HAPTER ONE
1.0 GENERAL BACKGROUND
Koro is the name of the main language, Ija is the name of the town that the speaker of Koro lives. The speakers are known as Ìjà-Kórò, sometimes they are often called Ìjà-Kórò. Majority of the speakers of this language resides at Ija, southern part of Abuja (FCT). The Ìjà-Kórò people are about 900,000 in population (this is from the head count of the year 2000 census population).
Koro as a language that has three dialects: Ìjà-Kórò, Koto-shako and koto-kaffin. Koro-shako and koto-kaffin are spoken in Niger state in a small town called shako and kaffin respectively. But their dialect are not so different from each other both speakers (shako and kaffin) can speak Ìjà-Kórò, only Ìjà-Kórò speakers cannot speak koro-shako and koro kaffin because they are far from them.
Ìjà-Kórò exists with two neighboring tribe Ijagwuari and Bwuari. Therefore Ìjà-Kórò people are multi-lingual; they speak Hausa, Gwuari and Ìjà-Kórò.
1.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Ìjà-Kórò people migrated from Zuba as a result of looking for a fertile land for farming, Zuba is the largest town where so many farmers has occupied the land. So koro people moved to Ija in 1814. They settled at Ìjà-Kórò and started farming there till date.
1.2 SOCIO-CULTURAL PROFILE
The Ija koro people like many other tribes have their own unique cultural lifestyle. The Ìjà-Kórò have some unique way of life that are discussed below;
1.2.1 DRESSING MODE OF ÌJÀ-KÓRÒ
Before the intervention of the whites in time past the Ìjà-Kórò people wear leaves and animal skin but after the invention of the white, Ìjà-Kórò people started wearing cloth, meanwhile they are fond of native. Their major mode of dressing now is in native both the men and women.
1.2.2 RELIGION OF ÌJÀ-KÓRÒ
Before the intervention of the white Ìjà-Kórò people were Idol worshippers, but after the invention of the white Christianity and Islamic religion became the religion of the Ìjà-Kórò. But Islamic religion is the dominant religion of the Ìjà-Kórò people.
1.2.3 NAMING CEREMONY OF ÌJÀ-KÓRÒ
In Ìjà-Kórò, like many other place in the world, when a child is born, the naming ceremony commence on the seventh day.
Their naming ceremony is usually a fun filled one or interesting one, the unique thing about their naming ceremony is that the grandfather and the grandmother of the new baby will prepare the food and bush meat for the ceremony, and send some of it to the grandfather and grandmother to the mother of the new baby. The naming ceremony is usually a cultured one, very lively and filled with merriment.
1.2.4 MARRIAGE SYSTEM OF ÌJÀ-KÓRÒ
In Ìjà-Kórò, in time past just like in some other culture too, parent chooses wife for their sons. But now in this jet age the story is different, the man chooses the woman of his choice. After the agreement between the man and the woman to marry each other, the parent of the man will prepare echi (rice) and big cola-nut to give to the bride parent which they will accept. After, the mother of the man will come back at night with the bride price to give to the bride parent and to take bride to her husband’s house.
In Ìjà-Kórò, marriage are done between families, in which the man in family A marry the woman in family B and also the man in family B will marry from family A, it is just like an exchange marriage system. Ìjà-Kórò people do not have a particular age they get married, it all depends on the financial capability of the man and the maturity of the woman.
1.2.5 BURIAL CEREMONY OF ÌJÀ-KÓRÒ
Another unique feature of the cultural profile of the Ìjà-Kórò that must not be left unmentioned is the way burial arrangements are carried out. There is celebrations for Ìjà-Kórò man or woman that dies between the age 50years and above, because they believe they have gone to rest with their God. Therefore there will be eating and drinking for 7 days at the front of the deceased house, there will be beating of drums and celebration for good 4 to 5 days, all these happen after the deceased have been buried. However, if a person dies in the evening the burial will commence the next day, it is after the burial that there is continuous dancing for 4 to 5 days.
Meanwhile if the deceased is below the age of 50 years, there will be no celebration because the person is not of age.