Akugbe-Oretin Club of Chicago

Akugbe-Oretin members migrated from Edo State of Nigeria, whose population is fairly homogeneous, and made up of the following major dialects: Edo, Esan, Etsako, Owan, Igarra and Okpameri. The Edo’s are the people that occupy the old Bini province of the Western Region of Nigeria which is today referred to as Edo State. According to historians, ” Edo’s were thought to have migrated south from the Nile Valley having very strong affinity to ancient Egyptian gods. The Edo tradition which is very well preserved is very similar to the tradition of Egyptian Pharaohs.” The Edo’s founded and ruled the ancient Benin Empire. The kingdom of Benin consisted of the capital city ( Benin City ) and several hundred of villages. The capital of the Edo State, Benin City is famous for its art treasures. Some of these art treasures such as plaques, Busts, Royal figures and Masks were looted by the British during the invasion of the Benin Empire in 1897. The people of Edo State are believed to have a common ancestry with similar beliefs, customs and culture. The religions of the people are Christianity, Islam and African Traditional religion. The historical origin of our people may have propelled our Founding fathers to organize Akugbe-Oretin Club in 1979 in Chicago, USA.