Igboland is the home of the Igbo people and it covers
most of Southeast Nigeria. This area is divided by the
Niger River into two unequal sections – the eastern
region (which is the largest) and the midwestern
region. The river however, has not acted as a barrier
to cultural unity; rather it has provided an easy means
of communication in an area where many settlements
claim different origins.

@bolded. That's the part that gets the supremacists steered up in anger. It will never change.

ChinenyeN:

I believe we may be derailing, and I wouldn't like to entertain the derailment too much, but I do feel I need to comment on the bold. Ngwa did not acknowledge or identify with "Igbo" until the mid 20th century. Before that time, Ngwa had always maintained that they formed a single, distinct people. As recent as the 60's, there were Ngwa who did not identify as "Igbo", and though you may not want to believe it, some still don't. Although, the Ngwa body now generally acknowledges "Igboness", but a strong sense of distinction and distancing between Ngwa and Igbo identity still actively pervades.

^

Stop contributing to the topic if you're sleepy, were did you read that Ngwa didn't originally identify as Igbo? Do know you that Aba is Ngwa?

I may come back to comment on topic.

ChinenyeN:

I believe we may be derailing, and I wouldn't like to entertain the derailment too much, but I do feel I need to comment on the bold. Ngwa did not acknowledge or identify with "Igbo" until the mid 20th century. Before that time, Ngwa had always maintained that they formed a single, distinct people. As recent as the 60's, there were Ngwa who did not identify as "Igbo", and though you may not want to believe it, some still don't. Although, the Ngwa body now generally acknowledges "Igboness", but a strong sense of distinction and distancing between Ngwa and Igbo identity still actively pervades.

^

Stop contributing to the topic if you're sleepy, were did you read that Ngwa didn't originally identify as Igbo? Do know you that Aba is Ngwa? Do you know how the name Ngwa ( Ndi Ngwa Ngwa and Ndi Ohuhu) came about?

I may come back to comment on topic.

The Ibo community can be described as a tribe and also a country; a tribe just because of where they are on the map but a country because of who they know they are and basically are the ones that provide all the affordable items in the country

Igbo is a nation.
The use of nation may not appeal to the contemporary usage, as one regards a nation as having a sovereign status and geopolitical boundary recorgnised both home and abroad.
But if a collection of different ethnic groups and tribes with common believe, religious/spiritual, same language, custom etc is a nation, then igbo is a perfect example.
The igbo nation comprises different groups and/or tribes: aro, oru, ngwa, nri, ikwere, abakiliki, ogbashi, onicha etc.
The common saying 'igbo enwe eze' says it all. The tribes in igbo land can have their eze(s), but igbo as a nation enweghi eze.
The powers of an eze can be effective in ruling his clan/tribe/ethnic group, but isnt enough to rule the entire igbo nation.

saintohia:


^

Stop contributing to the topic if you're sleepy, were did you read that Ngwa didn't originally identify as Igbo? Do know you that Aba is Ngwa? Do you know how the name Ngwa ( Ndi Ngwa Ngwa and Ndi Ohuhu) came about?

I may come back to comment on topic.

pls dont come back. Start a thread about the Ngwa-Ngwa and ohuhu and enlighten us. Dont derail the thread already.

sarutobie:
Just ignore him..he is looking for attention..don't oblige him..

who are u referring to as an attention seeker?

you are right my bro

ujchief: Igbo is a nation.
The use of nation may not appeal to the contemporary usage, as one regards a nation as having a sovereign status and geopolitical boundary recorgnised both home and abroad.
But if a collection of different ethnic groups and tribes with common believe, religious/spiritual, same language, custom etc is a nation, then igbo is a perfect example.
The igbo nation comprises different groups and/or tribes: aro, oru, ngwa, nri, ikwere, abakiliki, ogbashi, onicha etc.
The common saying 'igbo enwe eze' says it all. The tribes in igbo land can have their eze(s), but igbo as a nation enweghi eze.
The powers of an eze can be effective in ruling his clan/tribe/ethnic group, but isnt enough to rule the entire igbo nation.

so towns like ngwa,aro,nri,igbo ukwu etc are tribes/clans in igboland? What we are talking about is whether igbos are really related or just different groups of people bound by language.

ChinenyeN: Nothing in that statement is complicated. Related and unrelated groups. Some communities are related to some and not related to others; most communities have no claims of kinship or ancestry with other Igbo communities. Is that more comprehensible?

Yeah u ar right.A community may be Igbo without sharing direct or recent ancestory with some other Igbo communities.

ChinenyeN: Nothing in that statement is complicated. Related and unrelated groups. Some communities are related to some and not related to others; most communities have no claims of kinship or ancestry with other Igbo communities. Is that more comprehensible?

Yeah u ar right.A community may be Igbo without sharing direct or recent ancestory with some other Igbo communities.That's why we have jewish,Egyptian and nok version of our ancestory

I strongly disagree with people who say that Igbo consciousness is europian creation. That view is totally wrong. Though there wasn't any written history of Igbo people but evidence abound that we r one people. cultural, social and religious similaries only point to a common ancestry.
May i add that the reason why people get confused to this issue is because of Igbo republican nature which gave the world a unique political system.
Igbo is therefore one ethnicity or tribe as d case may be.
one Edo man once told me that d reason why Igboland is different from others in Nigeria is because d Igbo is d only motherland . when i asked him why, he explained that tribes in Nigeria has history of migration of where they r today except d Igbo.

Antivirus92: so towns like ngwa,aro,nri,igbo ukwu etc are tribes/clans in igboland? What we are talking about is whether igbos are really related or just different groups of people bound by language.

The relatedness among Igbos is very complex. One thing that has become clear is that most (or probably all) Igbos migrated to where they are now from somewhere. Some Igbo groups reached present day Igboland at different times. It wasn't a case of one ancestor or group of ancestors coming to Igboland and then procreating. For example, Nsukka people know very clearly that they came from Igalla. Abakiliki people know very clearly that they are more related with people in Kogi and Benue States than with Igbos. Onitsha and Delta Igbos believe that they came from the Benin Kingdom and Igalla. What has been posted here about Ngwa people could also be true.

One controversial issue about Igbos is the Jewish connection. One thing that is very clear is that Igbos were influenced by ancient Israelites. It appears that some Igbo groups are direct descendants of Israelites. The Israelite Igbos practiced ancient Jewish culture, even though modernization has greatly influenced that practice today.

The world is about to enter the biblical end time. (2013?) It is known that God will do some special spiritual work through Israelites during the end time. For some years now notable evangelists from different parts of the world have been pointing at Nigeria as where a great end time move of God will commence. Very soon we will know the Israelites in Nigeria.

Kei144:

The relatedness among Igbos is very complex. One thing that has become clear is that most (or probably all) Igbos migrated to where they are now from somewhere. Some Igbo groups reached present day Igboland at different times. It wasn't a case of one ancestor or group of ancestors coming to Igboland and then procreating. For example, Nsukka people know very clearly that they came from Igalla. Abakiliki people know very clearly that they are more related with people in Kogi and Benue States than with Igbos. Onitsha and Delta Igbos believe that they came from the Benin Kingdom and Igalla. What has been posted here about Ngwa people could also be true.

@bolded. That is the bone of contention. Some Igbos believe that their ancestor is the father of all Igbos while every Igbo group has different father from others or is merely related paternally to few other groups around them. There is no doubt that we are all linked but I suspect it was more maternal than paternal. We also have that basic Chi,Ofo/Oho n'ogu, Ala/Ali/Ani/Ana, Oha/Ora, common language(though with degree of variations) and so on.

Someone blocked my post without just cause. Each Igbo group has a unique tradition of origin from the others while some are linked, others are not.

I think Igbo is a continent

Antivirus92: What we are talking about is whether igbos are really related or just different groups of people bound by language.

Thats not what ur topic asked. Anyway, how could u ask if igbos are 'really related'? What do u even mean by that? Igbos share a whole lot of things together such as but not limited to language, culture, belief (eg in chi), traditions (igba nkwu - mariage rites, ibi ugwu - circumstition, osu - out caste, traditional rain making etc).
The ökùnkö society is found in most igbo tribes.
If such diverse tradition and belief is found in all igbo tribes, then igbo is a nation!

dayokanu: I think Igbo is a continent

Please respect your age, if it counts for anything, and stay of this post.
We do not need tribal bigotry here.

We are none of the above.because:1 u cant have a nation inside a nation(9ja).2 a tribe is under one king or ruler,(how many do we have in our land?)have same costums,language,but ours slightly differ and we dont love ourselves.

abagoro: Someone blocked my post without just cause. Each Igbo group has a unique tradition of origin from the others while some are linked, others are not.

So,you avoided to address the part that says "Owerri and Okigwe areas" formed the core of Igboland ? You read that rubbish posted here and your integrity wouldn't let you correct it ? I always know that you have a motive!

NRI PRIEST:

So,you avoided to address the part that says "Owerri and Okigwe areas" formed the core of Igboland ? You read that rubbish posted here and your integrity wouldn't let you correct it ? I always know that you have a motive!

Which rubbish are you talking about? That is a mere hypothesis based mostly on their centralized location. They say the area between Awka, Orlu and Okigwe form the core of Igbo. Well, that's based strictly on location because from my own understanding, the Afikpo area might actually be older. I have a feeling that the oldest area inhabited by Igbos is a triangle from Abakaliki to Okigwe to Afikpo and back to Abakaliki.

Kei144:

The relatedness among Igbos is very complex. One thing that has become clear is that most (or probably all) Igbos migrated to where they are now from somewhere. Some Igbo groups reached present day Igboland at different times. It wasn't a case of one ancestor or group of ancestors coming to Igboland and then procreating. For example, Nsukka people know very clearly that they came from Igalla. Abakiliki people know very clearly that they are more related with people in Kogi and Benue States than with Igbos. Onitsha and Delta Igbos believe that they came from the Benin Kingdom and Igalla. What has been posted here about Ngwa people could also be true.


One controversial issue about Igbos is the Jewish connection. One thing that is very clear is that Igbos were influenced by ancient Israelites. It appears that some Igbo groups are direct descendants of Israelites. The Israelite Igbos practiced ancient Jewish culture, even though modernization has greatly influenced that practice today.

The world is about to enter the biblical end time. (2013?) It is known that God will do some special spiritual work through Israelites during the end time. For some years now notable evangelists from different parts of the world have been pointing at Nigeria as where a great end time move of God will commence. Very soon we will know the Israelites in Nigeria.

Nop; All the Igbo groups decended from Eri/Nri but as ppl grow larger and expand they lose some of their original culture,language and some of their neucleus identity. These same ppl recreate,populate and expand from where they settled. They will pick new cultures,create new ones and maybe adopt an identity not original to their starting point. These is the reason why you have Ngwa,Ikwerre,Ika and co. Nri is the oldest Kingdom in the Southern Nigeria and lots of ethnic groups borrowed cultural practices from her.No group in the Southern Nigeria can claim precivilization over Nri. Nri is the only kingdom that never adopted anybody culture but different groups practiced her culture and adopted her inventions. I honestly believe all the Kings in Igboland should pay homage to Eze Nri!

Who is moderating this thread My post has bee hidden and I got banned. Nosense!

ChinenyeN: After reading Odumchi and Mbatuku's posts, I believe we may need to take a step back and agree on how we're using the terms [un]related. For me, it's face value. I can, for instance, say that Ngwa and Nike are really unrelated. Ngwa doesn't recognize Nike and vice versa. There is no relationship between Ngwa and communities in Anambra. I could go on, but I'm sure you all get my point. That is my understanding and use of the terms [un]related.

chinenye. Are you really an igbo man or woman(coz alot of times ur line of argument appears feminine to me). Most time an igbo discussion comes on u focus ur energy on differences among igbos. How can u say there's NO,mark that word NO relationship between an anambra man and ngwa man. Jeez! Are you really in nigeria or ur jst an internet guru. Even communities in edo state close to asaba have share some cultural similarities with igbos of asaba,same with calabar and ebonyi state. But within igbo ethnic group we cant find similarities among the tribes,...common men...drop that crab. If there's NO relationship why do u bear that handle,which is similar to names in other igbo tribes. The differences among igbos exist and its expected,since culture gets diluted as migration occur or as it shifts from the centre.

ujchief:
Thats not what ur topic asked. Anyway, how could u ask if igbos are 'really related'? What do u even mean by that? Igbos share a whole lot of things together such as but not limited to language, culture, belief (eg in chi), traditions (igba nkwu - mariage rites, ibi ugwu - circumstition, osu - out caste, traditional rain making etc).
The ökùnkö society is found in most igbo tribes.
If such diverse tradition and belief is found in all igbo tribes, then igbo is a nation!

answer this again. Can igalla,urhobo,tiv,efik,calabar ever come together and take up one language,culture,tradition etc? Who will agree to forfeit his own language/culture for the other? Have u ever heard of dead languages in igboland? Or do those different groups of people migrated with one language miracleously?

NRI PRIEST:

"Unrelated" is your keyword but Ngwa has the concept of "ala/ani","days of the week","chi","offor/ovo" and so fort. Your brother Mbatuku said Igbo is a "figment of whitemans imagination". And I want to know why they were places like "Igboukwu","Igbuzor","Aro Okigbo" and names like Igbokwe,Njibaigbo,Okadigbo,Okigbo before the arrival of whitemen. Each and everytime an Igbo discussions comes up you instantly muscle your mind toward finding the difference between Ngwa and other Igbo groups instead of examining how they are related. Or,is Ngwa not Igbo?

thank God someone else noticed it too...i thought i was the only one...
Once again i ask u,...why do you always focus ur intellectual energy on differences among igbos?

Antivirus92: answer this again. Can igalla,urhobo,tiv,efik,calabar ever come together and take up one language,culture,tradition etc? Who will agree to forfeit his own language/culture for the other? Have u ever heard of dead languages in igboland? Or do those different groups of people migrated with one language miracleously?

what are the dead languages and who owns igbo?

centje: what are the dead languages and who owns igbo?

centje the question is for those trolls who kept shouting that igbo is a wave of migration. But the language igbo originated from anambra/enugu areas.

Centje, you should spend more time reading the topic and not picking things out of context. If you choose to read for comprehension, then you should have no problem understanding what I meant by my post.

As for this topic, it's become useless in my opinion. I only see one thing worth highlighting and that was a statement made by Ujchief, being "Igbo enweghi eze". We all know the statement means that Igbo lacks polity and otherwise centralized institutions. There is no real sense of state (even in its vaguest sense) among the various communities that constitute "Igbo", and that (being the sense of state) is the defining characteristic of a nation. As far as objectivity goes, Igbo does not exemplify a nation. It only proves itself to as some kind of ethnic affiliation (and a loose one at that).

odumchi: Btw, how are you dealing with Sandy?

I'm not in any direct danger, thankfully, but I have friends and family upstate who will be experiencing the worst of it.

People should stop derailing this thread.