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Ahebi Ugbabe was a prostitute and businesswoman from Enugu-Ezike who later became the only female king in British-Nigeria.
Ugbabe, who was the first and last king of Enugu-Ezike, ruled her people for 30 years until her death in 1948. She was 68.
King Ahebi Ugbabe could speak Igbo, Igala, Nupe, and Pidgin English. Thus, she held court cases in her palace while making money from the services. Women who had also been abused by their husbands escaped to Ugbabe’s palace, who then became their female husband.
Ahebi Ugbabe married wives for herself...by paying their bride price. She then looked for men who had intercourse with these wives and claimed the paternity of the children they bore. She assumed the role of a man and named the children after herself.
With the fear that her people might not accord her a rightful burial, Ahebi Ugbabe performed her own funeral rites in 1946, two years before her death.
AbOUT King Ahebi Ugbabe
King Ahebi Ugbabe (died 1948) was king (eze)and warrant chief of Enugu-Ezike, Nigeria. She was the only female king in colonial Nigeria. Her life's impact is described by Nwando Achebe "She was a 'slave' married to a deity, a runaway, a sex worker, a headman, a warrant chief, and ultimately a female king. She was a strong leader of her people, yet also a collaborator empowered by and serving the British colonial regime in Nigeria.
Ahebi Ugbabe was born in Enugu-Ezike, an Igbo community, in the late 19th century to Ugbabe Ayibi, a farmer and palm wine tapper, and Anekwu Ameh, a farmer and trader, in Umuida, Enugu-Ezike. She had two brothers and no sisters. She lived with her mother's family in Unadu for a brief period before returning to Umuida. After her return, she did not stay long before running away.
Ahebi Ugbabe went into exile and escape to Igala land, because of an order for her to be married to a female deity as punishment for her father's sins. This punishment was known as igo ma ogo (to become the inlaw of a deity). Her family had gone through a series of unfortunate events when she was thirteen and fourteen. The farm yielded little, illness spread, and trading was slow. Her father had gone to a diviner, someone who was perceived as knowing the unknown. This man had correlated the events to the wrath of the goddess Ohe due to his crime. During her forced exile, Ahebi became a commercial sex worker and used this form of work to her advantage by aligning herself with powerful men such as the ruler of Igala, and British colonial officials.
Along her travels, Ahebi learned to speak numerous languages, such as "Igala, Nupe and Pidgin EnglishHer success and independence helped to redefine sex work in Igbo culture, from servitude to a voluntary profession.
Ahebi's reign began a few months after she returned to Igboland from exile. In the early 20th century, it was a period of the British incursion into Igboland, and Ahebi used this to her benefit by leading the British forces into Enugu Ezike, her hometown. Ahebi was the only person in her village able to speak with the British. As a reward for her support, the British invaders installed her as the village headman. She replaced "the aged (and increasingly incompetent)" headman Ugwu Okegwu who was unable to communicate with the British.
Due to her efficiency and continued loyalty, she was elevated to the post of warrant chief, a feat that was contrary to the British policy of female political exclusion in colonial Nigeria. The British District Officer W. H. Lloyd said Ahebi was "a lady of influence and power. She was intelligent and of a quiet disposition, and when she does speak, it was usually to the point and sensible."
Ahebi Ugbabe became king of Enugu-Ezike with the aid of the Attah (ruler) of Igala, whose power spread to Northern Igbo territory, upsetting the gendered politics in her culture. She performed female masculinities as ruler, and she surpassed all male political hierarchy and authority.
Before Ahebi died, she performed her own burial rites. She "did not trust that her society would accord her a befitting burial." She intended to perform the rites "in such a magnificent manner that her society would never forget that an incredible being such as herself had lived." Her living funeral included gunfire, animal sacrifice, and music of remembrance.
Ahebi died in 1948.bAlthough she was a woman, she was buried according to the local customs for burying men. Regardless of her fears of not being properly commemorated, she is worshipped today as a goddess in her mother's hometown and is mentioned in numerous Enugu-Ezike songs and parables.
Credit: Wikipedia
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