CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Introduction
The role and importance of women in society have remained issues of serious concern and debate1. The roles and status of women in Nigeria since the pre-colonial era has continuously evolved, little recognition has been granted to the various integral functions that Nigerian women have performed throughout history2. A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the men folk neglecting the fact that women are the inherent part of our society and they cannot be neglected due to their less power.
In the pre-colonial period, women played a major role in social and economic activities in all communities in Nigeria, division of labor was along gender lines and women controlled such occupations as food processing, mat weaving and cooking. Women were also central in trading. In politics, women were not totally left out3. The basic unit of politically organization was the family, and in the common arrangement which allowed a woman to give considerable authority over the children, a woman and her offspring could form a major bloc in the household. Power and privileges in a household were based on age and gender, thereby allowing senior women have a voice on many issues. A woman’s ability to control resources and people in a household was at the same time an exercise in public power4. Under colonial rule, there were some changes in the traditional role of women, in Nigeria5. The social barriers of tradition and culture gradually gave way to new ideas, new values and practices6. There is a need to undertake studies aimed at actualizing the roles of women in the socio-political and economic aspects of Okpe Kingdom.
The Okpe people are the most populous people in Delta state7. They are descendants of four brothers, Orue, Orhoro, Evbreke and Esezi in order of seniority whose ancestors had migrated from Benin kingdom. Okpe dates back to an early century after the birth of Jesus Christ8. Okpe constitutes a home to about a million people including those from other ethnic groups9. There are twelve traditional settlements in Okpe land. They include Aghalokpe, Amukpe, Aragba, Ehume, Mereje, Orerokpe, Oha, Ozue, Sapele, Ughotun, Ugolo and Ughorhe10. Okpe is reputed to be the best politically organized ethnic nationality for governance within its immediate geo-political area, second only to the Benin kingdom11. The administrative machinery set up by the pre-colonial Okpe people was sound, that it has generated intellectual interest among scholars. Having settled in Oreokpe, the Okpe people organized themselves through the institutions of the Orodje (King) and the council of chiefs known as Udogun Okpe (Okpe supreme council). The Orodje is the traditional head of the Okpe kingdom, he is vested with supreme socio-cultural powers and authority over the Okpe people12.
Emphasis on human and natural resources is one of the dominant traditions in Okpe culture. Okpe is blessed with expansive land, generously endowed with many natural resources. The Okpe kingdom is blessed with many investment opportunities13.
It’s observed that women from the beginning had very minimal roles and were hidden in their husbands’ shadows. Some say that women have no place in politics even in the pre-colonial era. Women in pre-colonial Okpe had a complimentary position to men although patrilineal and patriarchal kinship structures predominated Nigerian societies. Women held important roles in agriculture, Okpe women cultivated lands, grew crops and even went out on fishing expenditures, manufacturing, the Okpe women produced instruments that was used for fishing and decorating of the home and trade, it was the duty of an Okpe woman to take her goods, those produced by her and others bought from other women to the market place to trade. The women’s place in economy was very important, as the women worked as much as the men to produce income for the family. The beginning of colonial rule changed the role of women by means of legislation. Restricting women and focusing of colonial economy on men. Men began to dominate the cultivation of cash crops for the international market. These new legislations, the women played great roles in making sure that the men produced enough for exportation. Okpe women helped their husbands in the production oil palms. It is a common testimony by the men that production of oil palm would not have been successful without the aid of their wives.
In politics, regardless of the new system of governance in the colonial era, the women still had a say in government. Prior to the colonial period, there were women chiefs in Okpe kingdom; They were called ‘Okakuro’, they met separately from the men and their inputs were highly considered. From the pre-colonial era, the Okpe women had their own political organization in every village called the ‘Egwemese’. In the colonial era, though the women may not have been seen as active, the Egwemese could resist any government policies that were against the women. The roles of the women in colonial times will further be explained in the course of this research.
Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to examine the roles of women in the socio-political and economic institution of Okpe kingdom and how colonialism affected these roles. The objectives include to:
- Examine the traditional of origin of Okpe kingdom.
- Examine the role of women in the political structure of Okpe kingdom.
- Determine the extent the role of women affected the traditional economy of the Okpe kingdom.
- Examine the relevance of women in pre-colonial Okpe
- Examine the extent to which colonialism affected the status of women in Okpe kingdom.