Intergroup Relations and Identity Shifts between Nembe and Opuama to 1970
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Abstract
This study examines relations between Nembe and Opuama from their origin at Obiama to the end of the Civil War in 1970. It draws on primary and secondary sources and utilises Social Identity Theory to interpret how contact changed over time. In the earlier period, kinship, marriage, exchange and ritual kept both groups in close contact. Identity took shape within these ties and was not fixed. The history of naming reflects this. Sẹibiri first referred to dancing. Later, Seibiri came to be used in a negative way. This did not remain. The name Opuama replaced it and marked a clear shift in how the community chose to be known. Colonial rule altered existing arrangements. Local authority weakened, and new forms of rule, mission activity and schooling spread. Contact between Nembe and Opuama continued, but under different conditions. The Civil War brought further strain. Movement became unsafe, trade declined and contact reduced. Activities that once linked both groups became difficult to sustain. Trust also weakened during this period. Relations between Nembe and Opuama did not follow a fixed path. They changed with shifting conditions. Even so, the link between them remained.
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References
A. Primary Sources
Oral Informants
Chief Agele, Bright, oral interview, 49 years old, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, 9 May, 2025.
Chief Deo, Vinnima, 73 years old, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, 13 May, 2025.
Professor Okorobia, Atei Mark, 63 years old, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 13 March, 2025.
Rev. David, Numo, 56 years old, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 23 June, 2025.
B. Secondary Sources
Books
Alagoa, E.J., A History of the Niger Delta: An Interpretation of the Ijo Oral Tradition (Port Harcourt: Onyoma Research Publication, 2005).
Alagoa, E.J., The Small Brave City-State: A History of Nembe Brass in the Niger Delta (Port Harcourt: Onyoma Research Publication, 1964).
Alagoa, E.J. and Okorobia, A.M., Nembe Se Congress: A Study of the United Approach to Development in Nembe Se (Port Harcourt: Onyoma Research Publication, 2010).
Jones, G.I., The Trading Status of the Oil Rivers: A Study of Political Development in the Eastern Nigeria (London: Oxford University Press, 1963).
C. Chapters in Books
Alagoa, E.J., ‘Traditions of Origin’, in Alagoa, E.J., Land and People of Bayelsa State: Central Niger Delta (Port Harcourt: Onyoma Research Publication, 1999).
Tajfel, H. and Turner, J.C., ‘An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict’, in Austin, W.G. and Worchel, S. (eds), The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations (Monterey: Brooks/Cole Publication, 1979).
D. Journal Articles
David, E.N., ‘A Historical Survey of Plant Based Industry of the Nembe Se: A Springboard for Sustainable Development in Nigeria’, Jurnal Ilmu Sosiologi Dialektika Kontemporer, Vol. 13, No. 2 (2025).
Enemugwem, J. H. and Mgbowaji, B. R., ‘Canoe, Gin Trade and Obolo–Nembe Relations’. International Journal of Novel Research in Humanity and Social Sciences, vol. 3, no. 6 (2016).
Ibuomo, L.S. and Daniel, K., ‘Opuama and Her Neighbours: A Study in Inter Group Relations, 1960–2010’,
South-South Journal of Humanities and International Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1 (2020).
Igoro, J., ‘Nembe Hegemony Over Ogbia, in the Central Niger Delta: From Pre-Colonial Times’, Port Harcourt Journal of History and Diplomatic Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2 (2022).
Okorobia, A.M. and Olali, S.T., ‘Ethno-Nationalism and Identity Conflicts in Nigerian History: The Niger Delta Situation to 2012’, Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 4 (2012).
E. Unpublished Works
David, E.N., ‘Economic Development of Nembe Local Government Area: From Earliest Times to the 21st Century’, Unpublished BA History Project , Rivers State University, Rivers State, 2023.
Eferebo, I., Nembe and Her Neighbours 1800–2008, Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 2013.