As for Olaudah's original village, I personally think it should be found in present day Anioma. Although Catherine Acholonu did a brilliant research to discover his root to present day Ihiala with even family pictures that have close resemblance to him, I still think their might be some chance he's not the 'Isseke' in Ihiala. I'll have to research about the particular locations in Igboland where the Mgburuichi scarification was common. This will easily localize the exact place.
Then like other posters have commented, a 12 years old is hardly aware of the politics in his area including the geography. Benin didn't even have political control over all of Anioma talk more of crossing over Niger.

Yujin:
As for Olaudah's original village, I personally think it should be found in present day Anioma. Although Catherine Acholonu did a brilliant research to discover his root to present day Ihiala with even family pictures that have close resemblance to him, I still think their might be some chance he's not the 'Isseke' in Ihiala. I'll have to research about the particular locations in Igboland where the Mgburuichi scarification was common. This will easily localize the exact place.
[b]Then like other posters have commented, a 12 years old is hardly aware of the politics in his area including the geograph[/b]y. Benin didn't even have political control over all of Anioma talk more of crossing over Niger.

You underestimate the intelligence of many children.

80% of history of my dual roots, I knew before the age of 12. Including royal & imperial oral history. In those days, prayers at shrines may have ended with "oba ghatokpere, ki ade pe l'ori or the equivalent in Igboid language where Olauda was born and raised. Also stories about affiliation with Benin are not things beyond the comprehension of kids under 12. Having awareness of sovereignty of the Oba over areas in the West & East can't be that hard to know.

Yujin:
As for Olaudah's original village, I personally think it should be found in present day Anioma. Although Catherine Acholonu did a brilliant research to discover his root to present day Ihiala with even family pictures that have close resemblance to him, I still think their might be some chance he's not the 'Isseke' in Ihiala. I'll have to research about the particular locations in Igboland where the Mgburuichi scarification was common. This will easily localize the exact place.
[b]Then like other posters have commented, a 12 years old is hardly aware of the politics in his area including the geograph[/b]y. Benin didn't even have political control over all of Anioma talk more of crossing over Niger.

You underestimate the intelligence of many children.

80% of history of my dual roots, I knew before the age of 12. Including royal & imperial oral history. In those days, prayers at shrines may have ended with "oba ghatokpere, ki ade pe l'ori or the equivalent in Igboid language where Olauda was born and raised. Also stories about affiliation with Benin are not things beyond the comprehension of kids under 12. Having awareness of sovereignty of the Oba over areas in the West & East can't be that hard.

AreaFada2:


You underestimate the intelligence of many children.

80% of history of my dual roots, I knew before the age of 12. Including royal & imperial oral history. In those days, prayers at shrines may have ended with "oba ghatokpere, ki ade pe l'ori or the equivalent in Igboid language where Olauda was born and raised. Also stories about affiliation with Benin are not things beyond the comprehension of kids under 12. Having awareness of sovereignty of the Oba over areas in the West & East can't be that hard.

Certainly not in his days. We're talking about 300 years ago when communication and interaction was minimal. Stories of the might of the empire would have been widespread but a 12years boy of those days won't be able to tell for certain the political commitment of his village. Use your head. There's no record of benin activity close to the River. Their activity was mostly around the Ika and Aniocha north axis of Anioma.

Yujin:

Certainly not in his days. We're talking about 300 years ago when communication and interaction was minimal. Stories of the might of the empire would have been widespread but a 12years boy of those days won't be able to tell for certain the political commitment of his village. Use your head. There's no record of benin activity close to the River. Their activity was mostly around the Ika and Aniocha north axis of Anioma.

Lol. I guess Olaudah was far smarter than you are today. It takes an extra intelligent person to manage to buy his freedom in days many were afraid of how to survive on their own. About 100 years after Olaudah wrote, when slaves in America were finally freed, many remained with their former slave owners as workers.

Intelligence is from childhood.

Funny that everything about igboness Olaudah wrote are credible, but the mention of Benin makes him suddenly not smart enough at 12 to know.

You guys are very funny. You forget that Olaudah later traveled widely as a free man and slave abolitionist. He had the wherewithal to cross check his childhood memory and could have edited his book if it wasn't all correct.

AreaFada2:

Lol. I guess Olaudah was far smarter than you are today. It takes an extra intelligent person to manage to buy his freedom in days many were afraid of how to survive on their own. About 100 years after Olaudah wrote, when slaves in America were finally freed, many remained with their former slave owners as workers.
Intelligence is from childhood.

Funny that everything about igboness Olaudah wrote are credible, but the mention of Benin makes suddenly not smart enough at 12 to know.

You guys are very funny. You forget that Olaudah later travel widely as a free man and slave abolitionists. He had the wherewithal to cross check his childhood memory and could have edited his book if it wasn't all correct.

Of course Olaudah was a very intelligent man no doubt but geography is something that is learnt and not just thought out. Without well detailed maps, anyone could get lost.
The map of West Africa even at his time wasn't detailed so he couldn't even as an adult pinpoint exactly where was from.
Why am I even wasting my time on you? Ukwuanis in present day Anioma didn't have Benin political influence talk more of crossing the Niger. Aboh was a force to be reckoned with as at the time and you must get passed towns like Aboh on the western part or Onitsha, Nnewi and lots of other Igbo towns to get to Ihiala which shares boundary with present day Imo state. Do you see how improbable it is for Benin to have had any political influence on Isseke? You can check Google map to understand better. This is my last reply to you on this topic.

Yujin:

Of course Olaudah was a very intelligent man no doubt but geography is something that is learnt and not just thought out. Without well detailed maps, anyone could get lost.
The map of West Africa even at his time wasn't detailed so he couldn't even as an adult pinpoint exactly where was from.
Why am I even wasting my time on you? Ukwuanis in present day Anioma didn't have Benin political influence talk more of crossing the Niger. Aboh was a force to be reckoned with as at the time and you must get passed towns like Aboh on the western part or Onitsha, Nnewi and lots of other Igbo towns to get to Ihiala which shares boundary with present day Imo state. Do you see how improbable it is for Benin to have had any political influence on Isseke? You can check Google map to understand better. This is my last reply to you on this topic.

Just a question.. Will a 12 yrs old in your remote village know who his village head is? or if he is in Nigeria and who the president of his country is? even if he has never left his remote village he will still know these things.
The way some of you here reason is kind of shallow.. Why will a 12 yrs old not know where he is from, who his village leaders are or the system of governance that exists in his place?
Anyways Olaudah's father was a village leader so Olaudah will definitely know about the politics of his place and who their supreme leader was.. And since his father was a village leader he will definitely have heard from his father about other places and kingdoms and rulers.. Parents talk to their kids..

davidnazee:


Just a question.. Will a 12 yrs old in your remote village know who his village head is? or if he is in Nigeria and who the president of his country is? even if he has never left his remote village he will still know these things.
The way some of you here reason is kind of shallow.. Why will a 12 yrs old not know where he is from, who his village leaders are or the system of governance that exists in his place?
Anyways Olaudah's father was a village leader so Olaudah will definitely know about the politics of his place and who their supreme leader was.. And since his father was a village leader he will definitely have heard from his father about other places and kingdoms and rulers.. Parents talk to their kids..

As rightly pointed out by my forebears, many things written in that Olauda's book are not quite accurate because facts on the ground shows on the contrary. Show us remnants of Bini rule in Igbo land and we will end this argument.

IDENNAA:


As rightly pointed out by my forebears, many things written in that Olauda's book are not quite accurate because facts on the ground shows on the contrary. Show us remnants of Bini rule in Igbo land and we will end this argument.

Eastern Igbo or Western Igbo?

Yujin:
As for Olaudah's original village, I personally think it should be found in present day Anioma. Although Catherine Acholonu did a brilliant research to discover his root to present day Ihiala with even family pictures that have close resemblance to him, I still think their might be some chance he's not the 'Isseke' in Ihiala. I'll have to research about the particular locations in Igboland where the Mgburuichi scarification was common. This will easily localize the exact place.
Then like other posters have commented, a 12 years old is hardly aware of the politics in his area including the geography. Benin didn't even have political control over all of Anioma talk more of crossing over Niger.

It is highly debatable that you read Olaudah's book in details, for if you did you would rule out any possible Anioma origins of Olaudah. The only reference to Benin by him which makes you draw conclusion to his origins from Anioma is the fact that he cited 'Kingdom of Benin' as being the greater country within which his village, Essaka, was located in. My best guess here is that since Nigeria as a country was not in existence then and the Kingdom of Benin was the major influential area at that time closest enough to his village, he must have cited 'Kingdom of Benin' as a referential geographical marker to pinpoint the location of his village. He went on to say this:

This kingdom is divided into many provinces or districts: in one of the most remote and fertile of which, called Eboe, I was born, in the year 1745, in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka. The distance of this province from the capital of Benin and the sea coast must be very considerable; for I had never heard of white men or Europeans, nor of the sea: and our subjection to the king of Benin was little more than nominal; for every transaction of the government, as far as my slender observation extended, was conducted by the chiefs or elders of the place. The manners and government of a people who have little commerce with other countries are generally very simple; and the history of what passes in one family or village may serve as a specimen of a nation. My father was one of those elders or chiefs I have spoken of, and was styled Embrenche; a term, as I remember, importing the highest distinction, and signifying in our language a mark of grandeur.

@bold...clearly here, Olaudah confirmed that his very own village was located very far from the Bini kingdom and was barely under any Bini influence and his village elders primarily took care of the village affairs by themselves, which indicates a strong possible Isseke origin in the East, as they were hardly under any Bini influence.

Another pointer to Olaudah's possible origins is the dialect variant of Igbo he used, the word of interest here being 'mgburichi'/'mbrenche'. Ukwuani people primarily speak Enuani Igbo to a large extent, however, two things about the word, 'mbrenche' dismiss any likely Ukwuani origin: the 'r' factor and nasalized 'n' factor in this same word. The 'r' letter is mostly missing in Ukwuani/Enuani and is often replaced with 'l' instead. Any 'r' usage in Ukwuani is recent and as a result of Central Igbo influence. A well-known Ukwuani Igbo author confirms this about Ukwuani alphabet:

The diagraphs mm and nn are also superficial as they have the same sound as m and n respectively. As I pointed out in chapter one of my work, UKWUANI Proverbs as Treasure, p.8, “Some authors list R, MM and NN as part of Ukwuani alphabets. Ukwuani language does not have R, as all R sound is taken by the letter L sound. The R sound in the words “Obiaruku” and “Ekeruche” for instance is the product of Anglicization, the original spellings being “Obialuku” and “Ekeluche.” MM and NN are also not diagraphs.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/06/ukwuani-english-dictionary-salute-francis-omilis-intellectual-valour/

The second factor is the nasalized 'n' sound added by the author which indicated a nasalized pronunciation, a feature which is largely absent in Enuani Igbo. Southern Igbo people would pronounce 'ihe' more like 'ihne', ahuhu as 'ahnuhnu' etc. One marked difference between Enuani and Isu (I use this to refer to a collection of Southern Igbo dialects) dialects of Igbo is the obvious lack of nasal sounds in Enuani Igbo, but present in the latter.
'Mgburichi' is more commonly spoken in the southern Igbo areas and also around the Imo-Anambra border. Enuani people, including Ukwuani, would say 'Igbu Ichi' instead, not Mgburichi. 'Mgburichi'/'mgbulichi' in spoken form is largely absent in Enuani Igbo/Ukwuani. The border towns of Imo-Anambra tend to speak a mixture of 'Anambra' and 'Imo' Igbo. Isseke is located right at the Anambra-Imo border and their dialect till today, which is not Enuani, is a mixture of what we would consider 'Anambra' and 'Imo'. There is even a village called, 'Mgbirichi' in Ohaji Egbema LGA of Imo state. I often passed by this area when I served in Ohaji Egbema LGA during my service year many years ago and the natives even pronounce it 'mgbirinchi'!

Enuani Igbo would call year 'aro' and southern Igbo would say 'afo' or 'aho' but Olaudah called it 'afo' instead!

Given the absence of the modern Igbo orthography during his time, Olaudah developed his own Igbo writing system which he used consistently in his write up. Olaudah consistently used the letter 'e' to indicate the 'e' sound as in 'bee'. He spelt Bini as 'Benen', Igbo as 'Eboe', Mgburichi as 'mbrenche' etc. Olaudah used letter 'a' to indicate the 'a' sound (when he spelt 'ede' as 'eada') as in 'away' etc and used 'ah' (when he spelt 'afo' as 'ahfoe') to indicate the 'a' sound as in 'anti'. Going by these, 'Essaka' would clearly be 'Isseke'. 'Ashaka' in Anioma would most likely have been spelt by Olaudah as, 'ah-sha-cah', which clearly he did not spell that way.

Finally, after his capture Olaudah mentioned travelling extensively on land by foot for days/months, hardly meeting any river bodies until he got closer to Bonny where he was sold, strongly ruling out any western Igbo origins because Olaudah would have had to cross the river Niger to get on the eastern flank and continue his journey on land to Bonny. Looking at the map of Nigeria today, the journey from Isseke to Bonny is one primarily on land, devoid of any water bodies but a journey from Ukwuani to Bonny would initially entail crossing the River Niger/Niger Bridge/Ikpele mmili from Delta into Onitsha or by boat/ferry during Olaudah's time.

There's hardly any factual evidence left by Olaudah that points to a Western Igbo/Ukwuani origin or being from Ashaka, other than your personal nuances of 'wanting him to come from your side'. Personally, it does not matter to me where Olaudah came from, be it Ebonyi, Imo, or Delta. He was an Igbo and that is what's more important here. In the field of academia, we must be careful to not mix emotional desires with clearly laid-out facts.

Osagyefo98:



Happy that a little boy that his brain was still on formative stage wrote a book that the points raised can't be proved...

Such history doesn't exist and I have consistently said it here that Bini-Yoruba history remains the only sound and convincing history even to this day.

Hearing the stories, you will fully agree that these two people edo-yorubas are of same stock. Why because you don't look for points to prove such as many critical facts are there to prove it. ..The tundra, the oluseguns, the rotimis, the Obas etc are what is been shared by both that someone will have no doubt to agree...

All come to history with equity and fairness.

This is my own personal observation and I am not trying to claim Edo people as Igbo, but Edo people actually have more in common with Igbo than Yoruba, culturally and linguistically especially. The one major connection between Bini and Yoruba is the shared religion/religious gods. Linguistically and culturally, even physically looking, Edo peoples are more similar to Igbo. They use the 4 native Igbo market days, share similar names with Igbo (osakue/osakwe), and their Oba even uses 'uku'/'ukwu' in his royal title, which is the same as 'ukwu' in Igbo that means 'mighty'/'great'.

https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/275904/omo-noba-nedo-uku-akpolokpolo-ewuare-ii-advises-his-subj.html

Compare this Bini statement with Igbo:

Ogun ogha gbuwa eva (Ogun will kill you two)

Nsukka Igbo would be:

Ogun ga-egbu unu ebo

'v' and 'b' are interchangeable in Igbo language and a few Igbo dialects out there would say 'evo' instead of 'ebo'.

Once again, this is my own personal observation.

davidnazee:


Eastern Igbo or Western Igbo?

I am from Anambra.

I luckily found this post. I believe that for him to be sure of the influence of Benin, he must have been from the SS region which is why they referred to Aro people as Oye-Eboe.

Also his name should be seen as whole since surnames were not a thing in 1745.

Olaudah will probably be Olu-uda(loud voice ) Ekwuano. It also makes sense considering that as recent as 1920 , Igbos bore names markedly different from today. Eg Tabansi, Anuligo, Ayaezuba(Anyi-ezuba) .




My thoughts on Olaudah Equiano book

Nostradamus1:
I luckily found this post. I believe that for him to be sure of the influence of Benin, he must have been from the SS region which is why they referred to Aro people as Oye-Eboe.

Also his name should be seen as whole since surnames were not a thing in 1745.

Olaudah will probably be Olu-uda(loud voice ) Ekwuano. It also makes sense considering that as recent as 1920 , Igbos bore names markedly different from today. Eg Tabansi, Anuligo, Ayaezuba(Anyi-ezuba) .




My thoughts on Olaudah Equiano book

We need to correct this impression that the SS Igbo-speaking peoples were the only ones who referred to Igbo-speaking outsiders as 'onye Igbo'. Igbo-speaking people were doing that to other Igbo-speaking people inside the SE at the time. There is a town called Igbere in Abia State, and the name of the town is derived from the expression "Igbo erughi", meaning "the town the Igbo could not reach". And the Igbo in this instance were the Aro. The Aro and their Abam warriors had planned to invade Igbere (which was called Ebiri at the time). Igbere people were able to beat off the attack and prevent the Aro and Abam from taking their town. In memory of that triumph, they started calling themselves Igbo erughi (the Igbo couldn't reach us), shortened later to Igbere.

Also I will continue to take Equiano's reference to Benin in his book with a pinch of salt. If Equiano was writing from what he experienced within his homeland, I would expect him to refer to Benin by the name used among his people, which would be Idu or Ado. Benin people themselves did not even use Benin to describe themselves at the time, but used Edo. Nobody who was living in the Igbo-speaking areas in 1745 would have known Benin City by any other name except Idu or Ado. The fact that Equiano recorded "Benin" tells me he had been peeping into European accounts.

Then he went and wrote further that Benin was bordered on one side by the Kingdom of Abyssinia! Not only is that factually wrong, but no one in the rainforests of West Africa at the time knew about the existence of Abyssinia on the northeastern extremity of the African continent, least of all 12-year old Olaudah!

Olaudah presenting his village as belonging to a province of the great Benin Kingdom is a piece of romantic writing designed to capture the interest and imagination of his European audience. It shouldn't be taking seriously by anyone trying to use information presented in the book to pinpoint where in Igboland Olaudah came from.

RedboneSmith:


We need to correct this impression that the SS Igbo-speaking peoples were the only ones who referred to Igbo-speaking outsiders as 'onye Igbo'. Igbo-speaking people were doing that to other Igbo-speaking people inside the SE at the time. There is a town called Igbere in Abia State, and the name of the town is derived from the expression "Igbo erughi", meaning "the town the Igbo could not reach". And the Igbo in this instance were the Aro. The Aro and their Abam warriors had planned to invade Igbere (which was called Ebiri at the time). Igbere people were able to beat off the attack and prevent the Aro and Abam from taking their town. In memory of that triumph, they started calling themselves Igbo erughi (the Igbo couldn't reach us), shortened later to Igbere.

Also I will continue to take Equiano's reference to Benin in his book with a pinch of salt. If Equiano was writing from what he experienced within his homeland, I would expect him to refer to Benin by the name used among his people, which would be Idu or Ado. Benin people themselves did not even use Benin to describe themselves at the time, but used Edo. Nobody who was living in the Igbo-speaking areas in 1745 would have known Benin City by any other name except Idu or Ado. The fact that Equiano recorded "Benin" tells me he had been peeping into European accounts.

Then he went and wrote further that Benin was bordered on one side by the Kingdom of Abyssinia! Not only is that factually wrong, but no one in the rainforests of West Africa at the time knew about the existence of Abyssinia on the northeastern extremity of the African continent, least of all 12-year old Olaudah!

Olaudah presenting his village as belonging to a province of the great Benin Kingdom is a piece of romantic writing designed to capture the interest and imagination of his European audience. It shouldn't be taking seriously by anyone trying to use information presented in the book to pinpoint where in Igboland Olaudah came from.

Your post considered a lot of wrong variable to create a misguided narrative.


First, Olaudah pointed out that they(his community) referred to these visitors as Oye-Igbo. His community and his Esseke clan was not referred to as Oye-Igbo by the visitors (according to his written accounts). Infact, until the civil war, a lot of Onitsha residents claimed not to be Igbo(records and excerpts by Igbo writers).This is an important distinction. I will, however, avoid further debates on this particular area.I

Edo is a more recent term than Bini. Infact, no Bini person refers to himself as Edo. The term Bini was used long before the birth of Olaudah by its residents. This can be comfirmed by records(Bini, Yoruba and Portuguese). Your statement that nobody living in Igboland will refer to it as Bini is wrong. It is in the Bini records that a prince from somewhere around Onitsha once captured a Bini princesses.

How does Olaudah explain Bini geographic location to whites in the 18th century? By using bigger Landmarks. The Abyssinia.
At the point in review in history, the Bini was at the peak of its powers and Abyssinia was larger than was thought. The fact that Africans never produced accurate maps of Kingdoms doesn't mean that they might not have bordered each other. Again, this is a fault of available accurate data

Again as I have mentioned, several parts of SS and some parts of SE were at some point in the hands of Bini kingdom(Onitsha fell to the Binis). The influence of Bini is so powerful that Igbo language is classified together with Benin language by eminent scholars. Olaudah also pointed out that this influence was nominal which is accurate with today review of ancient Bini kingdom. The Bini kingdom never shared Their language, dressing and culture with the domains compared to other Kingdoms. However, certain attributes passed to this domains but the Binis had a Slavic complex.



There are legitimate questions to ask about Olaudah but not your points

Nostradamus1:
Your post considered a lot of wrong variable to create a misguided narrative.

Edo is a more recent term than Bini. Infact, no Bini person refers to himself as Edo. The term Bini was used long before the birth of Olaudah by its residents. This can be comfirmed by records(Bini, Yoruba and Portuguese). Your statement that nobody living in Igboland will refer to it as Bini is wrong. It is in the Bini records that a prince from somewhere around Onitsha once captured a Bini princesses.

You are obviously not familiar at all with Benin history and language. If you were, there is no way you would have said no Bini person refers to himself as Edo!

When a traditional Benin man or elder is speaking his language, you will not hear him refer to himself or his city as Benin or Bini; what you will hear is Edo. Benin is an exonym, i.e., a name given to them by outsiders. The word has no place in the Benin people's traditional group-consciousness and expression. That is why the Oba is referred to in their native language as Omonoba n'Edo, and not Omonoba ne Benin. That is why Benin people refer to themselves in their native language as Oviedo kpataki, and not Ovbibenin kpataki. When Jacob Egharevba first wrote his little book on Benin history, the first version was written in the native language, and he called it "Ekhere vb Itan Edo" and not "Ekhere vb Itan Benin". It was only when he produced the English translation that the word "Benin" appeared in the title, hence "A Short History of Benin". In short, Benin people generally tend to use the word "Benin" in instances where they are speaking English or Pidgin. In their native linguistic and cultural setting, it is Edo.

The Europeans picked up the word "Benin" from people OUTSIDE the city, probably the Itsekiri, whose traditional term for the Edo was Ubini, and that was the term they used in their documentations and it became current in the last century. Before then, nobody in the Edo- or Igbo-speaking areas would have known Benin as Bini. Olaudah picked up that name when he was already outside Africa, from books written by European explorers, slavers and geographers. The name that was used in his village was Idu!

I don't know what record you're referring to that talked about a prince from Onitsha capturing a Benin princess. Sounds to me like you're confusing Obi Olise of Ubulu-Ukwu with a prince of Onitsha. Anyway, whatever incidence you're referring to is not proof of Igbo people referring to Benin as Benin in the 18th century.

How does Olaudah explain Bini geographic location to whites in the 18th century? By using bigger Landmarks. The Abyssinia.
At the point in review in history, the Bini was at the peak of its powers and Abyssinia was larger than was thought. The fact that Africans never produced accurate maps of Kingdoms doesn't mean that they might not have bordered each other. Again, this is a fault of available accurate data.

If you have not read Olaudah's description of his African homeland, go and read it. The man was making references to places a 12-year old boy in an Igbo village in the 18th century could not possibly have known. Talking about Senegal and Angola, Benin and Abyssinia, and providing geographical details (in miles) about the extent of West Africa (Guinea, as he called it, and as Europeans called it at the time), and the distance (in miles) of different regions from the coast. You don't have to be very intelligent to know that he had relied heavily on existing European descriptions of Africa in painting this picture of his homeland. I'm taking that picture he painted with a huge grain of salt.

Again as I have mentioned, several parts of SS and some parts of SE were at some point in the hands of Bini kingdom(Onitsha fell to the Binis). The influence of Bini is so powerful that Igbo language is classified together with Benin language by eminent scholars. Olaudah also pointed out that this influence was nominal which is accurate with today review of ancient Bini kingdom. The Bini kingdom never shared Their language, dressing and culture with the domains compared to other Kingdoms. However, certain attributes passed to this domains but the Binis had a Slavic complex.

You cannot prove that any part of the SE was in the hands of Benin. No shred of evidence has surfaced of Benin armies fighting in any part of the SE, or of any SE people sending tribute or obtaining the ada sword from Benin. And Onitsha did not fall to the Bini! Why do I keep reading this? Are we reading the same traditions about Onitsha or is there a secret tradition that you people know of that I don't? According to the most pro-Bini version of Onitsha history, a Benin prince quarreled with a tyrannical Oba and after losing a battle to this Oba, he took his people and fled from the kingdom, crossed the Niger and established his own independent principality called Onitsha. Nothing in the traditions remotely suggest that this new principality was under the control of the Benin Kingdom from which its people are said to have actually FLED! How do you flee from someplace and still be under the place?! There was no tribute-paying, there was no receipt of the ada. In fact, Onitsha formed close dynastic ties with nearby Igala and with Nri, rather than with the rather distant Benin.

If a group of Nigerians got tired of the corrupt repressive government in Nigeria, and they japa'ed to an uninhabited island in the Pacific where they established a small independent state of their own, would you say the island and its new inhabitants were still under the control of the Nigerian government, or to use your word, that the island fell to Nigeria?

Igbo, Yoruba and Edo are all classified as closely related languages (YEAI), and this classification has nothing to do with the influence of Benin. Perhaps you need a crash course in Niger-Congo linguistics.

RedboneSmith:


You are obviously not familiar at all with Benin history and language. If you were, there is no way you would have said no Bini person refers to himself as Edo!

When a traditional Benin man or elder is speaking his language, you will not hear him refer to himself or his city as Benin or Bini; what you will hear is Edo. Benin is an exonym, i.e., a name given to them by outsiders. The word has no place in the Benin people's traditional group-consciousness and expression. That is why the Oba is referred to in their native language as Omonoba n'Edo, and not Omonoba ne Benin. That is why Benin people refer to themselves in their native language as Oviedo kpataki, and not Ovbibenin kpataki. When Jacob Egharevba first wrote his little book on Benin history, the first version was written in the native language, and he called it "Ekhere vb Itan Edo" and not "Ekhere vb Itan Benin". It was only when he produced the English translation that the word "Benin" appeared in the title, hence "A Short History of Benin". In short, Benin people generally tend to use the word "Benin" in instances where they are speaking English or Pidgin. In their native linguistic and cultural setting, it is Edo.

The Europeans picked up the word "Benin" from people OUTSIDE the city, probably the Itsekiri, whose traditional term for the Edo was Ubini, and that was the term they used in their documentations and it became current in the last century. Before then, nobody in the Edo- or Igbo-speaking areas would have known Benin as Bini. Olaudah picked up that name when he was already outside Africa, from books written by European explorers, slavers and geographers. The name that was used in his village was Idu!

I don't know what record you're referring to that talked about a prince from Onitsha capturing a Benin princess. Sounds to me like you're confusing Obi Olise of Ubulu-Ukwu with a prince of Onitsha. Anyway, whatever incidence you're referring to is not proof of Igbo people referring to Benin as Benin in the 18th century.


If you have not read Olaudah's description of his African homeland, go and read it. The man was making references to places a 12-year old boy in an Igbo village in the 18th century could not possibly have known. Talking about Senegal and Angola, Benin and Abyssinia, and providing geographical details (in miles) about the extent of West Africa (Guinea, as he called it, and as Europeans called it at the time), and the distance (in miles) of different regions from the coast. You don't have to be very intelligent to know that he had relied heavily on existing European descriptions of Africa in painting this picture of his homeland. I'm taking that picture he painted with a huge grain of salt.



You cannot prove that any part of the SE was in the hands of Benin. No shred of evidence has surfaced of Benin armies fighting in any part of the SE, or of any SE people sending tribute or obtaining the ada sword from Benin. And Onitsha did not fall to the Bini! Why do I keep reading this? Are we reading the same traditions about Onitsha or is there a secret tradition that you people know of that I don't? According to the most pro-Bini version of Onitsha history, a Benin prince quarreled with a tyrannical Oba and after losing a battle to this Oba, he took his people and fled from the kingdom, crossed the Niger and established his own independent principality called Onitsha. Nothing in the traditions remotely suggest that this new principality was under the control of the Benin Kingdom from which its people are said to have actually FLED! How do you flee from someplace and still be under the place?! There was no tribute-paying, there was no receipt of the ada. In fact, Onitsha formed close dynastic ties with nearby Igala and with Nri, rather than with the rather distant Benin.

If a group of Nigerians got tired of the corrupt repressive government in Nigeria, and they japa'ed to an uninhabited island in the Pacific where they established a small independent state of their own, would you say the island and its new inhabitants were still under the control of the Nigerian government, or to use your word, that the island fell to Nigeria?

Igbo, Yoruba and Edo are all classified as closely related languages (YEAI), and this classification has nothing to do with the influence of Benin. Perhaps you need a crash course in Niger-Congo linguistics.

For you to understand my points, you have to understand that there are 2 types of history: Modern and Ancient.

In modern times, changes have been wrought to nearly all Nigerian cultures. Bini got its name from its earliest period according to a big school of historians. The Yoruba prince who founded the current Eweka dynasty referred to this kingdom as ile- Ubini (meaning vexation) circa 13th century.Before then, it was simply known as Igodomigo and were rued by the Ogisos


The Portuguese made there appearance under the reign of Oba Ozolua(will confirm) circa 15th century and corrupted the name to Bini. This was a good 250+ years before the birth of Olaudah. Importantly, the capital was known as Edo as can be confirmed by both visitors and Oral traditional.


Even the Yorubas were referring to this kingdom as Ubinu. How can you then say that they weren't know as bini kingdom?

RedboneSmith:


You are obviously not familiar at all with Benin history and language. If you were, there is no way you would have said no Bini person refers to himself as Edo!

When a traditional Benin man or elder is speaking his language, you will not hear him refer to himself or his city as Benin or Bini; what you will hear is Edo. Benin is an exonym, i.e., a name given to them by outsiders. The word has no place in the Benin people's traditional group-consciousness and expression. That is why the Oba is referred to in their native language as Omonoba n'Edo, and not Omonoba ne Benin. That is why Benin people refer to themselves in their native language as Oviedo kpataki, and not Ovbibenin kpataki. When Jacob Egharevba first wrote his little book on Benin history, the first version was written in the native language, and he called it "Ekhere vb Itan Edo" and not "Ekhere vb Itan Benin". It was only when he produced the English translation that the word "Benin" appeared in the title, hence "A Short History of Benin". In short, Benin people generally tend to use the word "Benin" in instances where they are speaking English or Pidgin. In their native linguistic and cultural setting, it is Edo.

The Europeans picked up the word "Benin" from people OUTSIDE the city, probably the Itsekiri, whose traditional term for the Edo was Ubini, and that was the term they used in their documentations and it became current in the last century. Before then, nobody in the Edo- or Igbo-speaking areas would have known Benin as Bini. Olaudah picked up that name when he was already outside Africa, from books written by European explorers, slavers and geographers. The name that was used in his village was Idu!

I don't know what record you're referring to that talked about a prince from Onitsha capturing a Benin princess. Sounds to me like you're confusing Obi Olise of Ubulu-Ukwu with a prince of Onitsha. Anyway, whatever incidence you're referring to is not proof of Igbo people referring to Benin as Benin in the 18th century.


If you have not read Olaudah's description of his African homeland, go and read it. The man was making references to places a 12-year old boy in an Igbo village in the 18th century could not possibly have known. Talking about Senegal and Angola, Benin and Abyssinia, and providing geographical details (in miles) about the extent of West Africa (Guinea, as he called it, and as Europeans called it at the time), and the distance (in miles) of different regions from the coast. You don't have to be very intelligent to know that he had relied heavily on existing European descriptions of Africa in painting this picture of his homeland. I'm taking that picture he painted with a huge grain of salt.



You cannot prove that any part of the SE was in the hands of Benin. No shred of evidence has surfaced of Benin armies fighting in any part of the SE, or of any SE people sending tribute or obtaining the ada sword from Benin. And Onitsha did not fall to the Bini! Why do I keep reading this? Are we reading the same traditions about Onitsha or is there a secret tradition that you people know of that I don't? According to the most pro-Bini version of Onitsha history, a Benin prince quarreled with a tyrannical Oba and after losing a battle to this Oba, he took his people and fled from the kingdom, crossed the Niger and established his own independent principality called Onitsha. Nothing in the traditions remotely suggest that this new principality was under the control of the Benin Kingdom from which its people are said to have actually FLED! How do you flee from someplace and still be under the place?! There was no tribute-paying, there was no receipt of the ada. In fact, Onitsha formed close dynastic ties with nearby Igala and with Nri, rather than with the rather distant Benin.

If a group of Nigerians got tired of the corrupt repressive government in Nigeria, and they japa'ed to an uninhabited island in the Pacific where they established a small independent state of their own, would you say the island and its new inhabitants were still under the control of the Nigerian government, or to use your word, that the island fell to Nigeria?

Igbo, Yoruba and Edo are all classified as closely related languages (YEAI), and this classification has nothing to do with the influence of Benin. Perhaps you need a crash course in Niger-Congo linguistics.

You are right about the prince being The Obi of Ubulu- Uku.

Regarding the Abyssinian connection, I believe you missed my point. At that point, Olaudah was europeanized but was he factually wrong? I don't have access to the relevant data.

In the twilight of the 18th century, there were very few Kingdoms that could have been used as a marker for the kingdom of Benin. Dahomey was dead, Oyo was weak.

It is pertinent to note that Olaudah wrote his book for Europeans. He knew his village was nominally under The Bini kingdom.He has probably heard enough about this Bini from the Aros who were at the peak of their economic power. He saw an European map with Bini kingdom marked and the closest big enough kingdom was this Abyssinia. It is normal to use it as a marker.

RedboneSmith:


You are obviously not familiar at all with Benin history and language. If you were, there is no way you would have said no Bini person refers to himself as Edo!

When a traditional Benin man or elder is speaking his language, you will not hear him refer to himself or his city as Benin or Bini; what you will hear is Edo. Benin is an exonym, i.e., a name given to them by outsiders. The word has no place in the Benin people's traditional group-consciousness and expression. That is why the Oba is referred to in their native language as Omonoba n'Edo, and not Omonoba ne Benin. That is why Benin people refer to themselves in their native language as Oviedo kpataki, and not Ovbibenin kpataki. When Jacob Egharevba first wrote his little book on Benin history, the first version was written in the native language, and he called it "Ekhere vb Itan Edo" and not "Ekhere vb Itan Benin". It was only when he produced the English translation that the word "Benin" appeared in the title, hence "A Short History of Benin". In short, Benin people generally tend to use the word "Benin" in instances where they are speaking English or Pidgin. In their native linguistic and cultural setting, it is Edo.

.

you are probably the most intelligent non-Bini nairalander on Bini matters

Sir I want you to help me do something, according to this article, page 23 the population of Benin city according to the 2006 census was stated to be 1,346,703 but what is on the wikipedia page is starkly different and wrong with no source whatsoever. I don't know if you can help me create a link for the page 23 and add it to wikipedia while we modify the numbers there according to this source or you teach me how to do it.

Samuk
Dancebreaker
Gregyboy
Thebadpolitican
Edeyoung
Automaticmotors
Davidnazee


This is the name of the article

Assessing residents satisfaction with planning and neighborhood facilities of some public housing estates in Benin city Nigeria

by
kingsley Okechukwu Dimuna
department of Architecture, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma Nigeria.

Abiodun Olukayode Olotuah
Department of Architecture
Federal University of Technology, Akure



This is a link where you can download this article

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330876121_Assessing_Residents%27_Satisfaction_with_Planning_and_Neighbourhood_Facilities_of_Some_Public_Housing_Estates_in_Benin_City_Nigeria&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjSgbeLl83_AhXcQUEAHZCIB8kQFnoECAgQAg&usg=AOvVaw1rzl4y11L5JRisFOHac3rX

Ologbo147:
you are probably the most intelligent non-Bini nairalander on Bini matters

Sir I want you to help me do something, according to this article, page 23 the population of Benin city according to the 2006 census was stated to be 1,346,703 but what is on the wikipedia page is starkly different and wrong with no source whatsoever. I don't know if you can help me create a link for the page 23 and add it to wikipedia while we modify the numbers there according to this source or you teach me how to do it.

This is the name of the article

Assessing residents satisfaction with planning and neighborhood facilities of some public housing estates in Benin city Nigeria

by
kingsley Okechukwu Dimuna
department of Architecture, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma Nigeria.

Abiodun Olukayode Olotuah
Department of Architecture
Federal University of Technology, Akure



This is a link where you can download this article

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330876121_Assessing_Residents%27_Satisfaction_with_Planning_and_Neighbourhood_Facilities_of_Some_Public_Housing_Estates_in_Benin_City_Nigeria&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjSgbeLl83_AhXcQUEAHZCIB8kQFnoECAgQAg&usg=AOvVaw1rzl4y11L5JRisFOHac3rX

Hey,
I must confess that I don't quite know how to modify Wikipedia articles to add links and stuff. I'm hoping a more competent Nairalander sees this and helps you out. Cheers.

RedboneSmith:


Hey,
I must confess that I don't quite know how to modify Wikipedia articles to add links and stuff. I'm hoping a more competent Nairalander sees this and helps you out. Cheers.

oh okay

RedboneSmith:


We need to correct this impression that the SS Igbo-speaking peoples were the only ones who referred to Igbo-speaking outsiders as 'onye Igbo'. Igbo-speaking people were doing that to other Igbo-speaking people inside the SE at the time. There is a town called Igbere in Abia State, and the name of the town is derived from the expression "Igbo erughi", meaning "the town the Igbo could not reach". And the Igbo in this instance were the Aro. The Aro and their Abam warriors had planned to invade Igbere (which was called Ebiri at the time). Igbere people were able to beat off the attack and prevent the Aro and Abam from taking their town. In memory of that triumph, they started calling themselves Igbo erughi (the Igbo couldn't reach us), shortened later to Igbere.

Also I will continue to take Equiano's reference to Benin in his book with a pinch of salt. If Equiano was writing from what he experienced within his homeland, I would expect him to refer to Benin by the name used among his people, which would be Idu or Ado. Benin people themselves did not even use Benin to describe themselves at the time, but used Edo. Nobody who was living in the Igbo-speaking areas in 1745 would have known Benin City by any other name except Idu or Ado. The fact that Equiano recorded "Benin" tells me he had been peeping into European accounts.

Then he went and wrote further that Benin was bordered on one side by the Kingdom of Abyssinia! Not only is that factually wrong, but no one in the rainforests of West Africa at the time knew about the existence of Abyssinia on the northeastern extremity of the African continent, least of all 12-year old Olaudah!

Olaudah presenting his village as belonging to a province of the great Benin Kingdom is a piece of romantic writing designed to capture the interest and imagination of his European audience. It shouldn't be taking seriously by anyone trying to use information presented in the book to pinpoint where in Igboland Olaudah came from.

Nice one.

In addition to this, Nigeria and several African countries did not exist at that time, thus the nearest major landmark to his village to give readers an idea of where his village was located would have been the Bini empire/kingdom.

davidnazee:


It’s in recorded history bro, if you research you will find.
The first educated Igbo man, Olaudah Equiano born 1725, wrote in his book about his birth place in present day Anambra state and said they were ruled by the Benin Kingdom and subjects to the Oba of Benin.

Lol. If it suits their narrative then Equiano was correct but if it doesn't suite their revisionist ethno-nationalistic propaganda, they say he left too young to know exactly.

Some world people nor dey even use sense spread lie.

My thoughts on the following quote:

7. Ah Affoe Way Cah: It's a corruption of the Igbo words "Afor Nwoke"(pronounced Ah-for Wo Keh). Afor means a lot in Igbo - Year, Stomach, name of a market day -. Nwoke simply means man.
Page 24, "...They calculated our time, and foretold events, as their name imported, for we called them Ah-affoe way-cah, which signifies calculators or yearly men, our year being called Ah-affoe..."

Ah Affoe Way Cah

Ah Affoe =>Oke Afor => Yearly Man
Nwa Afor => Son of the Soil
OR
Ah Affoe => Aha Afor => Name the Year
=> Namer of the Year
(like the Chinese do e.g. Year of the Dragon)



Way Cah => Nwa Eke => Son of God,
The Creator
(Eke Kere Uwa => God Who Created The Earth)
OR
Way Cah => Wu Nka => Is This

Therefore,

Ah Affoe Way Cah
=> Yearly Man, Son of God, The Creator
OR
=> Son of the Soil, Son of God, The Creator
OR
=> ...THE NAME OF THE YEAR IS THIS...
=> ...THE NAME OF THIS YEAR IS...

Compare also with

1 Chronicles 12:32 (KJV) And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

Postscript

Finally, the following just might be the correct translation of [7]

Ah Affoe Way Cah => A ha afor, enwe nka
=>
when they calculate|compute|describe|share the year, we shall have long life

AGAIN

Essaka=>Isseke =>Issachar-tribe of Yearly men
=> Issachar is a progenitor of this lineage?

bigfrancis21:


It is highly debatable that you read Olaudah's book in details, for if you did you would rule out any possible Anioma origins of Olaudah. The only reference to Benin by him which makes you draw conclusion to his origins from Anioma is the fact that he cited 'Kingdom of Benin' as being the greater country within which his village, Essaka, was located in. My best guess here is that since Nigeria as a country was not in existence then and the Kingdom of Benin was the major influential area at that time closest enough to his village, he must have cited 'Kingdom of Benin' as a referential geographical marker to pinpoint the location of his village. He went on to say this:

@bold...clearly here, Olaudah confirmed that his very own village was located very far from the Bini kingdom and was barely under any Bini influence and his village elders primarily took care of the village affairs by themselves, which indicates a strong possible Isseke origin in the East, as they were hardly under any Bini influence.

Another pointer to Olaudah's possible origins is the dialect variant of Igbo he used, the word of interest here being 'mgburichi'/'mbrenche'. Ukwuani people primarily speak Enuani Igbo to a large extent, however, two things about the word, 'mbrenche' dismiss any likely Ukwuani origin: the 'r' factor and nasalized 'n' factor in this same word. The 'r' letter is mostly missing in Ukwuani/Enuani and is often replaced with 'l' instead. Any 'r' usage in Ukwuani is recent and as a result of Central Igbo influence. A well-known Ukwuani Igbo author confirms this about Ukwuani alphabet:



The second factor is the nasalized 'n' sound added by the author which indicated a nasalized pronunciation, a feature which is largely absent in Enuani Igbo. Southern Igbo people would pronounce 'ihe' more like 'ihne', ahuhu as 'ahnuhnu' etc. One marked difference between Enuani and Isu (I use this to refer to a collection of Southern Igbo dialects) dialects of Igbo is the obvious lack of nasal sounds in Enuani Igbo, but present in the latter.
'Mgburichi' is more commonly spoken in the southern Igbo areas and also around the Imo-Anambra border. Enuani people, including Ukwuani, would say 'Igbu Ichi' instead, not Mgburichi. 'Mgburichi'/'mgbulichi' in spoken form is largely absent in Enuani Igbo/Ukwuani. The border towns of Imo-Anambra tend to speak a mixture of 'Anambra' and 'Imo' Igbo. Isseke is located right at the Anambra-Imo border and their dialect till today, which is not Enuani, is a mixture of what we would consider 'Anambra' and 'Imo'. There is even a village called, 'Mgbirichi' in Ohaji Egbema LGA of Imo state. I often passed by this area when I served in Ohaji Egbema LGA during my service year many years ago and the natives even pronounce it 'mgbirinchi'!

Enuani Igbo would call year 'aro' and southern Igbo would say 'afo' or 'aho' but Olaudah called it 'afo' instead!

Given the absence of the modern Igbo orthography during his time, Olaudah developed his own Igbo writing system which he used consistently in his write up. Olaudah consistently used the letter 'e' to indicate the 'e' sound as in 'bee'. He spelt Bini as 'Benen', Igbo as 'Eboe', Mgburichi as 'mbrenche' etc. Olaudah used letter 'a' to indicate the 'a' sound (when he spelt 'ede' as 'eada') as in 'away' etc and used 'ah' (when he spelt 'afo' as 'ahfoe') to indicate the 'a' sound as in 'anti'. Going by these, 'Essaka' would clearly be 'Isseke'. 'Ashaka' in Anioma would most likely have been spelt by Olaudah as, 'ah-sha-cah', which clearly he did not spell that way.

Finally, after his capture Olaudah mentioned travelling extensively on land by foot for days/months, hardly meeting any river bodies until he got closer to Bonny where he was sold, strongly ruling out any western Igbo origins because Olaudah would have had to cross the river Niger to get on the eastern flank and continue his journey on land to Bonny. Looking at the map of Nigeria today, the journey from Isseke to Bonny is one primarily on land, devoid of any water bodies but a journey from Ukwuani to Bonny would initially entail crossing the River Niger/Niger Bridge/Ikpele mmili from Delta into Onitsha or by boat/ferry during Olaudah's time.

There's hardly any factual evidence left by Olaudah that points to a Western Igbo/Ukwuani origin or being from Ashaka, other than your personal nuances of 'wanting him to come from your side'. Personally, it does not matter to me where Olaudah came from, be it Ebonyi, Imo, or Delta. He was an Igbo and that is what's more important here. In the field of academia, we must be careful to not mix emotional desires with clearly laid-out facts.

Nicely put.