The Igede (Igedde) people, also known as the Egede (Eggede), live primarily in the Eggede, Ito, Worku, and Oturkpo districts of the Oturkpo División in Benue State in Nigeria. Some can also be found in the Ogoja División of Cross River State. They are concentrated north of the Middle Cross River, just bordering the tropical forest.
The Igede of Nigeria are numbering 484,000 n(Peoplegroups.org, 2024),
However, many Igede people are dispersed across the state and the Nation. For instance, the Igede language is also spoken in Nigeria's Cross River State, and many Igede communities exist in Osun State and Ogun State. The Igede language is a member of the Benue-Congo subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family.
Many ethnologists have classified them with their northern neighbors, the Idomas, but their language and culture are distinct. They trace their origins to the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers in what used to be Northern Nigeria. Although most Igedes remain small farmers, they live in a región which has been assimilated into a larger commercial economy, bringing about increasing amounts of wage labor and occupational diversification.
The Oju Local Government Area was created in 1976 and shares boundaries with present-day Obi, Ado, Konshisha and Gwer East Local Government Areas of Benue State, Ebonyi and Izzi Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State, and Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. It is headquartered in Oju Town.
The Obi Local Government Area was created in 1996 and has its headquarters at Obarike-Ito. The local government area derives its name from the Obi stream that flows in the area and shares boundary with Ado, Otukpo and Oju local government areas of Benue State.
The Igede trace their origin to Sabon Gida Ora in present-day Edo state. They are said to be the descendants of Agba, a high chief in Sabon Gida Ora. A skirmish between the Igede and the natives of Ora led to their migration from that region to present-day Benue state through Nsukka in Enugu state. This historical event in Igede history is commonly recounted in song and drama, for instance the record and drama piece "Ego ny'Igede".
Archival records portray them as migrants from Ogoja province who have increasingly adopted the culture and practices of the Idoma.
Politically, the Igede falls under the Benue South senatorial district.
The Igede are predominantly farmers cultivating maize, cassava, groundnut and yams. Igede is home of the popular Igede-Agba festival, a colourful annual celebration that marks the yam harvest season in September.
The traditional ruler of the Igede people is known as: “Ad’utu”.
Igede culture venerates nature, which is believed to be interconnected with God or gods. Issues of first child especially male or first fruits are traditionally celebrated. They place a high premium on male children (anyi aleng) as custodians of culture and inhabitants of the family who perpetuate the father’s name.
Land is the source of the economic existence of the Igede people who are largely agrarian. There is communal and individual ownership of land. It is shared along patrilineal lines. Women do not own land according to Igede custom.
The Igede people developed their traditional occupations for both females and males before the coming of the British explorers and missionaries. Local tools and equipment were crudely fabricated for farming, fighting, hunting and fishing. Commerce, palm wine tapping, smithery, pottery, basket making, weaving, tailoring, carpentry, music, hunting, and other occupations are also occupations of the lgede people.
Food is both a way of life and a cultural component of the Igede people. Various Igede communities are associated with various kinds of food crops. There are yam (iju), foofoo (akpu), banbaranut (egbeyi), and the like. Traditionally, yam is their staple food and the king of all crops; other important food crops are cassava, cocoyam, vegetables, maize, palm tree, and others.
Igede traditional clothes are blue, black, and white stripes.
Traditionally the attire of the Igede generally consisted of little clothing as the purpose of clothing then was to conceal private parts, although elders were fully clothed. Children were usually nude from birth till their adolescence (the time when they were considered to have something to hide) but sometimes ornaments such as beads were worn around the waist for medical reasons.
With colonialism and the Westernization of Igede culture, Western styled clothes such as wrapper, shirts and trousers over took traditional clothing.
WOMEN: Women carried their babies on their backs with a strip of clothing binding the two with a knot at her chest. This baby carrying technique was and still is practiced by many people groups across Africa along with the Igede who still carry their babies this way. This method has been modernized in the form of the child carrier.
Maidens usually wore a short wrapper with beads around their waist with other ornaments such as necklaces and beads. Both men and women wore wrappers.
MEN: Men would wear loin cloths that wrapped around their waist and between their legs to be fastened at their back, the type of clothing appropriate for the intense heat as well as jobs such as farming. Men could also tie a wrapper over their loin cloth.
MODERN TRADITIONAL ATTIRE: Modern Igede traditional attire is generally made up, for men and women of the top which resembles the African Dashiki.
(usually blue, white and black stripe). It is worn with trousers and can be worn with either a traditional title holders hat, or with the traditional Igede stripped men's hat (which resembles the Bobble hat). For women, an embodied puffed sleeve blouse (influenced by European attire) along with two wrappers (usually modern Hollandaise material) and a head scarf are worn.
They are 14 clans in the Igede land or nation, namely:
Igede people of Benue state speak the language called ‘Igede language.’ The Igede language is a member of the Niger-Congo languages and the Benue-Congo subgroup family.
Igede Classified as a minority ethnic group and often mistaken to be part of the Idoma tribe, the Igede people are known for one language – Igede. Where 2006 population figures stand at an estimated 267,198 people. However, a large number of Igede people are dispersed across the state and the Nation. For instance, the, varied dialects have over time emerged from the umbrella of this mother-tongue and they include; Ito, Oju, Uwokwu, (Central Igede) chiefly spoken by the Oju and Obi LGA. Others are Itekpa, Gabu Idele, Worku in yala LGA of Cross River State.
Oje, an Igede instrument: The Igede people have a melodic and symphonic musical style, which they designed from forged iron. Other instruments include Opike, a wind instrument similar to the flute, Ogirigbo, Uba and Icheke.
Another popular musical form among Igede people is highlife, which is a fusion of jazz and traditional music and widely popular in West Africa. The modern Igede highlife is seen in the works of Mark Eje, Mike Isegbe, Ochi Igbudu, Ogbu Eworo who are some of the greatest Igede highlife musicians of the twentieth century. There are also other notable Igede highlife artists, like Benson Ida Owuru, Onah Aba etc.
Igede Art is known for various types of masquerade, masks and outfits symbolising people animals or abstract conceptions. Igede art is also known for its bronze castings found in the town of Igede from the 9th century. Igede art is any body of visual art originating from the people of the Igede. Igede culture is a visual art and culture.
While today many Igede people are Christian, the traditional ancient Igede religion is known as Akpan. In the Igede mythology, which is part of their ancient religion, the supreme God is called Ohe ("great spirit"); Ohe created the world and everything in it and is associated with all things on Earth. Ohe is also a solar deity.
The yam is very important to the Igede as it is their staple crop. There are celebrations such as the New yam festival (Igede Agba) which are held for the harvesting of the yam.
The New Yam festival (Igede Agba) is celebrated annually to secure a good harvest of the staple crop. The festival is practiced primarily in Benue State and other states in Nigeria.
There are two basic types of masquerades, visible and invisible. The visible masquerades are meant for the public. They often are more entertaining. Masks used offer a visual appeal for their shapes and forms. In these visible masquerades, performances of harassment, music, dance, and parodies are acted out.
The invisible masquerades take place at night. Invisible masquerade can be liking to Achukwu secret cult. Sound is the main tool for them. The masquerader uses his voice to scream so it may be heard throughout the village. The masks used are usually fierce looking and their interpretation is only fully understood by the society’s members. These invisible masquerades call upon a silent village to strike fear in the hearts of those not initiated into their society.
Masquerades 'Okwumu' are held during festivals, annual festivities, burial rites and other social gatherings. The masquerades are geared in colourful robes and masks made of wood or fabric. Some masks appear only at one festival, but the majority appears at many or all. Masquerades are associated with spiritual elements, as according to Igede belief, they represent images of deities or sometimes even dead relatives. The identity of the masquerade is a well-kept secret and performed exclusively by men.
In Igede there are different type of masquerade such as: Ailodu, Ekpirigidi, Ebwo, Ogirinye & Aiita. The masquerades are classified into categories based on specialization. Each masquerade possesses particular attributes (warrior-like prowess, mystical powers, youthfulness, and old age) and specializes in one or more skills (dancing skills, acrobatics, and other ritual manifestations). The Ailodu Masquerade must be a Hero or warrior before one can be the bearer of it or it can comes out at a hero funeral ceremony but other masquerade (Okwumwu) can be used for any occasions exception of an Ailodu Masquerades warrior burial ceremony. Ailodu & Ogirinye Masquerades can collaborate and feature at one ceremony because they performed in almost same ceremony.
Ebwo masquerade is one among the biggest ceremony in Igede Benue state, is a tradition of the Igede people of Nigeria and was listed in the UNESCO Archives as an intangible cultural element in need of urgent safeguarding . In many communities in the Igede community of Benue in North - central Nigeria , celebrations , burial ceremonies and other special occasions during the dry season to evoke fertility and a bountiful harvest feature the performance of the ebwo masquerade.
The Ebwo is a special masquerade in Igede Benue State , Nigeria. It is the King of all Masquerades and as such has many different other masquerades perform on it in the olden days . Presently, the masquerades are represented by many figurines seen on ground of ebwo masquerade. The myth and size of ebwo is wholesome as every aspect of life is depicted on ebwo. It is the climax of all masquerades hence performs alone.
The traditional head of the Igede people used to be called Ad’Utu until the passing of Chief Ikande Idikwu. After his death, there was crisis over the succession to the throne. At a point, state government, as a of restoring peace in the land and temporarily solve the dispute over the seat, created the Ad’Oju and Ad’Obi chieftaincy stools. These stools are neither classified as First Class nor Second Class, but the occupants merely assist the Och’Idoma, who is the paramount ruler of all Idoma people, including the Igede. Currently, HRH Rtd Chief Oga Ero is the Adirahwu'Ny'igede, while the Ad’Obi is Chief Chris Ijale and Ad'Oju is Chief Daniel Ulegede.
The Igede people strongly believe in the ‘Akpan spirit’ With the advent of Christianity and other foreign religions, the traditional belief systems of most ethnic groups in the country has been influenced by western practices. However, a majority of the Igede people still believe strongly in the Akpan, which is seen as a link between the living and the dead. The Igede have strong attachment to the worship of Akpan-spirit of the ancestors which is believed to stand as an invisible watch dog of the family and communities while checkmating vices like witches/wizards, adultery, theft and murder.
Like the Igbo, Igede people celebrate the annual New Yam festival, called Igede Agba. For its significance, Igede Agba is a cultural event, which comes up every first Ihigile market days of every first week of September. It marks the beginning of eating new yams planting every season, when the people in very rich cultural displaying activities, give thanks to almighty heavenly God for good harvest, and welcome a new planting season. Traditional dancing and masquerades are also featured to add cultural value to the festival and every Igede son and daughter takes part in this ceremony.
One notable aspect of the people’s tradition strongly held onto this day has to do with the burial of Indigenes’ corpses in a special forest. Corpses of people who are killed with arms or during a war are regarded as special and are never buried anywhere near the home, but in an evil forest. After or before burial of such a corpse, certain rites are performed to appease the gods of the ancestors. People of questionable characters are also buries in the evil forest.
Igede people practice both traditional and church wedding. Sometimes, traditional marriage supersedes in cases when couples are not rich enough to afford the luxury of white wedding. Thus, traditional marriage is essentials.
The process can begin either when a male child, who feels he is mature for marriage, sites a girl or woman he likes. The process can also begin when the man’s father or any of their relatives, friends, or neither think they have found a young woman they like for the man to take home as wife. If the man likes the girl, his parents immediately go formally with kolanuts and palm wine to the girl’s parents to seek their child’s hands in marriage. If the girl consents to it, negotiation as to the bride price to be paid is made. In Igede, once the bride price is named and agreed to by the suitor, marriage preparations follows. It does not matter whether bride price is completely paid at or not paid at all, the couple are allowed to go ahead and get married and the suitor has the leeway under the tradition
This is one event that comes up almost immediately after the birth of a child. The naming ceremony of a child marks the formal presentation of the child to his people who comprise of his kinsmen, family, friends, well-wishers and the entire community at large. The event is done to fulfill the social-religious obligations that are believed to become activated when a child is born, as well as to thank God for the safe delivery of the child and to ask him to guide the child as he embarks on a journey through the earth.
In this society name-giving is a significant ceremony performed on the occasion of circumcision or when the mother officially ends the post-natal period of enclosure. The privilege of name-giving is generally reserved to the parents and grandparents whom it gives an opportunity to express the importance of the child in their lives or in general, to make a significant statement on their life experience, and to express deep-felt wishes or their future hopes and expectations for the child.
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