Oyeh Mi Igbira and Ochi Ode (The Barter System among Ososo Women in Recent History) By Alfred Peters

Have you ever witnessed a kid exchanged one of his or her toys with another kid in return for one of theirs? Have you ever own something you felt the need to exchange for something else you want?

In this piece obtained for Akoko Edo Community newspaper by our editor, Albert Afeso Akanbi, a continuation of our series on ancient cultural stories, relating the story of Ososo women of recent history known as Oyeh mi Igbira, Alfred Peters shows that, like the kid in the example above, everyone barters. We have all bartered at one point or the other in our lives.

Barter is trading services or goods with another person when there is no money involved. This type of exchange was relied upon by ancient people across the planet, throughout most of early history. As a matter of fact, there are still communities within modern society who still rely on this type of exchange today, even in Nigeria, as we shall see in the concluding paragraph of this write up. Even though to a large extent it was replaced with the use of the more reliable means of exchange, money, bartering has been around for as long as we can remember. 

The barter system is defined as the exchange of goods for other goods without the use of any medium of exchange i.e. money. Barter system was prevalent at an early stage of man’s economic life when wants were very limited in number.

Because trade and commerce are both normal human activity, every society on the face of the earth engage in it. Although nobody can reliably state when the form of trading known as barter started actively with Ososo neighbors to the North of her borders, the gains from the barter activities must have been visible and largely lucrative for Ososo women to have engaged in it for a long period of time. And entrance into that form of trading activity was very popular among Ososo people of the time.

It is understood that all economic activities are grown from meeting the basic needs of other people who are ready and are willing to pay for the goods and services being offered. And these exchanges are necessary and relative and are, all things being equal, determined by the forces of demand and supply in any economy.

Our mothers in Ososo in those days, saw these trading activities as a means to augment and provide for their families. Most of our mothers who are presently in their 70s and their mothers and sisters in their 90s were actively engaged in the barter trade with our Igbira neighbours. Most widows engaged in this profitable venture to raise their children left behind by their deceased husband.  They often wake up as early as 4:00 am to embark on the journey to start the trading activities.

The Igbira, as it was in time past, and as it is today, are mostly very good farmers who live in their farm camps called “Ujeh”, and they seldom go home to their more organized villages and communities. It therefore behooves that their basic needs and supplies be provided by traders who can supply and meet these needs in exchange for their farm products. Our mothers came in handy since these supplies are readily available in Ososo markets. The means and currency of exchange was farm produce for the items of supplies and the rates were determinable accordingly. And so our mother would take the items listed below to the Igbira farmers in their camps to exchange for other items.

The veritable goods for exchange and the alternate value are as follows; palm oil in bottles and farm produce were exchanged for a big bottle (bear bottle) and 12 tubers of yam. Small bottle (Coke bottle) for 6 tubers of yam, these rates exchange differs with the distance of the camp as this may be less if the camp is closer to the community. Okpasa Cake (locus beans), 10 units for 14 tubers of yams, 5 units for 7 tubers of yams. Coconut, 3 units for 5 tubers of yam, Tobaco leaves, leaves for 2 to 3 tubers and so on. Dried fish, 5 fingers of fish and 6-7 tubers of yam, Cigarettes, stick for 2-3 tubers of yam. Beans & maize seeds for a measure of dried cassava, Plantains & Bananas, a bunch of bananas/plantains for some tubers of yam.

It is notable that the prices could also mostly depends on the generosity of the persons on both sides of the bargain, or the marketing skills of those involved.

Ochi Ode

Our mothers were also trading in hand-woven clothes to faraway Okugbe/Ode market in east of Etsako. In those days, they would leave very early and go through the usual route which took them to Ukpilla axis and then through the ridges of Ukashe to the market. the trek through the long journey with the cloth is termed Odeh akokochi on their heads to seek for good prices for their goods.

Our mothers’ overall interest in engaging in all forms of trading, be it barter as it was in those days, or through the use of money as it is today, is to provide a better life for their families. They toil and work long hours to ensure that their children are not left behind and are given the best they could afford.

While we doff our caps for our women folks, it might interest you to know that, even though the barter system has been replaced with the money economy, and even though about every 21st century human being today believes money is the answer to almost all problems, there still exist a few communities in the world, like the southern Nigerian community of Esuk Mba community where in their market, in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State, there still exist people who believe in trading by barter instead of money. There, like Ososo mothers of old, locals exchange one food item for another one, and they have been doing this since 1956 when their community market was established.

As we celebrate Ososo mothers, and all other mothers around the world like them, we must understand one truth about the barter system; which is that, it is to take back control, to remove your investment from industries and practices that are inherently built on the exploitation of people and the natural world. To barter is to invest your time and your possessions into other people and not the pockets of billionaires. To barter is to conduct business with a human face, even without knowing it, to a largest extent…

Alfred Peters is a technocrat, a lover of stories, and an Ososo indigene. He writes from Lagos.