Nigeria is one of the Africa States which acquires her independence in 1960. But the people and their indigenous culture have ancient foundation. Nigeria with Land mass of 925,000 sq km has a popular place above 140 millions persons. It has about 350 indigenous language commodities and several thousands of dialect communities. In spite of this diversity of habitat and language, cultural and political formations, these political and language communities represent specific geo-cultural civilization. With a land area of 22-27% of the total Africa population, which means that one out of four Africans is a Nigerian and at the world Negroid population every fifth or sixth black man is a Nigerian. The history of the black Diaspora from medieval times to present is thus part of the Nigerian story. The African dimensions of this Nigeria story is heavily documented within west and central Sudan, Northern African, the valley (Egypt and Sudan) while overseas dimensions is strongest in Brazil and middle America, the Caribbean and North America. It is however pertinent to know that cultural linguists have proved that the 350 or so languages of Nigeria region belong generally to 3 out of 4 language families indigenous of African. These 3 families area are:-(1) The Niger – Kordofanian or Niger – Congo family which include language spoken from sense – Gambia in the West through western Africans, central and eastern African to South African. This including all the Bantoid language from the Cameroon regional the republic of South Africa. The cradle of Bantoid and the entire Niger – Congo or at least its Benue – Congo Branch is in the Nigeria area Igbo (Ibo), Igala, Gwayi, Edo ate are part of this language family.
(2) Afro – Asiatic, (Semitic or Erytheaic) family which incidentally include the ancient Egyptian, Berber, Cushitic, Hausa, Kotoko, Angas etc, are members and of course shuwa Arabic which later came into Nigerian region within oral/written historic rather than prehistoric times.
(3) The Nilo Sahara family which being confirmed to the Nilo Sahara – Sahalian fringe could have been generically related to Niger – Congo in what would be a Kongo – Sahara super – family. Kanuri, kanembu and Songhai are the Nigeria member of this family.
(4) The fourth family the Khosian which is confirmed to southern Africa (Tanzania and South Africa – Namibia) is not represented in Nigeria. But the 3 families represent a time depth of 10,000 – 15,000 years of continuous growth and internal diversification.
It is now obvious that the indigenous and pre-mechanical culture group and language communities of the Nigerian are a product of the major dynamics that affected most continental Africa and South – West Asia. One important significance and their ten to thirteen indigenous Nigeria communities and their close affiliates – Edo, Fulani, Gwari, Hausa, Idoma, Igala – Yoruba, Ibibio, Igbo, Kamberi, Jukun, Nupe, Kanuri – Kamembu, Tiv, are enumerated in the millions or multiples of millions rather than in thousands or multiples of thousands. The sculptural traditions of the people are therefore traditions of peoples, densities of populations rooted in great antiquity.
The classical cultures of Nigerians today are celebrated in many forms. One dimension of these developments is the Phenomenon of Urbanization whereby veritable towns and cities, many of them with city walls and elaborate fortification have survived. Such celebrated centers are Birnin, Gazargamo, Birnin Kebbi, Kano, Ile-Ife, Benin, Katsina, Old Oyo, Bida, Sokoto, and Ibadan which was the largest urban centre in black Africa. These urban centers were also the centers of states, kingdoms and Empires. These ranged from city- states of the coast such as Nembe, Bonny, Opobo, etc., imperial centers such as Idah, Kwararafa, Old Oyo, Sokoto and its numerous emirate capitals. But great numbers of these Nigerians communities did not developed dominant urban centers; instead, they operated as commonwealth under unwritten religious, oracular, dynastic, gerotocratic, economics etc. Constitutions. Unlike the mega states, these mini-states did not enter into the great epics-but they were able to demonstrate a resilience and timeless-ness in that their individual identities have been preserved intact whether in Igbo land, Idomaland, the Jos Plateau region, or among the Ibibio, Ijaw, Urhobo, Northern Edo and others.
One important lesson learnt from all the cultures, political and language communities of Nigeria is that artistic creativity in the various media – clay, iron, bronze, brass, wood, straws, textile, leather, stone, bone, ivory, calabash, shell, even glass was never a monopoly of any one of the 350 or so language communities i.e. The pre – mechanical technology available to both the mega and mini states was basically the same – even in such strategic areas as metallurgy, cavalry, weaponry, herbalogy, Architecture, textile, water – craft etc.
It is very clear from the above that the cultural heritage of the people fall into many parts as may be documented for many society of age.
Although a lot have been made about the neglect of most Africa societies of the wheel, the Plough, and even writing. It must also be admitted that these societies was able to function and even achieve excellence without them. One example is the unique complex earth ware in the forms of walls and ditches. The Iya or Iyala of the Benin sub-region of Nigeria.
It is the remains of the largest and most massive earth constructions yet known from the pre mechanical era. It is four to five times longer than the Great Wall of China and with over a hundred times as much materials moved as the great Pyramid and Cheop, these earthworks cover about 6500sq.km (2500sq.miles) of rain forest with a complicated network of enclosures. Their estimated total length is in excess of 16,000km (10,000miles) and with an average ditch bottom to bank cross section of 2.25sq.metres. Their total volume is very probably in excess of 37,000,000 cu.m involving over 150million man – hour of work.
The Nigeria region has been inhabited from early time by Stone Age. (Overlapping with the Paleolithic) population. The Nigerians evidence for early man has not been as clears, diverse and as ancient as in the case in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa etc. The story of man’s culture in Nigeria becomes much clearer of Europe (Asia). From Iwo Eleru, near Akure in Ondo State and just to the North of Benin comes the earliest direct evidence for the presence of Negroid populations in Nigeria. This is dated to 11,300 BC. The lithic industry of these early collectors of the Nigerian forest belongs to the microlithic tradition, pottery (terracotta) was also well known to the makers of the microlithic tools and the later Neolithic populations who were already practicing Agriculture before 3000BC. From Iwo Eleru evidence and the discoveries elsewhere in the West Africa forest and Savannah and from the Sahara in the North, It is observed that modern West Africa populations have been in these homelands throughout the Holocene period. Based on Archaeological evidence and linguistics students statistical analyses. The parent or protolanguage from which West Africa languages are descended have a time of some 10,000 years or even more.
No comments:
Post a Comment