(pop. 1953 - 4,204; 1963 - 8,524)
By
DR.CHRISTOPHER.G. OKOJIE, OFR, DSc
(Hon)
It will
serve a useful purpose to remember right at the onset that there are two parts
to every Esan district: the royal family and the common people. They were quite distinct, for nearly
all the ancient ruling houses came from Benin City or its suburbs. The head of
the ruling houses was and still is, the ONOJIE, who with his family, servants
and brothers inhabited EGUARE, the administrative CAPITAL of the district.
Another important thing an enquirer must take notice of is the use of the word
BROTHER by Esan people. It can mean anything from a male blood relation to a
very good friend. Secondly OBA's SON can mean a BINI and, in fact, it was
recently, a common thing for any Bini, outside the city, to describe himself as
the OBA's SON!
HISTORY:
The
correct name is EBHOATO.
The founder of Eguare was the youngest of
OSOAH'S four principle sons, IBI, AGAAH, OSA and ATO. Ato was a man with an
avid inten in hunting which made him more at home in the bush than in Eguare was
its hustle and bustle which invariably brought his nerves on edge.
When he went hunting he and his colleagues
used to keep the equipment and belongings in a cottage, and after hunting, they
return home with their kills. As he grew more independent he spent longer day in
the cottage until by the time his father died about 1520, his only strong connection
with home was cut. That was the real beginning of Ate settlement. As the
settlement grew its people started to think and act rather independently of
Orikimi and so began to agitate for home rule. Round about 1550 Osawe installed
Oloon, Ato's heir, the first Onojie of Ebhoat.
1. EGUARE
(Pop. 1953 - 354; 1963; 1366):
This was Ato's original settlement.
2. OGBE
(563):
Has eight quarters and the over-all name is
Idumu-Iyasele. The quarters were founded by various people from Uromi, Agbor
and Emu became the very first settlement was founded by IYARE.
3.
UHUNMOEBHO was founded by descendants of Ato, with
early settlers from Agbede and Ehanlen Ewu, some thirty years after Ehanlen
Oniha founders left Ehanlen Ekpoma.
4. ABHURU
(1963 - 738)
This place was founded by Ohungba, one of
Ato's sons. Later immigrants from Benin founded IDUNMEDO quarter (153).
In addition to the Uzebu origin of Ato's
predecessors, there is cause for the strong connection between Ezomo of Benin
and Ewohimi are in general , and Ewatto in part icualr . The first issue, a boy,
Oba Ewuake had, called IDOVA, and the mother a woman of very low origin, came
from Abhuru in Ewatto. Round about 1700 and in his teens, Idova found his way
to Ewatto, where he grew up a strong and powerful leader. He later went back to
Benin when his father had died and his legitimate brother had become AKENZUA I.
Idova who later became IHENUA, carved a profitable name for himself in Benin
history by his daring exploits in many wars. I was rewarded with the Ezomo
title, a title which became hereditary in Benin right from him. As a great and
influential man, Ihenua, now in Benin, did not forget the place of his
childhood. His frequent reference to Ebhoato increased Akenzua I's interest in this part of Esan
country and a stronger bond of friendship was superimposed upon the fact that
Ezomo's Uzebu was the ancestral home of Ewohimi area.
II.
KINGMARKERS:
The elders of Egbele - Ibhieramen form the
Kingmakers in Eguare.
III
INSTALLATION:
Until the arrival of the British round about
1900, Ewohimi maintains that the Onojie of Ewatto like that of Ebhosa, were
sectional Enijie, under the tutelage of the Onojie of Ewohimi, and that there
was no direct homage paid to the Oba by these Enijie. This was because the
first Onojie of each place was installed by the Onojie of Ewohimi. These
assertions were true during the early period in the history of Ewossa and
Ewatto, but early in the 19th century, they were no longer true. Even by 1750
both places began to enjoy almost complete independence and after Ihenua became
AkenzuaI's Ezomo, Ewatto began to find her way to Benin direct. In the case of
Ewossa, Ewohimi's suzerainty came to an end when Ogbole went direct to Oba Oemwede about 1820.
Is His Royal Highness Sylvanus Osajie
Ikhumhen who was known as Sylvanus Osajie Ikhumen Omenlimen as a Prince. After
the death of the father - Omenlimen II on 30th October, 1980 after reigning
from March, 1953 to 30th October, 1986, he performed the burial ceremonies and
ascended the throne as the twelveth Onojie of Ewatto. A graduate of the Institute
of Marketing, London, he was the Chairman of Lab silver (Nig.) Company Limited,
a Benin-based firm dealing in scientific and laboratory equipments. He had his
elementary education at St, Anthony's Catholic
School, Ewatto from 1957 to 1962 and Ishan
Grammar School from 1963 - 1968. Although it is of no customary importance
since it is new to Esan, his coronation took place on December 5, 1987 but he
had been the Monarch of Ewatto since the demise of his illustrious father in
October,
1986.
GENEALOGICAL TREE:
VI NON-AGGRESSION PACT:
Ewatto, by virtue of consanguinity, has been
on peaceful terms with Ewohimi and Ewossa. Her traditional enemy was Ohordua.
They were always at each other's throat until about 1880 when Usifo the
Peaceful became the Onojie of Ewatto. He negotiated peace with Uwaifo the
Peacemaker of Ohordua and an Okoven was established to forbid the sight of each
other's blood.
