INTERGROUP RELATIONS BETWEEN THE BENIN AND THE ESAN PEOPLE

SUMMARY

The purpose of this study was to examine the intergroup relations between the Benin and the Esan people. It addresses a brief history and origin of the Benin and Esan People, the socio cultural life of the Benin and Esan People, the concept of intergroup relations in precolonial times and the nature and dimension of intergroup relations among the Benin and Esan People within the scope of the precolonial era. The study reveal that though Nigeria is now seen as a country, its components groups that made up the country had existed as distinct groups before the coming of colonial rule.1 These distinct groups interrelated among themselves and intermingled which results in several evidences of intergroup relations. The study aver that intergroup relations is both the individual interactions involving members from different groups and the collective behaviour of groups in interaction with other groups, at either the intra or inter organizational level. This show that all form of contact that brings two different groups together whether been peaceful or conflict relations is regarded as intergroup relations. As emphasized in this work, “Whenever individuals belonging to one group interact, collectively or individually, with another group or its members in terms of their group identification, we have an instance of intergroup behaviour.