VILLAGES IN URUM

NAMES OF VILLAGES AND KINDREDS IN URUM.

Urum is made up of four major quarters or villages known as MKPU NA ANO DI N'URUM viz: Akaeze, Ifiteora, Umuife and Akitinyi. These villages are made of various large kindreds which in turn have cluster of extended families known as UMUNNA IME-UNO. It is pertinent to note that Urum just like most other cultures of the world, observes patrilineal descent.

We shall now take a cursory look at the four quarters and their component kindreds in their order of seniority.

AKAEZE is the paternal head of Urum. The original name, AKA-EZI  loosely translates to 'Roadside settlement' due to their geographical location. Akaeze people are domiciled in the southeastern part of the town. Akaeze goes by the appellation AKAEZE OWA-ATU because of their veneration and reverence of buffalo (atu) which serves as the totem of the village.

Akaeze is currently made up of three kindreds (Okpalaeze, Umuarune and Eziokpo)

1.OKPALAEZE comprises of;
A. Iruakpu (Umunwafor and Umuchife),
B. Evunukwu na Awana and C.Umunwaeli.

2.UMUARUNE is made up of the following kindreds;
A.UMUEMELIFE(Umuisiozor, Umuwaesena and Umuanazoba)
B. UMUOFUONU
C. UMUANUKO and
D. UMUEKWECHI

3. EZIOKPO is made up of the following kindreds;
A. Umuokpalaikwu
B. Umumoze-iwe or Umuezumayaka and
C. Ezike na Amagwuo
Some of the kindreds in Akaeze which are no longer in existence in the community owing to migration or extinction include UMUDIANA, UMANA, AKPUGO, OSINA, NWAGU/OBODO-ERI, etc.

IFITEORA is the second quarter in the order of seniority. The village is located in the northeastern bit of the town. Ifite as community name, is a household name across Igboland and beyond. The term 'IFITE' is believed to mean 'Rear Settlement' as it's understood to be the opposite of the word EZI which means road, hence the term EZI na IFITE(Ezinifite).
In a further sense of settlement pattern, Ifiteora is equally divided into NDIUNO(Akanabor) and OBUNAGU(Umuokpala, Umuirike and Akanator)

The kindreds in Ifiteora are as follows;
1. AKANABOR which is made up of
A.Okpalaeke and B.Akpulugede

2. UMUOKPALA has the following component kindreds;
A.Umuonyeukwu B.Umuokpala-agbaka(Umuerienne and Umuchilota)
C.Umuakpa and
D.Umuakuma-onyia

3.UMUIRIKE is made up of the following families;
A.Umualor
B.Umuilo and

4.AKANATOR is made up of three component families just as the name suggests. They are as follows;
A.Irunneacho
B.Umunnebo(Umuonwudolu, Ibi and Umuora-ogu) and

Umula, Ituku, Umuisiagu, among others were some of the kindreds in Ifiteora that are no longer in existence today due to extinction or migration.

UMUIFE originally known as UMUFIE descended from a man known as Chimifie who came from Agulu quarters of Awka town, hence the title  UMUIFE AGULU-AWKA. Umuife people have their settlement in the western part of Urum. Umuife has four kindreds, viz:
1.AMAGU

2.ENUAGU
A.Umuokpatadim
B.Umuezegu
C.Umuogbuefi

3.UMUOKPOGA christened UMUOKPALAEZE is made of the following families;
A.Umuokpalaebem
B.Umuobizuogene
C. Umuowulu and
D. Umuorabe


4.UMUATUMAGU
A.Umuakwaevu
B.Umunze
C.Umuchime


AKITINYI Village is located in the centre of Urum. Akitinyi is made up of the following kindreds;
1.UMUEZE
A.Umuchitezi
B.Umuonyodebe

2.IRUNWANZA now IRUOKPALA
A.Umuekwuabia
B.Umunri

3.UMUOTAMAKU christened UMUAKU. Umuaku is made up of the following sub-kindreds;
A. Umuezechiome
B. Umuobuana and
C. Umuomedoana

4.UMUDE...Udeaba the progenitor of this group left his primordial home in Umuarune, Akaeze in search of greener pastures for his farming and hunting vocations and settled in his present location at Obunagu Akitinyi which they share with Umuoma(Udumaga) people.

5.UMUDUMAGA now known as UMUOMA. These people are settled in the Obunagu quarters of Akitinyi, a settlement they share with their closest kith and kin, Umude. Umuoma is made up of the following sub-kindreds;
A. Umujiagu
B. Umuogba and
C. Umuigbanuvo.


Compiled by  P.C OKEKE ESQ

For:
URUM MEDIA TEAM