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African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots - Culture (6) - Nairaland

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Why Some S-southerners Denounce Their Igbo Heritage - Obi Of Asaba / The Love-Hate Relationship Between Africans, African Americans And Islanders / Why Do Ikwerre Igbos Reject Their Igbo Identity? (2) (3) (4)

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Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Nobody: 8:16pm On Sep 15, 2012
PAGAN 9JA:
^ yes i also know that your mother is retarde to have given birth to an a$$ like you.


(this is just a sample. but i generally dont speak like this. dont provoke me. if you have anything sensible to say, i am all ears or else ill kick your virtual akata a$$ back to your virtual jail / home frm whence you came. )

If you really think you can "out rag" me, you are an even bigger fo0l than expected. What type of piss poor diss was that? "Yo mama" grin You sound like a defeated bytch. grin

Go run along with your spear and pretend to be of some importance in your imaginary pagan world...in Europe. grin
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by PAGAN9JA(m): 8:19pm On Sep 15, 2012
i dont think, i KNOW i can out rag you. but i have other more, whatsthis, . . . ah sensible threads to reply to, + i have a real life and job and more importantly i am tribal, and i have some standard unlike you , so yeahh. . undecided
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Nobody: 8:32pm On Sep 15, 2012
PAGAN 9JA:
i dont think, i KNOW i can out rag you. but i have other more, whatsthis, . . . ah sensible threads to reply to, + i have a real life and job and more importantly i am tribal, and i have some standard unlike you , so yeahh. . undecided

You are such a cornball. grin

ABEG, WAKA PASS JOR!
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by OneNaira6: 11:30pm On Sep 15, 2012
PAGAN 9JA:


not i am tryin for the preservation of the tribes and the dignity of the ancestors. remember what happened to the poor Natives of both the americas. half of them are extinct, the other half are fighting extinction, due to assimilation. Even any Natives have started realising this. i have spoken to some of them. the tribes of europe also got extinct today due to assimilation. NO! i shall not let this repeat again be it my trie or anyone elses. there are many Igbo who support e in this and we shall fight.

the akatas are an unfortunate group. they were kidnapped and sold into slavery by other tribes. but these other tribes were not aware that they would be shipped abroad and face all that harshness. slavery in Africa wasa different sysem that existed domestically. rhere was no cultural and religious supression involved in this case. the ancestors of the akats should have died with dignity, rathar than have let themselves become slaves in the forein lands and forego their culture. identity and beliefs.

yes another reason why i dont like akatas is becasue they are a dirty lot and do all sorts of corrupt things. they have no culture.

You must be joking. Dude let's keep it real. The AA laying claim to Igbo heritage will in noway cause an extinction to Igbo clan, infact it increases the clan due to intermarriage between the two groups. Secondly, your own people are more trying to cause an Igbo extinction than assimilation of AA into Igbo clan or are you going to deny this? Forget the Boko Haram attacks, the 1967 attack, the Asaba Massacre, the attacks during Colonization era, etc, etc. If you fighting to protect the integrity and what you deem as a "potential extinction" of the Igbo community then maybe you should start taking your fight to somewhere where such problem is visible. Charity begins at home. Lastly, let the Igbo fight their own fight; don't Igbo already do so each time? If we disapprove of AA community stretching their hands towards Igbo Clan, we'll fight it. If we need help, then you can join in. Right now, all you are doing is attacking and insulting African-American that have not done you or your clan wrong while using Igbo as a shield.

1 Like

Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by OneNaira6: 11:33pm On Sep 15, 2012
Mrs..Chima:


That's a very good question. Maybe jealousy? Ignorant? Both? Although I don't think majority of Blacks in Diaspora has Igbo heritage...I still think that they can claim whomever they want and as you said...it doesn't affect anyone nor change the price of garri. wink

[b]Is that all you have is that one naira? grin Let me loan you a kobo. :[/b]P

ROFLMFAO.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by PAGAN9JA(m): 11:34pm On Sep 15, 2012
One_Naira:

You must be joking. Dude let's keep it real. The AA laying claim to Igbo heritage will in noway cause an extinction to Igbo clan, infact it increases the clan due to intermarriage between the two groups. Secondly, your own people are more trying to cause an Igbo extinction than assimilation of AA into Igbo clan or are you going to deny this? Forget the Boko Haram attacks, the 1967 attack, the Asaba Massacre, the attacks during Colonization era, etc, etc. If you fighting to protect the integrity and what you deem as a "potential extinction" of the Igbo community then maybe you should start taking your fight to somewhere where such problem is visible. Charity begins at home. Lastly, let the Igbo fight their own fight. If we disapprove of AA community stretching their hands towards Igbo Clan, we'll fight it. If we need him, then you can join in. Right now, all you are doing is attacking and insulting African-American that have not done you or your clan wrong while using Igbo as a shield.

YES LETS KEEP IT REAL! DONT YOUR THCKSKULL EVER LEARN FROM HISTORY!!! angry angry WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NATIVES WHO WERE ASSIMILATED WITH THE FOREIGNER DO THEY STILL EXIST THE TAINOS, CARIBS, ETC>

SECONDLY I AM NOT MUSLIM SO BOKO HARAMS RESPONSIBILITY IS AS MUCH ON YOUR SHOULDE AS ON MINE. 3rd YOU ARE NO EZE NRI OR CHIEF AUTHORITY ON IGBO AFFAIRS! THERE ARE BLACK SHEEP, DELUDED AND TRAITORS IN ALL TRIBES/ AS LONG AS THE REST OF THE IGBOS SUPPORT ME, ALL IS WELL. AFRICAN AMERICAN ARE NOT IGBO. THEY ARE NOT EVEN TRIBAL SO JUST SHUT UP! angry angry angry angry
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by OneNaira6: 11:52pm On Sep 15, 2012
PAGAN 9JA:


YES LETS KEEP IT REAL! DONT YOUR THCKSKULL EVER LEARN FROM HISTORY!!! angry angry WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NATIVES WHO WERE ASSIMILATED WITH THE FOREIGNER DO THEY STILL EXIST THE TAINOS, CARIBS, ETC>

You constantly mentioning Native American and assimilation of foreigners without actually knowing what caused the death of these native american (whom be the way still exist today. Just so to let you know). A little history for your ignorance: Europeans were carrier of pathogens Native American's did not have immune over hence they died out from those pathogens. Secondly, another factor that caused destruction among Native Americans was the war between them and Europeans over their land. Therefore your stupid analogy have no factor in this. African-Americans are not rushing to Nigeria, to Igboland, and spreading whatever pathogens they carrier of in which Igbo's cannot protect themselves against. In addition, there is NO WAR between the two ethnicity which will cause the death of Igbo clan.
Next time read the history well enough before using it as a comparison.


SECONDLY I AM NOT MUSLIM SO BOKO HARAMS RESPONSIBILITY IS AS MUCH ON YOUR SHOULDE AS ON MINE. 3rd YOU ARE NO EZE NRI OR CHIEF AUTHORITY ON IGBO AFFAIRS! THERE ARE BLACK SHEEP, DELUDED AND TRAITORS IN ALL TRIBES/ AS LONG AS THE REST OF THE IGBOS SUPPORT ME, ALL IS WELL. AFRICAN AMERICAN ARE NOT IGBO. THEY ARE NOT EVEN TRIBAL SO JUST SHUT UP! angry angry angry angry

You accused African-Americans assimilation as a potential extinction of Igbo clan....a problem that is not even reality, nor show a slight glimpse it could become a reality....but I giving you an actual, real problem ( a reality), that are more likely to cause "extinction" than AA assimilation is now disregarded as an "islam vs. christian" problem. Why because it puts your own in bad light as oppose the "westerners" you so wish to spread hatred over. hmmmm So let me get this straight, it better to fight something that is in your mind vs something that is real. I hear am. Abeg waka comot, only AA can cause extinction.

As for calling me a "deluded traitor", I hear am, thank you. Until I start seeing Igbos fighting alongside you in this, then you have no mouth to call me a traitor to my clan. As of now, You ain't sh1t, I have more authority to speak for Igbo than you do anyday, anytime, anyhour. Bear that sh1t in mind.

By the way: where did I mention African American are Igbo? Dude the argument is about African-American claiming their ancestry originate from Igbo clan. They saying that is not saying they are Igbo. For Godsake, the African-American and other diaspora are not trying to be Africans, they just informing Africans where they believe their potential African ancestors came from. They are in noway saying they are that ethnicity.

1 Like

Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by ezotik: 2:56am On Sep 16, 2012
PAGAN 9JA:


I HAVE GIVEN A PROPER EXPLANATION FOR MY NAME-CALLING BUT THIS IS NOT AN ANSWER. ALL YOU DID WAS BERATE ME OVER BUHARi , etc. WHO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME OR MS CHIMA! I DONT LIKE COWARDS LIKE YOU! PLEASE DONT INTERFERE IF YOU HAVE NOTHING REASONABLE TO SAY! angry angry angry angry

lol..aboki, how the fvck am i going to know how her husband behaved? do i even know if she really has one? so, u would never know.

i brought buhari into the discussion becoz u abokis seem to have the tendency of referring to ur fellow countrymen as baboons...or was buhari also looking for the word buffoon when he called fellow nigerians dogs and baboons? the funny thing is, i have never heard oyibo refer to themselves as baboons instead of buffoons. even right now in the media with the controversy surroundin in the recent mohammed film, the newscasters and commentators would say 'mohammed was portrayed as a buffoon'.

so why do u abokis love that word? is it because when see urself, u see baboons? and lets say for example, if a bushman like buhari now takes his bush mentality to the UK and they call him a bush gorilla because of it, he will also scream it was a racist comment and expect fellow nigerians he earlier referred to as baboons to give a shiit? lol, sorry, not me.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by MrsChima(f): 3:33am On Sep 16, 2012
PAGAN 9JA:


what a stup.id woman! shocked shocked shocked shocked angry

Just like your mammy dummy.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by panafrican(m): 1:09am On Sep 17, 2012
Black americans would claim some european roots before saying they are Black. Some are even ashamed to refer explicitly to Africa, calling it " The continent ". Only some ,if not many Black muslims members of Nation of Islam have good thoughts about Africa. They are highly intellectual, balanced and very wise.You will learn a lot talking to them.

As far as the freaking "christian" Black americans are concerned ,forget about the sons of the guns, coz it is a lost cause. Stay away if you don't want to get shot in the back for no reason.
Fed up with confused people. angry

1 Like

Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 9:54pm On Sep 17, 2012
panafrican: Black americans would claim some european roots before saying they are Black. Some are even ashamed to refer explicitly to Africa, calling it " The continent ". Only some ,if not many Black muslims members of Nation of Islam have good thoughts about Africa. They are highly intellectual, balanced and very wise.You will learn a lot talking to them.

As far as the freaking "christian" Black americans are concerned ,forget about the sons of the guns, coz it is a lost cause. Stay away if you don't want to get shot in the back for no reason.
Fed up with confused people. angry

LOL. Now exactly what circus did this Bozo escape from?

1 Like

Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by panafrican(m): 2:34am On Sep 18, 2012



Panafrican: Black americans would claim some european roots before saying they are Black. Some are even ashamed to refer explicitly to Africa, calling it " The continent ". Only some ,if not many Black muslims members of Nation of Islam have good thoughts about Africa. They are highly intellectual, balanced and very wise.You will learn a lot talking to them.

As far as the freaking "christian" Black americans are concerned ,forget about the sons of the guns, coz it is a lost cause. Stay away if you don't want to get shot in the back for no reason.
Fed up with confused people. angry

Blyss:
LOL. Now exactly what circus did this Bozo escape from?
From New York NY, Cincinnati Ohio, Cleveland Ohio, Denver Colorado, Detroit Michigan and Chicago Illinois, Homeboy. cool

1 Like

Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by PAGAN9JA(m): 2:59am On Sep 18, 2012
One_Naira:

You constantly mentioning Native American and assimilation of foreigners without actually knowing what caused the death of these native american (whom be the way still exist today. Just so to let you know). A little history for your ignorance: Europeans were carrier of pathogens Native American's did not have immune over hence they died out from those pathogens. Secondly, another factor that caused destruction among Native Americans was the war between them and Europeans over their land. Therefore your stupid analogy have no factor in this. African-Americans are not rushing to Nigeria, to Igboland, and spreading whatever pathogens they carrier of in which Igbo's cannot protect themselves against. In addition, there is NO WAR between the two ethnicity which will cause the death of Igbo clan.
Next time read the history well enough before using it as a comparison.

Today then what ethnicity are most Sout Americans and why do so many white North americans Native ancestry do you think that Native population got decimated just by the above ways NO! you are right about famine, ddisease, etc., but the major factor was assimilation. The Tainos and Caribs are officially extinct. (except one small pocket of Caribs near Guatemala) All mestizo of bolivia, peru, have Quechua, Aymara blood. also many canadian french speakers whos fur-trader ancestors took wives among Natives.

have you heard of that childrens story Pocahontas (based on real story) what happened?? this Native American princess had to change her name from Matoaka to rebecca rolfe, convert to christianity, wear european clothes, etc. then the eruopeans could use her as a tool to spread their culture through her into the Algoniquian Natives, thereby killing the ANtive culture. this is what can happen to Igbos if you start accepting whites, blacks, dogs, rats, treees, Chinese, etc., into the tribe. you hae survived so far, dont rui it. people who have such views shold be kicked out.






You accused African-Americans assimilation as a potential extinction of Igbo clan....a problem that is not even reality, nor show a slight glimpse it could become a reality....but I giving you an actual, real problem ( a reality), that are more likely to cause "extinction" than AA assimilation is now disregarded as an "islam vs. christian" problem. Why because it puts your own in bad light as oppose the "westerners" you so wish to spread hatred over. hmmmm So let me get this straight, it better to fight something that is in your mind vs something that is real. I hear am. Abeg waka comot, only AA can cause extinction.

As for calling me a "deluded traitor", I hear am, thank you. Until I start seeing Igbos fighting alongside you in this, then you have no mouth to call me a traitor to my clan. As of now, You ain't sh1t, I have more authority to speak for Igbo than you do anyday, anytime, anyhour. Bear that sh1t in mind.

By the way: where did I mention African American are Igbo? Dude the argument is about African-American claiming their ancestry originate from Igbo clan. They saying that is not saying they are Igbo. For Godsake, the African-American and other diaspora are not trying to be Africans, they just informing Africans where they believe their potential African ancestors came from. They are in noway saying they are that ethnicity.

you dont get me! the incorporation of foreig elements ito the tribe can bring about extinction in the long run! angry angry angry angry


and isnt this an example of support:

kengis:

Thanks ,bro !igbos should stop claiming AA ,it makes no sense at all ,bunch of beggars !
this cheap chief has no dignity,he acts like he 's less than nothing

i have Igbos agree with my views in other threads and i hav got good acceptance of my ideology by Igbos, offline.

please dont change now! the very point of your argument was your claiming, anyone can become Igbo, if they live with , dress like, marry, help Igbos and all that. some of tyou fellows are making any tom-dic,k-harry as Igbo Chiefs and doing all such nonsese. at this rate , i predict extinct in a centuries time.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by OneNaira6: 4:34am On Sep 18, 2012
PAGAN 9JA:


Today then what ethnicity are most Sout Americans and why do so many white North americans Native ancestry do you think that Native population got decimated just by the above ways NO! you are right about famine, ddisease, etc., but the major factor was assimilation. The Tainos and Caribs are officially extinct. (except one small pocket of Caribs near Guatemala) All mestizo of bolivia, peru, have Quechua, Aymara blood. also many canadian french speakers whos fur-trader ancestors took wives among Natives.

SMH. If you believe this then who am I to tell you otherwise.


have you heard of that childrens story Pocahontas (based on real story) what happened?? this Native American princess had to change her name from Matoaka to rebecca rolfe, convert to christianity, wear european clothes, etc. then the eruopeans could use her as a tool to spread their culture through her into the Algoniquian Natives, thereby killing the ANtive culture. this is what can happen to Igbos if you start accepting whites, blacks, dogs, rats, treees, Chinese, etc., into the tribe. you hae survived so far, dont rui it. people who have such views shold be kicked out.



From the bolded: Seeing that the entire Nigeria and other African nation are already doing this despite very little westerners and african-american within their administration, I see no point. What I don't get it is how you believe African-Americans, a community that is equally against euro-centric of their community would arrive to Africa and try to Europeanize (if that is a word) it. Another thing I don't get is your hausa clan are completely Arabic now. Why do you care over something you believe would become the future of Igbo people as oppose to the said something that is happening right now to your clan. Last thing I don't get is reading from other members post of you, you aren't in Nigeria. You reside within their community yet you find something wrong with them claiming origin to Africans and if in the near future, decided to move to Africa. Isn't that hypocritical to the highest?



you dont get me! the incorporation of foreig elements ito the tribe can bring about extinction in the long run! angry angry angry angry

Seeing as the african-americans that discovered their Igbo origin aren't bringing in any new foreign elements within the community, infact they are copying and trying desperately to learn Igbo culture in an effort to replace their own (confirmation in the first picture and equally the guy few pages back that informed us all of his recently discovered Igbo origin) so I dare ask: what do you mean again?



and isnt this an example of support:



i have Igbos agree with my views in other threads and i hav got good acceptance of my ideology by Igbos, offline.

please dont change now! the very point of your argument was your claiming, anyone can become Igbo, if they live with , dress like, marry, help Igbos and all that. some of tyou fellows are making any tom-dic,k-harry as Igbo Chiefs and doing all such nonsese. at this rate , i predict extinct in a centuries time.

Yes kengis spoke against it. Look through the thread and equally the OP of the thread, do you see any other?

As for your information if the community in question wants to give every tom, dick and harry a chief title then they can do so.

Lastly, thank you for predicting Igbo extinction. Back to sender ten times fold. Anyway, seeing as Igbo population is increasing in an alarming rate, I don't forsee our extinction thus back to sender ten times fold.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by MegaMan2020: 4:57pm On Jan 07, 2013
I think Igbos should go back to their Igbo roots first, don't you? And who decided most African Americans were Igbos anyway? Weren't many other tribes from different countries in Africa exported to the States or was it just the Igbos? Come to think of it I see more African American fawn over Yoruba culture/religions/traditions that Igbo. I beleieve there is even a Yoruba village out their in the states lol, imagine that.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by MegaMan2020: 5:30pm On Jan 07, 2013
One_Naira:

SMH. If you believe this then who am I to tell you otherwise.



From the bolded: Seeing that the entire Nigeria and other African nation are already doing this despite very little westerners and african-american within their administration, I see no point. [b]What I don't get it is how you believe African-Americans, a community that is equally against euro-centric of their community would arrive to Africa and try to Europeanize (if that is a word) it. [/b]Another thing I don't get is your hausa clan are completely Arabic now. Why do you care over something you believe would become the future of Igbo people as oppose to the said something that is happening right now to your clan. Last thing I don't get is reading from other members post of you, you aren't in Nigeria. You reside within their community yet you find something wrong with them claiming origin to Africans and if in the near future, decided to move to Africa. Isn't that hypocritical to the highest?




Seeing as the african-americans that discovered their Igbo origin aren't bringing in any new foreign elements within the community, infact they are copying and trying desperately to learn Igbo culture in an effort to replace their own (confirmation in the first picture and equally the guy few pages back that informed us all of his recently discovered Igbo origin) so I dare ask: what do you mean again?




Yes kengis spoke against it. Look through the thread and equally the OP of the thread, do you see any other?

As for your information if the community in question wants to give every tom, dick and harry a chief title then they can do so.

Lastly, thank you for predicting Igbo extinction. Back to sender ten times fold. Anyway, seeing as Igbo population is increasing in an alarming rate, I don't forsee our extinction thus back to sender ten times fold.

I have nothing against AA's but I believe Liberia is an example of the bolded. Didn't the AA's enslave native Liberians when they got out there?
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 1:00am On Jan 08, 2013
MegaMan2020: I think Igbos should go back to their Igbo roots first, don't you?


So you think the Igbo have lost connection with their roots?

And who decided most African Americans were Igbos anyway?

Most aren't fully Igbo though a majority are believed to be of significant Igbo descent.

Weren't many other tribes from different countries in Africa exported to the States or was it just the Igbos?

The vast majority of the Black-American population is descended from only about 12 West and Central African ethnic groups with the Igbo being the single largest in number to be brought here. At one point it was documented that their descendant numbers in the Chesapeake region of the nation was representative of over 60% of the total black population in the area, this was in the late 1700's/ early 1800's.

Come to think of it I see more African American fawn over Yoruba culture/religions/traditions that Igbo. I beleieve there is even a Yoruba village out their in the states lol, imagine that.

No, I've never heard of their being a Yoruba village, undecided but there is certainly an Igbo village, but an even more spectacular factor is that there's an historical Igbo cemetery in VA in which the headstones have Igbo Nsibidi ideogram writing on them, a knowledge in which the Igbo slaves brought to the nation with them and due to there large numbers in VA, were able to hold on to.

A cemetery in George Washington National Forest in Amherst County, Va., is a good example. For decades, observers have commented that the gravestones had “strange marks.” Recently, these marks have been identified by this writer as African ideograms originating in Nigeria. The gravestones are inscribed with what appears to be Nsibidi, an Igbo writing system, confirming the survival of Igbo traditions during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Made of high-quality blue slate indigenous to the area and mined from a local quarry, the stones show little damage from weather or time. Subsequently, the place was named the “Seventeen Stones Cemetery.”

The stones were probably engraved between 1770 to 1830, when the Igbo Diaspora was at its height in Virginia. At that time, the Igbo people comprised approximately 70 percent of the blacks in Virginia, a larger percentage than in any other Southern state.

A star symbol at the top of one stone, signifying “congress” or “unity” has similarities to the Kongo cosmogram that depicts the life cycle of birth, life, death and the afterlife. The cosmogram symbol has equal perpendicular crossbars or lines, sometimes contained in a diamond shape or a circle. Here, the linear symbol in the lower register appears to be a combination of the sign for “individual” and “this land is mine.” Together the signs mean the deceased has joined the realm of the ancestors. Both symbols are enclosed in a rectangle, denoting their association. A line separating the symbols emphasizes they are separate but one.

Igbo ideograms were important elements of religious practice and served as mnemonic devices associated with religion and with moral and historical narratives. In Igbo death and burial traditions, Nsibidi symbols honoring the ancestors were thought to protect the deceased. The most appropriate place to honor one’s forefathers was the cemetery. At times, the deceased were consulted for help with day-to-day problems. Items such as chickens, rum and schnapps were offered as gifts for the deceased during a grave-side ceremony.

In the Seventeen Stones Cemetery, an iron pot was found set into the ground, suggesting the possibility of ancestral worship at this site. Historical sources describe how slaves worshiped in the forest by talking to a pot — the retainer for words and thoughts that could not be made public. African inscriptions and accompanying religious practices were outlawed during the period of enslavement. Creating such symbols was punishable by death because of its association with witchcraft. Hence, few examples of African ideograms still exist in the United States.





Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by MrsChima(f): 11:45am On Jan 08, 2013
My husband is Igbo and I am American. ..we practice Igbo culture more than American culture. Trust me my husband is big on celebrating his family's roots and teaching our babies nothing but Igbo culture.
I have no issues with it. My father also teaches his culture as well

Igbo culture is very big on families and children. Real Igbo men take care of their wives and pikins..:-D So far no complaints.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 4:28pm On Jan 08, 2013
Douglas B. Chambers, the American historian/writer famous for the book "Murder At Montpelier", has been quoted saying "My research suggests that perhaps 60 percent of black Americans have at least one Igbo ancestor...". smiley


Murder At Montpelier- Igbo Africans In Virginia


In 1732 Ambrose Madison, grandfather of the future president, languished for weeks in a sickbed then died. The death, soon after his arrival on the plantation, bore hallmarks of what planters assumed to be traditional African medicine. African slaves were suspected of poisoning their master.

For Montpelier, his estate, and for Virginia, this was a watershed moment. Murder at Montpelier: Igbo Africans in Virginia examines the consequences of Madison's death and the ways in which this event shaped both white slaveholding society and the surrounding slave culture.

At Montpelier, now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and open to the public, Igbo slaves under the directions of white overseers had been felling trees, clearing land, and planting tobacco and other crops for five years before Madison arrived. This deadly initial encounter between American colonial master and African slave community irrevocably changed both whites and blacks.

This book explores the many broader meanings of this suspected murder and its aftermath. It weaves together a series of transformations that followed, such as the negotiation of master-slave relations, the transformation of Igbo culture in the New World, and the social memory of a particular slave community. For the first time, the book presents the larger history of the slave community at James Madison's Montpelier-over the five generations from the 1720s through the 1850s and beyond. Murder at Montpelier: Igbo Africans in Virginia revises many assumptions about how Africans survived enslavement, the middle passage, and grueling labor as chattel in North America. The importance of Igbo among the colonial slave population makes this work a controversial reappraisal of how Africans made themselves "African Americans" in Virginia.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 5:15pm On Jan 08, 2013
Coastal Georgia Slavery and Ibo Landing

[b]History of Ibo Landing, St. Simons Island, Georgia and slavery on Georgia Sea Island plantations around the Civil War. Slave descendants would later become the Gullah people.

Throughout Georgia’s Sea Islands, there are several different “Ibo Landings.” Although most of the stories originate from Dunbar Creek on St. Simons Island, just about every surrounding island has a little inlet that the locals call “Ibo Landing.” This is less the result of historical confusion as much as it is an indication of how this story has been embraced and mythologized by African-Americans in this region.

This story is one of many versions of this popular legend. No one is quite sure who these Ibo (also spelled “Ebo” and “Igbo”) captives were, where they came from, or if they committed suicide at all. Records from the period are sketchy concerning this incident. But it doesn’t really matter whether the incident happened or not, for over time it became a myth that gave pride to thousands of Africans forced into slavery on the vast Sea Island plantations that once controlled the area.

On the surface, the story seems one of simple defiance, as Ibo men, women and children drowned themselves in front of their white captors. As the story spread throughout the islands, however, two popular myths emerged: that the Ibos walked on the water back to Africa, or they flew back. Either way, the metaphor of a cultural link between African-Americans and the Motherland is strong. The Ibo Landing story continues to be used today as an argument for cultural continuity.[/b]

SEA ISLAND SLAVERY

It’s hard to believe that, in this coastal area of posh beach resorts, shopping centers and freeways, there were once thousands of enslaved Africans toiling in the fierce coastal heat. The foundation of an old plantation house or a crumbling slave cabin here and there are virtually the only structural reminders of this shameful period of history – General William T. Sherman saw to that.

Until General Sherman’s devastating march through Georgia, the Sea Island plantations, like most of the South, were heavily dependant on slave labor. Wealthy cotton and rice plantation owners valued the expertise of slaves who once farmed similar crops in the grasslands and marshes back in Africa. If it wasn’t for the slaves, the vast plantations that once lined the Georgia/South Carolina coast wouldn’t have thrived as they did.

Near the start of the nineteenth century, many slaves were being kidnaped from the interior of Nigeria and shipped down the rivers to coastal ports. The majority were members of the Ibo tribe, whose traditional homeland was in southeast Nigeria between the Niger and Cross Rivers. Their captors were mainly rival tribesmen who traded with white slave traders for currency, goods and firearms.

In the late 1700s, after a horrific voyage across the Atlantic known as the Middle Passage, the Ibos would typically be brought into ports on the Southern U.S. mainland or in the Caribbean. They were placed into pens, given plenty of food and drink and encouraged to exercise, solely to make them more attractive on the auction block. Then, after a humiliating viewing period where they were stripped, pinched and prodded, the Ibos were sold to speculators who, in turn, transported them to areas of demand.

Of course, not everyone agreed with the practice of slavery.
The abolitionist movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries succeeded in banning slavery throughout the Northern states. As early as 1749, even Georgia discouraged overt slaveholding within state lines. In 1798, it was made illegal in Georgia to import slaves from Africa.

But these so-called laws were too late in coming for an area so dependent on slave labor. Most plantation owners saw slavery as a necessary evil, and resorted to secretive tactics to keep their workforce growing. At high tide under the cover of darkness, slave holders would sneak their ships through the tidal creeks directly to the island plantations.

By all accounts, life on the Sea Island plantations was brutal for the slaves. They were given the backbreaking task of converting heavily wooded islands into cotton and rice fields. This involved draining the salt marshes, cutting down huge trees and clearing stumps. Some Ibos had accomplished a similar task in their African homeland, but never under slavery conditions.

Few slaves tried to escape the plantations. Capture was almost certain, and even if they did escape to an uninhabited island, poisonous snakes or a lack of food and fresh water usually brought them back. Escape or suicide also meant the abandonment of loved ones.

Life on the coastal plantations came to an abrupt end when the Civil War erupted over the region. As Union ships blockaded the ports of Charleston and Savannah, plantation owners took their healthiest slaves and fled the islands, leaving the sick and elderly slaves behind.

But as the Confederacy collapsed, many of these healthy slaves ran straight into General Sherman’s troops during their destructive march through Georgia. Sherman ordered the slaves to return to the islands and, after the war, issued Special Field Order #15, which ceded most of the Georgia and South Carolina Sea Islands to former slaves and forbade white settlers other than military personnel to live there.

Many slaves didn’t make it back, becoming refugees along the war-torn Southern roads. Others migrated to surrounding cities. But several did return to reunite with the older slaves left behind. In a perverse twist, many former slaves had become attached to the land they were enslaved upon, and returned to farming the old plantation grounds. Despite widespread poverty, the former slaves formed working communities that would become the nucleus of the African-American island communities found today.

In 1865, President Andrew Johnson expanded the terms of the Confederate pardon to include the return of property abandoned during the war. This meant that the white plantation owners could return to the islands and reclaim what General Sherman had promised the former slaves barely a year before. These plantation owners naturally assumed that their impoverished former slaves would be happy to come back to work for them as sharecroppers.

But this time, the former slaves resisted. They chose to live in their own communities, living on whatever they could catch from the sea or grow in tiny backyard plots. Some even formed land companies to consolidate black-owned farmlands. Individual businesses and schools also sprung up. Without a stable work force, the plantation families lost money, causing many to give up their lands for good.


GULLAH

Cultural ties with Africa are scattered throughtout the Sea Islands, especially on Sapelo Island, where several descendants of West African slaves live in the tiny community of Hog Hammock. Some speak a unique Creole language known as “Gullah,” which developed from the slaves communicating secretly across the islands. Because of their relative isolation from the mainland, the Gullah people have preserved West African customs, craft techniques and storytelling for future generations.

Despite their predicament, the slaves were able to preserve and expand upon many of their African traditions. Besides the Gullah language mentioned above, the more notable traditions involved death and the afterlife. The slaves would often speak about spirits from Africa, which they called “h’ants” or “fixuhs,” coming to visit their homes. To protect themselves from the bad “h’ants,” they would often paint a blue ring around their doorways. Some slaves could detect these spirits better than others, especially babies who were born with a special “caul,” or membrane, over their eyes that enabled them to see ghosts. Naturally, most of the plantation owners dismissed the slaves’ beliefs.

http://themoonlitroad.com/coastal-georgia-slavery-ibo-landing/





Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 5:25pm On Jan 08, 2013
Paul Robeson and Booker T. Washington

No one would argue that Paul Robeson and Booker T. Washington standout amongst the most accomplished "African-Americans " the latter being the founder of the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. It can be speculated that the success of these two individuals can at least partially be attributed to the fact that they both maintained links to their Igbo origins. Paul Robeson confirmed his Igbo identity through linguistics as he was able to verify the Igbo origins of a number of African words that had been passed down through his family(22),while Booker T. Washington obviously maintained an understanding of his Egba(Igbo) background which is reflected in his middle name Tanifeani, a name most common to the Egba people


[img]http://4.bp..com/_CuGHrzon8Z4/SdmPVBo02hI/AAAAAAAAAbM/m4OmF9mj2RY/s320/olaudah_equiano.jpg[/img]
Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745 in Eboe, in what is now Nigeria. When he was about eleven, Equiano was kidnapped and sold to slave traders headed to the West Indies. Though he spent a brief period in the state of Virginia, much of Equiano's time in slavery was spent serving the captains of slave ships and British navy vessels. One of his masters, Henry Pascal, the captain of a British trading vessel, gave Equiano the name Gustavas Vassa, which he used throughout his life, though he published his autobiography under his African name. In service to Captain Pascal and subsequent merchant masters, Equiano traveled extensively, visiting England, Holland, Scotland, Gibraltar, Nova Scotia, the Caribbean, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and South Carolina. He was purchased in 1763 by Robert King, a Quaker merchant from Philadelphia, for whom he served as a clerk. He also worked on King's trading sloops. Equiano, who was allowed to engage in his own minor trade exchanges, was able to save enough money to purchase his freedom in 1766. He settled in England in 1767, attending school and working as an assistant to scientist Dr. Charles Irving. Equiano continued to travel, making several voyages aboard trading vessels to Turkey, Portugal, Italy, Jamaica, Grenada, and North America. In 1773 he accompanied Irving on a polar expedition in search of a northeast passage from Europe to Asia. Equiano published his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, in 1789 as a two-volume work. It went through one American and eight British editions during his lifetime. Following the publication of his Interesting Narrative, Equiano traveled throughout Great Britain as an abolitionist and author. He married Susanna Cullen in 1792, with whom he had two daughters. Equiano died in London in 1797.

Volume I opens with a description of Equiano's native African culture, including customs associated with clothing, food, and religious practices. He likens the inhabitants of Eboe to the early Jews, and offers a theory that dark African skin is a result of exposure to the hot, tropical climates. In so doing, Equiano hints that Africans may be the indirect relatives of Christian Europeans through their Jewish ancestry and argues against slavery as an affront to all humans: "Let the polished and haughty European recollect that his ancestors were once, like the Africans, uncivilized, and even barbarous. Did Nature make them inferior to their sons? and should they too have been made slaves? Every rational mind answers, No" (p. 43).

Equiano's journey begins when he is kidnapped from his village with his sister, from whom he is eventually separated. He describes a long voyage through various African regions, marked by brief tenures as a slave to "a chieftain, in a very pleasant country" and a wealthy widow who resides in "a town called Tinmah, in the most beautiful country I had yet seen in Africa" (pp. 51, 62). Ultimately, Equiano is sold back to traders who bring him "sometimes by land, sometimes by water, through different countries and various nations, till . . . [he] arrive[s] at the sea coast" (p. 69). Equiano is sold to the owner of a slave ship bound for the West Indies, and he goes on to describe the "Middle Passage"—"the journey across the Atlantic Ocean that brought enslaved Africans to North America. His descriptions of extreme hardships and desperate conditions are punctuated by his astonishment at new sights and experiences. The narration occasionally reflects the childish wonder of the young Equiano at the time of his journey, but it also highlights his culture shock at his introduction to European culture and European treatment of slaves.

Though he witnesses the sale of slaves in the West Indies, Equiano himself is not purchased, and he stays with the Dutch ship, traveling from the West Indies to North America. There he is purchased and put to work on a Virginia plantation, doing light field work and household chores. He is not in Virginia long before Michael Henry Pascal, a lieutenant in the British royal navy and captain of a merchant ship, purchases him as "a present to some of his friends in England" (p. 94). During their spring 1757 voyage to England, Pascal renames the eleven-year-old Equiano Gustavus Vassa, and Equiano forges a friendship with a white American boy named Robert Baker, which lasts until Baker's death two years later. After the ship's arrival in England, Equiano is exposed to Christianity. When he asks questions about his first encounter with snow, he is told it is made by "a great man in the heavens, called God." He attends church, and receives instruction from his new friend, Robert (p. 105). Equiano describes the various battles and ship transfers that take place after his return to sea with Pascal. He also expresses his growing ease with the European culture he initially found so strange and frightening: "I ceased to feel those apprehensions and alarms which had taken such strong possession of me when I first came among the Europeans" (p. 111).

As his time with Pascal progresses, Equiano professes a growing attachment to his master and a desire to "imbibe" and "imitate" the English culture in which he is immersed (p. 133). He can "now speak English tolerably well" and "embrace[s] every occasion of improvement . . . [having] long wished to be able to read and write" (p. 132-133). During stopovers in England, Captain Pascal sends Equiano to wait upon two sisters known as the Miss Guerins. They become, in a sense, patrons to Equiano, not only treating him kindly but also supporting his education and his interest in Christianity by sending him to school. The Guerins are also instrumental in persuading Pascal to allow Equiano to be baptized into the church.

Equiano continues his studies and his religious development independently whenever possible, but his visits to England are always temporary, as he returns to sea with his captain whenever Pascal and the ship are ready for a new voyage. The journeys are always fraught with danger, and he describes numerous skirmishes and sieges throughout the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and West Indian Oceans. Equiano faithfully serves Pascal for several years and, believing that Pascal's kindness implies a promise to free him, he is shocked at an abrupt betrayal during a layover in England, when Pascal has him roughly seized and forced into a barge. Pascal sells Equiano to Captain James Doran, the captain of a ship bound for the West Indies. Dazed by his sudden change in fortunes, Equiano argues with Captain Doran that Pascal "could not sell me to him, nor to any one else . . . I have served him . . . many years, and he has taken all my wages and prize-money . . . I have been baptized; and by the laws of the land no man has a right to sell me" (p. 176-177). After Doran tells Equiano he talks "too much English" and threatens to subdue him, Equiano begins service under a new master, for he is "too well convinced of his power over me to doubt what he said" (177).

Dejected at the situation in which he now finds himself, Equiano begins to believe his new situation is a result of God's punishment for his sins and soon resigns himself to his new life. Doran takes him back to the West Indies, and Equiano is horrified at the sight of Montserrat, because he is fearful of being sold into this "land of bondage . . . misery, stripes, and chains" (p. 190). Instead, he is purchased by Mr. Robert King, a "charitable and humane" Quaker merchant who employs him in a variety of positions, from loading boats to clerking and serving as a personal groom, in addition to occasionally hiring out Equiano"s services to other merchants (p. 192). One of King's boat captains, an Englishman named Thomas Farmer, relies heavily on Equiano and frequently hires him for voyages from the West Indies to North America. Proud of being singled out, Equiano remarks that he "became so useful to the captain on shipboard, that . . . [he would] tell my master I was better to him on board than any three white men he had" (p. 231). At this time, Equiano begins buying and selling goods and fruit and starts his own side trading enterprise during each voyage. Although he faces setbacks and insults from white buyers who refuse to pay for goods, use "bad coin," or demand fraudulent refunds, Equiano acquires a small amount of savings and is "determined to . . . obtain my freedom, and to return to Old England" (p. 268, p. 250). King encourages him in his entrepreneurial pursuits, proposing that when Equiano has saved enough money "to purchase my freedom . . . he would let me have it for forty pounds sterling money, which was only the same price he gave for me" (p. 260).

After briefly recounting a violent assault while trading in Savannah, Georgia, and his subsequent recovery and return to Montserrat, Equiano closes the first volume of the Interesting Narrative somewhat abruptly, noting that "This ended my adventures in 1764; for I did not leave Montserrat again till the beginning of the following year" (p. 272). DocSouth has published a summary of the second volume of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, in which Equiano describes his life as a freeman, his adventures as a world-traveling tradesman, and his spiritual transformation.

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Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 5:30pm On Jan 08, 2013
I can go on and on with this linking the Black-American's lineage to the Igbo ethnic group because the evidence is massive, and simply dwarfs anything one can find to show links to any other single African ethnic group. Historians say it, history shows it.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by PAGAN9JA(m): 5:42pm On Jan 08, 2013
its funny how akata ppl criticise us Africans and then try to be like us. . *wannabes
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 5:56pm On Jan 08, 2013
PAGAN 9JA:
its funny how akata ppl criticise us Africans and then try to be like us. . *wannabes

Where did this comment come from? Why the hate, PJ? Exactly how in the hell are we trying to be like Africans? You cant make such an outlandishly bold statement and not explain your thinking behind it. grin If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're feeling kinda salty right about now for not having as great of a link to the us as the Igbo. undecided I'm just saying that that's just how that whole thing read to me. smiley
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by PAGAN9JA(m): 6:10pm On Jan 08, 2013
Blyss:

If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're feeling kinda salty right about now for not having as great of a link to the us as the Igbo. undecided

da fuk??k!!!!! LMAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOO! cheesy cheesy cheesy cheesy
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 6:44pm On Jan 08, 2013
PAGAN 9JA:


da fuk??k!!!!! LMAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOO! cheesy cheesy cheesy cheesy

grin grin Now that's more like it.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by MrsChima(f): 7:18pm On Jan 08, 2013
Lol@wannabe


I dey laff in Greek. A bitter hater.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 7:59pm On Jan 08, 2013
Mrs.Chima:
Lol@wannabe


I dey laff in Greek. A bitter hater.

LOL. I dey laff in Hausa fo em. cheesy
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by bigfrancis21: 6:49pm On Jan 10, 2013
MegaMan2020: I think Igbos should go back to their Igbo roots first, don't you? And who decided most African Americans were Igbos anyway? Weren't many other tribes from different countries in Africa exported to the States or was it just the Igbos? Come to think of it I see more African American fawn over Yoruba culture/religions/traditions that Igbo. I beleieve there is even a Yoruba village out their in the states lol, imagine that.
Yes, there's a Yoruba village in South Carolina. Equally, there's an Igbo village in Staunton, Virginia that was built to commemorate the huge presence of Igbo slaves during the slave trade. While the Yoruba village had its idea brought up by a Yoruba professor in one of the US universities the Igbo village was pioneered entirely by the staff of Virginia museum.
Yes, more african americans may fawn over yoruba practices more than igbo practices. Reason being this: the Yoruba people are deeply engrained in tradition and thus have many diverse traditional practices. This is their main feature. The Igbo people, on the other hand, are much less traditional, easily prone to change, leaving culture behind. Whenever afro-caribbeans/african americans seek to connect to africa they want to see the african culture in its beauty and entirety, and the yoruba practices quickly comes into mind. This is so because they need practices/values purely african to hold on to, not values mixed with european/western influences - influences that serve to remind them of white colonialism. They need african values/history to identify with which they can show off to their white brothers. The yoruba tradition quickly provides this with its many inherent aspects. This accounts for the yoruba popularity among the AAs.
However, this in no way means the Yoruba constituted the majority of slaves in the US.
The tendency of the yoruba to hold on to their customs/beliefs accounts for the survival of their practices in the caribbean and South America which the slaves carried with themselves while being shipped off. These contemporary yoruba/catholic practices in the caribbean serve as a link/connection back to 'mama africa' for the afro-caribbeans. It reminds them of their african heritage. Interestingly, these afro-caribbeans still identify with their current nationalities and not with Kongo, Akan, Yoruba, etc.
Then, the survival of these yoruba practices lead many people to erroneously believe they were the majority slaves of all african slaves. This is entirely false. Like my sister, Kails, earlier mentioned, the Yoruba were shipped in large numbers much later during the close of the slave trade after it was abolished. Their arrival in the caribbean provided a connection back to 'mama africa' for the other tribes slaves who had been present for a long time in the Caribbean and had forgotten and lost all connection to Africa. For the Yoruba, their connections and traditions were still fresh in their memories. However, more Yoruba slaves returned back to Africa than did any other tribe, which indicates that their numbers in the caribbean could have been lesser than quoted in arrival records.
Below is an image of slave trade numbers by the british recorded between 1690 and 1807. The highest slaves sold at any point in the slave trade were the Igbo (bight of biafra). The overwhelmingly high percentage from the Bight of Biafra region indicates that igbo slaves were the most favored by the british slave traders and were shipped off in large numbers consistently during the slave trade.
Also attached is another picture of the database of slave ethnic nationalities recorded by another source between 1701 and 1800. This evidence is consistent with the former.

Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by Blyss: 7:42pm On Jan 10, 2013
Excerpts from his post: AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN LINK TO IGBO ORIGINS; THE EGBA ARE IGBO

It is an established fact and beyond dispute that the vast majority of captives taken from Africa for enslavement in the Americas were of Igbo origins. In addition to the massive amount of Igbos documented and acknowledged to have been shipped directly out of the Igbo dominated areas of the Niger Delta millions of others were brought to the Americas from Igbo slave colonies which were established throughout the African Continent and thus arrived under a variety of tribal and national listings.

Those classified as Ashante were actually Igbos who were imported to Ghana by Portuguese slave traders to work the gold mines. Others listed as Angolan were also Igbos. Some Igbos were imported to Angola prior to their arrival in the Americas, while others were born and raised in the Igbo slave colony of Angola. Both Angola and Mozambique have coastal cities named IBO(EBO)conveniently located for exporting slaves.

The Gullah whose name derives from the word Angola are an African - American community that live on the sea islands off of the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The Gullah are currently engaged in a strenuous battle to secure a memorial at a site called Igbo Landing. Igbo Landing was named in memory of the countless Igbos who drowned themselves to protest their enslavement. Historians who have taken a serious interest in the slave trade and tribal origins of African - Americans most certainly understand that there was a significant "Yoruba" element amongst the captives. The purpose of this writing is to further support research that proves that the majority of those enslaved and brought to the Americas were Igbo by acknowledging those classified as " YORUBA" as being Igbo as well.

The term " YORUBA " originally referred to the Oyo, a tribe who lived amongst the Hausas in what is presently Northern Nigeria.(3) Over the centuries they were gradually driven southward where they in turn became the conquerors of the indigenous people of " Southwest Nigeria" who like their Southeastern counterparts were referred to as the Igbos.(4) This Igbo society was traditionally protected by a secret society of masked warriors known as the Egbo or Egba.

The Southwestern Igbo lived in the forest surrounding Ife. It was there that they were first confronted by Oduduwa who along with his youngest son Oranyan are remembered as the founders of the Oyo(Yoruba)Kingdom at Ife.(5) In their initial encounters, the Oyo were unable to penetrate the frightening Egba(Igbos) as these intimidating forest dwellers mastered the art of instilling fear into their opponents. These Igbos went further in raiding and burning down the intruding Oyo(Yoruba) settlements in the town at Ife.

The Igbo(Egba) were first defeated through the scheming of a women named Moremi who allowed herself to be captured by the Igbo as she used her beauty to seduce the Igbo King into revealing the secrets of the Egba(Igbo).(6) She later returned to the Oyo providing her fellow countrymen with the necessary information needed to finally conquer the Igbo(Egba) " menace ". This defeat of the Igbo is celebrated every year at the annual Eid festival at Ife.



In 1835, the Egba(Igbo) declared themselves independent of the Yoruba(Oyo) and in response the Oyo along with the Ijebu drove them out of Ibadan, Ife and other towns north of their present day capital of Abeokuta.(7) As a result of close interaction with the Ijebu , the city Ijebu-Igbo was established. The founding of the Egba(Igbo)Kingdom at Abeokuta in 1837 is considered to be the last one recognized within the "Yoruba confederation " of tribes. By this time the term Yoruba had now expanded beyond its original usage in referring to the Oyo and generally applied to all of the inhabitants of Southwest Nigeria.

In addition to the Egba there remains a "Yoruba " tribe in the Kwarra State that continues to use the more original Igbo as part of their tribal name and they are referred to as Igbo-Mina. The tradition of the masked Egbo(Egba)warriors is likewise documented in Southeastern Nigeria the home of the present day Igbo people.

1. Egbo - A secret society at one time existing as a political bond between various towns especially in Eastern Nigeria. - World Book
Dictionary A - K 1974.

In 1876, the Scottish Presbyterian Missionary Mary Slessor came to Calabar. According to the accountings of Ms. Slessor, in the Igbo areas a secret society known as Egbo went around in masks and beat people. She claimed to have chased a group of Egbo and tore off a mask.( smiley smiley (Note THE EGBO WARRIORS SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM OR WEAKNESS FOR FOREIGN WOMEN. FIRST MOREMI IN THE WEST INFORMS HER PEOPLE TO BURN THE MASKS OF THE EGBO(EGBA) AND LATER IN THE EAST, MARY SLESSOR CLAIMS TO HAVE PERSONALLY TORN OFF AN EGBO MASK.)

The Egba of Abeokuta worship a deity called the Oro. Oro is a god who resides in a bush. In honor of Oro a sacred ceremony is performed at a secluded spot inside the bush. This ceremony is called Igbo Oro. (9) The concept of Igbo Oro closely resembles the story of the Lord of Israal(Israel) speaking to the Prophet Moses(Musa) from inside of the burning bush. Igbo Oro can be related to the early Israal origins of the Igbo(10).

Although the concept of Legba(Eshu) varies it began as an ancestral memorial designed to maintain the Igbo identity during times when the Igbo declared themselves to be in a state of secrecy called Egba/Egbo. Legba was also activated in the New World to counter modern slavery and its attempts to wipe out the Egba(Igbo) identity of the captives. The deity is described in " Yoruba " mythology as the " Divine Trickster " who wields great power because of his ability to outwit his fellow gods. Evidences of Legba have been documented throughout the Americas in such places as Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad, Haiti and New Orleans under various names such as Lebba,Legba, Elegbarra and Liba.(11)

The term Elegbarra or Lugbarra is of great significance because not only does the name appear in the Americas amongst the Egba slaves who are of Igbo origin, but it is also the name of a tribe that lives in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda who are likewise related to the Igbos of Nigeria. When traveling in Uganda I personally met a Lugbarra Doctor of Medicine who previously studied alongside of Igbos from Nigeria. The Lugbarra man stated that he could understand much of the Igbo language which had much in common with his own Lugbarra tongue. He was definitely convinced that the Lugbarra and the Igbo were akin.(12)(13)

In 1967,Haiti became the only country outside of Africa to recognize the Igbo quest to establish the independent Republic of Biafra. This was due to the Haitian's memory of their own Igbo revolutionary past. The numerous and successful slave revolts in Haiti are all clearly documented as Igbo uprisings(14),but yet we find the strongest presence of the ancestral deity Legba amongst the Haitians. In Haiti Legba is described as the most powerful of all Loa.He is the guardian of the gate between the material and spiritual world. He has great wisdom and knowledge of the past and future. Every ritual begins with a sacrifice to Legba. He is the guardian of the sun and his color is black. The guardian of the sun is most likely a code for the land of the Rising Sun which is the ancient Igbo reference to the land of Biafra.(15)

In Brazil, an organized Igbo revolt led to the establishment of the independent " Igbo" Republic of Palmares which lasted 45 years.(16) Being consistent with Igbo resistance, Palmares ended in a massive suicide of Igbo warriors who preferred death to captivity.(17) The city Ibotirama testifies to a strong Igbo presence in the region. (18) However as in the case of Haiti Afro-Brazilian culture and religious practices are more readily associated with that of the "Yoruba " including the worship of Legba.

Olukwumu is spoken in Brazil and interestingly enough in a few Igbo communities such as Anioma,Idumu-Ogu, Ubulubu,Ugboba,Ugbodu and Okwumzu. Although this dialect cannot be found in Yorubaland it remains in reference as a " lost dialect of the Yoruba language ". (19) This indicates that in addition to the Egba and Igbo -Mina, other Igbo communities likewise were classified as " Yoruba " and like the Olukwumu some made their way to the New World accompanying the majority Egba.

In Cuba the Olukwumu(Yoruban-Igbos)are referred to as the Lukumi or Olukumi. Like other Igbo captives the Lukumi of Cuba were noted for their massive suicidal resistance that often found them hanging from the branches of the Guasima trees.(20) This sounds very similar to the Igbos of Haiti, as the Haitian saying," IGBOS PEND COR A YO " - The Igbos hang themselves is still current.(21) NOTE: ( IN ADDITION TO THE IGBO OLUKUMI THERE ARE THOSE IGBOS WHO WERE TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM CALABAR TO CUBA AND THEY ARE KNOWN AS THE
ABAKUA.)

No one would argue that Paul Robeson and Booker T. Washington standout amongst the most accomplished "African-Americans " the latter being the founder of the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. It can be speculated that the success of these two individuals can at least partially be attributed to the fact that they both maintained links to their Igbo origins. Paul Robeson confirmed his Igbo identity through linguistics as he was able to verify the Igbo origins of a number of African words that had been passed down through his family(22),while Booker T. Washington obviously maintained an understanding of his Egba(Igbo) background which is reflected in his middle name Tanifeani, a name most common to the Egba people.(23). In summary the captives taken to the Americas of whom were classified as " Yorubas " were of Igbo origins, as the Igbos arriving under a variety of tribal names and classifications account for approximately 90% of all slaves.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://africanamerican-igbojewsnet.4t.com/images/matthew2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://africanamerican-igbojewsnet.4t.com/custom2.html&h=204&w=272&sz=31&hl=en&start=141&sig2=hmL-JU1xf1ozWDTEvGFxQw&um=1&tbnid=DjrKo4oPaJknDM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=113&ei=yKgISJm9LJLUeeidgPcN&prev=/images%3Fq%3DIgbo%26start%3D140%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1B3RNFA_enUS266US266%26sa%3DN

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Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by bigfrancis21: 8:20pm On Jan 10, 2013
^^^ My brother, Blyss, you are making enough sense.
Re: African-Americans And Their Igbo Roots by naijamerican: 12:00pm On Jan 13, 2013
Great thread! I truly enjoyed reading it and learned a lot. Africans and Americans in here need to stop bitching and learn to unite. The petty arguments and bickering that nearly ruined this fantastic thread are quite sickening indeed.

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