Ijaw History Written By A White Man Many Years Ago.

Ijo, also called Ijaw, people of the forests of the Niger River delta in Niger-area (Nigeria) comprising a large number of formerly autonomous groups. 

(Autonomous simply means we governed ourselves as a single entity undivided)

They speak languages of the Ijoid branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

West of the main Niger-area outlets, each group occupies a cluster of villages linked by loose ties of cooperation, mainly against outsiders. 

Its members claim descent from a common ancestor. 

At group and village levels government is by assemblies of elders, often presided over by priests. (That is as a people, the governing authorities were the PRIESTS the AGADAGBA'S and they did well)

The economy is based on fishing, palm oil collecting, and floodland agriculture.

Formerly, when the economy was based primarily on fishing, each group claimed a distinctive culture and political autonomy. 

(Ijaws lived together when they had little and obeyed one authority, the Agadagba)

After contact with European merchants about 1500, however, the communities of Bonny, Calabar, and Nemke began trading first in slaves and then in palm oil. 

Wealthy traders became very powerful and governed in council with a hereditary king.

(From the moment our ancestors started seeing money, they became divided, and began to establish Ijaw kingdoms of their own, now i understand why we have the 'IJAW ISENA-IBE')

Each trader purchased numerous slaves  for incorporation into his own section of the community; if the trader had no suitable heir, an able slave succeeded him.

(This is where the idea of core and non-core Ijaw is derived from, but until we see ourselves as one, we are far from home)

Competition with other groups over hinterland markets and an emphasis on cultural separation rather than on links of common descent meant that ability was valued more than pedigree, permitting the emergence of such slave-born (i.e., non-Ijo) leaders as George of Calabar and Chief Jaja of Opobo. 

(When Ijaws started dealing in Palm oil and making wealth, we lost our sense of a common ancestry, we became slave traders, lost our purpose and unity due to pecuniary gains and the slaves we brought and captured into our homes became our KINGS, just because our father's became greedy and thirsty for power, are we different today?)

A LOT TO LEARN......THERE IS AN ADAGE THAT SAYS "UNTIL YOU FIND OUT WHAT KILLED YOUR FATHER AND KILL IT, THAT THING WILL REMAIN IN THE FAMILY TO KILL MORE PERSON'S".

I AM APOSTLE BODMAS PRINCE KEMEPADEI AND I TELL YOU THAT "YOU CAN'T MOVE FORWARD IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM" and "IF SOMEONE DIES IN A FAMILY MYSTERIOUSLY, FIND OUT WHAT KILLED HIM/HER BEFORE IT KILLS YOU TOO".

Source: Britannica.