Brief History Of Esan Culture & People

Prince Kelly O.Udebhulu

2 Esan Local Government Areas in Edo State 
3 Esan Names 
4 Esan Language 
4.1 Alphabet 
4.2 Nouns 
4.3 Pronouns 
4.4 Sentence order 
4.5 Verbs 
4.6 Adjectives 
4.7 Determiners 
4.8 Paternoster (The Lord's Prayer) 
5 External links 



[edit] Brief History Of Esan Culture & People
Esan (pronounced /aysan/) is one of the major ethnic groups in Edo State, South-south geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is believed by many historians that the name 'Esan' (originally, 'E san fia') owes its origin to Bini (meaning, 'they have fled' or 'they jumped away'). 'Ishan' is an Anglicized form of 'Esan', the result of colonial Britain's inability to properly pronounce the name of this ethnic group. It is believed that similar corruption has affected such Esan names as ubhẹkhẹ (now 'obeche' tree), uloko (now 'iroko' tree), Abhuluimẹn (now 'Aburime'), etc. Efforts have however been made to return to stutus quo ante. For academic purpose, Esan refers to (1) the ethnic group that occupies central Edo State; (2) (plural unchanged) a person or the people collectively from this ethnic group; (3) the language of these people which, linguistically, is of the Kwa subdivision of the Niger-Congo language family; (4) something of, related to, or having Esan origin e.g. uro Esan (=Esan language), otọ Esan (=Esan land), ọghẹdẹ Esan (Esan banana).

A total of thirty four kingdoms (large villages/townships ruled traditionally by monarchs) make up Esan and many of them seem to have their own oral versions of the origin of Esan as well as its own starting point in history. One of the most popular of these is the one advocated by the group much of which constitutes the now defunct Agbazilo, one of the two former local government administrative units in Esan.

According to the Agbazilo group, made up mainly of Uromi and Uzea, Esan came into being when one of the children of Bini’s Queen Oakha and Ojiso Owodo, Prince Uzia Asokpodudu (Ojiso Owodo’s crown prince and heir apparent) founded Uzea in about 1188 AD after they fled their father's (the Ojiso's) palace following the death sentence passed on their mother, Queen Oakha, who was alleged to have committed adultery with a Bini chief, Ovior. The duo of Ozogbo and Oigi, Asokpodudu's younger brothers, escaped along with him and the mother. It is believed that not only did Prince Asokpodudu (the founder of Uzea Kingdom) escape with the mother, Oakha, relations and some palace servants, he also left with his father’s (the king's) royal trident, ‘Uziziẹnghain’, the Ojiso’s heir loom.

The Uziziẹnghain used to be the royal regalia with which the Ojiso dynasty was founded. Ozogbo later left Asokpodudu in his base in what is today known as Uzea to found Ẹgbele in present-day Uromi while Oigi went and establish a settlement with his mother, Oakha, which is today known as Ẹkperi (outside Esan land). 'Ikhio' is an annual feast celebrated in Uzea in remembrance of Oakha. While Queen Oakha and her children fled northward of Bini, Chief Ovior, her alleged lover, fled eastward to a settlement he established, which is today known as Obior (probably a corruption of 'Ovior'), near Asaba, Delta State capital.(1)

This is believed by some to be the very beginning of Esan though the Irrua group may not easily accede to this position. The very name Esan was not applied to this people until the arrival of other emigrants from Bini who fled Oba Ewuare's brutal reign. The Oba (Bini monarch) had decreed: "No making of fire to cook; no cleaning of homes; no procreation; no washing of clothes." Unable to abide by these rules, many natives fled the Bini Kingdom. When the king sought to know where many of his subjects had gone, he was told, "Ele san fia" ("They have fled", thus giving rise to 'E-san-fia' and later 'Esan'.(2)

In other words, the name Esan was never borne by the ealier group until the arrival of the later groups. Other groups, such as Ekpoma, left Bini later to establish bases where they occupy presently. Except some historical contention to the effect that Esan has always been where they are presently, or that Bini in fact migrated from Esan to its present abode, Esan in this sense is a group/tribe of 'fled/jumped away' people from Bini for various reasons and at different periods in history. Esan largely remains a migrants' settlement just like the New World. This position has made some historians to argue that the Agbazilo group, Uromi and Uzea, are a pre-Esan group which has decided to coexist under the same banner of Esan. It was within this same group, in Uzea, that Oba Ozolua met his waterloo and buried in Ugboha's Otokhimhin, originally called 'Oto-ukhimhin' (the land of Ukhimhin tree). This is the origin of the popular saying among Esan that "Oba ii de Esan, Ozolua ii ri Edo" meaning, "A Benin monarch does not visit Esan just as King Ozolua will (of Benin) not return to Benin."

Esan land is bordered to the south by Benin City, to the south-east by Agbor, to the north and east by Etsako, to the west by River Niger. From Ewu to Benin City, the State capital, is 100kms long. No accurate demographic data of the people is available and the various local governments in Esan appear to lack reliable information in this direction. The people populate areas such as Uromi, Ewatto, Igueben, Irrua, Ubiaja, Ebele, Ehor, Ekpoma, Ewu, etc in central Edo State, South-South Nigeria. It has flat landscape, one lacking in rocks and mountains, and good for agricultural purpose. Rubber tree (used for the production of plastic products) and palm tree rank highest among Esan trees. The land's variety of fruits range from mango, orange, grape, pineapple, guava, cashew, banana, plantain, black pear, avocado pear, lime to walnut and even more. Cassava, yam, cocoa yam, sweet potato, pepper, okra and rice are some of its farm produce. It has numerous streams that are too small to afford fishing.

Replete with different dialects, Esan language is quite unintelligible to even many native speakers. For instance, the Esan word for person (or, somebody) is variously called by the different kingdoms' dialects as ọria (by Uromi, etc), ọhia (by Uzea, etc), ọyia (by Unea, etc), ọhan (by Ugbọha, etc). This obvious difficulty associated with speaking others' dialect other than one's mother dialect has given rise to the widespread use of Pidgin English, which is the local patois, a mishmash of Portuguese, English and Nigeria's local languages.

During the era of the military,the Esan had between five to six high ranking military, police and Naval officers as governors of various states around the country at different occasions, a feat that owed much to their learning,sociability and especially their loyalty. Chief Ikimi and Chief Anenih— have been known to occupy the position of chairman of two national parties —NRC and SDP respectively.

Esan Day is celebrated at the Tafawa Balewa square, Lagos every December. During the occasions names of prominent Esan figures are read to loud ovation. Esan believe in self help, thus assisting to reach villages and towns to achieve development. Some prominent Esan are Chief Anthony Enahoro, who raised the motion for the independence of Nigeria; Peter Enahoro, who wrote How to be a Nigerian, Tony Anenih, a top Nigerian politician and former minister of Works and Housing. Others include the late Ambrose Alli, Governor of Bendel State; Bishop Ekpu; Anthony Cardinal Okogie; late first lady Stella Obasanjo; Sonny Okosun, a famous musician; writers Aba Aburime I and Odia Ofeimu; Chief Tom Ikimi, a politician and former foreign affairs minister (during the reign of Gen. Sani Abacha); former Lagos state police commissioner, Oyakhilomen; former vice president of Nigeria, Augustus Aikhonmu (retired Real Admiral); former deputy commissioner of Lagos state Vincent Airebamen; Rev. Chris Oyakhilomen; etc.

Esan are fun-loving people who have various festivities and ritualistic traditions. Their folktales and folklores serve as forms of learning and entertainment, like the famous igbabonẹlimhin and akhuẹ. They have prominent traditional rulers who keep order and sanity in a complex society where beauty and manners are intertwined. Despite the long-term impact of Christianity among Esan, the people are fetish in that a large number still practise traditional beliefs in the form of worship of ancestral spirits and other gods. A large percentage of Esan are Christians, mostly Catholic and recently of other denominations. Esan has various dialects all of which stem from Bini and there is still close affinity between the Esan and the Bini, which leads to the common saying 'Esan ii gbi Ẹdo' meaning, Esan does not harm the Ẹdo (i.e. Bini).

Esan are great poets, writers, singers, carvers, farmers, scholars, storytellers, etc. The folklore and history of the Esan tribe are worth re-visiting and attempt should however be made to research on the various ways that the villages are related to the Ẹdo and others who may have occupied Ifeku Island many years ago. The Esan heritage is unique despite the variation of dialects. A handful of Esan families are known to possess Portuguese ancestry, resulting from links harking back to the 16th Century when Portuguese sailors and tradesman first entered the Bini Kingdom via the coast. British arrived Bini in the wake of the Portuguese numerous expeditions to, and intercourse with, Bini.

The 14th April 2007 gubernatorial election in Edo State saw the emergence of Prof. Oserheimen Aigberadion Osunbor from Ekpoma as the next governor of Nigeria's 22nd largest state. Before the State's creation on the 27th August, 1991, Prof. Ambrose Folorunso Alli had governed Bendel State (1979-1983), making it the second Esan to govern Edo State. Unlike the Prof. Ambrose Alli mandate/victory, Prof. Osunbor's is widely believed to be mired in controversy of widespread irregularities by the ruling party in the State. Litigation is however on and the new governor has since 29th May, 2007 been sworn in for a four-year term. The ceremony was carried out at the Sam Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, amidt large crowd.


[edit] Esan Local Government Areas in Edo State
The autonomous clans/kingdoms in Esan land are currently administratively arranged as follows under the current five local government areas:

(1) Esan North East LGA, Uromi:

   Uromi, Uzea 
(2) Esan Central LGA, Irrua:

   Irrua, Ugbegun, Okpoji, Idoa, Ewu
(3) Esan West LGA, Ekpoma:

   Ekpoma, Urohi, Ukhun, Egoro
(4) Esan South East LGA, Ubiaja:

   Ubiaja, Ewohimhin, Emulu, Ohordua, Ẹbhoato, Okhuesan, Orowa,
   Ugboha, Oria, lllushi, Onogholo
(5) Igueben LGA, Igueben:

   Igueben, Ebele, Amaho, Ẹbhosa, Udo, Ekpon, Ujorgba,  Ogwa, Ugun,
   Okalo

[edit] Esan Names
ESAN NAMES Name Shortforms Meaning/Context Gender RelatedNames 
Abhuluimẹn, Aburime Abu a congratulatory name literally meaning ‘the verdict is in my favour’; ‘the decision/ruling has worked to my advantage’, often given to a child in memory of a major feat or victory over one’s foe or difficulty M  
Abulogho, Abulogholo, Abuman Abu Equivalent of the Hebrew name Abraham, meaning ‘father of multitude’, as blessing or wish for a child to be a future father M  
Adesuwa, Ade meaning one who is born into wealth, the center of wealth, wealth surrounds her,typically a female name F  
Aburẹkhan Abu, Abure, Aburay One followed by a multitude M  
Agbọnkhese Agbọn an allusive name meaning ‘human beings are the unseen forces contending with humans’; ‘humans are their own enemies’, used to suggest that one’s problems, difficulties or travails are caused, not by invisible powers as people are being made to believe but, by fellow humans themselves M  
Aigbọkhan  You don’t strive with someone for no just cause, used by parents to inform their foe/hater that they are not culpable/guilty as alleged, and as such should be left alone M  
Akhigbe (Aah khi gbi ọnan) Aigbe 1. a name meaning ‘this child of mine won’t be killed, hurt or harmed’ 2. [esp Chris. based on Ps. 105:15; Is. 54:17] a name meaning ‘not (meant) to be harmed/hurt/killed’; ‘too defended to be a victim’ [Reason: many parents give their children this name either after losing some child(ren) to death or when they wish to safeguard one whose conception or birth was costly M Ujangbe, Otọibhi 
Aikponobhua   M  
Aimiẹndẹ Aimiẹn A child can’t be bought, used to emphasise how precious or valuable a child is F  
Aituajiẹ Aitua It is not ideal to laugh/make mockery in a hurry (proverbial), used to suggest that there is nearly always the possibility of seeing a fallen person rise up, or that the future could be better or more favourable M/F  
Aiwainehi   F  
Aiwuanfo  One can never possess infinite wisdom (proverbial), used to emphasise the limit of human wisdom that makes people subject to errors M  
Aiwuansubhor Aiwuan Death defies human wisdom; death cannot be tricked, cheated, played upon, used to suggest how helpless and vulnerable humans can be humbled by death no matter how wise or intelligent they seem M/F  
Aiyegbeni Aiye No one wants their neighbour’s good, progress, well-being or that human beings have a tendency to wishing each other ill-luck M  
Ẹbhodaghe Ẹbho, Ẹbhoghe people are seeing; ‘the world is a witness’, used to suggest that one’s hands are clean, or that you are not guilty as alleged M  
Ebosẹrẹmẹn Ebosẹ, Osẹrẹmẹn ‘whom God has given me’, equivalent to Jonathan (in Hebrew) M  
Ebosẹtae, Ebosẹtale Ebosẹ, Osẹtae, Osẹtale whom/what God has ordained, suggesting that the will of God can’t be squashed M/F  
Ẹhizojie, Ẹhizogie Ẹhi God is the one who makes one king; or loosely ‘rising to greatness is God’s doing’ M/F Ẹhizọkhae 
Ẹhizọkhae, Ẹhizọkhale Ẹhiz, Ọkhae God is the one who makes someone a hero; ‘achieving greatness in life is God’s doing’ (perhaps partly influenced by Chris. [Eccl. 9:11]) M  
Ehibhajiajeme Ehi  F  
Ekaniyere Iyere  M/F  
Ejele  Esan equivalent of the Hebrew name Aaron, meaning ‘esteem, lofty or loftiness, exalted or exaltation’ M Ọsẹmeje, Ọmọ(n)zeje 
Enaholo Enaho Esan name literally meaning ‘these are the ones desired’, or (loosely) ‘long desired’, usually given to a male child esp in a family that has long longed or wished for one, similar to the French name Désirée /dayziray/ (fem. Désiré) M  
Erejele, Abejele Ejele father of exaltation/esteem;similar to Abigail in Hebrew M  
Erọmhọsẹle, Erọmhọsẹ, Erọmọsẹle, Erọmọsẹ Ero, ayro, Erọmor (the) prayer has been effective; (the) supplication was effectual, given to a child whose prebirth condition(s) called for prayer or divine intervention M/F Osẹiwuẹ, Ẹbosẹ(le), Ebosẹta(le) 
Ẹseleọhẹ Ẹse, Ẹsele ‘free gift’; ‘offer needing no payback’, a reference to the benevolent God who freely gives children to humans M/F  
Ibhakẹwuanlan, Ibhankẹwuanlan Ẹwuanlẹn I didn’t get wise early (enough)’; ‘I’m wiser, more careful now’ [Reason: a name parents give to a child when, after losing several children or after allowing themselves to be deceived, cheated or fool, eventually realise their mistake] M  
Ibọi  a moribund name originating from a misunderstanding of the British colonial officers’ often repeated word “boy” or “oh boy”, when calling the attention of an African worker or young man M  
Inẹgbenẹhi, Inẹgbenosẹ  (I seek God’s protection; I hide under the shadow of the Almighty) M  
Irọbekhian  I go with that which is good; ‘I like peace’; ‘I dislike trouble’ M Ikuenọbe, Ibhaje, Ibhajọbe, Ọsẹmẹikhian 
Izẹhinọmhẹn Ẹhi, Ẹhinọmhẹn, Izẹhi I have chosen the good God; ‘I have opted for the God of goodness’, God here being symbolic of one’s guiding angel M/F  
khiẹna  a suffix to which a noun is added to affirm that you are wary of the noun mentioned in the belief that it is in it you suspect you may be hurt/killed Oaikhiẹna (I am wary of my family); Amẹńikhiẹna (I am wary of water, river, etc); Ọshiọikhiẹna (I am wary of my friend)   
Manatuẹ, Imanatuẹ  a corruption of the name ‘Matthew’ M  
Obehiaghe Obehi, Ehi We are looking out for God's time F  
Osẹzẹle, Osẹzẹe  The reason is God or ‘God is the cause’, being an acknowledgment of divine help either in the conception or delivery of the child M  
Ojiẹ  meaning ‘laughter’ influenced by the Hebrew name Isaac M  
Okhueleigbe  literally meaning ‘the constant ringing of a bell does not destroy a bell’, used to suggest that the fact that your name is being repeatedly subjected to slander, insult, or is maligned (esp because people misunderstand your good intentions) does not harm you; a common name in Uromi, Uzea M  
Oko, Okoh  a prefix that is added to a noun to suggest the kind of relationship the person has with the noun mentioned 1. son of; heir of. 'Okojie' (=king’s son; male relative of a royal family) 2. [esp African Traditional Religion (ATR)] son of, or dedicated to. 'Okosun' (=son of shrine, god, idol) 3. friend of; born into. 'Okougbo' (=born in the farm); 'Okorọ' (=born during raining season); 'Okoamẹn' (=friend of water, rain); 'Okouromi' (=friend of Uromi Town); 'Okoemu' (=friend of Emu Town) [Compare: Ọmosun)] M  
Okotuẹ  1. Esan name meaning Pastor 2. a regular churchgoer or church worker 3. loosely, a child born in a church M  
Ọmotuẹ  1. Esan name meaning Pastor 2. a regular churchgoer or church worker 3. loosely, a child born in a church F  
Omiojieahiọ, Omiogieahiọ Omiojie, Omiogie a name meaning ‘everyone’s wish is to be a king’s heir’; ‘to be a prince is everyone’s desire’ M  
Ọmhẹn  ‘pleasant’, equivalent to Hebrew’s Naomi M/F  
Osẹidobor, Ẹhiidobor  ‘God does not make mistake’, often given to a child whose sex is the reverse of what was predicted or anticipated M/F/ Idobọiyikosẹ, Osẹilukholor 
Osẹikhuẹmhẹn Ekhuẹmhẹn a name meaning ‘It is God I praise’ M Osẹigẹn, Osẹiga, Osẹiro 
Osẹmudiamhẹn  ‘God is standing for me’; ‘God is my support, fortress, stronghold’ M/F  
Osẹnọbhuohiẹn  ‘God is judge’, equivalent of the Hebrew name Daniel M  
Ọdegua  ‘she has mixed up with’ or ‘a mix-up with’, given to the first or the lone female child in a family dominated by males F  
Ọdianọsẹn Ọdia (usually responsorial or positively consolatory) meaning ‘it is well’; ‘fine’ M  
Ọdiọn  eldest, given to the first child in multiple births M/F Akhere, Adesẹ 
Ọduẹki, Ọduaki Ẹki, Aki a memorial name meaning ‘trader’, given to a child born on a market day, or right in the marketplace/trading centre F  
Ọfure  [esp Chris. based on Phil. 4:7] a name meaning ‘peace’; ‘tranquility’ M/F  
Ọghanivie Ivie more precious than gold; ‘more valuable than gold’; ‘costlier than gold’, with gold here symbolic of the world’s costliest or most precious thing M/F Ọghanẹkan, Inẹkanbivie, Inojie 
Ọhainlosẹ, Ọhainlo  ‘wonder’, ‘miracle’, ‘marvel’ ‘awesomeness’ given to a child often as a tribute to God, who is believed to be at work M/F  
Ọinọghosẹ, Ọilọghosẹ Osẹ 1. a name meaning ‘it is not difficult for God (to do)’ 2. [esp Chris. based on Mk. 12:16; Jer. 32:27] a name meaning ‘nothing is difficult for God (to do)’, suggestive of God’s infinite might M/F  
Ọmejele Ejele child of exhortation, loftiness, esteem, near equivalent to the Hebrew name Barnabas M/F  
Ọmẹnlosẹ Ẹlo, Ẹlosẹ, Osẹ [esp Chris. based on Zech. 2:8] a name meaning ‘(the) apple of God’s eye’, used to suggest how precious a child is M/F Aimiẹndẹ, Ọghanẹkan, Ọghanivie 
Ọmobera, Ọmejele  ‘child of esteem’; ‘child of (my) right hand’, considered near equivalent of the Hebrew name Benjamin M  
Ọmọnkherebhe Ọmọn ‘all are children’, used by parents to emphasize that they accept a baby born to them despite the fact that it is different from their expectation/preference esp in terms of the sex F  
Ọmọnkhose Ọmọn, Ose child is the beauty of life, used to affirm one’s fulfillment in, and satisfaction with, life F  
Ọnahoẹmhọnlẹn  a name meaning ‘beloved’, equivalent of the Hebrew name David M  
Ọnuwabhagbe Uwa, Uwabhagbe the person whom the family hasn’t forfeited, offered, given out, used to state publicly, in a more spiritual tone, that your child should not be harmed, imperiled, killed F Akhigbe, Ujangbe 
Ọtibhor  this child makes me glad; ‘this baby is a source of joy to me’; ‘this child causes me excitement’ F Eghọnghọn, Ẹduje 
Uhọnmhọnebamhọn Uhọnmhọn one’s life is greater than one’s possession’, used to emphasize the consideration of oneself as primary/basic M  
Urẹkpa  ‘help’, equivalent to the Hebrew name Ezra M/F  
Uwadiale  Wealth is good M/F Uwadia 
Uwahimhinre  it is to one’s home one brings things, with the advisory message that one should learn to favour one’s family, town, people, etc M/F 
Uwayemen Uwaye i love wealth F  




MOST FREQUENTLY USED ESAN WORDS

Bọdiayẹ? (How are you?)

Ọfure (Fine)

Obokhian (Welcome)

Obulu (Thanks)

Mundia! (Stop!)

Mundia (stand up)

Khara (m), Doẹjie (f) (Good morning)

Ranri (m), Khaijesan (f) (A word of thanks used after dinner)

Ọkhinbue, Ọsẹkhinbue (Good bye)

Ọkhin-ewẹ, Ọkhin-ewẹ (Good night)

Vae, vare (Come)

Go, depart (Kha khian)

Amọghor (Congratulation(s))

Linguistic finding has shown the word ‘gbe’ to have the highest number of usages in Esan, with up to 76 different meanings in a normal dictionary. Names starting with the prefixes Ọsẹ; Ẹhi, Ẹhiz or Ẹhis; and Okoh (for male), Ọmọn (for female) are the commonest in Esan: Ẹhizọkhae, Ẹhizojie, Ẹhinọmẹn, Ẹhimanre, Ẹhizẹle, Ẹhimẹn, Ẹhikhayimẹntor, Ẹhikhayimẹnle, Ẹhijantor, etc; Ọsẹmundiamẹn, Ọsẹmhẹngbe, etc; Okosun , Okojie, Okodugha, Okoemu, Okouromi, Okougbo, Okoepkẹn, Okoror, Okouruwa, etc. To any Oko-, 'Ọm-' the suffix of the name can be added to arrive of the female version e.g. Ọmosun, Ọmuromi, etc.


[edit] Esan Language
Esan is one of the numerous languages of the Kwa subdivision of the Niger-Congo language family, one of Africa's largest subgroups. Unlike English, Esan is a tone language like many of its neighbouring settlements' and Chinese as well. Currently, albeit slow, efforts are variously being made to have dictionaries and grammar texts of Esan language. Once produced, they may help interested Esan appreciate their tongue better and improve on it. Some huddles against achieving this dream are: first, the unusual level of aliteracy among many Esan; second, the literacy level which though comparatively high but calls for improvement; third, the large number of dialects that make up Esan such that, for instance, the people of Ẹkpoma would hardly comprehend Ẹkpọn or Ohordua. So pathetic is the situation that most annual Esan Kings' Council meetings are largely conducted in English. For the interim, however, the information below may be of some assistance in the direction of understanding Esan.


[edit] Alphabet
Esan uses the Latin alphabet, and a total number of 25 letters make up the alphabet:

a, b, d, e, ẹ, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, ọ, p, r, s, t, u, v, w, y, z.

The digraph consists of 10 sets of double letters:

bh, gb, gh, kh, kp, kw (rarely used), mh, nw, ny, sh.

e.g.

Bhi, Ibha,

Gbe, Agba

Gha, Ughe

Khu, Akhuẹ

Kpa, Ẹkpoma

Emhin

Nwẹn

Nyẹn

Shi


[edit] Nouns
All Esan nouns begin with vowel letters (i.e. a, e, ẹ, i, o, ọ, u): aru, eko, itohan, ozẹ, ọrhia, etc. Due to the influence of neighbouring tongues and Western languages, especially English, there is the tendency among Esan to pronounce many non-Esan nouns beginning with a consonant letter. In the event of such within the boundary of Esan write-up, an apostrophe may be employed before the first consonant letter both to Esanise and ease the pronunciation. In speech however such apostrophe is often pronounced as ‘i’ /i:/: ’bazaar, ’Jonah, ’labour, ’zoo, etc.

Each Esan noun ends in either a vowel letter (e.g. ato, Ẹkpoma, uri, oya) or the vowel-associated letter ‘n’: agbọn, eran, ẹnyẹn, itọn, isẹn, etc. Exception to this rule is the writing of proper nouns where a name can end in letter ‘r’ always after a letter ‘ọ’ to make it sound like ‘or’ in English as well as the use of letter ‘h’ after a letter ‘o’ to make it sound as ‘oh’ in English: Isẹribhor, Isibor, Okoh.

In nouns, following the first vowel letter is always a second consonant letter: ahoho, avan, ilo, udia. For the expression of a feminine gender, the second consonant letter following a vowel letter is doubled: ahhihi (=female ant), ọshọ (=female friend), ọrrhia (=female person), etc. This style is better understood by French speakers, who usually differentiate genders – masculine, feminine, neuter.

Pluralization in Esan is of two forms, the first of which has to do with nouns that have original plural forms, in which case the first letter is replaced/displaced by another letter:

Singular Plural ọmọn (baby), imọn (babies); ọmọle (man, male), imọle (men, males); okpea (man), ikpea (men); okhuo (woman, female), ikhuo (women, females); ọshọ, ọmuọe (friend), ishọ, imuọe (friends); obhio (relation), ibhio (relations); obhokhan (child), ibhokhan (children); oghian (enemy), ighian (enemies); usẹnbhokhan (boy), isẹnbhokhan (boys); ọmamhẹn, ọmọhin (girl), imamhẹn, imọhin (girls); ọwanlẹn (elder, adult), iwanlẹn (elders, adults); ọrhia (person), erhia (persons); ọbo (doctor), ebo (doctors); Ebo (English citizen), Ibo (English citizens); obọ (arm), abọ (arms); oẹ (leg), ae (legs); use (nail), ise (nails); udo (stone), ido (stones)

The second has to do, not with the above which have original plural form but, with a large number of other nouns which do not. In this case, a suffix (as the use of 's' in English) is used by adding it to the noun in question, but wihtout a change in pronunciation. For example: Singular Plural uwaebe (school), uwaebeh (schools); eran (stick), eranh (sticks); emhin (something), emhinh (some things)


[edit] Pronouns
All Esan pronouns have plural forms different from singular, but both subject and object cases do not differ: All Esan pronouns have plural forms different from singular, and both subject and object cases are the same:

Singular Plural imẹn (I, me), iman (we, us); uwẹ (you) ibha, (you, or Pidgin English ‘una’); ọle (he, him), ele (they, them); ọlle (she, her), elle (they, them); ọhle (it), ehle (they, them); –, Aah; otuan [preceding figure(s)], ituan [preceding figure(s)]; ukpọle ikpọle,

(‘Aah’, ‘otuan’ and ‘ukpọle’ have no English equivalent, and while ‘Aah’ can only be used as subject, ‘otuan’ and ‘ukpọle’ can be used in both ways: Otuan ọkpa ni ele dia; Dati ituan eva re. Ukpọle ọkpa ribhọ. Jia ikpọle ea re. Note that ‘otuan’ (pl. ituan) is used for humans, ‘ukpọle’ (pl. ikpọle) is used for non-humans and ‘Aah’ depends on the context in which it is used.)


[edit] Sentence order
The use of Esan is open to three orders or arrangements: (subject-verb-object (SVO), object-subject-verb (OSV), and object-verb-subject (OVS)) to express themselves Okoh ’h gbi ele (SVO). Okoh imẹn ddaghe (OSV). Ena yẹ imẹn (OVS). SVO is commonest and most employed. The use of OVS is restricted to a limited number of grammatical constructions.


[edit] Verbs
All Esan verbs start with consonant letters and end in either vowel letter or the vowel associated letter ‘n’: bi, dẹ, fan, hẹn, lolo, etc. In expressing the past, doubling of initial letter of a verb takes place such that ‘bi’ changes to ‘bbi’ and ‘hẹn’ becomes ‘hhẹn’. A verb can also begin with a diphthong: khian, gbe, bhanbhan. The formation of past tense in this case is not different: kkhian, ggbe, etc. Some Esan dialect such as Uzea makes use of ‘ah’ (or ’h) to show present participle (as in “He is going home.”). Although this is absent in majority of Esan dialects, it is used and placed before the main verb when writing: Ele ’h khọa = They’re having bath.


[edit] Adjectives
An Esan adjective, as does an English adjective, modifies a noun or pronoun. That is, it gives more information about a noun or pronoun and makes its meaning more specific. It can appear before or after a noun. The only difference between Esan and English adjectives is that like Japanese, some Esan adjectives are verb-like in that they inflect to show tenses: Ele mhẹnmhin. = They are good. // Ele mmhẹnmhin. = They were good. The doubling of the initial letter of the adjective 'mhẹnmhin (good)' like verbs, clearly demonstrates this point. Esan adjectives are of two distinct types: ‘word adjective’ and ‘phrasal adjective’.

Word adjective.

A word adjective is an adjective consisting of a single word: esi, khọlọ, hu, jian, etc. This form of adjective is subdivided into five types: pre-noun adjective, post-noun adjective, numeral adjective, nounal adjective, and restricted adjective. A pre-noun adjective appears only before the noun it modifies, provides information about the noun’s size and/or quantity, and they start with a vowel letter: ukpomin, ekitui, udede, ikwẹkwi, etc. These adjectives are not subject to the law of tenses and do not take the suffix ‘mhin’. A post-noun adjective comes immediately after the noun it modifies: khọlọ, khọriọn, fuọ, ba, to, han, lẹnlẹn, bhihi, hu, khisin, khere, re(le) (far), re (deep), re (grown up), re (well attended), bue, tan, etc. These adjectives are subject to the law of tenses such that they are used to reflect time (e.g. “Okoh rẹ kkhọriọn.” = "Okoh is ugly.".

Except the adjective ‘khọriọn’, all others can be used with the suffix ‘mhin’, and (‘ebe’ and ‘esi’ which are also called noun adjectives) they all start with consonant letters. A numeral adjective is one that can be used to answer such question as “how many?”: ọkpa, eva, ea, igbe, etc. Because they are also nouns, they all start with vowel letters. They are neither subject to the law of tenses nor can they be used with the suffix ‘mhin’. A nounal or noun adjective is one that comes before a noun and can easily be manipulated to become a noun in usage: esi, ebe. It can neither be used with ‘mhin’ nor are they subject to tense law. A restricted adjective is one that can only be used with a particular noun e.g. ‘bhibhi’ in 'ewewẹ bhibhi' (early morning).

Some adjectives that can be placed under the word adjective are adjectives that are formed from the doubling of a word adjective: fanọn-fanọn (unkempt; untidy), rughu-rughu or ragha-ragha (disorderly), sankan-sankan (muddy and rough), yagha-yagha (untidy), kpadi-kpadi (rough or even), ose-ose (beautiful). This system can also be used thus: fanọn/2, yagha/2, kpadi/2, sankan/2, ose/2, etc.

Phrasal adjective.

A phrasal adjective is one that consists of more than one word; it is made up of a phrase. More often than not, an adjectival phrase usually contains either a noun + verb or an adjective+preposition+noun which combine to perform the work of an adjective. Some common examples are: rui ẹlo (blind), yi ehọ (deaf, rebellious), di ọmalẹn (old, senile), di itọn a (wretched), bhọn ose (beautiful), fi ahiẹ a (serene), fua amẹn (light-complexioned), ba bhi egbe (painful), mhẹn bhi egbe (body-friendly), mhẹn bhi unu (sweet), mhẹn bhi ẹlo (beautiful or not offensive to sight), mhẹn bhi ihue (not offensive to the nose), mhẹn bhi ehọ (not offensive to the ear), khọ bhi unu (unpalatable; offensive), khọ bhi egbe (unbearable), etc.

Below are some Esan adjectives and their meanings (and those that can be used with the suffix ‘mhin’ are shown) Ukpomin (little), ekitui (many; much), udede (big), ikwẹkwi (tiny; trivial), khisin-mhin (small; diminutive), khere-mhin (small; little), hu-mhin (big; foamy), khuẹlẹ-mhin (slim), re-mhin (far; deep; well attended; grown up), dia-mhin (straight; appropriate), bhala-mhin (light-complexioned), bhia-mhin (large, spacious), riẹriẹ-mhin (smooth), rẹrẹ-mhin (restless), kpoloa (smooth), gọ-mhin (crooked) kpono-mhin (slippery), kwọn (slippery; slimy), to-mhin (irritating), kpọ-mhin (widespread), khia-mhin (holy, righteous), fu-mhin (peaceful), bhiẹlẹ-mhin (lazy), fa-mhin (dirt-free, clean), lẹ-mhin (scarce), tua-mhin (quick), zaza-mhin (skilful), sun-mhin (slimy), kholo (spherical), hian-mhin (efficacious; alcoholic), nwun-mhin or mun-mhin (sharp; alcoholic), khọlọ-mhin (bad; painful), sẹ-ẹ (ordinary), nọghọ-mhin (difficult), kpataki (real), lo-mhin (inexpensive; deep), khua-mhin (heavy; hot), tọnọ-mhin (itchy), luẹn (ripe), khekhea (sour), riala-mhin (bitter), fua-mhin (white), bhihi-mhin (black; dark-complexioned), kẹnkẹn-mhin (multicoloured), kọnkọn (fat), kaka-mhin (hard; serious), toto-mhin (serious; taut), ghan-mhin (costly), ghantoa (costly), wualan-mhin (wise), sọnọ-mhin (offensive), lẹkhẹ-mhin (soft), khẹrẹ-khẹrẹ (muddy), gban-a (expansive), tan-mhin (tall; elegant), guẹguẹ (ingratiating), mhẹn-mhin (good), lẹnlẹn-mhin (sweet), zeze-mhin (strong), wo-mhin (powerful; mature), bie (cooked or done), fe-mhin (wealthy); fanọn-fanọn (unkempt; untidy), rughu-rughu or ragha-ragha (disorderly), sankan-sankan (muddy and rough), yagha-yagha (untidy); rui ẹlo (blind), yi ehọ (deaf, rebellious), di ọmalẹn (old, senile), di itọn a (wretched), bhọn ose (beautiful), fi ahiẹ a (serene), fua amẹn (light-complexioned), ba bhi egbe (painful), mhẹn bhi egbe (body-friendly), mhẹn bhi unu (sweet), mhẹn bhi ẹlo (beautiful or not offensive to sight), mhẹn bhi ihue (not offensive to the nose), mhẹn bhi ehọ (not offensive to the ear), khọ bhi unu (unpalatable; offensive), khọ bhi egbe (unbearable), etc.


[edit] Determiners
‘ọni’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘the’ (as singular) in English: ọni emhin = the thing

‘eni’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘the’ (as plural) in English: eni emhinh = the things

‘ni’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘that’ in English: emhin ni or ọni emhin ni

‘na’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘this’ in English: emhin na or ọni emhin na


In the determiner phrases below, the determiners are in boldface:

‘ukpi’ (pl. ‘ikpi’) in Esan is equivalent to the indefinite article ‘a’/‘an’ in English:

ukpi ẹmhin = a thing

ikpi emhinh = ,  things

‘ọsoso’ (pl. ‘esoso’) in Esan is equivalent to ‘any’ in English:

emhin ọsoso = any thing

emhinh esoso any things


‘eso’ /ayso/ in Esan is equivalent to ‘some’ in English:

emhinh eso = some things

‘ikpeta’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘few’ in English:

ikpeta emhinh = few things

‘nekirẹla’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘whoever’/‘whichever’ in English:

emhin nekirẹla = whatever thing

‘erebhe’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘all’ in English:

emhin erebhe = all things

‘eveva’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘both’ in English:

Emhinh eveva = both things

‘ekitui’ in Esan is equivalent to ‘many’ in English:

ekitui emhinh = many things


[edit] Paternoster (The Lord's Prayer)
OTUẸ SI EBIALẸN IMAN

(ERA IMAN NỌ RIBHI OKHUN)

Era iman nọ ribhi Okhun,

ji elin uwẹ khin ebi Aah gẹn,

ni ejele sẹ vae,

ni Aah lu bhi otọ na bi eji Aah lu bhi Okhun.

Rẹ ebale ni iman la le ẹlẹna ni iman le.

Ri olukhọ si iman humhin iman

bi eji iman rẹ rẹhumhin ene lui iman khọlọ.

Kha ii ji iman deọ bhi edọmhẹn –

himhin iman sibhi ebeimhẹn re.

[Ọsẹ khi ọni ejele, ọni ahu bi ọni oriri-ejele dabhi eji Aah

ye na rẹ sẹ bhi ẹdẹdẹmhẹndẹ.]

Isẹ.


OUR LORD’S PRAYER

(OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN)

Our Father in Heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done on earth as in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

[For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for

ever.]

Amen.

____________________________________________________________


[edit] External links
[1] Gerontocracy of Esan people 
[2] University Of Benin 
[3] Edo State Website 

References

(1) S. Okhueleigbe, The History of Uzea Kingdom

(2) A. Aimienwalan, Esan Vision magazine, Esan Students' Association of Nigeria, 1990

(3) C. Okojie, Customs and Tradition of Esan People

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esan"
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