I`m not disputing that @tipia but what was the nature of their trade. Certainly not slaves. And ofcourse i know there was internal slavery way back before the Europeans came. My grand father told me about slaves captured during war. But most of these slaves would never make it to the coast from the hinterlands because of the distance. So it is safe to say only slaves not very far from the cöast made it across the Atlantiç.

^what you need to look for are the slave routes in nigeria.

most of these are typically not known but many slaves were marched down to the coast via these places.



and yes, ijaws did capture some yoruba and vice versa.

So it is safe to say only slaves not very far from the cöast made it across the Atlantiç.

not very correct.

some nigerian slaves, for example, were marched from their villages in the hinterland, down to dahomey where they were either internally enslaved, killed or shipped abroad.

the northern fulani also captured slaves to sell to the europeans.

Are there any slave relics in Ijaw land like the one you find in Badagry or el mina castle?

i believe the ijaws were middlemen for the slavers.

so, they'd be acting mainly as the purchasing agents buying the slaves to resell them in the coastal areas.

slave relics would be found at the points of shipment abroad in that case.

Ijaw people are fishermen and had no business in trading of any kind. The only Ijaw man that got involved in merchandising was King Jaja of Opobo and he only traded in palm oil, rubber and the likes until he got greedy and promptly got expelled by the Europeans.

the slave trade contributed to the rise and growth of many of the most prominent ijaw towns.

the northerners shipped them slaves to trade with the europeans.

they [ijaws] in turn produced salt, etc for shipping north.

palm oil trading was introduced by the europeans to replace the revenue lost from abolition of the slave trade.

And point of correction. The dahomey kingdom was at a point an extentíöñ(Tsion) of the Oyo empire which means the paid homage and made allegiance to the Alafin of Oyo. In that sense it only makes sense that the Oyo empire would keep Dahomeian slaves and not vice versa. Dahomey kingdom only regained it`s freedom from the Alafin after the rest of the Yoruba states(hinterlands) üsurped it`s authority.
The Dahormey Kingdom was no match to the military prowess äñd po£ítíçä£ mäçhíñ€ry öf th€ Öyö.

dahomey captured slaves from yorubaland, with a large number from ogun.

but also further north to the oyo areas.

I do not disagree. It could have happened that Dahomeans attacked some yoruba towns a and villages but it wasn`t as if they constantly held yoruba slaves because at a point in history, Dahomey kingdom was subject to the Oyo empire because of it`s proximity.

^^they rebelled more after the collapse of oyo, and started attacking yoruba towns.


i think the fulani also shipped them some slaves.

fulani and/or some of those tribes around the northern areas.

I do not disagree. I could have happened that Dahomeans attacked some yoruba towna and villages but it wasn`t as if they constantly held yoruba slaves because at a point in history, Dahomey kingdom was subject to the Oyo empire because of it`s proximity. Even the Awori`s of today are migrants from Dahomey and they are presently located in various parts of Lagos and Ogun stat€. Infact, i am a blood relation of an Awori General(Balogun).
L

^^nothing you said contradicts what i typed.

But i`m not sure how the hausa/fulani`s came into the equation because they did their trade across the Sahara and very few slaves could have survived such long and harsh conditions by foot.

You have to note that Slave trade can be done in places where they have a recognised settlement not ppl just wandering in the bush

The SW and bini had empires, Calabar too had a settlement which was recognised and ppl can trade with

But i`m not sure how the hausa/fulani`s came into the equation because they did their trade across the Sahara

fulanis traded directly or indirectly with coastal europeans.

come though- hasnt all this been discussed previously on nl?

dayokanu: You have to note that Slave trade can be done in places where they have a recognised settlement not ppl just wandering in the bush

there were slave routes along the way.

slavers knew their routes- ordinary people didnt.

The SW and bini had empires, Calabar too had a settlement which was recognised and ppl can trade with

lagos, calabar, ilorin, etc were simply points at which slaves were gathered at the slave markets after being brought in from elsewhere.


the history of slavery in lagos is actually quite sad and not something people would like to know of.

in calabar, read of some slaves around the region who were brought to the slave market and after being freed or bought [cant remember which], couldnt recall where they were from, or their villages no longer existed, and so they stayed put in the area.

chipmunkey: But i`m not sure how the hausa/fulani`s came into the equation because they did their trade across the Sahara and very few slaves could have survived such long and harsh conditions by foot.

I don't know why you keep wasting your time by arguing with @tpia..

From the mid-nineteenth century, freed Yorùbá slaves started returning to Lagos in waves first from Brazil and then from Sierra Leone. In 1847, Oba Kòsókó of Lagos sent his close friend and adviser Chief Oshòdì Tápà to South America to invite slaves with Yorùbá ancestry to return home. The trip yielded results in 1851 when 130 expatriates arrived in Lagos. By 1861 when Lagos formally became a British colony, the number of returnees had risen to about 3,000. The Brazilian expatriates brought with them skills in masonry, carpentry, and tailoring, a strong Catholic faith, and extensive Portuguese cultural traits.

Sierra Leonean expatriates, or Saros, mainly of Ègbá origins in present-day Abéòkúta in Ògùn State of Nigeria, started returning to Lagos in trickles about 1838. The reigning Oba Kòsókó did very little to make them feel welcome, so it was not until 1852 after Oba Kòsókó had been deposed by the British and replaced by Oba Akíntóyè, that Saros returned to Lagos in large numbers. They numbered about 2,500 by 1861 and were granted land in a district on the island still known as Saro Town.
http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Lagos-History.html

^there's no need to get nasty, jeez.

if you dont understand my posts then waka pass.


if you're not aware dahomey enslaved yorubas then just say so.

The point i`m tryíñg (ong) to make is that onlÍy slaves captured and gathered a few hundred kilometers from the atlantic coast could have made it to the slave ports. It was simply not geographically possible to march slaves from the hinterlands of western or eastern Nigeria which is sometimes up to a thousand kilometers. Therefore slaves were only taken from Neighboring towns and víllages which is the present day Ogun, Oyo, Osun. Th€re were nö s£äveß fröm äñywh€r€ fürth€r tä£k mör€ öf Ígbö£äñd.

^^like i said, you're wrong.


you dont know of the history doesnt mean its not there.

if it wasnt possible to march thousands of kilometers then how did people travel in ancient times?

and btw- my posts arent referring to the previous argument about igbo slaves in lagos.

The Niger river and its offshoots were used for trading in precolonial times. There was nothing stopping Nupes, Igalas, and other people further inland from getting goods or people to the coast.

Bonny was also a major slave exporting center and some of the slaves sold there were from the hinterland.

It is virtually impossible to march them across several hundreds of kilometers shackled together without food and water.

PhysicsQED: The Niger river and its offshoots were used for trading in precolonial times. There was nothing stopping Nupes, Igalas, and other people further inland from getting goods or people to the coast.

Bonny was also a major slave exporting center and some of the slaves sold there were from the hinterland.

It is virtually impossible to march them across several hundreds of kilometers shackled together without food and water.

There were no igbo slaves, neither were there any slaves from the middle belt. (nupe, igala and wherever). Very few slaves were traded from bonny before the slave ships relocated to Lagos/badagry where there was a much larger supply.

chipmunkey: It is virtually impossible to march them across several hundreds of kilometers shackled together without food and water.It is virtually impossible to march them across several hundreds of kilometers shackled together without food and water.

and why would you assume they had no food or water?

these were purchased along the way if the slavers so desired.

You assuming that slave merchants would feed their slaves as they march to the coast shows that you have no idea what pains the slaves went through after being captured. FYI Most of them were whipped, maimed and killed on their way to the coast and they were not fed all through the journey. The only water they gave them was specially dug wells that contained concoctions they believed will make the slaves forget about their homes and past lives.

I'm not assuming anything -i' m telling you the actual accounts from the horses' mouths. Pardon the expression.

The slaves were sometimes given food and water during their trek to the coast. These were purchased from towns or villages along the slave routes. And neither does this mean they didnt experience what you described.

As per specially concocted wells and stuff like that- these would have been at the place of shipment, not before.


And, the brutality of the slavers would determine the condition and treatment of the slaves prior to arrival.

chipmunkey: Nobody says all the returned slaves were on Yoruba origin. From my knowlegbe. The biggest slave port was @ the El mina castle and it shipped mainly Ghanians of the Ashanti and Fante origin therefor€ some of them were probably returned to Freetown. It is however important to note that slaves of Yoruba extraction who were captured and sold into slavery not so long after it`s abolítion were able to find their way back home. And that included Bíßhop Äjäyí çröwth€r hím߀£f.def

What you say is correct.
Of all the "waves" of Africans shipped to America, the Yoruba were possibly the last. Soon after, slavery was abolished almost tod America. This factor was helpful to many Yoruba could return to their land. In the case of other ethnic groups, only the offspring was the first African slaves. That fact led to many preferred to stay in America.
We are dealing with an extremely delicate and sensitive issue.
My respects to all

tpia@:
dahomey captured slaves from yorubaland, with a large number from ogun.

but also further north to the oyo areas.

Dear friend:
It is my understanding that possibly one of the most decimated (depleted) Yoruba kingdoms was that of Keto (Ketu). Some reports indicate that almost was destroyed in its entirety. You (or another brother) some information about it?

chipmunkey: You assuming that slave merchants would feed their slaves as they march to the coast shows that you have no idea what pains the slaves went through after being captured. FYI Most of them were whipped, maimed and killed on their way to the coast and they were not fed all through the journey. The only water they gave them was specially dug wells that contained concoctions they believed will make the slaves forget about their homes and past lives.

Studies on the subject indicate that the main port of departure for African slaves to America was the Gulf of Benin from the XVI century. I lack data on the arrival of the different slaves to the Gulf, but (with respect to food and sanitary conditions) one of every three slaves shipped died on the trip, to a few hours to get there. The slaves who reached the target badly injured, or no chance of recovery, were abandoned on the beaches and eaten by wild dogs.
That statistic (1/3) was known to the slave.
My respects

Much respect to you Ptolomeus.. The subject of slavery in Africa and the history of the black race in General is of great importance to me and i think it should be for anyone who cares to know his history.
KETU as you have rightly mentioned was seriously affected by the slave trade as the Town was constantly raided. This further explains the point i mentioned earlier that only Towns and Villages close to the Atlantic coast suffered such raids and not the hinterlands.
Ketu was also part of the Dahomey Kingdom that paid allegiance and Royalties to the Alafin of Oyo. Up until today there are still Yoruba speaking people in the Republic of Benin and Togo.
History says that the Alake of Egbaland tried to Annexe Ketu and the rest of the Dahomey Kingdom after the collapse of the Oyo empire unsuccessfully.
This was why the Alake asked the British colonial masters to cut out KETU from yorubaland and hence ceded to the French.

Below is a map of the old west Africa and i have shaded and boxed in the areas affected by slavery. (approximately)