"Edo" is the name that the people of the Benin Kingdom give to themselves, their language, and their capital city and kingdom. Renowned for their art of brass and ivory and for their complex political organization, the Edo Kingdom of Benin is one of the best known of the precolonial kingdoms on the Guinea Coast of West Africa. From at least the fifteenth century, the Benin Empire held varying degrees of authority over neighboring peoples, including the western Igbo, northeastern Yoruba, and various related Edo-speaking groups. In 1897 British-colonial forces conquered the kingdom and made it part of the Niger Protectorate. Today it is incorporated into the modern state of Nigeria.
.The Edoid People are large group of clans and sub ethnic groups spread accross southern Nigeria Today. Together were one people under the Great Benin Empire.
Greeting After A Meal:
Here are some popular Greetings after meal in Edo Culture:
(1) Kada:
This greeting is expecially directed to the Head of the home.But any other person,male or female is entitled to the greeting as long as they are older than the person offering the greeting and present it at the end of the meal.
Kada is a prayer and an abrreviation of the phrase "KO DIARE",which is an abbreviation of the sentence "U KOO UWA,U GHI DIA RRIOEE.Which Translates to "You have created prosperity,may you live long to enjoy it.
The man as the head of a househole provides food,shelter,security, among others,to other members of the home.This prayer is given by the male children of the household,that he may live long to enjoy the fruits of his labors.
(2) BUKPE:
This is a prayer by the daugthers of the household after meal,Like Kada.The full sentence and meaning of "BUKPE" is "U BOO UWA NE,U GHI KPE VBO."This is "You have created prosperity,may you live long to enjoy it."while male children greet "KADA".Female greet "BUKPE".
(3) ERHE GHI GBUE
This is a greeting of the wives of the household after meal.After a meal,the wives will have to pray to their husbands and for every other member of the house-hold who is older than they are.The full sentence and meaning is "ERHE GHI GBUE EMWIN NE U YA OBO RUE RU"This means "May you not fall victim to the plans of ill wishers who would not want you to enjoy the fruits of your labors".
These Three greetings have the smae undertone,but are expressed differently.The one the comes out from the lips of the woman makes one to know immediately if she was a wife or a daughter of he house,no matter the age.
Response to the greetings
"Aremiegbe" ---- May you be nourished by what you have eaten.
I hoen koyo Urhuese----heard you,(Hello),thank you.
I hoen Ovbimwen Akponmwen Osa ---I heard my child, To god be the Glory.
I hoen otenmwen, Osa rhuese ra Akponmwen Oghodua--------I heard you brother/sister,we thank God.
NOTE: "Erhe gi gbue" is more populare amongst the female folks in the modern times because the daughters of a household copy their mothers in this particular greeting. It is high time we effect and know the difference to separate the wives from the daughters.
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After Meal Greeings in Edo Language - How Prayerful
By Philip Osarhumwense
How richly prayerful the Edo after-meal greetings are. These greetings as far as my limited Edo vocabulary goes only extended to just 3 which are:
Kada, Eregbue and Obukpe.
Kada is predominantly a male greeting whilst Eregbue and Obukpe I believe are female greetings.
At a reading I attended yesterday of the first of a three-part series of Edo Historical Fiction delivered by "Engr Solomon Uwaifo, the noted Edo author who has recently experimented with writing in Edo" (2011: Dr. Taiwo Idemudia). The reading which lasted over 2 hours was taken from "his next book which will be a compendium of Edo stories in alternate chapters of translation to the English Language" (2011: Dr. Taiwo Idemudia) was done completely in edo language and contained highly rich Edo folklore, totems, taboos, courtship, royalty, military excursions, marriages, lies and above all morality and good neighbourliness. The reading was delivered in front of so many Edo leaders including Engineer Bernard Woghiren - The Odionwere. Sir Steve Igbe, Cllr David Obazee, Ms Felicia Thomas, Mrs Adesuwa Obianwu (Madam Aisuen) and Helyn Woghiren amongst many others were in attendance.
I will urge us all to look out for these books when they are published.
I digressed - so back to the Edo after meal greetings that I was talking to.
At this reading and for the first time I heard a new greeting which was different from the three I re-called above and the greeting was eloquently delivered by no other than than our beautiful,lovely and forever young mummy - Madam Aisuen.
This greeting was "Usormoisue" and I thought 'how wonderfully prayerful this is - to be told this after every meal means that one will never endure any suffering on behalf of our children.
I guess there may be many other such after meal greetings out there - if there are then let's discuss.
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