ISOKOISM

By John Uyeh

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Traditional Isoko Education

To the average Nigerian, a person is not educated if he did not pass through the four walls of a school or a campus to obtain formal training in the Western way. Education to him must be seen through the lens of the white man. So the traditional Isoko education bequeathed to us by our forefathers is generally considered as primitive. Was our forefathers’ education primitive? Did they educate us well or not? This article seeks to assert that before Western education came to Nigeria in the 19^th century, our forefathers had evolved a note- worthy, progressive and society-building form of education in Isokoland. What is education, after all?

Experts in that field have given us illuminating definitions of true education. For instance, hear Robert Coram (1761-1796), an English-born American educationist:

John Uyeh

 “Education means the instruction of youth in certain rules of conduct by which they will be able to support themselves when they come of age, and to know the obligations they are under to society of which they constitute a part”. Back home in Nigeria, the renowned educationist, late Professor Babs  Fafunwa also gave an apt definition: “Education is the aggregate of all the processes by which a child or young adult develops the abilities, attitudes and other forms of behavior which are of positive value to the society in which he lives”.

Anyone who fully grasps the above definitions, and anyone, elderly (like myself), who had  a mix of both the traditional education and the western type would appreciate the value of our Isoko native education. All ingredients of proper and true education were in the broth of our upbringing: physical training, character grooming, intellectual training , vocational/occupational orientation and community participation.

We learnt from our parents, relatives and peer groups all forms of physical exercise: various dances ( the opiri, udhe ,etc), jumping, climbing, running, wrestling, group games and “warfares”, etc which prepared us for rigorous assignments at the later stage of our lives.  Indeed, the traditional education fully captured various fitness-enhancing exercises in its radar. Even   the physically handicapped learnt to apply their residual physique so as not to be beggars. Weakness in one part of the body was compensated for by exceptional strength in other parts.

Consider also character development. Of all the aspects of our traditional education, character building was the most essential. Nuclear and extended families (usually located in the same compound) were involved in the upbringing of a child. Morals, code of conduct, discipline, honesty, honour, cleanliness, chastity and other virtues such as respect were highly promoted. Leaving a seat for an elder, going on an errand, greeting etc were all signs of respect and good behavior. In Isoko, our main greeting is “Me digwe” (I am on my knees) from the younger one while “Vre do”(get up, welldone/thank you) is the response from the elder. Wrongful acts such as theft, robbery, ill-gotten possession were seriously frowned at and punished by parents, families and communities. In those days, the average parent   felt better off   not having an offspring than having one who would bring disgrace and shame to the family. That was the educational offering then. It was not the type ,nowadays  which celebrates  ill-gotten wealth; not the type, nowadays ,where a youth can insult an elder and even poke fingers at his eyes; and certainly not the type, nowadays, where the “educated” are involved in armed robbery, kidnapping, “4-1-9”, “yahoo yahoo” and other heinous crimes.

Thirdly, consider intellectual training. Intellectual property was of essence in line with the Latin phrase, “mens sana in corpore  sano”(sound mind and sound body).Through observation/scrutiny, instructions and participation we learnt to reason, analyse, grasp and experience the environment, seasons and life around us. Informally we learnt local history, Isoko world-view about the world, creatures, astrology , etc . Through story-telling (oral literature), folklore, Isoko proverbs and figures of speech we expanded our intellectual elasticity in communication and listening skills. Our Traditional education covered diverse subjects such as science, agriculture, philosophy, calculation ,measurements, etc. We recognized  that Isoko numerals and calculations are known through additions, subtractions, divisions and multiplications (as in Mathematics). For instance ,we count from ovo (one), ive (two) to Ikpe (ten),then eleven is ikpe gbe ovo (ten plus one), etc to udhe (twenty), twenty-one is udhe gbe  ovo (twenty plus one) and so on. Were there enough space we could go on and on. The point is that the elastic length, breadth and height of our native education offered a great intellectual volume of knowledge in diverse human brain explorations. Those of us who were privileged to drink from that fountain can claim that we are educationally edified.

Our native education was also particular about the application and utility of the skills acquired. Toward that end, there was provision for vocational, occupational “apprenticeships”: “apprenticeship” in farming, hunting, carving, carpentry, block making, building, wine-tapping, etc.  In the traditional society which our forefathers had at the time it was recognized that children needed to be equipped with income-yielding skills to support themselves later in life. Children studied and learnt from parents, uncles, peer group and became proficient in one trade, occupation, profession or the other. In fact, many “trainees” became more proficient than their “trainers”. They developed the required capabilities to support themselves at adult age. More, they were useful   to their communities by participating in communal activities. I remember vividly that in my native village, Idheze, in the 1950’s my age group promoted dignity of labour by participating in bush-path clearing, street cleaning, building of wooden bridges, culverts, digging wells and latrines, etc for the good of the community.

What is education if one is not physically and intellectually sound? ; if one’s character is not built up with discipline, respect, integrity, morality, honesty etc?;  if one is not adequately skilled to have a career, trade, occupation, profession to support oneself?; if one does not have the abilities, attitudes and other forms of behavior which are of positive value to his society? The questions again. Were our forefathers educated or not?  Did they educate us well or not? Can we sweep our Traditional Isoko Education under the carpet of westernized education?