The Ancient Kingdom Of Warri( Iwere)
The Itsekiri people called this Kingdom Ale Iwere(The Land Of Iwere), the inhabitants they called Oma Iwere( Children of Iwere). The Portuguese that visit in 1516 called it Roy Aweri(Kingdom Of Aweri) a derivation of the pronunciation of the word Iwere.
1659 Description of the king's palace
The palace of the king is located at the head of a large square that goes right down to the river; it comprises eight courtyards, five of which any one is free to enter, while the others are guarded because they are for the use of the king. Within these is his apartment with another large courtyard around which are the rooms of his women, who are about thirty or more; no one may enter there under penalty of death, except their mothers, relatives and some women who are appointed to serve there. The king never goes out of the palace, and in the seven years I was there I only saw him go out three times, on the occasion of a procession which they held. At that time, and when he creates chiefs or receives ambassadors from the surrounding kingdoms he dresses richly in Portuguese style. When he is in council or gives a public audience he wears over his naked body only a tunic of white linen with large sleeves like those of monks. With a small white cap on his head and sandals without socks, he holds in his hand a very beautiful sheath with two long knives, the handles of which are decorated with emeralds and rubies.(Bonaventura da Firenze 1659: How the faith first entered Warri)
The Size Of The Kingdom Of Warri
“The sovereign of this state owns not only both banks of the Benin river but also all the rivers of these parts as far as the tributaries of the Calabar” Captain Okro September 1786 (Captain Okro is Chief Okorodudun, a Chief Of Ogiame Erejuwa I A.K.A Sebastiao Manuel Octobia 1760–1795).
In the work of Captain Landolphe published from his diary, Captain Okro went further to describe the strength of the king “He is not afraid of war with any of his neighbours. His navy is one of the most formidable of the African coast. He never fights on land. Content with disrupting the commerce of his enemies, he breaks their communications when he wants and reduces them to hunger without difficulty."
Historical Records About The Kingdom Of Warri
The following are different records about the kingdom of Warri.
1. 1571-4 mission to Warri
1620 Pedro da Cunho: Ad limina report
Besides these three islands, there is a town of Christians on the continent in the kingdom of Warri, called St. Augustine, because its people first received the Faith from religious of the Hermits of St. Augustine. One of them, called Brother Franciscus a Matre Dei, baptized the present king at the time he was still a prince and successor designate.
2. 27-9-1584 Diogo da Encarnação: Appeal for priests
There is another king in Rio Forcado [= Warri] who is already Christian, but is calling for priests, because he has none in his kingdom.
3. 14-12-1584 Diogo do SS. mo Sacramento: The same
There is another king of what is called Rio Forcado, which is in alliance with the Priester John and Congo, who is already Christian. He also calls for priests so that they can do baptisms in his kingdom.
4. 28-9-1597 Consulta da Mesa da Consciencia e ordens: On report of Francisco de Vila Nova OFM, Bishop of São Tomé
In this Council of Conscience there was examined a letter from the bishop of São Tomé to your Majesty, which is attached to this, in which he reminds your Majesty of the Christianity of the kingdom of Warri and of the great harm it is suffering because of the lack of priests who can say Mass there and administer the holy sacraments. Because priests were not found who would accept to reside and stay in that kingdom because the land is very unhealthy and subject to the plague of mosquitos, which are very many and very harmful, it is fitting, since there are no indigenous priests of that land, that the contractors who go to buy ivory from the kingdom of Benin should bring in the ships going for that trade some priests for the kingdom of Warri for the purpose mentioned.
5. 1-6-1604 Petrus Fernandez Barbosa, Dean of São Tomé diocese: Report
11) The diocese of São Tomé consists in the same island of São Tomé, the island of Principe, the island of Anno Bon, and the kingdom of Warri. Each of the said islands has one place inhabited by some Christians. This is by direct knowledge because [Pedro Fernandez Barbosa] was a vistator in that diocese.
Elusa, son of Rey) or Reggio, king of Wari and of Lower Benin—which has been settled from Wari —died in June, 1848, leaving, as usual, a large family. The two elder sons, Iteya and Ajoprd, followed their sire within the week. The numerous slaves of the former rose up in arms, left Wari town. (FRASER'S MAGAZINE.
FEBRUARY, 1863.
MY WANDERINGS IN WEST AFRICA.
A VISIT TO THE RENOWNED CITIES OF WARI AND BENIN.
BY AN F.R-G.S.)
Names Of The Kingdom Of Warri
Over the past 500 years, the Kingdom of Warri has been called the following names and they are all derivatives of the pronunciation of the ITSEKIRI word IWERE.
1. Oery
2. Aware
3. Awery
4. Waree
5. Owerri
6. Warri
Some Notable People In Historic Records On The Kingdom Of Warri.
Captain Sieur Jean Francois Landolphe
Captain Sieur Jean Francois Landolphe he was a frequent guest to the king Lord Sebastian Otobia, king of Owhere at Warri Palace. He spent about 30 years in the kingdom of Warri. Landolphe bought land from the Warri King on 4th of May 1788 to build a Farm and French Colony. The king had twice come to Landolphe's rescue, in 1778 and in 1782, when Landolphe failed to navigate his ships La Nigresse and later La Charmante Louise out of the Benin River before the summer season. The king had taken pity on the French and invited them to lodge at his capita1.28 Accepting this offer, Landolphe spent time there inspecting the surrounding area, which he described as `very fertile; pineapples grow without cultivation. One finds an extreme abundance of oranges, lemons, melons, and pumpkin. Purslane grows in the streets. Sorrel, wild spinach and other legumes are just as common [and] the forests furnish expensive woods.'29 In addition to its fertility, °where's milder climate and proximity to the coast prompted Landolphe to consider founding a settlement there. The Memoires also reveal how the King of Owhere continuously worked to win Landolphe over, probably spotting a great opportunity to gain access to coveted European goods. To this end, the king entrusted his nephew, Prince Boudakan, to Landolphe's care and instructed the Frenchman to take him to France and introduce him to French culture.3°
Back in France, Landolphe managed to obtain royal support for his project. He also found a willing sponsor from Saint-Malo, the Brillantais Marion firm. Together they formed the Compagnie d'Owhere et de Benin. Prince Boudakan attracted considerable interest at the Court of Versailles—even drawing compliments from the Saint-Domingue slave-owner Moreau de Saint-Mery—and as a result Landolphe and Brillantais further obtained an exclusive three-year privilege to the Benin trade.
Prince Mark Budakan a nephew of the king of Warri ( https://goo.gl/PD8iNX )
Prince Mark Budakan a nephew of the king of Warri. He was taken to France around 1786 by Captain Sieur Jean Francois Landolphe to learn French and their system of administration. Budakan is a son to the sister of the reigning King of Warri. Prince Mark Budakan was presented to the French Royal Court in 1786 and was granted a royal pension of 1500 France. The young prince was shown around Parisian society where he left a good impression indeed. He even went to see the King of France, Louis XVI and a portrait of him was made in the French Royal court.
He was well received by Mighty King Otobia in city of Warri on his return from France.
Ambroise Marie Francois Joseph Palisot, Baron de Beauvois.
A. M. F. J. Palisot, Baron de Beauvois, was born July 27, 1752 ... In 1786, He left France in the year 1786 with an expedition to found a colony at Oware (or Owerri/Aweri) at the mouth of the Niger River in what is today Nigeria. Palisot assembled material from there with some collections from the neighboring country of present-day Benin. From time to time Palisot sent specimens back to France.
A. M. F. J. Palisot, Baron de Beauvois write two books from his collections in Oware (Warri)
1. Insectes recueillis en Afrique et en Amerique, dans les Royaumes d'Oware et de Benin (1790)
Insectes recueillis en Afrique et en Amerique, dans les Royaumes d'Oware et de Benin, a Saint-Domingue et dans les Etats-Unis, pendant les annees 1786-1797.
2. Flore d'Oware et de Benin, en Afrique 1790.
The bulk of his collections were destroyed when the British pillaged the colony and set fire to the trading post where his material was stored. Palisot de Beauvois never saw most of his collections in Owara again, as they were plundered by the British in 1792. An outbreak of yellow fever ravaged the colonists, and Palisot became so ill with the disease that in 1788 his friends placed him on a slave ship bound for Haiti where he had an uncle.
The kingdom of Warri and it’s Kingship have been in existence for over 400 years before the founding of NIGERIA. It’s a big joke to insinuate that It was Chief Obafemi Awolowo who gave the tittle of the Olu of Warri or King of Warri to the itsekiri Monarch. All the information referenced on this article have been in existence for centuries before the birth of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. But what really happens in the 1950’s?
In the 1950’s the Itsekiri Monarch tittle was changed from Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri. Why was this change done? Let’s go back a little further in history.
Following the death of Olu Akengbuwa II, who reigned as Olu of Warri, in 1848, there was an eighty-eight-year interregnum during which there were no Olus crowned in Warri. In that period, Warri or Itsekiri country was ruled by governors, who were mostly powerful merchants. Nanna's defeat by the British Royal Navy in the War of 1894 greatly weakened these merchants and would later pave the way for the resumption of the monarchy in Warri in 1936.
In 1914, Lord Lugard created Nigeria by amalgamating the Northern and Southern protectorates. For administrative purposes, provinces were created throughout the new country. A province was named after "Warri" and this province encompassed Urhobo, Ijaw, Isoko, Ndokwa and Itsekiri lands.
During preparations to resume the Itsekiri monarchy by the coronation of Ginuwa II in 1936, official references were to the "Olu of Warri". However, the Urhobo Progressive Union, under the leadership of Chief Mukoro Mowoe, prevailed on the colonial administration to change the title to "Olu of Itsekiri". His argument was that the entire Urhobo Division, being part of Warri Province, could be construed to under the Olu's domain. Predictably, the change was denounced by notable Nigerian personalities who were not even Itsekiri. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, then a newspaper publisher, wrote as follows in the West African Pilot of May 14, 1940:
"His Highness Ginuwa II is Olu of the Itsekiri-speaking people, who live on Itsekiri land… If the matter is discussed in detail, it will be found that a definite title is necessary, in which case, the Olu of Warri seems to be the most historical and correct. When we speak of the Oba of Lagos we refer to the Paramount Native Ruler of Lagos, although Lagos is peopled mainly by Yoruba-speaking peoples and Lagos is part of Yorubaland. So too, in the case of His Highness Ginuwa II, the Olu of Warri is the Paramount Native Ruler of Warri…"
It is noteworthy that, after a riot and an inquiry in 1952, Chief Obafemi Awolowo invited both Itsekiri and Urhobo delegations to present their case for and against the Itsekiri monarch being called the Olu of Warri.
The late Chief M.E.R. Okorodudu presented the Itsekiri case based on historical facts and common sense. Chief P.K. Tobiowo spoke for the Urhobos but did not dispute the historicity of the Itsekiri claim. He merely repeated Chief Mowoe's assertion of 1936 that since Warri Province included other homelands, the title "Olu of Warri" would suggest that the Olu was titular head not only of Warri Division but also to other divisions within the province. Chief Okorodudu then suggested that the name of the province be changed to Delta, confining "Warri" to Itsekiri homeland which had been the Olu's domain for centuries. Both the Urhobo delegate and the Government accepted this compromise. This was then presented to the Western House of Assembly in Ibadan where it was debated and adopted. The name of the province was therefore changed to Delta and title of the Olu of Warri reverted to its original form.
Ijaws never protested against the title and Urhobos accepted the confinement of the power of the Olu to Warri - the Itsekiri homeland.
The Itsekiri people called this Kingdom Ale Iwere(The Land Of Iwere), the inhabitants they called Oma Iwere( Children of Iwere). The Portuguese that visit in 1516 called it Roy Aweri(Kingdom Of Aweri) a derivation of the pronunciation of the word Iwere.
1659 Description of the king's palace
The palace of the king is located at the head of a large square that goes right down to the river; it comprises eight courtyards, five of which any one is free to enter, while the others are guarded because they are for the use of the king. Within these is his apartment with another large courtyard around which are the rooms of his women, who are about thirty or more; no one may enter there under penalty of death, except their mothers, relatives and some women who are appointed to serve there. The king never goes out of the palace, and in the seven years I was there I only saw him go out three times, on the occasion of a procession which they held. At that time, and when he creates chiefs or receives ambassadors from the surrounding kingdoms he dresses richly in Portuguese style. When he is in council or gives a public audience he wears over his naked body only a tunic of white linen with large sleeves like those of monks. With a small white cap on his head and sandals without socks, he holds in his hand a very beautiful sheath with two long knives, the handles of which are decorated with emeralds and rubies.(Bonaventura da Firenze 1659: How the faith first entered Warri)
The Size Of The Kingdom Of Warri
“The sovereign of this state owns not only both banks of the Benin river but also all the rivers of these parts as far as the tributaries of the Calabar” Captain Okro September 1786 (Captain Okro is Chief Okorodudun, a Chief Of Ogiame Erejuwa I A.K.A Sebastiao Manuel Octobia 1760–1795).
In the work of Captain Landolphe published from his diary, Captain Okro went further to describe the strength of the king “He is not afraid of war with any of his neighbours. His navy is one of the most formidable of the African coast. He never fights on land. Content with disrupting the commerce of his enemies, he breaks their communications when he wants and reduces them to hunger without difficulty."
Historical Records About The Kingdom Of Warri
The following are different records about the kingdom of Warri.
1. 1571-4 mission to Warri
1620 Pedro da Cunho: Ad limina report
Besides these three islands, there is a town of Christians on the continent in the kingdom of Warri, called St. Augustine, because its people first received the Faith from religious of the Hermits of St. Augustine. One of them, called Brother Franciscus a Matre Dei, baptized the present king at the time he was still a prince and successor designate.
2. 27-9-1584 Diogo da Encarnação: Appeal for priests
There is another king in Rio Forcado [= Warri] who is already Christian, but is calling for priests, because he has none in his kingdom.
3. 14-12-1584 Diogo do SS. mo Sacramento: The same
There is another king of what is called Rio Forcado, which is in alliance with the Priester John and Congo, who is already Christian. He also calls for priests so that they can do baptisms in his kingdom.
4. 28-9-1597 Consulta da Mesa da Consciencia e ordens: On report of Francisco de Vila Nova OFM, Bishop of São Tomé
In this Council of Conscience there was examined a letter from the bishop of São Tomé to your Majesty, which is attached to this, in which he reminds your Majesty of the Christianity of the kingdom of Warri and of the great harm it is suffering because of the lack of priests who can say Mass there and administer the holy sacraments. Because priests were not found who would accept to reside and stay in that kingdom because the land is very unhealthy and subject to the plague of mosquitos, which are very many and very harmful, it is fitting, since there are no indigenous priests of that land, that the contractors who go to buy ivory from the kingdom of Benin should bring in the ships going for that trade some priests for the kingdom of Warri for the purpose mentioned.
5. 1-6-1604 Petrus Fernandez Barbosa, Dean of São Tomé diocese: Report
11) The diocese of São Tomé consists in the same island of São Tomé, the island of Principe, the island of Anno Bon, and the kingdom of Warri. Each of the said islands has one place inhabited by some Christians. This is by direct knowledge because [Pedro Fernandez Barbosa] was a vistator in that diocese.
Elusa, son of Rey) or Reggio, king of Wari and of Lower Benin—which has been settled from Wari —died in June, 1848, leaving, as usual, a large family. The two elder sons, Iteya and Ajoprd, followed their sire within the week. The numerous slaves of the former rose up in arms, left Wari town. (FRASER'S MAGAZINE.
FEBRUARY, 1863.
MY WANDERINGS IN WEST AFRICA.
A VISIT TO THE RENOWNED CITIES OF WARI AND BENIN.
BY AN F.R-G.S.)
Names Of The Kingdom Of Warri
Over the past 500 years, the Kingdom of Warri has been called the following names and they are all derivatives of the pronunciation of the ITSEKIRI word IWERE.
1. Oery
2. Aware
3. Awery
4. Waree
5. Owerri
6. Warri
Some Notable People In Historic Records On The Kingdom Of Warri.
Captain Sieur Jean Francois Landolphe
Captain Sieur Jean Francois Landolphe he was a frequent guest to the king Lord Sebastian Otobia, king of Owhere at Warri Palace. He spent about 30 years in the kingdom of Warri. Landolphe bought land from the Warri King on 4th of May 1788 to build a Farm and French Colony. The king had twice come to Landolphe's rescue, in 1778 and in 1782, when Landolphe failed to navigate his ships La Nigresse and later La Charmante Louise out of the Benin River before the summer season. The king had taken pity on the French and invited them to lodge at his capita1.28 Accepting this offer, Landolphe spent time there inspecting the surrounding area, which he described as `very fertile; pineapples grow without cultivation. One finds an extreme abundance of oranges, lemons, melons, and pumpkin. Purslane grows in the streets. Sorrel, wild spinach and other legumes are just as common [and] the forests furnish expensive woods.'29 In addition to its fertility, °where's milder climate and proximity to the coast prompted Landolphe to consider founding a settlement there. The Memoires also reveal how the King of Owhere continuously worked to win Landolphe over, probably spotting a great opportunity to gain access to coveted European goods. To this end, the king entrusted his nephew, Prince Boudakan, to Landolphe's care and instructed the Frenchman to take him to France and introduce him to French culture.3°
Back in France, Landolphe managed to obtain royal support for his project. He also found a willing sponsor from Saint-Malo, the Brillantais Marion firm. Together they formed the Compagnie d'Owhere et de Benin. Prince Boudakan attracted considerable interest at the Court of Versailles—even drawing compliments from the Saint-Domingue slave-owner Moreau de Saint-Mery—and as a result Landolphe and Brillantais further obtained an exclusive three-year privilege to the Benin trade.
Prince Mark Budakan a nephew of the king of Warri ( https://goo.gl/PD8iNX )
Prince Mark Budakan a nephew of the king of Warri. He was taken to France around 1786 by Captain Sieur Jean Francois Landolphe to learn French and their system of administration. Budakan is a son to the sister of the reigning King of Warri. Prince Mark Budakan was presented to the French Royal Court in 1786 and was granted a royal pension of 1500 France. The young prince was shown around Parisian society where he left a good impression indeed. He even went to see the King of France, Louis XVI and a portrait of him was made in the French Royal court.
He was well received by Mighty King Otobia in city of Warri on his return from France.
Ambroise Marie Francois Joseph Palisot, Baron de Beauvois.
A. M. F. J. Palisot, Baron de Beauvois, was born July 27, 1752 ... In 1786, He left France in the year 1786 with an expedition to found a colony at Oware (or Owerri/Aweri) at the mouth of the Niger River in what is today Nigeria. Palisot assembled material from there with some collections from the neighboring country of present-day Benin. From time to time Palisot sent specimens back to France.
A. M. F. J. Palisot, Baron de Beauvois write two books from his collections in Oware (Warri)
1. Insectes recueillis en Afrique et en Amerique, dans les Royaumes d'Oware et de Benin (1790)
Insectes recueillis en Afrique et en Amerique, dans les Royaumes d'Oware et de Benin, a Saint-Domingue et dans les Etats-Unis, pendant les annees 1786-1797.
2. Flore d'Oware et de Benin, en Afrique 1790.
The bulk of his collections were destroyed when the British pillaged the colony and set fire to the trading post where his material was stored. Palisot de Beauvois never saw most of his collections in Owara again, as they were plundered by the British in 1792. An outbreak of yellow fever ravaged the colonists, and Palisot became so ill with the disease that in 1788 his friends placed him on a slave ship bound for Haiti where he had an uncle.
The kingdom of Warri and it’s Kingship have been in existence for over 400 years before the founding of NIGERIA. It’s a big joke to insinuate that It was Chief Obafemi Awolowo who gave the tittle of the Olu of Warri or King of Warri to the itsekiri Monarch. All the information referenced on this article have been in existence for centuries before the birth of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. But what really happens in the 1950’s?
In the 1950’s the Itsekiri Monarch tittle was changed from Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri. Why was this change done? Let’s go back a little further in history.
Following the death of Olu Akengbuwa II, who reigned as Olu of Warri, in 1848, there was an eighty-eight-year interregnum during which there were no Olus crowned in Warri. In that period, Warri or Itsekiri country was ruled by governors, who were mostly powerful merchants. Nanna's defeat by the British Royal Navy in the War of 1894 greatly weakened these merchants and would later pave the way for the resumption of the monarchy in Warri in 1936.
In 1914, Lord Lugard created Nigeria by amalgamating the Northern and Southern protectorates. For administrative purposes, provinces were created throughout the new country. A province was named after "Warri" and this province encompassed Urhobo, Ijaw, Isoko, Ndokwa and Itsekiri lands.
During preparations to resume the Itsekiri monarchy by the coronation of Ginuwa II in 1936, official references were to the "Olu of Warri". However, the Urhobo Progressive Union, under the leadership of Chief Mukoro Mowoe, prevailed on the colonial administration to change the title to "Olu of Itsekiri". His argument was that the entire Urhobo Division, being part of Warri Province, could be construed to under the Olu's domain. Predictably, the change was denounced by notable Nigerian personalities who were not even Itsekiri. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, then a newspaper publisher, wrote as follows in the West African Pilot of May 14, 1940:
"His Highness Ginuwa II is Olu of the Itsekiri-speaking people, who live on Itsekiri land… If the matter is discussed in detail, it will be found that a definite title is necessary, in which case, the Olu of Warri seems to be the most historical and correct. When we speak of the Oba of Lagos we refer to the Paramount Native Ruler of Lagos, although Lagos is peopled mainly by Yoruba-speaking peoples and Lagos is part of Yorubaland. So too, in the case of His Highness Ginuwa II, the Olu of Warri is the Paramount Native Ruler of Warri…"
It is noteworthy that, after a riot and an inquiry in 1952, Chief Obafemi Awolowo invited both Itsekiri and Urhobo delegations to present their case for and against the Itsekiri monarch being called the Olu of Warri.
The late Chief M.E.R. Okorodudu presented the Itsekiri case based on historical facts and common sense. Chief P.K. Tobiowo spoke for the Urhobos but did not dispute the historicity of the Itsekiri claim. He merely repeated Chief Mowoe's assertion of 1936 that since Warri Province included other homelands, the title "Olu of Warri" would suggest that the Olu was titular head not only of Warri Division but also to other divisions within the province. Chief Okorodudu then suggested that the name of the province be changed to Delta, confining "Warri" to Itsekiri homeland which had been the Olu's domain for centuries. Both the Urhobo delegate and the Government accepted this compromise. This was then presented to the Western House of Assembly in Ibadan where it was debated and adopted. The name of the province was therefore changed to Delta and title of the Olu of Warri reverted to its original form.
Ijaws never protested against the title and Urhobos accepted the confinement of the power of the Olu to Warri - the Itsekiri homeland.
Comments
Post a Comment