In another thread when you were asking about the Ijaws, I said there was no evidence that they were truly indigenous or aboriginal to all those places they were claiming more than other Nigerians.
The Isokos, like the Ibos, Ijaws, and Edos, are a Sudanese (not Bantu) people. Their original home was much farther north, in the Sudan. Presumably, at the time of Arab expansion some centuries ago, these Sudanese tribes were driven by the Arabs from their homes southward into the Equatorial Forest region. Arrived there, the strongest tribes seized the best country, and the weaker ones had to be content with what was left."
- "The Isoko Country, Southern Nigeria" Author(s): John W. Hubbard Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 77, No. 2 (Feb., 1931), pp. 110-120
I think the Niger Congo language speaking Africans did all come from the east and northeast (the "Sudan" (this is a larger area than the current country). Ijaws aren't aboriginals or indigenous. No Niger-Congo language speakers are indigenous or aboriginals to Nigeria or any countries to the West.
I do not believe this for one main reason. Many of the Niger-Congo groups were already in present day Nigeria, prior to the birth of Islam in 610 CE. And Islam did not arrive into Africa until 750 CE. The Arab conquest of the Sudan happened much later, because of the Nubian kingdoms prevented them from expanding into the interior of the continent.
That is why I do not believe that hypothesis.
I tend to believe that the Ijaws left the other Niger-Congo groups far earlier than the rest of the groups. And probably were pushed into the swamps, by the much larger groups such as the Igboid and Edoid speaking groups.
Or the other hypothesis that they arrived from the sea since they have an affinity for the sea.
"The Ijoid languages form a branch of the Niger-Congo family and are noted for their Subject Object Verb basic word order, which is otherwise an unusual feature in Niger-Congo[b], shared only by such distant branches as Mande and Dogon[/b]. Like Mande and Dogon, Ijoid lacks even traces of the noun class system considered characteristic of Niger-Congo, and so may have split early from that family."
Wherever Igbos were that was not in the U.S., they kept a piece of religion as well, so you all are not special. Obeah in Suriname, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Belize and other Caribbean countries.
And we still have people following the old ways. Our shrines are still active.
My Aro Brotha, Forget that your Aro-gundade war! Even the British had to sign yahoo-yahoo documents to stop us from fighting.
We thought the document was a surrender agreement for the Fulanis who were light skinned like Oyinbos.
And we did not have Tivs to fight Fulanis for us. We prosecuted our wars all by ourselves. Ask the Fulanis, their pipe-dream about getting to the sea stopped North of Odu'a country.
Oyinbos Could only take a few yorubas into slavery, it was not an error! You Can't keep scorpions in your pocket and go to sleep.
Even most of the ones they took were returned back to Freetown and badagry ASAP.
Ask me about the few ones that didnt come back, I'll tell you the havok they wrecked in the diaspora.
The Fulani would not have survived in our forest environment. What horses could they use against people who knew the forest and its secrets?
While most of the other groups were savanna people, the dark forest of Igboland were our home. Our ancestors followed the old gods who required retribution for the slaying of ONE member of the clan.
It took over 30 years for the Igbos to be pacified. One village at a time after the capitulation of the Aro Confederacy.
The onyeocha never ventured into Igboland until the early 1900s. They feared us, that is why they used intermediaries to come in contact with us.
The onyeocha pacified not through military conquest, but by their religion. A BIG distinction.
They called this Anglo-Benin conflict an expedition. But for the Aro, they called it a war. Worthy of we to be given that distinction, and also to be acknowledged for our martial prowess. We met them in battle and died fighting to protect Arochukwu.
Justcash: [b]Nigeria will never move forward till Nigerians accept the futility of forcing the co-existence of different nations in one ungovernable entity called Nigeria. Of what use is it to blindfold yourselves just because you don't want to see and believe how complicated and anti-developmental this British creation is, in the name of unreasonable agitation for "One Nigeria"? We keep fighting against each other politically, socially, religiously and economically, yet we expect some sort of magic to happen for Nigerian ethnic groups to hug themselves and move the country forward. Is it not glaring that for 50 years Nigerians have concentrated on fighting and trying to out do each other, than coming together to lift the country? People fail to see beyond their noses. We can make good use of this constant disunity among Nigerian ethnic groups by molding a new political atmosphere that will turn the hatred and strife to competition among the ethnic groups. Regional politics was more effective than this senseless unity in diversity that Nigeria is pretending to practice. One thing that the agitators for"One Nigeria" does not understand is that a crumbling house can only be stopped from crumbling if either a new one is built, or it is pulled down by the owner. If the owner of the house foolishly ties his eyes to pretend that his house is not crumbling, then the house will crumble on him while his eyes are tied. Quit pretending. Even If Nigeria remains this way in 100 years time, We will never ever move forward. In fact we are just 30 years behind developed nations now. By 100 years time, we will be 70 years behind the developed world. A na eji abali achu ewu di oji? Mba nu!!!![/b]
Nke a kwesiri ekwesi! Jide obi gi aka, ka madu ncha hu ezi okwu.
Kilode?!: See as Beaf and Chyz dey fight over Ikebe, SMH
Anyway, chyz, forget that your keku-magolo war
Ever heard of Ogbomoso and Ibadan warriors?
Ask the Fulanis about my warriors, we don't fight clans, we fight empires.
Fulani will never forget us. With all their fake horses and help from Saudi they still couldn't advance
Only if alh harem can negotiate better to save his people now.
I guess you haven't heard of the warriors from Eastern Igboland. Where the clans of the east took head-hunting to another level. And the skulls of our enemies were used to contain palm wine. Some may call that barbaric, but in war, anything goes.
And like I always say, it was the Aro Confederacy that were the last to fall and even have a war named after us. The Anglo-Aro war. What other group in Nigeria has that distinction?
The Kanuri did provide a stiff resistance to Uthman dan Fodio's jihad. And so did the Tiv. We Igbos should be thanking the Tiv for providing a bulwark against their raids.
eku_bear: On the real though, I wish we moved out of Yorubaland more frequently. I like Lagos wellu wellu, but Nigeria is a big country, many parts of it relatively underpopulated
Go forth and conquer!
That is what we Igbos are trying to do. Igboland is too small for our population. That is why we are spreading in all directions.
Not true. . . Self-immolation is a form of suicide, that is practiced in the Buddhist world and Islamic world. In the context of my culture, that still falls under suicide.
eku_bear: Who told you that? All of Nigeria is fair game.
I dey laugh. No one can pacify the Ijaws. The British failed, the defunct Eastern region tried to pacify them and now the Nigerian state is trying to do so now.
These people are the most warlike tribe that is present in Southern Nigeria.
I think some people need to remember there boundaries. Encroachment into East of the River Niger and Igbo communities that are present in the West will be resisted with full vigor!
TewMuch: All they have to do is infiltrate the place and have Yoruba's marry all 400,000 of them. Soon threads on nairaland will start popping up about the end of the Ijaw people.
Yorubas and their obsession with breeding people out of existence.
Kobojunkie: Well, the one thing we know is MEND never claimed to have any connections with Ibos or their past struggles with the Civil war. In the beginning, they claimed to be fighting for their people’s right to their resources ( again, nothing to do with some post war punishment), and though they continue to, they have not come out to say anything of fighting for Ibos or anything of the sort. I said to go down to ask the people themselves as they are the best to educate you on what they really fight for, instead of you believing you can link them simply because. I have never heard of such connection to MEND, NEVER!
[b]Isi na-awa m. [/b]Thank you for the circular argument.
naijaking1: Wondering why Igbos run the economy is like wondering why most NBA players are black. If you want the answer just stop by any roadside Igbo "businessman" and ask him or her much government help he's recieved so far. The answer will be "nothing". The Igbos have continued to survive in business despite getting only 20 pounds of their money back from Awolowo after the civil war. Maybe you can respond with some informed and educated reply.
Say what you like or dislike about Sani Abacha, but the man was a REAL man in which he would not allow anyone to push him around. Louis Farrakhan is correct in his assessment and he is known for telling it like it is. My SOLE problem with Louis Farrakhan is that I heard he played a role in the death of Malcolm X.
Katsumoto: Why don't you go and ask the people of Greece, Portugal, and Ireland if their lives are better or worse with SAP being implemented in their countries?
The implementation of SAP lowers the standard of living in any country. FACT
And we finally agree on something. Stick to economics and we shall become the best of friends.
Kobojunkie: I am not certain MEND will agree with you that there actions are in retaliation to some post war punishment. You may need to go down to the Niger delta area to ask the people themselves of this one.
Also, it also seems the groups you mentioned are themselves trying to section themselves away from the Ibo group, and other groups, when it comes to politics as well. I don't believe these people share the same dreams you do.
Who knows what MEND is fighting for these days? Do you know, because I would like to know who they are fighting for? I know they are not fighting for the Niger Delta as a whole, since MEND is perceived as an Ijaw group. And even Ijaws are questioning MEND, because many MEND's leaders have been bought off by the Nigerian government.
What do you mean I need to go down to the Niger Delta? I am from Port Harcourt, the most important city in the entire Niger Delta region.
And you mentioned those groups trying to section themselves away from the Igbo, who wouldn't? The Igbos are blamed for every social ill that impacts this nation and it doesn't take a rocket scientist realize that the Igbos have been marginalized in politics. Even Igbo sub-groups had to distance themselves from the wider Igbo as well.