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Brief History Of Nnewi / Ndokwa People Of Delta: Interestd In Finding Out More of ur Background & Culture / Enu Ani (ndokwa ,ukwani Or Aniocha) Sons And Daugthers (2) (3) (4)
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Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 6:16pm On Oct 12, 2012 |
The History of the Ndokwa/Ukwuani people is as interesting as that of any other African tribe. This is because no written account of it is available. Much of what is known of it, are facts handed down through oral traditions or some scanty detail and accounts as recorded by early European visitors to the area. The most inspiring thing about our history is the fact that I have never come across any Ndokwa/Ukwuani man or woman that believes s/he came from Mecca as is the case with the Bayangida and Oduduwa lineages in Nigeria. Sadly, such tribes in Nigeria that see no folly in propagating such myths are in fact some of the largest black tribes in Nigeria (and Africa). Further, the Ndokwa people have not claimed Israel as their ancestral home, as another big tribe in Nigeria would want us to believe. To highlight the flaw in the desire to seek glory elsewhere, we introduce excerpts culled from the history page of a neighbouring town –Ubulu Ukwu – in Anioma local government in Delta State, Nigeria. See the quotes below. “From Afor to Ubulu-Unor: In fact Ubulu oral tradition states categorically that the grand-parents of Ezemu migrated from Israel and settled at Ife hence Ezemu was often referred to as the king with long hairs – “Ezi Isi Iyomiyo”. From Ife Ezemu and his relations migrated to Afor a village in present day Ndokwa Local Government Area of Delta State.” From www.ubulu-uku.com/ mysite/origin.htm . Ironically, no Ndokwa town - including Afor - has corroborated this account of history. First and foremost, we are pure Africans and do not seek to establish our origins elsewhere. If the origins of mankind is in Africa as scientific evidence has shown, with pride and humility, the Ndokwa/Ukwuani people would want to be counted as one of the custodians of these primordial genes. Rather than fabricate our history, the Ndokwa people would want to concur with patterns described by Omole ( www.lagosforum.com/comment.php): “The term “autochthonous” means native, aboriginal, indigeous, original. The available anthropological and archaeological evidence at our disposal makes it clear that the settlement of the Southern West Africa region is a recent event, going back not more than 5000 years.” And, from the early history of Nigeria( www.countrystudies.us/nigeria/4.htm): “The earliest known example of a fossil skeleton with negroid features, perhaps 10,000 years old, was found at Iii Ileru in western Nigeria and attests to the antiquity of habitation in the region. Stone tools, indicating human settlement, date back another 2,000 years. Microlithic and ceramic industries were developed by pastoralists in the savanna from at least the fourth millennium B.C. and were continued by grain farmers in the stable agricultural communities that subsequently evolved there. To the south, hunting and gathering gradually gave way to subsistence farming on the fringe of the forest in the first millennium B.C. The cultivation of staple foods, such as yams, later was introduced into forest clearings.” Having put the history of the Ndokwa in the context of early Nigerian history,let’s now turn our attention to Ndokwa specifically. It is relevant to point out here that the portmanteau word "Ndokwa" generally used to refer to the people of the locality is a recent coinage. The word Ndokwa has the morphemes: NDO from the word "Ndo-simili", the people of the Niger and KWA from the word “Ukwuani”, for the Ukwuani speaking people of the lowland. The two peoples reside in the same proximity and share a near common history. They were both together during the ABOH division days in the then Midwest state of Nigeria (1960s-1970s). Recently, both regions were under one local government area (LGA) before the splitting up into Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East and Ukwuani LGAs. It is very confusing for those of us who grew up when we had one Ndokwa LGA to conceptualise the emerging distinction introduced by referring to some of the people in the region as "the Ukwuanis" and "the Ndokwas" as if they are totally different entities. Is there any justification in saying that someone from Utagba-Ogbe is an Ndokwa man while someone from Umutu an Ukwuani man? We must be wary of how we present this issue, lest an unnecessary distinction be introduced. Originally, the people (all) were referred to as the Southern-Ika people before the creation and the re-creation of the local governments of the modern era. Our northern cousins where called the Northern Ikas and our neighbour/ cousins from the Ika LGAs have held on to this name till date. Before the advent of the white man, the Ikas, Oshimilis and Aniochas –all in Delta State, Nigeria - were all called the "Enu-Ani" people (Upland people) and the "Ukwuani "(Lowland people) is used to refer to the Ukwuanis/Ndokwas. Prof. E. Isichie in one of her works referenced this fact. Realistically, the inhabitants of the Ndokwa/Ukwuani areas are a mix of different peoples some with a strong claim to Benin/Edo ancestry while others lay claim to different origins. The Benin connections, a view held by a majority of Ndokwa/Ukuani clans cannot be rejected. Although, some intricate and complicated dimensions such as linguistics can be brought in, to test these claims. One must not forget the fact that the languages in Aboh (an Ndokwa town) and Benin are not related. The Abohs and some other clans in the region claim to have left Benin around the 16th century or earlier, in the same wave of migration that established most of the Igbo-speaking towns west of the Niger and even Onitsha in the east. Egharebva, writes of a period in Aboh (circa 1730 -1750) where the ruling families had to accept emissaries from the Oba (King) of Benin during a dispute. Surrounding, the Ndokwa/Ukwuanis are other Edoid groups i.e. the Urbobos,the Isokos, the Ijaws. Their influence is palpable amongst the Ndokwas/Ukwuanis socially and culturally. By the same token, it is not out of place to notice that some individuals in a number of clans claim lineage to these neighbouring tribes mentioned above especially those on the border. Group of towns sharing borders with neighbouring tribes including Abbi, Emu, Onyia, Ushie and Obiaruku have inhabitants tracing their origins to Urhobo,Isoko, Ijaw lands. Furthermore, a good number of Ukwuani/Ndokwa towns of including Afor, Emu, Amai, Utagba-Uno, Onicha- Ukwuani claim to have been founded by immigrants from Benin. Onicha is a variant of the word "Onitsha" and is not a coincidence to have the original inhabitants of Onitsha (in Anambra State) holding on to the same story of King Chime from Benin as its forebear. There are four Onitshas known today i.e. Onicha-Olona, Onicha Ugbo, Onicha-Ukwuani and Onitsha mili (the popular one). They all share the Benin migration story. What should be of import to us is, when did these migrations take place, and the second question: Did these new arrivals meet some other people indigenous to the land/locality? If so, who were they? It is indeed a tall order to to try to establish these facts because there is an innate aberration in history known that man would always, at all costs, seek to associate with greatness, fame, glory and so on. This, in our case might have robbed us of the information that might helped us pieced together our past history more accurately. The powerful nature and conquering role of the old Benin Empire might have influenced many clans favuoring this connection, in the process, either knowingly or otherwise suppressing some vital information. As one author, Rev. Okologu (History of the Ukwuani people) pointed out in his work, there are however different extractions in our land – Ndokwa area. For example, some sections of the Abohs believed that they are direct descendants of people from Benin while others look across the Niger into the Igbo hinterland as their origins; yet, some even look far up the Niger to Igala homeland as their ancestral land. It is worthwhile to bring this fact to the fore. What cannot be disputed is political power that the Aboh kingdom held in the past. The kingdom stretched from the fringes of Agbor town (Ika) in the present day Delta State to Ogba (Rivers state), also covering all the Ogbaru region of Anambra State. At the height of its power, the Kingdom of Aboh even had emigrants leaving to populate other parts of old Nigeria. There are quarters in Itsekiri land that claim to have forebears from Aboh town. __________________ |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by pazienza(m): 8:29pm On Oct 12, 2012 |
The word 'Onicha' is an igbo word,it doesn't exist in bini lexicon. If only history revisionist like you knew this,you would have long changed that your onicha ukwuani to a more bini sounding word. Onicha is found here in aba,they call them onicha ngwa,we have onicha in ebonyi and imo state (onicha uboma). Onicha exists throughout igboland. And oh! Onitsha is not a variant of onicha,its just a mis spelling of it, as it's still called onicha,even though it's spelt as onitsha, compare it to owerri(written version) and owerre(pronounced version), awkunanaw(written version), okunano(pronounced version). 8 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Dede1(m): 10:22pm On Oct 12, 2012 |
It is even sadder and more folly to read conjectural nonsense of certain so-called journey-just-come ethic groups in Nigeria claiming to have originated from a backwater village or village Empire led by one local champion called Oba. Sometimes I tend to imagine the nonsensical narrations that engulfed the so-called migration of people when what stood before the migrants was impenetrable forest filled with wild creatures. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Ngodigha: 12:10am On Oct 13, 2012 |
Irrelevant. 1 Like
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Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by EzePromoe: 8:17pm On Oct 16, 2012 |
I'm still waiting the lost souls amongst us to come and put their poo here as usual. Ndokwa did not only migrate from Benin, they also migrated from the Sahara desert. Like I give a f**k about your skewed history. 4 Likes |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by OdenigboAroli(m): 2:45am On Oct 17, 2012 |
chucky234: Are you even ashamed of yourself?? You ne a rebirth! You have no integrity! |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 7:35am On Oct 17, 2012 |
Odenigbo Aroli:An idi:ot who don't even know a thing about his origin talking rubbish down here,a lost soul like your pathetic self have no business spewing trash where history are been discuss because you still have the dumb believe that you fall from heaven or your fvcking ancestors came from Israel. What a fool you are,an imbec¡le with a transplanted brain packed with animal cells,take few minutes of your time to find out about Ndokwa you idi:ot. If you cant ask questions then use google at least your nokia express music can browse the internet,my mother hail from Ogume and the people of Ogume were speaking Bini fluently in the 16th century before the emergence of Ukwuani,my grandfather who is an historian still have some old writings in Bini he kept for safe-keeping. Go get a human brain capable of inducing reasonable ideas before coming out from your remote cave to quote me,idi:ot. 2 Likes |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Abagworo(m): 7:58am On Oct 17, 2012 |
@chucky234. The history of Aboh is not as speculative as most parts of Nigeria because Aboh had early contact with the outside world. Your history is all over books written as far back as the 16th century. Do not involve yourself in ignorant revisionism. Visit libraries and learn about your fore fathers. Aboh was speaking Igbo language as at then and the Kings identified themselves as Igbo to the Whiteman and also told them of Idu(Benin City). I can provide you with links to some of the books if you wish to learn. 6 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by ifyalways(f): 9:27am On Oct 17, 2012 |
When i was btw the ages of 5 to 8, I thought that 'Ndokwa' was a sort of "small heaven" . Every obituary announcement on air NEVER fail to end with . . . "ka mkpuru obi ya zuru ike na Ndokwa" Lol 3 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 2:17pm On Oct 17, 2012 |
Abagworo: @chucky234. The history of Aboh is not as speculative as most parts of Nigeria because Aboh had early contact with the outside world. Your history is all over books written as far back as the 16th century. Do not involve yourself in ignorant revisionism. Visit libraries and learn about your fore fathers. Aboh was speaking Igbo language as at then and the Kings identified themselves as Igbo to the Whiteman and also told them of Idu(Benin City). I can provide you with links to some of the books if you wish to learn.And where did the Igbo man told the whitemen he was from? Aboh is just one of the many communities in Ndokwa,what can you say about Emu,Abbi,Ogume,Obiaruku,Umutu,Ezionum,Obetim,Utagba,Obinomba,Umu-ebu,Amai,Umukwata and the rest,always say what you know and not fiction you read in a library. 1 Like |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Abagworo(m): 2:46pm On Oct 17, 2012 |
chucky234: And where did the Igbo man told the whitemen he was from? Aboh is just one of the many communities in Ndokwa,what can you say about Emu,Abbi,Ogume,Obiaruku,Umutu,Ezionum,Obetim,Utagba,Obinomba,Umu-ebu,Amai,Umukwata and the rest,always say what you know and not fiction you read in a library. The Igbos written mostly about by the whiteman was Aboh. Aboh kind of had influence in the entire Niger Coast area as at then. Traders were coming from Igbo interior, Benin and Idah to do business. Some of those people might have settled among the original Aboh people and consist some of the villages you wrote above. Each of those villages might have their own origin but Aboh was already settled there centuries ago and the Obi had jurisdiction over that area. 5 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Abagworo(m): 2:46pm On Oct 17, 2012 |
chucky234: And where did the Igbo man told the whitemen he was from? Aboh is just one of the many communities in Ndokwa,what can you say about Emu,Abbi,Ogume,Obiaruku,Umutu,Ezionum,Obetim,Utagba,Obinomba,Umu-ebu,Amai,Umukwata and the rest,always say what you know and not fiction you read in a library. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by odumchi: 3:46pm On Oct 17, 2012 |
ifyalways: When i was btw the ages of 5 to 8, I thought that 'Ndokwa' was a sort of "small heaven" . Every obituary announcement on air NEVER fail to end with . . . "ka mkpuru obi ya zuru ike na Ndokwa" Lmao |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by victor1464(m): 6:39am On Oct 27, 2014 |
Abagworo:4get it.our ndokwa history cannot be changed.even though we had migrants 4rm across d niger(igbo).d majority holds...even d ogba,ikwerre,ekpeye, say its benin kindom...d bini empire is as old and it consisted of so many groups. 1 Like |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by 1shortblackboy: 7:30am On Oct 27, 2014 |
And of course d igbos will come and cause out anybody who dares to claim he's not igbo |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Nobody: 9:25am On Oct 27, 2014 |
Why is someone calling up a thread that has been dead for two years? :/ |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Deltagiant: 1:33pm On Oct 27, 2014 |
[b]victor1464(m):[/b]Im ukwuani 4rm kwale(utgba-ogbe)..i dont understand wat d igbos speak ooooh.i wonda how com de want to teach us our own history i fear oo.Most of dem havent even travel 2 our delta state 4 once; and because we get big heart dem dey fear us..i visited an igbo chuch in agbor delta state.i didnt even understand wat dey were sayin so i left d place because it sounded like noise 2me...hahahahahahahaha..UKWUANI NA BIG NAME 4 Delta STATE oooh,2nd largest tribe 4 dat mata!!!.SO NO TAKE Am play...ishiegwari ...yoooh!!! Interestingly Oraifite is a town in Anmabra state that assimilated your town's people of Utagba in the 15th century. There was no way they could have been welcomed and assimilated into Oraifite if they had not understood Igbo. Your claim of being unable to understand central Igbo in this 21st century could either be as a result of immigrants from Benin who might have corrupted the original Utagba dialect or that you're not saying the truth as it is very unusual of an Ukwuani not to understand the most simple central Igbo. Read below the excerpt of the history of your town's people and how they assimilated into Oraifite society circa 500 years ago. "Legend has it that during the time of Oke-efi in Oraifite, Anumanu, a handicapped (partially blind) son of a king of Aboh town (currently in delta state of Nigeria), migrated to Oraifite seeking refuge. Oke-efi welcomed Anumanu and his entourage. Included in his entourage were his servant (Oliobasie) and his horn blower (Eze Opi). Oliobasie was originally from a village called Utagba, in Ukwuani town. He was a servant who accompanied prince Anumanu to Oraifite. Oke-efi allocated a piece of land to Anumanu, and allowed him to settle, adjacent to Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) his younger brother. Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) had a few children, and needed good neighbors for security reasons. Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) was the only original indigene of Ibolo land and the second oldest son of Oraifite. Ibolo quarter was named after a large tree found in that part of town. Prior to the arrival of Anumanu, there was an earlier settler at Ibolo named Ugwumagana(Isiji). There is no historical account as to where he migrated from. There are 4(four) distinct families resident at Ibolo, even until now. They are (a) Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) family, (b) Ugwumagana (Isiji) family, (c) Prince Anumanu family and (d) Oliobasie family. The Oliobasie family belongs to the Anumanu household, because Oliobasie was a servant of Anumanu. Umu-ezeopi as the name shows, were the children of Eze-opi. And they too belong to the household of Prince Anumanu, since he was part of his confidant and was brought to Oraifite by him. Isingwu migrated later to Oraifite from Osumenyi. There was no historical account as to why they left Osumenyi. Isingwu was accepted and allowed to settle as part of the household of Odu (Ogwugwuezeani). Hence, the household of Odu (Uno-Odu) include, Ibolo, Umuezopi and Isingwu. There is no clear explanation why the Isi-obi (head) of Unodu shifted from Odu (Ogwugwuezeani) to Anumanu household in Ibolo. Unodu have always lived peacefully with the rest of the other three quarters. No war(s) was fought nor recorded between them. Infact, all quaters jointly fought and conquered the Akwa-ukwu series of wars. Part of the land now occupied by Isingwu and Ibolo were conquered from Akwa-ukwu. Isingwu and Umuezopi instituted their Obis just as the other clans in Oraifite. The Isi-Obi of Uno-Odu rests at Ibolo...." [/b] 3 Likes |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 10:06pm On Oct 27, 2014 |
Deltagiant:Skilled crafty LIAR. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Deltagiant: 3:13pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
chucky234: You may want to scroll to this link to see how unskillfull and uneducated you are about your inconsequential Ukwuani or utagba, whatever you call it. Follow the link and click on Oraifite history, Doc. file. After that, you and your co travellers can continue peddling your usual shameless history, even the mallams cannot even buy from you. [urlhttps://www.google.be/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=history+of+oraifite+utagba][/url] Or simply google "History of Oraifite+utagba" You'll see it on a Doc. File. Have a nice day 2 Likes |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 4:22pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
Deltagiant:Utagba is just a small town in Ndokwa kingdom, it is a small fraction in the history of the Ukwuani people. Igbos dont even know their origin, I think you channel your energy towards knowing where the Igbo race migrated from rather waste your time fighting people who know their root and history. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Deltagiant: 5:25pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
chucky234: Really, Utagba small eh? And what about the commercial heart of Ukwuani - Obiaruku-Awkuzu?. Or the political capital of Ndi Ukwuani - Abbi-Achalla? Well, let's have the Anioma state first, then we will see on which part the pendulum on these issues will swing to. But, know you that the dominant socio-economic and cultural landscape in Asaba will determine the identity of Anioma state. It is not gonna be a multi lingual state, that you know. 1 Like |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by pazienza(m): 5:27pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
Chucky. You said that your mother is from Ogume. Is your dad an Ukwuani man? Cos from day one,i had you penciled down as a Yoruba, it was just too obvious. 1 Like |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by pazienza(m): 5:35pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
People become ignorant when they selectively chose to be blind. The writer of the first article Ignorantly thought that Onicha existed only in the Anioma region, hence he stupidly assumed that Onicha is a Benin related word. If he was open minded and not consumed by self hate, he would have looked east,and would have found that we have more places with Onicha prefix in SE than we have in the entire Anioma. 4 Likes |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 5:52pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
Deltagiant:Though Kwale like Aboh is very important in the history of Ndokwa people but it remains a very small fraction of Ndokwa Kingdom, every single community in Ndokwa is as important as Obiaruku and Abbi. I'm from Obiaruku but equal regard for all the communities that make up NDOKWA no matter how small, by the way what happens in Anioma is certainly the least of my worries. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 6:07pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
pazienza:My mum is from Ogume, dad from Obiaruku but both were born in Lagos and that make me a Yorubaman by birth. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 6:12pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
pazienza:We are aware of the other Onicha in SE that is why we refers to our own as Onicha-Ukwuani and Onicha-Olòni. The people of Onitsha in Anambra migrated from Beni in the 15th century, the same time as the people Ndokwa. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by pazienza(m): 7:06pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
chucky234: Nah. The article wrote that there are four known Onicha today-Olona,Ugbo,Mili and Ukwuani, and went on to say that it is not a conincidence that they all have a Bini migration history. The writer of that article is ignorant of the fact that there not just four known Onicha towns,but many of them spread across Igboland,and that only just the four he mentioned have Bini connection. Since the number of places with non Bini connection having Onicha prefix out number those with Bini connection, Onicha can't be a Bini word, but ancient Igbo word for ' a place of dwelling', not used in modern igbo,similar to 'Ogwa' and 'Uhu/Uru', that ancient Igbos that migrated and lived in Bini kingdom, managed to preserve and subsequently used to name their new found places of dwelling when they left Bini. 7 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by modhream: 7:46pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
chucky234:Your dad is from Obiaruku n u didn't know the town was founded n majorly populated by migrants from Awkuzu?. Bros,please tell us another story. 3 Likes |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 8:04pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
pazienza:I cant pick anything meaningful from the debris you heaped up there. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 8:08pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
modhream:Hahaha the people of Obiaruku originally migrated from Umuebu, every single family and quarter in Obiaruku were also in Umuebu. The Igbos who settled in Obiaruku in the early days were traders, hawkers, bicycle repairers and shoe-makers. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by Deltagiant: 8:11pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
chucky234:Challenge the logic on his last chapter or simply shut it. |
Re: Brief History Of NDOKWA by chucky234(m): 8:25pm On Oct 28, 2014 |
Deltagiant:The logic that Igbos who settled in Obiaruku were shoe cobblers, bicycle repairers and hawkers. The people of Obiaruku migrated from Umuebu and have a very strong tie with them till tomorrow. The place called Okuzu in Obiaruku is the second smallest quarter in Obiarurku after Umu-edede. The major places are Ogbe-ofu, Umusume and Ethiope area, Okuzu is also pupolated Umu-ebu indigienes with few foreign settlers who are traders occupying the shops along Old Sapele-Agbor road. |
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