We Are Their Children

This intensive study focuses on the historical record of the Isoko clans of the Niger Delta Region, provided by religious traditions as opposed to strictly “political” accounts. Originally, I hoped that these traditions, given their sacred context, ancestral authority, and spiritual sanctions, would prove to be a more “authentic” historical record than the more commonly sought secular record. Strikingly, it turns out that “religious history” is also the “political history” of the Isoko clans. Deities were founders of many clans and religious figures were often the clan leaders. Within the interwoven worlds of Eriwi (spirit world) and Akpo (this world), the world of the ancestors and deities and that of living humans, there is but one history. Close investigation of religious traditions reveals otherwise unavailable historical information for outsiders. More importantly, these religious traditions provide the Isoko clans with their own historical record. Traditional religion is the context in which change, over time, is reckoned. From the individual to the whole clan, from ancient times to the present, sacred traditions serve not only customary spiritual functions but constitute the essence of how the Isoko understand themselves over time. Festivals for clan edho demonstrate that remembrance and repetition insure renewal of the clan. There is no separation of the sacred and secular because the secular would have no meaning, no form, no history without the sacred Consideration of Isoko religious traditions not only creates a comprehensive clan record but also informs us of their connections with other ethnic groups in the Niger Delta and along the Niger River. Significant evidence of the Isoko clans’ relationships with the Edo, Igbo, ljo, and especially, the Delta Edo is found in their religious practices and history. This research also illuminates the experiences of the Isoko with the British colonial government and Christian missionaries. Finally, the emphasis on Isoko clan religious traditions reveals the essential cultural ethos of the warrior, an ethos shared by others in the Niger Delta in Nigeria. Acknowledging that continuity of the sacred permits continuation of the secular, Isoko elders refer to their clan deities and ancestors when they affirm “we are their children.” But these children are, of course, ancestors come again.