The Igala are an ethnic group of Nigeria. Their Homeland is located in the angle formed by the Benue and Niger rivers. The area was formerly the Igala Division of Kabba province, and is now part of Kogi State. The capital is Idah. In addition to Kogi state, indigenous Igalas are found in Anambra, Bayelsa (Nembe), Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Nasarawa, Niger, River states.
The first "Ata", the title given to the ruler of the kingdom, was Ebule- Jonu, a woman; she was succeeded by her brother Agana- Poje, the father of Idoko. Idoko would later succeed him as Ata, and had two children Atiyele and Ayegba om'Idoko (Ayegba son of Idoko), Atiyele the first son of Idoko migrated eastward of the kingdom to establish Ankpa kingdom while Ayegba the second son of Idoko succeeded his father as Ata'Gala. He led a war against the Jukun, which resulted in victory. The ata-ship of Igala rotated among four branches of the royal clan. Igala Kingdom was founded by Abutu- Eje in the 7th century. The kingdom was ruled by nine high officials called the Igala Mela who are custodians of the sacred Earth shrine.
The Igala mega state attained the height of its fame during the mid-17th century. The rise of the Igala mega state disrupted and contributed to the shift of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade from the Bight of Benin to the Bight of Biafra and the decline of the Benin Empire between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Idah-Benin war (1515-1516) was a war of mutual independence. The Igala state reached its political and commercial supremacy afterwards, when it became a leading exporter of choral beads, horses, medicine, skills and of course, slaves to the coastal region. Its growing power, nevertheless, changed the dynamics of the earlier complex relationships with several northern Igbo communities.
The Igala people believes in the supremacy of Ojo Ogbekwugbekwu ( God Almighty). They also worship the deities of their ancestors with diligence. River gods and goddesses are celebrated among others during special festivals. In addition, the Igala people also believes in the existence of Ilei (this world) and Oj’ona (the afterworld). The Oj’ona is the world of the ancestors and it is also believed that the Oj’ona is a continuation of ilei.
The marriage procedures commence after the agreement between the husband and wife to be. Then after, both families run a background check on the family of their in-law to be. This is done because they believe any trait found in his/her family will most likely be part of him/her. And after a satisfied check, the family of the man selects some well-respected members of the family to go and ask for the lady’s hand in marriage. The lady’s family will be informed about their coming through their daughter. Following this is the introduction, which is done in three phases namely; the introduction for her paternal family, that of her maternal family and the lady’s introduction. The introduction of the paternal and maternal family is the same, the only difference is just the name. On the day of the marriage, the two families and their loved ones assemble to witness the matrimonial bonding. In accordance with the marriage rites, a mat is laid and a new wrapper spread on the mat. The bride will then come in the group of her friends. They will come dancing to the music been played and greet the families. They will go back and she would change cloth and repeat the same greeting and go back again. She would come back again but this time only with two of her best friends and stand on the mat. They would be asked to sit and her friends will say her waist aches her and so, they can’t sit. The groom’s family will then keep spraying money on them until they feel like sitting.
The groom, on the other hand dresses in the same cloth that the bride is putting on, comes with two of his friends. They will at first refuse sitting waiting for the bride family to spray them with money but of course, that won’t be happening; rather, it is his own families and friends that will do the spraying. they will sit down on their own mat with a wrapper also spread on it.
Thereafter, the groom’s family spokesperson will come with kola nut, bride price, and drinks and present them to the mediators of the bride family asking them to give them their daughter for their son. The bride family would now ask their daughter if they should accept it and she will affirm to it. They will now accept it telling their daughters they don’t eat kola nut twice and counsels the groom’s family that the feeding, clothing, and health of their daughter will be their responsibility henceforth. They would also warn them not to turn their daughter into a punching bag. They would now formally give their daughter out for marriage. With this, the celebration will now commence in full.
One interesting thing about the Igala traditional wears is that, instead of focusing on the nature or style of the attire, colours are used as a traditional symbol. According to the elders of Igala tribe, black and yellow colours means a lot to the history of Igala Kingdom. Black colour shows the richness of Igala land. It's connected with minerals, crude oil, and fertility of the land. Black colour symbolizes prosperity and wealth for Igala people. Yellow colour symbolizes hospitality of the tribe. It also represents gold as a symbol of prosperity and richness.
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