http://www.scribd.com/doc/65106031/Igbo-Communities-and-the-Nigerian-State-in-the-Twentieth-Century

Precolonial Igboland consisted of numerous largely autonomous local units without any centralized political authority beyond the level of the village or villagegroup, in marked contrast to the formation of precolonial states and empires inother parts of what constitutes Nigeria today, such as the Benin Empire, the Yoruba states in the southwest, and the Sokoto Caliphate and the Hausa/Fulaniemirates in the north. As a cultural and sociopolitical area with a common ethnicconsciousness and administrative boundaries, “Igboland” is a creation of the twen-tieth century (see chapter 5). Even the term “Igbo” (or “Ibo,” a spelling that wascommon among nonlinguists up to the 1970s) seems to have emerged mainly asan expression outside Igboland—used by slave traders and shippers, by enslavedand freed Igbo people, by linguists and missionaries. While people generally described themselves by the names of their local settlements or village groups, theterm “Igbo,” as an ethnic self-description, became popular only during the colo-nial period.

Given the flexibility of the concept and the cultural diversity of Igbo society, the boundaries of Igboland are not always easy to draw. Some early maps and accounts extend the Igbo area close to the coast, including Opobo and Bonny (e.g., Talbot 1926, vol. 4: 40–41), reflecting the fact that a considerable part of the population in these coastal communities was of Igbo origin. Ascriptions and self-descriptions of groups considered to be Igbo remain in flux: Igbo-speaking groups such as the Ikwerre near Port Harcourt in Rivers State adapted their ethnic self-definition according to the political circumstances of the time, providing them a degree of security especially during and after the Civil War (Harneit-Sievers, Ahazuem, and Emezue 1997: 27). Arochukwu was administratively incorporated into the Igbo-speaking Onitsha Province only in the late 1950s and began to regard itself as being “fully” Igbo only during the Nigerian Civil War. Igbo groups west of the Niger similarly assert a distinct identity today, using the term “Anioma,” regarding themselves as marginalized by the Igbo political mainstream (Ohadike 1994). In most contexts—and in this book as well, if not specified otherwise—the term“Igboland” refers to the five Igbo-speaking states of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo) and to neighboring Igbo-speaking areas in Delta and Rivers states.

The Origin Of Oraifite People


The story of the origin, migration and settlement of the people who make up the present four quarters (villages) of Oraifite, namely, Ezumeri, Unodu, Irefi & Ifite in the order of seniority, is perhaps certain to the history of Oraifite. Legend has it that Ikenga was the father of Agbaja, who probably migrated from Abatete. The advocates of the Agbaja-Abatete origin of Ikenga hold that he was the father of the founders of Nnewi, Ichi and Oraifite communities. Hence the three communities were commonly referred to as the Agbaja group of communities. There were certain cultural relationships existing between the three communities. In the three communities, for example, they celebrate the Igu-aro, Ilo-mmuo, and Afia-olu festivals together. They also have similar dancing groups and masquerades, for instance, the Odogwu, Okpoka and Ozoebuna masquerades. Their commonality extends to the worship of a powerful goddes, Edo, whose shrine existed in Nnewi, ichi and Oraifite. Hence, Nnewi, Ichi and Oraifite are referred to as Anaedo, the land of the people of the goddess, Edo. The social and cultural relationships existing between these communities seem to confirm this. Moreover, the three communities observed the Ikwu-aru festival in honor of the Edo goddess. They also observe the Afia-Olu and Ilo-mmuo festivals together.

The Key Events
The first chiefdom would seem to have been established under the reign of Mmaku. According to tradition, Mmaku's wife was Ifenweugwu. She had a son called Ikenga. At Mmaku’s death, Ikenga succeeded him, and married a lady called Ifite. This lady had four children, namely, Nnewulu(Nnewi), Isu, Oraifite and Ichi.
Ikenga at his death was succeeded by Nnewulu(Nnewi), who married Ifediokpu. His sons were Okpala, Digbo, Eze Ekweludionwu, Nnagha, Uru and Eke. It was during the reign of Nnewulu(Nnewi), that Isu, Oraifite and 1chi left Nnewulu(Nnewi), owing to land scarcity and migrated to the areas now named after them. There is no other information found about Isu. Isu could have been a female. More inquiries are on the way.

Oraifite’s wife was unknown at the time of this essay. His sons were Ezumeri, Odu(Ezeani), Irefi and Ifite. Ezumeri was the oldest of the sons, followed by Odu(Ezeani), then Irefi and Ifite. In that order.

Legend has it that during the time of Oke-efi in Oraifite, Anumanu, a handicapped (partially blind) son of a king of Aboh town (currently in delta state of Nigeria), migrated to Oraifite seeking refuge. Oke-efi welcomed Anumanu and his entourage. Included in his entourage were his servant (Oliobasie) and his horn blower (Eze Opi). Oliobasie was originally from a village called Utagba, in Ukwuani town. He was a servant who accompanied prince Anumanu to Oraifite. Oke-efi allocated a piece of land to Anumanu, and allowed him to settle, adjacent to Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) his younger brother. Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) had a few children, and needed good neighbors for security reasons. Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) was the only original indigene of Ibolo land and the second oldest son of Oraifite. Ibolo quarter was named after a large tree found in that part of town.

Prior to the arrival of Anumanu, there was an earlier settler at Ibolo named Ugwumagana(Isiji). There is no historical account as to where he migrated from. There are 4(four) distinct families resident at Ibolo, even until now. They are (a) Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) family, (b) Ugwumagana (Isiji) family, (c) Prince Anumanu family and (d) Oliobasie family. The Oliobasie family belongs to the Anumanu household, because Oliobasie was a servant of Anumanu. Umu-ezeopi as the name shows, were the children of Eze-opi. And they too belong to the household of Prince Anumanu, since he was part of his confidant and was brought to Oraifite by him. Isingwu migrated later to Oraifite from Osumenyi. There was no historical account as to why they left Osumenyi. Isingwu was accepted and allowed to settle as part of the household of Odu (Ogwugwuezeani). Hence, the household of Odu (Uno-Odu) include, Ibolo, Umuezopi and Isingwu. There is no clear explanation why the Isi-obi (head) of Unodu shifted from Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) to Anumanu household in Ibolo.

Unodu have always lived peacefully with the rest of the other three quarters. No war(s) was fought nor recorded between them. Infact, all quaters jointly fought and conquered the Akwa-ukwu series of wars. Part of the land now occupied by Isingwu and Ibolo were conquered from Akwa-ukwu. Isingwu and Umuezopi instituted their Obis just as the other clans in Oraifite. The Isi-Obi of Uno-Odu rests at Ibolo.

http://www.njemanzeabroad.com/history.html

History of Owerri

From the Palace (Ibari) of Eze Owere His Majesty Pharm. (Dr.) Emmanuel Emenvonu Niemanze Ozuruigbo of Owerri OON, FPSN,
KSC. Paramount Ruler of Owerri
KNOWING ABOUT OWERRI AND ITS ORIGIN

Owerri was founded about the 14th century by our founding father Ekwem Oha.
His mother's name was Arugo.
He fled from Umuori Village, Uratta in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State when his life was threatened by his younger brother Ndum. The threat to his life arose from the dispute over the sharing of the Funeral Cow slaughtered when their father Oha the aristocrat and embodiment of royalty died. The first son (Opara in Igbo) Ekwem was to provide the funeral cow as demanded by custom. He did not have the means to do so. He appealed to his younger brother Ndum popularly known as Ndumoha to buy the cow, which he did. Ndum asked for the head, heart and other parts of the cow that go to the first son in keeping with custom. His reason being that he Ndum, bought the funeral cow. Ekwem turned down his request and a quarrel ensued. The elders (Oha Uratta) were invited to settle the dispute. They did so by allowing tradition to prevail. Ekwem was'entitled to the aforementioned parts of the cow being the first son. Ndum did not take kindly to this and so planned to kill Ekwem in order to have his way. The plot leaked and Ekwem fled with his family at the dead of the night to Egbu a neighboring town (Community) taking with them some stores and domestic assistants. History has it that his sister was married at Egbu. His sister fearing that Ndum may look for him asked him to continue his journey to an unknown and uninhabited land for safety and settle there permanently. They set out during the night with the aid of owa (native torch) and arrived at a hill top now known as Ugwu Ekwema and settled there. They heaved a sigh of relief saying OWERELA IHE MARAYA AKA meaning HE HAS TAKEN WHAT IS HIS RIGHT or what rightly belonged to him. He sounded the drum (as he was told by his sister) to indicate his location. His sister was happy to locate him and his family the following morning. She returned to Egbu thereafter.
The morning broke and they took their first meal roast old yam together in a typical communion fashion (not served) with thanks to Almighty and merciful Father our Lord God for their safety, the thick forest in the area being infested with dangerous animals such as lions, tigers and snakes like pythons, vipers and cobras.

THE NAME OWERRI (OWERE)

The advent of the British saw the anglicizing of Owere to Owerri but pronounced as though it was spelt Owere. All the neighboring towns (communities) of Owerri were founded and existed on planet earth centuries or decades before Owerri came into existence. It is a God given land (DESTINY LAND being the slogan for Owerri Municipal) and has remained protected with all the people therein by the same God Almighty.
The British found them very clean people. Recall the presence of Nwaorie and
Otamiri rivers flanking Owerri on the West and South respectively. Owerri people
were caring, friendly and accommodating hence *:he choice of Owerri by the
British Colonial Government as first, Divisional Headquarters later Provincial
Headquarters and today a state capital of Municipal status. It is sad to note what
the so-called modern technology in culverting had done to both Nwaorie and
Otamiri rivers at the creation of Imo state in 1976 when Owerri became the state
capital. The fine bridges that flew across the rivers that once flowed with beauty
were pulled down to give way to the culverts which were perhaps
unprofessionally constructed. The rivers are now almost stagnant and would
require millions of Naira to dredge. The influence of the two rivers on the culture
of Owerri people is now historical.

THE FESTIVAL OR FEAST OF OWERRI INDGENES - ORU OWERE

Oru Owere the annual festival or feast of Owerri indigenes cannot be written
without reference to the founding of Owerri. It has been mentioned earlier that
the first meal of the founding father of Owere and his family was roast old yam,
which they ate with oil bean salad at Ugwu Ekwema (Ekwema's hill) Our ancestral
home.
After breakfast on arriving and settling at Ugwu Ekwema, there was the need for
water for obvious reasons. They knew that the source of Otamiri was at Egbu but
were ignorant of the course of the river owing to t(ie thick rain forest of the area.
The communities or towns through which Otamirii flowed, were also known. It is
common knowledge that peculiar sounds or noise|s are characteristic of running
water from streams and rivers. That was Ekwem'ls experience that morning. He
ordered his men to use the direction of the sounds/noise to see if any could be
sighted. They obeyed his wish and by surprise stumbled on Otamiri river, close to
where Emmanuel College Owerri now stands. They ran back in excitement to
Ugwu Ewema and broke the news of the presence of what they described as
OGBU AMUMA - a pleasant early morning sunrise experience of flashing rays of
the sun on the waters of Otamiri river reminiscent:of the historical account of the
sighting of River Niger by the Scottish Explorer Mungo Park- GLITTERING IN THE
MORNING SUN.
OTAMIRI RIVER SIGHTED: Ekwem immediately commissioned his men to clear the route to the river -IKPU UZO. The route cleared after which he feasted them with corn porridge.

TWO REMARKEABLE EVENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON OWERRI (OWERE) CULTURE

The roasting of old yams the first meal and the! corn meal entertainment developed into a cultural festival or feast ORU OWERE with which indigenes commemorate the founding of Owerri. These events tell the story of the founding of Owerri and the time or period of the year Owerri was founded viz the old yam and corn meal, which are commonly consumed at that time of the year, the rainy season. Worthy of note is the fact that the yam is old not new yam, as new yam had not yet been harvested. Therefore Oru Owere is not new yam festival.

ORU OWERE (ORU EZE)

Oru Owere is Oru Eze (the Eze's festival). The festival js marked by a period of the observance of peace, love, friendliness and togetherness, devoid of bitterness, quarrels, antagonism and physical confrontation, no weeping when death occurs during the period, no firing of cannon and a time to make up quarrels without third party intervention as stipulated by custom. However Oha Owere is the traditional institution responsible for its conduct and yearly observance. They determine the commencement of the period by a system handed down by our ancestors. The duration of the period is equally guided) by the same system. All the key events namely the beginning of the period, the roasting of the old yam, the corn porridge entertainment (MKPU KPU UZO) and the day marking the end of the period are Orie market days. The period begins in the month of June and lasts till mid August. Between the roasting of old yam (Oru Owere Proper) and the corn porridge meal is the GRAND FINALE characterized by a colourful procession of age grade formations in Owerri community through given routes in the Old City. The Civic procession assembles at Ugwu Ekwema Civic Center (the civic center of Owerri Community) from where it talks off and terminates at the end of the procession where invited guests are received and made to have a feel of Oru Owere with traditional dances displays and entertainment. The first item of entertainment after the breaking of kolanuts by Eze Ojwere is roast old yam. Ugwu Ekwema is our ancestral home which significance informed our choice of locating the Community Civic Center.
Perhaps the reader may wish to know when Owerri indigenes are free to eat the New Yam. The eating of the new yam by Owerp indigenes begin the day immediately after MKPU KPU OZU which is the day that marks the beginning of the new calendar year in Igbo culture.
Accordingly, it is pertinent to note that Owerri people the indigenes of the capital
of Imo state do not celebrate the New Yam.
When increase in population began, there was the need to expand to other fronts. The sons of Ekwem and their families moved away from the ancestral home at Ugwu Ekwema, to different directions within the confines of the two rivers close to each other with their families leading to the growth and development of the villages of Owerri which derived their names from the sons of Ekwem. The grave of Ekwem stands prominently on the grounds of Ugwu Ekwem Civic Center. Ikenegbu was the first son followed by Onyeche, Odu and their sister Oyima hence the villages namely;

Umuororonjo
Amawom Children of Ikenegbu Umuonyeche
Umuodu
Umuoyima

The villages were named after the sons and daughter of the founder. Information has it that about eight to ten villages emerged. Some were sacked and others migrated away to places far and near in Igbo Land, East and west of the Niger with Owerri featuring in the name of their new hometowns as Owere in Diaspora. In recent times some persons who are not indigenes of Owerri, the state capital and who have never written or published for public consumption any historical account of the founding or origin of their home town or communities have become Owereologists who give unprecedented calculated false and hopelessly distorted account of the origin of Owerri as though Owerri town or community which was in existence centuries before the British expedition in 1901 had no known origin. Her indigenes are not by accident of birth but divine providence. Owerri is not a geographical expression. It has a local setting given by the indigenes. It is not a coming together or movement of people from different places coming together to settle in a place or a place mixed with occupiers and intruders or invaders. It is founded through one person and his family. Prior to the early eighties of the last century, Owerri people the indigenes of capital of Imo state did not intermarry for the reason of one blood.
Owerri people are peace loving, very friendly, dq not discriminate against any ethnic or tribal group and treat you in a way more affectionate than they do to their brothers and sisters. They are not criminal or violent by nature. Those who come to Owerri to work or find a source of livelihood come to stay and not to return from whence they came for her peace and security.

KNOWING MORE ABOUT OWERRI

If you are in Imo State without knowing something about Owerri, the State Capital, your knowledge of the State is hopelessly incomplete.
The facts to note. Owerrl i.e. Owerrl Municipal the capital of Imo State
A. The advent of the British - 1901
B. The Monarchy - the last quarter of the 17th century about 1670-1680.
The Title of the Eze of Owerrl - OZURUIGBO (The King whose authority spans a
large area of Igboland).

The first king that is, the Eze-Eze Eke Onunwa

1. Eze Eke Onunwa


1690 - 1735

2. Eze Okorie Onunwa


1735 - 1788

3. Eze Iheancho Okorie Onunwa


1788 - 1845 There are two rivers:- Nworie on the West flank while Otamiri Is on the Southern flank. The two rivers influenced the culture of the people, Owerri people do not fish in Nworie River but do so in Otamiri River, they do not eat fish from Nworie River. The source of Nworie river had a deposit of Emerald a precious solid mineral but not in commercial quantity. There is also Lake Nwebere at Imo State University, Owerri.

Eze Njemanze Ihenacho of Owerri was the Vice chairman of the Council of the Traditional Rulers of the former Oil River Protectorate with Calabar as its headquarters. The Obong of Calabar was the Chairman of the Council Diplomatic Ties: Owerri monarchy had diplomatic ties with Arochukwu, Nkwere and the Benin Kingdom.

Oil Prospecting in Nigeria: This began in Owerri before the second world war. The Second World War broke out and it was suspended. The war ended and shell D'arcy returned to Owerri in the forties of the last century to continue the oil prospecting hence the shell camp in Owerri. Shell was in Owerri up to the early sixties before moving to Port Harcourt when their level of technology could not strike oil in Iho in Ikeduru LG.A of Imo state a few Kilometers away from Owerri. However, today there is a Chevron Rig in Owerri but not yet commissioned.

Mbari Culture had its root in Owerri: It is now a thing of the past as religion had dealt a big blow on the arts and crafts etc.
Generally religion/Christianity in the main relegated our culture.

Isuochi

The people of isuochi are decendants of ochi,a warrior and wrestler who in search of a "a healthy,stonless and wind swept area for wrestling and other forms of sport(iwe1975)" settled at Nkwoagu in the heart of the area called isuochi
According to oral history,ochi came from the east, passing through ishiagu in Afikpo and Umuchieze and finally settled at Isuochi.
Ochi waged war against a village that had settled in the area now enclosed by Nkwoagu,Umuelem and Ndiawa,named Ihite meaning the old site of Ihite village.
Ochi had one son called Isu who later had two sons 'Ezi' and 'Ihite'. Ezi Isu had five sons namely Abuga, Egbebi, Logu, Ekegbu, and Digbo who later gave birth to the present villages of Umuelem, Achara, Amuda, Lomara and Umuaku respectively. Ihite Isu had four sons namely Awa, Aguogba, Araka and Atuga who also gave birth to the present villages of Ndiawa, Mbala, Ngodo, and Ihie respectivley.
This brings the villages that make up Isuochi community to nine(9)

Umunze


The name Umunze was derived from the name of the originator "Nze" meaning the descendant of nze in about 1476 during the time of extreme drought. Nze Izo Ezema was a farmer and hunter from ohafia near Arochukwu in the present day Abia State. He wandered the forest on his normal hunting and on discovering a very fertile land full of arable crops he like it. He went back to his father and told him about his new home and also ask for wives. His father saw his behaviour and equipped him with necessities. He was given a mother shrine that has a stream known as Izo mmiri (The present Izo in the eke izo square) with two wives and a slave to the Izo. He settled first at Akpu Mgbatiri Okpa situated at Umuizo today. His wives were Lolo and Ijendu. Lolo gave birth to 7 sons and 1 daughter and ijendu had only 1 son. Nze being our Originator : Izo being his father's name in Ohafia : Ezema being the family village name in Ohafia.

Lolo gave birth to 7 sons and 1 daughter

1. Nso, the descendants formed Nsogwu

2. Ugwu- Ugwunano

3. Uragu-Lomu

4. Ishingwu-Ubaha

5. Cheke-Ururo

6. Okpontu-Ozara

7. Diala-Amuda.

The daughter was married to an immigrant from Isu in the present day Imo State. He became a neighbor to Nze and now the present Isulo (Umunze treats any girl from Isulo as Ada in any ceremony till today) Ijendu the first wife bore two children;Dara(1st son),who is presently the father and founder of eziagu,a neighboring town,after a family problem.

War broke the two wives after the death of Nze that made Dara [ The first son of Nze ] to demand absolute control of the kingdom but was waged by the striking force of his half brothers and they conspired and made him leave the kingdom for Agu which is called IKPA according to Umunze dialect. Dara was blessed with many children at Eziagu,he settled at the western part of the area. The slave that came with Nze was blessed and when Nze died, he(the slave) was regarded as the father since he took care of the entire kingdom after the death of Nze Izo Ezema. His aboard became the present Umuizo where the entire Umunze gathered.

These 7 sons settled at different locations which today make up the town known as umunze.

Amiri(Oru)


Amiri, the second largest town in Oru is the oldest son of one of the wives of Oru. History points out that Amiri is the elder brother of Awo-Omamma and Atta (Atta was later married to Isu). Amiri married two wives, one from Oru and one from Isu. The first wife from Isu had four sons namely:

Umuecheta
Amuka
Isiorie
Umudioka
The second wife had five sons namely:

Umuduru
Mbubu
Amaokpara
Ubahazu
Ugbeke
These 9 sons and Nchoko make up the 10 villages in Amiri. Nchoko, though not one of the first generation sons of Amiri, was made up of prominent warlords at the time. They left Mbubu and headed south in search of better life. They found good land between Ubahazu, Umuduru and Otulu where they settled and formed the last of the ten villages in Amiri.

Ihioma

The founding of Ihioma, according to the prevalent myth in Ihioma, has both spiritual and supernatural foundations.  A man called ‘Ihi’ and his wife ‘Oma’ after long wandering in search of water arrived at the clear translucent spring, sporting in – between stones and settled to drink water, at the source of the Ezize River.  That spring is today known as ‘Iyiokwu’.  ‘Iyi’ means ‘Spring’ and ‘Okwu’ means ‘base’ or the foundation of a spring.  The first descendants of  ‘Ihi’ and ‘Oma’ settled there and the community is called ‘Okwuekpe’ meaning ‘the land of the spring source’, hence the popular slogan, ‘At the feet of the Ezize Spring and in between its rich alluvial valley the people of Ihioma came into being.’  It is said that the couple met supernatural visitors each time they went to draw water.  In their last encounter the spirits left them some articles, today in the custody of the first Family in Ihioma, the Durukoma family.  The objects are seen only once in a lifetime by those being initiated into the ‘Ozo Title’ of Ihioma.  Nobody has been brave enough to describe or reveal its form or content to this day.


Ihi and wife Oma has three children – Okpara Aro, Otuo and Ezenachi.  The first son begot three children, namely, Okpara, Agim, Dibie, Nneme, Arusi and Aronaaji.  They form the first village in Ihioma called Ebenese.  The second son Otuo begot Dim, Nguma na Odu, Okwanwoke and Ndum.  They came to be known as Okwuabala or Umuotuo.


The third son, Ezenachi begot Osime, Eziorie, Ezinkwo, Ebele and Ogbeke.  All Ihioma people have the same ancestry and until the 20th  century, had one Traditional Ruler, the Obi of Ihioma.

When will you stop this your rubbish of igbo diversity? You write history of igbo communities ,yet you don't know and don't want to know the history of the igbos forming those communities!

Antivirus92: When will you stop this your rubbish of igbo diversity? You write history of igbo communities ,yet you don't know and don't want to know the history of the igbos forming those communities!

Enyi, ndaa?

O di ngen wu iwe gi?

Antivirus92: When will you stop this your rubbish of igbo diversity? You write history of igbo communities ,yet you don't know and don't want to know the history of the igbos forming those communities!

The aim is for you to teach us what we don't know. For your information, I take time out to search and compose or copy all these information and they will be of use to both us and our future generations. I never knew Umunze(Anambra) is rooted in Ohafia(Abia State) until I got hold of their site and history.

odumchi:

Enyi, ndaa?

O di ngen wu iwe gi?

udo di, iwe anaghi ewem!

Abagworo:

The aim is for you to teach us what we don't know. For your information, I take time out to search and compose or copy all these information and they will be of use to both us and our future generations. I never knew Umunze(Anambra) is rooted in Ohafia(Abia State) until I got hold of their site and history.

fake sites and fake stories! Before i thought that they said that umunze are descendants of nze, a hunter from arochukwu who settled there. So now they are rooted again in ohafia? Lol! Tomorrow,they will root in ngwa.

Abagworo:

The aim is for you to teach us what we don't know. For your information, I take time out to search and compose or copy all these information and they will be of use to both us and our future generations. I never knew Umunze(Anambra) is rooted in Ohafia(Abia State) until I got hold of their site and history.

fake sites and fake stories! Before i thought that they said that umunze are descendants of nze, a hunter from arochukwu who settled there. So now they are rooted again in ohafia? Lol! Tomorrow,they will root in ngwa. Confused people!

Antivirus92: fake sites and fake stories! Before i thought that they said that umunze are descendants of nze, a hunter from arochukwu who settled there. So now they are rooted again in ohafia? Lol! Tomorrow,they will root in ngwa. Confused people!

At least its from the Umunze folks themselves and not from me. BTW what's your reason for all these show of frustration?

Abagworo:

At least its from the Umunze folks themselves and not from me. BTW what's your reason for all these show of frustration?

the aro story is also from an umunze indigene. I am not frustrated,i am only trying to tell you to make use of ur brain and stop copy and paste history. It doesn't help.

Antivirus92: the aro story is also from an umunze indigene. I am not frustrated,i am only trying to tell you to make use of ur brain and stop copy and paste history. It doesn't help.

Can you post a link of the Aro story? Arochukwu and Ohafia are BTW same geographical location.

I suspect you might be one of the Nri supremacists and if you happen to be one, then I have no business with you.

Abagworo:

Can you post a link of the Aro story? Arochukwu and Ohafia are BTW same geographical location.

I suspect you might be one of the Nri supremacists and if you happen to be one, then I have no business with you.

akuko na egwu. Go and study ur family history first before igbo history.

Antivirus92: udo di, iwe anaghi ewem!

To nu mmeji.

bashr4: this is just modern history of igbos it still does not indidcate tue origin , remember when the white men came different igbo groups didnt even know others existed, not matter how different the dialect were from rivers up to enugu to abia and imo they all stilll had the same meanings , same culture ,same market days. My thread focused on why people think we are light skined is because we are mixed this thread does not explain the light skin part which runs accross the various villages of igbo settlement.

You are as light skinned as Ghanaians! Igbo no dey carry last. what is the source of this historical writings?

Ihiagwa in Uratta





Ihiagwa town is one of the towns that make up the world, and as any other town, she has her own history. In the whole town of Ihiagwa, Iriamogu village is the principal village group. They are the descendants of a man called Ogu. The first child of Ogu was known as Okoma. After a period of ten years another child was born known as Heshila and after Heshila, another child was born in person of Alum who was a female.

Alum, the daughter of Ogu had to befriend Ekwemarugo who put her in a family way. Because of Alum’s state, Ekwemarugo was asked to marry Alum who he had put in a family way. Ekwemarugo refused because of finance. Traditionally, it was an unbearable thing to have a bastard in the family. Because of social valuation of bastardy in the community, Ogu, the father, asked the daughter Alum to go and live between Ihiagwa and Owerri, by this time, there was nothing like Nekede. This provision was to make it possible for Alum to be visiting her friend Ekwemarugo (from Owerri) at will. but socially, Ogu experienced a discomfort. it was that he would not cross any town whenever he wanted to visit his daughter Alum. To this end, Ogu bought a slave whom he made to live between where he lived and his daughter Alum. The name of the slave was Oma. So Oma lived with Alum and when Alum delivered her child, the child and other ones following were called UMUALUM and this was the origin of the village called UMUALUM.

Then, Alum and Oma lived at a point where “Aboshi” tree was planted. It was from this that we had the origin of “Uzi na Aboshi”. Uzi tree is in Ihiagwa. The first child of Alum and Oma was Okam and from Okam we got “UMEZEROKAM”.

One “Dibia” who was a black-smith from Umuzu came to ihiagwa. He was taken to a point between Ihiagwa and Naze to live. This black-smith got married and it was from him we had UMUDIBIA and where he lived was the position of the village Umudibia today. Other descendants from Dibia and wife were UMUTOKO, UMUOFOCHA, UMUOKOMOCHE, AND UMUERIM.

(Note: UMUALUM, UMUDIBIA and UMUOMA are villages that makes up Nekede the neighboring sister town of Ihiagwa. Aboshi tree is in Nekede)

MESSAGE FROM THE GOD OTAMIRI

According to the mythology connected with Ihiagwa town, the God Otamiri sent some messages to Ogu whom we mentioned earlier in this story. The message was not delivered by the people that Otamiri requested to deliver his message and they were people from Mbieri, Egbu and Naze. But one man from Emekeukwu delivered the God’s message and Otamiri was pleased and decided to have Emekeukwu as his messenger.

According to mythology, Otamiri sent a message to Ogu – an old man with gray hair- as Otamiri described him. Ogu was told to “catch” a bird called “Ovu” and come and see him. Ihiagwa went and told the sister town Nekede but Nekede understood the message literarily. Nekede went about in the bush hunting for the bird called Ovu but never understood that the instruction meant “Going as early as possible to the God Otamiri (It could be 4.00 am or 5.00 a.m).”

Ihiagwa became Calendar keeper or regulator: Ogu had his wife at the verge of delivery. So, as he was unable to go to see the God Otamiri he delegated his son Okoma with other representatives from Ihiagwa. As they arrived, Otamiri did not see Nekede because Nekede was busy wandering the bush in search of Ovu bird. Therefore the God Otamiri made Ihiagwa to be the Calendar Regulator i.e. Ihiagwa was made to be telling time to Nekede for any festival, traditional activities as they are done today. On the other hand, Nekede should be taking instructions from Ihiagwa as regards time for farming, for cultivation, for New yam etc., all these till today are taken care of by Ihiagwa and it is Ihiagwa who instructs Nekede about all these as Nekede comes to take instructions.

ORIGIN OF “OHA”

Distribution of baskets: As the delegates from Ihiagwa to Otamiri received instructions, the God Otamiri distributed baskets to them one by one.

1. The village Mboke had one and the delegates from Mboke village was to answer “Ohawu-ruoke” which is fully interpreted as “If “Oha” title was to be booty, no one would have remembered Mboke”. The former name of Mboke was OBOKO.

2. Umuadamoche Umuelem were to take one, and the title was “Oha Ala”.

3. Umuelekwerem Umuelem was to take one, the title was to be “Aguzie Afo”

4. Durunta which is now known as Duruba was to have one. The title was “Oha Otamiri” which is before their stream. It was instructed that he-goat and cock should be used for sacrifices.

5. Umuezeawula was to have one and the title was to be “Okwopi”. This “Okwopi” i.e. trumpeter is to be the trumpeter to herald the coming of these delegates to Otamiri the God.

6. Aku and Umuokwu to have one basket and the title of Oha there was to be “Nkojiakpa” which means nominal Oha, inconsequential Oha which was for making up the number.

7. Nkaramoche village to have one basket and the title was to be “Oha Ehihie”

8. Okomo the son of Ogu was among the delegates and Okoma was to have the Oha title as Eze-Ario. Eze-Ario was the overall of all the Oha. He is to feed the God. He sees him first before others. Eze was to take three baskets (a) Abo Otamiri (b) Abo Ala (c) Abo Oparaogu. All these baskets are to serve according to the God mentions. Okoma leads all these whenever they were to go to any God of the Gods. “Eze Ario” i.e.. Okoma was to be the last to eat New yam of all the “dibias”, Oha, and priest of our deities.

COMMUNITY PROFILE: UMUNOHA (CHILDREN OF NNOHA OKECHI), MBAITOLI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, IMO STATE

GEOGRAPHY
Umunoha Autonomous Community is bounded on the north by Eziama Obiato and Afara communities; on the south and southwest by Ogbaku and Ejemekwuru communities; and on the south and southeast by Ifakala and Afara communities. It is served by the great Onitsha-Owerri Road (Highway). It is about thirteen kilometers from Owerri, the Imo State capital. It is a small, compact but thickly populated community with a projected 1997 population of twenty-five thousand people.

ANCESTRY/HISTORY
According to tradition, a sort of warlord called Nnoha Okechi with vague Aro ancestry, but certainly a peripatetic individual, migrated from Ozuzu in the present Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria and settled in the present Umunoha town, having decisively defeated the original Isu settlers who had resisted him fiercely. He dispersed the Isu, seized their land, and distributed it among his children accordingly to seniority as follows:

* Duru, his first son, became the progenitor of the present Umuduru village;
*Okparaoma, Duru's younger brother from the same mother and the third child, the
progenitor of the present Umuokparaoma village.
*Okparafor, the fourth child and third son from a different mother the progenitor of
the present Umuokparafor village;
*Durundom, Duru's only sister and Nnoha's second child whom he refused to give out
in marriage remained at home and begat the present Umudurundom village;
*Mbara, brother of Okparafor and Nnoha's fifth and last child begat the present
Umurnbara village.

Later the area so divided and effectively occupied was renamed Umunoha. Any Umunoha person who cannot trace his ancestry directly to Nnoha Okechi cannot aspire to be and will not be accepted as a true citizen of the town. Indeed, a citizen of Umunoha, even today, proudly describes himself as Nwafo Nnoha Okechi ("uterine child of Nnoha Okechi" or Okechi for short. he regards, often with contempt, nonUmunoha people as nde mbakeshi ("barbarians".

Presently, Umunoha has two Autonomous Communities viz Obinoha and Umunoha.

ECONOMY
Market: Umunoha has a very popular market known as ORIE-AMA-IGWE. The market is usually a beehive of activities on every Orie-ukwu (major orie) market day. It holds every eighth day of Igbo market calendar.

RELIGION/CULTURE
The people of Umunoha are predominantly Christians; yet there are still traditional worshipers in some families. The community is host to the famous Igwekala Oracle that still enjoys patronage from all walks of life. Umunoha is also respected for its Mmanu Masquerade.


Culled from Prof. Uzoigwe,
(EVOLUTION AND RELEVANCE OF AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES IN PRECOLONIAL IGBOLAND, Journal of Third World Studies, Spring 2004)

Igbide is an Isoko clan located in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria.[1]

The predominant occupation of the Igbide is fishing. This is done mainly in the Urie lake, Owodokpokpo. In the first week of February the clan holds a festival on the Urie marking the start of the fishing season.[2] Cultivation, mainly of cassava and groundnuts, is also undertaken by the Igbide.

While popular folklore has it that the Igbide people originated from Mgbidi in the Eastern (Igbo) part of Nigeria, some more recent writers attribute their origins to Awka in present day Anambra state with a blend of later immigrants from Uvwie (Effurun) in Delta State .[3] This affiliation to the Igbos can be observed in the dress and costume codes of the Igbides in festivals like ABAME, and the salutation sequence and chants as well as the mercantile nature of a typical Igbide man. The Igbide people took early to Christianity.[citation needed] Owodokpokpo, a community in Igbide clan, is regarded as one of the main entry points of Christianity into Isoko land.[4]

Igbide is also an oil producing community and host to Shell's Oroni oilfield.

Source: Wikipedia

Mortiple:
Igbide is an Isoko clan located in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria.[1]

The predominant occupation of the Igbide is fishing. This is done mainly in the Urie lake, Owodokpokpo. In the first week of February the clan holds a festival on the Urie marking the start of the fishing season.[2] Cultivation, mainly of cassava and groundnuts, is also undertaken by the Igbide.

While popular folklore has it that the Igbide people originated from Mgbidi in the Eastern (Igbo) part of Nigeria, some more recent writers attribute their origins to Awka in present day Anambra state with a blend of later immigrants from Uvwie (Effurun) in Delta State .[3] This affiliation to the Igbos can be observed in the dress and costume codes of the Igbides in festivals like ABAME, and the salutation sequence and chants as well as the mercantile nature of a typical Igbide man. The Igbide people took early to Christianity.[citation needed] Owodokpokpo, a community in Igbide clan, is regarded as one of the main entry points of Christianity into Isoko land.[4]

Igbide is also an oil producing community and host to Shell's Oroni oilfield.

Source: Wikipedia

You missed a point here after a brilliant write up on Umunoha by adding an Isoko clan. The thread is about Igbo clans and not Isoko or Urhobo that some villages trace their origin to Igbo. Some Igbos like Onitsha also trace their origin to Edo and are today Igbo. Igbide is an Isoko town.

Abagworo:

You missed a point here after a brilliant write up on Umunoha by adding an Isoko clan. The thread is about Igbo clans and not Isoko or Urhobo that some villages trace their origin to Igbo. Some Igbos like Onitsha also trace their origin to Edo and are today Igbo. Igbide is an Isoko town.

Noted! Mix-up regretted!!

Good day brothers.My name is Raichutz. I have always enjoyed your discussions about our people Ndi Igbo especially while travelling I will occupy myself with this thread till I get to where I'm going. Your intellectual contributions are very insightful. Chinenye,Ezeagu,Abagworo.Negro,Odumchi etc keep it up.Your strong sense of nationality is appreciated especially when a non Igbo comes in to make recalcitrant statements against Igbos, the swift and passion at which you shoo them away is very effective and funny.I hope not to be in their shoes...

Does it mean that the Mbaise and Ngwa people whom we learnt migrated from Umunoha descendants of Okechi Nnaoha>?

Raichutz: Does it mean that the Mbaise and Ngwa people whom we learnt migrated from Umunoha descendants of Okechi Nnaoha>?

I don't believe so. Their might be some elements of Ngwa that are descendants of Okechi but most Igbo sub-groups consist of people with various ancestry. I believe that most Ngwas are very likely autochtonous to the Ezinihitte area with elements from Umunoha, Isu and other areas making up the population.

NB. Mbaise was never an Igbo sub-group but was recently coined as an amalgamation of various groups which included Isu, Ezinihitte and Agbaja.

Raichutz: Does it mean that the Mbaise and Ngwa people whom we learnt migrated from Umunoha descendants of Okechi Nnaoha>?

Okechi Nneoha was from Etche and founded Umunneoha during the late Portugese era (some time between the late 16th and mid 17th centuries). Ngwa already had presence in Bonny by the 14th century (at least 200 years before Okechi Nneoha's time). So no, Ngwa and their Ohuhu kin (Mbaise area) are not descendants of Okechi Nneoha, neither did they migrate from anywhere in or near Umunneoha or anywhere else within the Isu complex. But there are some families in Ngwa who can trace their descent from communities within that area.

Antivirus92: When will you stop this your rubbish of igbo diversity? You write history of igbo communities ,yet you don't know and don't want to know the history of the igbos forming those communities!

My sentiments exactly; most of these material were pulled pulled from Wikipaedia. The southern Anambra and northern Igbo is where the Nri influence and Isu habitants met. If you access the language structure of the southern Anambrarians you will instantly learn they speak about 60% Anambra Igbo and about 40% Isu Igbo. The question is are they \NriAnambrarians or Isu\Imo ?? We know they have both Isu and Nri elements but what do you call them ?? They are definitelly not Isu nor Nri:

NRI PRIEST:

My sentiments exactly; most of these material were pulled pulled from Wikipaedia. The southern Anambra and northern Igbo is where the Nri influence and Isu habitants met. If you access the language structure of the southern Anambrarians you will instantly learn they speak about 60% Anambra Igbo and about 40% Isu Igbo. The question is are they \NriAnambrarians or Isu\Imo ?? We know they have both Isu and Nri elements but what do you call them ?? They are definitelly not Isu nor Nri:

I don't use wikipedia as a source. Most of my posts are from the natives of the immediate group involved or their official website.