And you expect us to live in the past?

If you think you know IGBO language translate this sentence to IGBO: "IT IS VERY RISKY" 50000 US Dollars

ckkris:
Igbos unite!

Literally, it says Igbos agree, and that's not correct, WAEC won't accept that.

odumchi:

"Kwenu" in the context of "Igbo kwenu" means "respond"; "cheer"; "allegiance"; "solidarity"; "unity".

Saying "Igbo kwenu" at a social gathering means to affirm the oneness and unity of the peoples present. The response is "ya".

ahh! ok i see.
thanks guys

REALITY101:

It means "Igbo's hot like fire"

here you go.

stevebond007: I hope few years from now we still b able to sustain our languages with the rate ds kids neglect their mother tongue.

And I put the blame mostly on the older generation who speak English to their kids at home and in school, from when they are born, then expect such kids to fluently speak their language in pre-teen or teen years when they realize THEIR mistake.

pls can someone help? I cant see any voice to download.

DEGREE2466: And you expect us to live in the past?

If you think you know IGBO language translate this sentence to IGBO: "IT IS VERY RISKY" 50000 US Dollars

Ezi onwunwa di ya.

Policewoman: pls can someone help? I cant see any voice to download.

Arochukwu men:
https://soundcloud.com/pittriversound-1/1914-80-150

Awka girls:
https://soundcloud.com/pittriversound-1/1914-80-125

Bini:
https://soundcloud.com/pittriversound-1/1914-80-34

bokohalal:
There is Edo language. Did not get the first part but the chorus "ghe omon,ghe omon" is Edo and means "behold a child,behold a child".

I'm coming now.

odumchi:

Arochukwu men:
https://soundcloud.com/pittriversound-1/1914-80-150

Awka girls:
https://soundcloud.com/pittriversound-1/1914-80-125

Bini:
https://soundcloud.com/pittriversound-1/1914-80-34

Wow!!! This is so wonderful. I recognise the awka accent because i schooled there. The song too sounded like a typical Igbo song, and we are talking about 1911 My great grandmother wasn't even born by then.

eziza:

I'm coming now.

You right! Just listened to it again.
"Eban de.Ghe omon.Ghe omon. Ghe omon"

odumchi,
do you have any other recordings?

Policewoman: Wow!!! This is so wonderful. I recognise the awka accent because i schooled there. The song too sounded like a typical Igbo song, and we are talking about 1911 My great grandmother wasn't even born by then.

Then you must be in your teens or your maths is poor. Hyperboles don't cut it if it's you.

one bruv sounded as if there was a prick in his ass in dat music...ayin ni papa ee po...nice sound to drink alomo too..where they from?

odumchi:

Ezi onwunwa di ya.

i hear you
onwunwa is temptation
RISKY is ......:..........:.........?

DEGREE2466: And you expect us to live in the past?

If you think you know IGBO language translate this sentence to IGBO: "IT IS VERY RISKY" 50000 US Dollars

o dikwa very risky

DEGREE2466:

i hear you
onwunwa is temptation
RISKY is ......:..........:.........?

Depending on usage, 'onwunwa' can mean temptation, trying one's luck, or taking chances (risk).

Kedu ego m?

*Kails*:
odumchi,
do you have any other recordings?

Unfortunately, no, I don't. I found these all online though. I'm sure there are many more that are free.

Let's get something straight.. I have taken my time τ̲̅☺ review the authenticity.. And I was wowed it is true.. There is this huge part of ϻë that wants τ̲̅☺ g̶̲̥̅̊ợ̣̣̝̇̇̇ back in time and see h̶̲̥̅̊ợ̣̣̝̇̇̇w̶̲̥̅̊ these white bleeps colonized us.. Would βε̲̣̣̣̥ cool much!

TVT KOKO: I dnt hav tym to dwnload because ur english tell wat to xpect (bastardization languages. SMH)

thats what are sayin.even britons fail english in school and they are not persecuted.tell me if u did not unferstand what he meant.

Smartie gurl: 1911 you say? I thought there was nothing like recording devices and stuffs like that then? How come that was recorded?

Can you navigate the internet? If yes, then its a shame you haven't heard of Thomas Edison with his many inventions.

You should consider changing your name from Smartie gurl to Dull gurl.

Na by force to comment?

odumchi: The first Igbo one is from Arochukwu while the second one is from Oka. Both sent chills down my spine. Imagine how we, over a century later, are able to still listen to the voices of people long dead. Bekee bu agbara n'ezi.

Odumchi at it again!

I would like to remind ALL Aro protagonists that life in Igboland does not start and end in Arochukwu. Your obsession with Aro which tends to make you to appropriate anything good in Igbo land to Aro is really irritating. Do I need to remind you that Arochukwu is NOT synonymous with Igbo! Suddenly, Aro Oje-ozi (Aro, the messenger) of old has metamorphosed to Aro Okigbo! Do I also need to remind you that Aro people do not possess 100% Igbo DNA?

All I have expected was for one of you to tell us the lyrics of the song rather than make another claim for Arochukwu. lol! I bet you that the Igbo dialect spoken in that song is nowhere near Aro. Why do I think so:

(1) The lyrics are clear Igbo words of which I can conveniently explain 50% of what it is saying. I am from Imo State by the way and neither understand nor speak Aro dialect. I challenge any Aro person here to prove me wrong by translating the lyrics.

(2) I should also think that the white-man that recorded the song would have found it more convenient to visit a village/locality nearer to major trade centres in Igboland like Port Harcourt, Onitsha, etc. Besides, considering the road networks in Igbo land in 1911, accessing Arochukwu would have been a Herculean task.

(3) I stand to be corrected, but when villages/localities that are known for male choral groups are mentioned in Igboland, Arochukwu may not be on the list. Up till date, communities in Mbaise, Ngwa, Owerri, Asaba, Etche, Ikwerre, Ugwuta etc have sustained the trend over the years. Is it not possible that it could have been from one of them?

Ndi Arochukwu, abeg make una free us!

Opinion_Leader:

Odumchi at it again!

I would like to remind ALL Aro protagonists that life in Igboland does not start and end in Arochukwu. Your obsession with Aro which tends to make you to appropriate anything good in Igbo land to Aro is really irritating. Do I need to remind you that Arochukwu is NOT synonymous with Igbo! Suddenly, Aro Oje-ozi (Aro, the messenger) of old has metamorphosed to Aro Okigbo! Do I also need to remind you that Aro people do not possess 100% Igbo DNA?

All I have expected was for one of you to tell us the lyrics of the song rather than make another claim for Arochukwu. lol! I bet you that the Igbo dialect spoken in that song is nowhere near Aro. Why do I think so:

(1) The lyrics are clear Igbo words of which I can conveniently explain 50% of what it is saying. I am from Imo State by the way and neither understand nor speak Aro dialect. I challenge any Aro person here to prove me wrong by translating the lyrics.

(2) I should also think that the white-man that recorded the song would have found it more convenient to visit a village/locality nearer to major trade centres in Igboland like Port Harcourt, Onitsha, etc. Besides, considering the road networks in Igbo land in 1911, accessing Arochukwu would have been a Herculean task.

(3) I stand to be corrected, but when villages/localities that are known for male choral groups are mentioned in Igboland, Arochukwu may not be on the list. Up till date, communities in Mbaise, Ngwa, Owerri, Asaba, Etche, Ikwerre, Ugwuta etc have sustained the trend over the years. Is it not possible that it could have been from one of them?

Ndi Arochukwu, abeg make una free us!

Biateeri, nwonye ke, I kpuru ìsì? Could you not clearly see that the recording was labelled "Umuchukwu"? How many "Umuchukwus" do we have in Igboland? What other people refer to themselves as "Umuchukwu" if not the Aro?

You don't know what Aro dialect sounds like yet you claim that it's not Aro? Tell me your town/local government and I will tell you if your dialect is similar to ours.

(1) I don't understand everything he's saying mainly because the audio isn't clear. However, I can pick up words like "Okigbo muru m", which means "Aro which gave me birth", and "Okereke" and "Eze Nwanyi". The word "Okereke" automatically knocks out Onicha and anywhere else in present-day Anambra or Enugu because they don't answer "Okereke".

(2) The white men who recorded this were anthropologists and not traders, so why should they seek commercial centers? Port Harcourt was not a major commercial center at that time and Onicha was busy being Christianized by missionaries who would've frowned at the "pagan music" which these men were enjoying.

Even at that, Arochukwu did sit on a centuries-old trade route which connected it to Bende (the largest market-town in Igboland prior to the coming of the white men), Calabar, Afikpo, Ngwa, and Uzuakoli. Therefore, accessing Arochukwu would not have been a "Herculean task" since all they needed to have done was follow the same old indigenous footpaths or follow the same trail which the British Niger Company had used in its sacking of Arochukwu nine years earlier.

Besides, at that time Arochukwu was being visited by missionaries (like Mary Slasor) who came to Christianize the newly-conquered people.

(3) You aren't correct. It seems that you are forgetting that Arochukwu possesses the Ekpe, Akang and Ekpo fraternities and thus, like all Ekpe, Akang and Ekpo practicing-communities, has a strong musical background and is well-versed in Igbo and Ibibio folk music. Since these institutions are male-run, male choir groups are responsible for the vocals, the drumming, and any other sounds which are produced at their masquerade displays or events in general. Also, Arochukwu is home to a wide variety of music genres ranging from Ugbo Ali to Itembe and Odumodu (midnight singing).

Furthermore, most of the communities in the Bende region of Abia practice the "Ikpirikpe ogu" (war dance), which has become an international Igbo icon. Tell me: are men not responsible for the singing and instrumentals?

Inyi vula nu ya ugbua? Nde si guma n'o bu nde Aro ji wo amaghi ihe n'awa wo. O bu wo ugha.

My guy, go and look for what's troubling you. It's certainly not Aro. By the way, who are "Aro Oje Ozi" or is that a joke?

bokohalal:

You right! Just listened to it again.
"Eban de.Ghe omon.Ghe omon. Ghe omon"

Yea, and it sounds similar to this chorus usually sung during traditional marriages.

Ghe omo, ghe omo
Ghe omo, ghe omo
Ghe omo, ghe omo oo
Omo n'ogie...
Aikpitan ye omo na
Ghe omo, ghe omo
Ghe omo, ghe omo
Ghe omo, ghe omo oo
Omo n'ogie.

odumchi:

Biateeri, nwonye ke, I kpuru ìsì? Could you not clearly see that the recording was labelled "Umuchukwu"? How many "Umuchukwus" do we have in Igboland? What other people refer to themselves as "Umuchukwu" if not the Aro?

You don't know what Aro dialect sounds like yet you claim that it's not Aro? Tell me your town/local government and I will tell you if your dialect is similar to ours.

(1) I don't understand everything he's saying mainly because the audio isn't clear. However, I can pick up words like "Okigbo muru m", which means "Aro which gave me birth", and "Okereke" and "Eze Nwanyi". The word "Okereke" automatically knocks out Onicha and anywhere else in present-day Anambra or Enugu because they don't answer "Okereke".

(2) The white men who recorded this were anthropologists and not traders, so why should they seek commercial centers? Port Harcourt was not a major commercial center at that time and Onicha was busy being Christianized by missionaries who would've frowned at the "pagan music" which these men were enjoying.

Even at that, Arochukwu did sit on a centuries-old trade route which connected it to Bende (the largest market-town in Igboland prior to the coming of the white men), Calabar, Afikpo, Ngwa, and Uzuakoli. Therefore, accessing Arochukwu would not have been a "Herculean task" since all they needed to have done was follow the same old indigenous footpaths or follow the same trail which the British Niger Company had used in its sacking of Arochukwu nine years earlier.

Besides, at that time Arochukwu was being visited by missionaries (like Mary Slasor) who came to Christianize the newly-conquered people.

(3) You aren't correct. It seems that you are forgetting that Arochukwu possesses the Ekpe, Akang and Ekpo fraternities and thus, like all Ekpe, Akang and Ekpo practicing-communities, has a strong musical background and is well-versed in Igbo and Ibibio folk music. Since these institutions are male-run, male choir groups are responsible for the vocals, the drumming, and any other sounds which are produced at their masquerade displays or events in general. Also, Arochukwu is home to a wide variety of music genres ranging from Ugbo Ali to Itembe and Odumodu (midnight singing).

Furthermore, most of the communities in the Bende region of Abia practice the "Ikpirikpe ogu" (war dance), which has become an international Igbo icon. Tell me: are men not responsible for the singing and instrumentals?

Inyi vula nu ya ugbua? Nde si guma n'o bu nde Aro ji wo amaghi ihe n'awa wo. O bu wo ugha.

My guy, go and look for what's troubling you. It's certainly not Aro. By the way, who are "Aro Oje Ozi" or is that a joke?

(1) Let me start with your last statement. I do not have anything troubling me brother; needless to add that I do not hate Aro people. I am only trying to educate some you new generation Aro, who probably do not know the other side of your history.

Aro people are wonderful people, I must confess. Yet you very are crafty (cunning) in nature and your superiority claim over other Igbo people is quite disturbing. You tend to forget that in most Igbo villages, you are regarded next in line to Ohu and Osu. #Fact! Little wonder in some Igbo communities, marrying an Aro person is considered ...

(2) Forget what your forefathers may have told you. In prehistoric Igbo, Aro people were known and addressed as Aro Oje-Ozi. This came about as they were believed to be "messengers of the gods" (presumably Chukwu Abiama, a 'powerful' juju in Aro land as at then. Wherever a need arose for sacrifices to be made in an Igbo village, an Aro man would be sought to go and discard the sacrifice (i.e what Igbo call "Ibupu aja). Their functions were similar to those of Biblical Levites. It is worthy of mention that Nri people were known to perform rituals and carry out spiritual activities similar to Aaron and his children.(By the way, I am not from Nri but a thoroughbred Igbo man who says it the way it is).

(3) Agreed Ikpirikpe Ogu (War Dance) you talked about was by men. Remember, it is and still remains WAR DANCE and of course men go to war but the song under review doesn't in any way sound like it. The instrumentation and rhythm of this particular one and the war dance are clearly different.

(4) One thing that interest me in your write up is that you made reference to Ibibio. I love that! It clearly shows that most of you haven't forgotten that you are a product of mix blood of Igbo and Ibibio/Efik/etc. You therefore cannot lay claim to being Igbo than most of us from the heartland of Igbo land. Your Igbo dialect bears testimony to what I am saying.

(5) I know what Aro dialect sounds like. I have Aro friends both male and female till date. In fact, I dated three different Ago babes as a bachelor. One hails from Atani Mmawuru. Another from Aro (village) in Okigwe and another from Aro Ndi-Izuogu. Eventually, my people kicked against them all simply because they are Aro!

(6) I take it that you cannot interpret the lyrics of the song if all you could hear was Okereke. Let me help you. The song is a dirge (egwu akwa), mourning a certain woman. I would have given you the interpretation now, but I'm already running out of time right now. By the way, Okereke is a popular name in Imo and Abia states. It is erroneous to adjudge it an Aro name. In Owerri and Ngor Okpala, it is usually shortened to Okere. (E.g. Steph-Nora Okere and Stephenie Okereke are not from Aro).

(7) On the Umuchukwu stuff, there was never a place in the lyrics where the people referred to themselves as Umuchukwu. I really don't know how that came about. By the way, you have not visited all communities in Igbo land to know that Umuchukwu does not exist elsewhere. Can you also confirm if there is any particular village in Arochukwu called Umuchukwu.

On a final note, I urge you to desist from insults; refute the facts before you instead.

Igbo kwenu!!

Shine u Eye:

Can you navigate the internet? If yes, then its a shame you haven't heard of Thomas Edison with his many inventions.

You should consider changing your name from Smartie gurl to Dull gurl.

Na by force to comment?

dude, i re-read ma comment and found out that my question was very much simple. We all here to learn, and is not a crime if i learn from ya you know....and hey, you shouldn't insult me for whatsoever. Thanks.

Smartie gurl: dude, i re-read ma comment and found out that my question was very much simple. We all here to learn, and is not a crime if i learn from ya you know....and hey, you shouldn't insult me for whatsoever. Thanks.

Sorry girl, I mistook you for the trolls who go around nairaland looking for a thread to troll.

Opinion_Leader:

(1) Let me start with your last statement. I do not have anything troubling me brother; needless to add that I do not hate Aro people. I am only trying to educate some you new generation Aro, who probably do not know the other side of your history.

Aro people are wonderful people, I must confess. Yet you very are crafty (cunning) in nature and your superiority claim over other Igbo people is quite disturbing. You tend to forget that in most Igbo villages, you are regarded next in line to Ohu and Osu. #Fact! Little wonder in some Igbo communities, marrying an Aro person is considered ...

(2) Forget what your forefathers may have told you. In prehistoric Igbo, Aro people were known and addressed as Aro Oje-Ozi. This came about as they were believed to be "messengers of the gods" (presumably Chukwu Abiama, a 'powerful' juju in Aro land as at then. Wherever a need arose for sacrifices to be made in an Igbo village, an Aro man would be sought to go and discard the sacrifice (i.e what Igbo call "Ibupu aja). Their functions were similar to those of Biblical Levites. It is worthy of mention that Nri people were known to perform rituals and carry out spiritual activities similar to Aaron and his children.(By the way, I am not from Nri but a thoroughbred Igbo man who says it the way it is).

(3) Agreed Ikpirikpe Ogu (War Dance) you talked about was by men. Remember, it is and still remains WAR DANCE and of course men go to war but the song under review doesn't in any way sound like it. The instrumentation and rhythm of this particular one and the war dance are clearly different.

(4) One thing that interest me in your write up is that you made reference to Ibibio. I love that! It clearly shows that most of you haven't forgotten that you are a product of mix blood of Igbo and Ibibio/Efik/etc. You therefore cannot lay claim to being Igbo than most of us from the heartland of Igbo land. Your Igbo dialect bears testimony to what I am saying.

(5) I know what Aro dialect sounds like. I have Aro friends both male and female till date. In fact, I dated three different Ago babes as a bachelor. One hails from Atani Mmawuru. Another from Aro (village) in Okigwe and another from Aro Ndi-Izuogu. Eventually, my people kicked against them all simply because they are Aro!

(6) I take it that you cannot interpret the lyrics of the song if all you could hear was Okereke. Let me help you. The song is a dirge (egwu akwa), mourning a certain woman. I would have given you the interpretation now, but I'm already running out of time right now. By the way, Okereke is a popular name in Imo and Abia states. It is erroneous to adjudge it an Aro name. In Owerri and Ngor Okpala, it is usually shortened to Okere. (E.g. Steph-Nora Okere and Stephenie Okereke are not from Aro).

(7) On the Umuchukwu stuff, there was never a place in the lyrics where the people referred to themselves as Umuchukwu. I really don't know how that came about. By the way, you have not visited all communities in Igbo land to know that Umuchukwu does not exist elsewhere. Can you also confirm if there is any particular village in Arochukwu called Umuchukwu.

On a final note, I urge you to desist from insults; refute the facts before you instead.

Igbo kwenu!!

(1) Do you actually expect me to recieve your argument in good light when you speak so condescendingly and disrespectfully even to the extent of referring to me as a member of this "new Aro generation" which so badly needs your "education"? The fact that you don't even know my age magnifies this insult.

(2) You are also forgetting that these same "Aro Oje-Ozi" were agents of Ibini Ukpabi who settled in foreign communities and served as representatives and spies of the oracle. Their presence helped in the diffusion of Aro institutions like Ekpe (known as Okonko outside Arochukwu), which helped create the peace and stability that fostered economic growth and development. In their foreign host communities, the Aro were immune to physical attack and thus able to trade and establish their markets freely. Since the presence of Aro traders meant growth in economic activity and protection by Abam warriors, communities welcomed them and offered them land upon which to settle and establish markets and commercial centers. The monopoly and influence that the Aro cunningly developed and acquired eventually led to the birth of the term "Aro Okigbo".

(3) I didn't say that that was the Ikperikpe Ogu. You said that Arochukwu was not known for having male choral groups and I simply mentioned the Ikperikpe Ogu (which afterall is a practice that requires a highly-developed tradition of male choral singing) to refute that claim.

(4) We Aro possess elements of Ibibio and Efik in our culture. Ngen me kwan? And so what? I was not claiming to that we are "more Igbo" than anyone. We view ourselves as an Igbo people and have absolutely no reason to consider ourselves "less Igbo" than anyone from Agukwu Nri or Amaigbo. In the same way, we are proud of our identity, our language, and our impact on Igbo history, thus we are called "Aro Okigbo". What this particular segment boils down to is that you are using your "heartland communities" as a yardstick for being Igbo, and as we have seen on several threads on Nairaland, that simply won't do.

My dialect is my dialect. It's only natural that the farther away you move from your community, the less intelligible speech becomes.

(5)That's a pity. The original Aro dialect is only spoken at Arochukwu; meaning of those girls you listed, the one from Atani is the only one with whom I share dialect.

(6) I did not say all I heard was Okereke. I simply said that I could only pick up a few things since they were not singing clearly enough for me to identify the song. You clearly misunderstood what I wrote. I did not say that Okereke was an Aro name. I simply said that since they mentioned Okereke, that automaticlally means that they can't be from anywhere in present-day Anambra or Enugu (since you said that it could be from Onicha or Ikwere). Ikwere is also disqualified since they answer Okoko and not Okereke.

I am well aware that Urata answers Okere (just like Chimuanya Okere).

(7) This Umuchukwu thing should not even be debated - atleast not with me, that is. The original anthropologists who recorded this said these people called themselves "Umuchukwu". The Aro are the only people in pre-colonial Igboland who refer to themselves as Umu Chukwu; meaning children of the famed Chukwu, who is said to reside within Ibini Ukpabi. If you have any objections to make as to the location of this recording, take that up with the anthropologists who labelled it as such.

No one made any insults. Rather, before you attempt to "educate the new Aro generation", make sure you clearly read what that member of "the new Aro generation" wote.

Ndeewo.

Shine u Eye:

Sorry girl, I mistook you for the trolls who go around nairaland looking for a thread to troll.

We cool hun..

I don't know what you guys are arguing about but Arochukwu people were everywhere including Oguta. Umuchukwu is used for Aro settlers in every locality around the Niger Delta or Southeast. Some Ijaw speaking people called them "Suku" while Ikwerre called them Rumuchukwu and they are everywhere in Ikwerreland too. Today most of those Aros are no longer Aros but members of the groups they've found themselves even as far away as Cameroun and Garbon however they know their root..

I'm not sure how Odumchi's post would warrant all of this, but anyway. Many southeastern/lower Niger communities recognize Aro people as the "Umuchukwu" There no debate about it. If the recording was done in the early 20th century and denotes "Umuchukwu", then it is likely it is referring to Aro or an Aro-connected community.

Very fascinating!

Interesting. Am I the only one that found hard to understand them?
I understood the Akwa women better than the Arochukwu men but even then, the akwa women there were some part I couldn't make out. Likewise, the arochukwu there was parts I could make out.
Interesting but the songs sounds just like all the traditional Igbo songs no? At least in my ear it does.

Working Into Positivity With Saro Musical. http:///12WsfSI #SaroMusical