Scholars interested in Igbo history has established a fact that: Ezechima, Ezechime is an IGBOMAN.

Andre Uweh:

Scholars interested in Igbo history has established a fact that: Ezechima, Ezechime is an IGBOMAN.

most oral history are usually full of inaccuracies and distortions.some benin words were igbotised and some igbo words bininised.orhimwin is orimiri in igbo which refers to river niger.eweka is iweka.ewuare is obuaru which in igbo means abominable.azen is witch in some parts of edo just like some parts of igbo.so many questions are yet to be answered.


1is it not possible that some igbos might have founded some parts of bini instead of it being only that bini founded some part of igbo?

2why do ikas speak igbo instead of bini despite their proximity?

3is there any possibility that igbos founded some yoruba towns like ado,ijebu and abeokuta?

4is it also possible that some yorubas reached igboland and founded some towns too?

5are all igbos linked with nri?

6why do almost 60% of the igbos traditionally deny being igbos.

7is there any village or town in igboland apart from igboukwu and amaigbo that traditionally reffered to themselves pre-colonial times as igbo and who are they?

8who are the isuamas?

Many wait in anticipation for the answers to those questions. In fact, the answers to some of those questions are already known, and I think some are afraid of acknowledging those answers. At least, that's the way they behave; always trying to avoid true discussion.

@ Abagworo,

All the questions are hard but I can answer # 2 & 7.

2 . . . because they are Igbos and not Binis.

7 . . . the slave trade did not start from the hinterland and Igbos were already referred to as Eboe. So probably, many of our grandparents knew themselves as Igbos; same as we traditionally refer to Binis as Idu, their correct name which they now call edo/ado.

1. may be yes, in the past, Nri had ritual functions to perform in the coronation of Obas of Benin.
2. Ikas speak Igbo because they are Igbo people. The expansion of Benin established mostly a Bini style of hierachy. There is no evidence to show that Ikas hired Igbo teachers to teach them Igbo language.
3. No, as there is no evidence to suggest so.
4. No, THOUGH one Igbo town-Ubulu Ukwu is claimed to have been founded by one Ezemu from Ife. But the people of this town are very proud Igbo people.
5. All Igbo are linked to Nri in terms of commerce and industry.
6. Igbo denials are from Ika, Ukwuani and Ikwerre areas. But they are in minority. I do not know where you got the figure up to 60 percent.
7. Igbo eze.
8. To the best of my knowledge, Isuama is most parts of Owerri, Mbaise uptill Okigwe- Orlu areas.

Some of your answers look like wishful answers, all things considered. Are you sure you two know what you're talking about? Just thinking out loud, no need for hostilities.

No.7 continued. Apart from Igbo ukwu and Amaigbo, there is Igbo etiti, Obigbo, Umuigbo or Rumuigbo and Akwukwu Igbo.

That Obigbo is really raising my curiosity. . . I'll have to go and look into it.

To answer the #3 question.

She was the wife of Oranmiyan.  A women of tremendous beauty and a faithful and zealous supporter of her husband and the Kingdom of Ile Ife.  At this time there were neighboring tribes called Igbo, who were regularly and  successfully raiding the people at and around Ile Ife.  These Igbo were considered to be demi-gods and as such the Ife’s offered sacrifice to their gods in order to prevail, but to no avail.

http://www.hevasof.com/histmoremi.htm

I'm not sure that quote alone is sufficient, 006. We would also need to know the tonal arrangement of that "Igbo" in the Moremi story. I've also read/heard (from Yoruba people) that the word is actually supposed to be "Ugbo" (again, not sure of the tone). Just chipping that in.

^^^

You read wikipedia where it was changed from Igbo to Ugbo. Read the earliest post on Queen Moremi on wikipedia.

All these are attempts to alter the truth.


Where is Ugbo and who are Ugbos?

Don't shoot the messenger. I'm only relaying what I was told by some Yoruba I've discussed cultural/historical things with. I didn't read about it from Wikipedia.

Then ask them where is Ugbo and who are the Ugbos.

"Ugbo" is just what Ile Ife people called the indigenes they came in contact with in what is now Yorubaland. I don't know much beyond that, but I do have my suspicions of who the Ugbo could be, but because I lack sufficient knowledge in that, my suspicions remain suspicions. So I can't give you an answer that you can quote me on.

It's not for you to answer without asking your Yoruba friends but since you did, then why all the stories on Moremi have the name as Igbo?
Igbo is a tribe everybody still knows about whereas Ugbo has disappeared into the thin air.

As I was told, the story was first written down by Colonists, and like everything else they wrote, the name "Igbo" just stuck. I guess it's just like how "Ibusa", "Asaba", "Ishan", "Onitsha" etc. are still in very active use without people even giving those "names" a second thought, even though we know what the real names are.

See yourself, answering for the Yorubas. Funny.

If it was Ugbo, then where are the Ugbos and who are they, Mr. know all.

I'm only relaying information. Yoruba people should feel free to come and correct me. Afterall, I stated that my knowledge is insufficient. So I don't understand how I'm Mr. KnowAll.

. . . but I just told you to ask them, not for you to answer; but you started answering as if you got all the facts ready.

006:

Then ask them where is Ugbo and who are the Ugbos.

I've explained, that's a question that I cannot give you a "quote me" answer. All the other questions you've asked thus far though, I could answer, based of my discussions with some Yoruba. I'm not really "answering". Just relaying information.

Lol Ugbo? Biko where are these Ugbo people now?

I think I'd like to take a stab at those questions, but. . .

Dear Dr Andre, the posts have been so revealing , i never knew ezechima whom Emeagwali often talked about was an igbo man . however after sharing with us about the past of igbos dont fail to tell us about the future of igbos in nigeria , africa and the world , the place of igbos in the world in 2050,

with the recent happenings in the land of the igbos some people need to go back to the drawing board and replot the graphs

kettykings:

Dear Dr Andre, the posts have been so revealing , i never knew ezechima whom Emeagwali often talked about was an igbo man . however after sharing with us about the past of igbos dont fail to tell us about the future of igbos in nigeria , africa and the world , the place of igbos in the world in 2050,

with the recent happenings in the land of the igbos some people need to go back to the drawing board and replot the graphs

Kettykings, thanks for your observation. History is there to guard us to the future. For you to know a child, there is the need to know the parents. All may not be well now for Ndigbo, but the future is very bright.
With cessation of hostilities in 1970, the enemies of Ndigbo came up with a plan to redo this and that but that has not happened. But Ndigbo have been brave enough to rebuild Igboland on there own accord. If you consider, what was left of Igboland in 1970 and now, surely you will praise-worship Ndigbo. There are so many instances but let us look at Onitsha. This city was reduced to zero during the Nigerian crisis, but Onitsha has witnessed a faster growth than other cities that never experienced war.

My turn to answer those questions. Anyone should feel free to add/subtract to, or discuss the content of my post.

The Questions
----- My Answers. . .

1is it not possible that some igbos might have founded some parts of bini instead of it being only that bini founded some part of igbo?
----- It is very, very possible. In fact, it is highly probable, and I wouldn't be surprised if such is actually the case. Migrations are migrations and people cross migrate. It would not be very smart of an individual to doubt that some Igbo could have migrated past the Niger.

2why do ikas speak igbo instead of bini despite their proximity?
----- The answer to this one is fairly simple. Considering the size of Ika now, and considering their linguistic affinity to other Igbo, one cannot rule out the probability of an already firmly-established Igbo settlement in Ika area prior to their movement from Bini. That isn't to say that the Ika are not in-part, Bini. Their Bini affinity claims don't sound far-fetched to me.

3is there any possibility that igbos founded some yoruba towns like ado,ijebu and abeokuta?
----- I remember reading an online article from some Nigerian journalism site (can't recall the article specifically though, but I can go and check) where an Abeokuta man (chief, or some highly revered member of their community) was speaking about their affinity to Ngwa people. . . sounded like a stretch to me, but I understood the general idea. Some Igbo could have settled as far as Dehomey, and even founded towns there (that is a possibility).

4is it also possible that some yorubas reached igboland and founded some towns too?
----- If someone could believe that some Igbo could reach Dehomey, then it would be hypocritical to believe that some Yoruba could not have reached, nor founded some towns in Igbo.

5are all igbos linked with nri?
----- That would depend on what kind of linkeage you're talking about. If you mean ancestrally? Then no. If you mean commerce & industry? then indirectly, yes, but I suspect that would likely have began during the time of the slave trade, and primarily with the help of the Aro. 

6why do almost 60% of the igbos traditionally deny being igbos.
----- Because it isn't/wasn't their identity. It isn't/wasn't their name. I could even venture to say that many Igbo were unaware of the term/identity "Igbo" until much later on during the slave trade era.

7is there any village or town in igboland apart from igboukwu and amaigbo that traditionally reffered to themselves pre-colonial times as igbo and who are they?
----- Because I do not know the story(ies) of Igbouzo and Akwukwu Igbo, I can only really say that the only two communities that, in pre-colonial times, referred to themselves as "Igbo" were the people of Igbo-Ukwu and Ama-Igbo. Then, there's the people of Orlu who, I believe have in pre-colonial times referred to themselves as Umu Igbo (they recall a progenitor whose name is/was "Igbo Ngidi". So maybe Ama-Igbo and Igbo-Ukwu are Orlu offshoot settlements. Just a deduction, so no one should quote me on that.

8who are the isuamas?
----- I'm not all too sure, so no one should quote me, but I believe that this question is connected to #7. It is my suspicion that the Isuama are Igbo indigenes and Eri descendants.

ChinenyeN:

My turn to answer those questions.

The Questions
----- My Answers. . .

1is it not possible that some igbos might have founded some parts of bini instead of it being only that bini founded some part of igbo?
----- It is very, very possible. In fact, it is highly probable, and I wouldn't be surprised if such is actually the case. Migrations are migrations and people cross migrate. It would not be very smart of an individual to doubt that some Igbo could have migrated past the Niger.

2why do ikas speak igbo instead of bini despite their proximity?
----- The answer to this one is fairly simple. Considering the size of Ika now, and considering their linguistic affinity to other Igbo, one cannot rule out the probability of an already firmly-established Igbo settlement in Ika area prior to their movement from Bini. That isn't to say that the Ika are not in-part, Bini. Their Bini affinity claims don't sound far-fetched to me.

3is there any possibility that igbos founded some yoruba towns like ado,ijebu and abeokuta?
----- I remember reading an online article from some Nigerian journalism site (can't recall the article specifically though, but I can go and check) where an Abeokuta man (chief, or some highly revered member of their community) was speaking about their affinity to Ngwa people. . . sounded like a stretch to me, but I understood the general idea. Some Igbo could have settled as far as Dehomey, and even founded towns there (that is a possibility).

4is it also possible that some yorubas reached igboland and founded some towns too?
----- If someone could believe that some Igbo could reach Dehomey, then it would be hypocritical to believe that some Yoruba could not have reached, nor founded some towns in Igbo.

5are all igbos linked with nri?
----- That would depend on what kind of linkeage you're talking about. If you mean ancestrally? Then no. If you mean commerce & industry? then indirectly, yes, but I suspect that would likely have began during the time of the slave trade, and primarily with the help of the Aro.

6why do almost 60% of the igbos traditionally deny being igbos.
----- Because it isn't/wasn't their identity. It isn't/wasn't their name. I could even venture to say that many Igbo were unaware of the term/identity "Igbo" until much later on during the slave trade era.

7is there any village or town in igboland apart from igboukwu and amaigbo that traditionally reffered to themselves pre-colonial times as igbo and who are they?
----- Because I do not know the story(ies) of Igbouzo and Akwukwu Igbo, I can only really say that the only two communities that, in pre-colonial times, referred to themselves as "Igbo" were the people of Igbo-Ukwu and Ama-Igbo. Then, there's the people of Orlu who, I believe have in pre-colonial times referred to themselves as Umu Igbo (they recall a progenitor whose name is/was "Igbo Ngidi". So maybe Ama-Igbo and Igbo-Ukwu are Orlu offshoot settlements. Just a deduction, so no one should quote me on that.

8who are the isuamas?
----- I'm not all too sure, so no one should quote me, but I believe that this question is connected to #7. It is my suspicion that the Isuama are Igbo indigenes and Eri descendants.

Chinenye@ no6: I still maintain that Igbo denial is not up to 60%. About 15 percent and mostly from Ika, Ikwerre and Ndokwa areas. But they are in the minority.
Up till the 1800's, the Yorubas did not see themselves as Yorubas. They even constantly warred amongst themselves until the British arrived. Even after the arrival of the British, Yoruba groups of Ijebu and Egba did not accept A Yoruba tag of their groups. That was achieved under the nationalist.
Yet in today's Nigeria, they do not deny their Yoruba heritage. The Igbo emerged in a similar fashion though earlier than that of the Yoruba. We all know why some of them are denying their Igbo heritage and that has been discussed extensively.

Andre, your answer would be correct, if the question focused on modern Igbo. That isn't the case though. The question specifically addressed pre-modern Igbo as well as those who hold non-contemporary/unorthodox views (hint: traditionally).

3 . . . I think Egba people have Igbos amongst them. I’ve read some stuff on that but could not ascertain the veracity of the claim. Egba people founded Abeokuta.

6 . . . not up to 60%

7 . . . I still maintain my stance. Identifying oneself as Igbo does not mean having igbo as suffix or prefix to ones town’s name. Does it mean that the Whites coincidentally landed first on all those towns with Igbo in their names? No. Look at how dispersed and geographically separate those towns are.
Igbos knew and called themselves Igbo and the Whites accepted it and called the area Eboe country.

@ chinenye, Igbo-ukwu is one of the oldest towns in Nigeria. Read about them, it’s everywhere. So Igbo-ukwu cannot be an Orlu offshoot, rather Orlu was an Igbo-ukwu offshoot. Moreover, Igbo-ukwu was part of Nri civilization.

One way to found out about #7 question is to ask Bini people what they traditionally called the Igbos. They must have called us our ethnic name. Igbos traditionally called Binis “Idu”and some Bini people don’t like to be called bini rather they prefer Edo (Idu).

006, all things considered, I find your statement regarding Igbo-Ukwu difficult to believe. The main reason being that Nri people recall their progenitor to have migrated southward, coming in contact with indigenes in that area, who they later came to know and refer to as "Igbo". The people of Orlu though, who call themselves "Umu Igbo" (because of their progenitor, Igbo Ngidi) have claims to autochthony. They don't have memory of coming from anywhere else, as opposed to Umu Nri who recognize their ancestors as having migrated into the area from elsewhere. So you claiming that Orlu are an offshoot of Igbo-Ukwu doesn't register.

If your claim is correct, then Nri people should be the ones who have no memory of migrating from elsewhere, and not Orlu.

ChinenyeN:

006, all things considered, I find your statement regarding Igbo-Ukwu difficult to believe. The main reason being that Nri people recall their progenitor to have migrated southward, thereby coming in contact with indigenes in that area who they came to know as "Igbo". The people of Orlu though, who call themselves "Umu Igbo" (because of their progenitor, Igbo Ngidi) have claims to autochthony. They don't have memory of coming from anywhere else, as opposed to Umu Nri who recognize their ancestors as having migrated into the area from elsewhere. So you claiming that Orlu are an offshoot of Igbo-Ukwu doesn't register.

If your claim is correct, then Nri people should be the ones who have no memory of migrating from elsewhere, and not Orlu.

Wow! where's the bolded from? I've never read such thing before. Where did you get it from?
Read about Nri/Eri civilization, it's everywhere . Igbo-Ukwu was actually the capital of Nri.

I don't know much about Orlu, I only interchanged who was first from your initially post. "So maybe Ama-Igbo and Igbo-Ukwu are Orlu offshoot settlements."
Since Nri, which is much older than Orlu, knew themselves as Igbo (Igbo-Ukwu) and Orlu calling themselves “UmuIgbo”, then it means Igbos knew themselves as Igbo.


_{Is Ngwa from Orlu?}