Wedding

50 Sleek Ebira Traditional Marriage Attires

Ebira traditional marriage attires like most Nigerian cultures are unique in many ways and are patterned to keep the wedding memories fresh in the minds of the couple. The traditional outfit of the Ebira people is of two different kinds. One consists of White and Black stripes while the other has White, Blue, and Red stripes.

The White colour of the Ebira traditional attires stands for purity, unity, and oneness, while the Black colour stands for strength, formality, and sophistication. Also, the meaning of Ebira is “Good character, attitude or behaviour”. This is in direct relation to the tribe’s attire.

Are you an Ebira bride-to-be or groom looking for inspos for your wedding event or you’re a fashion enthusiast wondering how does the Ebira dress? All your questions were answered. Stick with us as we give out some of the juicy tips to get you prepared for any Ebira wedding ceremony.

What Is Ebira Traditional Attire Called?

A particular fabric known as “Ita Oku’Eta” is common to all the Ebira Tao. It is this attire that unites the whole tribe. However, each clan of the Ebira tribe has various attires that are specific to them.

The Ebira traditional attires are made by Ebira women from colourful fibres and use a lot of weft float patterns to bring out the best weaves. Over the years, the forms, styles and patterns of the Ebira fabrics remain unique to the people.

The blue, red and white clothes are grouped under three categories for different cultural events. These fabrics are Ikitipa, Itokuete, and Itogede. The Ikitipa and Itokuete cloths are sewn together and can be worn by both men and women. While, the Itogede also known as banana cloth, is used as a funeral cloth. Itogede is one of the plant bast fibre materials also used for both male and female burials, after which it can be used to shroud the corpse.

Where Did Ebira Originate From?

Ebira history is tied to the Jukun and the Igala which are their neighbouring tribes. There are claims from oral history that they entered Nigeria from the East, between the Mandarra highlands and Lake Chad during the last millennial periods. Others believe that the Igalas broke out from the Jukun tribe, and then the Ebiras sectioned themselves from the Igala people.

Regardless of their acclaimed origin, the Ebiras are not part of the Yorubas. You can find the Ebira people in regions dominated by the Yorubas including Okene, Adavi, Ajaokuta and Okehi Local Government Areas of Kogi State in the North-Central zone of Nigeria. However, the Owo people of Ago Panu are a sub group of the Yoruba people. They are also Ebiras but in the South-western geo-political zone of Nigeria.

Ebira Traditional Foods

At the traditional marriage in Kogi state, you would not only feast your eyes with stylish attires, but also your stomach would feel the impacts of the Ebira traditional local foods. These foods include

Akara – Beans Cake
Apapa – Moi-moi
Asharo – Porridge
Epete – Porridge Beans
Epeze – Beans Soup
Garri – Eba
Gorigo – Beniseed
Ikiza – Traditional Beans
Ipapara – Melon Soup
Ireru – Scent Leaf Soup
Iya – Pounded Yam
Óve – Moi-moi from water yam
Oyoyo – Ebira Draw Soup
Uka – Cassava Yam Flour

Any of the foods above can be used for the Ebira traditional wedding and as homemade local foods. Rhe most common meals at Ebira traditional meetings are the Apapa – Moi-moi and Akara – Bean Cake