ARIDON

Ogburhukpẹ is an Urhobo poem by Dr. A. S. A. Uyovbukerhi.

This is a review of the book entitled The Deuteronomic School in Ancient Israel, Inequality and the Church Today. ISBN: 9-789-789-649-594. (hardback) written by Ven. Matthew Ogheneochuko Iyede, Ph.D.

This is a review of the book entitled Literature and Arts of the Niger Delta, edited by Tanure Ojaide and Enajite Eseoghene Ojaruega. New York: Routledge. 978-0-367-68289-7 (hardback).

Ancient Africans understood that serious illness has its roots in an individual‘s consciousness of anti-social behavior. This crystalized over evolutionary time into the Africa-wide ancestor spirit anger theory of illness or its Urhobo equivalent emuerinvwin belief. Recent studies reveal this belief to be a holistic health (wellness) doctrine, deployed in the upbringing of individuals to know that antisocial behavior (sin) predisposes the sinner to serious illness. On the other hand, an important preoccupation of Urhobo udje poetry is satire of anti-social behavior and elevation of morality. It is proposed here that udje poetry contributed to the promotion of holistic health in Urhobo society.

Congregational conflicts are reflections of; some of the challenges that voluntary, faith-based communities confront within the bid to live by their religious ideals. Studies of Igbe ro Orhen have focused on its historical growth and expansion. Other extant studies have interrogated its response to Christian missionary activities and conflicts with the colonial government in Urhoboland. The effects of syncretism and the proliferation of different brands of Igbe religion across Delta State have also received scholarly attention. However, there is still a need to explore conflict management of the Igbe ro Orhen within the same congregation. It is a qualitative and empirical study. It was, conducted in Delta State, Nigeria. It relied on primary data collected in Ogwa Igbe located in the following towns Kokori, Oria-Abraka, Ughelli, Otor–Udu, Eginni, Ugono, Aladja, Agbarha-Otor, Ohrere-Agbarho first in 2016. Data gathered were update in 2020. The theory of structural functionalism was engaged; as a framework for analysis. Findings show that drivers of congregational conflicts in Igbe Orhe include giving out responsibilities to new members. The Perceived partiality in leadership selection; is a cause of conflict. The attitude of toxic leaders, distribution of food during feasts, inability to pay back borrowed money and closeness to Uku/Omote Uku. The congregational conflict management mechanisms in Igbe Orhe are conflict detection, respect for the verdict of Uku or Omote Uku, religious arbitration, mediation and conciliation. The study concludes that congregational conflict management in Igbe ro Orhen is around the notion of constant reconciliation with Oweya and peaceful coexistence of fellow man to gain access to the divine blessings (material and spiritual).

This article investigates exploits of women in Urhobo society by examining the representation of Urhobo women in oral and written literatures. The aim is to establish the fact that women enjoyed a measure of prominence, authority and independence right from pre-colonialthrough contemporary times. It argues against the frequently projected impression that women have largely been inactive and less vibrant in political, economic, social and religious affairs especially in traditional times. The study adduces this lopsided representation of female power and role in Urhobo society to the dominance and prejudicial perspectives favoured by male chroniclers as well as lack of proper/authentic documentation of the activities of Urhobo women. It concludes that many factors, including colonialism, have almost completely erased female power and role as complements of men‘s in Urhobo society and recommends a re-examination of the pre-colonial structure of gender relations, rather than the indiscriminate clamour for equality of the sexes.

This paper examines the speech forms in Urhobo, with the aim of identifying the different dialects in the language. It probes the effects of plenitude dialects in Translation Studies and Translation Practices. The study takes as a starting point the different speech forms spoken in each Urhobo kingdom and local government area. This is based on existing assumptions that each kingdom in Urhobo speaks a distinct dialect. Data for the study were elicited through primary and secondary methods as well as participant-observation. The data were examined using theory of social dialect variation (Kroch, 1978) and persistence theory (Kortmann, 2006). The paper observes that there are multiple dialects in Urhobo. This constitutes a problem in teaching and learning the language. This problem also culminates in the translator‘s pursuit of semantic equivalence observable in the existing literature. The study therefore argues in support of language documentation and a consensus dialect to protect the lects from endangerment.

This paper examines thematic functions in the Urhobo language: using theta criteria as theoretical framework. Theta roles are concerned with agent who does what to whom? The various types of thematic functions and the manner in which they are introduced in a sentence were investigated. The basic assumption is that Urhobo language is a potential source of input for the determination of the predicate argument structure. The specific objective is to relate thematic functions to argument structure in the Urhobo language. A thorough literature was reviewed of languages whose materials were accessible at the time of this work. The method of data collection was categorised into two main sources: primary and secondary. The primary data refer to the information obtained using intuitive knowledge; the secondary source refers to documented information obtained from library, internet, and other published materials. The study showsthat an agent cannot be a patient and recipient at the same time; where there is a clash in thematic functions, the most prominent one dominates the less prominent one.It is further established that functional arguments are lexical items which strictly sub-categorise phrases in their syntactic environment.

The paper examines the structural outlines of the traditional economy of the Urhobo in the nineteenth century prior to the advent of British colonial rule at about 1900. The study highlights elements of the geographic environment like climate, vegetation and soil in stimulating a meta-economy that promoted various economic activities like agriculture, industrial and handicraft manufacture, fishing, alcohol production, weaving, trade and related activities in which many segments of the population were engaged. Apart from the influence of the physical environment on the pre-colonial economy, the essay also examines cultural and historical experiences of the Urhobo as factors which helped shape their proclivity towards the ―independence‖ or self-reliance associated with the traditional occupational pursuits. Specialisation and environmental conditions further facilitated the growth of the cash or market economy in which various products of agriculture and wares of industry were exchanged. The paper submits that the structural interdependence among the various economic units, and between the economy and society‘s social and cultural institutions were salient factors which promoted sustenance, tenacity and resilience of the traditional economy of the Urhobo.

This paper is a critical examination of Hegel‘s analysis of global historical movement and its point of resonance with Urhobo migration experience. George Hegel (1770- 1831) was the foremost German philosopher of the 19th century. He was the most influential of the German idealists of the period - a list which comprise Fichte, Schelling, and Schopenhauer. Hegel‘s thoughts inspired such ideological movements as Marxism, existentialism, phenomenology and hermeneutics. At the heart of the Hegelian philosophical system is his theory of dialectics. The theory revolves around three basic assumptions: first, is that motion rather than stasis is the default state of all beings; second, that contradiction resulting in the clash of opposites is the basis of all advancement; and third is that states are the ideal context for the attainment and maximization of human freedom, which is the ultimate goal of the Absolute Spirit in universal history. Hegel applied this theory of dialectics to provide an interpretation of history. In this paper, I argue that the Hegelian dialectical theory of history adequately explains the Urhobo migration experience that occurred in the past two thousand years. During the period, the Urhobo have evolved into an organised and formidable nation with a highly developed social and political consciousness of being one people, and an ever-growing aspiration for collective advancement and the preservation of their shared cultural and scientific heritages. The Urhobo experience also exemplifies Arnold Toynbee‘s theory of historical movement in society which this study explores. I adopt the methodology of critical text analysis for my argument, which has the following effects as its aim: to debunk Hegel‘s own thesis that Africa is a historical tabula rasa which does not fit into his rendition of world historical events and processes; to establish the significance of the Urhobo people as a formidable nation group, and to provide a basis for Urhobo further nationalist aspirations in tandem with Hegel‘s projections in his idealist theory of history.