BY Okehi Abdulaziz Yusufu – (ALANA).
In order to preserve culture and protect family bonds in a diverse kinship system, the Egbira people are historically revered for their peculiar care amongst the members of same compound family. One of such care habits was the share of cooked foods between compound families known as Uvónáá.
Whereas a family is the actual group of a people, kinship is the relationship between family members. Mothers and daughters, uncles cousins which are all examples of kinships.
Before the coming of Europeans, Egbira people were Traditionally farmers who cohabit in a compound system known as Ohueje. Each Ohueje is usually made up of the head (Adohueje), his various wives having their apartments in a circular setting facing that of the Adohueje called Abara. Sometimes the set up goes beyond one Ohueje to include extended system.
An extended family is composed of one or more of four variants. First, the compound family is formed through the combination of nuclear families or parts of them, such as a polygynous household consisting of one man, his three or more wives, and their respective children. The traditional Egbira compound family was indeed a patrilocal, polygynous one. The head of the family is the oldest man, then there are his two, three or more wives, their unmarried female children, the male children, their wives – and their grandchildren.
Meal eating habits amongst the compound family was by communal harmony sharing system. The head of the family shares the raw foods amongst the wives households. The wives cook in turns, send the main share in a large traditional calabash to the head in Abara. She then share part of the remnants to her Co-wives, who eats with their unmarried daughters and other grand children untill it is their turn to cook. This was traditionally called the Uvónáá (extension of favourable hands, In this case the meals.)
The head of the family will eat his own ration, surrounded by his unmarried son’s, grand sons and any available family members from the same calabash.
Various benefits of eating together by a typical traditional Egbira compound family is that it ensures better nutrition.
Healthier behaviors. Family meals nourish and strengthen more than the body.
Smarter eating for life.
Staying safer with food allergies. Closer ties and better kinship relationship and longer life.