The Obolo people,[2] also known as the Andoni[3] or Doni, is an ethnic group in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.[4][5] Obolo people are primarily found in Rivers and Akwa Ibom State.[6]
The documentation of the origin and the migration of the Obolo people is sparse and fragmented. The earliest data on Obolo migration is from around 12th century BC.
Obolo people (Andoni, Idoni or Indo) existed before the colonial era and commercial contacts with European traders. They interacted with the Bonny, Okrika, Kalabari, Nkoro, and Ibono people in what is now Ibeno, as well as with the Okoro-utip and Mkpanak people of Ibeno.[clarification needed] In the past, the Obolo people frequently fought wars with the Kingdom of Bonny and the Ogoni people,[7] though they generally maintain good relations with the latter.[8]
1904 British expedition
Christianity was already accepted in Obolo land long before 1699. When John Barbot visited Dony Town (Andoni) in 1699, he observed that the King of Dony Town accepted Christianity and priests were regularly sent from Sao Tome and Brazil to him to act as ministers. The king of Dony Town also spoke Portuguese.[8] Nonetheless, the Yok-Obolo was still feared among neighboring tribes, who spread rumors of their ferocity in battle even to the British.[9]
After destroying the House of Skulls and the Shrine of Yok-Obolo, the British split Andoni into six parts, each attached to one of the six Native Courts in the Niger Delta, hoping to destroy the Obolo politically.[citation needed] Some of the bronze arts and crafts collected by the British during this expedition are still on display in the British Museum.[10]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
