JSS 2 SCHEME OF WORK AND LESSON NOTE FOR SECOND TERM

WEEKS TOPIC LESSONS

1 POLTICAL DEVELOPMENT IN 1; Inter relationships of
NIGERIA some centers of
civilization in pre-
colonial Nigeria

ii Ife/Benin

2 RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLES i Ife and Benin

FROM DIFFERENT CENTRES OF ii Kanem Borno and
CIVILISATION IN PRE-COLONIAL Hausa
NIGERIA
3 INTER-RELATIONSHIP i Kanem Borno and
Hausa
ii Igbo and Niger delta
4 1ST CA
5 INTER-RELATIONSHIP i Igbo and Niger delta
ii Political structures
6 DIFFERENCES THAT EXISTED i Culture
BETWEEN DIFFERENT CENTERS OF ii Customs and religious
CIVILISATION IN PRE-COLONIAL beliefs
NIGERIA
7 MID TERM BREAK
8 2ND C. A
9 AREAS OF INTERACTION AMONG i Trade and commerce,
PEOPLE OF CENTRES OF marriage
CIVILISATION IN PRE-COLONIAL ii Festivals, wars
NIGERIA
10 REVISION
11 EXAMINATION/ EVANGELISM
12 CLOSING

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JSS 2 SECOND TERM LESSON NOTE

WEEK ONE (1)

INTER-RELATIONSHIP OF SOME CENTRES OF CIVILIZATION IN PRE-

COLONIAL NIGERIA

Information on the relationship between people from different centres of civilization in pre-
colonial Nigeria was made possible through the work of archaeologist. Archaeological evidence
from various parts of Nigeria has confirmed the presence of human settlement in various parts of
Nigeria since the stone age period. Many of these places have been found to have the
characteristics of urban settlements, and there are evidences of the use of advanced tools and
techniques in their activities. Their cultures and ways of life had a great influence on the
activities of other groups during the era when they flourished.

Some of these centres of civilization included; Nok, Igbo Ukwu, Benin, Ife, Kanem Borno,
Hausa states, Niger Delta city states.

Many urban centres sprung up in different centres of civilization, and this lead to cultural and
commercial exchange between different groups in Nigeria before the advent of colonization.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CENTRES OF

CIVILISATION IN PRE-COLONIAL NIGERIA

IFE/BENIN RELZTIONSHIP

Benin and Ife kingdoms were pre-colonial African kingdoms that influenced the way of life of
many groups of people around Nigeria from ancient times.

kingship

The people of Benin and Ife trace their relationship as far back as the ancient times, the Benin
kingship is closely related to ife and many historians believe that Benin derived its institution of
kingship from ife. There are various aspects and interpretation of Benin traditions history of
origin. One aspect says; the first oba of Benin is a descendant of oduduwa, the founder of ife.
There is another aspect of traditional history that says the heads of the dead obas of Benin were
returned to ife for burial and in turn, bronze heads of the deceased obas were sent to Benin to be
kept there. This aspect of Benin-ife ancestral tradition has given rise to speculations that Benin
art was greatly influenced by ife art

Arts

Another aspect of traditional history says that the art of ife was derived from Benin and that
Iguehae, a bronze caster from Benin introduced the art of bronze casting to ife. This line of
traditional history also says that oduduwa, the ancestor of all Yoruba kings originated from
Benin. Artists from ife and Benin interacted and these interaction influenced their art form as it
can be seen in bronze art styles of Benin and ife.

WEEK TWO (2)

Origin

History of origin traces to Oranmiyan, the last son of oduduwa, as the founder of Benin Lineage.
These close relations in their history of origin and kingship system provided the bases for
contacts and activities between peoples from both kingdoms. Once upon a time, the Benin chiefs
requested from Oduduwa who was the ruler in Ile Ife at that time to come and rule them, but
odudwa rather sent his son Oranmiyan to Benin, oranmiyan came to Benin and ruled for a short
time, before leaving Benin, he married one of the chiefs daughter, who birthed a son for him, he
named him Eweka, these began the rule of the Ewekas in Benin kingdom

KANEM BORNO/HAUSA STATES

Trans-Saharan trade
The trade across the Sahara desert known as the Trans-Saharan trade was the major factor
responsible for the relationship between people of kanem borno and the people from Hausa
states. Several major trade routes linked Hausa land with Borno.

Kanem borno was a powerful kingdom during this time and had a strong army, the Hausa states
such as; Kano, Zaria, katsina, and Daura looked up to the leadership of kanem borno for support
and assistance. These Hausa states paid tributes to kanem to guaranteed the security of traders
from Hausa states along the trans-Saharan trade route. Borno collected tribute from Kano and
Katsina and its merchant dominated the trade routes that passed through Hausa land.

Introduction of Islam

This interaction also led to the spread and establishment of Islam, subsequently, the coming of
Islam led to the establishment of the caliphate in Hausa land and the institution of the emirates in
various Hausa land such as sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, zaria

WEEK THREE

IGBO/NIGER DELTA CITY STATES

Origin and culture

Traces of the Igbo culture and language can be found in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa
states. Igbo people have been involved in trade with the Niger delta city states since ancient
times.

Some traditional histories of origin among some Niger delta clans link their ancestral origin to
Igbo land, for example. The founders of the Isoko clan of Enwhe, Igbide and Ume are believed
to have migrated from Igbo land.

Archaeological evidence have revealed long distance trade in metals and beads as well as salt
and cloths between Igbo and Niger delta states along the coast.

Trans Atlantic slave trade

The famous trans-Atlantic slave trade that existed between the Africans and Europeans, in
Nigeria, the Igbo’s and Niger deltas were the middlemen due to their location along coastal
regions, these interaction brought about exchange of cultures, languages, political systems and
traditional wears.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT CENTERS OF CIVILISTION IN PRE-

COLONIAL NIGERIA

Political Structures

A political structure implies the mode or method of governance used by a society or a state.

The following are noticeable differences in the political structures of these pre-colonial centres.

1. Centralize and non centralize system of government;

centralized systems were used by empires and kingdoms like, Oyo, Benin, Hausa, Nupe empires
etc. on the other hand, non centralized mode of governance was used by Igbo, the idoma, and
some Niger delta states such as, the Urhobo, Anang etc

2. Distribution of power;

in a non centralized states like Igbo, there was power sharing, the different groups had power to
carry out their function, power was not concentrated at the centre, but in centralized system such
as Hausa states, Oyo empire, Benin empire etc, power was concentrated at the centre, the king or
the ruler controlled other arms of government with little or no power for the people assisting him
in lower levels of government.

WEEK FIVE

3. Enthronement of rulers;

Different methods were used in installing kings on the throne in the pre-colonial states, empires
and kingdoms. In Benn empire for instance, the Uzamas had the responsibility of installing the
eldest son of the late oba as the new king, the oyomesi in Oyo empire had similar function of
enthroning kings (Alaafin) but also had power to deposed them whenever necessary, in some
centres, the throne was inherited, while in others, it was rotated among selected royal families,
some did not have clear rules for the enthronement of new leaders.
4. Hierarchy in government;

While some of these pre-colonial centres had good hierarchical structures particularly among the
centralized states, the hierarchy in most non-centralised states was not so clear.

5. Level of participation in government;

In centralized centres, like Benin empire, Oyo empire, Nupe kingdom for instances, power was
in the hands of few individuals but in non-centralised states, power was shared among
individuals.

WEEK SIX

DIFFERENCES IN CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF DIFFERENT CENTRES OF

CIVILISATION

Culture and customs are other major area where there were a lot of differences of civilization in
Nigeria; such differences were very clear in the following.

1. Marriage;

Each major centres had different ways of marriage or forming the new families, among the
Hausa state, marriage process was conducted using traditional methods and much later Islamic,
but in Oyo empire and some other centres, the marriage process went according to the customs
of the community.

2. language;

The languages of virtually all the centres were different. In Hausa states, Hausa language was
dominant language, while in the places like Oyo empire and Ife, Yoruba was dominant. The
Niger delta states like Urhobo, Anang, Ibibio and so on had their different languages. The Igbo
had a common language called Ibo though not without slight differences, but they could still
understand themselves.

3. Dressing;
Each centre had different ways of dressing, this was applicable to the rulers, regalia’s, the regalia
of an Oba of Benin was different from the Etsu of Nupe, the same applied to Alaafin of Oyo
empire in Yoruba land and Obong of Calabar in Niger Delta. Furthermore, the dressing of
Yoruba men and women was different from that of men and women from Hausa states or any
other centre.

4. Greeting;

Each centre had ways of greeting themselves, in old Oyo empire, the subjects used to prostrate
themselves for their king and when the younger men were greeting their elders, in Hausa states,
men would bend low to greet facing each other, shaking hands and touching chest particularly
people of the same age, among the Igbo, greetings was by handshake or bowing down.

5. songs and musical instruments;

They all had different musical instrument and songs for different occasions like, installation of
kings, naming, marriage and burial ceremonies etc. the musical instruments in the Hausa states
included kakaki, goje etc, while for the Oyo empire instruments like iya, ilu, omle, dundu etc. the
Igbo had udu, ogene, ekwe etc

DIFFERENCES IN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

1. Place of worship

Almost all the pre-colonial centres of civilization had different places of worship. Those who
worshipped river goddess did it near rivers, the three worshippers worshipped around a tree and
some kingdoms conquered through Islamic jihad changed their place of worship to mosques,
while Niger Delta states and Benin empire which later embrace Christianity worshipped in
churches or their houses.

2. Deities

Each of them had gods they worshipped, the worship of Ogun, Sango, Obatala were common in
old oyo empire, in Nupe, they worshipped Egungun and Igunnu at different places or shrines,
Niger delta like Orong and Anang also had their different places of worship for their gods.
WEEK NINE

3. Priest;

As the worship of deities differed, so was the priest that conducted and led the worship, each
deity had its own priest who was conducting and leading worshippers each time, it was time to
worship the deity, so there were priests and chief priests of these deities in different centres of
civilization.

4. Consultation of oracles;

In many centres of civilization, some critical decisions were taken by consulting oracles, each
centre had a way of doing this, in old Oyo empire, sometimes, the choice of the king from a royal
family was based on result of consultation of Ifa oracle, other communities in Nigeria in pre-
colonial days also had different ways of taking decisions through their deity.

DIFFERENCES IN TRADE AND ECONOMY

1. differences in commodity sold; each centre sold a commodity depending majorly on their
geographical locations

2. difference in exchange systems; some of them used cowry shells and salt as means of
exchange.

3. Differences in market; most of the centres had their market days, some had daily market,
while some fixed theirs at intervals of specific days.

4. difference in foreign partners; the coastal city states traded mainly with the Portuguese and
the British, Benin empire also traded with the Europeans exchanging slaves for foreign goods
like guns, mirrors, etc the Hausa states and kanem Borno traded with the Arabs though the trans-
Saharan trade.

5. Differences in weight and measures, each centre had different ways of measuring quantity of
commodities to be exchange for money or other goods, some commodities were measured in
bags.
AREAS OF INTERRACTION AMONG PEOPLE OF CENTRES OF CIVILISATIONS
IN PRE-COLONIAL NIGERIA

It is clear fact that all people of pre-colonial major centres of civilization interacted with
themselves in various areas; the following are the major areas of interaction.

Trade and Commerce

1. There were strong trade and commercial interactions among the people in pre-colonial period.
Firstly; the Hausa brought their hides and skins, cows, horses and leather works to Oyo Empire
to get kolanuts and other agricultural produce.

Secondly, the igala and the Igbo people also had strong trade interaction with the help of river
Niger.

Furthermore, people from Oyo empire brought slaves from Nupe while people of Yoruba land
exchange their palm kernel, yam etc for Nupe’s brass works, cereals, bangles etc, moreover, the
Igbo people exchanged agricultural produce for bonny, ijaw and okrika fish and salt.

Trade relations made Hausa to settle in Yoruba land, igala settled in Igbo and so on

2. marriage; inter marriages was a common factor among the people of pre-colonial Nigeria,
the marriage relationship served different purposes, to some of these people, they serve the
purpose of seeking refuge while to others, they helped in reducing conflict and encouraging
friendship among tribes.

3. Festivals; festivals created opportunities for people of pre-colonial days to interact. For
instance, the Igunnu and the Egungun festivals which came from Nupe people later became
important festivals in the Yoruba land.

4. Religion; this was a major avenue through which pre-colonial people interacted, Islamic
religion brought strong interaction among the Hausa states etc

5. War; pre colonial people did not only interact peacefully, but also through violent ways like
war. War was common in the pre-colonial days, this occurred due to the strong passion of some
tribes to dominate, suppress and take over land and resources of other tribes due to benefits to be
derived wars, though negative and violent, it helped major tribes and ethnic groups to interact
with one another, the conquerors way of life.

6. Slave trade; during the famous Trans Atlantic slave trade, the trade forced other tribes to visit
another in other to capture slaves.

7. Diplomatic activities; sometimes before some protracted wars ended, warring parties needed
to send emissaries to sign treaties, this happened in 1650 when hausa states of Kano and katsina
signed a treaty to end series of wars.

8. Migration; migration of people in the pre-colonial days could be due to displacement by war,
disaster, famine and desire for greener pastures, people of pre-colonial Nigeria migrated from
one place to the other.