phreakabit:

I wasn't joking. . . I was simply stating what years research have found. . . The facial structure and cultural similarities can be used to validate these claims. I am sorry if it offends you.

Itoroetti :
Who told u that Ekpe masquerde is IGBO?It is proper Efik/ibibio ting

icon aus: It is amazing that the article mentioned igbo and yoruba then an inferior tribe yoruba made claim of the discovery and dropped igbo . this sis a clear case of inferiority complex . Seeking relevance where it matters not . It is up to the yorubas to prove their worth in Nigeria and uplift the country instead of claiming carribeans .Whether igbo is spoken there or not , it does not improve our condition in nigeria where igbos reside . This is a discovery that people should comment freely, objectively and maturely without making it bigotry . This is clear of yorubas always seeing igbos as a threat even where unnecessary as in this thread . Probably is likely that other nigerian languages ( minority) are spoken there . Some people should grow up.

icon aus: It is amazing that the article mentioned igbo and yoruba then an inferior tribe yoruba made claim of the discovery and dropped igbo . this sis a clear case of inferiority complex . Seeking relevance where it matters not . It is up to the yorubas to prove their worth in Nigeria and uplift the country instead of claiming carribeans .Whether igbo is spoken there or not , it does not improve our condition in nigeria where igbos reside . This is a discovery that people should comment freely, objectively and maturely without making it bigotry . This is clear of yorubas always seeing igbos as a threat even where unnecessary as in this thread . Probably is likely that other nigerian languages ( minority) are spoken there . Some people should grow up.

Abagworo:


As a matter of fact Igbos in the Southeast never used that Igbo world to address themselves as can be seen in my list above. Nobody listed Igbo. The only Igbo group that had several sub-groups was the Isuama and they knew themselves as Isu and not Igbo. Also Etche.

Look at the list of the tribes. Among these are several people considered today as Igbos(Only one tribe was labelled Igbo-"Igbo Nduri" and some in Rivers like Isu-Etche, Osusu Etche and Osusu Omuma.:

Abalo, Acocuá, Agro, Apapá, Bibí, Bogre, Bogre
Isuama, Abate Singlava, Brícamo, Ecunaso, Ibo Induri, Isicuato, Isiegue, Isuama, Isuama Aballa Ocuite, Isuama Ibi, Isuama Isiegue, Isueche, Oquella, Ososo, Ososo Eche, Ososo Omuma, Oxó, Ugri, Unigini, Aballa
Otopa, Isuama Umofina, Isuama
Osulerisna, Orú, Elugo, Orate, Bané, Yudusi.

duni04: Very suspicious and probably fraudulent article. I've never heard of Igbo spoken outside the shores of this country. Igbo of the 13th century? When did the slave trade start? When did Christopher Colombus even discover America? The OP bera provide a link to this article

One_Naira:

I know there are some ibibio elements in Dominican Republic. I won't be surprised if there are some Bini elements in some Caribbean, Canadian and American nation as well seeing as they were equally in demand as slaves.

akigbemaru: Eni sé bi Oyo larin oyo ose bi baba eni kan!
Yoruba literature and culture pave ways for Igbo literacy of today. What ever will have written about that always serves as precedent or food for thoughts for Igbo literacy.



This is plagiarized form of What Professor Toyin Falola has written about! And Igbo using pseudo name for Hausa writer to make it sounds credible.
I will post the original write-up by original writer Toyin Falola for the world to Igbo atrocity!


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

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

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

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

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

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

No one would argue that Paul Robeson and Booker T. Washington standout amongst the most accomplished "African-Americans " the latter being the founder of the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. It can be speculated that the success of these two individuals can at least partially be attributed to the fact that they both maintained links to their Igbo origins. Paul Robeson confirmed his Igbo identity through linguistics as he was able to verify the Igbo origins of a number of African words that had been passed down through his family(22),while Booker T. Washington obviously maintained an understanding of his Egba(Igbo) background which is reflected in his middle name Tanifeani, a name most common to the Egba people.(23). In summary the captives taken to the Americas of whom were classified as " Yorubas " were of Igbo origins, as the Igbos arriving under a variety of tribal names and classifications account for approximately 90% of all slaves.


 

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 23 NOTES
1. AFRICA THE HISTORY OF A CONTINENT - JOHN ILLIFE - CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
PRESS - 1995 PAGES 129-130 - IGBOS SOLD TO GHANA

2. TIME ATLAS OF THE WORLD 10TH COMPREHENSIVE EDITION PAGE 87 F-9 - THE CITY
EBO IN ANGOLA 50 MILES FROM THE COAST. THERE ARE CURRENTLY TWO CITIES NAMED
IBO IN MOZAMBIQUE - PAGE 88 j-10 - IBO AND ILHA IBO.

3. THE KINGDOM OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH- 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS -PAGE 7. THE OYO AND THE HAUSA

4. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH- 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 14 - THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AT IFE CALLED IGBO.

5. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH - 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 15. ORANYAN THE SON OF ODUDUWA,THE FOUNDER OF OYO.

6. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH - 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 15. THE SCHEMING OF MOREMI

7. SANTERIA - PALO AND LUKUMI ORGANIZATION: WWW. PALO.ORG YORUBA
PEOPLES OF WEST AFRICA. HTML - EGBA VS. THE OYO AND THE IJEBU. EGBA DRIVEN
SOUTHWARD TO ABEOKUTA

8. GLIMPSES ISSUE #128 - PUB. CHRISTIAN HISTORY INSTITUTE - WORCESTER,PA. -
MARY SLESSOR AND THE EGBO

9. THE RELIGION OF THE YORUBA - J. OLUMIDE LUCAS - LAGOS C.M.S. WORKSHOP
1948 Pages 120-121 - THE PRACTICE OF ORO-IGBO AMONGST THE EGBA.

10.THE NIGER IBOS -BASDEN - THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE IBOS AND ISRAELITES
-ISRAAL CUSTOMS OF THE IGBO

11. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST - MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS -BEACON PRESS BOOKS
PAGE 253 - LEGBA FOUND THROUGHOUT THE NEW WORLD

12. The DOCUMENTATION OF ISHAQ AL-SULAIMANI/CHIEF NWANNE DI NAMBA NDI IGBO -
CULTURAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE - TEANECK NEW JERSEY - INTERVIEW WITH LUGBARRA
DOCTOR OF MEDICINE








13. THE LUGBARRA OF UGANDA - JOHN MIDDLETON, 1965 -HOLT,RINEHART AND WINSTON
- SIMILARITIES BETWEEN LUGBARRA AND IGBO WORDS - THE EZE(EZO) THE MOST
POWERFUL AMONGST THE LUGBARRA

14. HISTORY OF THE IGBO PEOPLE -ELIZABETH ISICHEI - MACMILLAN PRESS PUB.
PAGE 47 - IGBOS DIFFICULT TO MANAGE IN HAITI

15. VOODOO GODS AND GODESSES - WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/FULL MOON
MAGIC_DEITIES/VOODOO. HTML - THE DESCRIPTION OF LEGBA

16.HISTORY OF THE IGBO PEOPLE - ELIZABETH ISICHEI - MACMILLAN PRESS PUB.
PAGE 47 IGBOS IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PALMARES

17. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST - MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS - BEACON PRESS BOOKS
PAGE 91 -PALMARES ENDS IN MASSIVE SUICIDE

18. TIME ATLAS OF THE WORLD 10TH COMPREHENSIVE EDITION - PAGE 115 k-11 - THE
CITY IBOTIRAMA IN BRAZIL

19. M.A. ONWUEJEOGWU, 1987 AHIAJOKU LECTURE(VIA) YORUBA, ONITSHA,ORISHA -
PHILIP EMEAGWALI - OLUKWUMU SPOKEN IN BRAZIL AND IN SOME IGBO COMMUNITIES
BUT NOT IN THE CORE OF YORUBALAND.

20. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST -MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS - PAGE 95 - THE
SUICIDAL RESISTANCE OF THE LUKUMI(LUCCOMEES)

21. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST- MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS - BEACON PRESS BOOKS
PAGE 36 -
THE SAYING; " THE IGBOS HANG THEMSELVES " IS STILL CURRENT IN HAITI- (IGBOS
PEND COR A YO)

22. SLAVE CULTURE - STERLING STUCKEY - OXFORD 1987 - PAGE 334 - PAUL
ROBESON'S BELIEF THAT HE WAS OF IGBO ORIGINS WAS REINFORCED.

23. THE RELIGIONS OF THE YORUBA - J. OLUMIDE LUCAS - LAGOS C.M.S. WORKSHOP
1948 - PAGE 8 - BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AN EGBA. T IS FOR TANIFEANI


Please e-mail: MR. ISHAQ AL-SULAIMANI
ishaqa777@hotmail.com
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH @ CULTURAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE(TEANECK,NJ.) FOR MORE THOROUGH INFORMATION.

Esin waju: Yoroslaves? I have read all manners of condescending stuff about my tribe here on nairaland. I laugh at some of those posts because of the witty nature and crafty play with words while some do get under my skin for real but this one? I can't laugh because it ain't even funny and even you know it's pretty lame, that's why you had to laugh to your own post just to make yourself feel good about your mental inadequacy and it's just too asinine to have me riled up. And you called them useless because they are of Yoruba ancenstry but if they had been of Igbo descent you would by now be shooting off that misfiring gun you call a mouth about how you guys are everywhere like the jews and what have you? Deal with the hurt in your butt. It will heal.

One_Naira:

I know there are some ibibio elements in Dominican Republic. I won't be surprised if there are some Bini elements in some Caribbean, Canadian and American nation as well seeing as they were equally in demand as slaves.

FSU: INCREDIBLE! In the Caribbean Islands, indigenes speak Igbo, Yoruba

Friday, November 9, 2012

'Nigerian masquerades, a common sight in Cuba'

By COSMAS OMEGOH

You may find this incredible, but Igbo and Yoruba languages are widely spoken in the Caribbean Islands. And the speakers are not Nigerians living in those countries. Indigenes of the Caribbean Islands speak Igbo and Yoruba.

It might be different from the Yoruba or Igbo that many Nigerians speak today, but a foremost entertainer and music maestro, Tar Ukoh, says many people in the area speak Igbo and Yoruba of the 13th century. Till now he says, the Yorubas still play and enjoy their traditional Yoruba songs, while the Igbos feature their nmanwu, agaba and ekpe masquerades. Ukoh, known in the entertainment world as Mambisa, made this revelation while on a guided tour with a group of Cuban ladies mostly of Yoruba ancestry now in the country.

They are part of the Cuban troupe searching for the place their ancestors once lived and called their own before they were brutally uprooted by slave raiders and merchants and whisked to sugar plantations in the Caribbean Islands. "This group you are seeing here consists of Yoruba ladies from Cuba.

They are here searching for their ancestral home. They are asking, Ile mi da (where is my home)? And don't forget that out there in the Caribbean, there are countless Igbos too who still speak their language, feature in agaba, ekpe and nmanwu masquerades. From those masquerades, they fashioned out a brand of music they call Wawanco. Their ancestors too were the exponents of the popular Calypso music which is an adulteration of Ka anyi soo nmanwu (let's join the masquerade troupe).

They also play another brand of music called Abakwua to remember Abata, a point in Ogoja axis in Cross River through which slaves were taken. Slaves who went through that route were then given numbers such as Abata 1, 2... to identify them." Now, Ukoh is demanding that those routes and other historical sites like the Long Juju of Arochukwu be revitalised.

He says if that is done, it will boost historical tourism which can become an alternative source of revenue to oil. He is therefore advising that Nigeria should take a cue from countries like Ghana and Senegal that are bountifully reaping from the industry, adding that annually, thousands of tourists stream into both countries to see the Elmina Caste and the House of Slaves on Goree Island respectively where slaves in the 18th century were hounded before their final shipment abroad.

Ukoh who holds citizenships of Cuba and Ethiopia says he is still regretting the alleged Nigeria's rejection of United Nations Education and Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)'s request that slave routes from Isikwuato, Abriba, Arochukwu to Opobo be revitalised to serve as a world heritage site.

"Some time ago, UNESCO approached Nigeria, wanting those routes along which slaves were taken to Opobo be revitalised as a UNESCO project, but Nigeria turned down the request. Countries like Ghana and Senegal then picked the initiative, and now they are making fortune from the project. That is what I'm appealing to Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State to act on. If he could re-establish the Long juju of Arochukwu, the Isikwuato - Abriba slave trade routes, then he can collaborate with Akwa Ibom State to develop the Jaja of Opobo enclave," he said. Ukoh, who facilitated the coming of the Cuban delegation, told Daily Sun that he was very excited at the collaboration. Describing himself as a Nigerian cultural ambassador, he said he takes much pleasure in marketing Nigeria and Africa to the entire world. "I'm the facilitator and co-ordinator of the project. I brought this cultural troupe to Nigeria.

I'm a citizen of Cuba, by the way. I have been working with Cuba for the past 30 years. What you are seeing today is just an extension of the programme I have been doing in that country. "The Cubans arrived here in August and featured in the Osun Osogbo Festival. And since then, they have been touring the country. They will round off their tour after visiting 16 states." The essence of the tour, he says "is to develop Nigerian-Cuba tie.

Their aim is to promote their Yoruba heritage in Cuba here in Nigeria."He expressed happiness that "the response we are getting is fantastic. We go to the villages for them to see things for themselves. What we are doing at the moment is part of the initiative to promote Nigerian - Cuban diplomatic relations." Ukoh, a multi-linguist from Benue State, says he prides himself as Nigerian, Ethiopian and African cultural ambassador. "I represent Ethiopia in Nigeria.

I'm a pan Africanist because I promote Ethiopian culture in Africa and they see me as their son and that is important to me. In the same way, I'm Nigeria's cultural ambassador and I see myself as so. That is what I do all over the world. Nigeria gives me that job, that recognition and that is why I'm bringing the Cubans to tour the country. I do that without much help. I don't need any payment to do that; I see that as my duty."

He said he works with the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism because "they recognise my job all over the world, especially in Africa. So when I bring in programmes, they accept them and often we collaborate. When they have programmes and want to reach out to those countries where they feel I have influence, they always encourage me to have collaboration with them." He noted that it had become necessary for him to market culture because "culture is everything to me. Without culture, everything is lost. Technology is culture; the food we eat is culture, even understanding how to look after our environment is culture.

Therefore culture is important to our existence. It is not all about singing and dancing; it is the totality of our existence." The Cuban troupe to Nigeria consists of a team leader, Comrade Karina Palaciuos, a manager and a television journalist said to be the best in Cuba, (both of them males) and then seven women whose ages averaged 25 years. The group has been around since August, 24 2012, when this year's edition of Osun Osogbo was held. Guided by Ukoh, the group has since been touring some states in the country, interacting with the people and getting used to the Nigerian way of life. The group called Obirin Bata (Women playing the Bata drum, in Yoruba) was at the last Osun Osogbo Festival, drumming and dancing, wining and dining.

Looking at the women, nothing suggests that they are Nigerians, let alone Yoruba. Most of them look alike, except the troupe leader, Comrade Palacious. However, in their midst is a Fulani lady whose look is totally Fulani. All but Comrade Palacious speak Spanish; but they claim to speak Yoruba of the 13th century which might be lost to today's speakers of the language. "We are here in Nigeria at the instance of the Ministry of Culture of Cuba and Ministry of Culture, Orientation and Tourism of Nigeria," says Comrade Palacious. "We signed an agreement to develop cultural interaction. We are bringing our culture back to our motherland Africa. So we are back to our roots. Our mission here is to visit different states and see as many places as possible.

"We are excited to be back to our roots. We have been to Osun Osogbo Festival and participated in the international event. We were at the Osun River; we shared with the people in all that they did. In Cuba, we observe the same tradition like the Osun Osogbo. Our cultural troupe is called Obirin Bata which I'm told translates to women playing the drum. "We are very excited to be here. Let me tell you, our country was once a colony of Spain. When the Spanish arrived Cuba, majority of the local Cubans had died and disappeared. Then slaves from Africa started arriving, most of them coming from the Yoruba speaking people of Nigeria.

That is why when you get to streets in Cuba, you see Yoruba speaking people. Now 500 years after, we are back here. "Indeed, I like this cultural visit. With the help of the Ministry of Culture of both countries, I look forward to seeing that a cultural exchange programme between Cuba and Nigeria is implemented. We would like to see Nigerians go to Cuba and have a rewarding experience just as we are having here," she added.
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/trending/incredible-in-the-caribbean-islands-indigenes-speak-igbo-yoruba/


^^^^^^^^^
Ekpe Society is of Ibibio origin not Igbo as stated in the article above [i][/i]

geosegun:

LIAR, LIAR, LIAR.

I totally disagree.

IGBO - in Yoruba, means, THICK FOREST. .

The Igbominas and Egbas have no link with my lovely and industriuos people of the South east- The Ibos.

The book you qouted above needs a serious review.

akigbemaru: Eni sé bi Oyo larin oyo ose bi baba eni kan!
Yoruba literature and culture pave ways for Igbo literacy of today. What ever will have written about that always serves as precedent or food for thoughts for Igbo literacy.



This is plagiarized form of What Professor Toyin Falola has written about! And Igbo using pseudo name for Hausa writer to make it sounds credible.
I will post the original write-up by original writer Toyin Falola for the world to Igbo atrocity!


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

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

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

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

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

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

No one would argue that Paul Robeson and Booker T. Washington standout amongst the most accomplished "African-Americans " the latter being the founder of the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. It can be speculated that the success of these two individuals can at least partially be attributed to the fact that they both maintained links to their Igbo origins. Paul Robeson confirmed his Igbo identity through linguistics as he was able to verify the Igbo origins of a number of African words that had been passed down through his family(22),while Booker T. Washington obviously maintained an understanding of his Egba(Igbo) background which is reflected in his middle name Tanifeani, a name most common to the Egba people.(23). In summary the captives taken to the Americas of whom were classified as " Yorubas " were of Igbo origins, as the Igbos arriving under a variety of tribal names and classifications account for approximately 90% of all slaves.


 

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 23 NOTES
1. AFRICA THE HISTORY OF A CONTINENT - JOHN ILLIFE - CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
PRESS - 1995 PAGES 129-130 - IGBOS SOLD TO GHANA

2. TIME ATLAS OF THE WORLD 10TH COMPREHENSIVE EDITION PAGE 87 F-9 - THE CITY
EBO IN ANGOLA 50 MILES FROM THE COAST. THERE ARE CURRENTLY TWO CITIES NAMED
IBO IN MOZAMBIQUE - PAGE 88 j-10 - IBO AND ILHA IBO.

3. THE KINGDOM OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH- 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS -PAGE 7. THE OYO AND THE HAUSA

4. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH- 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 14 - THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AT IFE CALLED IGBO.

5. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH - 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 15. ORANYAN THE SON OF ODUDUWA,THE FOUNDER OF OYO.

6. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH - 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 15. THE SCHEMING OF MOREMI

7. SANTERIA - PALO AND LUKUMI ORGANIZATION: WWW. PALO.ORG YORUBA
PEOPLES OF WEST AFRICA. HTML - EGBA VS. THE OYO AND THE IJEBU. EGBA DRIVEN
SOUTHWARD TO ABEOKUTA

8. GLIMPSES ISSUE #128 - PUB. CHRISTIAN HISTORY INSTITUTE - WORCESTER,PA. -
MARY SLESSOR AND THE EGBO

9. THE RELIGION OF THE YORUBA - J. OLUMIDE LUCAS - LAGOS C.M.S. WORKSHOP
1948 Pages 120-121 - THE PRACTICE OF ORO-IGBO AMONGST THE EGBA.

10.THE NIGER IBOS -BASDEN - THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE IBOS AND ISRAELITES
-ISRAAL CUSTOMS OF THE IGBO

11. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST - MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS -BEACON PRESS BOOKS
PAGE 253 - LEGBA FOUND THROUGHOUT THE NEW WORLD

12. The DOCUMENTATION OF ISHAQ AL-SULAIMANI/CHIEF NWANNE DI NAMBA NDI IGBO -
CULTURAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE - TEANECK NEW JERSEY - INTERVIEW WITH LUGBARRA
DOCTOR OF MEDICINE








13. THE LUGBARRA OF UGANDA - JOHN MIDDLETON, 1965 -HOLT,RINEHART AND WINSTON
- SIMILARITIES BETWEEN LUGBARRA AND IGBO WORDS - THE EZE(EZO) THE MOST
POWERFUL AMONGST THE LUGBARRA

14. HISTORY OF THE IGBO PEOPLE -ELIZABETH ISICHEI - MACMILLAN PRESS PUB.
PAGE 47 - IGBOS DIFFICULT TO MANAGE IN HAITI

15. VOODOO GODS AND GODESSES - WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/FULL MOON
MAGIC_DEITIES/VOODOO. HTML - THE DESCRIPTION OF LEGBA

16.HISTORY OF THE IGBO PEOPLE - ELIZABETH ISICHEI - MACMILLAN PRESS PUB.
PAGE 47 IGBOS IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PALMARES

17. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST - MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS - BEACON PRESS BOOKS
PAGE 91 -PALMARES ENDS IN MASSIVE SUICIDE

18. TIME ATLAS OF THE WORLD 10TH COMPREHENSIVE EDITION - PAGE 115 k-11 - THE
CITY IBOTIRAMA IN BRAZIL

19. M.A. ONWUEJEOGWU, 1987 AHIAJOKU LECTURE(VIA) YORUBA, ONITSHA,ORISHA -
PHILIP EMEAGWALI - OLUKWUMU SPOKEN IN BRAZIL AND IN SOME IGBO COMMUNITIES
BUT NOT IN THE CORE OF YORUBALAND.

20. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST -MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS - PAGE 95 - THE
SUICIDAL RESISTANCE OF THE LUKUMI(LUCCOMEES)

21. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST- MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS - BEACON PRESS BOOKS
PAGE 36 -
THE SAYING; " THE IGBOS HANG THEMSELVES " IS STILL CURRENT IN HAITI- (IGBOS
PEND COR A YO)

22. SLAVE CULTURE - STERLING STUCKEY - OXFORD 1987 - PAGE 334 - PAUL
ROBESON'S BELIEF THAT HE WAS OF IGBO ORIGINS WAS REINFORCED.

23. THE RELIGIONS OF THE YORUBA - J. OLUMIDE LUCAS - LAGOS C.M.S. WORKSHOP
1948 - PAGE 8 - BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AN EGBA. T IS FOR TANIFEANI


Please e-mail: MR. ISHAQ AL-SULAIMANI
ishaqa777@hotmail.com
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH @ CULTURAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE(TEANECK,NJ.) FOR MORE THOROUGH INFORMATION.

Abagworo:


As a matter of fact Igbos in the Southeast never used that Igbo world to address themselves as can be seen in my list above. Nobody listed Igbo. The only Igbo group that had several sub-groups was the Isuama and they knew themselves as Isu and not Igbo. Also Etche.

Look at the list of the tribes. Among these are several people considered today as Igbos(Only one tribe was labelled Igbo-"Igbo Nduri" and some in Rivers like Isu-Etche, Osusu Etche and Osusu Omuma.:

Abalo, Acocuá, Agro, Apapá, Bibí, Bogre, Bogre
Isuama, Abate Singlava, Brícamo, Ecunaso, Ibo Induri, Isicuato, Isiegue, Isuama, Isuama Aballa Ocuite, Isuama Ibi, Isuama Isiegue, Isueche, Oquella, Ososo, Ososo Eche, Ososo Omuma, Oxó, Ugri, Unigini, Aballa
Otopa, Isuama Umofina, Isuama
Osulerisna, Orú, Elugo, Orate, Bané, Yudusi.

bigfrancis21: The Ibo word for you (plural), 'unu' is popularly used all over the carribean patois (pidgin) in Jamaica, belize, haiti, barbados etc. This same unu was sometimes corrupted to una in their pidgin, the same pidgin that was introduced to Nigeria and ghana by the portuguese missionaries along the Niger delta. This is the same 'una' we still use in our pidgin today. In jamaica they still use the igbo words, sooso (igbo for only), unu (you), and say leave me alone as 'hop afa mi' which closely resembles the Igbo, 'hapu m aka'. Some Igbo dialects say 'hafu m aka'. They practice the Obeah (Igbo Obia or Dibia religion) and still celebrate the Igbo Njoku Ji (Jokonnu) festival.
In the US, many African Americans have remarked how they resemble the Igbo more than any other tribe. I watch lots of black movies and I see a lot of our culture among them - in attitudes, mannerisms and diction. The popular black slang, 'ama come see you' has origins in the Igbo 'ama bia hu gi' which the Igbo, esp abia and imo, still say till today. Popular igbo AAs are T. D. Jakes, Wesley snipes (who acted Blade), Neyo, Forest Whitaker etc.

Alhaji Pastor :
I AM NOT A YORUBA MAN, BUT I HAVE READ QUITE ALOT OF HISTORY THAT RELATE MOST OF THE CARRIBEANS TO YORUBA. I AM JUST READING ABOUT THE IBO ASPECT NOW ONLY ON NAIRALAND. MY QUESTION IS; WHY ARE IBO PEOPLE ALWAYS FIND A WAY AROUND THINGS, COINING ANOTHER STORY OUT OF THE WIDELY BELIEVE ONES WOULD ALWAYS MAKE PEOPLE LOOK DOWN ON YOU PEOPLE. I DON'T SEE ANY BIG DEAL IN CARRIBEANS TRACING THEIR ANCESTRAL ORIGIN TO YORUBALAND.

bokohalal:

Do not go there. Edos/Binis were NEVER slaves!

tpia1:


lets allow other african countries besides nigeria to claim these people nah?

what's your fear?

One_Naira:

You must be kidding right? If you honestly believe that then i urge you to go read history of bight of benin which strenches from modern day Benin to sw. After doing so, go read Benin slavery trading.

One_Naira:

Am i claiming them? wtf?

One_Naira:

You must be kidding right? If you honestly believe that then i urge you to go read history of bight of benin which strenches from modern day Benin to sw. After doing so, go read Benin slavery trading.