there's an okoro county in uganda, same way there's a king called oyo there.

lighten up people.

tpiah!:

there's an okoro county in uganda, same way there's a king called oyo there.

lighten up people.

I'm not surprised, actually. Okoro is such a basic, simple sounding word. Wouldn't be surprised if it was in some non-African languages (maybe some Asian languages).

PhysicsMHD:

1. The Binis, Urhobos, and Itsekiris did not have wars. Yes there was trade and intermarriage.

I included Igbos having wars with the other groups. I guess you missed that.

2. Peter Ekeh is Urhobo, not Isoko, and he was not at all one-sided toward disclaiming an Igbo origin for the names. In fact he actually posted the article because of a somewhat obnoxious Bini historian who claimed that all of Southern Nigeria got the word Okoro from the Binis, because Benin happened to have ruled all or parts of every group which happens to have the name. He was actually countering a Bini "overclaimer" and expressing his own knowledge of the word within his own culture, which he is familiar with. He is not an Igbo man, nor an Igbo scholar so there is no way he could go in depth about the significance and usage in all contexts and ramifications of Okoro to the Igbos.

I gave the 2 options that he's either Urhobo or Isoko. I also did mention that I could bet from my gut feelings that 'Okoro' is of Igbo origin. And I gave my reasons for feeling so. I need to really research that though.

3. Peter Ekeh is well aware that different groups in Urhoboland have different origin stories,  some of which include Igbo origins, so don't assume what he does or doesn't know about his own name.

I think I was a bit mistaken here. I thought he was arguing against the Igbo point of view.

PhysicsMHD:

A prominent Igbo of Sierra Leone:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilmot_Blyden_III


There are probably lots of other Sierra Leone Igbos without any name indicating that they are Igbo.

One of his kids is Edward Walter Babatunde Blyden. In this day, you'll think they are of Yoruba descent.

excanny:



I included Igbos having wars with the other groups. I guess you missed that.

Didn't miss it at all. There's no record of a war between Igbos and Itsekiri, Igbos and Urhobo, Igbos and Isoko, etc. so the overwhelming majority of your post was just wrong. If you want to say there were conflicts between Edos and Igbos in the past, that's a possibility. However rather than breaking it down to address every group, I just pointed out the most wrong aspect - the grouping of Urhobo, Itsekiri, and Benin like that as groups that warred with each other in the past.

 

I gave the 2 options that he's either Urhobo or Isoko. I also did mention that I could bet from my gut feelings that 'Okoro' is of Igbo origin. And I gave my reasons for feeling so. I need to really research that though.

Yeah, I was just saying which of the two he was. Gut feelings are just gut feelings. There is absolutely no evidence that the word itself is of only Igbo origin. All we know is that Igbos use the word in personal names (first, last, middle) more and there may be cultural or historical reasons for that.

I think I was a bit mistaken here. I thought he was arguing against the Igbo point of view.

I don't think you read the article. It's just about different southern Nigerian groups naturally sharing words and the word not being spread by the Benin empire's influence as claimed by one Bini "overclaimer", but existing among many groups naturally.

Obiagu1:

One of his kids is Edward Walter Babatunde Blyden. In this day, you'll think they are of Yoruba descent.

How do we know he is Igbo?

fstranger3:

How do we know he is Igbo?

His grandfather was Igbo.

"Edward Wilmot Blyden’s story is remarkable. He was born on August 3, 1832, in the Virgin Islands in the West Indies, a descendant of Ibo slaves from Nigeria. He was an extremely gifted student, and at age of eighteen, attempted to enroll at a theological college in the United States. Upon realising that their potential student was a black man, the college in North America out rightly rejected him. According to reports, at this time, slavery was still lawful in the USA and his brazen attempt to try to fight the ‘system’ subjected him to many frightening experiences. A few months after his attempt to enroll was rejected, one white man named Reverend Holden, who recognised the high intellect in Blyden, assisted Blyden to emigrate to Liberia. Blyden thus boarded a ship with the intention of building a new life for himself in Africa. This young man remained in Liberia for more than thirty years, rising gradually to the highest levels of Liberian society. During his Liberian career, Blyden was a Presbyterian minister, a newspaper editor, a professor of classics, President of Liberia College, Ambassador to Great Britain, Minister of the Interior, and Secretary of State. In 1885, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Presidency. It is reported that he lost the Liberian Presidential Elections by just a handful of votes. Fearing for his safety in light of his immense popularity which competed with the winner of the Presidential Elections, Blyden fled to Sierra Leone. He was already well known in Sierra Leone, where he had earlier spent two years (1871-73) as Government Agent to the Interior, leading two official expeditions — one to Falaba and another to Futa Jallon. Thus, it was easy for Blyden to become based permanently in Freetown. Blyden was in many ways a greater intellectual force in Sierra Leone than in Liberia.

However, in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the United States, Edward Wilmot Blyden was not without controversy. Infact, in some ways, the name Edward Blyden is synonymous with controversy. A brave and outspoken man who lived well before his time, Blyden did not allow the status quo to sway him from saying exactly what was on his mind. He was gifted with amazing oratoral skills which he would readily use to publicly make his points. Blyden believed that posterity would reward those who spoke with their conscience even if what was said was against powerful forces. Therefore, he traveled far and wide giving lectures and undertaking controversial actions. Naturally, for such a controversial figure who preached ideas that were way ahead of his time, he inspired mixed feelings in many. Some people hated him with a passion whilst others granted him near-messiah status. He had a deep conviction that men had a responsibility to future generations of the human race to always say and do what their conscience dictated as highlighted in the following words from him during a lecture he delivered to a jam packed church in Washington DC on one of several trips he made back to the USA from Africa:

"There is a talent entrusted to you. It is your duty to call into action the highest forms of your being. It does not matter what your calling may be - whether it be what men call menial or what the world calls honorable - whether it be to speak in the halls of Congress or to sweep out those halls - whether it be to wait upon others or to be waited on— it is the manner of using your faculties that will determine the result- that will determine your true influence in this world and your status in the world to come. Every one should do his part to advance humanity. Each should exert himself to be a helper in progress. Whatever your condition, you do occupy some room in the world; what are you doing to make return for the room you occupy? There are so many of our people who fail to realize their responsibility, who fail to hear the inspiring call of the past and the prophetic call of the future."

Here in Sierra Leone, Blyden stirred controversy and lively debate in the Krio community by opposing the indiscriminate emulation of European culture. He told the Krios that they were "de-Africanised," scolded them for holding themselves aloof from the people in the provinces, and advised them to remember always that "you are Africans." After the 1887 publication of his masterpiece, Christianity, Islam, and the Negro Race, some Krios under Blyden’s captivating influence began to adopt African names and even to emulate traditional African dress. Although earlier pictures of him (two are shown accompanying this feature) sport him with European outfits, in his latter days, he wore only African outfits. Blyden looked forward to the rise of an independent West African nation and he urged the British to allow Africans more autonomy in political and church matters, and argued against the imposition of European culture. As early as 1872, Blyden called for an independent West African University to be run solely by Africans, teaching African languages, cultures, and values. Blyden, though a Christian himself, viewed Muslims as more authentically African, and he urged the British authorities to involve Muslim Africans in their colonial enterprise. Blyden taught himself to speak Arabic, and maintained close relations for many years with the Muslim community in Freetown. In his later years, he was Director of Mohammedan Education in Sierra Leone. When Edward Wilmot Blyden died on February 7, 1912, his funeral was attended by many hundreds of people from throughout the Freetown community, including both Muslims, who bore the coffin, and his fellow Christians. In a further reflection of how the respect Blyden commanded cut across race and colour, his monument sitting in front of the Freetown City Council was erected by his European white friends whilst the marble stoned monument at his graveside was erected by his Muslim friends. Edward Wilmot Blyden is dead but as the Internet Search Engines reveal, thousands and thousands of later generations of black intellectuals, in Africa, America, Europe and beyond continue to look up to Edward Blyden for inspiration."


http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=3&num=148

fstranger3:

How do we know he is Igbo?

Whoops, I assumed Edward Wilmot Blyden (born in the Virgin Islands as the son of Igbo slaves http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=3&num=148) was his grandfather on his paternal side. That's actually not the case.


So unless his father was also Igbo, like his mother, he isn't necessarily Igbo. My mistake.

PhysicsHD:

Whoops, I assumed Edward Wilmot Blyden (born in the Virgin Islands as the son of Igbo slaves http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=3&num=148) was his grandfather on his paternal side. That's actually not the case.


So unless his father was also Igbo, like his mother, he isn't necessarily Igbo. My mistake.

I trust you. I know you made an honest mistake.


I doubt the Edward Wilmot Blyden III is Ibo. he actually doesnt look Ibo. I may be wrong though.

@ mukina, what ethnic group in Sierra Leone has the name Abioseh? (E.W.B III's middle name)

fstranger3:

I trust you. I know you made an honest mistake.


I doubt the Edward Wilmot Blyden III is Ibo. he actually doesnt look Ibo. I may be wrong though.

Yeah, the thing that tripped me up is that he took his famous grandfather's last name (maternal), over the last name of Taylor (paternal). I see why he would do it though. Edward Wilmot Blyden is a legend.

PhysicsHD:

@ mukina, what ethnic group in Sierra Leone has the name Abioseh? (E.W.B III's middle name)

Abioseh should be Oku what yoruba folks call Abiose

but i aint mukina

sbeezy8:

Abioseh should be Oku what yoruba folks call Abiose

but i aint mukina

Ah, thanks.


I guess the Blyden line became Yoruba, lol. Well it could become Temne, Mende, or Igbo in the future. Or stay Oku.

^^^

I was about to say that, but, I just didnt want to hump the gun.

PhysicsHD:


Ah, thanks.
I guess the Blyden line became Yoruba, lol. Well it could become Temne, Mende, or Igbo in the future. Or stay Oku.

yea das why i didnt really go into names. cause I kno lots of people from edo state who have yoruba grandmothers and mother who gave their first name as yoruba but they still call themselves bini, igarra etc. . . .

@ezeuche stop posting pics of MEN- youre gay. . . . .

http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Oluchi_Onweagba/OluchiOnweag_JMcCarth_6454785.jpg[/img]

igbo suppose to look like dis AFRICAN AS FUK!

sbeezy8:


@ezeuche stop posting pics of MEN- youre gay. . . . .

Helll no I aint gay. You lost your dammn mind?

We talking about Blyden who is a man right?  

EzeUche_:

And what is an African suppose to look like dumb arse? Self-hating bastarddd

I always said you hated yourself. Trying to claim you are fair. Probably bleaching your skin, kissed by the sun MOFO.

why would I bleach my skin. In every yoruba family - the family is either DARK or LIGHT or BROWN.

we dont have albino father , very dark son, brown skinned sister and and light skinned mother- what ur family probably looks like.

sbeezy8:

igbo folks have achievement and theyre aiight I guess- they just need to stop acting kinda desperate. really weird.

like tha artcle on the net flying aroung that[b] egbas are igbos[/b] I was like wtf ahahahahahaha LMFAO.

Ishaq D. Al-Sulaimani wrote that crap,
So, his name sound Igbo to you.

henry101:

Ishaq D. Al-Sulaimani wrote that crap,
So, his name sound Igbo to you.

his name sounds arabic/muslim.

does edward wilmot blyden sound igbo to you?

EzeUche_:

I had to laugh at this.

I'm not going to lie, I don't know why one family can have such a fluctuation in colors. My siblings are from dark brown to very light and we all have the same parents.

dont forget that albino papa of urs. , , , , , I have a number of half igbo cuzzins in my family none of which got our looks some are really dark and some brown.

Infact one would think because their dads are yoruba, they are dark but the real reason they are dark are because their ibo moms family members are in different colors from (BLACK to white i mean "albino". So we all know that the dark skinned gene they got was from their mother side not their dads. being that on their fathers side.

I said that my dads grandma was from Umuahia and was soo dark people used to comment cause it was unsual to see a light skinned mixed man with a dark wife.

sbeezy8:

yea das why i didnt really go into names. cause I kno lots of people from edo state who have yoruba grandmothers and mother who gave their first name as yoruba but they still call themselves bini, igarra etc. . . .

@ezeuche stop posting pics of MEN- youre gay. . . . .

There two Blydens Son and grandson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilmot_Blyden_III

http://www.sierra-leone.org/Heroes/heroes3.html

Edward Wilmot Blyden III(grandson)  lectured at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. He taught political science but left when the war broke out.
Nobody is claiming anybody. I think you all are trying to turn this to a tribal thing. All these are documented.
I actually have a Lloyd chidi Metzeger(sierra leonian)  as a friend, though I didnt ask ask him about his middle name.
Peace,

^^^

So because he lectured at Nsukka, that makes him Ibo?


Hmmm

sbeezy8:

his name sounds arabic/muslim.

does edward wilmot blyden sound igbo to you?

dont forget that albino papa of urs.  , , , , , I have a number of half igbo cuzzins in my family none of which got our looks some are really dark and some brown.

Infact one would think because their dads are yoruba, they are dark but the real reason they are dark are because their ibo moms family members are in different colors from (BLACK to white i mean  "albino". So we all know that the dark skinned gene they got was from their mother side not their dads. being that on their fathers side.

I said that my dads grandma was from Umuahia and was soo dark people used to comment cause it was unsual to see a light skinned mixed man with a dark wife.

My sister is light but I am dark skinned.
Mom's side is very light but dad's side is dark to brown.

fstranger3:

^^^

So because he lectured at Nsukka, that makes him Ibo?


Hmmm

Peace,

henry101:

My sister is light but I am dark skinned.
Mom's side is very light but dad's side is dark to brown.

it would be better if some igbo just said yea igbo people range in color instead of the ezeuches of igboland saying all igbos are light.

I have igbo fam and I kno that being all light skinned is far from the truth.

henry101:

There two Blydens Son and grandson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilmot_Blyden_III

http://www.sierra-leone.org/Heroes/heroes3.html

Edward Wilmot Blyden III(grandson)  lectured at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. He taught political science but left when the war broke out.
Nobody is claiming anybody. I think you all are trying to turn this to a tribal thing. All these are documented.
I actually have a Lloyd chidi Metzeger(sierra leonian)  as a friend, though I didnt ask ask him about his middle name.
Peace,

Nobody is turning anything into a tribal thing.

This thread was about what ethnic group Obi Metzeger and Ayo King from Sierra Leone are actually from. From there it branched on to other Sierra Leoneans and their actual ethnic groups (like the two former presidents of Sierra Leone that were brought up.) Nobody said E.W.B III didn't lecture at UNN.

like uduezes comment about what some "guy" said - "igbos in sierre leone are all light skinned and only marry light skinned"

when Edward Blyden was as black as coal HAHAHA



i wish i can reach through the computer and slap him

^^^

They just want to claim that unclaimable Salone

Igbo KwenU

Igbo Kwezonu!!

Igbo Kwenu Kwezonu!!!


They are all prolly looking for someone else to claim. Lemme help you a lil bit. . . hmm, what about OBJ?