 Isoko girl | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000[1] () | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Isoko region (Nigeria) | |
| Languages | |
| Isoko | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity and Traditional African religions | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Urhobo, Bini, Esan, Afemai |
Isoko people are an ethnolinguistic group who inhabit the Isoko region of Delta State and Bayelsa State, Nigeria.[2] They are people of southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger delta.[3] Delta State and Bayelsa State are part of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Isokos speak the Isoko language, a language of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family[4] which is also very linguistically similar to the Urhobo language, Epie-Atissa language, Engenni language. James W. Welch asserted erroneously that Isoko language cluster is a dialect of Urhobo language.[5]
The Isoko culture is related to several cultures in the Niger-Delta - namely, Urhobo, Ijaw and Anioma.[1] Urhobo are related in language and culture, leading to the invaders erroneously labelling the Urhobo and Isoko cultural groups as Sobo.[4] This name was strongly rejected by both tribes.[6][7]
The Isoko ethnic group consist of nineteen clans ,namely: Uzere, Ozoro, Erowha, Owhe, Iyede, Okpe, Emede, Igbide, Emevor, Ofagbe, Ellu, Oyede, Umeh, Irri, Aviara, Olomoro, Enwhe, Okpolo and Oleh.[8]
- ^ "Isoko in Nigeria". Joshua Project. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- ^ The Isoko Tribe, James W. Welch
- ^ "Isoko | people | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Isoko | people". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ Welch, James W. (1934). "The Isoko Tribe". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 7 (2): 160–173. doi:10.2307/1155529. JSTOR 1155529. S2CID 145669865.
- ^ "Isoko Kingdom in Delta Nigeria Guide". www.nigeriagalleria.com. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Tobor, John Oghenero (2014). Urhobo Culture and the Amnesty Program in Niger Delta, Nigeria: An Ethnographic Case Study (Thesis). Walden University.
- ^ Okpevra, Uwomano Benjamin (19 August 2020). "A discourse on the history and identity of the Isoko of the Niger Delta of Nigeria". African Identities. 19 (4): 536–553. doi:10.1080/14725843.2020.1804828. ISSN 1472-5843. S2CID 225394849.