The Ijaw are the old people of the Niger delta, fishermen, salt makers and canoe traders in the freshwater swamps and mangroves; their language family (Ijoid) stands apart from all its neighbours, which linguists take as a sign of very long settlement.
Alagoa's reconstruction from tradition makes the central delta (the Kolokuma, Mein, Tarakiri and neighbouring clans) the homeland from which Ijaw groups spread west towards Arogbo and Apoi and east towards the estuaries. Each clan (ibe) of linked towns honoured a clan deity whose priest was its senior figure, with elders and town heads. They traded dried fish and salt north to the Urhobo, Isoko and Igbo for yams and other food.
Who holds it
- Title
- Clan priests and elders of each Ijaw clan (ibe) and the heads of its towns
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
How things stand that morning
Self-governing.
Customs
Clan deities and their priests; town elders; canoe trade.
Assemblies
Clan and town assemblies.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1200No dated event.Depends on: Not applicable Stopped by: Not applicable
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Tradition (Alagoa) and linguistics; the delta's mound sites are excavated only in the east (see the eastern Ijaw).
On the map: A people's country drawn as a dashed outline; borders are approximate.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Ijaw people
- From the researcher's knowledge of the ethnography and oral traditions (Alagoa, Afigbo, Isichei, Forde and Jones, Bradbury); used only as a guide to who lived where
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.