^^ HEAR!!!!! HEAR!!!!!!

Well said Ezeagu.

You know, 51 years ago, Igboland would have been considerably larger than it is now. But due to the failure of the war, a few prevously Igbotic or Igboid groups claimed to disassociate themselves from the Igbos by any means possible hence the map we have now.
I think that even 100 years ago, the Ekpeye saw themselves as Igbos. They most likely might have been an Igbo clan that was overrun by Ijaw and other "Riverine" neighbours and were heavily influenced by foreign languages and soon became estranged from the other Igbo clans.

I think that their recent ancestors those from around mid 1800s- early 1900s, might be rolling in their graves due to what their people are doing now, dissassociating themselves from their origins and effectively destroying their lives. I'm sure many Northerners have not heard of the Ekpeye and will disregard them while taking their oil and land because they are in effect a "minority". And Minority status is a status that no one wants to bear, particularly in Nigeria because people will often Ignore you for that. Look at the Ijaws, they are 10 million strong and the 4th largest ethnicity in Nigeria but because of the fact that they are labeled as a "minority" they are ignored and neglected, hence their status.

the Igbos hav dishonored their ancestors. they are sufferring. this is not hocus-pocus. if they have any sense, they wiil accept their true heritage, revert back to their true traditional religions and bring back some of their seemingly lost self-respect.

no progress without identity and self-respect.

My issue is with all these Bini exodus/origin claims. What's the dating for those exoduses anyway, 16th century?

The funniest one is the Ikwerre one.

Ezeagu, you mean the Ikwere-Bini claims of ancestry?

Is it only Benin. Search it. It's actually the dumbest thing I've heard, but I'm not saying no one from Benin could have wandered into Ikwerre land, but some to claim everyone originated from there is desperate.

Yeah, exactly. The claim is ridiculous, but what's even more ridiculous to me is the growing popularity of such an obviously false claim. Even the advocates of the claim know how untrue, ridiculous and desperate such a claim is.

ChinenyeN:

Yeah, exactly. The claim is ridiculous, but what's even more ridiculous to me is the growing popularity of such an obviously false claim. Even the advocates of the claim know how untrue, ridiculous and desperate such a claim is.

The problem with the Ikwerre and Etche is being exclusively in Rivers State.If Omuma LGA and Ikwerre LGA were in Abia State,there would never arise the need to modify the true ancestry.Ikwerre is more related to Oratta while Etche is related to Ezinihitte/Ngwa.The Ikwerres are trying to cling on to a minor migration of people from Ogba and Ekpeye to Emohua and Ogbakiri as their origin.While it is obviously true that a portion of Ikwerre came from that axis,majority seem to have come from Isoama,Oratta,Aro and Ngwa.

I cannot say for them but all the claim of Bini origin seems highly flawed.Unlike the Ikwerre, Ogba and Ekpeye clearly has some blend of Ijaw and some Bini influence.




We seem to have deviated from the aim of this thread which is for everyone to narrate the origin of his tribe,clan,group or nation as long as he speaks Igbo or something like Igbo with a different name.

It is ethically wrong to try to rewrite my history just to prove your on point.     @ezeagu if  you really want to know how we feel about being about being called  igbo hiding behind the keyboard is not the answer go to ahoada or an ikwerre village and chant igbo kwenu.  I dare u. Rather than trying to build relationship you want to enforce your lies on us it didn't work during biafra and will never work
@abagworo rewrite all you can. You will never build bridges but resentment. Which Iam  safe to assume is counterproductive except your original intention was to breed hostilities

I will say it again biafra is dead and gone. Never to arise stop living in the past .landgrabber.the Almighty Lord saw thru Yur gimmicks .that's why biafra will always fail

The problem with the Ikwerre and Etche is being exclusively in Rivers State.If Omuma LGA and Ikwerre LGA were in Abia State,there would never arise the need to modify the true ancestry.Ikwerre is more related to Oratta while Etche is related to Ezinihitte/Ngwa.The Ikwerres are trying to cling on to a minor migration of people from Ogba and Ekpeye to Emohua and Ogbakiri as their origin.While it is obviously true that a portion of Ikwerre came from that axis,majority seem to have come from Isoama,Oratta,Aro and Ngwa.

Chinenye,

Did I not tell you that Abagworo had a more sinister agenda than the topic and theme of this post suggest?

You heard what Afrodiva said.

Abagworo, give it up my man! You are going to be the only igbo standing soon. I see a steady decline in igbo population and pride. Even your children in Lagos are now claiming they are Lagosians. Guess what? When their children's children get here they will be like 3rd or 4th generation born in Lagos and very likely lost to the Igbo root and Biafra glory.

You know I'm your rival tribe, right? This is son of Oduduwa speaking. Its to my pleasure toi see your tribe decline and die off. I'm going to place a distance between your children in Yorubaland and their roots in nri land. We will accomodate them and rewrite their history like you are doing to others at this time.
I have witnessed where independent accounts from uncoordinated responses and reactions to your pro-igbo campaign has been cold and resentful of the propaganda to assert yourself as land owners and cultural head to your neighbors.

People don't want to be called igbo or associate with igbo.
Give it up my man! Its time to let it go! Biafra is dead!
Disperse the rest of your peoplke to Yorubaland. We can accomodate you all.

Biafra is dead my friend, you and a couple of comrades are the last ones standing.

Stop the land grab campaign and let people alone to enjoy their new identities and cutural partnerships.

This is what you will enjoy too if you care to abandon your home for Yorubaland.

Jealousy na disease.The topic is about our story of origin.The first Ooni of Ife is a Bini man and hence the superiority of Bini over Yoruba.Lagos was also founded by Bini.So go hug transformer or better still drink conc HCL.

In continuing on with the topic. . .

Ngwa

The Ngwa, said to be the largest and most populous sub-ethnicity or 'clan' in southeastern Nigeria, are considered by Igbo historians to be a branch of eastern Isuama. This classification of Ngwa as 'eastern Isuama' is primarily due to the accounts given by G.I. Jones and D. Forde. According to Jones and Forde, "The ancestors of the Ohuhu-Ngwa formed part of a migration from the Agbaja area in Owerri and moved to the river Imo. Those who crossed the Imo became the Ngwa; those who remained on the western bank are the Ohuhu." (The Ibo and Ibibio-speaking peoples of south-eastern Nigeria, pp. 43-44). Now, although Jones and Forde asserted that the Ngwa originally lived in Orlu axis, they remained unable to provide an actual place of origin, but later Igbo historians such as Nwaguru (he himself an Ngwa), began pointing to Umunoha (an Isu village) in what is now Mbaitoli LGA, as the supposed place of origin. This they did in keeping with the eastern Isuama claims of Jones and Forde. However, Ngwa oral tradition does not actually speak on a place of origin outside of the present locality. Instead the tradition, presented in the form of a legend, is used in part to explain the establishment of the Ngwa clan, but more importantly, it is used to further affirm kinship ties between the Ngwa [/i]and the [i]Ohuhu (Ohnuhnu). According to the tradition, a band of people, while on a journey, came upon a small stream. There they decided to rest and eat. They began preparing their food (yam), and whilst some among them decided to roast their yams, as is traditionally done, others adopted the unorthodox method of boiling their yams. While the band of people were busy preparing their food, the small stream they came upon suddenly but steadily began to rise and surge. Those who had boiled their yams quickly finished eating, collected their things, and crossed. The remainder, who roasted their yams, decided to wait it out, choosing to remain with their food and finish their meal before crossing, but by the time they had finished eating, the small stream had so risen to the extent that it was no longer passable. The river was later named[i] Imo[/i] on account of its size and rapid growth. The roasters, now unable to continue the journey, remained on that bank (the west bank of the Imo) and became the Ohuhu (literally, nde Ohnuhnu Ji; those who roast their yam). This name was given to them by their more fortunate relatives, who consequently were called Ngwa (a short form of the adjective ngwa ngwa meaning quickly), due to them having speedily crossed the rising and surging river before it became to late. The Ohuhu then later came to be known as Ezinihitte [/i]of Mbaise, while the Ngwa constituted the Ngwa people of the old Aba division.

Honestly though, aside from its institutionalized value as a legend, I tend to dismiss this oral tradition and the whole Imo Crossing Incident. I do not believe the tradition is meant to be taken literally, as many seen to have erroneously done. I also dismiss the eastern Isuama claims of origin (i.e. the great Isuama migration & the eastern Isuama categorization of Ngwa).

Moving on, the early Ngwa pioneers comprised of three brothers, Ukwu (known variously as Ngwa-Ukwu, Onyeukwu, Nwangwa), Nwohna, and Avosi and their families. They are also said to have been accompanied by two other brothers, Nte and Nsulu, who were their relatives, and their families. They settled the area of northern Ngwa and founded a total of eight 'subclans' or village-groups, which are Ngwa-Ukwu, Umuohna, Nvosi, Ntigha, Nsulu, Ovungwu, Mbutu and Ovokwu, in order of seniority. The Ngwa-Ukwu village-group was founded by Ukwu, Umuohna was founded by Nwohna, Nvosi was founded by Avosi, Ntigha was founded by Nte, and Nsulu was founded by Nsulu. The village-groups of Ovungwu, Mbutu and Ovokwu, were founded by three sons of Nwohna, respectively Ngwu, Ntu and Okwu.

Together, those eight original 'subclans' or village-groups of Ngwa are known traditionally as [i]Ngwa-Ukwu Ofo Asato, and the village of Okpuala-Ngwa, located in the Ngwa-Ukwu village-group, is recognized as the cultural center and ancestral capital (not just for the eight village-groups, but for the Ngwa clan body as a whole).

@negro after going through your comment i have come to conclusion that you are not smart at all. claiming that oduduwa will swallow igbo is a very deluded statement. You look at Lagos and you think you have anything, hahaha you are deluded my friend, i dont know the parts of the world you have been to but if you have visited some cities like kuala lumpur (malaysia), singapore, taiwan, hongkong, seoul and see the level of world class development of these cities at par with any city in the west etc you will weep for Lagos and know that lagos is a cesspool, slum and nothing to write home about, no planning or modern development. And most of you come here out making noise about lagos or South west, your region is nothing compared to what is seen in the rest of the world dude.

One thing i know is that with steady electricity in Nigeria, the level of industrialization that will spring up in the south east will shock the entire black Africa and the rest of the world, just mark my word. I see in the next 20yrs with steady electricity and industrialization the south east will be highly developed and there will be massive emigration of our people back to our homeland.

And mind you we are not looking at niger delta oil because oil does not make a nation greatly prosperous saudi arabia is the worlds largest oil producer but its GDP and Economy is nothing compared to nations like china, japan, south korea, singapore who do not have any natural resources but today are the leaders in global production more than even the west (mind u the western world if totally messed up economically US economy is going down rapidly due to debt, Europe is in serious economic crisis with the exception of Germany and a little bit of France other european countries are in serious mess including the UK).


so mr@negro one of black man's problem is that he only looks at the now and not 10 20 30 yrs time thats why there is no planning for future, I have lived abroad and back in Nigeria and when i go throughout the country i laugh at how myopic the country are, no planning for the development of tomorrow, only leaving for the now, i look at lagos and laugh no planning and development I heard that Fashola dey do this and that and when i came back i was dissapointed and i had pity for lagosians because what i saw of lagos is absolutely nothing compared to even what you see in some 3rd world cities like Cairo or tunis. but numb skull, dullard, brain dead, backward man and vision-less folks like @negro will come here and be bragging about how Lagos is this or that, at least the only place wey make sense for na only Abuja because it is well planned and developed.

@ Negro Ntns and Afrodiva

Based on the information that you provided from Diva it seems that you are supporting his/her perspective on this topic and what does that then render you? Secondly I'd like to say that Ive seen you hovering around Igbo threads like a flie on fresh fesis, so let me crack the question, are you Igbo? If not why are you then obsessed with the occurances and events of other people? I suspect that you are not even an easterner so then I suggest you pertain to issues regarding you and your people.

But I'd like to ask, since when was the Igbo population declining? I suspect that the Igbo population was always larger than that of the Yorubas to begin with. The Igbos lost 1 million people in the Biafran war which was 1 tenth of their population in 1970 (10 million). Today our population is around 35 million so to transform that into today's population it would have been an extra 3.5 million people today making us 38.5 mllion, far larger than the Yoruba 32 million or so.

Thirdly, Id like to make it clear to all the Yorubas and Igbos are not rivals. Why are the bigotic lot of you here on NL constantly bearing our names in your mouths? We have little regard for you people as competitors in the game not to talk of rivals so let us end that chapter.

Lastly, Biafra my friend is not dead. But when was Oduduwa republic ever alive? It is only a faint imagination, a sketch on a peace of canvas, a plan to daring and radical to be expressed: it only exists in your skulls. The bad lot of Yorubas (not all are bad only a handful) are only beginning to concieve something that the Igbos did 44 years ago, and you claim yoursleves to be rivals? The igbos have dones uch a thing and have already made history. Now it can be forever said that once upon a time, an Igbo man had enough courage to declare his people independant from a state which they refused to exist in and that is what matters.

Let's just ignore irrelevant material and stick to the topic of the thread.

@Afrodiva, most of the crap you have been chatting here are laughable. So by comparing some similarities between Ekpeye/Ikwerre and Okrika means that the former are not Igbo. Shame to you. In another thread, Omonuan from Anioma compiled almost a page of similarities between Bini and Igbo. But he never used that as a case to claim that his Igbo area is not Igbo but Bini. Keep deceiving yourself.

To Abagworo,

Your response is the only one with some element of interest, those other dudes are wasting their time.

Chinenye, please teach those young bloods how to talk to people.

So Abagworo, you say Ife and Lagos belong to Binis. Did you actually say that or was that my imagination?

I can't believe your propaganda went that far.

Bini royalty is a spin off of Ife, as much Lagos royalty is a spin off of Bini.

Ife/Bini/lagos, all one family.

When you talk about the lands, that's a different story!

Ife - Yorubaland
Bini - Edoland
Lagos - Aworiland

All three are Yorubanation!

Bini Kings are buried in Ife, Lagos Kings are buried in Bini.

We live and cohabit in peace. If Bini say they no longer are part of the Yoruba brotherhood we say bye bye and goodluck to them. We do not force and rewrite their history to make them submit to our will.

But we are tied together not just in poolitis and culture but also in blood.

The Bini King, Omo N' Oba was innocent in his missed assessment of the brotherhood between his palace and the Ooni palace.

The Staff of Oranmiyan, the Imperial authority of the Yoruba cradle is in Ife, not Bini.
So we understand and we accomodate. In its past there had been confusion about whether Oba of Lagos is a descendant of Oba of Bini. The doubters were shown the proof and the issue was resolved.

We in the West may compete but we are never confused about the who, where, what, when, how of the dynamics of our bonds and allegiance.

There is no land grab and there is no minority, we are Yorubas a race with majestic past and a more meaningful future.

All are welcome in our nation who desire to belong and be proud!

Stop the land grab! You cannot force Anioma State into existence by coercion and intimidation of people who have clearly told you they speak Igbos or their towns border into Igbos but they are not natives and do not share ancestry with Igbos.

Negro_Ntns:

To Abagworo,

Your response is the only one with some element of interest, those other dudes are wasting their time.

Chinenye, please teach those young bloods how to talk to people.

So Abagworo, you say Ife and Lagos belong to Binis. Did you actually say that or was that my imagination?

I can't believe your propaganda went that far.

Bini royalty is a spin off of Ife, as much Lagos royalty is a spin off of Bini.

Ife/Bini/lagos, all one family.

When you talk about the lands, that's a different story!

Ife - Yorubaland
Bini - Edoland
Lagos - Aworiland

All three are Yorubanation!

Bini Kings are buried in Ife, Lagos Kings are buried in Bini.

We live and cohabit in peace. If Bini say they no longer are part of the Yoruba brotherhood we say bye bye and goodluck to them. We do not force and rewrite their history to make them submit to our will.

But we are tied together not just in poolitis and culture but also in blood.

The Bini King, Omo N' Oba was innocent in his missed assessment of the brotherhood between his palace and the Ooni palace.

The Staff of Oranmiyan, the Imperial authority of the Yoruba cradle is in Ife, not Bini.
So we understand and we accomodate. In its past there had been confusion about whether Oba of Lagos is a descendant of Oba of Bini. The doubters were shown the proof and the issue was resolved.

We in the West may compete but we are never confused about the who, where, what, when, how of the dynamics of our bonds and allegiance.

There is no land grab and there is no minority, we are Yorubas a race with majestic past and a more meaningful future.

All are welcome in our nation who desire to belong and be proud!

Stop the land grab! You cannot force Anioma State into existence by coercion and intimidation of people who have clearly told you they speak Igbos or their towns border into Igbos but they are not natives and do not share ancestry with Igbos.

For once you hardly find any Igbo accusing Yorubas of land grab in Kwara and parts of Kogi state. All the time, it is school drop-outs from Yoruba angle who chat rubbish about land grab. This stupidity is getting too much day by day. When Aniomas here chat about their Igbo heritage you will not see it, but when one efulefu from there disclaims Igbo, then you will come out of your dungeon to yawn nonsense. Anyway, at the moment, the number one Igbo citizen is an Anioma man-Amb Ralph Uwaechue. Its a pity as it is shameful that you have not heard of him yet.

Can we stop replying irrelevant trash and move one to post origins of the beautiful highly envied Igbo cultures?

Andre,

The story of Kwara is similar to that of Lagos.

In Lagos, Aworis own the land but Bini own the throne.

In Kwara, Yoruba own the land but Fulani own the throne.

Yorubaland extends into Kogi state as well.

Even in territories traditionally outside Yorubaland native aborigines are desiring inclusion and want to be counted as Westerners.

Can't you see how many of your people currently live in Yorubaland? Some of them are never coming back, they identify themselves now as Lagosians.

A new breed of Ndigbo, uppity class and elite.

They find Yorubaland a better fit and complete match for their aspirations in life. They have abandoned village.

@negro-nts,this is not the best thread for your arguments.This thread was created so that anybody from an Igbo group could write his tradition of origin as told by his parents or as found in history books.

Any write-up you disagree with,just simply put up another account of the history and we can appreciate your contributions.

NB.
You can start a new thread on Igbo hating,land grab and biafra.

I don't hate Igbo. I will never hate Igbo.

Sometimes we learn best through humiliation.

You can begin to look at me as a mirror reflecting back to you that aspect of your unconscious being that is ugly and need to be changed.

Igbo has two weaknesses.

1. Impulsive actions that come back to bite you.

2. Refusal to acknowledge and respect self-being.

Your continued push and agitation for independence is borrowing and employing similar tactics that failed you in the war.

- you cannot put a price on negotiations - and the only time you have for it is before the talks break down.

I would expect given your past that Igbo wiould be the "mediator" and the voice of wisdom guiding and teaching the values of coexistence. You have a unique advantage for that but instead you are the gang leader for the "let's break and tear it apart" mobster.


On the second issue, I cannot imagine, judging by the level of caustic venom that exist between you and some of your neighbors, that if you declare Biafra today, in whatever form, that you can enjoy a trouble free and sabotage free sovereingty.

The same neighbors that you need for a unified and trouble free alliance are the ones you continously harass and intimidate with your assumption of Supremacy.

You are already creating a pool of saboteurs and resentment before you even declare Biafra. How does that assist your survival? Or you don't think you need Ijos and Edos, knowing they are directly across the Biafran border?

My statements should wake your conscience and cause you to reflect and find new angle of approach.

You are not appealing to the rest of Southerners. Improve your image and people will naturally want to identify as Igbo.

Piss off, the Igbo don't have an Amir running one of their cities like some other group so go and save them.

I don't know if the origin of the name Ika has been posted here:

Origin of the name Ika

Although earlier colonial documents have referred to the present Ika people as Ika speaking people (Marshall 1936, Whiting 1936, Simpson 1936, Denton 1937, and Stanfield 1936), the present Ika people have not always been the only group known by the name, Ika. Forde and Jones (1967) used the term Ika for a wider community, which included the present Ika group. Ika was used by Forde and Jones (1967) to represent the inland parts of the four groups that make up the western Igbo group (Aniocha, Oshimili, Ika and Ukwuani) found in present Delta State away from the shores of the river Niger. The remaining members of these groups that are on the shores of the river Niger i.e. Asaba, Aboh and others were referred to as Riverain Ibo (Forde and Jones 1967: 49-50). Within this Ika group the present Ika community was classified as Northern Ika along with Aniocha and Oshimili while the Ukwuani group was classified as Southern Ika (Forde and Jones 1967). However the origin and meaning of the name Ika and when only the present Ika community and their language began to be known and referred to by that name, which they retain until today, is not clear.

http://www.ikaworld.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=IkaHistoryamp;Tradition&article=207

Lol@Eze.

I am self-nominating myself as an Amir over Igbo affairs.

You have a problem with that?

Abagworo:

Jealousy na disease.The topic is about our story of origin.The first Ooni of Ife is a Bini man and hence the superiority of Bini over Yoruba.Lagos was also founded by Bini.So go hug transformer or better still drink conc HCL.

u got it wrong lagos was not founded by the bini

it was invaded by them and thus they rule traditionally just like fulani in kwara

Great info, thank you Eze for bringing that.

Some of the accounts in book is contradicted by accounts of natives.
Whose version is more accurate and shoiuld be adopted, British authors or land natives?


Alj, no mind Abagoro!

Alj, na you be same person as Eze?

Cos I dey wonder how Eze sabi that term "Amir".