The Ijaw people are the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria with a population of over 14 million.
They can be found in Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Edo and parts of Akwa Ibom, they are mostly fisherman and farmers due to their proximity to water.
They were among the first people in Nigeria to come in contact with the Europeans.
The Ijaw tribe, also known as the Ijo, is one of the oldest tribes in Nigeria.
The Ijaws are believed to be the descendants of an ancient tribe in Africa known as the Oru, they were previously addressed by this name and were regarded as the native people of West Africa and the region of Niger/Benue.
The Ijaw were long time ago referred to as the water people (Beni-Otu), they also the preserved the ancient culture and language of the Orus.
They form their homes and live around the Niger river.
Their social groups is made of elders and priests who run the villages, their economy is predominantly supported by fishing, oil milling and farming.
The early Ijaw dwellers engaged in slave trading.
The Ijaws have a unique sense of dressing, their clothing includes unique prints on fabric wrapped round the waist, handmade shell-beaded caps and other accessories adds beauty to the ijaw traditional dressing.
Their houses are mostly built on stilts over the swamps, and transportation is mainly by water . Houses are constructed from bamboo, wood and palm branches.
These houses made from these natural materials have good ventilation and allows smoke from cooking to escape quickly.
The houses are split according to gender with women and men living in different buildings. In dry lands, shanty homes are built and more people live here than in the coastal wetland regions.
The Ijaw people speak various languages and they all belong to the Ijoid language family.
The term “Ijoid” refers to both Ijaw and Defaka languages.
There are thirty dialects of Ijaw, including Apoi, Basan, Bumo, Olodiama, Egbema, Ogboin, and Mein.
There are two division of the ijaw language group,the western and Eastern Ijaw.
Kalabari is considered an Eastern Ijaw language.
Kalabari is the name of one of the Ijaw clans that live on the eastern side of the Niger-Delta (Abonnema, Buguma, Bakana, Degema etc.) form a major group in Rivers State.
Other “Eastern” Ijaw clans are the Abua, Andoni, Okrika, Ibani (the natives of Bonny, Finima and Opobo), and Nkoroo.
They are neighbours to the Kalabari people in present-day Rivers State, Nigeria.
Some of the foods eaten by the Ijaw people are Polofiyai which is a very rich soup made with yams and palm oil.
Kekefiyai is a pottage made from chopped unriped plantains, seafoods, bushmeat and palm oil.
Fried or roasted fish and plantain .
Fish fried in palm oil and served with fried plantains.
Gbe which is a grub of the raffia-palm tree beetle that is eaten either raw, dried, fried in groundnut oil or pickled in palm oil.
Kalabari “sea-harvest” fulo is a rich mixed seafood soup or stew that is eaten with fufu, rice or yam.
Owafiya (Beans Pottage) is a pottage made with beans, palm oil, fish or bushmeat, yam or plantain then taken with processed Cassava or Starch.
Geisha Soup is made from the geisha fish, with just adding, pepper, salt, water and boiling it for some minutes.
Opuru-fulou is also known as prawn soup, it is prepared solely with prawn, ogbono, dried fish, table salt, crayfish, onions, fresh pepper, and red palm oil.
Onunu is made with pounded yams and boiled overripe plantains, it is mostly enjoyed by the Okrika people.
Kiri-igina is prepared from ogbono,fried fish,salt and crayfish without cooking on fire.
Ignabeni is a watery soup prepared with either yam or plantain seasoned with teabush leaves, pepper, goat meat, and fish.
The Ijaw marriage is within and outside their community, they mostly practice polygamy.
Most Ijaw are Christians and some believe in traditional water spirits.
The Ijaw language is predominantly spoken in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers State. They are naturally endowed with crude oil. They are known for their ancestral history and beautiful religious ceremonies such as their heritage art masks that are finely carved and displayed in ceremonies in honor of the water spirits.