ezeagu please explain to me how the "Iko" practices are widespread in Igboland. In fact show me which Igbo clans where it is widespread.
Also convince me that women were allowed to willingly choose not to marry (even if not forced on them by their fathers who couldn't have male children).

I will stand to be corrected.

carnegiefan:
ezeagu please explain to me how the "Iko" practices are widespread in Igboland. In fact show me which Igbo clans where it is widespread.
Also convince me that women were allowed to willingly choose not to marry (even if not forced on them by their fathers who couldn't have male children).

I will stand to be corrected.

I'm not a teacher. First of all ask yourself what do the words 'iko' and 'enyi' mean in a pre-20th century Igboland. After that ask yourself who Ahebi Ugbagbe is.

If you're still lost, try: https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=igbo+iko+sex

Which yields results like:

"There is no emphasis among the Igbo on sexual services being exclusive and confined to husband and wife. All that the culture demands is that sex be institutionalized. Iko mbara is one such institution."

The Igbo, as seen by others, F. Chidozie Ọgbalụ 1988

and:

"Suffice it to say that Igbo law of the family did not have the same categorical view of the limits to sexual activity within and outside marriage as it did under the laws of the Christian Church."
New Dimensions in African Linguistics and Languages, Michael J C Echeruo, 1999
https://books.google.com/books?id=ETWcs9nplAEC&pg=PA296

or:

"The iko practice is a sexual tolerance that spreads all over the Igboland and some parts of Nigeria."
The Igbo family life and cultural change, Starling E. Nlemchukwu Anyanwu, 1976

maybe:

"Going beyond the various influences of colonialism, religion, and modernity is crucial in understanding Igbo sexual attitudes prior to their assimilation of norms that were designed to instill passivity in women and constrain their sexual autonomy."
Sex from Plato to Paglia, Alan Soble, 2006
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IMTEiTtqqPcC&pg=PA39

You can look for more under 'iko mbara' if you want, there's plenty.

ezeagu:


Before British colonisation there was no knowledge of any Israel or Jewish origin anywhere in Nigeria. I've told you that the so called cultural links are very generic and can be found in cultures around the world and Igbo people have had their genes analysed and there is no relationship with them and the Middle East, in fact the Igbo are unsurprisingly closely related to people around them, there is no single trace of genetics from Israel, such that has been found in other ethnic groups confirmed to have Jewish ancestry like the Lemba people and Ethiopian Jews. We're trying to tell you that are many communities in Igboland that not only recognise Nri, but are completely oblivious to who they are or what their history was, therefore how can a people be the cornerstone of Igbo cultures when they are so diverse and so many?

Even if all you said about Nri were true, the point remains that the things Arochukwu introduced later on became more relevant to the communities they influenced, such as ekpe and okonko. Still, Nri influence from just 1000 years ago does not inform us of the origin of the Igbo people, if that is what you're getting at, because there is evidence of cultures that have existed in Igboland thousands of years before Nri.

This is one of the reasons why I hate this Jewish link theory, you people don't actually realise that you are belittling yourselves by attaching your origins to a people that are not only younger than you but received the information for them to build their civilisation several millennia after you. One such sites of this knowledge in Igboland can be found at Lejja in Enugu State where the Iron age started before anywhere else, meaning there were a group of people smelting iron before Israel was even thought of: http://www.i360limited.com/tour-nigeria/south-east/enugu/lejja-iron-smelting-kingdom-i360-virtual-tour-nigeria

There's a number of other archaeological evidence of civilisation in Igboland thousands of years before Israel or Judah.

Its really difficult trying to educate these "Ibo Jews" that they are actually reducing their being to a nullity. Why not that the Jews came from Igbo land?. What's the special attachment to Jews. What's so difficult about just being an Igbo period.

kmariko:


Its really difficult trying to educate these "Ibo Jews" that they are actually reducing their being to a nullity. Why not that the Jews came from Igbo land?. What's the special attachment to Jews. What's so difficult about just being an Igbo period.

And why do you persist in telling Igbos what to do and think about their history?

carnegiefan:
ezeagu please explain to me how the "Iko" practices are widespread in Igboland. In fact show me which Igbo clans where it is widespread.

'Iko' culture is part of the culture of pre-colonial Ngwa, Etche, Asa, Ndoki, parts fo Ikwere [if I remember correctly], parts of present-day Umuahia and parts of Mbaise (I can't speak for the entire area). There were different varieties of 'iko', and the 'iko mbara' practice was just one of them. It is probably the one people know most since it was studied and written about by Ogbalu and Uchendu. The most common and appropriate translation of 'iko' is 'concubine'. But because 'iko' is institutionalized in various form, other translations such as 'lover' and 'paramour' are used. Modern Ngwa have given the term an additional meaning of 'boyfriend/girlfriend'. It's a very common expression.

carnegiefan:
Also convince me that women were allowed to willingly choose not to marry (even if not forced on them by their fathers who couldn't have male children).
I will stand to be corrected.

In Ngwaland, there is [or was] a name, Karawusa, used to indicate an unmarried girl/woman who still chose to bear children. It was sometimes the case that a woman would choose to stay unmarried, or become a 'female husband', or bear children through the 'iko' culture. There's a lot to it. In short, the sexual, economic and socio-political rights of women in precolonial Ngwa (and I'd venture to say 'Igbo' as well) were drastically different than what people seem to perceive now.

OfoIgbo:


MYTHS = TALKING THE TALK
REALITIES ON THE GROUND =WALKING THE WALK

Nri myths are backed up by realities on the ground e.g IKPU ALU, IGU ARO, NZE na OZO e.t.c

Now give me the pan-Igbo realities on the ground, that Owerri people would have used to butress their myths.

How many times will i tell you that Nri can never replace the entire Igbo history or culture?
All the things you keep writing down does not exist beyond Nri influence nor can they be used to validate any thing about Igbos.
There are numerous practices from communities that can stand for Igbo people,it's ridiculous for a group of people to continiously push their culture as a pan igbo culture. If you say certain traditions were adopted into 'modern igbo culture prior Nigerian independence maybe people will listen to you. But to say your tradition stand for all igbo people is absurd!
Even within a modern igbo culture,so many people do not recognize the ikpu ala,nze na ozo or whatever you keep dragging about.
Personally,i feel this has been exaggerated by nollywood and co. Maybe when nollywood move into diverse igbo communities and cultures,you will understand that many clans have no regard for the things you listed and have a different system.

Ihuomadinihu, hafu onye kaa. All the Nri falsehoods will be dispelled once it comes time to truly discuss this topic in the culture section. If Nri people want to lie to themselves about their place among other Igbo, let them. Knowledge and understanding no be by force.

Igbos are quite diverse in everything. The Benin Igbos have a peculiar kingship structure that bares semblance to Benin except in few nomenclature found in individual communities. What of Crossriver Igbos that adopted "Ndi" prefix for settlements as against typical "Umu". It is a direct Igbo translation of "Ikot".

I think it still goes to support my assertion that Igbo cultural marriages are in fact better, because things are more transparent and institutionalized (even extra-marital sex where applicable), thereby foreclosing misunderstanding often arising from betrayal of sexual trust.

Noteworthy particularly is still the fact that there was still "adultery" even in those parts with Iko Mbara, though women bore the brunt more often, not the men (same in Jewish culture as well).

I also note the fact that adultery was seen as a crime against the Earth (betrayal of trust). If you substitute a God (as in Jewish 10 commandments) for the Earth (Nso ala for the Igbo) , the difference starts to narrow, afterall even the Igbo believe that God created the Earth.

ChinenyeN you are yet to prove that women can choose not to marry (for strictly personal reasons unconnected to family lack of a son), and still have children in her fathers house.

Duru1:


What gave you the silly impetus to arrogate the origin of Eke, Orie, Afor or Nkwo to Nri? Is there any thing in Igbo land other than Eke, Orie, Afor or Nkwo that its origin can be arrogated to Nri? Nri does not fly a tosh in my community.

Legend has it that the original deities that forms the week days were invented by early Nri people. There is a story behind it,which is a testament to something real. As you might know,the non Igbo groups north of us use the same weekdays as Nri and as you go south the awareness and consciousness diminishes. Nri did not invent all Igbo traditions but what we now know as authentic Igbo traditions like Igu Aro,Ofala/Ovala,Nze na Ozo,Ufiejioku and Igbo week days originated from the Omanbala and environs.

Ojiofor:
The current king of Nri Kingdom as a direct decedent of Eri,son of Gad should subject himself for DNA text to confirm his Hebrew/Jewish origin .Until then I consider Nri Jewish origin and other claims as fraud.

Now,I don't for once believe that hebrew horsesshit and I don't even know where it originated from.

But even with an overstretched record of kings, the person called Nri and who founded Nri lived around the 10th century at the earliest, so Nri hegemony can't exist before it actually started. This information is from the kings list from the Eze Nri at Agukwu's website. I can't believe that a lunar calendar system came from Nri, or at least was solely developed by Nri people....EZEAGU

10th century estimate was derived decades before the IgboUkwu findings.
Of course the IgboUkwu findings have shifted the goalpost further back in time. Those 19th century European anthropologists and historian knew the Nri civilisation was an ancient one, based on the information they were getting from locals, but chose to err on the side of caution by assigning a10th century estimate.

If they had the advantage of the knowledge of the IgboNkwo findings, I'm sure they wouod have factored that in their estimates, thus drastically and considerably moving the date back a few centuries, possibly down to the 5th century. Around this time, Igbos will probably be numbering just about five to ten thousand people or possibly less.

However as things stand, there is no need or urgency for the Nris to revise the estimated date of 10th century afterall, all the potential competing civilisations are centuries younger than Nri, much the same way Usain Bolt will slow down on approaching the 100m mark, as his competitors are miles behind him

OdenigboAroli:


Now,I don't for once believe that hebrew horsesshit and I don't even know where it originated from.

Thank you.I don't believe nor recognise Nde Nri as Isi Igbo as they claim because my ancestor doesn't know about their existence neither do we know anything about Nze na Ozo..Okonko is the ultimate in my part of Igboland as far as Okonko is concerned,Nri bu Ikpogho karaka.Enough said!

ChinenyeN:


Onye Ovom anyi? Amafuraa m. Ogwe m nhie Ovom, bu nwaafo Umuobu. O di nma la i nula. Ehi odo, a kamacha uka omelala 'Igbo' akamacha ta i gwere mara la whe OfoIgbo ndi ika abuu l'ezi.

Kem bu umuevo,I gafe umuogele..ma I si ehere nābia.Ihnye merem ji asi ukwangwa vu nam kwenyere na njiko na idinotu Igbo niile

OfoIgbo:
But even with an overstretched record of kings, the person called Nri and who founded Nri lived around the 10th century at the earliest, so Nri hegemony can't exist before it actually started. This information is from the kings list from the Eze Nri at Agukwu's website. I can't believe that a lunar calendar system came from Nri, or at least was solely developed by Nri people....EZEAGU

10th century estimate was derived decades before the IgboUkwu findings.
Of course the IgboUkwu findings have shifted the goalpost further back in time. Those 19th century European anthropologists and historian knew the Nri civilisation was an ancient one, based on the information they were getting from locals, but chose to err on the side of caution by assigning a10th century estimate.

If they had the advantage of the knowledge of the IgboNkwo findings, I'm sure they wouod have factored that in their estimates, thus drastically and considerably moving the date back a few centuries, possibly down to the 5th century. Around this time, Igbos will probably be numbering just about five to ten thousand people or possibly less.

However as things stand, there is no need or urgency for the Nris to revise the estimated date of 10th century afterall, all the potential competing civilisations are centuries younger than Nri, much the same way Usain Bolt will slow down on approaching the 100m mark, as his competitors are miles behind him

I was referring to European estimates, I was referring to the kings list as per Nri customs as published by Onwuejeogwu, it's a very sketchy list and some researchers have suggested that Nri started in the 13th century instead because the kings on the Nri list had too much of a suspiciously long reign. Stretching that further to the 5th century would mean giving each king something like 100 years of rule each which is unbelievable. Again, Igbo Ukwu isn't confirmed to be part of the wealth of the Nri state, even if it may have influenced it or was part of its establishment.

The list of Nri kings is not exhaustive. Again because we kept no records, much of the Eze Nris have been forgotten. The ones listed are those remembered by the Agukwu elders who had to recall the ones they remember. The job would have been a little better if they had spent some time querying elders from Enugwu-Ukwu, Enugwu-Agidi and Nawfia also.
In fact if you take closer look at the periods of their reign you will notice that they seem unrealistic in places.

I can even point out an error in the list.
1. Eze Nri Menri - first son of Eri
2. Eze Nri Ifikuanim - last son of Nri Menri

But for some reason the Agukwu elders merged two.

I had also initially informed the readers that IgboUkwu used to be known as Igbo-Nkwo. Even the name of the town places it within the Nri sphere of influence
However the major blow to any claim from IghoNkwo is that even Prof. Shaw acknowledged the fact that the land in which the royal tomb and the various artefacts were found, belonged to Oraeri which remains an Nri outpost. They lost that piece of land after a war/invasion by the neighbouring IgboNkwo. This fact was confirmed by both IgboUkwu and Oraeri elders in the immediate aftermath of those discoveries, so any attempt by modern revisionists to twist it will fall like a pack of cards
Also the Agukwu people seem to have forgotten that there's another brother town that is now extict known as Oruora

ezeagu:


I was referring to European estimates, I was referring to the kings list as per Nri customs as published by Onwuejeogwu, it's a very sketchy list and some researchers have suggested that Nri started in the 13th century instead because the kings on the Nri list had too much of a suspiciously long reign. Stretching that further to the 5th century would mean giving each king something like 100 years of rule each which is unbelievable. Again, Igbo Ukwu isn't confirmed to be part of the wealth of the Nri state, even if it may have influenced it or was part of its establishment.

OfoIgbo:
The list of Nri kings is not exhaustive. Again because we kept no records, much of the Eze Nris have been forgotten. The ones listed are those remembered by the Agukwu elders who had to recall the ones they remember. The job would have been a little better if they had spent some time querying elders from Enugwu-Ukwu, Enugwu-Agidi and Nawfia also.
In fact if you take closer look at the periods of their reign you will notice that they seem unrealistic in places.

I can even point out an error in the list.
1. Eze Nri Menri - first son of Eri
2. Eze Nri Ifikuanim - last son of Nri Menri

But for some reason the Agukwu elders merged two.

I had also initially informed the readers that IgboUkwu used to be known as Igbo-Nkwo. Even the name of the town places it within the Nri sphere of influence
However the major blow to any claim from IghoNkwo is that even Prof. Shaw acknowledged the fact that the land in which the royal tomb and the various artefacts were found, belonged to Oraeri which remains an Nri outpost. They lost that piece of land after a war/invasion by the neighbouring IgboNkwo. This fact was confirmed by both IgboUkwu and Oraeri elders in the immediate aftermath of those discoveries, so any attempt by modern revisionists to twist it will fall like a pack of cards
Also the Agukwu people seem to have forgotten that there's another brother town that is now extict known as Oruora

You kept records, they were oral, let's stop this we kept records thing as an excuse because we know well that these Nri kings came from families who have descendants today, or at the least people who were affiliated with those family's. Each family keeps records, that's how it works in societies like the Igbo. The kings list Onwuejeogwu did not make any reference to any missing kings, in fact, it gave very detailed accounts of each kings rule and the conditions of their death.

Yes, Igbo Ukwu may have been in lands formally owned by Oraeri, but that still does not solidify the claim the Igbo Ukwu findings are part of an Nri dynasty, it could have been left overs from a civilisation before Nri, and many of those items were probably made by people in Awka anyway.

Written records by official royal scribes are the best way of keeping records of events, coronations, dates and kings

The two major flaws with oral records are
1. Facts may be forgotten. Example being the huge gaps in the list of Nri kings and not knowing the exact date the kingdom came into existence
2. Facts may be distorted. Remember the Eze Nri Menri and Eze Nri Ifikuanim that were merged. Also bear in mind that if not the fact that Prof. Shaw recorded his interviews with the elders, perhaps revisionists would have had a field day in distorting the import of the IgboNkwo findings.

Btw Onwuejeogwu was not the person that originally came up with that list. I hope you know that.

I don't even know why you are trying to rubbish the Nri-ness of the IgboUkwu findings when eminent learned people have already provided the intellectual backup based onnobservations, excavations, testimonies e.t.c.

Oraeri had a kingship tradition way bedore the advent of the white man. IgboNkwo did not have that.
A royal tomb was unearthed, in a land that belonged to people with royal tradition e.t.c

The Nri people of Agukwu the Enugwus and Nawfia employed the Awka blacksmiths quite a lot. I amnnot sure by how far Awka blacksmiths were depended on, by the Oraeris, so I will mot be surprised if it turns out to be Oraeri hlacksmiths that did that
Another state of affairs that might swing it the Awka direction is if there were to be discoveries in Awka, that shows similar intricacies with the findings in IgboUkwu

ezeagu:


You kept records, they were oral, let's stop this we kept records thing as an excuse because we know well that these Nri kings came from families who have descendants today, or at the least people who were affiliated with those family's. Each family keeps records, that's how it works in societies like the Igbo. The kings list Onwuejeogwu did not make any reference to any missing kings, in fact, it gave very detailed accounts of each kings rule and the conditions of their death.

Yes, Igbo Ukwu may have been in lands formally owned by Oraeri, but that still does not solidify the claim the Igbo Ukwu findings are part of an Nri dynasty, it could have been left overs from a civilisation before Nri, and many of those items were probably made by people in Awka anyway.

carnegiefan:


Honestly I don't know where to start. I did not say that adultery never happened at all in Igbo land. Nor did I say that premarital sex never happened. I strongly dispute that they were the norm.
Yes, some women also "married" other women (as in Jewish culture too, eg Sarah and Hagah) when they cannot bear children for their husbands.

There was also harlotry (women of easy virtues) in Jewish culture, in fact it was popular up to the time of Jesus.
Married women also had sex in Igbo culture but that was NOT the norm. In some Igbo clans, people actually died just because they committed adultery.

Igbo clans bordering non-Igbo ethnic groups obviously differ somewhat from the rest of the central Igbo due to copying the culture of their neighbors, just like the Jews adopted Canaanite gods and hedonism. Majority of olden day Igbo and ancient Jews frowned seriously at premarital sex and adultery.

Divorce was also easy in BOTH cultures. A woman simply moved into another man's house and that was it; no lengthy divorce procedures. That is why Jesus condemned it in his day.

There were also female Judges in Israel of the old as there were powerful women in Igbo clans too.

Igbos are not Jews, we predate jews as a people and DNA has proven that. I get annoyed anytime i hear this argument mostly from those who feel more christian than Paul. I would rather accept a traditional folklore than this story because when you open up the content you would definitely know that it has no substance of truth in it.

This whole Igbo-Ukwu-Oraeri-Nri discussion shows that some can't distinguish between speculation and confirmation. OfoIgbo, Ezeagu's point is that you are engaging too much in speculation by peddling the Igbo-Ukwu findings as belonging to Nri without any supporting traditions (that's called confirmation bias).

In fact, just as you [and many others] have made your Nri speculations, Ezeagu and many more others could as well speculate that the culture responsible for those Igbo-Ukwu works was distinct and separate. This distinct culture and/or its cultural/ritual symbols were likely appropriated by the Nri at a later date. But until we get sound evidence on either side, it's all simply speculation.

This thread shifted fast.

Ugh. Wanted some laughs dammit.

cheruv:

Kem bu umuevo,I gafe umuogele..ma I si ehere nābia.Ihnye merem ji asi ukwangwa vu nam kwenyere na njiko na idinotu Igbo niile

Aaa weee ... I bu nwa amaala. Gbuo waa, akotanda m. Okuko toora ghi uto la miiri.

The whole Igbos are Hebrew story is very irritating.

I am not a linguist like ChinenyeN here but the linguistic evidence suggests that the basic origins of Igbo traditional religion wasn't very different from that of other Groups in the Kwa language cluster. For example, even though linguists suggest that Igbo and Yoruba split about 3,500 years ago, the similarity in some of the words for certain religious concepts is uncanny.

Deity: Arushi (Igbo). Orisha (Yoruba)
Divination: Afa (Igbo). Ifa. (Yoruba)
Medicine: Ogwu. (Igbo). Ogun. (Yoruba)

Others may find other examples.

carnegiefan:
Noteworthy though is still the fact that there was still "adultery" even in those parts with Iko Mbara, though women bore the brunt, not the men (same in Jewish culture as well).

This is actually not true. Punishment for adulterous men in Ngwaland and surrounding communities could be anything from being fined (often considered as some sort of indemnity or restitution) to being sold into slavery, depending on the local customs of the community. Capital punishment was also an option (though very rarely ever used), as adultery is considered a crime against Ala.

ChinenyeN:


This is actually not true. Punishment for adulterous men in Ngwaland and surrounding communities could be anything from being fined (often considered as some sort of indemnity or restitution) to being sold into slavery, depending on the local customs of the community. Capital punishment was also an option (though very rarely ever used), as adultery is considered a crime against Ala.

Now you and ezeagu should be gracious enough to give me credit that I was in fact right about the adultery point. Go and re-read my first comment on it in this thread.

ezeagu in particular implied that Igbo did not frown seriously on adultery or premarital sex, and I was stating that they in fact did, Iko mbara or not. In fact he stated that they were the norm throughout Igboland, and I disagreed.

The Igbo of the old were highly advanced socially, and had solutions to almost any problem that arose from sexuality.
I would not for fear of the fact being similar to Jewish culture (even if coincidental only) not state and stick to it.

Adultery, for all intents and purposes in this discourse, is really a sexual act involving a married person (male or female) with another (single or married) without the consent of parties' spouse.

On adultery and premarital sex in precolonial Igboland, I was right and both you were wrong.

ezeagu:


The thing you said about adultery and bachelorettes is not true, in many parts of Igboland pre-marital sex was the norm, and even sharing your wife and husband (see 'iko') was a norm in some places. There's a woman named Ahebi Ugbagbe who was sacrificed to a goddess at a young age and was made a sex worker, she escaped and returned to the community as a free woman with a lot of power and even had wives.

Our people are idealising and looking at our history through the bible and Victorian customs which leads them to state things that are not true, especially when it comes the freedom of women. And divorce was recognised back then as well.

No, it is not true that sharing of spouses was "the norm" ; it wasn't.
It is also not true that premarital sex was "the norm"; it wasn't -at all- in fact impregnating an unmarried girl was a HUGE deal.
Even in those parts of Igboland were Iko Mbara was practiced, it was intricately negotiated and agreed ahead of time with full spousal consent. Anything outside ofthat was ADULTERY and was punished severely.

As for women "husbands", they were carefully instituted with SPECIFIC rights, and through specific rites. For example, the female husband can have sex with an "Iko", but if she gets pregnant, her offspring was NEVER accepted as part of the family tree for inheritance purposes.

Curlieweed:
The whole Igbos are Hebrew story is very irritating.

I am not a linguist like ChinenyeN here but the linguistic evidence suggests that the basic origins of Igbo traditional religion wasn't very different from that of other Groups in the Kwa language cluster. For example, even though linguists suggest that Igbo and Yoruba split about 3,500 years ago, the similarity in some of the words for certain religious concepts is uncanny.

Deity: Arushi (Igbo). Orisha (Yoruba)
Divination: Afa (Igbo). Ifa. (Yoruba)
Medicine: Ogwu. (Igbo). Ogun. (Yoruba)

Others may find other examples.

Orisa, Olisa, Obasi or Orisha is an older form of supreme god who created the world in Igbo language but varies according to dialect and geography. Chukwu which was the name of an Aro deity was however later accepted as the central Igbo.

I wasn't part of the discussion between you and Ezeagu, but if I had to guess, I'd say that the disagreement probably arose from some misunderstanding on either context or terminology, or maybe you two simply may not have been on the same page to begin with. Either way, both you and Ezeagu were correct on both ends. Some concept of adultery existed precolonially (which I believe is your point), but sex and marriage norms and perceptions were drastically different in precolonial times, making the cultural context for [and understanding of] 'adultery' very different (which I believe is Ezeagu's point).

@ChinenyeN,

My first comment on the thread:

carnegiefan:
I figured that for myself even before reading any historical book. I took a careful look at prior traditional Igbo marriage practices (not the one we have these days o), whereby it was almost 100% same as practiced in the Bible of old testament.
The only difference is that biblical Jews sometimes married their cousins. Everything else rhymed.
Our ancestors (like the biblical Jews) were polygamous, and all females got married -no women roaming free under the guise of not finding husbands. Adultery was BIG DEAL back then; today it is almost the norm
If we don't return to our traditional marriage culture, our families will soon start to grow weaker and weaker. It is already happening.
To become strong again, we have to do away with western style marriage. It is not working for its owners anyway.

Well I don't know whether ezeagu failed to see the bolded, or he was obsessed with proving that Igbo are not Jews.
My main point of comment in this thread (which almost all of you no-Igbo-ties-to-Jews fanatics totally ignored) is and will always be that precolonial Igbo marriage institution was better than the one we have today.
My other point also is that there is a weird similarity between Igbo and Jewish culture (as also may be true between Igbo and any other culture out there). I am uninterested in willy-nilly tying Igbo to Judaism.

The last point I want to add is that we are actually dealing with a spiritual (rather than cultural) issue here.

carnegiefan:
@ChinenyeN,

My first comment on the thread:



Well I don't know whether ezeagu failed to see the bolded, or he was obsessed with proving that Igbo are not Jews.
My main point of comment in this thread (which almost all of you no-Igbo-ties-to-Jews fanatics totally ignored)

Lol,what's that supposed to mean?
The fanatics are you guys trying so desperately to cling to Jewish origins while keeping a blind eye to Niger Congo similarities. The obessesion is getting out of hand.

I made this thread for you guys: https://www.nairaland.com/2481370/japanese-culture-share-much-igbo

ezeagu:
I made this thread for you guys: https://www.nairaland.com/2481370/japanese-culture-share-much-igbo

I went through that thread and it is simply ridiculous -trying to ridicule an idea that you cannot really defeat still does not disprove the similarity between Igbo and Jewish culture (irrespective of whether the two groups are genetically linked or not).
Do the Japanese circumcise male children at all, talk less of doing so exactly on the eight day after birth?