Abagworo:

Idumu, Ogbe, Ama,Mgbu and Ezi are interchangeable according to dialect. A shift towards the Western side of Igbo "Idumu". Is used which actually is a borrowed word from Benin which means "quatres" or "area".

Visit http://www.ikaworld.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=IkaHistoryamp;Tradition&article=207

Abagworo:


Idumu, Ogbe, Ama,Mgbu and Ezi are interchangeable according to dialect. A shift towards the Western side of Igbo "Idumu". Is used which actually is a borrowed word from Benin which means "quatres" or "area".

Visit http://www.ikaworld.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=IkaHistoryamp;Tradition&article=207

Learn a little more about yourself.

Learn a little more about yourself.

What do u mean by western igbos?Are d binis now western igbos? Thanks for agreeing with me that d prefix "idumu" is å Bini word meaning "area" and not an igbo word.
Yet u read the other poster clearly asserted that ťĥĕy ŵėřē all igbo words used in denoting places and they could be recognised by all ibos.
You cannot take away the Bini roots from ika just as I cannot deny ibo's influence as well.But claiming Ika to be igbo is an offence which in my opinion deserves capital punishment.

bright007:
What do u mean by western igbos?Are d binis now western igbos? Thanks for agreeing with me that d prefix "idumu" is å Bini word meaning "area" and not an igbo word.
Yet u read the other poster clearly asserted that ťĥĕy ŵėřē all igbo words used in denoting places and they could be recognised by all ibos.
You cannot take away the Bini roots from ika just as I cannot deny ibo's influence as well.But claiming Ika to be igbo is an offence which in my opinion deserves capital punishment.

Shall we now all stand up and clap for the Shiit-arsz monkey.

bright007:
What do u mean by western igbos?Are d binis now western igbos? Thanks for agreeing with me that d prefix "idumu" is å Bini word meaning "area" and not an igbo word.
Yet u read the other poster clearly asserted that ťĥĕy ŵėřē all igbo words used in denoting places and they could be recognised by all ibos.
You cannot take away the Bini roots from ika just as I cannot deny ibo's influence as well.But claiming Ika to be igbo is an offence which in my opinion deserves capital punishment.

I'm starting to doubt if you are really from Ika. Most Igbos know that Idumu and Ogbe is used in Western Igbo with some infilteration into the Riverine Igbo(my own part). It is normal to borrow words and practices from a neighbouring ethnic group . You can also compare this with eastern Igbo where Yakur and Ibibio words are interchanged and appear in their various dialects. All Igbos at different angles have infuence of the cultures of their neighbours,


Now look at this traditional ruler of Onicha-Enugu and tell me he is not Igbo because they share names, culture and words with Igala.


http://ensmcm.org/ONICHA.html

His Royal Highness Igwe James Ojobo Idoko, the Ochemba I of Onicha Enugu Ezike. James Idoko hails from Umu Ona Nweze of Umueze Nweye extended family of Umu Owaya clan.
He was born about 1942 of the family of late Mr Idoko Ona and Mrs Amujiri Eze.

Abagworo:

I'm starting to doubt if you are really from Ika. Most Igbos know that Idumu and Ogbe is used in Western Igbo with some infilteration into the Riverine Igbo(my own part). It is normal to borrow words and practices from a neighbouring ethnic group . You can also compare this with eastern Igbo where Yakur and Ibibio words are interchanged and appear in their various dialects. All Igbos at different angles have infuence of the cultures of their neighbours,


Now look at this traditional ruler of Onicha-Enugu and tell me he is not Igbo because they share names, culture and words with Igala.


http://ensmcm.org/ONICHA.html

His Royal Highness Igwe James Ojobo Idoko, the Ochemba I of Onicha Enugu Ezike. James Idoko hails from Umu Ona Nweze of Umueze Nweye extended family of Umu Owaya clan.
He was born about 1942 of the family of late Mr Idoko Ona and Mrs Amujiri Eze.

The world will be å better place if we let others share their opinions,see their points,make our own before we judge what is right.
I really appreciate your maturity on this thread so far and I will say that's å plus on ur character.
The only thing I will like to add is that the reason igbos are claiming IKA as ån igbo sub-group is based on similar cultures and nothing else.You have forgotten that Ika's culture is partly similar to igbo and partly similar to bini.Now how do we know d culture that was borrowed?Will u say Ika were Bini from origin but were influenced by igbos or they were igbos from origin but influenced by bini?
If d only reason ŵĥŷ Ika is igbo is because of similar culture,then the Binis can also do
d same.
If u go back in history to search the Ika ruling class,u will be amazed that they had predominantly Bini names.This is d basis of my argument.

bright007:
Like I said earlier being ignorant of facts do not make them false.
There was no how the portuguese would have sold arms to d Binis without d Oba accepting d primary condition that they should accept christianity/western education.
Someone who travelled all d way to Portugal must have received western education.
I remember first reading this at John Harris Library in University of Benin.
Now I just stumbled on this again,pls go through and lear

What's wrong with you?

Stop trying to give me lectures on history you've read nothing about.

I don't get my history from summaries on random blogs. Read Alan Ryder's book Benin and the Europeans if you want to understand what went down between the Portuguese and Benin. That's a professional study that goes into far more detail than that blog.

And no, there was not really a "fort" at Ughoton, though there was a trading station, nor was there a school built in the palace. And what was written there about the desire for firearms only confirms my point earlier. As I said earlier, lots of meaningful commerce was carried on without western education.

For the last time, leave Benin history out of your pitiful trolling.

bright007:
The world will be å better place if we let others share their opinions,see their points,make our own before we judge what is right.
I really appreciate your maturity on this thread so far and I will say that's å plus on ur character.
The only thing I will like to add is that the reason igbos are claiming IKA as ån igbo sub-group is based on similar cultures and nothing else.You have forgotten that Ika's culture is partly similar to igbo and partly similar to bini.Now how do we know d culture that was borrowed?Will u say Ika were Bini from origin but were influenced by igbos or they were igbos from origin but influenced by bini?
If d only reason ŵĥŷ Ika is igbo is because of similar culture,then the Binis can also do
d same.
If u go back in history to search the Ika ruling class,u will be amazed that they had predominantly Bini names.This is d basis of my argument.

The more you try to lay emphasis on the bolded, the more sentimental you get. So let us assume both are not same before further talks.


The Obi of Owah wrote a book in which he asserted that the Kingship of Owah was rooted in Nri but Owah is basically one of the various Ika towns. I believe some are rooted in Bini while others are rooted in Nri. Historians however believe there were some proto Igboid group already established before the coming of both Nri and Benin into that territory. Those people have some words that are neither Nri nor Benin but can be found in some far away Igbo group like Afikpo. Those are the Ika words which can neither be found in contemporary Igbo nor Edo.

Bear in mind that Igbo was used in reference to all of us but we always had our differences and no particular group agreed to being Igbo inland but when outside they all referred to themselves as Igbo. That is why in one of the write ups above they wrote that Taylor was Igbo with Isuama mother and Arochukwu father.

Today Igbo has been defined as the Southeast geo-political zone and any other person outside that agrees to be Igbo. To this, we have only the Aniocha and Oshimili with wide acceptance of being Igbo while Ika, Ukwuani, Aboh, Ikwerre, Ogba and others have a new identity divided between accepting being Igbo or not.

This guy na mumu sha.


His Obi don talk say dem be NRI off shoot.

Make him go argue with his Obi.

PhysicsQED:


What's wrong with you?

Stop trying to give me lectures on history you've read nothing about.

I don't get my history from summaries on random blogs. Read Alan Ryder's book Benin and the Europeans if you want to understand what went down between the Portuguese and Benin. That's a professional study that goes into far more detail than that blog.

And no, there was not really a "fort" at Ughoton, though there was a trading station, nor was there a school built in the palace. And what was written there about the desire for firearms only confirms my point earlier. As I said earlier, lots of meaningful commerce was carried on without western education.

For the last time, leave Benin history out of your pitiful trolling.

Must u show ur ineptitude all because you are ignorant of basic facts?I reply u without having to throw insults at u yet u show how bad-tempered u are.
Now listen:Those professional nonesense you read were part of the HAMITIC HYPOTHESIS which were formulated by racists and quack historians.
I had my Bsc in University of Benin and all students in year one take some basic courses including history and culture of Nigeria.
The history department in Uniben wrote å book titled"Nigerian Peoples and culture"It was written by Professor (Rev) Å.D Nzemeke and others in d history department.
All the lies just like d one you are propagating were debunked,exposed and d truth written.
So dump all those crap u may have read and simply go to Benin and read any of d books written by d University of Benin.

bright007: Must u show ur ineptitude all because you are ignorant of basic facts?I reply u without having to throw insults at u yet u show how bad-tempered u are.
Now listen:Those professional nonesense you read were part of the HAMITIC HYPOTHESIS which were formulated by racists and quack historians.
I had my Bsc in University of Benin and all students in year one take some basic courses including history and culture of Nigeria.
The history department in Uniben wrote å book titled"Nigerian Peoples and culture"It was written by Professor (Rev) Å.D Nzemeke and others in d history department.
All the lies just like d one you are propagating were debunked,exposed and d truth written.
So dump all those crap u may have read and simply go to Benin and read any of d books written by d University of Benin.

Man, will you just be quiet already?

I don't get my history on Benin and European interaction from a book written by some random Reverend Nzemeke because I'm not a fool.

The same Alan Ryder was invited to and did write the Forward for the book Dusk Till Dawn: Folk Tales from Benin by Iro Eweka, a member of the royal family of Benin, and Ryder's research is unrelated to the "Hamitic hypothesis". Stop blindly regurgitating terms you came across in your history class and leave Benin history out of your trolling.

I commented harshly on your posts because they annoy me and contain some false statements. Until you can prove that Jacob Egharevba or anyone else important to Benin history claimed that a school was built in the palace you remain a liar.


[edited: what I wrote here originally was unnecessarily rude]

PhysicsQED:


Man will you shut up already.

I don't get my history on Benin and European interaction from a book written by some random Reverend Nzemeke because I'm not a fool.

The same Alan Ryder was invited to and did write the Forward for the book "Dusk Till Dawn: Folktales from Benin" by Iro Eweka, a member of the royal family of Benin, and Ryder's research is unrelated to the "Hamitic hypothesis". Stop blindly regurgitating terms you came across in your history class and leave Benin history out of your dumb trolling.

I commented harshly on your posts because they annoy me and contain some false statements. Until you can prove that Jacob Egharevba or anyone else important to Benin history claimed that a school was built in the palace you remain a fool and a liar.

You are å big fool without inquiry!Å bool written by University of Benin on Benin history is now fake?
Inferiority complex must run in your family for u to have debunked d works of reputable indigenous historians.

A trading post is not a fort by any stretch of the imagination and building more than one church in the city is not the same as building a school in the palace. You think that meaningful and significant trade could only be carried out between European and African groups by Europeans building a school because you seem oblivious to the concept of an interpreter. Go do some actual reading and get a reality check.

Do whatever else, but don't deliberately bungle things to make your point.

bright007: You are å big fool without inquiry!Å bool written by University of Benin on Benin history is now fake?
Inferiority complex must run in your family for u to have debunked d works of reputable indigenous historians.

The actual indigenous historian of Benin is Jacob Egharevba.

If Professor Nzemeke did actually claim that a school was built in the palace and you're not the one just making that up, let him actually prove it.

(edited: what I wrote in this post originally was unnecessarily rude)

PhysicsQED:

The actual indigenous historian of Benin is Jacob Egharevba.

If Professor Nzemeke did actually claim that a school was built in the palace and you're not the one just making that up, let him actually prove it. Otherwise, just shut up.

The problem with both this lady and agbotaen is that when authorities speak they ignore them and seek for what they feel is right. The Obi of Owah is their traditional ruler and knows what they don't . He wrote a book on history about his people and they are discrediting the Obi's book. Who else should we believe?

PhysicsQED:

The actual indigenous historian of Benin is Jacob Egharevba.

If Professor Nzemeke did actually claim that a school was built in the palace and you're not the one just making that up, let him actually prove it. Otherwise, just shut up.

Here is link to å thread on d front page on d history of religion in nigeira.Though this ŵăš not why d thread was created but å forumite posted it to clear certain issues dat arose.

https://www.nairaland.com/1002371/plan-demolish-mosque-onitsha-muslims/8


Now here is an excerpt from dat post.I hope it cures your ignorance.

***Christianity
As is well known, the first attempt to bring Christianity to Nigeria dates back to 16th and 17th Centuries. As at that period Portugal had established trade relations with the Kingdoms of Benin and Warri. At the request of the Oba of Benin, Portuguese Catholic missionaries came to evangelize in the Kingdom. According to historians, the first batch of the missionaries arrived Benin in August 1515 but the Oba was away, fighting the Idah War ((Ajayi 1965:2). A year later, the Oba returned and allowed one of his sons and others of his chiefs to be baptized and taught to read. However, the Oba was more preoccupied with wars than learning about Christianity. The efforts of the Spanish missionaries who had come after the failure of the Portuguese also were ineffective. The strategy of the missionaries to concentrate on converting the Oba so that his subjects would follow suit could not work. This was also the same story with regard to Warri within the same period. In the latter case, however, the Olu allowed his crown prince to be baptized and educated. According to history, this prince later sent one of his sons to Portugal to be educated and he later returned with a Portuguese wife (Ajayi 1965: 3). This development could have led the foundation of Christianity in Warri and perhaps to other parts of Nigeria but it did not. The evangelization was confined to the palace of the Olu. Despite the existence of Christian presence in Warri for one and half centuries, 1570-1733, Christianity was later completely overwhelmed by ATR. Thus, by the beginning of the 19th Century there were only a few relics to show that Christianity ever came to Warri. These included “the huge cross in the centre of the old Warri and a few church decorations surviving among the traditional shrines” (Ajayi 1965: 3).
The success story of the coming of Christianity to Nigeria was the second phase in the 19th Century and this time around the port of call was Badagry. In this phase, the Methodist missionaries led the way. The Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman was the leading Methodist missionary. He arrived in Badagry in September 1842 and was followed shortly by Henry Townsend, a lay missionary of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) (Ajayi 1965: 31-320). Four years later, Presbyterian and Baptist missionaries also arrived to join in the evangelization of Nigeria.
For the history of the origin of Christianity in Nigeria, however, the role played by the freed African slaves takes a central place. The liberated African slaves, many of whom were from Nigeria, were brought back to Sierra Leone where they were educated and converted to Christianity. Many of them later returned to Nigeria and became pioneer Christians and missionaries in Nigeria. Ajayi has detailed the account of this in a chapter titled “The Return of the Exiles” (Ajayi 1965: 25-52). A leading figure among the liberated African missionaries was Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther of the Anglican Church.
The story of Bishop Ajayi Crowther is fascinating. He was the first African Anglican Bishop. He was born in Oshogun, in the present-day Oyo State in 1891. He was captured and sold to the Portuguese slave traders. But before they sailed, the ship was captured by the British Navy and Ajayi was taken to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Freed in Freetown, the CMS took him and educated him and he served as interpreter to the Niger Expedition of 1841. He was ordained in England in 1843 and sent back to Sierra Leone to prepare for a mission to Abeokuta by beginning to conduct services in Yoruba language (Ajayi 1965: 33). In 1846, Bishop Ajayi, accompanied by Rev. Henry Townsend and others worked to consolidate the CMS mission in Abeokuta. Then in 1857 Rev. Ajayi led the CMS Niger Mission to Onistsha and environs to evangelize the area. He was elected Bishop in 1864. The Anglican Church also had to secure a base in Lagos which became a Diocese in 1919. The Niger Delta Diocese was inaugurated in 1952; Ibadan also in 1952; Northern Diocese in 1959. Other Dioceses came on stream after Nigeria’s Independence, including Benin in 1962 and Enugu in 1970.
Having failed in the 16th and 17th Centuries, the Catholic Church returned in the 19th Century, this time led by the Holy Ghost Fathers. Through the assistance of Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the Obi of Onitsha donated a site to the Holy Ghost Fathers in 1885 to begin their mission. It was said that the first converts of the Catholic Mission were redeemed ex-slaves. By 1900, the Holy Ghost Fathers had established three Christian villages made up of ex-slaves. When Rev. Father, later Bishop Shanahan came on scene in 1902, he intensified the policy of evangelization via education. He was credited with the saying that “it is through the schools that we will win over the whole country”. Recognizing the importance of education for evangelization, Shanahan ordered schools built in every village under his jurisdiction. The outcome was the upsurge of Catholic Schools throughout South-Eastern Nigeria. Under him the Roman Catholic Mission was able to evangelize and educate people in Igbo, Ibibio and Ogoja provinces, east of the Niger.
The Emergence of Islam in Igboland
For the ordinary Igbo person, Islam is a strange religion in Igboland. The general belief is that if the religion exists there at all, it is only being practiced by the Hausa-Fulani strangers in the Igboland. It would seem that the reality on ground today shows otherwise. Nnorom (2003) paints this picture:
… while Ndigbo are being religiously, ethnically and economically cleansed from the predominantly Islamic states of Nigeria, Igbo Imams, Sheiks, Alahajis (sic), Alhajas and mosques, once few and exotic, are now a common sight in one of the most homogeneous Christian regions in Africa.
In fact there is evidence to show that Islam might have been planted in Igboland by an Igbo Muslim as far back as 1957, even before Nigeria’s Independence (Ottenberg 1971 quoted in Nnorom 2003). According to Ottenberg as recounted by Nnorom (2003), it was one Okpani Egwani of Anohia village of Afikpo in the present day Ebonyi State who had brought Islam to that village. Egwani had been away from his village for several years. The villagers had believed that he was dead and had even performed funeral rites for him. However, as it turned out, Egwani had joined the Nigerian army in 1944. After his discharge he stayed in Lagos and was converted to Islam. He was said to have travelled far and wide, visiting such countries as Egypt, Gabon and the Congo. He joined the Islamic sect of Tijaniyya. When he returned to his village in 1957, he was said to have come in a company of some Muslim strangers from the North who assisted him to establish Islam in his village. Egwani had changed his name to Alhaji Ibrahim.
As would be expected, the initial attempt to establish Islam in Afikpo met with serious resistance. The villagers ridiculed the converts. However, the seed of Islamic religion had been sown in that area.
According to a recent studies (Nnorom 2003; Uchendu 2010) Islam is gaining strong foothold in many parts of Igboland. Nsukka is said to have 14 mosques and therefore “undoubtedly the Islamic capital of AlaIgbo [Igboland]” (Nnorom 2003). Two institutions have been identified as playing major roles in the propagation of Islam in Igboland. There is the educational institution known as Jama-al-Nazral School, said to be originally based in Enugu but has been moved to Ntezi village in outskirts of Afikpo where it has existed for nine years.***

Every point raised by me ranging from pioneering work on education in igboland(Revd Ajayi Crowther) to d point on d Binis being d first to receive western education/christian were complemented by his post.
One point I must reiterate now is that though these missions to chritianize/educate d binis failed but not totally as some bini sons ŵėřē taught to read $ write while others were baptize and embraced christianity.

My interest in and my annoyance with your comments has nothing to do with who was or was not the first to become Christian in Nigeria or who was the first to learn Portuguese. My problem is the false claims and assumptions in your earlier posts. Just don't present unsupported conjectures as if they were necessarily factual or supported by Benin tradition or by written documents and we'll have no problems.

PhysicsQED: My interest in and my annoyance with your comments has nothing to do with who was or was not the first to become Christian in Nigeria or who was the first to learn Portuguese. My problem is the false claims and assumptions in your earlier posts. Just don't present unsupported conjectures as if they were necessarily factual or supported by Benin tradition or by written documents and we'll have no problems.

According to u,they are assumptions $ conjectures.Well,I must respect ur opinion because they are irrelevant as far as history is concerned.
One thing remains,d truth must be told.

Honest to God, some Igbos on NL can be irritating. Honestly asking, reading bright007 post, does she in anyway actually sound Ika to you? or even SS at all? I do not mean just on this thread but in her other post from both “the Igbo cultures are the best” thread and “the true extent of ala-igbo” thread. SMH, you guys cannot be this gullible. Some of una are very knowledgeable when it comes to Igbo culture and history, also very knowledge able when it comes to SS Igbo origin but in terms of attitude, etc., you people lack it big time. Anyway, go right ahead and continue feeding the troll. I will on the other hand leave you people with this; chinyeyeN said it all and I’ll post it for emphasis

ChinenyeN:

I want you to take a step back and view the nature of her posts. Does it in any way resemble someone remotely interested learning from you? Does it in any way resemble someone who might actually care about the knowledgeable contribution you have been making?

One more thing I would like to add; SE Igbo, every single SS Igbo on NL (at least the ones I know), have one time in another told you people that you are over-magnifying a problem that is not a problem back home. The magnitude of deniers are in small portion and decreasing as the day goes by but a journey in NL, a person that isn’t knowledgable of the event would think this is a huge problem back home. Who is promoting that type of ideology? Igbo people of SE region. The individuals whose community this exact “problem” and conversation is on continue to inform you people that you are over-magnifying this problem yet you have refused to listen to this word. They have told you people to stop using this site to continue this argument due to fakeness we have witnessed on this site but you people refuse to listen. I can create a moniker still claiming my actual background but instead denying being Igbo and talking about how Asaba are Benin descendant or something and I can bet you my entire life saving, my life and my entire family, both in-laws and blood related, etc. that out of the blue, multiple supporters claiming the states would surface. Though 99.9% of the supporters would be fake, but doing so just to take a spike at Igbo and SE Igbo would fall for it. Quote me on this. From Ejine to Igboboy to Noiseless (I’m unsure if he’s delta Igbo. Correct me if I’m wrong), to Chyz to me to Ogbuefi to Ezeagu to etc, etc have one time or another told you people to leave it be especially on this site. Take a look at this thread, this entire conversation is about Ika, Ezeagu, a proud Ika man, still an active member but how many times you people seen him get involved with this argument, other than the beginning portion when it was a hot topic? Another Ika dude, not ogubefi, my apologizes but I’ve forgotten what’s his NL Id is, but I do remember the post where he was comparing both Igbo and Benin language similarity and upon asked what his opinion of Abogetean was, did he not say you all should leave him alone and let him continue. He does not represent Ika and he probably does this for the attention. Even Ogbuefi has long left the conversation. Now stretch it out to other SS Igbo, Ejine is a no-show on this thread. What of chyz? No show right. Noiseless? Nada? Igboboy? To shorten what his post is saying, Let it got, leave Agbotean alone. Me? Pretty much saying the same thing as Igbo boy. Why wouldn't you all just listen or even take the hint?

If you people would not listen to anyone else, at least LISTEN TO CHINYEYEN.

bright007:
According to u,they are assumptions $ conjectures.Well,I must respect ur opinion because they are irrelevant as far as history is concerned.
One thing remains,d truth must be told.

Why is it so important to you to believe that a whole school was built, and not only that, built right in the palace even with no evidence? Why are you clinging onto that belief?

PhysicsQED:

Why is it so important to you to believe that a whole school was built, and not only that, built right in the palace even with no evidence? Why are you clinging onto that belief?

well my emphasis is not centred on whether å school was bulit or not but that some benin sons ŵėřē taught to read $ write.Now if they ŵėřē taught to read and write,on what platform?
Building å school doesn't have to be all about d physical structure.
Even if it was under å tree near d palace or something
Of dat sort,the most important thing is that there was å medium of passing knowledge to d learners.

bright007: well my emphasis is not centred on whether å school was bulit or not but that some benin sons ŵėřē taught to read $ write.Now if they ŵėřē taught to read and write,on what platform?
Building å school doesn't have to be all about d physical structure.
Even if it was under å tree near d palace or something
Of dat sort,the most important thing is that there was å medium of passing knowledge to d learners.

I never objected to any claims about who was taught to read and write Portuguese.

But understand that if one were to claim that an actual school - not a religious institution like a church - was established there but was not maintained or was abandoned, some people would need to see proof to support such a claim.

PhysicsQED:

I never objected to any claims about who was taught to read and write Portuguese.

But understand that if one were to claim that an actual school - not a religious institution like a church - was established there but was not maintained or was abandoned, some people would need to see proof to support such a claim.

Correct.As we know,finding indisputable proofs to support claims remains å major draw-back as far as history is concerned but doesn't mean these claims are false if PHYSICAL proofs are lacking.
Now I believe both parties are satisfied.Time to take a breather out of this debate.

i wonder when igbo people will start facing the fact and the fact that you are not ika you cannot know ika culture ,how many ika culture is similar to igbo ? you people trive on lies and propaganda ,
1. in ika land let me give an example of agbor and my native owa ,the kingship run in owa and agbor is of the bini type , it is a miniature of the benin monarch with same chieftancy titles as in three levels of chief which we call ohaimen -this is a benin word for chief and we have town, palace and hereditory , it is not like the igbos that have a kingsless society where any rich man is crowned igwe or eze .we as ika people have great traditions.
2. in igboland the eze or igwe might be the highest authority on culture and traditional issues ,but in ika we have what we call 1. the ihogbe 2. isekure and the olihe-ovia ( owa and agbor )
ihogbe means royal scribes ,while isekure-is the chief priest of the kingdom and the olihe-ovia is the chief that crowns the obi of owa kingdom ,and these people know the history and traditions and culture of our people ,and we also have the ogua ihama made up of people of hundred years and above and they must be royal bloods of owa kingdom.
3. when there are issues on tradition , we consult these people and it is what they say that becomes law .and the olihe of owa is a descendants of the original benin family that founded owa kingdom from ovia in benin.
4. i have dealt with this issues in many write ups and the book you like quoting was written by our obi of owa and his friend proff.owunjeogu wrote the forward , yes the obi said in the book that owa has nri migratory pattern , but he also said owa has benin patterns too, and the britsh confirmed this in 1913 in their intelligence report that owa has both bini and igbo migratory patterns .
5. but you know what the owa consultative assembly , the owa stake holders forum , and ogua of owa comprising of nobles and common men set up a committee on owa history made up of five owa professors and many members of the royal families ,and they brought out an official book on owa history called ndiowa and her monarchy -this is the book published in 1999 and sold at the royal palace of owa in delta ,so please go and read it and know proper owa history and not run your mouths with what you dont know and it is even impossible to know owa history even if you read all the books you can find.
6. if our obi is so convinced of his igboness why is he not a member of ohaneze ndigbo? why is he not at the forefront of igbonisation campaing in delta state ?nd why was he at the fore front of helping nigeria troops to push out biafra ?
7. most of you who like quoting a one sided story from the obis book, why dont you quote a section where he said biafra declared him wanted dead or alive for assisting nigeria troops ? or is that not part of the book ?
8. thanks to the europeans who helped create the igbo ethnic nationality less than a 140 years ago and that is why many of you are here talking as if igbo has existed for long and trust the europeans who lumped many people together as igbos ,so those who love it should remain ,but i thank oselobue that ika has never been part of that lump up , even if there is an attempt to do so ,but it will always meet a brick wall as ika people will resist,as we have done.
9.our obi is called efeizomor and that is a definite bini name ,his grand father was obaigbena ,his great grand father was called okundaiye and his father was igbeoba whose father was iseh, whose father was ose whose father was orhogbuwa whose father was ozolua ,and these are bini names ,but i trust you will turn them to mean an igbo name.
10. owa culture is 90 percent benin culture and may be ten percent igbo .as i am challenging any body here who knows owa culture to please tell me how it is composed and if the main culture is bini or igbo ?
11. let me start with igbo culture in owa kingdom and they are---
1. new yam festival - this is a similar culture between owa people and most igbo communities but the way owa people celebrate it is a little bit different,but the key deity worshipped is ifejioku
2. ikenga cult which is from igbo land is worshipped in owa kingdom as in many ika kingdoms.
3. obiship in owa is of the bini uselu style with palace ,hereditory and town chief and the oldest male called ihama ,who must be of the royal lineages of owa.
4. igue and ibiewere festival is performed in owa which is the major festival and it a benin festival
5. uje- is a famous festival and dance from benin performed by the obi of owa .
6. ikabba is a festival from benin done in owa.
7. olokun deity , ogun-god of iron, ohunweeden , ovia, ohointe,ikaiyi,obuhme, edeibo and edienwaise and idinwina are from bini .
8. owa chief mostly go by benin titles like obasogie,obaseki, ologboshere, ozomor, orokonogbe, isekure, iyase,esama ,ihondon, and others and these are the most important titles in owa ,but we also have some that go by igbo lines like ogifurueze, obiwenali and others which are recently created titles with no traditional functions.
this titles that are recently created can be given to outsiders but our ancient titles cannot be given to non-indigines.
9. our villages are srattified as ebon(umun),idumu and ogbe just like in benin.
10. the official regalia of our obi and chiefs with ada and eben is of the benin school .
11. our method of sharing properties follows the okaigbe system taken from benin,
12.our original traditional marks given to owa people called igu in owa and iwu in benin was the same.
13. our crown prince the edaiken of owa does not stay in the same town with his father just like the edaiken of benin cannot stay in same place with his father the oba.
14. just like the benin we believe and call GOD oselobue and we also believe in the guardian spirit called ehi and that if a man dies he will go to heaven called orimi.
15. we belive there is a devil called ojuwu in ika and ogiuwu in benin , and evil spirits called ihoghai and iheleken.
16. we also believe in idinwina spirits that control women and childbirth same as in benin.
17the obi of owa like the oba of benin is crowned in a place called uselu which means sacred ground in both owa and benin language .

12. if owa did not have any thing to do with benin as most igbo propagandist will want us to believe how come our language contains a lot of benin words such as

1. ikeke- bycicle
2.ogo- bottle
3. ukpe or orukpe- light
4. iyare- welcome or save journey
5. odion-elder
6.okpoho- woman
7.odede- old woman
8. ihianra- umbrella
9.ohaimen-chief
10. ibiegwa- royal servants
11. agbon -lineage/family/earth
12. ogiso-king
13.oje- king
14. igbon- slave
15.ogbe- town
16.idumu-village
17. sakpamaghori- great great grand father .
18. ulakpa- police
20. odegbe-female goat
21. ohai- bachelor
22. idegbe- un married lady
23. edogbo- neighbour
24. sheri- witness
25. uloro- bad things
26.ukpokpo- trouble
27. ogua -palace
28. utormi- long life
29. ohaiohai- progress
30 ozegbe -victory
i dont need to say much we as ika or owa people have been influenced by both edo and igbo culture but this has given rise to ika as a seperate ethnic group quite different from igbo or bini .as all attempts by both bini and igbo to claim ika always meets a brick wall.
in 1930 our fathers made the great declaration to the british government who tried to lump ika with benin as the bini claimed that they own ika ,but we resisted and said that ika is not a part of any ethnic group in nigeria and that we are our won people.
in 1966 another attempt was made this time by the igbos to annex ika into biafra and it also failed as our people rose up and repeled them with the assistance of the federal troops.
i am a proper original ika man whose ancestory is not in doubt,i am from an ancient family in owa (ikaland) as my ancestor can be traced to 13th century in owa ,so i am aware of our proper family and town history.
i am not one of the internet readers whose main source of information is to read from wikipaedia and books written by other people .but let me give you igbo people work to do , please go and research on your history as some of you will say igbos came from nri ,some will say igbo ukwu and others will say isreal and others will say from igala ,please go and document your history very well instead of writing about ika ,a place you do not know their culture.

some people will just open their mouth and say what they do not know like ika or owa culture is similar to igbo culture or 100 percent igbo culture and if you ask them to explain they will not know what to say , and i am still waiting for an igbo propagandist that will tell me and explain in black and white which owa culture is igbo and which one is bini?
i have explained which culture is taken from igbo and which is taken from benin.

the original title of the obi of agbor was dein and before that time agbor rulers were called ogiso and then ogele and finally dein/obi titles.
2. the real title of the king of owa was aigbogidi later corrupted to agbogidi ,as well as other kings in ika and anioma areas , but before that time the first word for king in owa was ogiso.
3. that of umunede was agadagidi, but umunede was previously called ukpehoro kingdom
4. as for the origin of the title now called obi , which many ika /anioma kings have ,some igbocentric authors and researchers say that obi means courtyard as every elderly igbo man was suppossed to have a courtyard(obi)in front of his compound.while others say it means palace in igbo language or a person that dwells in the courtyard(. obi).
5. others say it means heart in igbo language and because the king is at the heart of his kingdom therefore the name obi.
6.some igbo people also say obi is a title in nri ,that after eze ,or ozo then the person attains obi .
7. but some researchers like my self believe that obi was a corruption of the edo word ovbi which means prince or a king that is under the tutelage of the oba of benin,or a duke.
8. in time just like every edo word that has been corrupted by the migration and mix that occured in ika/anioma area the word was changed to oobi and later to obi as it is today.
9. obi as a title of kings in ika land is not a palace or courtyard as the word for palace in ika and many anioma area is called ogua and this is also another corrupted benin word for palace called eguae.
10. for those who believe it is a court yard the word ogua in ika and benin area is also the word for courtyard.
11. this word ovbi was also corrupted by the uhrobos to means ovie which is king to them.
12. it is important to note that all those using the title obi today have one or two links with the benin either in terms of migration, or that they were conquered by bini or that their kings share blood lineage with the benins or that they were previously crowned at benin palace or that their kings dress like the oba and or carry the insignia of office like the ada and eben used by the oba and invented by oba orhogbuwa of benin .
such kings like dein of agbor, obi of owa, obi of umunede, abavo and uteokpu and others fall into this category.
12. looking at it as it is today apart from this meanings ,obi does not mean any thing in the ika we speak today except from tracing it to mean ovbi ,but we are also welcome to listen to other opinion which might shed more light issue .

This guy no dey tire??

After reading what they wrote above, I can't help but conclude that Ika is 100 percent Igbo.

Abagworo: After reading what they wrote above, I can't help but conclude that Ika is 100 percent Igbo.

Which of them?

alua agbontean. dnt mind the territory grabbers

sonya4all: alua agbontean. dnt mind the territory grabbers

First class monkey, shut up up your smelly mouth. Just because NEPA gave your area light today is not enough for you to come and display your idiocy in nairaland. Go back to your darkness, homo.

sonya4all: alua agbontean. dnt mind the territory grabbers

@bolded. That's my dialect.The way we greet. Is it same in Owah? Alua ni

Abagworo:

@bolded. That's my dialect.The way we greet. Is it same in Owah? Alua ni

What subgroup are you from?

thanks my brother , yes we do greet alua ni in owa ,and we also greet aooo ni, and iyare , and doo, these greetings are to welcome a person.
2. alua , doo, and aoo are used to greet when the journey is a short one ,but for a long journey it is iyare .
3. our morning greetings in owa are ;
1. laiwe oooo
2. laiweze ooo ( benin is lavbieze)
3.liye .

4. greeting when eating is kada .
5. after meal is lakpoma ( thank sir or thank you after meal)
6. obori is greetings for married women
7.ojogun is greetings for old men who belong to ogun worshippers
8. agbogidi iyare ,( this is greetings for obi of owa kingdom)
ogiso iyare
ojenebo iyare,
agwo ekika iyare ,
obi ni tor neife
iseh
9. greetings for community or group meetings is isheguari oooo, just like igbo kwenu that igbos use.
10.they also use- osamichi for group meetings too, but the first one is the most popular.
11.good night greeting is oheki
12. when you want to greet a person that delivers a baby or who has just opened a house - you say-- omeghighor
13. when greeting an old man ,you must say odion/odionma or diokpa laiwe ooo ( odion -elder or diokpa- elder)
14. for old women- nene or odede laiweooo
15. when greeting a chief you must put the title first like obaseki laiwe ooo.
these are some of the ways we use in greeting in owa kingdom , different ika groups have different ways of greeting , some greet uweoma,while abavo villages some greet legite, and liye, in ozara in agbor they greet labo .so it depends on your area.

Origins of Owa Dialects Culture

As has been observed earlier, a study of the origins of Owa towns and villages reveals that Owa kingdom is made up of heterogeneous groups brought together through time and space to constitute a people known as Ndiowa. The notion of “time” refers to the successive waves of migration spanning through centuries while the concept of “space” represents the multiplicity of areas from which these different groups emerged and came together to form a united people. Moreover, one must also bear in mind that these migratory groups no doubt came in contact with the earliest inhabitants of these areas, and these contacts must have exercised one form of influence or the other on the language and culture of Ndiowa.

However, in spite of the many contributory factors and influences, one fact stands out clearly, i.e. the overwhelming importance of Nri (Igbo) and Edo in the structure and functioning of Owa language and culture. As Thomas (1913), Intelligence Report 1030, Iduwe (1970) and Onwuejeogwu (1972) have stated, the dual mode of origin had influenced the features of Owa people and their language. Echenim (2004), talking about Ika language in general, and Owa dialect by implication, was of the view that Ika language is the result of the interactions and relationships between the languages of the earliest inhabitants, Edo and Igbo languages. But in terms of the actual language practice and identifiable traits, it is obvious that Owa is essentially a blend of Bini and Igbo languages.

An overview of the influence of Igbo language on Owa would reveal, for instance, its presence in the area of numerals: mbu (ohu), ebuo, eto, enon, isen, isin, (Owa), otu, abua, ato, ano, ise, isi (Igbo); one, two, three, four, five, six (English).

The Igbo influence is also obvious in the naming of market days. These names are literally identical in both Owa and Igbo: eken, orie, afor, nkwor.
In addition, Echenim in 2004 posited that the importance of Igbo influence may not exclusively be as a result of Nri origin, but could also be attributed to the strong missionary and commercial roles of Igbo people whose presence and impact were extensively and deeply felt among Ndiowa.

It is also imperative to note that, whereas Igbo influence as it is, seems to be a modern and contemporary phenomenon, the Edo impact has a distant historical origin. Indeed, it can be argued that Edo influence is due, first and foremost, to the experiences of Odogwu and his retinue who fought alongside the Oba of Benin’s soldiers during the Akure and other wars. The sustained interactions with these soldiers obviously made way for the acquisition of habits and customs alien initially to Owa soldiers, and these were eventually imported into Owa land. Another salient factor that may have contributed to the important Bini influence in Owa land is the consequence of the expansionist wars of Benin Empire between the 16th and the 18th centuries. Through interactions with soldiers and through the influence of military conquests, Bini language and culture became the expression of Bini domineering presence, and these therefore influenced Owa dialect.

As regards Bini impact on Owa dialect, one may note, for instance the existence of identical terms to express the same reality: ofigbon (ofigbon); odo (odo); or close identical terms: idumu (Owa), idunmwun (Bini). Edo influence is also quite pronounced in the area of festivals (Iguen) and titles such as Iyase, Adolor etc.

The respective impacts of Igbo and Bini in forging the specificity of Owa dialect and culture can thus be observed in the use of certain concepts with important social and metaphysical connotations. For example, from Igbo language, these include Odogwu, Eze, Orinzere, Ikenga, Chukwu, Odoziali, Dibie and Okpara; from Bini, there are Ozomor, Oba, Iguen, Ohaime, Olokun, Osolobue, Obuh, and Odion.

From the preceding illustration, it is obvious that talking about the origins of Ndiowa involves considering the people in their totality, i.e. both their past and their present, revealing those characteristics which cut across time and which define Ndi-owa.


Last Updated on Saturday, 12 May 2012 21:50