GBARANMATU IBE
The Gbaranmatu are in present day Delta State. Gbaran one of the senior sons of Ujo. He inherited the sceptre of Ujo as the Agadagba of Egbesu. As a military commander he was put in charge of guarding the main esturaries against foreign incursion. The descendants of Gbaran travelled out of Agadagba-bou to the Oporoma area, and from there they travelling down again to found a settlement in the Apoi area, which they named after their ancestor Gbaran. (Ujo-Gbaran also spelt Gbara). Ujo-Gbaran grew to become a town. At a later stage some of the ancestors left to found Oporo-aja or Oporo-aza (Oporoza or Oproza) in the Escravos area of the western delta. This is reflected in the traditions collected in the 1920-30s. According to the tradition as collected in a British colonial report of 1930 pp1-8;
"...The clan name takes its origin from its mother town i.e. GBARA, a flourishing town which was visited whilst on field work, and situated in the little known area to the westward of EKOW in the old Brass Division... The clan name GBARAMATU consists of two words GBARA-AMATU. The latter word signifies " first town" or first settlement". Thus the name means GBARA, the first settlement. The GBARAS themselves are Ijaws of the western Ijo Sub tribe, and it was found that their language was practically the same as the western clans of Gulani (Ogulagha) and Iduwini...... "With the increase in population of Gbara, congestion became acute, and dissatisfied families began to look elsewhere for space. Thus then, it is asserted that one Osako, [i.e. Esiaku or Usiaku], Son of OGBEYAMA, together with his family, left the parent town and finally made his new home on the river Escravos where the village of OPURAJA [i.e. Oporoza] now stands... The first exodus occurred when one group left Opuraja and joined their former towns people at Arugbo. Some time later, a general emigration took place and the villages of KUNOKUNAMA, AJATITON, BAKOKODIA, BENIKURUKURU, OGOBE and OKERENGHIGHO were founded..."
“…the Ijaws of Gbaramatu migrated from Gbara in the present day Rivers State. They settled at Opuraja. It was at this settlement that they learnt of another settlement of Ijaws at Amator in the present day Western Ijaw Division….”
The leading ancestors founders were led by Esiaku (Usiaku), who became a legendary figure in the ancestral traditions. They left Ujo-Gbaran in the central delta between 1000-1100 AD. The ancestors first settled at a place now known as Obodo, where Esiaku died. Fiyeowei (Fieowei I) led the ancestors of the Gbaramatu and Arogbo/Tuomo to a second site now known as Opugbini. From Opugbini the ancestors of the Arogbo/Tuomo moved out, while the remaining ancestors led by Oporoza I founded Oporoza town. The bulk of the ancestors settled at Oporoza, later on the following towns were founded, Kunukunama, Okrika, Benitu and Benikurukuru. From Kunukunama, Kokodiagbene (Bakokodia) and Ikantu were founded. Benikurukuru was also the parent of Ajama or Azama. The foundation of the Gbaranmatu is between 1000-1400 CE (AD), i.e. pre-14th century AD. These early ancestors may have met other proto-Ijos living in the region, hence their name “Tobu-Otu” or “ancient people”. The legendary ancestor Gbaran gave his name to the clan. The ancestors of the Gbaramatu lived at Ujo-Gbaran town between 700 – 1100 AD. Along with the ancestors of the Arogbo and Tuomo they moved to the Escravos region of the western Niger Delta.
