THE PORTUGUESE IN WARRI RIVER: The Forcados was marked by two very tall trees but because of d difficulty of knowing when d ships should make d turn into d river, it became d practise to enter d Benin River n to reach d Forcados by way of one of d connecting creeks. *The Portuguese described d river as forking right n left. They voyaged into d left hand branch which any modern map will show to have been d Warri River. About five leagues up this river was d place where they traded with d inhabitants whom they called HUELA. According to d tradition recorded by William Moore, d Portuguese met d Itsekiri People under Ginuwa at Ijala. Huela may well have been Ijala which have been difficult for d Portuguese to pronounce properly. On d other hand, d Itsekiri People may have moved by this time to ALE IWERRE, n this place which is also on d Warri River may have been d place of barter. If we accept this, it follows dat d Itsekiri People had settled, surrounded by d Urhobo n Ijoh, before d sixteenth century. The articles of trade consisted of slaves n cotton cloths, with some panther skins, palm oil n some blue shells which they call coris. The Portuguese bought these with brass n copper bracelets. The shells found an easy market on d Gold Coast where they were exchanged for gold. From d Urhobo, d Portuguese bought pepper; from d Ijoh, slaves n ivory. *Most of d ships stopped at d Portuguese colony of Sao Tome from where smaller vessels were sent into d Forcados River. The King of Portugal did not often find it easy to collect annual dues from those to whom d contract for trade along d slave rivers was given n repeated demands were made by d treasury for payment. The situation was further complicated by d concessions granted to d settlers in Sao Tome to trade in d same area.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 10:15:38 +0000
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