Anthropological Report on the Edo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Preface

System of Transliteration

Section 1 : ^bo Texts

I. Azuambili (the sponger)

II. lya

II r, Emigaheme (the three tasks) ..

IIIa. „ second version

IV. Igifiemido (the archer)

V. Boebose

VI. The three boys

VII. The tortoise

VIII. Osa and the lizard

IX. Omeneli

X, Man with elephantiasis

XI. Palm nuts...

XII. Ido

XIII. The monkey

XIV. The poor man

XV. The smokers

XVI. Burial custom

XVIL The plantain eater

XVIII. Osa and the fanner

XIX. The poor woman and her sou .,

XX. Osa and Ewale

XXI. The four men

XXII. Igifiemido and Emigherameme.

XXIII. The dog and the leopard

XXIV. Ezomo

XXV. Ogiso and the poor woman

XXVI. Dog and tortoise

XXVII. The seven men

PAOE

vii

ix

1

3

5

8

. 15

19

21

23

. 25

. 29

. 30

. 34

37

37

. 38

. 40

. 43

. 43

44

. 45

. 47

. 50

. 53

. 55

. 55

. 60

. 62

. 64

. 68

IV

PAGK

^F TioN IT; Texts in other Languages of the Edo Family 71

A ISHAN, Irtta 73

1-7. Nan-atives 73-76

^. New yam festival ... ... ... ... ... 76

!>, 10. Narratives 77

i; KUKURXJKTT 78

{a) LrEBA 78

I. Narrative 78

(A) Sabongida (Ora) 78

1. Phrases ... ... ... ... ... . • • 78

2. Astronomy ... ... ... ... 79

3. The dungbeetle 79

4. Tortoise ami snail ... ... ... ... ... 80

5. Burial customs ... ... ... ... ... 81

{<:) Agbede 83

1. The francolin 83

2. Inabosere 84

3. King and tortoise 85

4. The bird 86

5. Tortoise and Oinemamoni 86

6. The impotent man 89

7. Giant and king of sky 90

8. The stupid man 91

9. The tortoise and the eggs 9*^

10. Hunting 94

II. Snail and tortoise 95

12. Man and wife 97

(d) UzAiTui 99

1. Hunting 99

(e) Ibie, N. Nigeria 100

1 . Farming ... ■ . • - • • • • 100

2. The Imiegba palaver 101

( /■) KoMiNio io;i

1. Farming 10'5

(g) Soso 103

1. Farming 103

(h) Semolika 104

1, Farming 104

(0 IBILO 104

1. ftuming 104

0*) I«UA

1. Farming

lo:.

PAGE

(/) Okpe, S. Nigeria 106

1. Burial customs, marriage, birth 106

2. Tooth filing.., ... ... ... ... ... 107

3. Hairdressing 108

0) Otua 109

1,2. Farming 109

3. War 110

4. Conversation ... ... , . , ... ... no

5. New Year Ill

6. Kobbery Ill

7. Marriage ... ... ... ... ... ... 112

SOBO 114

(a) Emqsoga 114

1. Narrative 114

2. Osagale ... ... ... ... 114

3. Child and millipede 120

4. Boebose (see also p, 21) 124

(b) Iyede 126

1. Farming ... 126

(6') Ovu 127

1, 2. Farming 127

Section III. Edo Grammar 129

Appendix A. Wano Grammar... ... ... ... ... 143

Appendix B. Examples ... ... ... 147

Section IV. Comparative Dictionary of Selected Words

IN the Edo Languages ir/I

Section V, Edo-Englisii Dictionary 187

A 2

PKEFACE.

The texts and vocabularies here published were collected
during my tour between January 29ih, 1909, and March 28th,
1910. A certain number of vocabularies were collected
during tlie first three months, which were spent in r^enin
City (Edo) ; l)Ut tlie whole of the words and texts now
printed were taken down between June l;'>th and the end of
my tour. My interpreters were as follows: —

Edo Erumese .., Feb. 10 to May 25.

Kukuruku and Ishan Corporal Nimahan May 25 to Sept. 22.
Agbede and Kuku- Osidora ... ... Aug. 6 to Oct. 1.

ruku.

Edo Ogbebo Oct. 10 to Dec. 10.

Sobo ... ... James Smart ... Dec. 13 to Jan. 13.

Kukuruku... ... George and Feb. 2 to March 10.

Oganna.

During my second Kukuruku tour Isuma of .Vgbede
acted as assistant interpreter, and Ogbebo was employed
several times for short periods over and al)ove that
mentioned.

The Edo vocabulary was taken down from Corporal Nimahan
and revised with Ogbebo. The Agbede and Uzaitui vocabu-
laries were taken down with tiu^ aid of Edo, no English
being used at all in most cases. In all other cases thi*
English word was given and the native word asked for.
Corporal Ximahan acted as interi)eter for Tjeba, Aroko, Okpc
(mainly by means of Yoruba), Otua, Sabongida, Agbede (with
Osidora), Irua, Ubiaja, and to s(jme (^xt(.Mit in the Ida
District. He also related Edo stoiies 1 and XL The
r(Muaiii(l(n' of the Edo stories were related by Ogbebo and my

Vlll

orderly Idehin, with the exception of Nos. XIV, XVITT, and
XX, which were told by Aseniota of Igwixinii.

At Sabonp!;ida, Aj^l)ede and Irna the schoolboys supplied
the texts and narrativ(;s, and to a laru;e extent acted as their
own translators. Tht; first four vSoIk) texts were taken down
from the lips of my head boy. The remainder of the texts
were obtained from chiefs and others in the various villages.

The Kukuruku and Ishan texts and the comparative
dictionary have been revis{Hl with the aid of Father Strub of
Agenigbodi, to whom I wish to express my heartiest thanks.

My tours in the Sobo country and in Northern Nigeria
were of the nature of ilying surveys, made for the correction
of sociological data ; I had no opportunity of revising my
material from those districts. It will be noticed that both
here and elsewhere the native informants have often added
" it " (le or lo) to a transitive verb ; I have advisedly left the
word in the form in which I recorded it.

The pronunciation of different individuals, and in somc^
places of the two sexes, or of adults and younger people
(with unfiled teeth), differs, sometimes to a marked extent.
It will, therefore, be noticed that there is some want of
uniformity in the spelling.

Further research will probal)ly show that the tones
have been omitted in many cases where the Edo dictionary
here printed does not distinguish between two meanings of a
word.

A certain number of texts have been recorded with the
phonograph, and the numbers of the records are shown at
the head of sucli texts ; duplicates of the records are
available for study in the Eoyal Anthropological Institute,
together with nearly three hundred records of music.

e :

i :

i =

:

1)
C :
X

d :

f :

h;

J =

k

1 :
1:
111

n
n
n
P

; a in JathcT,

a intermediate between

a m father and cat,
■■ a in take.
■ e in there,

6 in let.

ee in see.

i in it.
: in stone.
: in oiif/ht.

TEANSLITEKATION.

A. Vowels.

= i]i 'iioL

u = 11 in rule.

ij. = \i in bull.

u = u in German giitc.

u = - in German glitch

o = o in German konig.

ai = in line,

au = in how.

ei

oi =: in hoy.

otivuva-

B, Consonants.

r = r in redy.

r^ = trilled r.

rh — r slightly trilled and
aspirated.

s = s in sea,

s = sh in she.

t = t in ten. .

t = cerebral t.

V = V in vivid.

w = w in loia.

y = y in yvllow.

z = z iu razor.

z = z in azK/'c.

y — soft g in N. German tag.

I, y, = bilabial f and v, Span-
ish pronunciation of b.

h, p = 1) and }) sounded nearly
like w, with closed
glottis.

Dynamic accent (stress) "

High tone

Low tone

Sign of nasalization '^ (over the letter).

= b in bed.
= ch in church.
= approximately

lent to Scottish ch in

loch.

- d in dark,

- cerebral d.
= f in field.

- hard g in gold.
= h in have,
= j in jewel.
= k in key.

- 1 in long.

- cerebral 1.
= m in man.
= n in not.

- cerebral n.
= ng in ringer.
= p in pay.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL REPORT

ON THE

EDO-SPEAKING PEOPLES OF
NIGERIA.

PART II: LINGUISTICS.

BY

NORTHCOTli; W. THOMAS, M.A„ F.R.A.I., etc.

fiOVEKNMEMT ANTHROPOLOGIST.

LONDON :

HARKISON AND SONS.
1910.