History remains an unfolding testament as the days run along. Across the spectrum that comprises Bonny Kingdom are various families with unique histories that encapsulate the glory of an ancient kingdom.  One of such families is the Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama family, which comprises the descendants of one of the early kings of Bonny Kingdom, King Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama.

Warisenibo Prase Amakiri-Ama is the incumbent Protem Secretary of Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama family of Kalaibiama in Bonny Kingdom, Rivers State. He is also the Secretary of the Bonny Indigenous Fishermen Cooperative Union; amongst several other key roles he has been playing in Bonny Kingdom. In this interview with Godswill Jumbo, the Publisher of Kristina Reports, Warisenibo Amakiri-Ama revisited the history of his family and the plans of the family to formally integrate into Bonny Kingdom. Enjoy!

Kristina Reports: Please may we meet you…

Warisenibo Praise Amakiri-Ama: Yes, I am Warisenibo elect Praise Dawojubere Amakiri-Ama of the Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama family of Kalaibiama. I am a Warisenibo of that house. 

When you say Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama House of Kalaibiama, that sounds like novel for the modern public of Bonny Kingdom. The young ones may not, maybe the older ones may connect to it; but for the young ones, especially, those on social media, can you elaborate on which house this is?

We are a family for now because we existed since our great grandfather, the son of Opu Dappa, the son of Kumalu; Kumalu begat Opu Dappa, Opu Dappa now begat our father, King Dappa-ye-Amakiri who ascended the throne of kingship of Bonny in the year 1600. And by then, he had a very prominent role to play to expand this kingdom and make it as stable as it is now. So, in order to achieve all these, he moved to Kalaibiama, hearing that there is a very powerful deity there, which is the Tolofari, which was brought there by Ke people who did not come to take permission from him. So, he went there to see for himself and had conflict with the Tolofari deity. After the spiritual battles between them, they later made a covenant that the deity will give him enormous powers to bring the kingdom to greater heights and expand beyond Kalaibiama. He too promised the deity in return that he will establish his kingship and authority there. At that point, his wife was pregnant without knowing which child she will give birth to. When she gave birth, it was a girl, his first daughter; he called her Princess Amakiri-Ama. But the historians who wrote the history of Bonny because of the circumstances surrounding her movement to Kalaibiama, they called her Igbani, Princess Igbani. So, he moved her down there with retinue of men and women and goods to establish his authority there according to the covenant he had with the Tolofari deity. That is how we started existing in Kalaibiama between 1600 and 1635.

We were there, we lived there for about 200 and something years when the King Jaja secession problem came up in 1869 under the rulership of King George I. Due to the circumstances then, problem rose to the point that it seemed it was turning into discrimination between adopted children and free borns. The thing affected us so we set out to come and report ourselves to King George but Oko Jumbo’s boat attacked us at sea. When he asked us to identify ourselves, we said we are part of Hart House. So, we went to Hart House to identify ourselves. As at then Chief Oju Kunu, Adango IV, the Chief of Hart House was married to one of our daughters known as Aya. So, when we arrived at Chief Hart’s Opuwari, he identified us as his people and told Oko Jumbo not to harm us, that we are his people. So, from then we used that name Hart as our coverage in order not to be extinct. Since 1869, we have been bearing Ama Hart but it did not go down well with us. We thought we have entered a house where we will be adopted or received as same people but Hart House did not look at us as anything until 2003 when we went there to establish ourselves with the Hart House. Curiously, the Hart House said they have looked into their records right from ages back, from the first chief to that time and they did not see our name as part of them neither as adopted children or children begotten. But that they know that their father, Adango IV then got married to one of our daughters who begot Simon Hart Agomie for him, that we are not part of the House.

Anyway, they asked us to give them some time to look into their records and see how we can be co-opted into the House. We waited for up to a year we didn’t see them. We decided we had to declare ourselves because we know our history. Though we wanted to follow that step because they gave us protection during that war time. But when we realized that we are not part of them and that is why they have treated us like that, we said we are not going this path again; we are going back to our root. So, by 2004, we made the declaration that we are children of King Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama. We are not going to answer any other name rather we decided to answer our original name, Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama. We made that declaration and circulated our letters around Bonny including the two houses in Kalaibiama: Pollyn House and Tolofari House, the Palace, and the Local Government Council. Although before this declaration, our fathers have made frantic efforts to align with the King Perekule Palace through His Majesty, King Captain Opuada Secondus Pepple, Perekule X, before his transmigration. These efforts then were championed by Wariopusenibo Randolph Ada-Igbarima Amakiri-Ama (then Ama Hart). The transmigration of the King slowed down these efforts.

On that axis, specifically in Ayama (Peterside) you also have the Dappa Biriye family, can you make a distinction between the Dappa Biriye and Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama?

Dappa Biriye name came from another family which we may not know much about but we, Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama, are descendants of the ninth King of Bonny, King Dappa-ye-Amakiri. He was the King of Bonny who expanded Bonny to what it is today; that is our great grandfather. He begat Ama, otherwise known as Igbani in the history of books. Igbani is the one who gave birth to our great grandparents and down to us.

But somebody may be wondering why it took you about 400 hundred years to come out with this…

Yes, your observation is very, very true; you know, as peace loving people, maybe, as children of a new generation, we came out and saw the names our parents were bearing – although, while bearing this name, Ama Hart, people were telling us that we are King’s house people. That we are children of Ama, Princess of Amakiri, that Dappa-ye-Amakiri is father of Princess Ama and Dappa-ye-Amakiri was born by King Opu Dappa. This is what made us after some years to go to Hart House to clarify whether what they were telling us is true. We went to Hart House Opuwari to confront them and we met them in 2003.  They said they were trying to rearrange their constitution. So, we met them on ground and they told us that they have looked into their list that we are not part of them and that we should give them some time. It was after that disappointment that we said, no, we have to go back to our roots.

But did you continue to stay in Bonny or you later returned to Kalaibiama?

We returned to Kalaibiama from Bonny after taking cover under Hart House. We came back to Kalaibiama and aligned ourselves with the Harts in Kalaibiama, who are the Pollyns today. we aligned ourselves with them. As at then, Hart House was one family. We were together with them until 1929 when they (Pollyn) were looking for their own freedom because of their history that they were not owned by the Hart House. They went to court; the founder of Pollyn House, Fubaraibiwari Walter Pollyn, went to court in 1929. They took their case to court to get their independence from Hart House. In 1936, judgment was given that it could be an independent house. He (Fubaraibiwari Walter Pollyn) became the chief of the house and the Pollyn House was established. We did not opt out of that House; the Ama Hart, as we were bearing then, were still with them as one house up to 2003.

Does this explain why you are also bearing Pollyn?

No, we were not bearing Pollyn, we were just co-existing. We did not go by any other name apart from Ama Hart. We have four principal Opu Burusu (major units) in Amakiri-Ama family, which are Ada Kala Alali, Igweta, Awosobo, and Aya Gomie, which have various Burusu (minor units) under them.

Does this your self-determination effort have anything to do with any disagreement with either Tolofari or Pollyn Houses?

No, we are trying to go back to our roots, to be on our own, to get our status as we are supposed to be. All those affiliations we had came as a result of the war in 1869. 

Ok then earlier you mentioned the name Simon Hart…

Yes

How did Simon Hart come in since the Hart House is saying that you are not part of them?

Yes, the mother of Simon Hart is a member of the Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama family and like I said before Chief Adango IV married our daughter. 

There has been this issue of some families in Bonny Kingdom claiming they are connected to a certain ancestor and some come and counter them, now that you claim your family is linked to King Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama, do you think there is any such controversy arising therefrom?

No, there is no controversy at all. It is straight forward. What we want to tell the world is that we are descendants of Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama family. We are not Ama Hart. We are not using that name, Ama Hart anymore because we have no connection with them, except that Chief Oju Kunu, Adango IV married our daughter, Aya, and begat Agomie, who is now Simon Hart. 

Does it worry you that the Hart House would hold such position because the Perekule Family identifies with the Konio-ye-Awanta family because of marriage and because of that every Tobin House family member is accorded an open door to the Palace. Would you want the Chief of Captain Hart House to reconsider the position of his House on this issue?

No, it’s gone. We have made a declaration and we stand by our declaration. 

But even if you do not want to identify with Hart House, would you want the Hart House to take into account the fact that you are their in-laws?

Yes, of course, we want them to do that and they must keep to it; there is no way to erase that.

What would you be expecting from the King being the head of the George Pepple and the Perekule family?

Yes, we’re expecting that as the custodian of our history, with the extent we have gone to tell our history he should also study it, set up a team to look at what we are saying and do the needful like bringing us closer as part of the royal family, part of the royal group that we belong to; yes, that is our expectation.

When you look at the King’s developmental vision for Bonny Kingdom and the MOU and Roadmap of how to develop the kingdom, how do you intend to connect to this vision?

We know that in every clan or kingdom, when a king rises, he must be given due respect and loyalty; so, we are going to give him all the necessary support to help him achieve development for the kingdom. We are going to contribute our quota to see that our kingdom grows to an enviable height. As our head, it is our duty to respect him and pay loyalty until eternity.

Are you saying that if there is one family in the whole of Bonny Kingdom that if it comes to giving your life to make sure the King succeeds, it’s your family?

Yes, we are ready.

That’s what you are saying?

Yes, yes. 

That your loyalty party is that strong?

Our loyalty is unflinching.

About this move you are making now, what would you want Bonny, as whole, Rivers State, and Nigeria to understand about you?

What we are saying is that the people they used to know as Ama Hart are the same people now known as the Dappa-ye-Amakiri-Ama family. It is the same people, only the name changed and that is our root and we have gone back there. They should not know us as Ama Hart any more.