Digwo Oniovo. I am Mena.
I read an article this morning on a popular forum and I felt since you are also an Isoko person, I could use your medium to ask fellow Isoko people what they think about being tagged urhobo.
I am a full Isoko lady. My mum from Isoko North and my dad from Isoko south. I understand my language completely. I was born in lagos but later moved to Benin. It was in Benin City I realised that most people tend to call me Urhobo.
Stella, is the Isoko nation loosing her identity? Or am I wrong in seeing an Isoko nation? Am I really an urhobo girl whose people want to be identified differently. I keep imagining.
By the way, in Edo state here, the Esan people and the Benin people sound alike, dress alike too and have similar cultures. But i have Never seen an Esan person claiming he is Bini. So why should Isoko people accept they are urhobo people?
I am a full Isoko lady. My mum from Isoko North and my dad from Isoko south. I understand my language completely. I was born in lagos but later moved to Benin. It was in Benin City I realised that most people tend to call me Urhobo.
I never considered myself as an urhobo person. I was brought up to know that even though our languages sound alike, we dress alike and have similar cultures, we are different people! I have seen many Isoko people here in Benin who say they are Urhobos, but when I hear their names, I ask 'are you urhobo or isoko'? That's when they say they are Isoko, but because most people call them urhobo, they now identify as Urhobos.
Stella, is the Isoko nation loosing her identity? Or am I wrong in seeing an Isoko nation? Am I really an urhobo girl whose people want to be identified differently. I keep imagining.
By the way, in Edo state here, the Esan people and the Benin people sound alike, dress alike too and have similar cultures. But i have Never seen an Esan person claiming he is Bini. So why should Isoko people accept they are urhobo people?
I keep asking myself why. Even though urhobo and Isoko sound the same, though there are similarities, there is so much difference. I have to literally put my ears to the ground before understanding when an urhobo person is speaking.
So Stella, I would really appreciate if you help me post this. Are we one tribe?
*What a question!!!..Isoko Nation?Impossible!
Both already belong to the Minority and both cannot survive if they sound the same..I feel one has to give way for the other..Urhobo is stronger in my opinion.
To me,it doesnt matter.
What's is urhobo and Isoko?
ReplyDeleteNa innocent question ooo
Okay by marriage am an urobo last. My hussy and mother in law both made me understand that though they sound alike they are not same. This same argument came about when we had a tenant that was isoko. Me I now said all na same now but mama was quick to sch me. So babe u are on the right track.
DeleteThis question is not innocent at all.
DeleteTribes in Nigeria. Airhead
DeleteHahaha Isokonation #efenation
ReplyDeleteLooking for someone to teach me isoko or kwale pls
DeleteWhen I tell people I am isoko, they call urhobo first, cos urhobo is more popular than isoko..
DeleteIsoko wadooo e eeee. Una two be the same na. kai kai people wey love to drink early in the morning.
ReplyDeleteNo vex ooo
Have been hearing people chanting "WARRI" wud love to know the meaning.is it a name of a person,animal,places or things?
ReplyDeleteThank you
Ur parents are clueless for giving birth to a nonentity like you, how dare you bring down warri? Go and ask your useless generation d silly question u just asked.. you undesirable element, thunder fire you
DeleteNot nice, that's somebody's identity, someone's hometown and pride.
DeleteHighness so you never still get sense??? Wetin happen to Google abi your period don start abeg quick take drugs
DeleteYou are fool highness whatever.. you this pikin wey winch born give thief
DeleteSmh
DeleteThey are all same I beg , just different dialect
ReplyDeleteOk oooo, migwo too
ReplyDeleteYou are a sell out @SDK. It doesn't matter if they are both minorities. Let them thrive and be distinct. Urhobo is Urhobo and Isoko is Isoko. Please don't curse me oh I have never seen a fine Isoko man or woman. The best I have seen are just okay and their noses are from ear to ear. SDK loading.............
ReplyDeleteThen you need to see and you will know that isoko people are very beautiful
DeleteMy beautiful friend, Esther is from Isoko and she is very pretty. Guys dey trip for her that year in Uniben.
DeleteYou need to see my husband and son then and skis under popular Instagram girls kome and cy4luv very pretty and isoko
DeleteTo me...U are all deltans.
ReplyDeleteFor those who know their ways around the question.
DeleteÀbí ooo. This one of the reasons Nigerians are having set back. We don't ever see eachother as one. What happens to Christ and Allah love. Whether isoko ooo, Yoruba ooo, igbo ooo etc we all are one and let see each other as one. One love. ✌
DeleteCorrection please. Esan and Benin sound nothing like alike. At all. Pay attention when both are speaking. Some of their cultures too aren't similar. Just like saying ngwa and umuahia sound alike. From all I know, Isoko and urhobo aren't same. Diwo and migwo na same thing?
ReplyDeleteWowo dey inside d two na
DeleteUna doh
ReplyDeleteUrhobo is the strongest tribe in Delta. Once you mention you're from Delta, the next question is.. are you Urhobo.
I know how you feel. I also hate it when I tell people I'm Edo and they call me a Bini girl but I can't help but smile and move on.
You are not one tribe.
I'm an isoko girl and proud to flaunt my tribe anywhere. Though people mistake us for urhobos but I always stand my ground that I'm isoko and not urhobo and most times I make comparism with Benin and Esan to clear their mind. My name for example is Oghenekome and urhobos answers Oghenekevbe,they even don't sound alike(isoko and urhobo) Isoko say yanze(come) and urhobo says yanre. Isoko men too are like the igbos,they know how to take care of their wives and kids and can spend every penny on them to make them happy,but the urhobos will rather sit at home and wait for their wives to go do hard work to feed them and they are proud as f%$k! It's only in delta state I see women carrying concrete on their heads and I took my time to find out their tribe as the journalist that I is lol,and majority of the women are urhobos. Even my father's house was built by women carrying concrete i know this first hand.I for one can't marry an urhobo man,i love my isoko brothers and any other tribe. My dad and uncle's are examples of good isoko men. (urhobos starts throwing stones,i dodge all of them)
ReplyDeleteContinue hyping your tribe
Delete@cat eyes aren't you just plain mad? Did anyone ask you to take the post South? Why generalize? So in your mind now Isoko men are caring Urhobos are not? I put it to you,my sister married an Isoko man,a very lazy one at that and she is seeing hell including domestic violence but that will not make me say all Isokos are bad.I believe in judging people individually and not based on tribe. You reek of too much hatred for the Urhobos,you better repent .These people (Urhobos)show too much love to everyone and don't deserve to be rubbished by anyone.
DeleteAbeg e, let me hear word, isoko men that fucklicants so. Urhobo men have their bad side bit don't like isoko people are all good.
DeleteGrowing up I didn't like isoko people because the ones I knew were very wicked and always let things in their mind. Isoko tolopia
I'm married to an Isoko man, hmmmmm I beg to differ with the comparison to Igbo men . Isoko are too troublesome abeg, and they wowo pass anything . My hubby is the nicest looking Isoko man I have seen.
DeletePlus the women can be very mean sha , my goodness . They don't believe in live and let live , everything na fis get and quarrel. I pray my child never married from that area
Cateyes.... stop generalising!
DeleteUrhobo men are carry carry(chase anything that has hole) but when it comes to laziness isoko men are worst#proudlyurhobo
Isoko men are too stingy and most of them visit native doctors a lot..
DeleteAnony 12:06,u are the MAD one!did I hit a nerve?obviously u are one of the bad urhobos around. Where did ur sister pick the sorry ass of a husband from?thats not a typical Isoko guy,his mum must be from another tribe!
Delete@cat eyes. It is obvious, you're stupid.
DeleteWicked isoko men, they only take care of women they marry from their tribe.
DeleteIsoko men taking care of their women.......???????
DeleteNa wa for you ooooo. Keep lying
Wawuu!!
Not totally right am urhobo my father is hardworking and trained all his children same with all my uncle's.. ..i was raised to believe isoko people are stingy too till, I met my hubby....
DeleteHmmm there r bad people and good people everywhere...am urhobo my father and other men in my family r responsible and I was also raised to believe isoko people r stingy till i met hubby.
DeleteBBN is over.People are looking for the next trend. Madam Isoko Lady,this will not trend. Please go and rest.
ReplyDeleteI read the Article on Nairaland too.
ReplyDeleteMtcheww!
ReplyDeleteI consider Isoko a dialect of Urhobo (stand to be corrected) just as Yoruba has various dialects. I grew up amongst them, they speak so alike (not enough reason you may say) and only a real Urhobo/Isoko can spot the difference in some pronounciations.
I wonder why it bothers you if someone thinks you're urhobo. If asked its okay to Identify as Isoko but theres no point differentiating yourself from Urhobo.
It's Isoko/Urhobo nation.
Same language different dialect!
Urhobo and Isoko are two different languages/ethnic groups entirely. It's Uvwie and Okpe that can be classified as dialects of Urhobo. Isoko broke off from Urhobo and has become a separate language entirely. They are closely related, but still two independent languages.
DeleteJune if you knw how many dialect igbo has u won't even talk cos every town has different dialect & an anambra man don't even understand nsukka man, MBAISE man don't understand owere man yet they are all Igbos All the 5states of south east has different language & dialect, culture, belief even the way we look differs yet we are all Igbos. to me I see them as same cos they are all urhobo to me. No big deal
DeleteUrhobo and isoko have similarity in culture but speak different language,my mom understands both.
ReplyDeleteWeather you are okpe,isoko or Urhobo we are all one but if you feel other wise claim your isoko and be happy. Life is easy.
As far as I am concerned we are all delta. And I don't feel one is more superior or more important or known than the other. And when it comes to support its own, we all stick together.
ReplyDeleteStella, it does matter. Every tribe must have its own separate identity. It's not by force to name two tribes as one if they don't wish it. If people don't care, there'd be cultural erosion and the smaller tribe would be forgotten. Not good. Not good. That's how people think that every northerner is Hausa when there are several other tribes there. #ManyNationsOneCountry😘😘
ReplyDelete😔😔😔😔 me i dont even understand whats going on here now
ReplyDeleteReally this shouldn't be a matter of discussion. Everyone knows that urhobo represent Delta state just as Benin represent Edo state. To me Isoko and urhobo are the same. The language is just the difference. Pls let us not divide ourselves. It doesn't matter what we speak. Loving ourselves and moving forward together as a nation is what really matters.
ReplyDeleteUrhobo doesnt represent delta state
DeleteMena, we are brothers and sisters. Owing to the fact that we came about from the same source.
ReplyDeleteUrhobo and isoko have similarity in culture but speak different language, my mom understands both.... whether you're okpe,isoko or Urhobo We are one but if you feel other wise claim your isoko and be happy. life isn't that hard.
DeleteIsoko and urhobo can never and I repeat can never be d same. The percentage of Isoko compared to the percentage of urhobo in Delta state is not d same because Isoko are a minority group.their languages too dnt sound alike cos when Isoko people speak I dnt hear jack because I'm urhobo.Isoko people just like to think they're major in the state. Urhobos are dorminant and would remain that way.thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ngwa man speak umuahia man don't hear Jack yet they Re all Igbos, same state & very close up-to walkble distance sef.
DeleteYou're wrong, I'm isoko and I have never seen any isoko person that thinks we're major in delta state. That aside isoko and uhrobo very different, I don't understand when the uhrobos speak.
DeleteI'm an isoko girl and proud to flaunt my tribe anywhere. Though people mistake us for urhobos but I always stand my ground that I'm isoko and not urhobo and most times I make comparism with Benin and Esan to clear their mind. My name for example is Oghenekome and urhobos answers Oghenekevbe,they even don't sound alike(isoko and urhobo) Isoko say yanze(come) and urhobo says yanre. Isoko men too are like the igbos,they know how to take care of their wives and kids and can spend every penny on them to make them happy,but the urhobos will rather sit at home and wait for their wives to go do hard work to feed them and they are proud as f%$k! It's only in delta state I see women carrying concrete on their heads and I took my time to find out their tribe as the journalist that I is lol,and majority of the women are urhobos. Even my father's house was built by women carrying concrete i know this first hand.I for one can't marry an urhobo man,i love my isoko brothers and any other tribe. My dad and uncle's are examples of good isoko men. (urhobos starts throwing stones,i dodge all of them)
ReplyDeleteMe am Isoko ,I'm married to an Isoko. I don't see myself as Urhobo maybe because I live in Lagos, no one as call me Urhobo before.......all in all we're all Nigerians
ReplyDeleteI've never heard someone call an Isoko person urhobo.
ReplyDeleteWhen you tell someone you're from delta, they either ask or assume you're either urhobo, ijaw or itsekiri or from ibo speaking part of delta, unless you tell them you're isoko.
Yeah that's what I normally ask, am surprised to hear that I will add isoko to my questions. OK ooo no wahala I next time I will add isoko ooo
DeleteLoool @Amacastel! I was just like you till I met my husband . I had never heard of isoko before, now my kids are isoko as well.
Delete1) Urhobo is the strongest tribe in Delta. Once you mention you're from Delta, the next question is.. are you Urhobo. Liar Liar. It's Itsekiri!
ReplyDelete2) Gbam - @anon 11 April 2017 at 12:17. I was the one who said I have never seen a fine Isoko person. My in law too is okay but his nose is from ear to ear. Very stubborn.
3) Yes I have heard they are very wicked and their jazz na ogbonge.
4) Because Isoko are a minority group? Who is this ode? So Urhobo isn't a minority group too?
You're so rude.
DeleteMy mum is Itsekiri and people call her Urhobo woman. For your mind, I don't know what I'm talking about right?
@lafresh, I am already in love wit u. My hubby is Itsekiri too. Very beautiful people.
DeleteTell mummy Erasan MA!!
This is one reason I will always say it will be difficult for we Nigerians to live as one. Oneness & Unity will be difficult to attain in Nigeria. Just Imagine this now Isoko/Urhobo Kpalava. I don't blame the writer but also how about just smiling about it & move on. Nigeria!! Too many ethnic groups,too many tribe,too many languages & too many dialect I think that's the problem here. Anyways I'm Deltan proudly Itsekiri. Most times when I tell people I'm from delta they ask Urhobo? And even when people hear us speak they ask Yoruba? Don't think it will ever end joor.
ReplyDelete#ProudlyItsekiri#
I tell you. Na to smile and move on win am. No time to start explaining.
DeleteI'm not from Delta buy I schooled in Warri for a few years in the 90s, so let me give you an outsiders perspective. No doubt Urhobos are the dominant tribe in that state - loud, troublesome, shrewd, fearless (as per jazz things), hustlers, confident and quite aggressive. These attributes goes for both their men and women. You wan try Urhobo girl love? Na chewing gum! You musto love back. You cannot put her off (even beating sef). She ready to follow you anywhere. I knew some few Isoko people but I couldn't tell the difference, although they appeared to be calmer and more level headed. Itsekiris came across as cool, westernised and I think their women are very sexy. I can count the number of Ijaw people I met on one hand.
ReplyDelete👍
DeleteYou've said it all joor. Itsekiri girls are beautiful. Not just bcoz I'm an itsekiri girl but cox I've taken my time to look around me. Like in my church the beautiful ladies are itsekiri with their big big bakassi esp their women. Their men like women sha.
DeleteUrhobos are strong & I admire the strength of their women.
Ijaw dem dey black too much. Chai!
Looks like tower of babel took place in the Niger Delta region
ReplyDeleteSee how you are all attacking yourselves, demeaning one another
I am Yoruba married to an Isoko man (wonderful people)
It was marriage that made me see the difference between all you people in the south south.
A typical Yoruba always say a Nigerian is either an Igbo( from the east) ,Hausa (from the north) or Yoruba. The minor tribes are merged with the major.
South South was still Igbo to us,
Marriage and probably my tertiary institution made me see the differences in cultures
Now leaving the shores of Nigeria, what the other people see is black people
And if you you get someone to understand that you are Nigerian and start saying "i am Yoruba, Isoko etc. It wont matter. All they see is a Nigerian...The country with bla bla bla (as they have heard)
Some of those whites dont know countries, all they know is you are from Africa
Now I put it to you, Ki le n pa ara yin fun?
We are all one and God sees us as such ..mere mortals
Please I'm saying this from my little experience, I'm not saying I'm right or wrong: You shouldn't get mad when an outsider call you an Urhobo bcos d Urhobos tend to represent more than the Isoko. Urhobo are more active/lively while the Isoko are calm/peaceful. So in a mix company, you'll find out that the Urhobo makes name first before the Isoko person because of their nature and lifestyle. But na Isoko fine pass and with sweet names sha.....
ReplyDelete