UKPAWEN-NKPOLO 2
It seems even the “Nkpolo” man does not know the etymology of the word “Nkpolo” unlike “Nkporo”, so the meaning is unknown to him, isn’t it so?
The narration continues as we systematically break some hidden codes that runs on the imaginary lines that define the Yako world. If you have not read the article one of “UKPAWEN-NKPOLO”, you will need to do so, otherwise this article you are reading will over stress your reasoning faculty.
Let’s quickly deal with the word “UKPAWEN”. The Yako people have their unique way of using and applying words to denote singularity and plurality.
For instance:
- Oponen (singular)… kinsman / Yaponen (plural)… kinsmen
- Wenamuka (sing)… matrilineal relative / Benamuka (pl)…matrilineal relatives
- Wenuwor(sg)…patrilineal relative / Benuwor (pl)…patrilineal rrelatives
- Epla (sg)…market / Npla (pl)
- Oplawen (sg)…small market / Yaplaben (pl)
- Yanen (sg)…woman / Banen (pl)
- Odom (sg)…man / Yadom (pl)
- Wenmonu (sg)…young woman/ Benmonu (pl)
- Wendom (sg)…young man / Bendom (pl)
- Ebla (sg)…dog / Nbla (pl)
- Ebu (sg)…goat / Nbu (pl)
It should be noted that “EBU” is also the name of individual but in the case of an individual, it is simply the shortened form of the ancestral word “Eburutu” which mean dignity. So, “Ebu” or”Ebu-ndu” denotes a dignified individual. Usually, it is given to the first sons like “Akpan”.
It should be noted quickly that the word “Akpa” means “First/Initial/First area of settlement”. “Akpa” happens to be the shortened form of “Lekanakpakpa” and it is the name of the first ancestral father that discovered the ancestral land and led others (Ibibios) just like the first Ibibio man to discover or settle in the land called Arochukwu, before leading others into the land was called Ibom or Iboku or Gibbom and the land was called IBOM (currently Arochukwu, Abia)
People bear these names these days without necessarily knowing the meaning.
Afrotheologie is out to systematically add values in this areas of the Yako lives and generally to promote Africanness, spirituality and religiosity of the African people.
If you have any unique facts about your community or society, that you feel it’s ideal for the world to know or you want us to research on, we would sincere appreciate it.
Afrotheologie comments the scholastic efforts put in by Chief OKOI OBONO-OBLA and the question asked by Mr FRED UGURU, that has pushed us this far.
So, names like Akpan, Ebu, Ebundu, Ibom, etc are usually given to first sons.
We have seen “Akpa” in many names and this include:
- Akpama…Akpa + ma(Mma)
- Akpabio…Akpa + bio (Obio)
- Akpabuyo…Akpa + buyo (Ibibio)
- Lowoni (sg)… space or open space / Liwoni (pl)
- Lowoniwen (sg)…small space / Liwoniben (pl)
- Lukpal (sg)… dedicated space / Yakpalben (pl).
- Ukpawen (sg)…small dedicated space / Yakpalben(pl). This would have been “Ukpaben” but it sounds odd, isn’t it so?
It should be noted that some Yako scholars hold that “LUKPALWEN” should be the word for small dedicated space instead of “UKPAWEN” whereas, majority of the Yako scholars and elders hold that “Ukpawen” is the correct word for “small dedicated space”.
As an Afrotheologian, looking at Lukpal-wen and Ukpalwen, logically both words have the same message to pass or signal to the receiver.
Also the fact that the majority of the people subscribed to “Ukpawen” does not define its trueness and the wrongness of “Lukpalwen”.
We should also not forget the fact that “Ukpawen” as the spelling goes might be the way the Eurocentric invaders spelt “Lukpalwen” in their documents, since they did same act of error or mistake to some of the names of our communities and today we have scholastically accepted these mistakes as the trueness of our communities and we have failed to teach our children the trueness of these histories.
For instance, they wrote:
- UMOR as Ugep
- EKOLI as Ekori
- YAKPANIKPANI as Mkpani
- ILOMI as Idomi
Hope one day in the future, someone or our children will not say that “UMOR” and “UGEP” are different people or meaning just like the case of “Nkporo” and “Nkpolo”.
But also considering the fact that the Eurocentric invaders came to Africa for the business of colonization, extortion and slavery NOT to give our father tongue a complete change even when that is a factor in colonization; we could then say that the colonizers might not have altered the spellings and if there was an alteration in its essence, then, it is probably an error or mistake put down by a Yako man or settler, which has become accepted generally.
These colonizers and indigenous error factors might be one of the factors that has affected “NKPORO” that we see today as “NKPOLO”.
NKPOLO
“NKPORO” means strength and warlike skills as that of a buffalo. So, what is the meaning of “NKPOLO”?
Putting the first narration into logical submission, we could say that “Nkpolo” is the same as “Nkporo”.
Accepting this logical trueness of “Nkpolo” being the same as “Nkporo” does not make the “Nkpolo” man an Arochukwu or an Ibibio man but historical facts has shown that the Yako people are descendants of Ibibio and we have studied the first classed relationship that exist amongst the Ibibio, Arochukwu, Yako, Igala, Mbaise, etc.
The truth is that looking at our histories, values, cultures and traditions carefully, you will know for sure that we are all descendants of one family or we all ancestrally hailed from one geographical region before the split or different paths to establish different kingdoms.
So, if you see an Mbaise man bearing name of Yako people, that isn’t a mistake, the name defines his ancestral root.
If the Yako man bears the name of the Arochukwu people, for instance ABAM, which happens to be a tribe that aided Diobu alongside with Ohofia and Abiriba to defeat the Ibibio-Efik people in Ibom…it is not a mistake.
Names define our roots! It is like a son who has been so alienated that he detest the ancestral system of his land but still has the SURNAME in all his certificates and even bears and accepts it, if he is addressed by it.
If you don’t respect your ancestral system, then, STOP USING THE SURNAME.
We are all one people!
It might be true that the people of “Nkpolo” in Nko are not Arochukwu people but etymologically, the word “Nkpolo” does not have Yako root…it is an Ibibio-Efik word “NKPORO” which was spelt in the manner it is today and probably pronounced by the aliens or Eurocentric invaders that way.
The fact that we have accepted it that does not deny its trueness etymologically. NKPOLO is the same as NKPORO. NKPOLO also has the same meaning as NKPORO.
It would have been so easy and amazing to deal with this subject without stress if the originator of the idea of naming that region of NKO was to be alive and he never left any record or document to tell the future researchers the reasons behind the name.
Anyway, if he had done such, then, this vast research would have become a microscopic type. Today, we have exercised our brains on this topic because the originator never gave us records.
Today, with the careful study on this subject, we now know that NKPOLO IS THE SAME AS NKPORO.
Thank you for arriving at this point of study. You are a true African child with complete Africanness.
Afrotheologie will need your sincere criticisms.
Tchr ESSIEN
Afrotheo…
