Kalabari Bibi

Kalabari Kings: Ancient & Modern

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GENEALOGY OF THE FOUNDER  OF THE KALABARI PEOPLE

As supplied by the erudite Kalabari Historian,

* Mr. Daboikiabo Jack ©

 

IZON (Ijo or Ijaw)   gave birth to:  ~  Mein    ~ Tarakiri     Oporoza

MEIN  gave birth to:  ~ Ugo (Ogo or Pere-kor 1 of Ogobiri)

UGO   gave birth to:  Perebo-kala-bari (King Kalabari)

[Founder and Ancestor]

Ancient  Kings

King Perebo-kala-bari (Kalabari)

King Owoume

King Opu-koroye

King Owuere-ye Daba

Igbessa

Kamalo  alias King Robert

King Mangiye Suku (Duke Monmouth)

King Igonibo

King Ngbesa

King Omuye

King Bokoye

King Daba (alias Igbo-ye Owibo)

King Kalagbea

 

Modern Kings

King Amakiri (Amachree) I    1669 --1757

 

King Amakoro Tyger Amachree II    1757 -- 1782

 

King Karibo Amachree III   1782 -- 1863

 

HM King Abbi Karibo Amachree IV     1863 – 1900

 

HM King Kieni Charles Amachree V    1900 -- 1917

 

HM King W.Princewill Amachree VI      1919 -- 1927

 

HM King J.T.Princewill Amachree VII   1927 -- 1960

 

HM King F.T.Princewill Amachree VIII  1960 -- 1973

 

HM King Cotton Charles Amachree IX  1973 – 1975

 

HM King Obaye Abbiye - Suku Amachree X   1977 -- 1998      

HM King (Prof.)T.J.T.Princewill Amachree XI  2002 -

 

 

A CONCISE HISTORY OF KING AMAKIRI (AMACHREE 1)

As supplied by the erudite Kalabari Historian,

* Mr. Daboikiabo Jack ©

Edited by: Pastor D.Braide

It is a common thing to keep the beginning and the ending of heroes shrouded in mystery and myth. But objective history and historians go after facts and figures which are accurate or very close to accurate. If there was one person whose account of his beginning has been so distorted, it was King Amakiri (AmachreeI) the legendary Kalabari king who, by all standards, has been the greatest King the Kalabaris have ever had. A little digression. Those of us of the Christian faith will find from the Holy Scripture that the Bible does not gloss over the humble beginnings and the faults of its heroes. For example: 

(i) When King David took another man's wife after killing him, it wrote so (2 Sam. 12:9,10);

(ii) That Jephthah, who became a mighty man of valour and judged Isreal in the capacity of a king for six years, was the son of a harlot, was not hid from us (Judges 11 : 1 - 10);

(iii) that Daniel, the most educated prophet and statesman in the Old Testament, died unmarried and childless because he was castrated by the reigning King then, was also penned down (Daniel 1 : 3 - 6, mark the word eunuch in vs.3);

(iv) Even the greatest apostle the Bible ever recorded for us was not spared of the revelation of his uncured infirmities (2 Corinthians 12 : 7 - 9)

Having a humble beginning cannot preclude the possibility of ascendancy unto greatness, power and wealth in one's later life. Such was the case of the legendary King Amakiri. Amakiri as a boy, was brought to Elem Kalabari during the reign of King Daba ( alias Igbo-ye Owibo ). King Daba was a trader in permkernel and oil and he had a trade depot in Opukolo in Ogbia region. During the course of his trading, he became friendly to one Ikpariba of Amakalekale of Ogbia, the father of young Amakiri. A crisis erupted in Ogbia that led to the death of Ikpariba, leaving young Amakiri. King Daba, because of his friendship with late Ikpariba, took Amakiri and brought him to Elem Kalabari. He gave him over to his wife Queen Okuma to bring him up as she would her own child. It was King Daba that gave him the name, Jen amakiri bobo ( meaning, "he who came from another land") shortened to Amakiri. In the course of time, King Daba died and his son Kala I gbea (meaning, a small place in life does not befit me) shortened to Kalagbea became the 13th ancient King of Kalabari. Sometime in the course of his stay in Elem Kalabari, Amakiri was afflicted with yaws (pirimaobi in kalabari). He was taken to Ke for treatment and placed under the custody of one Omoni. After he became cured, he decided to make Ke his base shuttling between there and Elem Kalabari. Amakiri became, at that time, a wealthy fisher primarily of mudskippers (isila). King Kalagbea also died and from the list above, it is seen that Amakiri (corrupted as Amachree) succeeded him. How did this happen?     ...to be continued 

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