Clement Olumuyiwa Bakinde

There has been no holistic archeological research in the Okun speaking area of Kogi State in Nigeria, located within latitudes 7030’ to 8033’N and longitude 5015’ to 6030’E. Earlier researchers have only concentrated on isolated sites without attempting to write a unified culture history of the Okun people. This study provides much needed documentation, using a multidisciplinary approach. Archaeological, archival, ethnographic, linguistic, and oral traditional evidence are examined to produce a holistic view of the early history and the peopling of the area. The study presents processes of cultural evolution of the Okun people and the sequence of human occupation of the area, documenting aspects of the peopling of the confluence Nigerian area. Understanding the confluence area is relevant to a better understanding of state formation and urbanization of the Nigerian region.