The Andoni people of Rivers State

Rivers State

Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...

, of Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, are considered to be an Ijaw tribe by some, a distinct ethnolinguistic group by others, and a people closely related to the Yoruba

Yoruba people

The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...

, Annang

Annang

The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...

, Igbo

Igbo people

Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...

, Ibibio

Ibibio people

The Ibibio are a people of southeastern Nigeria. They are related to the Anaang and the Efik peoples. During colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation . The Annang, Efik, Ekid, Oron and Ibeno share personal names, culture, and traditions...

 and Efik people of Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State

Cross River State

Cross River State is a coastal state in southeastern Nigeria, bordering Cameroon to the east. Its capital is at Calabar, and it is named for the Cross River , which passes through the state...

 in Nigeria. Like these people, the Andoni people refer to God as Awaji or Owaji.

Historically, the Andoni (Idoni or Indo) Is the first son among the many sons of Ijo (Ujo) heir to the throne of Oduduwa

Oduduwa

Oduduwa Omoluabi, Olofin Adimula, Emperor of the Yoruba, phonetically written by his people as Odùduwà and sometimes contracted as Odudua or Oòdua, is generally held among the Yoruba to be the reigning ancestor of the crowned Yoruba kings....

 (Adumu) of Ile-Ife before the colonial era and had commercial contacts with European traders and with neighboring Ijaw clans, such as the Bonny, Okrika

Okrika

Okrika is a port town in Rivers State, Nigeria, capital of the Local Government Area of the same name. The town is situated on a small island just south of Port Harcourt, making it a suburb of the much larger city....

, Kalabari, and Nkoro. The Andoni frequently fought wars with the Kingdom of Bonny

Kingdom of Bonny

The Kingdom of Bonny is a traditional state based on the town of Bonny in Rivers State, Nigeria. Founded in the 14th century AD, it became an important slave trading port, later trading palm oil products. During the 19th century the British became increasingly involved in the internal affairs of...

. The Andoni people speak Obolo as the only native language. Obolo language is a combination of words from Igbo, Efik, Ibibio, Annang, Okrika, Ijaw, and Nembe
.

There is a historical link between the Okrika and the Andoni people. The Andoni people are the fiercest warriors in the Niger Delta, they have fought many wars with the Ogonis yet they are the best of friends. The Andoni (Obolo) clan of Ijaw is very wide with Ohafia

Ohafia

Ohafia is a town and local government area in Abia State, Nigeria. It is an Igbo speaking region. The ancestral capital of Ohafia is the centrally located village of Elu. The Ohafia Local Government Area also includes the towns of Abiriba and Nkporo....

 and Aro (Arochukwu

Arochukwu

Arochukwu, sometimes referred to as Arochuku, or Aro-Okigbo, is the third largest city in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people....

) people in Igbo land, Eastern Obolo

Eastern Obolo

Eastern Obolo is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. There are two clans in Eastern Obolo namely the Iko clan and the Okoroete clan.The official language is the Obolo language which is also spoken in the Andoni local government area of Rivers State. The Iko language is also spoken.They are...

, Ibeno

Ibeno

Ibeno is located in the south east of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.Ibeno town lies on the eastern side of the Kwa Ibo River about from the river mouth, and is one of the largest fishing settlements on the Nigerian coast....

-Eket

Eket

Eket is the second largest city in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The name also refers to the indigenous ethnic group of the region and to their language...

 and Oron in Akwa Ibom states and Andoni, Kala-Ido and Ogoloma in Rivers State. The Andoni people are very cultural, among the key towns are Ngo (Gogo), Ebukuma, Ikuru (Ikwut), Ataba, Ekede, Agwut-Obolo, Okoromboko, Okoroete, Iko, (Eastern Obolo axis), Asarama, Unyeada, and Ilotombi. The Nwantam masquerade of Andoni celebrated every first January is one of the highlights of Obolo festivities, which they share with the Opobo

Opobo

Opobo is a traditional state in southern Nigeria. The state was founded in 1870.A part of the traditional state is now Ikot-Abasi in Akwa Ibom State.-History:...

, Nkoro, Bonny and Ndoki Ijaws. Their ancient practices includews a writing system known as nsibidi

Nsibidi

Nsibidi is a system of symbols indigenous to what is now southeastern Nigeria that is apparently ideographic, though there have been suggestions that it includes logographic elements...

, ofiokpo cult and the war dance which both the Ohafia and Arochukwu clans still retain despite loss of original language. Some parts of the Andoni tribe can be reach by roads and all can be reached by sea. It is rich in Wildlife (Elephants, Monkeys, Species of Pythons, Tortoise etc. and Minreal resources. It is a growing tourist location in Rivers State