How often do we hear Igboid speaking but Igbo denying groups in SS claim that their use of Igbo language as mother tongue was caused by the colonial missionaries and Early church using Igbo language to preach the gospel in those areas by employing preachers from Igboland.

Well. This thread seek to burst that Myth and infact establish the fact that the gospel of Christianity first got to the Igbo speaking people in SS ( IKa, Enuani, Bonny, Opobo, Aboh(Ukwuani) ) before they could penetrate Igbo hinterland called SE today. And that it was among those Igbos in modern SS that the European missionaries employed first preachers in Igbo language from the native converts there, to take the gospel to Igbo hinterland.
Infact, the first Igbo Bible was written in Bonny Igbo language.

So you see. It was the SS Igbo groups that brought the Gospel of Christianity to hinterland Igbos and not the other way around.
For example, one in Bonny Igbo is "Oli". So in modern Igbo Bible, that version of Igbo was preserved as a relic in expressions like : " Ma oli" meaning " not even one".

THE FIRST INDIGENOUS WEST AFRICAN CATHOLIC PRIEST – FR PAUL OBODOECHINE EMECHETE

Paul Obodoechine Emechete was a native of Ezi. He was born around 1888. In the late 19th century, the Prefecture of the Upper Niger spread to his hometown of Ezi, and he was among the first converts there. He was later married in the Catholic Church and then became a teacher and a catechist. When his wife died, Paul decided to join the priesthood, under the mentorship of the famous Italian missionary Monisgnor Carlo Zappa.

In 1917, Paul received the Minor Orders at Lagos. And on 6th January, 1920 Paul Emechete was ordained a priest at St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral, Asaba by Bishop Thomas Broderick. The first native of British West Africa to become a Catholic priest.

[John Cross Anyogu of Onitsha became a priest in 1930, ten years after Father Emechete. But, strangely, in many circles, John Anyogu, rather than Paul Emechete is ascribed the honour of being the first Igbo Catholic priest. Both men came from Ezechime-descent towns.]

Alolo – the first Christian convert from Igbodo
In a town called Igbodo in West Africa, there is a large mud house, much grander than any other in the town. It was the dwelling place of a big medicine man (named Ofunani) when I first knew it. He was always ready to welcome us as his guests and give us ample room to stay while in the town. As we had to pass through Igbodo to reach other towns in our district, we often accepted his hospitality. He was known far and wide as a medicine man; he had several wives and a great position. He did not care about the Gospel. He seemed never to want to hear it, but he always received us kindly when we went. Let me tell you the story of his wife.
She was a young nice-looking woman – always clean, though most other women looked dirty; and instead of having the sleepy ‘I don’t care’ look usual among the women, her face was striking in its intelligence. Her name was Alolo. She had the usual medicine man’s charms and a small house of her own in which all her personal idols were kept. The Gospel was not quite new to Alolo. She had heard of the Lord Jesus from Yoruba and Sierra Leone traders, and she wanted to know more. From our first visit, she attached herself to us wherever we went. She was known and respected everywhere. The kings of the different towns would listen with some respect to what she said, and she always received the honour given to a medicine man or chief.
In 1905, God gave her another little son (she already had a son and a daughter). How proud and happy she was! She offered no sacrifice to thank her idols, and would not allow the little one’s face to be cut with the tribal marks. To God alone she gave thanks.
But alas! when her baby began to cut his teeth, he sickened and became very ill. She did all she could for him; she appealed for help to her fellow wives and her husband, but they were like stone. They told her it was because she had left her idols and their customs, and they would give her neither advice nor help. So she started out with her dear baby to come to me at Idumuje Ugboko for help. I was away and my house fastened up. There was nothing for it but to tramp the six miles back again. A kind woman called her in to rest, and as, by the flickering light of the palm oil lamp they together looked at the little face, they saw the child was dead. The pitying Saviour was with that poor woman as she carried her dear dead baby that night along the winding bush path through the forest to her home. She was met with the most cruel reproaches from her husband, and with mocking laughter from her fellow women. She went out into the bush and made a little grave there, and buried her bay herself.
About two months later, she came to me with the request that we would visit Igbodo soon, as she wished to destroy her idols. She said they had been nothing to her for many months. She grieved that she had given them a place in her house. She would have destroyed them privately, but thought it might teach some of the Igbodo people if they saw them burnt. A few days later we went. Her husband knew the reason for our visit and, when spoken to about it, said she had no control over Alolo; she always did as she pleased. He carefully absented himself early in the morning, and remained away till the deed was done. There was a remarkable collection of idols for a woman to possess, quite a heap all together in the yard of the house. A crowd of people gathered, and we sang a hymn, “Come to Jesus just now”, and spoke a few words to the crowd. Then Alolo got fire and set the heap alight.
I can only describe one other incident in her life.
Twins had always been thrown away in Igbodo as soon as born. Alone, single handed, Alolo fought against the custom. One day she heard of twins being born, and before the parents had a chance to get them away to the bush she was at the house, and amidst a storm of angry protest she carried the twins off to her house. Her husband was indignant. The other women tore their hair with anger and superstitious fear. The whole town gathered before her door, but she withstood them all. She was left at last, cut off from everyone, with the entrance to her house strewed with ‘medicine’ to cause her death. The babies had been treated too badly and she could not save them. Before many hours they were both dead. Then she was seized by a crowd and taken to a town some distance away where a Government official was staying while on a tour of his district. She was charged with upsetting the peace of the town, a charge which has sometimes been effectual in getting a Christian punished. But in this case the truth was found out.
Her husband died about four years ago, and she is now married to a Christian man and has been baptised together with her children. Without doubt Alolo has been the instrument used by God to bring into existence the Church which is in Igbodo.
~ Culled from Niger Dawn written by Frances Hensley (1954)
Picture and information were sourced here: https://www.idumujeugboko.com/

David Eze – the first male Christian convert from Umunede
David Eze was probably converted around 1902 or earlier. In 1905, he married Mumezia (baptised as Mary) sister to Obi Omorhusi, King of Idumuje-Ugboko, in the first Christian wedding seen in Idumuje-Ugboko. David and his wife were stationed in Egbu near Owerri, where they carried out missionary work.
You will remember that Egbu was where Archdeacon Dennis translated the Bible into Igbo (the Union Igbo Bible). David Eze was part of the translation team, along with Thomas Anyaegbunam and Alphonsus Onyeabo (who later became a Bishop), and some other Igbo evangelists. Thus, a son of Ikaland worked on one of the earliest Igbo translations of the Bible.
David sadly died in 1909, before the translation work could be completed.
~Picture: David Eze (far right), teaching his pupils to read the scriptures, at Egbu (near Owerri) in 1907. Taken from: https://www.idumujeugboko.com/

Ok

Opening stupid topics all around

Go sleep abeg

theInterpreter:
Opening stupid topics all around

Go sleep abeg

To say you are dimwitted and useless will be an understatement! may knowledge continue to be far from your olodo head.

afube:







To say you are dimwitted and useless will be an understatement! may knowledge continue to be far from your olodo head.

mynd44 lalasticlala rule 2

theInterpreter:
mynd44 lalasticlala rule 2

Lol

Great thread. Only that the thread revolves only on missionary activities. You might want to post about the Lander brothers when they landed in Aboh and were arrested by the Obi.

an average landlockee with usual concocted stories.....
when one desperate dotian cooked up a story in mind and send it out, then the gullible goats that eat yam and leaf with start to believe without questionin.....

Educating... Full of substance.

If only those who will comment and counter Op do so with reasonable statements, and not wit tasteless remarks

Good one Igboid. Continue with the good work. History is replete with the many truths that many don't want to know.

Nice piece of history

Captain8:
an average landlockee with usual concocted stories.....
when one desperate dotian cooked up a story in mind and send it out, then the gullible goats that eat yam and leaf with start to believe without questionin.....

So you don dey drink again this morning ?

Eastlink:
Great thread. Only that the thread revolves only on missionary activities. You might want to post about the Lander brothers when the landed in Aboh and were arrested by the Obi.

You can post those here.
That's why I invited you.

****


I will be back!

gidgiddy:
Nice peace of history

my brother, where is the referendum na?

Nice one my brother Igboid.
I keep telling them that Ubani was the dialect most southern Igboland converted with. That was before some group of porters were dropped off by the European ships, who were later attached to by Brass people. Who later patched themselves with Ogbia and Epie people. Then later started riding on the language of New Calabar, Brass people and History of Igbo people of Ubani.

Captain8:
my brother, where is the referendum na?

Where the better Nigeria na?

Okay oo

Meanwhile, I need a trusted Data seller here please

gidgiddy:


Where the better Nigeria na?

i'm not a one nigeria advocate.....
do you still remember our arguement where i was calling for niger delta republic but you said referendum will only be given to biafra and oduduwa, so anyone who does not chose either of odua or biafra will continue with nigeria?
now i asked where is that your referendum na? abi you were just foolish tryin to deceived tough mind like me?

Captain8:
i'm not a one nigeria advocate.....
do you still remember our arguement where i was calling for niger delta republic but you said referendum will only be given to biafra and oduduwa, so anyone who does not chose either of odua or biafra will continue with nigeria?
now i asked where is that your referendum na? abi you were just foolish tryin to deceived tough mind like me?

Referendum is not here yet but it will one day come. However, referendum only comes to those who agitate for one. Nobody gives referendum those who have no agitation. There is agitation for Oduduwa Republic, we have sll seen it. There is agitation for Biafra, we have all seen it. Nobody has ever seen agitation for Niger Delta Republic and nobody ever will. The reason is that nothing really brings those who call themselves Niger Delta together, except calling themselves Niger Delta.

So it is really sad to see someone who has no agitation, asking those who have agitation, when referendum is coming.

gidgiddy:


Referendum is not here yet but it will one day come. However, referendum only comes to those who agitate for one. Nobody gives referendum those who have no agitation. There is agitation for Oduduwa Republic, we have sll seen it. There is agitation for Biafra, we have all seen it. Nobody has ever seen agitation for Niger Delta Republic and nobody ever will. The reason is that nothing really brings those who call themselves Niger Delta together, except calling themselves Niger Delta.

So it is really sad to see someone who has no agitation, asking those who have agitation, when referendum is coming.

i am the one agitatin for the niger delta republic....

Tomek09:
The whole of SouthSouth is Igboland by popularity, conquest and dominant ethnic group.

God bless Ndigbo.

Long live Biafra.

you don smoke

What don't near Yoruba lands
Or you'll have Korean pepper in your nose

How this thread managed to turn turpsy-turvy by IPOB and Ijaw republic e-warrors still remains a mystery.

Why drag secessionist agenda into every historical exercise that will elevate learning.

Eastlink:
How this thread managed to turn turpsy-turvy by IPOB and Ijaw republic e-warrors still remains a mystery.

Why drag secessionist agenda into every historical exercise that will elevate learning.

Pls ignore the IPOB and Ijaw e-warriors and give us the Lander brothers/Abo story.

I’m impressed with the history in this thread.
There is a Bishop Anyogu Street in Uwani Enugu. I think it’s the same person mentioned here.
Great thread.

You ibos here especially the piglets have refused to learn.

All your attention is bonny n opobo who don't even have your time.

Just so you know OP, the people you talked about that took Christianity to the hinterlands of SE were former slaves of Ibo descents who have had their freedom from their masters then.
So if they wanted to move to the East, who do you think shud have gone,? Is it the Ijaws that own the land or the ibos that can speak the language

Why didn't you mention the names of those sent let's see if they were really ibos or the Ijaws there that speak Ibo.

OP, know this and know peace, Bonny n Opobo are Ijaw lands.
Y'all shud stay clear.

RobbStark:
You ibos here especially the piglets have refused to learn.

All your attention is bonny n opobo who don't even have your time.

Just so you know OP, the people you talked about that took Christianity to the hinterlands of SE were former slaves of Ibo descents who have had their freedom from their masters then.
So if they wanted to move to the East, who do you think shud have gone,? Is it the Ijaws that own the land or the ibos that can speak the language

Why didn't you mention the names of those sent let's see if they were really ibos or the Ijaws there that speak Ibo.

OP, know this and know peace, Bonny n Opobo are Ijaw lands.
Y'all shud stay clear.

Why do you keep behaving like a pig that lacks intelligence?

Even pigs are known to be intelligent, but the way most people here are inadequately intelligent is alarming. So Ijaws were once the owners of Ika land and Asaba? Or maybe Ijaw enslaved all the Igbos in your abstract history?

What happened to the Igbo is a normal thing that is observable when a group loses a war. Most people in the satellite towns in order to minimise their sufferings betray their origins to cozy up with their conquerors.