That part of Africa, known by the name of Guinea, to which the trade for slaves is carried on, extends along the coast above 3400 miles, from the Senegal to Angola, and includes a variety of kingdoms. Of these the most considerable is the kingdom of Benen, both as to extent and wealth, the richness and cultivation of the soil, the power of its king, and the number and warlike disposition of the inhabitants. It is situated nearly under the line, and extends along the coast about 170 miles, but runs back into the interior part of Africa to a distance hitherto I believe unexplored by any traveller; and seems only terminated at length by the empire of Abyssinia, near 1500 miles from its beginning. This kingdom is divided into many provinces or districts: in one of the most remote and fertile of which, called Eboe, I was born, in the year 1745, in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka. The distance of this province from the capital of Benin and the sea coast must be very considerable; for I had never heard of white men or Europeans, nor of the sea: and our subjection to the king of Benin was little more than nominal

The above is from the first chapter of Olaudah Equaino's narrative where he gives an account of where he was born in 1745.

Today, the Igbos of South East Nigeria claim that Equaino was born in Isseke somewhere close to Ihiala. However, olaudah's narrative says he was born in Essaka part of the Benin province of Eboe.

To find out where exactly in present day Nigeria Olaudah was born, it is important to analyse these places: Essaka, Eboe, Benin

IgbuduMonkey:
The above is from the first chapter of Olaudah Equaino's narrative where he gives an account of where he was born in 1745.

Today, the Igbos of South East Nigeria claim that Equaino was born in Isseke somewhere close to Ihiala. However, olaudah's narrative says he was born in Essaka part of the Benin province of Eboe.

To find out where exactly in present day Nigeria Olaudah was born, it is important to analyse these places: Essaka, Eboe, Benin

Keep shut and stop raising controversy! I bet you haven't even read his book. The man clearly stated he was Eboe from the region under the control of the Benin empire. There was nothing like Nigeria then, so all this denial that goes on currently in the Igbo speaking part of Delta state was non existent.

There was nothing like south east, south-south and all these fabricated rubbish. Back then if you are Igbo you are Igbo.

Can't wait to be educated or miseducated.

IgbuduMonkey:
That part of Africa, known by the name of Guinea, to which the trade for slaves is carried on, extends along the coast above 3400 miles, from the Senegal to Angola, and includes a variety of kingdoms. Of these the most considerable is the kingdom of Benen, both as to extent and wealth, the richness and cultivation of the soil, the power of its king, and the number and warlike disposition of the inhabitants. It is situated nearly under the line, and extends along the coast about 170 miles, but runs back into the interior part of Africa to a distance hitherto I believe unexplored by any traveller; and seems only terminated at length by the empire of Abyssinia, near 1500 miles from its beginning. This kingdom is divided into many provinces or districts: in one of the most remote and fertile of which, called Eboe, I was born, in the year 1745, in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka. The distance of this province from the capital of Benin and the sea coast must be very considerable; for I had never heard of white men or Europeans, nor of the sea: and our subjection to the king of Benin was little more than nominal

Equiano claimed Igbo people not the other way around. Stop letting your sentiment cloud your judgement. It is clear as day. Literally talks about Igbo marks, talks about nze and ozo.

"How the Igbos falsely claimed Olaudah Equiano".

(proceeds to post an excerpt from Olaudah where the man himself said he was Eboe)

Attention seekers will do anything to gain relevance. Instead of Nigerians working hard to better this and the next generation, some of us stand on the shoulder of others to blow the trumpet.

Ever since the Google African undersea cable under construction was named after him, he has suddenly become relevant, and history revisionists have been struggling to attach to the rich Igbo emancipation history.

So good he recorded his history.

EBOE

A search through history shows that there is only one place in recorded history that was referred to as Eboe. In his 1832 narrative of his expedition of the Kwora(Niger River), Richard Lander described Eboe as[b] "the city which has no other name than the Eboe country"[/b]. According to Lander, "it is immensely large, contains a vast population and is the capital of a Kingdom of the same name".

Lander's Eboe is no doubt the town today known as Aboh, located in Delta state. It is the capital of Ndokwa-East LGA area.

In the period of Lander's Eboe experience, Aboh was a very influential Kingdom along the banks of the Lower Niger whose influence extended from Idah to the coastal areas of the atlantic.

In contemporary times, there is the false claim that Eboe of the past refer to Igbo, hence, the tendency is to conclude that every historical reference to Eboe actually means Igbo. This simply is not true. In William Baikie's 1856 Narrative of an Exploring Voyage up the Rivers Kwóra and Bínue, Baikie wrote:

"Abó, the Eboe or Ibu of Lander and of Allen, is
the name of a town and also of a district extending
along both sides of the river, from the Orú country
towards Igára. It forms one of the sections of the Great
I'gbo (Ibo) territory ; and though by no means the
largest, is, from its position along the Kwóra, one of the most important. The sovereignty, since the
death of Obí, having, as I have mentioned, been
partly in abeyance, many towns which were under
his rule have ceased to pay tribute, and have become
independent. The dialect spoken along this tract is called also Abó, and it is readily understood over the
whole of I'gbo ; but to this I shall afterwards refer in
speaking of the peculiar customs and rites of this
region."

William Baikie clearly underlined the difference between Abo/Eboe and Igbo/Ibo

EBOE

A search through history shows that there is only one place in recorded history that was referred to as Eboe. In his 1832 narrative of his expedition of the Kwora(Niger River), Richard Lander described Eboe as[b] "the city which has no other name than the Eboe country"[/b]. According to Lander, "it is immensely large, contains a vast population and is the capital of a Kingdom of the same name".

Lander's Eboe is no doubt the town today known as Aboh, located in Delta state. It is the capital of Ndokwa-East LGA area.

In the period of Lander's Eboe experience, Aboh was a very influential Kingdom along the banks of the Lower Niger whose influence extended from Idah to the coastal areas of the atlantic.

In contemporary times, there is the false claim that Eboe of the past refer to Igbo, hence, the tendency is to conclude that every historical reference to Eboe actually means Igbo. This simply is not true. In William Baikie's 1856 Narrative of an Exploring Voyage up the Rivers Kwóra and Bínue, Baikie wrote:

"Abó, the Eboe or Ibu of Lander and of Allen, is
the name of a town and also of a district extending
along both sides of the river, from the Orú country
towards Igára. It forms one of the sections of the Great
I'gbo (Ibo) territory ; and though by no means the
largest, is, from its position along the Kwóra, one of the most important. The sovereignty, since the
death of Obí, having, as I have mentioned, been
partly in abeyance, many towns which were under
his rule have ceased to pay tribute, and have become
independent. The dialect spoken along this tract is called also Abó, and it is readily understood over the
whole of I'gbo ; but to this I shall afterwards refer in
speaking of the peculiar customs and rites of this
region."

William Baikie clearly underlined the difference between Abo/Eboe and Igbo/Ibo

Your only issue with Olaudah's origin is in the definition of 'ebo' and/or how it was used in the past?

What would you say about the Igbo linguistic evidence that he left behind such as afo (year), ede (cocoyam), mgburichi (titled men, in fact a town exists in Imo state called Mgburichi), oyibo etc. Which other tribes in West Africa call year 'afo', cocoyam 'ede' etc?

I'd be waiting to hear your rebuttal on this.

IgbuduMonkey:
That part of Africa, known by the name of Guinea, to which the trade for slaves is carried on, extends along the coast above 3400 miles, from the Senegal to Angola, and includes a variety of kingdoms. Of these the most considerable is the kingdom of Benen, both as to extent and wealth, the richness and cultivation of the soil, the power of its king, and the number and warlike disposition of the inhabitants. It is situated nearly under the line, and extends along the coast about 170 miles, but runs back into the interior part of Africa to a distance hitherto I believe unexplored by any traveller; and seems only terminated at length by the empire of Abyssinia, near 1500 miles from its beginning. This kingdom is divided into many provinces or districts: in one of the most remote and fertile of which, called Eboe, I was born, in the year 1745, in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka. The distance of this province from the capital of Benin and the sea coast must be very considerable; for I had never heard of white men or Europeans, nor of the sea: and our subjection to the king of Benin was little more than nominal

The benin 'empire' that Olaudah described only existed in the mind of Europeans, who at that time didn't have a clear picture on African geography. Hence the reason Olaudah made sure to state that neither he nor any of his Igbo brethren had ever heard of this so-called empire. An Ibibio, cross riverian or bassa man who was captured in the slave trade was also considered part of the mythical 'benin empire' of that time by the British.

However, Olaudah's biography clearly states that he was an Igbo man.

Shiver99:


The benin 'empire' that Olaudah described only existed in the mind of Europeans, who at that time didn't have a clear picture on African geography. Hence the reason Olaudah made sure to state that neither he nor any of his Igbo brethren had ever heard of this so-called empire. An Ibibio, cross riverian or bassa man who was captured in the slave trade was also considered part of the mythical 'benin empire' of that time by the British.

However, Olaudah's biography clearly states that he was an Igbo man.

Yes he was an Igbo man and then Igbo was under Benin empire. He said Igbo was always under Benin kingdom and control until 19th century the fall of Benin. The only kingdom in Nigeria sample in a movie still remain the Benin kingdom. So it pride for the Igbo to come out from this great kingdom I may say.

Shiver99:


The benin 'empire' that Olaudah described only existed in the mind of Europeans, who at that time didn't have a clear picture on African geography. Hence the reason Olaudah made sure to state that neither he nor any of his Igbo brethren had ever heard of this so-called empire. An Ibibio, cross riverian or bassa man who was captured in the slave trade was also considered part of the mythical 'benin empire' of that time by the British.

However, Olaudah's biography clearly states that he was an Igbo man.

They don’t have a clear picture for 500 years they don’t have a clear picture they amalgamat Nigeria and colonized you

The OP of this thread is a well-known psychiatric patient who just recovered briefly and grabbed any available phone and started posting on Nairaland.
I know quite a handful of them here on Nairaland. Due to the deficient post-hospital follow-up situation in Nigeria, many of them don't wait to be reintegrated back into the society before running amok all over the internet.

Shiver99:


The benin 'empire' that Olaudah described only existed in the mind of Europeans, who at that time didn't have a clear picture on African geography. Hence the reason Olaudah made sure to state that neither he nor any of his Igbo brethren had ever heard of this so-called empire. An Ibibio, cross riverian or bassa man who was captured in the slave trade was also considered part of the mythical 'benin empire' of that time by the British.

However, Olaudah's biography clearly states that he was an Igbo man.

Olaudah never wrote that he nor his brethren had heard of a Benin Empire. Here is what Olaudah wrote:

The distance of this province from the capital of Benin and the sea coast must be very considerable; for I had never heard of white men or Europeans, nor of the sea: and our subjection to the king of Benin was little morethan nominal; for every transaction of the government, as far as my slender observation extended, was conducted by the chiefs or elders of the place.

Olaudah also, never said he was an Igbo man

bigfrancis21:
Your only issue with Olaudah's origin is in the definition of 'ebo' and/or how it was used in the past?

What would you say about the Igbo linguistic evidence that he left behind such as afo (year), ede (cocoyam), mgburichi (titled men, in fact a town exists in Imo state called Mgburichi), oyibo etc. Which other tribes in West Africa call year 'afo', cocoyam 'ede' etc?

I'd be waiting to hear your rebuttal on this.

the language of the Ashaka people, Equaino's birth place is Igboid

EBOE contd

Of the Eboe people, Olaudah Equaino wrote:


We have also markets, at which I have been frequently with my mother. These are sometimes visited by stout mahogany-coloured men from the south west of us: we call them Oye-Eboe, which term signifies red men living at a distance. They generally bring us fire-arms, gunpowder, hats, beads, and dried fish. The last we esteemed a great rarity, as our waters were only brooks and springs. These articles they barter with us for odoriferous woods and earth, and our salt of wood ashes. They always carry slaves through our land; but the strictest account is exacted of their manner of procuring them before they are suffered to pass. Sometimes indeed we sold slaves to them, but they were only prisoners of war, or such among us as had been convicted of kidnapping, or adultery, and some other crimes, which we esteemed heinous. This practice of kidnapping induces me to think, that, notwithstanding all our strictness, their principal business among us was to trepan our people. I remember too they carried great sacks along with them, which not long after I had an opportunity of fatally seeing applied to that infamous purpose.

If Equaino's Eboe meant Igbos and if the Essaka people were Igbos, they would not refer to other people as Oye-Eboes, which literally means Eboe people.

Also, Equaino wrote that these Eboe men brought firearms, gunpowder, hats, beads and dried fish....they always carried slaves through our land. If you study the history of the slave trade along the River Niger, you would understand why the Eboes here are Lander's Eboes, todays Abohs. The Abohs/Eboes controlled the slave trade at the lower Niger. They exchanged slaves for European goods such as firearms, gunpowder, hats etc. The people of Aboh are also good fishermen and til this day trade fish.

Lander wrote:

Eboe Country ,' is situated on an open plain ; it is immensely large, contains a
vast population, and is the capital of a kingdom
of the same name. It has, for a series of years,
been the principal slave -mart for native traders
from the coast, between the Bonny and Old Ca. lebar rivers ; and for the produetion of its palm -oil
it has obtained equal celebrity. Hundreds of men from the rivers mentioned above come up for the
purpose of trade, and numbers of them are at pre
sent residing in canoes in front of the town. Most
of the oil purchased by Englishmen at the Bonny and adjacent rivers, is brought from hence, as are nearly all the slaves which are annually ex ported from those places by the French , Spaniards,
and Portuguese.

IgbuduMonkey:
the language of the Ashaka people, Equaino's birth place is Igboid

This argument is something that has been discussed on this website severally before. Ashaka is on the western side of the river niger. If Olaudah was from Ashaka he would have mentioned in his book ferrying across the river Niger onto the Eastern Igbo flank heading towards Calabar or Bonny slave port to be sold. However Olaudah after his capture journeyed entirely on land until he got to the sea port where he mentioned coming across an ocean (water body) for the first time and he made no mention of encountering any water body before getting to the port. He also mentioned that during his months trek down from his village to the sea port he became accustomed to other dialects which were similar to his and he picked up at least 3 dialects until he got to an area where the language was different and the people had different customs from those of his people (Ijaw area). This confirms again that he journeyed by foot through the Igbo hinterland. He mentioned the name of this different place as Tinmah and sure enough Tinmah exists in present day Rivers State, not too far from Bonny town.

Just because he mentioned Benin province in his memoir people think he was referring to the Benin kingdom. Nigeria as a country didn’t exist in the 1800s until 1960. Were you expecting him to mention Nigeria and maybe South Eastern Nigeria (words formed post 1960) in his book as your ‘guarantee’ that he was from SE Nigeria? Olaudah used a regional name close enough to describe where he came from. Igbo language was not a written language then so he came up with his own Igbo writing system. If you trace his Igbo words you’ll observe his writing pattern. The ‘A’ sound in the word Agbor for example, he spelt as ‘ah’ as you can see in ‘ahfoe’ (year). He used the ‘a’ letter for the ‘eh’ sound as in egg (Eada or cocoyam). He used the ‘e’ letter for the ‘I ‘ sound as in Indigo or Igbo (Eboe). If indeed he was referring to Ashaka as his birth place, going by his spelling convention, we would expect to see ‘ahshakah’ which clearly isn’t the case. He spelt it as ‘Essaka’, which when translated using modern Igbo orthography would be ‘Isseke’.

Oye-eboe: this has been discussed severally in the past. Igbo as a tribal name did not exist until the 1900s or maybe mid 1800s. The several tribes that make up modern day Igbo people referred to themselves by their actual native name, Nsukka, Owerri, Awka etc. Moreso, slave manifests that recorded slave data from slaves upon arrival at their destinations in the 1800s show that slaves from Igboland hardly ever called themselves ‘Igbo’ but instead by their respective communal names such as Isieke, Isigwe, Isu, etc. Igbo was hardly listed as the tribal name by these slaves. Even when they were called Igbo by the slave traders they were all confused and mentioned that that name was not used to describe them back home. Also in the past, sub groups in Igboland would refer to their neighbors surrounding them as ‘Onye Igbo’ but they didn’t consider themselves to be Igbo and this phenomenon still exists today within Igboland.

One grave mistake that you would make would be to wholesomely interpret Olaudah’s times and geography then with today tit for tat without first understanding times of yore vs today. Feel to reason whatsoever that you feel like. Olaudah left enough evidence that points to his Igbo origins. Undisputedly. If your argument here is that he may have come from Ashaka in Western Igboland and you’ve admitted that his language was ‘Igboid’, wouldn’t that still make him Igbo? If so, why the much ado about nothing?

It's like every other month, there's a new post about Equiano's birthplace. It has long become tiring, but the posts still keep coming.

IgbuduMonkey/clefstone: from your previous engagements on this forum, I gather that you are an Aboh man, so the questions I want to ask you should be fairly easy for you to answer.

1. What is the Aboh-axis word for year?

2. What is the Aboh-axis word for jewel or ring or brass/bronze?

3. What is the Aboh-axis word for voice?

4. Did people of the Aboh axis practice the forehead scarification known as ichi?

5. Given what we know of the Aboh axis being riverine (Olu) and fish-rich, is it conceivable to you that fish was a 'great rarity' in 18th-century Aboh or Ashaka?

KINGDOM OF BENEN

Of these the most considerable is the kingdom of Benen, both as to extent and wealth, the richness and cultivation of the soil, the power of its king.....This kingdom is divided into many provinces or districts: in one of the most remote and fertile of which, called Eboe, I was born, in the year 1745, in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka

There is no doubt the kingdom Equaino is referring to here is the great Kingdom of Benin. This requires no further analysis. What needs explanation is the link between Benin and Aboh/Eboe.

Aboh was founded by Esumei-Uku who is said to be a Bini prince that left Benin with his family and companions around the 15th century. In the migratory movement of the Esumei company, a number of Kingdoms were founded along the way, including for example Ozoro, founded by Oputa-Uku who was probably Esumei's brother. There must therefore have been a contiguous link between the mother kingdom and the chain of kingdoms birthed from her. That the Aboh/Eboe kingdom sprang up from Benin is not up for debate, it's a historical fact. There are many vestiges of Benin to be found in Aboh culture

IgbuduMonkey:
KINGDOM OF BENEN

Of these the most considerable is the kingdom of Benen, both as to extent and wealth, the richness and cultivation of the soil, the power of its king.....This kingdom is divided into many provinces or districts: in one of the most remote and fertile of which, called Eboe, I was born, in the year 1745, in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka

There is no doubt the kingdom Equaino is referring to here is the great Kingdom of Benin. This requires no further analysis. What needs explanation is the link between Benin and Aboh/Eboe.

Aboh was founded by Esumei-Uku who is said to be a Bini prince that left Benin with his family and companions around the 15th century. In the migratory movement of the Esumei company, a number of Kingdoms were founded along the way, including for example Ozoro, founded by Oputa-Uku who was probably Esumei's brother. There must therefore have been a contiguous link between the mother kingdom and the chain of kingdoms birthed from her. That the Aboh/Eboe kingdom sprang up from Benin is not up for debate, it's a historical fact. There are many vestiges of Benin to be found in Aboh culture

Can you kindly answer the questions posed by AjaanaOka above, the post before yours? You started this intellectual discussion and should be able to engage in it effectively.

bigfrancis21:


This argument is something that has been discussed on this website severally before. Ashaka is on the western side of the river niger. If Olaudah was from Ashaka he would have mentioned in his book ferrying across the river Niger onto the Eastern Igbo flank heading towards Calabar or Bonny slave port to be sold. However Olaudah after his capture journeyed entirely on land until he got to the sea port where he mentioned coming across an ocean (water body) for the first time and he made no mention of encountering any water body before getting to the port. He also mentioned that during his months trek down from his village to the sea port he became accustomed to other dialects which were similar to his and he picked up at least 3 dialects until he got to an area where the language was different and the people had different customs from those of his people (Ijaw area). This confirms again that he journeyed by foot through the Igbo hinterland. He mentioned the name of this different place as Tinmah and sure enough Tinmah exists in present day Rivers State, not too far from Bonny town.

Just because he mentioned Benin province in his memoir people think he was referring to the Benin kingdom. Nigeria as a country didn’t exist in the 1800s until 1960. Were you expecting him to mention Nigeria and maybe South Eastern Nigeria (words formed post 1960) in his book as your ‘guarantee’ that he was from SE Nigeria? Olaudah used a regional name close enough to describe where he came from. Igbo language was not a written language then so he came up with his own Igbo writing system. If you trace his Igbo words you’ll observe his writing pattern. The ‘A’ sound in the word Agbor for example, he spelt as ‘ah’ as you can see in ‘ahfoe’ (year). He used the ‘a’ letter for the ‘eh’ sound as in egg (Eada or cocoyam). He used the ‘e’ letter for the ‘I ‘ sound as in Indigo or Igbo (Eboe). If indeed he was referring to Ashaka as his birth place, going by his spelling convention, we would expect to see ‘ahshakah’ which clearly isn’t the case. He spelt it as ‘Essaka’, which when translated using modern Igbo orthography would be ‘Isseke’.

Oye-eboe: this has been discussed severally in the past. Igbo as a tribal name did not exist until the 1900s or maybe mid 1800s. The several tribes that make up modern day Igbo people referred to themselves by their actual native name, Nsukka, Owerri, Awka etc. Moreso, slave manifests that recorded slave data from slaves upon arrival at their destinations in the 1800s show that slaves from Igboland hardly ever called themselves ‘Igbo’ but instead by their respective communal names such as Isieke, Isigwe, Isu, etc. Igbo was hardly listed as the tribal name by these slaves. Even when they were called Igbo by the slave traders they were all confused and mentioned that that name was not used to describe them back home. Also in the past, sub groups in Igboland would refer to their neighbors surrounding them as ‘Onye Igbo’ but they didn’t consider themselves to be Igbo and this phenomenon still exists today within Igboland.

One grave mistake that you would make would be to wholesomely interpret Olaudah’s times and geography then with today tit for tat without first understanding times of yore vs today. Feel to reason whatsoever that you feel like. Olaudah left enough evidence that points to his Igbo origins. Undisputedly. If your argument here is that he may have come from Ashaka in Western Igboland and you’ve admitted that his language was ‘Igboid’, wouldn’t that still make him Igbo? If so, why the much ado about nothing?

you are spinning things to fit a narrative. Why would Olaudah have to be taken to the Igbo hinterland to get to the coast. What happened to the Niger River trade route? My understanding is that slaves around that axis were taken to the coast through Aboh to the Ijaw areas and from thenceforth to the coast. And Yes, there are many places around the Aboh axis with similar dialects

He was surely talking about Benin Kingdom because he mentioned the strength of it's King, not Kings. Which King of the Benin Kingdom did Olaudah refer to

Eboe is what most Aboh neighbours call them to this day. It is the reason the people of Eboe-Orogun are called that because they migrated from Aboh to their present location.
The evidences are so strong to ignore. What has happened is that some historians for unknown motives have turned Eboe to Igbo. For example, when Olaudah mentioned that Eboe slaves are preferred in the West Indies, he must have meant slaves who were sent to the Coast through Aboh. The people in the hinterland did not trade slaves directly with the Europeans at the coast. The slaves brought along the Niger were sold at Aboh/Eboe and from Aboh the slaves were moved to the Coast and resold there. This trade system is referred to historically as the entrepot trade system. All the slaves that were traded along the Niger would therefore be referred to as Eboe slaves as they were all bought from Aboh by the Europeans. But the narrative today is that the Eboe slaves referred to Igbo slaves, simply not true. Those referred to as Eboe slaves are likely of different ethnicity but were bought from Aboh. And some of these people likely spent some time in Aboh before they were sold

Lastly, I have tried to support my assertions with historical evidences from around that time so it's unfair to say that I am using the geography and realities of present times to interpret Equaino

AjaanaOka:
It's like every other month, there's a new post about Equiano's birthplace. It has long become tiring, but the posts still keep coming.

IgbuduMonkey/clefstone: from your previous engagements on this forum, I gather that you are an Aboh man, so the questions I want to ask you should be fairly easy for you to answer.

1. What is the Aboh-axis word for year?

2. What is the Aboh-axis word for jewel or ring or brass/bronze?

3. What is the Aboh-axis word for voice?

4. Did people of the Aboh axis practice the forehead scarification known as ichi?

5. Given what we know of the Aboh axis being riverine (Olu) and fish-rich, is it conceivable to you that fish was a 'great rarity' in 18th-century Aboh or Ashaka?

fish was not a rarity in Aboh but might have been in Ashaka. As for those words you asked, Aboh language is Igboid so when you see "igbo" words in Equaino's narrative don't assume that he came from East of the Niger

IgbuduMonkey:
you are spinning things to fit a narrative. Why would Olaudah have to be taken to the Igbo hinterland to get to the coast. What happened to the Niger River trade route? My understanding is that slaves around that axis were taken to the coast through Aboh to the Ijaw areas and from thenceforth to the coast. And Yes, there are many places around the Aboh axis with similar dialects

He was surely talking about Benin Kingdom because he mentioned the strength of it's King, not Kings. Which King of the Benin Kingdom did Olaudah refer to

Eboe is what most Aboh neighbours call them to this day. It is the reason the people of Eboe-Orogun are called that because they migrated from Aboh to their present location.
The evidences are so strong to ignore. What has happened is that some historians for unknown motives have turned Eboe to Igbo. For example, when Olaudah mentioned that Eboe slaves are preferred in the West Indies, he must have meant slaves who were sent to the Coast through Aboh. The people in the hinterland did not trade slaves directly with the Europeans at the coast. The slaves brought along the Niger were sold at Aboh/Eboe and from Aboh the slaves were moved to the Coast and resold there. This trade system is referred to historically as the entrepot trade system. All the slaves that were traded along the Niger would therefore be referred to as Eboe slaves as they were all bought from Aboh by the Europeans. But the narrative today is that the Eboe slaves referred to Igbo slaves, simply not true. Those referred to as Eboe slaves are likely of different ethnicity but were bought from Aboh. And some of these people likely spent some time in Aboh before they were sold

Lastly, I have tried to support my assertions with historical evidences from around that time so it's infer that I am using the geography and realities of present times to interpret Equaino

So your assertion is that Olaudah is from Aboh and he isn’t Igbo? Aboh and Eboe are two different words pronounced differently. How you think that Aboh and Eboe are the same baffles me.

Next you asked why he would have been taken through the Igbo hinterland and not through the river Niger canal, the author said so himself. I didn’t make it up. He said so in his memoir. Which makes me to believe, did you completely read his book from start to finish? I first read his book in 2007 and have read it again and again since then.

Olaudah didn’t travel down the river Niger canal. He said so himself. Therefore your hypothesis of him being from Aboh is probably unlikely. It is very obvious that several parts of Igboland were under the Benin kingdom and his village was probably among, however it doesn’t make him any less Igbo.

You were unable to answer AjaanaOka’s relevant questions. Before you come up with hypothesis such as yours you need to have your facts right and be sure of your facts. You are glossing over significant linguistic and geographic evidence that the author left behind in his own memoir in preference to your own personal hypothesis that suits your nuances, just because you believe within you that your hypothesis is correct. Next, instead of coming up with objective counter evidence for his origins, you present subjective evidence and attack the entire Igbo tribe for ‘claiming him’.

Your hypothesis will hold strong if you can do more research on your own and prove that Aboh or Ashaka people call year ‘afo’, had/have mgburichi facial scaring and fish was a rarity in 18th century Aboh/Ashaka.

IgbuduMonkey:
fish was not a rarity in Aboh but might have been in Ashaka.

The literature on Ashaka suggests that the town is riverain (being fed by the Ase River) and is/was the centre of a resilient fishing economy. So fish being a rarity there in Equiano's time would be very very very odd.

As for those words you asked, Aboh language is Igboid so when you see "igbo" words in Equaino's narrative don't assume that he came from East of the Niger

Wow. You completely avoided the questions. You just completely brushed aside dialect differences (a very important feature of the Igbo linguistic space) which can held narrow down the search for Equiano's homeland.

You're clearly not willing to have a honest objective conversation on this matter.

I've said this before. I will say it again. Latching onto that one mention of Benin in the book and ignoring the ethnological detail in the rest of Equiano's description of his homeland is amateurish, self-serving and, quite frankly, lazy pseudo-scholarship.

I don't believe we've found Equiano's homeland, but a homeland in Central Igboland (not too far north, not too far south - just somewhere in the southern Anambra-northern Imo area) makes far more sense than anywhere in Anioma, certainly far more sense than anywhere in the Ukwuani-Ndosimili axis.

bigfrancis21:


So your assertion is that Olaudah is from Aboh and he isn’t Igbo? Aboh and Eboe are two different words pronounced differently. How you think that Aboh and Eboe are the same baffles me.

Next you asked why he would have been taken through the Igbo hinterland and not through the river Niger canal, the author said so himself. I didn’t make it up. He said so in his memoir. Which makes me to believe, did you completely read his book from start to finish? I first read his book in 2007 and have read it again and again since then.

Olaudah didn’t travel down the river Niger canal. He said so himself. Therefore your hypothesis of him being from Aboh is probably unlikely. It is very obvious that several parts of Igboland were under the Benin kingdom and his village was probably among, however it doesn’t make him any less Igbo.

You were unable to answer AjaanaOka’s relevant questions. Before you come up with hypothesis such as yours you need to have your facts right and be sure of your facts. You are glossing over significant linguistic and geographic evidence that the author left behind in his own memoir over your own personal hypothesis that suit your nuances, just because you believe within you that your hypothesis is correct. Next, instead of coming up with objective counter evidence for his origins, you present subjective evidence and attack the entire Igbo tribe for ‘claiming him’.

Your hypothesis will hold strong if you can do more research on your own and prove that Aboh or Ashaka people call year ‘afo’, had/have mgburichi facial scaring and fish was a rarity in 18th century Aboh/Ashaka.

He avoided your probe on linguistics for obvious reasons.
They will crash his argument.

Aboh/Ukwuani call year "efor" and not "ahfor".
No way in hell Olaudo was from Aboh.

The other time,it was someone from Etsako in Edo state that was claiming Olauda,now it's someone from Igbophobic Ukwuani.
All this even when the man in question went around the world calling himself an Igbo.