INTER-GROUP RELATIONS, IMPACT OF MIGRATION, WAR AND POLITICS - WEEK TWO

INTER-GROUP RELATIONS, IMPACT OF MIGRATION, WAR AND

POLITICS

Performance Objectives. At the end of this topic, students should be able to

(a)   Describe the nature of commercial relations between Nigeria's diverse peoples.

(b)  Access the impact of economic activity on inter-group relations.

(c)   Explain the role of migration in promoting inter-group relations.

(d)  Describe the consequences of war on inter-group relations

INTRODUCTION: There were many factors which promoted interaction among the various communities of Nigeria. No Nigerian group can be treated in isolation of the others. The economic and political survival of a community depended on the relationship, whether friendly or hostile, which it had with its neighbors. Group relations means co-operation between different states. They took the forms of trade, boundaries, wars and diplomatic ties. All Nigeria nation states took measures to ensure good relation with each other. They respected the recognition of the territorial integrity of other states, promotion of trade, inter-state tours by rulers, inter-state marriages and establishment of diplomatic relations.

Most states had laws, rules and regulations (though unwritten) which they followed in dealing with others. Among the laws was that first strangers from other states were protected, except during period of wars and slave raiding, strangers were not manhandled. Secondly, states often agreed to promote peace and avoid wars.

(1)  Relations Promoted by Migration

Migration of people from one place to another is important. Nigeria's history is full of examples of migrations from one area to another for bom political, economic and security reasons. There were migrations within the same region or ethnic group and this was caused by disputes over succession to thrones, quarrels over chieftaincy titles, invasion and flight to avoid being punished for a criminal offence.

There are also other forms and patterns of migration, they included movement of Islamic teachers, forced migration of slaves and captives in war, and also attempt to establish new dynasties by princes and other leaders in already established kingdoms. These migrations produced pockets of heterogeneous communities in different part o the country. Many urban states are made up of diverse people with different cultures. This heterogeneous nature strengthened the links between the urban dwellers and relatives in distant rural towns and villages.

 (2) Relations Promoted by Religion, Social and Cultural Institution

Various groups in Nigeria were also integrated by religions and social institutions. There were many institutions which brought the people closer to one another. These institution included marriage ties, age grades and secret societies. A number of societies had age set organizations. Young people who were born in the same period were initiated into the same age set. They were usually many such organizations in every community, each with a different name and leadership. This was true among the Ibibio who had well organized age-grade that cut across villages. Also was the secret societies. This involves men with similar ideas and common interests in economic, religious and political matters. Those who could afford the initiation free and keep secret were accepted as members for example, members of the Ogboni secret society among the Yoruba in the South-West, Republic of Benin maintained cordial relations with one another. They had their own symbols and signals which all initiates understood very well. Also members of the Nze na Ozo societies among the Igbo maintained very close contacts too.

The oracle system also helped in promoting inter-group co-operation. Some communities had an oracle which was used to settle disputes among different villages or towns. It was regarded as an impartial judge since its pronouncement were believed to be sanctioned by the gods the famous oracles in Igbo land which include Umunoha and Ebini Ukpabi in Arochukwu which was the most famous, integrating almost all Igbos. The marriage which forbade a man from marrying within his lineage or people related to him by previous marriage ties created a complex inter-locking web of relationships in many pait of Nigeria and thus contributed to inter-group relations. Martial relationship were common among royal families who exchanged their processes with one another. Marriage connection strengthened relationships among different communities and families.

In social, religious and political spheres, ideas spread from one area to another, this shows that Nigerians shared many things in common. Many established customs and parches in the social life of a each group were often accepted by other groups. They also borrowed from one another. There were also varieties of cultural diffusion; and this involve exchange of ideas between two or more ethnic groups. Both varieties of diffusion were common and they promoted peaceful relations among the people. Also changes in a particular custom in one area might be accepted in others for example dress, social life, musical instruments notably drums, and pipes food and palace life between the Oyo, Ekiti and Ijesa. Neighboring states influenced one another just as Kanuri and Hausa did. The Edo, Yoruba, Bini, Jgbo, Igala also maintained contacts which helped them in exchange of Ideas and cultures.

Contacts aiso promoted by Bi-lingualism among people of different groups, there were some Hausa, who could speak Fulfulde and vice versa and Yoruba who spoke Edo and vice versa.

(3)      Relations Promoted by Diplomacy

Nigeria states maintained diplomatic ties with one another. The goals of diplomacy were to promote peace, or cause war, conclude treaties, maintain and break alliances, establish boundaries, develop and protect trade relations, and pay tributes.

Diplomatic relation between one trade and another were also influenced by underlying factors like economic, financial interests and public opinion. Rulers of each region or state formulated and implemented their foreign policy. They also decide measures which were to be taken to strengthen relations with other states, check their aggressive neighbors and fight wars to protect their interests. Many methods were used to promote diplomatic relations- they include exchange of gift to one another. Gift sent by rulers of one state to another might mean an expression of reconciliation if there had been a quarrel between them, it can also act as an expression of courtesy and friendship. Gift were also sent when requests were made to solicit support or neutrality against other states and to solicit cessation of hostilities among states. Goods produced in an area were usually part of the gift but the highly valued gift include slaves cloths, cowries, beads, kolanuts. States could also send regular message to one another especially to congratulate a new incumbent on the time, sympathise in cases of death or disasters.

Letters could be written, this is strictly applied to the Islamic states where the use of Arabic was known and also to some few coastal states where a few people could read and write in English language after the 15^th century. Talking drums and musical instrument like the gong were also used to convey messages. They also used symbolic languages which states involved in diplomatic ties could highly and quickly be interpreted. Material objects such as shells, sponges, soap, salt, palm frond, palm kernel, feathers and cowries were used to convey request, responses, sentiments and ideas. These various item carried different impressions and when they were combined together, they conveyed information which the recipient would understand. Thus applied in particular to symbols meant to convey peace or war.

States also made use of accredited agents and diplomats to represent and negotiate for them in other states. Europeans described these agents as heralds, ambassadors, and messangers. Large imperial states sent their consul or resident representatives to their colonies and to other states. These representatives often collected tributes and tolls, maintained people and security and ensured the loyalty of the colonies to the metropolis. Diplomats were immune from arrest and molestation except when they acted as spies, they can be treated harshly.

(4)   Relations Promoted by Trade

Trade was one of the most important factor which linked many groups together. No community was self sufficient in production of agricultural and manufactured goods. Also difference in physical environment and geographical factors tended to promote

trade contact and hence inter-group relations. A region could be noted for production of particular commodity which were lacking in other region; and they could exchange their goods. There were also variations in rainfall and soil composition, these differences affected what could be grown or manufactured in each area. The forest region could support valuable crops such as kola nuts and yams, but it was unsuitable for cattle rearing because of the menace of tse-tse flies. While the savanna region was good for little. The overall effects, of these geographical varieties is that no community or region could be economically independent of the others.

A community had to establish relations with another to obtain those goods that it could not produce. The Igbos maintained $roup relation with Igala to obtain goods of northern organ while the Yoruba promoted peaceful relations with the nupe people to buy metal objects such as swords knives and livestock. By 15^lh century, states is the hinterland related with those of the coastal states to obtain European goods from them. There were also developed central of specialization in mining and manufactory activities which attracted migrants and buyers from other groups. The plateau region was known for its tin, llorin was known for iron, dino for Brass work. Craftsmen from some of these centre also trade and settled in other part of the country. Examples include Bini carvers, Awka blacksmith and Igala weavers who travelled out of their areas to immediate and distant places to practice.

(5) Relations Promoted by War

There has been many attempts to sustain peaceful inter-group relations but often it is down and wars had to be fought among the states. When states could not convince one another through diplomacy, war became inevitable. War was an integral part of a state, relation with other states and thus can be rightly characterized as an evidence of inter-group relations. Wars have been described as diplomacy by another means. The causes of these wars are many but the major reason was the ambition of imperial states to extend their political control over other states (wars fought by Borno, Oyo, Bini and Jukun). Many states went to war in order to exact tributes from cohered vassal states and also have access to trade and control their trade routes.

A number of aspects of these wars made for interaction among the various group captives which were obtained from the wars and were taken away as slaves. Secondly, the increasing use of firearms in the wars encouraged nearly all societies to search for avenues to buy guns and gun powder, with this some communities had to subdue their neighbors and some had to co-operate with others to obtain weapon. Thirdly, wars were ended by formal agreement to restore peace. In the process of terminating wars states had to come together either as the victor or the vanquished, and this brought them closer to one another as friends or even as enemies.

Some states like Oyo and Bini succeeded in creating empires while states like Borno Nupe expanded at one time or the other. In the process of expansing of is the building of the new empires, more then two communities and numerous people of different towns or villages were inevitably brought together, thus further promoting or cementing the relationship between them. Trade was inevitable because goods produced in one part of the region were to be consumed in other region. The management of the trade routes also involved peoples and rulers in several states.

Revision Questions

(1)  Is it true that there are no historical antecedent for Nigeria unity.

(2) Discuss the role of any two of thef-tfollowing in inter-group relations in Nigeria before 1800

(a)   Religion

(b) War

(c)  Migrations

(d) Diplomacy