Delta Igbos - Culture (10) - Nairaland
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I Noticed Delta Igbos Have That Wafi Attitude / Delta Igbos In Delta State (2) (3) (4)
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| Re: Delta Igbos by DLioness(f): 7:10pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
sonya4all:I dnt ve ur time either. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by SlayerSupreme: 8:26pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
blues20:Don't ever in your life claim I'm not Igbo. Feel me? Don't ever! |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 8:31pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
oweniwe: Your story is plenty  I will try to be brief and explain some things from my own perspective. I will also break it down little by little so as not to attract the ire of Aunty Spam Bot. You are very correct when you say the Ukwuani's suffer from identity crisis. Let's start from the beginning. The identity of Ukwuani people has remained a source of controversy. Due to some level of cultural universality among the Niger-Delta peoples, especially homogeneity in dress sense, the Ukwuani have often been mistaken for some of their neighbours like Aniocha, Igbo, Ijaw, Isoko and Urhobo. The people are known as and called ‘Ukwuani people’ and speak Ukwuani language. Fragments of Ukwuani speaking peoples can also be found in Aniocha area to the north, the northern fringes of Isoko borderland to the south, Ndoni area of Rivers state and Eku, Abraka and Orogun areas of Urhobo land to the west. Thus Ukwuani land includes all peripheral territories where Ukwuani language is spoken as the indigenous language, even outside the administrative territories of Ndokwa west and Ukwuani local government. Kwale’ and ‘Aboh’ are very often referred either to the inhabitants of the Ukwuani country, or the territory itself. In either case, the terms or names so employed are basically unsuitable. This is because the word ‘Kwale’ goes back to the days of British pacification of Ukwuani land. Consequent to the initial hostile attitude of the Ukwuani towards the British, the first political officer had to fall back to Abraka, a town which was at that time predominantly Urhobo speaking and now a part of the Urhobo division. Because of the choice of Abraka as a station, the British were much more familiar with Urhobo speaking elements, in and around Abraka than they were the Ukwuani people. As these Urhobo called the Ukwuani neighbours ‘Kwale’, their own rendering of ‘Ukwuani, this was the name that gained ground. This name was used in all official correspondence until 1950 when at the instance of the people, the proper name ‘Ukwuani’ was officially adopted. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 8:43pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Now I will briefly outline the various traditions of origins of the Ukwuani. I will also be borrowing heavily from the late Rev Okolugbo who conducted extensive research on the origins of the Ukwuani as part of his PHD thesis, in addition to other scholars. Reference will also be made to the works of Alaska Ekele, publisher of Ndokwa Vanguard The challenge Ukwuani historiography faces is that few written works exist on the origin and history of Ukwuani people which is largely shrouded in oral tradition and much of which is borne out by empirical evidence in contemporary environment. It is controversial how the name ‘Ukwuani’ came about. There are many versions of the meaning of the name, Ukwuani, as there are origins of the people. The origin of the people is however inherent in the true meaning of their name. Some sources construe the meaning of the name in relation to their neighbours and topography. Thus according to the Ukwuani Foundation Union, in relation to their Aniocha neighbours to the upland (Enuani) north, Ukwuani is the lower land. Conversely, Rev Okolugbo explains that the name means ‘foot’ (ukwu) and ‘land’ (ani) indicating ‘people who walk or live on land’ in the upland drier parts of Ndokwa land compared to the swampy, riverine Ndosumili people nearer the Niger. The two foregoing explanations of the meaning of Ukwuani are mutually inconsistent, it is a misnomer rooted in paucity of research to attempt to explain the meaning of the name in relation to the topography vis-à-vis its neighbours as this would result in incongruity. The name cannot have two different opposite meanings to two neighbours who share a common affinity, if not ancestry, with the Ukwuani. Ukwuani cannot at the same time mean ‘lowland’ and ‘upland’ to the Aniocha and Ndosumili people respectively. A construction of the name in relation to topography would have rendered the Ukwuani as Ndeani (people on land) in relation to Ndosumili (people on water) or the latter as Ukwumili (people who walk on water) in relation to Ukwuani. Oral accounts rooted in antiquity say 'Ukwuani' means the foot or foundation of the earth, an indication that humans first set foot on the earth in this part of the world. Creation or the beginning of existence first took place here. It is the root or seat of existence. The ubiquity of and the importance the Ukwuani place on Ani, the earth deity, reveal their reverence for this primacy of existence. Another account has it that the name is a corruption of the word Chukwuani, which translates as God of the land. It is said that God resided here when man was in harmonious fellowship with Him. Going by these accounts, Ukwuani land would appear to have hosted creation; it was the cradle of creation and civilization. So they therefore argue that the initial appearance of homo-sapiens on planet earth must have occurred in this area. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Lezzlie(m): 8:44pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
sonya4all:You don't matter!!!! Whether you chose to be an un-gazetted , undocumented, beachcomber claiming a none existent tribe that cannot be found in any official document in Nigeria is your burden, not mine. Coming here pretending Ika is a tribe is ignorance at its full glory. Now you can live in your mythical world and fly on the wings of severe depression and emotional disturbances. Just keep your poison to yourself. Is that too much of an asking? |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 9:00pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Primarily because of the paucity of written works about the origins of the Ukwuani, two schools of thought emerged: the aboriginal and migration schools. I don't want to bore y'all with too much technicalities but i will try to be as brief as possible. The Aboriginal School of Thought This set of people argue we, the Ukwuanis are indigenous to our land, having been here from ancient pre-historic times, from time immemorial. We are the original inhabitants of the land and did not migrate from anywhere. We are natives to the area, being one with the soil, vegetation and weather. I will agree that this view is in alignment with the meaning of the name of the tribe as I outlined above. If our home is the foundation of the earth and hosted creation, then our culture is aboriginal from the earth; we have been in this present location from the beginning of human existence and did not migrate from anywhere. Some oral sources underscore this with the local slogan, Ukwuani bu ani eze- Ukwuani is prime, royal land. If modern archaeological findings rooted the initial origin of man on planet earth in Africa, Ukwuani people are one of the custodians of the primordial gene. Alaske Ekele, while identifying three possible origins of Ogume, says that the people have been in their present place from time immemorial and did not migrate from anywhere. The clan is as old as creation, and Rev Okolugbo points out that some foreign authors acknowledged that late 16th century migrants met original settlers in Ukwuaniland. There were aboriginal groups in Ukwuani territory who were absorbed by the migrants, according to oral sources 1 Like 2 Shares |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Nobody: 9:01pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Which kind yeye thread be this one. Can't believe my SE brothers fell for the OP's machinations. Welldone Ugomba and Ikechu, you guys rock! |
| Re: Delta Igbos by sonya4all(m): 9:04pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Lezzlie:public show of foolery..... i don't have your time |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 9:08pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Like many Niger-Delta communities, the Ukwuani have lived in the area for many millennia. According to the Urhobo Historical Society, “four prehistoric peoples-Ijaw, Ukwuani, Isoko and Urhobo-the beginning of whose existence dates to times immemorial inhabit Western Niger Delta. Let me quote them: "Of these, the Ijaw and the Ukwuani are considered to be the aborigines of the region… the Ukwuani have been in the region for thousands of years, although influences of Urhobo and Benin on their culture are considerable. Neither the Ijaw, Ukwuani, Isoko nor Urhobo know why they are called these names any more than such other prehistoric peoples as the Gallics and Slavics in Europe or Hausa and Jukun in Africa can tell us why they bear their names. ” Of course the emigration school say this is rubbish.  They argue that assertion that the Ukwuani do not know the source and origin of their name, their ethno-national identity, is too presumptuous of the Urhobo Historical Society and absolutely wrong. The assertion is borne out of the acute paucity of research. They argue that the broadly uniform system of gerontocratic administration, age grading and social structure among Ukwuani clans underlie a common ancestry and heritage which in turn are suggestive of a homogenous, aborigine people. Are they correct? Maybe, maybe not. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by AjaanaOka(m): 9:18pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Ishilove, I still want a copy of your Master's dissertation! (It's Radoillo.) 1 Like |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 9:21pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Oweniwe, you asked where the Ukwuanis come from. You ask if we are Binis. Well, this is what my elders say, and some of them belong to the migration school: Sometime between the 13th and 15th centuries waves of migration swept across civilization in the forest belt of West Africa, precipitated by adventure, drought, increase in population, search for the proverbial golden fleece, political turmoil, the slave trade and war. The fertile but sparsely populated Niger-Delta plains and swamps became the centre of attraction. There were pockets of migration, splinter groups and offshoots from across all neighbouring or proximate territories like Benin, Asaba, Igboland, Ika, Ijaw, Isoko, and as far north as Igala resulting in socio-political mergers and acquisitions with the aborigines. These group of migrants, some quite large in numbers, met the aborigine Ukwuani who welcomed them and among whom they settled. Aside from the Benin migration, which is placed in the 15th century, there is no firm and credible evidence of the dates of these migrations. Professor Obaro Ikime (I believe you should know him. He is an authority in this field) agrees that the core Ukwuani people were of greater antiquity than the Benin migrants, for instance. Thus the Ukwuani are an amalgam of different waves of migrating groups and an indigenous group who absorbed them, the language of the aborigine Ukwuani pervaded but with time it was tainted or influenced by elements of the settlers’ languages especially through songs and folklore. It is noteworthy that languages then were not the way we know them today but were still at the basic, rudimentary and emergent stages. Centuries of migration and interaction with other tribes through trade, marriage and communication resulted in the assimilations of foreign ways of life that influenced the aboriginal Ukwuani culture and gave rise to the migration-origin school of thought that traces the historical evolution of the Ukwuani people to mass movements. I tend to agree with this school. You can imagine my shock when I learned that 'sieve' in Ukwuani is 'iyo' or 'myiyo', which points to Yoruba influences, and by extension Bini influence. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ugomba(m): 9:22pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
I can smell in this thread someone writing a pathetic Caricature of History that is a Big comical relief. 1. You answer "Ukwuani" but your ancestors don't know the origin of the name.. Y are these deniers becoming dumb day by day. 2. All life began in Horn of Africa until migrations started, so how are your ukwuani or whatever Aboriginals and did not migrate from anywhere? Ladies and Gentlemen, its time for us to sit down and watch these pathetic transgendered in this thread entertain us with her joke of a pathetic history. 2 Likes |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 9:22pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
AjaanaOka:Radoillo darling!!! Long time, where have you been?? You just deactivated and disappeared I don't have it in soft copy so how do i get it to you? I don dump am somewhere sef so I don't even know if i can find it. Na money person dey find, make book rest small  |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Nobody: 9:22pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Ishilove:^^ Brothers, Ishilove our wife is very smart. When is the Igba-nkwu ceremony 3 Likes |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Lezzlie(m): 9:27pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
sonya4all: I know someone who openly boasted of his lack of heritage can never summon enough wits for logical debunking. Like all dispossessed and disinherited vagabonds, he seeks escapism in a pitch of fit and hang on to short harangue. Follow the wind, lad, like it, you know not where you came and where you're headed. Victim of distorted education. 1 Like |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ugomba(m): 9:32pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Tribes in Nigeria have long been documented by the British and enshrined into Nigeria constitution. Any group of jokers who are trying to create a pathetic new tribe is wasting his/her time. When the heat turns up, you morons will know that Nigerians know who you are. Writing an inferior history solves nothing. How I Wish My Aniocha and The Oshimili will join hands with the Onitsha people and get the Anioma state.. Ukwuani, Ikas should keep their identity crisis in their abode. 1 Like |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 9:36pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Oweniwe, my elders argue that it would seem that at one stage of our history, probably during the Igwala era (era of the Bini warrior), the Ukwuani became a vassal state to Benin Empire by conquest. This explains the preponderance of Benin mythology with very little linguistic affinity. Seriously. According to Rev Okolugbo, Ukwuani settlements had by the middle of the 15th century began to experience series of invasions from Benin to force them into accepting the overlordship of Benin. Apparently the move was also primed to stem the tide of dissident migrants leaving Benin for neighbouring lands like Ukwuaniland. One migration school of thought holds that the Ukwuani people migrated from Ogbe and Oza quarters in Edo (Idu), the ancient Benin kingdom, at a time when the kingdom was fractionalized by wars of attrition. The exodus, led by a warlord named Chima, was stimulated by political upheavals. The legend was that Eze Chima(Chime in Ukwuani), a rebellious royal figure, left Benin and moved eastwards, in an attempt to escape the wrath of the Monarch. Well, who knows, Chima might have been compelled to leave Benin, because of a dispute over kingship in the year 1468. As a dissident and apparently out of a defeat in the kingship tussle, Chima and his followers ostracized themselves from Benin and moved east in the direction of the lower Niger. They wandered for several days before getting to the location later known as Anioma (comprising the Aniocha, Ika, Ndosumili and Ukwuani peoples of the present Delta state). Tired and worn out, one of them proclaimed Onise Edo, meaning in Bini language, “fellow compatriots, it (the wandering) is enough.” They settled there and with time the phrase Onise Edo, was corrupted to Onicha-Adoh. It was from this point that the blue-blood clan of Umuezechima (descendant of King Chima) was established. With a sense of insecurity still, a splinter group moved further eastwards across the Niger in search for peace and security. Historically, scholars hold that many towns presently found proximate to both banks of the lower Niger trace their origin to the old Benin Empire. The controversy continues. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by AjaanaOka(m): 9:36pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Ishilove: I have been going where the breeze takes me. I deactivated when I thought I was done with Nairaland. Turns out Nairaland can still be of service to me, so here I am... again. No soft copy? Awww, man.  Thought you would have it sitting on a laptop somewhere. Oh, well. I'll be bugging you periodically about that hard copy you dumped somewhere. Material on the Ukwuani are so hard to come by you can't just do a master's on them and just let it disappear. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 9:48pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Oweniwe, scholars like Okolugbo, argue that there were three broad waves of migration, as these are the historical origin of Ukwuani and Ndosumili people whom he referred to simply as the Ukwuani. These are the clans of Umuakashiede, Ebedei and Akarai who many considered as the best part of the country from Benin, a second group of migrants from Eastern Nigeria who settled on that west bank of the Niger and a third wave of Edo conquerors . Aside from the above three, there were pockets of other latter offshoots. It would appear that these migrations were not uniform in time and space but without giving dates. Edo migrants of Umuakashiede were the earliest to settle in Ukwuaniland. The time of the settlement of the second group from the east is also lost in history while the third group was fixed in the 16th century. For those screaming Ukwuanis are Igbos, it will interest them to know that another migration version has it that the Ukwuani people migrated from Igboland, particularly from around Onitsha. Socio-cultural, linguistic and political affinities between the Ukwuani and Igbo peoples also seem to underscore this east-west migration theory. My elder, Alaska Ekele, publisher of 'Ndokwa Vanguard' placed his reliance on language and cultural affinity between the Ogume clan and the Igbo to submit that the Ogume people migrated from across the Niger. Rev Okolugbo declared that the Ukwuani, as part of the Western Igbo who in turn are an integral part of the Igbo race. Among the three broad waves of migration which he identified as the historical origin of Ukwuani and Ndosumili people whom he referred to simply as the ‘Ukwuani’ was a second group of migrants from Eastern Nigeria who settled on the west bank of the Niger. Another elder, C.I Egwenu identified Abbi as having migrated from Achalla east of the Niger while J. O Uti traced the historical roots of the clan via Abbi and Aboh to Achalla. Ikechukwu Izuegbu leaned heavily on lingual affinity between the Igbo and the Ukwuani to conclude that the latter’s origin is rooted in Igbo. Controversy!!! |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 9:51pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
AjaanaOka:You should have let fans like me know before shocking us with your deactivation I have decided to let book rest first jare. Jungle don mature My dear I agree with you about materials on Ukwuani history. What we have are mostly oral traditions that a few people have put down in book form and even at that it isn't absolute and very subjective that's why I am opining from multiple points of view. Anyhu I will be sending you a PM after I am done typing 1 Like |
| Re: Delta Igbos by AjaanaOka(m): 10:05pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Ishilove: I had fans?!  *cartwheels*I have decided to let book rest first jare. Jungle don mature Yea, I get that. Anyhu I will be sending you a PM after I am done typing Okey-dokey! 1 Like |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 10:08pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Among the Onitsha- Igbos the traditional top hierarchy chiefs or political heads consist of six classes of chiefs viz Ajie, Odu, Ogene, Onowu-Iyasele, Onya and Owelle, followed by Ndichie-Okwa and Ndichie-Okwaraeze. It is instructive that the Ukwuani people have Ajie, Odu, Ogene and Okwa either as political institutions, administrative titles or as a form of official greeting. The traditional form of greeting I am familiar with is "Aje" Now, Oweniwe, to the nitty gritty of the matter. The linguistic similarity between the Ukwuani and Igbo however often resulted in people erroneously categorizing the Ukwuani as Igbo or a sub-culture of the Igbo, just as they have been ethnically mistaken for some of their neighbours like the Isoko and Urhobo. Professor Steve Agwo Okecha, in his work, 'Obiaruku Massacre' posits that despite having many basic elements in common, Igbo and Ukwuani are certainly not the same language and the latter is not a dialect of the former. To quote Barrister Egwenu: ”… Ukwuani is a language and Ukwuani language is spoken in Utagba-uno and all Ndokwa areas, and the Igbo language have a common ancestry, just like the various European languages that have Latin ancestry often referred as ‘Romance Languages,’ listed in Webster’s Dictionary as including French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Catalan, Rhaeto-Romanic and Sardinian.” Touche. An elder noted that until recently, the name ‘Igbo’ was not shared by all Igbo speaking people. The riverine Igbo occupying the banks of the Niger referred to the Igbo hinterland as Ndigbo and to themselves as Ndimili (Ndosumili) or Ndiolu. If this can be said of littoral territories of the lower Niger, one wonders how the Ukwuani, a contiguous but more distantly westerly people, can be referred as Igbo people. Despite the apparent traits and possibility of common ancestry as indexed in the closely related grammar, phonology and vocabulary, there exist substantial differences between Igbo and Ukwuani peoples. The low level of mutual intelligibility and diverse cultural disparities between both peoples mark the Ukwuani out as a distinct ethnic group with a right to self-identity and recognition. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 10:10pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
AjaanaOka:PM sent!! |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 10:22pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Oweniwe, I started my maiden post on this thread with Walt Whitman who stated 'we see ourselves as multitudes', and I will end with Erik Erikson. Erikson explained the general concept of identity as “a cognitive schema in which constructs images is attributes as a set of meanings to oneself while taking the perspective of others”. Thus, identity as psychological phenomena becomes one’s feelings, about one’s self, character, goals, origins which enable the actor determine “who I am/ we are” in a situation and position in a social structure of shared understanding and expectations. The majority of Ukwuani, (I speak from a subjective POV) have never seen themselves as Igbo, and as my brother Blacklight hhas pointed out, we are who we say we are. No one can define us more than how we have chosen to be defined. We identify as the Ukwuani Nation, not Igbo. That is our identity. Ofu obi!!!  |
| Re: Delta Igbos by AjaanaOka(m): 10:25pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Ishilove: Seen. Replied. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 10:35pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
AjaanaOka:Replied |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 10:45pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
I don't expect those mannerless cretins to read the very abridged version of researched Ukwuani history which I have posted here. They are more interested in insulting themselves and their generation in order to score cheap and useless points, rather than broadening their scope of logic and knowledge. |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Blacklight: 11:34pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Nice stuff Ishilove. The challenge in the historical accounts of almost every African tribal group is historicity. We (Africans) have been too busy fighting each other, under-developing ourselves to be capable of knowing who we really are. It is, off course, very important that the Ukwuani people know whence they came; who they are. But, today, it is, in my opinion far more pertinent to know where they are going to collectively amidst stifling under development and brazen neighbors. You make me long for everything Ukwuani. Many thank for this! 1 Like |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Ishilove: 11:41pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Blacklight:You're welcome sir. A people without a history are a lost one. 1 Like |
| Re: Delta Igbos by PabloAfricanus(m): 11:52pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Ishilove: Interesting read. Been following the discourse. Lemme add my input, kindly note that I do not claim to be an expert but certain facts can be neutrally analyzed from the side. I am here to attempt a balance. Firstly, any one or any group of peoples are free to define, propose, redefine and change their identities a million times a day if it suits their purposes. No one or any group have any right what so ever to challenge the intrinsic right of any group of people to self identify as they see fit. So I am in full support of Ukwuani, Ika, Anioma, Ikwerre and all so-called Igbo speaking peoples in their quest to define a unique identity for themselves. It is their God given right and they owe no one any apologies or explanations for carving out an identity for themselves. Now to the nitty gritty of the matter (pun intended). My interest is in shared history, shared culture and shared traditions. That cannot be wished away, changed or somehow redefined to suit one's likes or dislikes. Michael Jackson did not become a white man by whatever form of skin bleaching he employed as till today his black parents, brothers and sisters are alive...and the whole world knew him before he started looking like a white man. That said, why is it that all the denials of an Igbo identity center around Benin? Carefully [b]constructed proofs and oral stories [/b]are researched and put forth as factual evidences linking a people who have more in common with the Igbos across the Niger to Benin and her peoples who just live a mere stone throw(the distance is not long abeg) to them? It is this part that has sparked my interest and piqued my curiosity. I have never witnessed such a phenomenon anywhere in the world. We had a family friend from Ukwuani then in Lagos and I was opportuned to see the banking details of his son. Lo and behold the guys middle name was Ijeoma! Now being fluent in Igbo, I knew this was not a chance occurrence or a misnomer. The man gave his son an obviously Igbo name! Now while there is nothing special or new about this, it underscores the core of the identity crisis that some people are trying so hard to run away from. Firstly, the Igbos in the SE are surrounded by Igalas, Idomas, Ibibios,Efiks etc. and none of these peoples bear the name Ijeoma. Next, the name Ijeoma means the same thing in Ukwuani 'language' and any of the numerous Igbo dialects across the Niger. How did such a similarity come about? Professional historians and linguists have ascertained that Ukwuani is just another dialect of Igbo. From the Okpala Ukus, to the Ote ofes to the Nwachukwus to the primordial goddess of the Igbos Ani...all the known artifacts and markers of Igbo language, tradition and culture has been faithfully replicated in Ukwuani. How come? Chance or as the fierce deniers love to put it...just a similarity? How did you manage to rationalize this quote below or are you able to list logical assertions from it?
I am really struggling to see the part that inspired the "touche" remark other than an elder echoing agreed upon versions of the history you are passing across. Mind you that the contention is not about self identity or whatever appellation Ukwuani folks choose to go by. How do you suddenly pretend Nwachukwu as a name borne by Ukwuanis is not the same as Nwachukwu borne by the kingless, leaderless and slavery prone Igbo peoples on the other side of the Niger? You know, the Ukwuanis who are a more distantly westernly people and quite different from the SE Igbos? How did Ukwuanis come about Chukwu in the first place? Mere fluke of history? To me, it just makes no sense. Add to the mix the fact that the entire land mass of the SE Igbos and the entire Aniomas/Ikas being discussed is less than the land mass of the Bornu both as an empire and as a Nigerian state. So we are not talking about peoples that geographically distant from each other. You see, shared history does not lie. It will out and tell you the origins of most peoples on the face of the planet..if you dig deep enough. It is like an automatic shibboleth that will identity you by name, language, culture or tradition. The only scientific counter to shared history is DNA analysis. No living human being ever chose to be a member of any race or ethnic group. You were just born there and you naturally imbibed the language and culture stretching centuries and millennia back before your great grand parents were born. So, I think the drive to disconnect from a perceived "Igbo" identity or connection whatsoever with Igbos should be balanced with accurate historical analysis. It is a proven fact the monarchical practice in Anioma was borrowed/copied and influenced from Benin. The current practices, names of the titles and testimonies of rulers across the length of Eze Chime clans attest to that fact. This is even more pronounced by the fact that the Edo tongue never eroded in any way the Igbo dialects prevalent in Anioma then and now. It is also a proven fact that there have been migrants from Benin and intermarriages way long before the Europeans came calling. Then and now, some things still die hard. How the people who profess to come from Benin suddenly forgot their Benin tongue, deities, pure monarchical systems and culture...and suddenly picked up the language, deities, market days and culture of a distant territory and more easternly Igbos remains a question that has been silently ignored or swept under the rug. I think I have a plausible answer to that question....shared histories. It is never forced, imposed or coerced. It just is. You should do well to atleast acknowledge that, it will make your story more complete and factual. My 2cents. PS: I love your writing style. 8 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Delta Igbos by SlayerSupreme: 11:55pm On Jun 18, 2016 |
Ishilove:***Blocked Comment*** |
| Re: Delta Igbos by Igboid: 12:02am On Jun 19, 2016 |
Too many trash written here by Ishilove. The tragedy of Ukwuani, is that unlike other Igbo denial clans, Ukwuani( Aboh Kingdom) was one of the first places the British visited in Igboland. And the history is well documented. I Will be back to dig them all out. |
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