Bonny Island is situated at the southern edge of Rivers State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It is near Port Harcourt. Ferries are the main form of transport to and from the island. The local language spoken on Bonny Island is Ibani, which is an Ijaw dialect. Many natives also speak the Igbo language. History Located at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean on the Bight of Bonny, the island of Bonny serves as the seat of a traditional state known as the Kingdom of Bonny. Bonny was founded by a priest king known as Ndoli. He (as well as his successors Opuamakuba and Alagbariye) were the leaders of the founding group of Bonny Island. The virgin lands and territories of the island kingdom were settled about or before 1000AD. Asimini, the fourth king (but the first one to be crowned), founded a dynasty that went on to provide most of the kingdom's monarchs. Founding myth It is believed today that the founders of the island kingdom were originally from within the Isedani lineage of Kolokuma in the Ebeni-toru region (in the present day Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State). They were led to the new site by four direct descendants of Ebeni. These were Ndoli, Opuamakuba, Alagbariye and Asimini. Upon their arrival in Bonny, the four ruled the new settlement that they established there in turn. From these leaders and the entire founding generation of the kingdom evolved the lineage/ward/house system of governance that the kingdom is currently organized into. Structure of the kingdom The king, or monarch (lit. owner of the land), is provided by the Pepple dynasty and presides over a chieftaincy system composed of "Ase-Alapu" (or high chiefs of royal blood) and "Amadapu" (or district heads). All of the former serve as members of the Bonny Chiefs' Council, the amanyanabo's privy council. Bonny Island has thirty-four sub-sectional units (known as Houses). All represent the progeny of the founding generation of its kingdom. A few prominent houses are: (i) The Fubara Manilla Pepple House, (ii) The Wilcox House, (iii) The Jumbo House, and (iv) The Awusa Halliday House. The different houses are known for having individual ancestral headquarters. The early descendants of the Kongo lineage, for example, established Ikpapkayo (or, as it's known today, Finima). Notable events Bonny Island was a hotbed of economic activity right from the 15th century. The Portuguese arrived at