RE: {NTH:36288} River Ethiope: One river, many mysteries

[Sylvester Ogbolu-Otutu]

Yes - Okei - people often drowned at Obiaruku. Do not forget that I also grew up there as a young boy, and I heard of these stories - that people that were 'taken' by the river as it is usually termed - that Onoku took the people. If these examples that you cited are indeed tragic accidents as you have related - fine - it actually confirms that Onoku does not do these things. I am trying to debunk the statement (or insinuation) that the river kills non-indigenes. Please read the initial Tribune Report again. I have also indicated that Onoku is benevolent. 

I am not aware that Onoku is venerated in Obiaruku. As a matter of fact, since Obiaruku is a new human settlement (relatively speaking), there would be no original beliefs or understanding about Onoku in Obiaruku. The same for Abraka - which is also a new settlement that was established by the colonial government as a 'station'.

Okei - this is not about geomorphology. The river has been greatly studied, so there is no need to commission any new studies. I have a sizable collection of scientific research papers about this river. All these things that you have mentioned - infiltration, re-charge, etc., are normal physical hydrological cycle processes.

Anybody that has studied some catchment hydrology or river basin dynamics would know that the Onoku source is quite unique since it does not fall into any of the known types of drainage patterns such as dendritic, trellised, etc. Onoku river is a major fluvial system that has no tributaries that contribute to its hydrological discharge. No other river flows into it around its source. Even the extant local beliefs that 'Onoku does not use the waters of any other river' confirms this.

How can a river that is described in the Bible dry up? Onoku is described in the Book of Revelations (22:1-2) ("And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, .............."). The Biblical text clearly states that it is a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, and mentions the tree. These are all characteristic of what we know about Onoku (Ethiope) river.

Regarding the name - locally it is called Onoku river - but Onoku is seen as the deity that owns the river. The geomantic site for Onoku and its main shrine is there in Adonishaka-Ebedei.

Along the Ethiope, there are certain families that are associated with the river, and we know some of those families. For example, in Eku, the last holder of the title of Olokun of Eku was Chief James Edewor.

The name Ethiope is based on mystical maps of the world's oceans and rivers that date back more than 1,000 years. I have one of such maps framed and hanging on the wall of my sitting room. The river runs into the Ocean of Ethiopia ('Oceanus Aethiopicus') which is now the Southern Atlantic Ocean. This name was given even before the name 'Ethiopia' was given to a country. It is white people who renamed it to Atlantic Ocean because they did not understand how an Ocean and River in the Niger Delta could be named after 'Ethiopia' that is on the other side of the continent of Africa.

The point is that people who do not know the exact secret of our Ethiope River should not engage in speaking authoritatively about it. anyone that wants to engage in this debate should first of all spend time in performing some integrative research before writing anything.

Even here in Ethiopia - when I ask them - where is the 'River of Ethiopia?', they cannot answer the question, and typically point to a wrong river; and are usually shocked and very surprised when I tell them that the River of Ethiopia is our Ethiope River that is located in Nigeria.

I am the one that confirmed to the Rastafarians that their original spiritual belief - that they are a people that were taken away from Ethiopia - is indeed correct, since slaves were taken from the oceanic basin that is aptly named 'Oceanus Aethiopicus' even though people have tried to mask the name by changing it to the Atlantic Ocean - whereas the Atlantic Ocean is supposed to refer only to the Northern part of this ocean.

Having said all of the above, I wish to re-state what I wrote before for emphasis:

"In any case, the River Ethiope is part of an important mystical river that runs from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation in the Bible, and is not for tourism".

"The River Ethiope makes the mystical Ethiope a very unique place in all the earth. We are thankful to the Almighty God for this most sublime of blessings."

Efforts will be exerted to resist any attempts to turn this important river into a touristic attraction.

Thanks.

Sylvester Ogbolu-Otutu

Unor-Ebedei on the Ethiope River

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

______

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From: ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2015 19:28:31 +0000
Subject: Re: {NTH:36288} River Ethiope: One river, many mysteries
To: ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com; ndokw...@yahoogroups.com

Several persons, natives and non-indigenes have drowned in the river Ethiope at the Ogbe-aka-Hardwood road bridge, Umu-edede and Okuzu areas.

My sister inlaw died from a neck injury because she dove from the bridge into the shallow part of the river. I personally reported  the body of a young lad I saw, while floating under the bridge from the upstream to the downstrean side. I was scared silly.  I was about 12 years old or so. Some persons drowned because they did not know how to swim. Others drowned because they had preexisting conditions, such as epilepsy which came on while they were in the river. One of our students at Obiaruku Grammar School,  drowned because he waded too far into the river where there was a sheer drop off. He did not know how to swim and he was caught by the swift undercurrent.  It took the soldiers of the Amphibious Battalion stationed at Obiaruku to retrieve his body. That section of the river at Okuzu is very dangerous and known for its strong current and unpredictable bottom.

Drownings in that river, at least the ones I know of, were purely tragic accidents and not due to some spirit in search of human sacrifices.

The source of the river Ethiope is an underground reservoir that geological formations created an opening for this vast reservoir to escape. It is also possible that that this reservoir is replenished by infiltration from rainfall in locations far from the source. If the forests far upstream from the source also contribute to this reservoir, we should not be surprised to see this great river start to dry up as human beings destroy these forests. Until the Delta State government commisions a comprehensive study of the watershed of the Ethiope, we will never know how to nurture and preserve this natural resource.

One question: Before the Whiteman gave the Ethiope its current name, what was it called?

Peace. Namaste.
Okei Okusogu

On Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 2:43 PM NDOKWA TOWN HALL on behalf of Sylvester Ogbolu <ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

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Onoku is a goddess and not a god. It is matriarchal (female) in terms of its attributes and quite benevolent by nature.

Moreover, these drowning incidents are only reported in Abraka - nobody hears about drowning in a place like Ebedei where there is a long-standing belief and veneration for Onoku as a deity; and the earth goddess -Ani because land and water are the most important resources that support human life.

If they have put any bad thing in Abraka to claim human lives, this has nothing to do with Onoku.

In any case, the River Ethiope is part of an important mystical river that runs from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation in the Bible, and is not for tourism.

The River Ethiope makes the mystical Ethiope a very unique place in all the earth. We are thankful to the Almighty God for this most sublime of blessings.

Sylvester Ogbolu-Otutu

Unor-Ebedei on the Ethiope River

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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From: ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com
To: ndokw...@yahoogroups.com; ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {NTH:36286} River Ethiope: One river, many mysteries
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2015 18:13:37 +0000

River Ethiope: One river, many mysteries

April 14, 2015 - 11:25

 

 0 comments

http://tribuneonlineng.com/content/river-ethiope-one-river-many-mysteries

River Ethiope is famous in the nation’s Niger Delta. The river which spans hundreds of metres in width, reaching up to 50km in length, has its source from under a tree.

Nigeria is a nation characterised by rivers. The name Nigeria was derived from River Niger. A good map of the country is not complete without the markings to indicate Rivers Niger and Benue as they meet as one at Lokoja and flow through the Niger Delta into the Atlantic Ocean.

Another notable river apart from the Niger in the delta region is River Ethiope. This river is about 50km long, and runs through four local government areas namely Ukwuani, Ethiope East, Okpe and Sapele in Delta State.

The river which has been a source water, food and livelihood, is also home to a great variety of species of aquatic life. The river which stretches several kilometers in width interestingly has its source from a space of a few metres. Tracing the source of the river Ethiope leads one to a town called Umuaja in Ukwuani LGA of Delta State, to a giant silk-cotton tree where from two spots under the huge buttress roots of the tree, clear running water oozes out. This is where the river springs from.

Adjacent to this tree is another pathway from which clear water runs. These streamlets gather to form a clear pool of water near the base of the tree which flows away from the tree on a journey to the sea several kilometres away.

The tree in question hosts visitors. It is not a proper tourism site as one would expect. Instead the area serves as shrine where the god, Onoku is worshipped.

In charge of the site is a priest, said to be assisted by two young lads who were all absent at the time of this visit. They had a closing time and had reportedly gone home after the day’s business.

A sum of N200 is the ‘gate fee’ to enter this area. According to Mr Godwin Ashirika, a resident of Umuaja, who spends much of his time daily around the shrine, the N200 was just the access fee. “You may need to part with more depending on the problem you came here to solve.”

Mr Ashirika informed Nigerian Tribune that the deity was consulted to find solution to numerous problems. He said, “Many people come here for different reasons. Some people come from as far as Edo State seeking for visa to travel out. Once you come here you will get it. Some women that have been looking for husbands come, and they are loosed from the water husbands they were tied to so they can marry. Others come and say they are looking for children and they get them.”

Akashiri testified that the adherents got results because some of them would return with gifts to appreciate the priest for a job well done.

The man who appeared to be in his late sixties said that the river maintained its clarity from the source all through its course till it meets the sea.

The clarity of the river may have become the bane of many who have drowned in this river. Tales are often told of some non-indigenes, especially students of the Delta State University through which the river makes its course, who drowned.

Speaking with people from the area, Nigerian Tribune gathered that there was little truth to the tales of the river killing non-indigenes. Instead, because the water is clear, it gives the illusion of shallowness which many fail to realise until they plunge into a portion of the river that actually is deeper and they may end up drowning.

The river because of its size has accommodated intense commercial activity such as fishing. Sandmining also takes place along its river banks such as is done in Jesse town. However, concerns have been raised over the preservation of  the ecosystem which the river supports.

“Within the last 20 years, River Ethiope has lost over 50 per cent of its original forest value to reckless human activities. Consequently, the quality of the river ecosystem services has fallen drastically to an unbelievable state,” stated Irrikefe Dafe, founder of River Ethiope Trust Foundation.

Questions have also been raised as to the non-utilisation of the site of the source of the River Ethiope as a tourist centre. The site is quite popular and attracts a steady flow of visitors each day. Yet, the site remains in a state of neglect. The only care it receives is from what the Onoku priest and his attendants give.

In response to media inquiry, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Richard Mofe-Damijo, said the ministry had challenges having to work with “spiritual and religious connotations” the community attaches to the river. He said there were plans to concession a tourism site in partnership with one of the community’s indigenes, however, the facility is yet to be because of delays from the latter.

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[Sylvester Ogbolu-Otutu]

Eugene,

There is something special about certain rivers.

The Mississippi is there in the USA - and it used to be quite polluted and used to catch fire spontaneously - because of all the industrial pollutants that factories along it were discharging into the Mississippi. Is that what you are proposing should happen to our Onoku - in the name of development?

You have your Adofi - others have their Okumeshi, etc. Each river is associated with one type of local belief or the other.

I have spoken about the Ethiope River because it is our river, and I want people to know that it is a very unique river which should not be tempered with in the name of tourism.

I am simply proud of the Ethiope river - and I am so enthralled by its mystical aspects.

Thanks.

Sylvester Ogbolu-Otutu

Unor-Ebedei on the Ethiope River

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Subject: Re: {NTH:36312} River Ethiope: One river, many mysteries
From: ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2015 05:38:38 -0500
CC: ndokw...@yahoogroups.com; nde-e...@googlegroups.com; ndokwa-global-...@yahoogroups.com
To: ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com

Sylvester,

Every River has its mystery but don't over blow it. 

We similar river here in USA. You have the great Mississippi River. We also haver the Adofi River. Once Nigeria catch up with development those  River will have it share of development. There is nothing special about River.

Gene

Sent from my iPhone

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[Sylvester Ogbolu-Otutu]

Bros. Okei,

I do not think that there is any contention about the nature of the Ethiope River from the perspective of rational philosophy. River systems have been studied everywhere, and the form and nature of the Ethiope can be readily characterized from the view point of hydrological science. However, the river remains quite unique in many ways. You see it scientifically as something that seeps out of an underground reservoir - which I also accept. But I also see it from the spiritual viewpoint that it is one segment of a mystical river system that comes out under the Tree of Life.

In Ethiopia here, I have seen a certain type of endorheic river (the Awash) that does not flow into the sea. It just ends somewhere - like that! Into an inland swamp or simply evaporates.

Now - going into the arcane aspects.

These accidents that you have referred to do not happen in Ebedei and I am sure they do not happen in Eku, either.

Where original beliefs about Onoku exist - the river's true benevolent nature is known. These drowning incidents - whether due to accident or not - in Obiaruku and Abraka are quite strange and very unusual.

In some towns along the Ethiope, including in places like Sapele, there are certain cults who worship by the river, and they throw in live goats and other sacrifices into the river hoping that by so doing, they will receive certain favours from the river deity.  It is these types of fetishistic practices that lead to loss of human lives as cultists start cavorting with  unknown demons. 

I have never seen anyone throw a live goat into the Onoku river in Ebedei. 

Leave the mystical and spiritual aspects of the river to me. 

The mystical river system starts from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:10). The segment for Ethiopia is mentioned in Genesis 2:13; then there are some allusions to it in Isaiah 18:1-2 and again in Zephaniah 3:10; and when it reappears from the Throne of God, we identify it clearly as the River Ethiope based on what is described in Revelations 22:1-2. Anybody may believe if they are inclined to. 

Certain rivers are associated with certain mystical elements. For instance, Ezekiel the Priest saw the visions of God when the heavens opened - and of the Living Creatures - visualized as man, lion, ox, and eagle - in a certain river Chebar. See Ezekiel 1:1-28.

The Nile also has many mystical associations as attested to by the legends of Ancient Egypt.

The river could not have been called Ethiope or Onoku by God; but there must be a heavenly name for it. It is human beings that give names. For instance, the Bible witnesses that Adam gave names to animals. 

There are no unanswered questions about the names of the river. Locally it is called Onoku - after the deity that is associated with it. The name of Ethiope came from the name of the Ocean that it flows into - which is also correct based on a certain mystical system which I need not discuss further. Wait for the book that I have written about it to be published. 

Yes - environmental change happens, and rivers change over time based on certain factors such as: sedimentation, riparian succession of different types of vegetation; changes in hydrological regime; anthropogenic change; changes in river quality; etc. Most of these changes can be mitigated by river regulation and some management methods approached from the angle of river engineering.

The Ethiope appears to be shrinking in size because of riparian vegetation and ecosystem succession. If you clear out the encroaching vegetation, you can maintain the flow channel of the river.

You may read up some scientific journal articles that have been published on the hydrological quality of the River Ethiope if you want to know more. Underground reservoirs (acquifers) are constantly being recharged - and some groundwater from the sub-surface also contributes to river surface/channel flow. Rainfall and surface runoff also contribute to river channel flow; and also affect the quantity and quality dynamics of the river.

The people were mentioned but not the way you expect them to be mentioned as either Ukwuani people or Ndosimili people. Simeon that was called Niger that is mentioned in Acts 13:1 was the name of a human being - but the same name was later given to a River (River Niger); and two countries - Niger and Nigeria.

Finally, I do not know which explanation you want me to provide, yet you want an integrative framework that supports different knowledge schemas - reason, science and spiritual. The path to mystical and spiritual truths can not be easily or readily validated from the viewpoint of science.

I have nothing more to add - you may either accept or refuse to accept that the Ethiope is part of a mystical river system. Let each person go with whatever they know, understand and believe.

Cheers,

Sylvester Ogbolu-Otutu

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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From: ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2015 11:13:49 +0000
Subject: Re: {NTH:36314} River Ethiope: One river, many mysteries
To: ndokwa-t...@googlegroups.com; ndokw...@yahoogroups.com; nde-e...@googlegroups.com; ndokwa-global-...@yahoogroups.com

"Anybody that has studied some catchment hydrology or river basin dynamics would know that the Onoku source is quite unique since it does not fall into any of the known types of drainage patterns such as dendritic, trellised, etc. Onoku river is a major fluvial system that has no tributaries that contribute to its hydrological discharge. No other river flows into it around its source. Even the extant local beliefs that 'Onoku does not use the waters of any other river' confirms this."........Sylvester Ogbolu

Sylvester, your statement above also confirms my explanation of the source of the River Ethiope. The water that is the river Ethiope seeps from an underground reservoir.

I was not arguing any of the points you raised. I was only explaining that deaths attributed to the river Ethiope were accidents and not as a result of some malevolent tendencies in the river for human life.

I will be the first to admit ignorance in the spiritual and the mystical origin of the name and the river Ethiope. There are too many unanswered questions about the name of the river. I am not saying you are wrong and I am right. I simply cannot make definitive claims about this aspect of the river.

If the river Ethiope is described in the Bible, why didn't the people who lived along this river mentioned any where  in the same Bible? You raised an interesting point on the country Ethiopia and the River Ethiope being on opposite sides of the continent. Map making in the early days was a very rudimentary effort and maps were replete with errors, which may explain how Ethiope came to be, as a name given to it by the Europeans.

It may be described in the Bible, but it was not called the Ethiope by God. Why? I do not know whether a river described in the Bible drys up or not. However,  I do know without any shadow of doubt, that the river Ethiope is not what it used to be. It is shrinking in size. Anyone who grew up in Obiaruku and swam in that river as a youngster,especially our age group, will attest to my assertions.

What are the findings and the recommendations made on the health of that river? Is it classified as the river that has unlimited reservoir?

I agree with you that the river source should not be turned into a tourist attraction  The visitor traffic will cause more damage to the immediate ecosystem surrounding the spring, the source, of the river. I will leave the mystical and spiritual claims about the river to you. I know nothing about that aspect. The explanation has not convinced me yet. Once the reason, the science, and the spiritual explanations support and reinforce each other, then I will buy it. Right now, they don’t.

Peace. Namaste.
Okei Okusogu

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