Oral Traditions and the prehistory of the -speaking people of Benin

The E. do. -speaking peoples occupy the forest and derived savannah extremities of the south-western region of Nigeria. The groups within this cluster include the Bini (Oredo, Orhiowmon and Ovia), the Etsako,1 the Akoko, the Emai and Ora (of Ivbiosakon) and the Esan [=Ishan] (Figure 16.1). They fall largely within the boundaries of E. do. State within the 30-state structure of Nigeria in 1996, and their principal town is Benin City.