in the 15th century, the early itsekiris adopted a prince ginuwa (also called "iginuwa" in bini language) from the kingdom of benin as a monarch, and quickly coalesced into a kingdom under his rule. traditionally fishermen and traders, the itsekiri were among the first in the region to make contact with portuguese traders. these interactions in the 16th century led the itsekiri to become primarily roman catholic.