City-state · 1500–1895
Nembe
Brass and Nembe-Brass
The Ijaw kingdom of Nembe, 30 miles up the Brass river, was poorer than Bonny and Calabar until the British blockade of those ports in the 19th century sent the slave ships to its creeks.
At a glance
- When did the Nembe exist?
- From by the 16th century to 1895. It was at its height around 1850.
- What was the capital of the Nembe?
- Nembe.
- What was the ruler of the Nembe called?
- Amanyanabo.
- What happened to the Nembe?
- Nembe has several Amanyanabos, for Ogbolomabiri, Bassambiri, Okpoama, Odioama and Twon-Brass, in Bayelsa State.
- Who lives in the lands of the Nembe today?
- Ijaw
Overview
The Ijaw kingdom of Nembe, 30 miles up the Brass river, was poorer than Bonny and Calabar until the British blockade of those ports in the 19th century sent the slave ships to its creeks. Its line goes back to King Ogio, around 1639. A civil war split the city early in the 19th century into Ogbolomabiri and Bassambiri; trade moved to Twon-Brass on the coast as palm oil replaced slaves. In January 1895 King William Koko led over a thousand warriors against the Royal Niger Company's headquarters at Akassa, and the British sacked Nembe in reprisal amid a smallpox epidemic.[1]High confidence
Through the centuries
- c. 1500
Nembe in the creeks
Nembe grows as an Ijaw kingdom; tradition dates its tenth king, Ogio, to around 1639.[1],[2]Medium confidence
Capital: Nembe
- c. 1639–1800
King Ogio's line
Tradition names Ogio, the tenth king, around 1639, as the ancestor of all later kings. Nembe becomes a trading state once Europeans reach the coast, but stays poorer than Bonny and Calabar.[1]Medium confidence
Capital: Nembe
- c. 1800–1849
Two towns, and the slave ships come
A civil war splits Nembe: early in the 19th century King Ogbodo and his followers move to a new town at Bassambiri, while King Mingi stays at Nembe city (Ogbolomabiri). From the 1820s, as the British navy blockades Bonny and Calabar, slavers turn to the Brass river, and Nembe's position 30 miles upstream becomes an advantage.[1]High confidence
Capital: Nembe
- c. 1830–1860
Two towns and a port
By 1856 palm oil has overtaken slaves and the trade moves down to Twon-Brass on the coast. In 1863 Nembe decisively beats Kalabari, and it sometimes sides with Bonny against Kalabari. Ogbolomabiri takes a Christian mission in 1867 while Bassambiri does not, deepening the split.[1],[2],[1],[3]Medium confidence
Capital: Nembe
- 1895
The Akassa raid
After 1884 Britain claims Nembe within the Oil Rivers Protectorate. Nembe, which now controls the palm-oil trade, refuses a treaty and resists the Royal Niger Company's monopoly. In January 1895 King William Koko leads more than a thousand warriors in a dawn attack on the Company's headquarters at Akassa. Sir Frederick Bedford's force captures and sacks Nembe in reprisal, while smallpox ravages the kingdom. The British rule from a consulate at Twon-Brass.[1],[2],[1]High confidence
Capital: Nembe
Told in full as an event on the timeline.
Wars, treaties and turning points
Today
Amanyanabo of Nembe, Nembe
Nembe has several Amanyanabos, for Ogbolomabiri, Bassambiri, Okpoama, Odioama and Twon-Brass, in Bayelsa State.[1]High confidence
Its people
Living in its lands today
Peoples whose homelands lie inside its lands at its height, by number of LGAs.
Sources
Every claim carries a confidence level: high (well attested), medium (one source or approximate) or disputed (sources disagree).
- Wikipedia contributors. Nembe Kingdom
- Alagoa, E. J. (1964). The Small Brave City-State: A History of Nembe-Brass in the Niger Delta. Ibadan University Press / University of Wisconsin Press (cited elsewhere, not yet checked directly)
- Wikipedia contributors. Kalabari Kingdom