Farming and fishing as well as small scale trading are the main traditional occupations of the Urhobo people. As part of the geographical entity referred to as the Niger Delta region, the people possess large expanses of land and water masses, rich in flora and fauna as well as aquatic life.Urhobo is a South-Western Edoid language spoken by the Urhobo people of southern Nigeria. It is from the Delta and Bayelsa States. Notable delicacies from the Urhobo tribe are Ukhodo (a yam and unripe plantain dish prepared with either beef, poultry, or fish, and spiced with lemon grass and potash), Oghwevwri (Oghwo soup), and starch (Usi) also have their origins from the Urhobo tribe.
1. The Urhobos are the majority ethnic group in Delta State with more than eight million people. They occupy Delta Central exclusively but they are also present in a few numbers in Delta South. They also have 9 LGAs out of the 25 LGAs in Delta State. The Urhobos effectively constitute the 5th largest ethnic group in Nigeria coming after the Ijaws.
2. The Urhobo people share a common ancestry with Edo people. It is even said that the Urhobos migrated from Edo. The language is very similar and there are cultural similarities as wells. Some names and words are shared such as “Efe”. In some Urhobo clans and kingdoms, the king (Ovie) has to pay a certain tribute to the Oba of Benin in other for his ascent to the throne to be legitimate.
3. The Urhobo people are also similar to the Isoko people of Delta State. At a point in time, the white colonisers referred to both the Isoko and Urhobo people as the “Sobo” people. However this was fought against by both tribes. As of now, the Isokos manage to understand Urhobo at the elementary level and some Urhobos can understand the Isoko language.
4. The Urhobo nation is made up of many sub-cultural units with obvious differences. This is why many scholars are quick to say that Urhobo is a cultural unit and not a geographical unit. What binds all the various sub-cultural units together is the commonness of Urhobo cultural worldview and tradition.
5. The Urhobo traditional meal is Oil soup, also known as Ohwo soup by Urhobos, and Starch, known as Usi by the Urhobos. The second traditional meal is Ukhodo (Yam and Plantain Soup). The Urhobos also take Banga soup, Ogbono soup, Pepper soup, Egusi soup, etc, as delicacies.
6. Urhoboland has a good supply of crude oil. This is one of the reasons why it is a major site for oil exploration. For instance, the Erhioke oil wells of Kokori are thought to be among the shallowest oil wells in the world.
7. The Urhobo name for God is Oghene . The name for Life is Akpo . The name for Love is Eguono . Many Urhobo names derive from these terms.
8. Urhoboland has a good supply of crude oil. This is one of the reasons why it is a major site for oil exploration. For instance, the Erhioke oil wells of Kokori are thought to be among the shallowest oil wells in the world.
9. The Yorubas have Afenifere, the Hausas have Arewa while the Igbos of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The Urhobos have UPU (Urhobo Progress Union). This is the apex socio-political and cultural group belonging to the Urhobos.
10. The Urhobo people maintain a closely-knit family unit. Family ties are strong and are maintained until death.
