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Arochukwu Disobedience. - Culture (4) - Nairaland

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Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by Deltagiant: 4:11pm On Nov 01, 2014
bigfrancis21:


And what is your point? If NI/WI found it difficult accepting the Igbo tag have you ever bothered understanding their cultural and societal background to understand why they might have done so? You're pointing fingers at NI for not accepting the Igbo tag when SI itself was very guilty of the same offence.

In the times of yore, 'Igbo' in Western Igboland and some areas of NI meant 'slave'. This might make more sense given that Southern Igboland participated more in the slave trade in selling themselves than did the NI (save for a few places). And NI/WI clans used 'Igbo' to refer to 'the set of people living downwards/southwards of them who sold themselves out as slaves'. Very little evidence exists for the wilful participation of NI in slavery. It is safe to say that slavery was largely frowned upon in NI axis. The 'disdain' you mentioned should therefore be now better understood by you.

In addition, entire southern Igboland clans never referred to themselves as 'Igbo' except maybe the Aruchukwu slave raiders (Arochukwu was also referred to as 'Aro Oke Igbo' or 'Okigbo' in short) that traversed the entire Igboland scouting for slaves. They were known to apply red coloring on their body in disguise before proceeding on their activities - the same people Olaudah might have referred to as 'Oye Eboe' (red men from a distance) when he wrote his book. The 'distance' Olaudah referring to probably being Arochukwu. The Igbere (Igbo ere) town in Abia state was named after an unsuccessful attempt by slave raiders (most likely Aro) to invade and capture slaves from the town but were resisted by the people. In celebration of their success, they named their town, 'Igbo ereghi' (the Igbo could not sell us. In other words, they were not 'Igbo' but rather the people who tried to invade them'). Such town names like this are equally subtle reminders of the non-generality of the 'Igbo' tag across southern Igboland.

Igbo slaves (who were mostly from the south), on arrival at the Americas, when asked their ethnicities mentioned their respective villages they came from and hardly mentioned 'Igbo' and were shocked to discover that they and everyone speaking similar dialects and from the Bight of Bonny were being called 'Igbo' in the Americas. Those slaves did not have the so-called Igbo consciousness as they were not born and raised with it.

The general Igbo consciousness and ethnic tag started coming into widespread acceptance and usage from around early 20th century after the British occupation of Nigeria and their grouping of similar-sounding dialects together as one.

The acceptance or non-acceptance of the Igbo tag is totally relevant to the authenticity of an Igbo clan. Before the advent of the Igbo ethnic group, these clans had always existed, interacted amongst themselves and knew themselves without any Igbo-attachment whatsoever.


I believe the ‘Igbo’ tag was wide spread before the advent of slavery than you wanna make me believe. How do we explain the towns of Akwukwu-Igbo and Igbo-uzo in the western Igbo heartland? These towns were founded way before the whites came for slaves. What were the founders actually trying to project with the ‘Igbo’ prefix?
Then, In the Northern Igbo territory, Agulu- Uzoigbo, Igboukwu (Igbo-nkwo), Igboetiti, Igbokenyi etc.. In the south: Umuakuruigbo(etche), Amaigbo, Igbo-etche and so on.

Adding to this strong cultural identity were personal names such as Igboanugo, Afigbo, Okigbo, Onuigbo, Odenigbo, Igboka, Igbokwe and so on. These names, I believe, will pass any historical enquiry that they existed before the trouble periods of slavery and colonization. Yes, the slaves might not have identified themselves as coming from an ‘Igbo’ ethnic group. They chose their clans/towns instead. But, that said, it is unlikely they did not know they spoke a language mutually intelligible called Igbo. These are two different things. Afterall, the white man defined an ethnic group for us….and all what that entails.
So, nwannem, Igbo aburo ife tata, odi gboo gboo!

1 Like

Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by bigfrancis21: 6:13pm On Nov 01, 2014
adusim:


My friend keep quiet. What is the purpose of this ramblings? Fact is, you people are not the origin of 'Igbo'! You have just admitted it! Nri are an off shoot of Igala and never accepted the tag 'Igbo'. We in Orlu have Amaigbo, which is rich with culture and is our ancestral origin. My people, Awo Omamma, migrated from Awo Idemili, which is in the same Orlu area. We have no knowledge of any place in your area and laugh amongst ourselves when pretenders who are not even real Igbos assume the cloak of originators!!!! My dear, ogadimma ooo!

What has my post got to do with Nri-Igbo origin you're taking about? You mentioned NI rejecting the Igbo tag, the issue I directly addressed and you instead brought up an entirely different topic altogether.

Nri begat Idemili, which begat Awo Idemili that begat Awo Omamma. wink

Almighty Nri, begetting clans since 1050AD! grin
Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by bigfrancis21: 6:21pm On Nov 01, 2014
Deltagiant:


I believe the ‘Igbo’ tag was wide spread before the advent of slavery than you wanna make me believe. How do we explain the towns of Akwukwu-Igbo and Igbo-uzo in the western Igbo heartland? These towns were founded way before the whites came for slaves. What were the founders actually trying to project with the ‘Igbo’ prefix?
Then, In the Northern Igbo territory, Agulu- Uzoigbo, Igboukwu (Igbo-nkwo), Igboetiti, Igbokenyi etc.. In the south: Umuakuruigbo(etche), Amaigbo, Igbo-etche and so on.

Adding to this strong cultural identity were personal names such as Igboanugo, Afigbo, Okigbo, Onuigbo, Odenigbo, Igboka, Igbokwe and so on. These names, I believe, will pass any historical enquiry that they existed before the trouble periods of slavery and colonization. Yes, the slaves might not have identified themselves as coming from an ‘Igbo’ ethnic group. They chose their clans/towns instead. But, that said, it is unlikely they did not know they spoke a language mutually intelligible called Igbo. These are two different things. Afterall, the white man defined an ethnic group for us….and all what that entails.
So, nwannem, Igbo aburo ife tata, odi gboo gboo!

Nice point you have there, showing the widespread use of 'Igbo' in town names in NI and WI.

The 'Igbo' tag might have been in town names but the widespread ethnic acceptance of 'Igbo' is what seems arguable. Igbo clans hardly saw themselves collectively as the same people called 'Igbo' but rather identified themselves by their village name. The collective Igbo ethnic consciousness as we have now was not obtainable then. This is what Adusym was referring to when he mentioned that NI clans rejected the Igbo tag, leaving only the south to it. And I tried explaining to him that the collective Igbo consciousness was not equally in the south as well. An example of which I gave him using Igbo slaves from the south who didn't see themselves as one or 'Igbo' until they got to the Americas.
Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by adusim: 12:04pm On Nov 02, 2014
bigfrancis21:


What has my post got to do with Nri-Igbo origin you're taking about? You mentioned NI rejecting the Igbo tag, the issue I directly addressed and you instead brought up an entirely different topic altogether.

Nri begat Idemili, which begat Awo Idemili that begat Awo Omamma. wink

Almighty Nri, begetting clans since 1050AD! grin

My friend, look for you kin folk elsewhere. Idemili in Anambra has nothing whatsoever to do with Awo Idemili.

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Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by proudlybia: 9:52pm On Dec 11, 2015
hahahaha bro iwe na ewekwa gi
adusim:


My friend, look for you kin folk elsewhere. Idemili in Anambra has nothing whatsoever to do with Awo Idemili.
Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by MansaPiye: 9:57pm On Feb 13, 2016


Bwahahaha! First off, Obalike never revealed that anybody from the towns you've mentioned (Aro or Onitsha) brought him gifts during his coronation. Onitsha might have (Arochukwu certainly not), but it is not on record that Obalike ever said so. I’ll even help you make your case by quoting the exact information Eze Nri Obalike gave Northcote Thomas in circa 1910. Note he said nothing about anybody bringing gifts. He only mentioned 'settling disputes' (which Thomas saw no evidence of), and made vague questionable statements about people (including the Bini) 'acknowledging' him - whatever that means.

“The Ezenri claimed that he had to settle disputes in the
territory that acknowledged him, i.e., as far as Amansi in
the east, Agoleri in the north, Umucuku in the south.
How far precisely he is recognized in the west I did not
ascertain. He mentioned among the towns subject to him,
Asaba, Isele, Agbor, and the land as far as Idu (Benin city),
but I have no evidence that Nri men go nearly so far west.
So far as I could see no disputes were referred to him at all….”

I’m assuming that you’ve seen this quote before, and that you thought ‘Umucuku’ was a reference to Arochukwu. Wrong. In the northern axis, Umuchukwu was (until about 1908) the official name of the town now called Aro-Ndikelionwu in Orumba area of Anambra state. In colonial records of the early period, ‘Umuchukwu’ appears as the actual name of Ndikelionwu. Ndikelionwu people occasionally still use the name. [Although fairly recently another town in that area has officially changed its name to Umuchukwu.]

What Eze Nri Obalike was actually saying there was that Ndikelionwu (not Arochukwu) was among the towns which acknowledged him and in which he settled disputes. Like all rulers Eze Nri exaggerated the extent of his authority. (Imagine saying Benin recognized his authority!) We have evidence (even evidence from traditions collected by Onwuejeogwu within Agukwu itself) that the Aro colonies, including Ndikelionwu, were completely irreverent to the authority of the Eze Nri. I’ve already mentioned the incident between Okoli Ijoma and Ezenri Enweleana. There are more examples of such show of non-recognition of Ezenri’s authority. The Aro-Ndikelionwu overwhelmed Nawfia (an Umu-Nri town) and used their road network to attack the Awka area in the 19th century. Aro-hired soldiers attacked Enugu-Ukwu, another Umu-Nri town, although they were successfully repulsed. Aro-hired soldiers attacked Nteje, an Umu-Eri town in 1891 and they fled to their kinsmen in Asaba. These are not the actions of a people that had any regard for Eze Nri’s authority. You can see some of the traditions mentioned here in Onwuejeogwu’s Nri Kingdom and Hegemony, Dike and Ekejiuba’s The Aro: a case study of state formation in southeastern Nigeria. There’s even an eyewitness account of the aftermath of the attack on Nteje in Isichei’s The Igbo Worlds.

I wouldn’t take an Eze Nri who says Benin was subject to him in the early 20th century seriously if I were you. Apparently every people that came into some sort of contact with his ritual agents were interpreted by him as being ‘subject to him.’ Note what Northcote said, “So far as I could see, no disputes were referred to him at all….”

You are doing a good job. Come back when you’ve found something better than Obalike’s self-aggrandizing words (which in any case made no reference to Arochukwu or many major towns in Igboland.)


.

Jedrej and Shaw never set foot in Igboland. Why would you think they would have anything ‘revealing’ to contribute here, beyond making the same mistakes people like Ehret made, sitting in their studies in US and Britain, and writing about something they knew so little about? In any case, can you quote Jedrej and Shaw’s actual words?

Perhaps its time to even place Nri in its right context in Igbo cultural history. Starting with the true nature of their relations with the Adama. And I may do so here on this thread.



I don’t know about elephant tusks. We did make the otonsi for Nri priests, the supreme paraphernalia of their ‘priesthood’. We never made one for Umuoji, though…because they were never ritual agents or representatives of the hegemony. Only the ‘Brahmin’ Nri families in Agukwu-Nri, Oraeri, and the Urunebo quarters of Enugu-Ukwu formed the hieratic elite that defined Nri’s hegemony. grin

Why is an Umuoji man carrying Nri matter on his head to the extent of having an ‘NriPriest’ moniker? No Umuoji man was ever an Nri Priest. Your Nriness is just as trivial as the Nriness of an Ogboli-Ibusa man, or an Aku (Nsukka) man grin

Will you shut up! Igbos will never give respect and credit where it is due just so they can put their own village or clan above others. Please let another Eze or Igwe go and break kola nut when it is presented to Igbos in the presence of Eze Nri. Aro stool is only 500 years! Our people recognize Okpala/okpara and there's no way you can leave a 1000 year old stool and pass the kola to anyone else, are you stupid?! Are you following Omenani or omenaenu?
Don't you know the reason the Oba of Benin sent his son to Isele Ukwu?! Read isselu ukwu history and you'll know it was an attempt to stop Nri influence at his doorstep! The Igbos in western Igboland came from Isu and Nri.
Hear someone who was actually there at the time! The Nri were interested in keeping the peace which is why they weren't in the business of abusing people. Ana Nri is a holy land that all ancient Igbos knew about which is why they ran to Nri for safety during the slave trade.
Let's respect ourselves and stop embrassing ourselves all the time while other groups are uniting.
The Aros were abusing their power as priests and were terrorising people! The Nri kingdom banned that evil slave trade that Aro people were engaged in.

“Nri or Nshi” - evidently the same place, but a different pronunciation of it is a town, which is situated about forty miles to the east, i.e. behind Onitsha… the inhabitants of this particular town are known as “king makers”, in other words, they possess the sole prerogative of conferring the title of royalty in all the Ibo country… they also, it appears, enjoy the privilege of walking untouched and unharmed through any portion of the same… so the Nri family, for the same scared reason, are not only the progenitor but also the priests of the whole Ibo race, as such, high priest, taking precedence over all other fraternities, priestly, social and political.” - The lower Niger and It’s tribes by Major A. G. Leonard (1890 -1906), a Cambridge scholar of comparative religion.
Published in 1906 after spending 10 years studying Igbo land.

1 Like

Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by MansaPiye: 10:00pm On Feb 13, 2016
“Nri or Nshi” - evidently the same place, but a different pronunciation of it is a town, which is situated about forty miles to the east, i.e. behind Onitsha… the inhabitants of this particular town are known as “king makers”, in other words, they possess the sole prerogative of conferring the title of royalty in all the Ibo country… they also, it appears, enjoy the privilege of walking untouched and unharmed through any portion of the same… so the Nri family, for the same scared reason, are not only the progenitor but also the priests of the whole Ibo race, as such, high priest, taking precedence over all other fraternities, priestly, social and political.” - The lower Niger and It’s tribes by Major A. G. Leonard (1890 -1906), a Cambridge scholar of comparative religion.
Published in 1906 after spending 10 years studying Igbo land.
Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by ChinenyeN(m): 10:08pm On Feb 13, 2016
And another otimkpu Nri stumbles his/her way into this thread. Just lia.

2 Likes

Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by MansaPiye: 11:07pm On Feb 13, 2016
“Nri or Nshi” - evidently the same place, but a different pronunciation of it is a town, which is situated about forty miles to the east, i.e. behind Onitsha… the inhabitants of this particular town are known as “king makers”, in other words, they possess the sole prerogative of conferring the title of royalty in all the Ibo country… they also, it appears, enjoy the privilege of walking untouched and unharmed through any portion of the same… so the Nri family, for the same scared reason, are not only the progenitor but also the priests of the whole Ibo race, as such, high priest, taking precedence over all other fraternities, priestly, social and political.” - The lower Niger and It’s tribes by Major A. G. Leonard (1890 -1906), a Cambridge scholar of comparative religion.
Published in 1906 after spending 10 years studying Igbo land.
When the Igbo farm village in America was dedicated, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo were contacted and they presented Eze Nri to represent Igbos. There's no superiority contest, it's just Omenani. Igbo Kwenu!

Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by UtuhMbadike1: 11:28pm On Nov 27, 2016
adusim:


My friend, look for you kin folk elsewhere. Idemili in Anambra has nothing whatsoever to do with Awo Idemili.

The Nri noise-makers are indeed relentless. For they were here, too. Adusim is a true son of his father; obviously an aborigine whose Awo Omamma ancestors migrated from the Ancient Kingdom of Awo-Idemmili. The original name was in fact “Awo-Edemiri”, until the recent switch to Awo-Idemmili, and it has nothing linking it to Anambra’s Idemmili. Awo-Edemiri/Awo-Idemmili is right in the heart of the aboriginal Orsu people, a tribe which, along with the Isu and the other Orlu/Amaigbo tribes, forms the purest/original Igbo kind. It’s no surprise that Adusim was quick to distance himself from Nri immigrants, employing these very conscious words:

“My friend, look for your kinfolk elsewhere. Idemili in Anambra has nothing whatsoever to do with Awo-Idemili ... keep quiet ... Fact is, you people are not originally Igbo ... Nri are an offshoot of Igala ... We in Orlu have Amaigbo, which is rich with culture and is our ancestral origin. My people, Awo Omamma, migrated from Awo-Idemili, which is in the same Orlu area. We have no knowledge of any place in your area and laugh amongst ourselves when pretenders who are not even real Igbos assume the cloak of originators!”

But what do Nri noise-makers know? I didn’t expect them to be aware of truly ancient and aboriginal Igbo kingdoms such as “The Ancient Kingdom of Awo-Edemiri”. For they have been lied to by their own people, and made to believe that it was through their arrival from Igala-land that the Igbo received civilisation and culture. Smh. Talk about the very height of madness.

A person had commented thusly:

“When the Igbo farm village in America was dedicated, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo were contacted and they presented Eze Nri to represent Igbos. There’s no superiority contest, it’s just Omenani.”

To which I say:

It is called “the power of branding”. Anambra happens to have the strongest brand among all Igbo States—and it’s thanks to the monetary clout of the lower half of Anambra. It has nothing, and I repeat—nothing—to do with the independent influence of the Nri and their king. A hypothetical Igbo State encompassing southern Anambra and northern Imo would bring together the closely related aboriginal Igbo tribes currently divided by the superficial State line. Such a State creation would equally bring together the two wealthiest halves of the two wealthiest Igbo States—forming an indomitable super State, that is. Above all else, it would silence the Nri noise-makers and force them to turn northward, toward their kin in Igala, Delta and Bini.

If you happen upon this post, Adusim, see what I told them here: https://www.nairaland.com/1491012/ndigbo-integrated-eri-nri-brother/4#51433040
Re: Arochukwu Disobedience. by bigfrancis21: 11:58pm On Nov 27, 2016
MansaPiye:


Will you shut up! Igbos will never give respect and credit where it is due just so they can put their own village or clan above others. Please let another Eze or Igwe go and break kola nut when it is presented to Igbos in the presence of Eze Nri. Aro stool is only 500 years! Our people recognize Okpala/okpara and there's no way you can leave a 1000 year old stool and pass the kola to anyone else, are you stupid?! Are you following Omenani or omenaenu?
Don't you know the reason the Oba of Benin sent his son to Isele Ukwu?! Read isselu ukwu history and you'll know it was an attempt to stop Nri influence at his doorstep! The Igbos in western Igboland came from Isu and Nri.
Hear someone who was actually there at the time! The Nri were interested in keeping the peace which is why they weren't in the business of abusing people. Ana Nri is a holy land that all ancient Igbos knew about which is why they ran to Nri for safety during the slave trade.
Let's respect ourselves and stop embrassing ourselves all the time while other groups are uniting.
The Aros were abusing their power as priests and were terrorising people! The Nri kingdom banned that evil slave trade that Aro people were engaged in.

“Nri or Nshi” - evidently the same place, but a different pronunciation of it is a town, which is situated about forty miles to the east, i.e. behind Onitsha… the inhabitants of this particular town are known as “king makers”, in other words, they possess the sole prerogative of conferring the title of royalty in all the Ibo country… they also, it appears, enjoy the privilege of walking untouched and unharmed through any portion of the same… so the Nri family, for the same scared reason, are not only the progenitor but also the priests of the whole Ibo race, as such, high priest, taking precedence over all other fraternities, priestly, social and political.” - The lower Niger and It’s tribes by Major A. G. Leonard (1890 -1906), a Cambridge scholar of comparative religion.
Published in 1906 after spending 10 years studying Igbo land.

This is very true. The Aros were well into slavery and the Nri were peacemakers. Nri kingdom started as early as the 900s. Arochukwu rose to influence in the 1600s/1700s.

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