More information. Ikwere [ikw] 200 , 000 (1973 SIL).

 Rivers state, Ikwerre, Port Harcourt, and Obio-Akpor LGAs. Alternate names : Ikwerre, Ikwerri.  Dialects : Apani, Akpo-Mgbu-Tolu, Ogbakiri, Emowhua, Ndele, Elele, Omerelu, Egbedna, Aluu, Igwuruta, Ibaa, Isiokpo, Omagwna, Ubima, Ipo, Omudioga, Obio, Rumuji. A separate language in the Igbo language subgroup. 

Classification : Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Igboid, Igbo  More information.

@agbotaen.I decided to post those ethnologue facts for none-Igbos to observe and not a fellow Igbo like you.Ika is the western end of Igbo.Ikwerre is the southern end while izzi,ezza,ikwo and mgbo are the northeastern end of Alaigbo.I posted that of Itsekiri because you wanted to claim Ika being to Igbo what Itsekiri is to Yoruba.Itsekiri is similar to Yoruba but is not Yoruba and is therefore classified as Edekiri under Yoruboid.Ika is classified simply as Igbo and not just Igboid.The group that can lay claim as the Itsekiri of Igbo is Ekpeye.

Ekpeye [ekp] 30 , 000 (1973 SIL).

 Rivers state, Ahoada East and Ahoada West LGAs. Alternate names : Ekkpahia, Ekpabya, Ekpaffia.  Dialects : Ako, Upata, Ubye, Igbuduya. Related to Igbo [ ibo ]. 

Classification : Niger-Congo, Atlantic- Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Igboid, Ekpeye  More information.

@agbotean,i think u've tried ur best to convince these fem igbos that we are not one of them,but since they want to turn it into a war where by majority carries the vote instead of the truth,i sugest that u forget about the discusion cos nothin said here will count on the ideas of the many ikas that knws that they are ikas.@igbo brothers(nigerians)pls lets try 2 respect peoples opinion on themselve,agbotean i speakin for the ika nation of which i being an umuede,is in suport so stop attackin him that he is not representin the ikas,i dnt like the way u guys are lashin out on him,and dnt think u guys are the only ones who can manipulates abusive words.@chinenye,i dnt knw how 2 thank u,but all am sayin is that may the truth never be shut frm ur mouth even when u r in d midst of truth killers.Thanks again,ika is ika,we are proud of what we are.So pls respect that.Thanks @all.

@Sonya: It is an outright stupidity to claim that Agbontaen or whatever is the spokesperson of ndiika. Who made him so and since when?.
Mind you, ChinenyeN is not taking sides. He is only saying that people are free to choose what group they want to be. As a result, you and your hero should let those who identify as Igbo to be Igbo. It is very clear you also lack comprehension.
Abagworo has provided us with another link where some Ikas are claiming they are Igbo, so go and figure.

Andre Uweh:

He is only saying that people are free to choose what group they want to be. As a result, you and your hero should[b] let those who identify as Igbo to be Igbo[/b].

Here's the problem (as I see it) with some of what you all keep saying. You either make things "this or that"; "one or the other"; or you completely gloss over [blanket] the entire situation, bringing local identities to a sub-par level (you may not think that's the case, but honestly, that's how it all comes out as). The Ika who choose to identify with other Igbo as "Igbo" have not ignored Ika. So you can't keep making comments like the bolded. The Ika who choose to identify as "Igbo" aren't simply "Igbo".

So, if anything, you could have said something along these lines: "let those who [b]also [/b]choose to identify as 'Igbo' be".

I'm sure Ika people have no problem with that. In fact, I don't believe anyone would be bothered by that. But your over-glossing/blanketing tendencies; relegating identities to the back burner, or even, off the stove entirely, perpetuates this issue.

ChinenyeN:

Here's the problem (as I see it) with some of what you all keep saying. You either make things "this or that"; "one or the other"; or you completely gloss over [blanket] the entire situation, bringing local identities to a sub-par level (you may not think that's the case, but honestly, that's how it all comes out as). The Ika who choose to identify with other Igbo as "Igbo" have not ignored Ika. So you can't keep making comments like the bolded. The Ika who choose to identify as "Igbo" aren't simply "Igbo".

So, if anything, you could have said something along these lines: "let those who [b]also [/b]choose to identify as 'Igbo' be".

I'm sure Ika people have no problem with that. In fact, I don't believe anyone would be bothered by that. But your over-glossing/blanketing tendencies; relegating identities to the back burner, or even, off the stove entirely, perpetuates this issue.

Have you ever asked yourself why this group choose to be Igbos?

Never seemed like a significant enough factor for me to consider, so No, and aside from that, reasons differ.

agbotaen:

 i am  happy  i do  not  come from a race that  is seen  as a group   of failures that  is what you igbo people are , is  it by force to  be  igbo ? why should  i a proud  ika man  from a royal tradition say  i am  igbo  , a group of people without kings or leader.we are ika people with our respected monarchical govt. and we have  leaders .
   it  was pride that  made made the  igbo to fall and that same  pride and arrogance is what  is  always displayed , what  is our business if an  igbo  man becomes president , what will that do to ikas .
       ika people have  never been part of  igboland  or associated greatly with  igbo land . did ikas support the  civil war , the  answer is  no , but we had a few ika soldiers that fought for  biafra , and many  fought for  nigerian army . owa kingdom housed general muritala ,during the war , he eve took  the title  of ojeba of  owa . at that times the biafrans wanted to  kill our  obi . please tell the world that some yoruba soldiers also  fought for  biafra like  banjo, ademulegun and others .and even some  isokos fought for  biafra too.
               ika is a great race and we do not need people who  are suffering from a hang over and defeat of  war to tell us who  we are , we are  ika and we are proud of our heritage .

You are yet to produce the leader or king of Ika. Who is he and what is his title? Again, stop speaking for all Ika people you foolish confused bigot.

ChinenyeN:

Here's the problem (as I see it) with some of what you all keep saying. You either make things "this or that"; "one or the other"; or you completely gloss over [blanket] the entire situation, bringing local identities to a sub-par level (you may not think that's the case, but honestly, that's how it all comes out as). The Ika who choose to identify with other Igbo as "Igbo" have not ignored Ika. So you can't keep making comments like the bolded. The Ika who choose to identify as "Igbo" aren't simply "Igbo".

So, if anything, you could have said something along these lines: "let those who [b]also [/b]choose to identify as 'Igbo' be".

I'm sure Ika people have no problem with that. In fact, I don't believe anyone would be bothered by that. But your over-glossing/blanketing tendencies; relegating identities to the back burner, or even, off the stove entirely, perpetuates this issue.

Ika is to Igbo, what, say, the Yorkshire sub-culture is to England, only that the English have advanced to create a unified nation with a standard dialect. 90% of the English speaking world will not understand a Yorkshire accent (or unofficial dialect) just like 70% of the Igbo speaking world cannot understand the Ika dialect. Ika is Igbo, so an Ika person can be just Igbo. If you've made up your mind that the Igbo identity is that of the Anambra people, then you will not understand this. If you understand that Igbo is the root of all these Igbo cultures, then you wouldn't have a problem. And if we want to scrap that and say that an Igbo culture can't be just Igbo, then we have some heavy fragmenting to do, that is, all the way down to hamlet and compound identity, if you know what I mean.

*shrug* that's one way of looking at it.

ChinenyeN:

*shrug* that's one way of looking at it.

Do you think that Agbontaen is the spokesperson of Ndi Ika?.
Do you think it is not an insult to Igbo people of Ika extraction?.

Andre, I'm almost insulted that you even thought to ask such questions; almost. Anyway, my posts are largely general and don't refer to anyone specific, unless I explicitly state it as such. Also, I'm a neutral party in this discussion (seeing as to how I neither have any real attachments to the Ika nor pan-Igbo-ism), so I'll just be discussing with anyone who chooses to present himself or herself, regardless of who/what he/she is & which side he/she has polarized himself/herself to.

No Harm; No Fuss; No Offence Intended

ChinenyeN:

Andre, I'm almost insulted that you even thought to ask such questions; almost. Anyway, my posts are largely general and don't refer to anyone specific, unless I explicitly state it as such. Also, I'm a neutral party in this discussion (seeing as to how I neither have any real attachments to the Ika nor pan-Igbo-ism), so I'll just be discussing with anyone who chooses to present himself or herself, regardless of who/what he/she is & which side he/she has polarized himself/herself to.

No Harm; No Fuss; No Offence Intended

I only asked questions, if you have no answers, just overlook it and move on. Don't tell me you were almost insulted because of my question. All the time you ask questions in cultural section, do people tell you they were almost insulted by your question however silly some of them tend to appear?.

Well, the answer to one of your questions is in that response of mine, but I can answer them both directly though. No, I do not view Agbotaen as the/a spokesperson for/of Ika. Second question, I don't understand what you're getting at about insulting people of Ika extraction. Mind clarifying that for me?

Also, that part about me feeling insulted was an (apparently failed) attempt at some light sarcasm/humor; really not meant to be taken seriously.

ChinenyeN:

Well, the answer to one of your questions is in that response of mine, but I can answer them both directly though. No, I do not view Agbotaen as the/a spokesperson for/of Ika. Second question, I don't understand what you're getting at about insulting people of Ika extraction. Mind clarifying that for me?

Also, that part about me feeling insulted was an (apparently failed) attempt at some light sarcasm/humor; really not meant to be taken seriously.

At the bolded. The chap is always stating '' we are Ika not Igbo''.
Do you think the Igbo from Ika will not feel insulted?.

Why the Ika subgroup cannot be granted an ethnic status is because it is tantamount to cheating.If you grant the Ika full ethnic rights then what of the Abiriba,Arochukwu,Nkporo,Ndoki,Asa,Etche,Ukwuani,Anaedo,Oru,Isu,Ohafia,Igbere,Ibeku,Otanzu,Orsu,Ndoni,Ezza,Izzi,Ogba,Awka,Mgbo,Ehugbo,Egbema,Uratta,Enuani,Nri and hundreds of others?

Andre Uweh:

At the bolded. The chap is always stating '' we are Ika not Igbo''.
Do you think the Igbo from Ika will not feel insulted?.

I don't know. Some, maybe. . . I guess. .

Abagworo:

Why the Ika subgroup cannot be granted an ethnic status is because it is tantamount to cheating.If you grant the Ika full ethnic rights then what of the Abiriba, Arochukwu, Nkporo, Ndoki, Asa, Etche, Ukwuani, Anaedo, Oru, Isu, Ohafia, Igbere, Ibeku, Otanzu, Orsu, Ndoni, Ezza, Izzi, Ogba, Awka, Mgbo, Ehugbo, Egbema, Uratta, Enuani, Nri and hundreds of others?

. . . grant those hundreds of others full ethnic rights as well, I guess. . . or strip Ika of full ethnic rights and then grant each group semi-ethnic recognition. . . or (what seems to be the orthodox understanding) blanket every culture-group as "Igbo"; majority vote.

this internet group makes me laugh , some is talking about granting not granting ikas ethnic identity , do igbo people own nigeria ? what is the power of igbo in nigeria ? to grant ikas autonomy /the fact is that igbos have no such power and no ethnic group have power to grant any one ethnic autonomy , it is a people that grants themself that/ ikas have long been a seperate ethnic group .and we have our ethnic socio-cultural group called ogua ika and onu ika , it is headed by chief fortune ebie -the first nigerian director of survey ,after the british .former president nigerian institute of surveyors. a chief from agbor kingdom/ikas hold annual lecture and meetings in any ika community.this is the group that tells ikas what to do and all powerful people belong there.
i know most people claiming to be ikas on this net are not ikas and if they are ikas they should tell me their idumu ? ,their ogbe ? and their town ? and family ? and tell me a genealogy of their family and where they migrated from ?
so that i can ask them a few questions ?
well i am extremely proud of my being ika .and i am ready to defend my views and my peoples view , i am from owa kingdom and by reality we are one of the two most influencial ika communities as per population and political power and other influence . and i am well granded in ika history ,especially the history of owa, agbor,abavo,idumuesah.and igbanke areas as my ancestors founded towns in orhiowon in edo state like owa-iru,iguaza, obazagbonugu , owa-ikeke and others. and for those who want to know more about owa , visit the official website of owa kingdom www.ndiowa.com

@agbotaen.Nobody made mention of Igbos granting autonomy.The Nigerian state does not recognise Ika as a distinct ethnic group due to various reasons that has nothing to do with other Igbos.So don't be mad at your brothers.You know it is language that is the most important determinant of ethnic identity.Linguists did a serious study of Ika and various other dialects but could not establish any significant differences between them and the standardised Igbo.Hence their classification as just Igbo.Ekpeye was the only one that had linguistic difference but still shared similarity with Igbo and has Igbo as its base.Hence Ekpeye is classified as Igboid.Nobody can force you against your wish but at least you have to admit to the fact that your language is a version of Igbo.It is actually part of Enuani(northern) Igbo while the south is known as ukwuani.In my own dialect we call it ukwuali or eluali.The eastern Igbo is far more diverse in terms of number of subgroups but have since moved on and adopted a standardised version of Igbo.Some dialects have even gone extinct and embraced a more centralised Igbo.

This is a map of subgroups in parts of Abia and Akwaibom States.Ngwa is a large subgroup while Olokoro,Ndoki and others are small.Each of those groups speak their perculiar version of Igbo which also has sub-dialects.

Sometimes, anti Igbo campaigners posts are so laughable. The Obi of Owa was in London this summer and was visited by Igbo sons in London. The Obi does not go about denying Igbo but preaches for unity between Ndigbo and Nigeria. On several occassions, I have been tempted to post photographs am not suppose to post. Any one who wants to know if Ikas are Igbos and belong to Igbo organisations should attend this years Iwa Ji festival of Igbo Youths U.K.
Location: Monarch, Edmonton. Unit 7J Nobles Road, Eley Industrial Estate.
One of the cultural dance groups is even an IkaIgbo dance group. Date 16/10/10. (sat).
You are invited.

The Obi of Umunede( where agbotaen is from):

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrPMqV8bmKM&feature=related
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Breaking the Kola:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjfKSe3J8Xc&feature=related[/flash] Start from 2:50

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe0H07An264&feature=related
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[size=13pt]Breaking News!!![/size] Ikas have passed the Igbo test!!!!

My co-worker is from Ndokwa and fiercely proudly Igbo. Come and tell him he is not and you'll be replied with slap. I'm amused @ how Agbataen really thinks he should be taken seriously when majority of Anioma don't even share his views. If u aint then I must be a Mongol then. Another character stated that his Owa-Ika people have their own organization like as if Eastern southern Igbos don't have their own individual clan based groups too. Please go check Igbo organizations of Southern California and you'll see that its not only ur people wey get organization. Ikwerre, Ndoki, Ekwulobia,Amaobia, afikpo, etc all have groups that deal with their specific needs but that still doesn't qualify them as an ethnic group biko.

Andre Uweh:

Sometimes, anti Igbo campaigners posts are so laughable. The Obi of Owa was in London this summer and was visited by Igbo sons in London. The Obi does not go about denying Igbo but preaches for unity between Ndigbo and Nigeria. On several occassions, I have been tempted to post photographs am not suppose to post. Any one who wants to know if Ikas are Igbos and belong to Igbo organisations should attend this years Iwa Ji festival of Igbo Youths U.K. Location: Monarch, Edmonton. Unit 7J Nobles Road, Eley Industrial Estate.
One of the cultural dance groups is even an IkaIgbo dance group. Date 16/10/10. (sat).
You are invited.

@ Andre,

Is there a website for this and what time is the festival from?. . . I am thinking of taking my kids along, seeing that this is Black History month and this would most certainly give them a lot to talk about at school.

. . . found it. http://www.icsn.co.uk/content.php?cmd=gF&du=1&cID=71

@Beneli: You are highly welcomed.
The event starts from 6pm-12:30am.
The Hall can only contain 500 people but 700 are expected.
Please come on time.

^^^

We will come.

I am usually very punctual. . . i find the whole 'African time' thing a bit rude, actually!
I do hope that the festival is usually child-friendly and that kids - below the age of 7 years - attend. My kids wouldn't want to be the only ones of their age there!

beneli:

^^^

We will come.

I am usually very punctual. . . i find the whole 'African time' thing a bit rude, actually!
I do hope that the festival is usually child-friendly and that kids - below the age of 7 years - attend. My kids wouldn't want to be the only ones of their age there!

No problem with kids, the venue also has parking spaces.
The stage is set, however, the Igbo catholic union has offered their own Igbo dance instead of the usual Nmanwu. This will be decided this pm.
Surely, a lot to see. Hope you and kids enjoy it.

I have a simple question for Agbotaen and the rest.

In Ika what is "come"?

The Igbo Youths UK will also use this year's Iri Ji festival to introduce to the public our Igbo lesson centres in London.