The Nri civilization with its trade routes and the iron smiths are the most important agencies in the evolution of Igbo societies. But about the 15th century or thereabout, another influence originating from outside Igboland started affecting the trend of Igbo development. This is mostly from the expansion of Binin empire. Though the origin of Binin monarchy has been traced to the period about 1300. Probably, not untill the 15th century was that state transformed from a small kingdom into an agressively expansive empire. I think this change took place in the reign of Ewuare the great.
Under his command, the Benin armies extended their conquest beyond the Edo regions subjugating town and villages of Ekiti, Ikare Afenmai and the Western Igbo.

Despite the subjugation of Yoruba towns and villages, the Yorubas of Ekiti, Ikare etc are not in a hurry to give up their Yorubaness in place of Bini.

It would appear that from this time, Bini power became a factor of great consequence in the life of Western Igbo especially Ndi Ika. Unlike their Yoruba counterparts, some of them have unhelpfully jumped at having Binin ancestry and disclaiming Igbo.

I have a question that's been plaguing me. Hopefully, you dont take any offense.

WHAT DOES EKITI HAVE TO DO WITH IGBOLAND?

Why did I ask? I've been noticing that anytime there's anything Igbo, Ekiti state comes up Was there some kind of " colonial connection"?[not sure if thatz the right word]

Andre Uweh:

Despite the subjugation of Yoruba towns and villages, the Yorubas of Ekiti, Ikare etc are not in a hurry to give up their Yorubaness in place of Bini.

Aha, you got that right  


You're talking about 15th cent here. . . . do you actually mean Ondo or ETITI villages since Ekiti was not created at that time?

I will call this the most stupid thread on NL.

FL Gators:

I have a question that's been plaguing me. Hopefully, you dont take any offense.

WHAT DOES EKITI HAVE TO DO WITH IGBOLAND?

Why did I ask? I've been noticing that anytime there's anything Igbo, Ekiti state comes up Was there some kind of " colonial connection"?[not sure if thatz the right word]
Aha, you got that right 


You're talking about 15th cent here. . . . do you actually mean Ondo or ETITI villages since Ekiti was not created at that time?

  Under Ewuare the great, Benin empire extended westwards incorporating some villages and towns in modern day Ondo and Ekiti states. But the people of this areas are proud Yorubas. Binin empire extended to Igboland as well especially to Ikaland. But what you hear today is some people saying we are Bini and not Igbo. That is what am getting at.

Freiburger:

I will call this the most silly thread on NL.

You are not intelligent enough to be involved in this sort of advanced thread. As a result, f,u,c,k off and die.

Andre Uweh:

You are not intelligent enough to be involved in this sort of advanced thread. As a result, f,u,c,k off and die.

What do you call an advanced thread? Opps! i see, another advanced way of raising a biafran topic.silly losers .

The Binin political domination in the Ika Igbo area and other western Igbo areas had an impact on the social and political culture of these peopleIn this regions you will witness mini versions of Benin kingdom, court ceremonials and institutions, title systems and even political terminology were adopted or I will personally say imposed.

Freiburger:

What do you call an advanced thread? Opps! i see, another advanced way of raising a biafran topic.silly losers .

I have made more than 1000 posts on nairaland, you can not find any of my post glorifying Biafra. So you f.u.ck.ing retarded arsee wipee should go and hang.

This Bini influence went beyond the Niger to such riverine communities as Onitsha, Osomari and so on. This later Binin impact came to overlay the earlier Nri culture among the Ika Igbo etc.

Andre Uweh:

The Binin political domination in the Ika Igbo area and other western Igbo areas had an impact on the social and political culture of these people In this regions you will witness mini versions of Benin kingdom, court ceremonials and institutions, title systems and even political terminology were adopted or I will personally say imposed.

But you still call this place a western Igbo why not ignore or maybe disown them since their social and political culture has changed compared to how it suits you?

Freiburger:


But you still call this place a western Igbo why not ignore or maybe disown them since their social and political culture has changed compared to how it suits you?

Now I realise that you have not taking some pot. The emphasis is that there should not be Igbo denials. They are Igbo but the expansion of Benin impacted on their political and socio-cultural values. Regardless of Benin incursions in those regions they should be proud Igbo people . Remember, The Binin empire expanded westwards, and those Yoruba communities at the receiving end still maintain their Yoruba heritage. That is a lesson to learn .

As earlier stated, with the regard to Nri impact, the coming of Bini political and social culture, with its emphasis on centralised leadership, marked such a political revolution in Igbo life that it has survived in the traditions of many groups in the dramatic form bands of aristocratic Benin culture carriers who conquered the indigenous Igbo populations and imposed their rule.

This is what I should say of claims to Benin origin found in Ika Igbo. Even in non Igbo areas of Delta.

@Freiburger.i dont think andre did you any wrong.the bini influence and stories of bini ate deep into igboland but bini was only able to conquer agbo for a while after which they were repelled.there expansion was more westernly towards dahomey.most bini in igboland were peacefully assimilated as refugees or outcasts from bini kingdom.the children of ezechima dropped everything bini on arrival at agbo and adopted igbo as their new home.the recent claims of bini origin is unnecessary because all igbos have diverse origin,diverse culture and dialects.the maternal ownership of children practised in most of northern abia state is the same as nembe in bayelsa.the akapo and otiaba masquerade in orsu is thesame as ikwerre.the ekpe in abia is same as akwaibom.the owu masquarade practised in southern orlu is thesame in ekpeye and ijaw.the truth is that igbos were disorganised and stateless prior to the arrival of the whiteman who grouped them as same based mainly on language similarity.

why is it a big deal whether or not they choose to call themselves benin. do they speak igbo?
most ppl who claim yoruba are those who speak yoruba dialects and have close cultural ties with us. even as far as togo and the country of benin.
you can't claim some culture you don't associate with just because your great great great great great grand ancestors did.


from your post it seems ur claiming that igbo development is being retarded because these benin people are not claiming igbo. hahahah

oyinda.:

why is it a big deal whether or not they choose to call themselves benin. do they speak igbo?
most ppl who claim yoruba are those who speak yoruba dialects and have close cultural ties with us. even as far as togo and the country of benin.
you can't claim some culture you don't associate with just because your great great great great great grand ancestors did.


from your post it seems your claiming that igbo development is being retarded because these benin people are not claiming igbo. hahahah

@bolded.yes.

Abagworo:

@bolded.yes.

you of all people.i have never seen any edo indigene specifically benin man speaking igbo as his indigenious language.the major languages there are that of bini spoken by all binis,ishan spoken by the ishan even yoruba is the major language spoken by the igarra people of akoko-edo area of edo state.i have never seen igbo langauage spoken widely in benin,trust me about this.no hating

@bluetooth.the discussion is about igbos who claim benin origin.benin does not speak igbo.only igbanke in oriomhon lga speaks igbo in edo state.i have been there and heard there language.they use benin words for a lot of items but it is basically igbo.maybe 80%.

oyinda.:

why is it a big deal whether or not they choose to call themselves benin. do they speak igbo?
most ppl who claim yoruba are those who speak yoruba dialects and have close cultural ties with us. even as far as togo and the country of benin.
you can't claim some culture you don't associate with just because your great great great great great grand ancestors did.


from your post it seems your claiming that igbo development is being retarded because these benin people are not claiming igbo. hahahah

@Oyinda: My case study here is the Ika Igbo (not the entire Western Igbo). you asked if they speak Igbo, and the answer is yes. At the zenith of Benin kingdom, it expanded westward in to modern day Ekiti and Ondo even as far as Lagos. The communities affected by this westerly expansion maintain their Yoruba pride. The Benin empire at the same time expanded eastwards but some of the people from this eastward movement are quick to claim Binin and now just Ika.
Despite Binin influence, the Nri culture was not completely subjugated. The most evident of the Binin influence lies in the aristocratic beaurocracy and the hierachical systems that is still maintained till this date.

~Bluetooth:

you of all people.i have never seen any edo indigene specifically benin man speaking igbo as his indigenious language.the major languages there are that of bini spoken by all binis,ishan spoken by the ishan even yoruba is the major language spoken by the igarra people of akoko-edo area of edo state.i have never seen igbo langauage spoken widely in benin,trust me about this.no hating

The thread is not about Edo speaking Igbo. It is about the influence of Benin empire and her neighbours especially the Igbo. If you read my first post, it discussed the existing Nri (Igbo) culture that was prevalent in Igboland. Just as the white men brought changes in Africa upon arrival, same with the Binin on Ika Igbo. Today in IkaIgbo, what you have is an admixture of largely Nri culture and micro Binin culture.

As courteous igbo kinsmen, we must learn to pardon the unruly attitudes of our Yoruba folks lest we diminish the very essence of our cultural values-democratic freedom of speech for all.
They anxiously want to learn about us, but go about it in wrong measures.

Apart from Binin influence on Ndigbo, there was the Igala influence from the north-west direction of the Igbo area. The origin of the Idah kingdom has been traced to about 15th century. By the 17th century, it had become a great influence to reckon with in the north-western Igbo area. Among the Nsukka, there are traditions of series of Igala military actions on the area centred around a legendary figure called Onu Ojo Ogboni. This Igala influence led to a whole series of cultural borrowings by the Igbo, especially in vocabulary, titles and other social institutions like masquerades and facial marks. The Nsukka and Nike  areas of the northern Igbo , for instance, appropriated the Igala word ATAMA for their priests. The Nsukka also borrowed Igala titles to add to their earlier Nri system of Ozo and eze.
However, the impact ofthe Igala influence on Nsukka has not made some of them to twist their Igbo identity. It would have been insane for any of them to come up with ''am Igala not Igbo or am just Nsukka and no longer Igbo.  Another lesson to learn here by the Ika Igbo.

One characteristic of igbo psyche is tolerance for foreign cultures and a high tendency to assimilate them after a while, in constrast to the other aforementioned major ethnic group(s). This tendency in itself is not wrong. The problem, however, arises when it is done at the expense of one's own cultural identity. The western igbos, to some extent, seem to have fell into this situation of adopting foreign culture at the detriment of their traditional ways and identity.
Take the case of the transatlantic slave trade. Barbados and Haiti are renowned as enclaves of igbo slaves' descendants. But how much of their igbo identity was preserved? Not much to be desired. Even the revered deity Amadioha was forgotten.
Knowing our weakness, igbos must fight against this trend of adopting foreign customs at the cost of the beautiful identity bequeathed to us by our ancestors if we must avoid another Barbados/Haiti loss in identity and some igbo denials.

excanny:

One characteristic of igbo psyche is tolerance for foreign cultures and a high tendency to assimilate them after a while, in constrast to the other aforementioned major ethnic group(s).

if we go by all the igbo ethnocentrism that goes on here on nairaland as well as all this biafra talk. I don't see how this quote of urs hold.
or maybe it's just all "talk"

oyinda.:

if we go by all the igbo ethnocentrism that goes on here on nairaland as well as all this biafra talk. I don't see how this quote of urs hold.
or maybe it's just all "talk"

This particular thread does not fall into the category of those threads you mentioned. The enemies of Ndigbo have done all sorts of things to undermine the Igbo. They have even sold ideas to borderliene Igbo groups that has made them to question their roots. Hence all the wrongs has to be corrected.

In correcting the wrongs, a tradition has recently come to light that Chima, the legendary ancestor of the Onitsha people, who latter believed to have been a Benin refugee, was an Aro oracle agent and slave dealer. Chima is a name encountered mostly among the Aro.

Onitsha people know better now. To the current Obi of Onitsha, thanks for the wisdom and understanding. Igwe Achebe, Onye nwe anyi nonyere gi!Amen.

Andre Uweh:

In correcting the wrongs, a tradition has recently come to light that Chima, the legendary ancestor of the Onitsha people, who latter believed to have been a Benin refugee, was an Aro oracle agent and slave dealer. Chima is a name encountered mostly among the Aro.

there is an nri legend that tells of a traveller known as ezechime who went to benin as a high priest and later had problems with benin oba.after which he escaped with his family and migrated back towards the east trying to locate nri but could not.it is yet to be ascertained if he is thesame ezechime believed to have founded most onichas.

Abagworo:

there is an nri legend that tells of a traveller known as ezechime who went to benin as a high priest and later had problems with benin oba.after which he escaped with his family and migrated back towards the east trying to locate nri but could not.it is yet to be ascertained if he is thesame ezechime believed to have founded most onichas.

The above quote is very interesting. It is an established fact that Ezechime, Ezechima or Chima is an Igboman.
Recent researches on Onitsha has established a fact that Benin expansion and campaings eastwards were a matter of some demographic consequence for the Igbo, leading to a recoil of the population that was hitherto expanding westwards. The Onitsha were just elements of this Igbo population thrown back eastwards by Benin expansion.

This so called revelation about Ezechima is what I have always maintained and argued with my Onitsha friends any time they claimed Benin ancestry. It would not have been possible for a group of Benin people moving eastwards to completely loose their language in so short a time. Moreover, their leader's name before they left Benin was Ezechima ; a man with a proper Igbo name.