₦airaland Forum

The Yorubas are a peace loving race, and other tribes in Nigeria equate that with cowardice. A tribe that created an empire so vast that it stretched as far as Togo couldn't have done it without a lion heart. To know more about the Yoruba, go read about Oyo Empire.


Even the Fulanis, who are laying claim to the whole Nigeria know from history that their invasion was impeded by the Yoruba. At the first invasion, the Fulanis had the upper hand because they had the advantage of fighting on horses while the Yorubas fought on foot. However, the surprised Yoruba learnt from that attack, and in their second attempt, the Fulanis were cut to size by the Ibadan army.


Despite the fact that the Ibadan army was warring on 3 major fronts. Holding Ibadan city against the Ẹgba, defending Modakeke against Ife and holding the Fulanis at bay in Offa and Ikirun, all at the same time, yet the Fulanis could not penetrate.


If the Yorubas had not stopped them at Offa, the Fulanis would have made great inroads into Nigeria. It was the Yoruba who kept the Fulani to the North.


The only reason why they were able to capture Ilorin was because Afonja had long dissociated himself from his own people, so when Ilorin was under attack, Afonja had no support from any of his kinsmen.


The Yoruba nation is a nation of gallant warriors, with a rich history of amazing military achievements. The Yorubas are no cowards.
Any race that can sustain a vast empire for a long period of time can only do so through military might and political genius. The British themselves knew this of the Yorubas. They handed Nigeria over to the Hausas, because they knew that with Yorubas at the helm of affairs, in no distance time, Nigeria will be a nation to reckon with among the nations.


The Yorubas were the fear of the British and not the Igbos. We are peace loving and hate shedding blood but when occasion calls for it, the Yorubas will rise gallantly to the occasion. Yoruba is never a coward and never shall be.

Shiver99:
It's when I read some Nairaland posts, I come to the conclusion that there are some folks here that are mentally ill.

First of all, why do none of you mentally-ill folks ever argue with the Senegalese or South sudanese when they say they have a lot of dark skinned people?
Why do you keep coming for igbos to try and dispute what even a blind man can see? What is it with light skin that makes folks like you tremble? It's so weird for an Igbo person to see posts like yours because lightskin is just something common they see everyday.

Anyways, the lightskin of Igbo people comes from an Ancient gene that is shared only with the Ibibio group. All other south south groups are known to be near jet black with some brown people in the mix unless they were known to be heavily admixed with Igbos/Ibibios in the past several centuries. For instance, compare the natives of Yenagoa to the heavily igbo/ibibio admixed people of okrika/kalabari and Bonny.

This unique gene is why you see several igbos with olive skin and hazel eyes, etc, ect as well as the famous golden skin that many non-igbo nigerians seem to covet. Don't hate. It's God that cause am.

BleedingPen:
https://igberetvnews.com/1356999/high-court-judge-faults-new-nysc-certificate-issued-gov-obaseki/

AreaFada2:
Davidnaze, gregyboy

These people say things the confirmed Olaudah's Igboness are correct, but when it comes to those that show Benin sovereignty over Igbo land, they say he was too young to know correctly.

But something interesting came up I think at number 4. It shows what we have always said that just 200 years ago, a single Igbo identity didn't exist. Same in Yorubaland. Whereas by 1470s, Europeans were already writing about Benin Empire, its powerful king and his dominance over huge parts over that part of West Africa. People can try to hide the truth, but truth is like pregnancy, you cannot hide it forever.

They Yorubas claim that a Benin man told Europeans that there was one powerful "Organe" inland. The believe that story, but not other written by Europeans. Why did the European not go to seek the socalled more powerful "Organe"?

Fact is in what is now Southern Nigeria, there were only small tribal chiefdoms. Both in Igbo & Yorubaland. Only Oyo later captured some other Yoruba chiefdoms. About 240 after Benin grew as an empire in 1440 AD.

RedboneSmith:
The funny thing here is that I even come from the so-called Western Igbo, where Benin's power was evident, and I am not denying the evidence of that power there. So when I say it did not reach the southeast that does not stem from any ethnocentric desire to deny Benin imperial might. It stems from the fact that the evidence for that might in the east is... NIL. We know the stories of Benin adventure in Akure, Owo, Lagos, Agbor, Ubulu-Uku. We know the names of the war generals and princes involved in the campaigns there. Where are the Benin-East stories? Who were the generals? Who were the princes? Conveniently forgotten? Or never happened? A 'historical reality' that only one writer, who said Benin and Ethiopia were neighbours, recorded?

While we are on the subject of Equiano sef, let it be remembered that some historians still make the case that his homeland was in Anioma. So, there. And at least one historian has argued that he was born in South Carolina.

A book can be excellent in some regard and still be inaccurate in other regards. In fact, this is true of all great books, and Equiano's book is no exception. Herodotus is the Father of History and his book is still widely praised by the same historians who will still tell you that some of what he wrote was hearsay or widely exaggerated.

RedboneSmith:
The funny thing here is that I even come from the so-called Western Igbo, where Benin's power was evident, and I am not denying the evidence of that power there. So when I say it did not reach the southeast that does not stem from any ethnocentric desire to deny Benin imperial might. It stems from the fact that the evidence for that might in the east is... NIL. We know the stories of Benin adventure in Akure, Owo, Lagos, Agbor, Ubulu-Uku. We know the names of the war generals and princes involved in the campaigns there. Where are the Benin-East stories? Who were the generals? Who were the princes? Conveniently forgotten? Or never happened? A 'historical reality' that only one writer, who said Benin and Ethiopia were neighbours, recorded?

While we are on the subject of Equiano sef, let it be remembered that some historians still make the case that his homeland was in Anioma. So, there. And at least one historian has argued that he was born in South Carolina.

A book can be excellent in some regard and still be inaccurate in other regards. In fact, this is true of all great books, and Equiano's book is no exception. Herodotus is the Father of History and his book is still widely praised by the same historians who will still tell you that some of what he wrote was hearsay or widely exaggerated.

Shiver99:
Nope, that never happened.
He was simply reciting the poor and crude knowledge of Africa that was prevalent in Europe then. From the perspective of Europeans then, the kingdom of Benin stretched all the way from western Nigeria to east Africa, neighbouring modern day Ethiopia. This was because these were the few Africans they had actually met.

Think of it this way, in the minds of Nigerians every Asian with slitted eyes and white skin is Chinese. Except this comes from generalisation and not just pure Ignorance like the Europeans . Asians reading historical Nigerian literature, if they didn't know their history, would assume every oriental Asian i.e Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Kazakhstan, were part of a secret ancient Chinese empire.

Olaudah made sure to clarify after saying that his town was under benin ; that he nor anybody he knew had ever heard of the benin empire in their lives.

RedboneSmith:
Aya Idu na Oba was fought by Anioma communities in Delta State. Agbor, Ubulu-Uku, the Umuezechime clans in Aniocha, Ibusa, etc. No Southeast community fought any Aya Idu na Oba. If you claim otherwise mention one SE town that fought any such war and back it up with references.

A Facebook post from an obscure unknown person ranting incoherently about Annunaki and Sumer and Atlantis is not a reference, sir. I can go on my Facebook wall this minute and type that my village warriors in Illah flew on tortoises to Mexico to help Emperor Montezuma fight the Spanish, and someone will share the link as evidence that it happened. Give me a proper reference from a reliable source. A link that mentions specific towns in the Southeast that went to war with Benin. This thing is not a reference.

RedboneSmith:
This is a lie. This is a very big lie; and it is very unneccessary. You didn't have to, just for the sake of an argument?

The only kingdom that the people in the East fought with was the Igala.

Kwon1999:
There are many places in Igboland that answer Isseke and Essaka.

The op should not have pinpoint the one in Anambra.

Don't jubiliate over a false information.

RedboneSmith:
You want to compare how a boy in today's Nigeria understands the world around him to how a boy in 18th century Nigeria understood the world around him?

Lol.

Equiano's reference to Benin in his book is propaganda for his audience. 18th century is not a long time ago. If Benin's political power extended to the SE in that century, traditions about it would have survived in both Benin and Igbo memory. That there is NO such traditions speaks volume.

In fact, when Onitsha was fleeing from Benin tyranny, they ran east. Why would someone fleeing from Benin power run to the southeast if Benin was also ruling there?

RedboneSmith:
Like I said, not everything in Equiano's book is correct. He also said Benin shared boundary with the Kingdom of Abyssinia in Ethiopia which is wrong.

As long as there are no traditions or other eye-witness written evidence that corroborates Equiano's Benin story, I'm going to wave it aside as yet another piece of incorrect information in his book.

Equiano was too young when he left Africa to understand the regional politics of his day outside his own small village, so everything he wrote on that topic is most likely to have been extremely derivative anyway.

Benin was the best known empire in his part of West Africa, so he simply attached his village to this well-known empire for the benefit of his white audience.

RedboneSmith:
Like I said, not everything in Equiano's book is correct. He also said Benin shared boundary with the Kingdom of Abyssinia in Ethiopia which is wrong.

As long as there are no traditions or other eye-witness written evidence that corroborates Equiano's Benin story, I'm going to wave it aside as yet another piece of incorrect information in his book.

Equiano was too young when he left Africa to understand the regional politics of his day outside his own small village, so everything he wrote on that topic is most likely to have been extremely derivative anyway.

RedboneSmith:
Then you'll have to come up with a good explanation as to why there is no mention of this rule at all in both Benin and southeast oral history, or in any of the records of history at our disposal.

AmuDimpka:
Benin that was so afraid that they built moat

LoL... Clown said Agbor isn't Igbo... Abeg argue with Wikipedia.... Go and argue with Ifeanyi Okowa

Osagyefo98:
LMAO.

You see why some narratives been pushed shouldn't be allowed to breathe.

Na so u want collect person land.

Osagyefo98:
So Asaba is Beninland?

Osagyefo98:
You see what I am saying here..

You are now infringing into Igboland..and feels you have the right.

Osagyefo98:
These are the kind of narratives am saying we must not allow it to breathe.

AmuDimpka:
Yes Igbo defeated them by Agbor in 18th century

Did that again in 1967... Back-to-back

RedboneSmith:
If across the Niger means Igbos in the Southeast, no. Never happened. Not everything in Equiano's book is true.

Osagyefo98:
Well if you are conversant on how country emerges this day then I will know I am right.

I said bini-igbo narrative must never be allowed to see the light of the day or breathe must at same time we must encourage the yorubas documented narrative....Get the point.


In consideration of new country, Edos falls rightly under Afenifere or oodua republic.

Get the point.

Osagyefo98:
How does this sound like common history to you?

Didn't British rule over Ghana?

there is no trace of common history between both unlike you will see between yorubas and Edos.

Osagyefo98:
@bolded is correct.
That's the only agenda and done in interest of ndigbo and emergence of future nation by grace.

Understand the game. Allowing bini-igbo narrative is not healthy based on projections and if such must be defeated it will through yorubas who acknowledges that binis are closely related to them.

Oduduwa remains the point and Oduduwa Republic. Understand the trajectory.

Osagyefo98:
Funny, I never compared edo to igbo because [b]no historical link to back it up [/b]so it is needless to even try such.

I only stated that aside features, edos and yorubas are closely and tightly related. Birds of same feathers.

AreaFada2:
You phrased your question wrongly.

It should be some Igbo look like Edo and some Yoruba look like Edo people too.

We the Edo have a long established empire that expanded westward and Eastward.

Whereas Igbo & Yoruba were a collection of small kingdoms and chiefdoms. Until Oyo grew around 1680s.

HERE ARE SOME IGBO WORDS IN OLAUDAH EQUIANO'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY BOOK.

Sources:
✓ THE LIFE OF OLAUDAH EQUIANO OR GUSTAVUS VASSA THE AFRICAN WRITTEN BY himself published in 1837.

It's important to note that the accounts of OLAUDAH EQUIANO'S childhood picture about the Igbo customs and manners dates back to his birth year (1745).

Here are some Igbo words in his book, if you have any please do contribute:


1. Essaka: Essaka is the anglicized form of the original Igbo word ISSEKE(a community located in Ihiala local government area, Anambra state). It seems Essaka(Isseke) was the birth place of Olaudah Equiano. Citing from page 9 of his autobiography:
"...This kingdom is divided into many provinces or districts : in one of the most remote and fertile of which, was born,
in the year 1745, situated 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..."


2. Embrenche: This is an anglicized form of the original Igbo word M[G]BURICHI(an act of facial scarification in Igboland which depicts -honour or Noble-). From his book on page 9;
"...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. This mark is conferred on the person entitled to it, by cutting the skin across at the top of the forehead, and drawing it down to the eye-brows : and while it is in this situation applying a warm hand, and rubbing it until it shrinks up into a thick weal across the lower part of the forehead..."



3. Eadas: This should be "Ede" in the Igbo language which means Cocoyam. From his book on page 13 and 42
"...Our vegetables are mostly plantains, eadas, yams, beans, and Indian corn...I shall therefore only observe, that in all the places where I was, the soil was exceedingly rich ; the pumpkins, eadas, plaintains, yams..."


4. Oye - Eboe: It's crystal clear that the Igbo word "Onye-Igbo/Ibo" was corrupted to "Oye-Eboe". Igbos who are from a particular district call other Igbos of other districts "Onye Igbo" if they don't know your name or your home town. And it's likely that the frequent usage of the term ONYE IGBO by Igbos made the Europeans to tag all Igbo speaking people as Igbo(NB- During the pre colonial times of the Igbos, no Igbo identified himself/herself as an Igbo person; they commonly identify themselves with the name of their districts like Isuama, Ohafia, Agbaja, Onitsha, Abor, Nri etc). From page 16;
"...These are sometimes visited by stout mahogany-colored men from the south-west of us: we call them Oye-Eboe, which term signifies red men living at a distance..."
–It is likely those mahogany stout men were Arochukwu men who dispersed in all IGBO areas for slaves–


5. Eboe- An anglicized form of "Igbo". From page 17;
"...The West India planters prefer the slaves of Benin or Eboe, to those of any other part of Guinea, for their hardiness, intelligence, integrity, and zeal..."
The Igbos during pre colonial era paid tributes to the Benin kingdom –which means they were subjects to the Oba of Benin–
"...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 chief or elders of the place..." - page 9


6. Olaudah- Olaudah is no form of anglicized Igbo word. Some Igbos still bear that archaic name as Olauda. OLA in the Igbo tongue means Wealth, riches etc and UDAH in the central Igbo/Isuama dialect means LOUD/CELEBRATED. I think if they (Ola+Udah meanings in Igbo) are juxtaposed with OLAUDAH'S narrative, they are related and close. From his book on page 23:
"...I was named Olaudah, which in our language signifies vicissitude, or fortunate ; also, one favored, and having a loud voice and well spoken..."

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..."


8. Ah-affoe: "Afor"(meaning year in the Igbo tongue) is same with Ah-affoe. It was just corrupted! Reference same as 7.

ayoola27:
Bro what's the name of ur article

TAO11:
Osarome..com

TAO12:
I appreciate your desperation as a Lagosian wanna-be.

But guess what, you've tried this screen-shot with me before, and I flogged you almost to death into seeing that it does not agree with the eye-witness account of Ulsheimer himself.

Your anonymous screenshot speaks of the 1603 conflict in Lagos as a Benin attempt to conquer, settle-in, and take Lagos.

Whereas, the 1603 eyewitness account of Ulsheimer himself shows that the Binis had settled in Lagos long, long before this 1603 conflict.

I am sorry to have broken your heart again on your last hope of becoming a Lagosian.