people Ora version of Ejere society the Ora version of the Ejere cult in Owan is that Agba was an Ohia man and eleventh child of Ora-Ekpen.He was a traditional medicine man or a native doctor. He travelled to Ife and met some friends in Ife who were in the middle of a cult intiation.His friend solicited on his behave to be initiated into the cult called E -o-jere. He got the medicine wrapped in corn leaves and tied with tread and came home with it.He informed and intiated his brother Ahiedo. From there,the Ejere cult spread to Owan land There are different conflicting reports about the beginigs of the Ejere cult in Owan. In was believed that people from Benin often come to Owan to confiscate childless people and their properties because Owan was still under their control.

As owan people were looking for spiritual ways to break from this affront by the Benins, a Yourba man called Irele took them to Ile Ife also know then as Uhe Ife. The Owan people nominated one man from Ora, Emai and Iuleha to follow the Yourba man to Ile Ife.The name of the Ora man was Agba, the Emai man's name was Agbara while the name of the Iuleha man has been lost to history.

When they got to Uhe[ile Ife],the yoruba man fell sick and died. This made the Emai and Iuleha men to come back home. The Ora man waited and got the medicine and returned home with it.(Other writers believed thatAgba travelled by himself to Uhe and met the people of Uhe intalling somebody into the Ejere cult. He inquired about the ceremony and was told it means E ojere[this in yourba means you will get rewards or acomplish your heart's desire].

He asked to be initiated and was promptly intiated.When he got back to Ora he intiated the Ora elders into the Ejere cult and this was how the cult spread to Ozalla and surrounding ora clans including Obe) When the Iuleha people came,they were given the string that was used to tie the medicine[it was alleged to have thesame effect as the original medicine].

When Emai man Agbara came for the medicine,he did not get to meet the medicine but was allowed to take the stone on which the medicine was made and he took it to Ovbiowun in Emai land.

Ovbiowun rotate the stones location with their cousins in Erah land.Following a disagreement between the two villages[over farmlands] Ovbiowun refused to rotate the stone -medicinewhich is now with Erah.This led to inter tribal war between the two villages in 1790. Ovbiowun invited anther cousin Evbiamen to help fight Erah.

The Evbiamen could only function as profession singers during war.They are not warriors.The captain of the Evbiamen singers was nicknamed Tiger[ real name Erithon Nick] even though they were unable to defeat Erah. This is where Evbiamen got the Ejere title name Oje-ekpen-lofen or Oje Ekpen wofen[ meaning a fearful tiger].

This is an Evbiamen title today. The medicine stone still remained in Erah.

In Ora land,if one's father or senior brother is a member of the Ejere cult, that person may not be able to be initiated into the Ejere cult. Traditional administrative set up in Ora Land.

The senior wears a feather cap called Odigen.The next man who sits next to him in meetings and who may be thesame age grad to him is called Oyanyan.

The third person in order of command is called Ilotu.The most senior person is called Ogboko while elders and titled chiefs in Ora land are called Eare.The Arah is the leader of all the elders and is the priest of the Ora deity or Ikute.He help in the administration of sacrifices and rituals like when individuals use rams or got to make restitutions for offences.The Aroso is in charge of the rain god.He make sacrifices to stop the rain when important events are done or ask for rain when there is drought.

Ohia Village of Ora Ahiedu was the founder of Ohia. Ohia is located in the North eastern part of Ora and has boundary with Ojavun and Eme -Ora.Ahiedu was said to have committed adultery with his father's wife.consequently, he was cursed by his father.He was the second son of Oran-Ekpen. Because of his hiernous act,he was by passed in seniority after the death of the eldest son.Hense Akhauaize took over as the senior and in charge of the Oko or traditional rites for Ohia on the ritual Eguai-gho-Ora.

The name Uguan[from Okpame Uguan] implies that Ora never have an Oba because they never believed they should be subordinated to anybody.This was how things were for a long time before the installation of Chief Agbi as the Oje of Ora in 1987.

Ovbiokhuanrin Village in Ora This is a village between Oke old and Evbiobe.The founder was Akhuazie,the third son of Oran-Ekpen.Ovbiokhuanrin produced the second Oba in Ora in the person of Chief M P Imona.

Evbiobe Evbiobe was founded by Obe,the son of Oran-Ekpen,the founder of Ora land.Evbiobe is the center of Ora administration.It is Evbiobe that the Oran Ekpen bi Uguan shrine is situated.Though Ohia is senior,Ora Eguai [the meeting place for all of Ora]is situated in Evbiobe.

Eguai Arelu There was an individual called Arelu who married from Ohia.When Ohia people come come for the meeting[called Eguai-ho -Ora],they normally go to Arelu's house for shelter ,whenever it rains.Arelu's wife will feed every body.It happened that on one occasion,some Ora people also took shelter ,ate and got drunk at Arelu's house.Because of Arelu's hopsitality,they decided to hold regular meetings at Arelu's home.This gave rise to the name Eguai Arelu.Later the meeting place [Eguai]was moved to a location near Ekin Evbiobe[Evbiobe market] called Eguai Oise. In the administration of Ora traditional cultures,there is no room for clan dominance.All sub-clans are treated equally.

Uhomora Sub clan This is located in the southern part of Ora.It was formerly called Evbiato and founded by Eghomi at Odorere. The name change from Uvbiato to Uhomora was in 1942 The name Owan also pronounced Onwan is derived from the root word "Owanbua" which is a name of a notable daughter of Egomi of Uvbiato. Uvbiato is the present day -Uhon-mora[Ora].

Folklore have it that Madam Owan married at Otuo village but was not blessed with any children. When she died,her burial place became a stream that flowed from Otuo,through many villages in Owan before joining the Ule river which eventually emptied into the famous river "Ose"Because river Owan or Onwan practically passed through most villages in Owan.There is a superstitious belief that if an Uvbiato person falls into river Owan, he or she will be thrown back to land safely.

Oke sub clan

Oke village is in northern part of Ora.It has boundry with Emai[the first village in Emai:Ojavun has boundry with Oke.Owato was the founder of Oke.They were formerly at Odorere.They house the Eguai Ohiken shrine for the whole of Ora.They migrated to this present place from Odorere. Eme Ora is a sub clan and village located in the eastern part of Ora It was alleged that the founder of eme-Ora was Uguanroba,who was born during the reign of Oba Uguan of Benin

DISCLAIMER Again this is an effort and we do not pretend that it is exhaustive. Claims and objections are welcomed.