₦airaland Forum

Progress one step at a time. Anambra show us that you are the light of the nation.

Even though I understand how it happened, it still baffles me to wonder how a few hundred people were able to conquer millions. Maybe it's just the fact that these empires were in decline. I'm sure in their golden days they woulve been able to ward off any European attacks.

Like all African nations, Nigeria is an amalgamation of various ethnicities, peoples, nations, languages and cultures. But what caused the decline of our various kingdoms, confederacies and empires? What made it possible fore a few hundred Europeans to subjugate millions of people? Here is my hypothesis.

The Fulani
By the 1880s, the flame of religious fervor that had stirred the Fulani to conquest was in it's dying embers. By this time, challenges had arisen within the empire. Social problems were among the most prominent. By the end of the century, 1 in 3 people were slaves, and the minority Fulani population were ruling the majority Hausa vassals. As the years passed, unrest began to spread. Problems in centralization also arose and threatened the position of the Caliph of Sokoto as the sole ruler of the Empire. The Empire, which stretched from Illorin to Kano was governed by emirs who submitted to the supreme authority of the Caliph, but soon several of these emirates, including the emir of Argungu and the emir of Kano, rebelled against the Caliph. And to add to their problems, the French, by 1890, had begun supplying other rival kingdoms with firearms. By 1892 after a year of brutal warfare with the emir of Argungu, widespread unrest had yet again weakened the empire. The French then moved in and annexed Fulani lands to the north of Sokoto, in what is now Niger Republic. The British in turn made inroads into the Fulani lands to the South and by 1903, Kano and Sokoto had been sacked and the empire had fallen under British protection.

The Ijaws
The Ijaws were among the first to meet the Europeans. Since the 1500s, the Ijaw had been trading with Portuguese explorers and the Portuguese had set up a few trading posts on the coast. In trading cities, the Ijaw traded slaves, spices, ivory, and skins for European rum, firearms and cloth. As the years passed, the Europeans gained an interest in pushing into the hinterland but however, it was finally in 1895 after years of pitting the Ijaw clans among themselves that the British Royal Niger Company that the British were able to annex Ijaw land into the South Nigerian protectorate.

Igbos
Igboland had been fortunate enough to escape British Imperialism for several years after other parts of Nigeria had been conquered. The Igbo existed in the stretch of land that lay between the Edo and the Efik. The British had made several attempts to advance into the Igbo country but they were rebuffed by the Aro confederacy and it's allies to the south and the Aniocha communities to the West. Originally, the British traded palm oil, slaves, wine, fabrics and firearms with many Igbo groups but they grew anxious to tap into the vast wealth of the hinterland and destroy the Aro Ibini Ukpabi shrine which held a monopoly on the slave trade. In the late 1890s, after several failed attempts to end the slave trade, the British used it as an excuse and formally invaded the Igbo country. In the southern areas of what is now Rivers state, they had success and captured a few trading posts. The Aros, seeing this as a threat to their prosperity launched a series of attacks aimed at halting the British advance. The British themselves responded by launching an all out assault on Igbo communities allied with the Aros which ended in 1902 after a hundreds of  British soldiers and their allies defeated tens of thousands of Aro troops. The capture of Arochukwu signaled the opening of eastern Igboland to the British, however, the Western part still lay closed.
In the West, the Igbo had been engaged in warfare with the British since 1884. The Ekumeku movement, as it came to be called, was an attempt by several Igbo groups namely, Ukwunzu, Aniocha and others to dislodge the British from the area. However the war ended on 1914 after Asaba and other key cities were captured. By the end of 1915, the road into the Igbo heartland and the east were open. However it was not until 1920, after the Aba women's riot that the Igbo were firmly under Imperial British control.

Edo
Since the 1700s, the Edo empire was in steady decline. Many years of warefare with neighboring groups which coupled with the growing British presence forced the Oba to ban all trade with foreigners except with Palm oil. The British, seeking more and more of trade wealth of the empire launched an expedition in 1896 which ended in the sacking of Benin city, the exile of the Oba and the clearing of the path into the Midwest.

Yoruba (Oyo)
The Oyo empire, by the 19th century, had become a shadow of it's former self. The empire no longer ran as efficiently as it used to, and the swords of the warriors no longer seemed as sharp or dangerous as they were.
furthermore, to complicate the issue, the Oyo kingdom suffered years of internal unrest and political upheaval after Oba Biodun had been murdered by his son Awole. Awole proved to also be an in weak leader and he too was ousted from power in 1796 after various chain-revolts had started. A few years later, the Fulani waged war against the weak empire and captured Illorin and other Muslim Yoruba lands. After a series of weak leaders, the empire was on it's last legs by the late 1880s. Finally in 1888, Great Britain invaded and quickly annexed the Oyo empire which has fragmented into various feuding states. By 1896, the Oyo empire existed merely as a footnote in history and with it's collapse, the Yoruba heartland lay unprotected.


So to conclude, I find it amazing thata few hundred British troops were able to subjugate empires and nations all within the same time period. What went wrong?

Nabania! Anyi ga takwanu ife umunwanyi a!

The Christianization of the Igbos did not result in the conquest of Igboland. It's the other way around.

alj_harem:
they all not yoruba

liklly benin

They're all Edo. I remember seeing these pictures in a textbook.

What does me being a moderator have to do with my ability to partake in a peaceful discussion? That's what this forum is for. It is a place to discuss and spread knowledge about culture
Language or whatever it may be.

Anyway, coming from the guy who said that prior to 1910, Igbos were naked forest-dwellers, Your posts carry very little credibility. I've given you the truth whether or not you choose to believe it is up to you.

Eze Uche ikano ndu?

Have soups become that ancient that their origins are unknown?

Egusi is a type of melon. The soup is prepared using the melon seeds.
"Egusi soup is original to the Igbo people of South East Nigeria" http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/global/Global_Kitchen/EgusiSoup.asp

Okra soup is also Igbo. In fact the English word "Okra" was adopted from the Igbo "Okwuru".

Bitter leaf soup (aka Ofe Olugbu/Ofe Onugbu) is of Igbo origin.

Ogbono/Ogbolo originates from the Igbos and the Cross River peoples.

This does no seem as large as it is made to. Millions of people are still living, working and doing business in the North. If this story is true, the number wont exceed a few hundred or even thousand.

VoodooDoll:
What poor reporting, just sensationalist journalism.

No statistics, how many people (tens, hundreds, thousands)?

No pictures, no sense of the value of property or investments being left behind.

No information on the deaths suffered (number of south east people killed or attacked) by "Boko Haram"

No information on the value of property destroyed in the attacks.

The silly article does not even have a helpline number or South East Associations/groups for people "trapped" up North to call.  Or even a telephone number or contacts for returnees to the South East to contact.

Just silly, irresponsible and sensationalist reporting!

Resembles 1966 just without the genocide. See how history repeats itself?

Thread moved.

ChinenyeN:
Alright. So what does it matter what I prefer?

It doesn't.

ChinenyeN:
Alright. So now, this sentiment of yours, and I mean the whole this is 'Igboland' thing, existing as we are now, and subgroup and 'Igbo' being inseparable, etc. if it were your guess, how widespread do you think this sentiment is?

I don't know. As far as Im concerned that's one thing. But what I'm sure about is that the ones who think this way outnumber those who don't.

@Andre Uweh,

May yours be also.

As far as I'm concerned, I've yet to see any traditional attire on this thread. You're misunderstanding culture and fashion. Like I said, if you'd like to see the difference, refer to that video. It's an example of traditional attire- meaning attire our ancestors long ago wore.

I wouldn't suppose your ancestors wore gele headties, lace and etc.

Ileke-IdI:
PS: Fashion IS culture.

That's where you're mistaken. Fashion doesn't equal culture. Most of these things that youve displayed here are items of "Nigerian fashion" however they are not necessarily traditional attire.

Ileke-IdI:
It's okay to call it "fashion".

It's not American influence that the global world now wears jeans or shirt over jeans. It's fashion.

No, in fact, Americans culture influenced the entire world just because people wear jeans. See the reasoning of your logic? I guess also because people wear neckties it means that every culture in the world was influenced by Croatia.

Ileke-IdI:
Also, no one is claiming that Yorubas were not or are not being influenced by other culture.

I see a alot of acculturation between Binis and Yorubas, both influence each other.

However, the topic as of right now, is the Yoruba influence on Igbos.

Anybody is allowed to make another thread of another influence.

Believe it or not, I am yet to see Yoruba influence on Igbo culture. Attire (in the sort that has been posted on this thread) is not necessarily culture, rather it is "fashion".

Until Igbo people practice Yoruba marriage customs or answer Yoruba names, I can't say that theres any real influence on Yoruba on Igbo or vise versa. If you are serious about searching for real cultural influences groups have had upon each other, you'd look well before 1900.

Please refer to the video I posted above to see traditional Igbo clothing (especially on the women). I'm actuality, most of these things people wear today were not adorned by their ancestors 100 or even 200 years ago.

ChinenyeN:
1. How exactly are we now? How are we existing?
2. What exactly makes it inseparable for you? And why would you hope for me to share the same sentiment?

I sincerely hope I'm not bothering you with my questions. It's just that, you're one of only three people to ask me the kinds of questions you've asked and say the kinds of thins you've said to me, and I am very curious as to why, and also why it would matter what I think/prefer. So, please don't be bothered by my questions, and if you are and if you would like for me to no longer inquire, I'll understand. All you have to do is just say so.

Thank you.

1. We are existing now as a people. I can happily stay in Enugu and feel at home because I am in "Igboland" the land of the Igbos. Same way that I can also happily stay in Kwale or Owerre or Aba and feel at home because I am in the land of the Igbo people.

2. Honestly, I can't explain it to you. It's something internal. Something just shouldn't e endeavored.
You cant say a rotweiler is not a dog since a rotweiler is a type of dog. Neither can you say I am not an Igbo but this or that. Atleast that's the way it is in my head.

The reason I'm saying this is because that's the way i see things. You don't necessarily have to agree with me. We can't think of ourselves as different people because our unity is our strength and without that we are finished. Then again, Ngwa is large enough to be a large minority in Nigeria. But were I to choose a motto as yours, it would be "Igbom gadi ogha anwu".

I hope you see what I mean. Our people say "Ohabuike" and "Ezi na ulo owula kewara onweya n'egwu iliya"

Nnenna, thank you very much for uploading these films. I've been searching for living in bondage for a very long time!
By the way a Thread similar to this one already exists. It's called "Igbo Films". If you could post your films on that one, it would be nice

Here it is https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-792976.0.html

ChinenyeN:
Why?

I was hoping we you would prefer the Igbo nation as we are now. Naturally, it would seem wrong for us to exist any other way and it seems even worse when someone highlights our minute (even nearly nonexistent) differences and chooses them over our vast similarities.
What I'm saying is that I see my subgroup and Igbo as one and the same: inseparable. For example you cant be Aro without being Igbo nor can you be Ukwuani without being Igbo.

ChinenyeN:
Odumchi, I'm still waiting on your reply in the "Are Igbos Culturally Fused?" topic, or did you think my question wasn't serious?

Didn't even notice it. I'll reply soon.

To relieve the tension, how about a nice dose of culture?

[flash=400,400]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8UJU-v5GFo&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/flash]

Ezeagu you won't kill me!  

alj_harem:
Very very false and wrong

clothing was introduced to ghanaians by Fulanis

ashanti use to wear stone cloth back then and that was why they were the protective culture

LWKMD

Ileke-IdI:
Is language the barrier issue for your here?

Of course each tribe is going to have a different name for the same headtie.

Not asking for linguistic history here.

Thanks.


Back to the question: When did we start wearing flamboyant geles?

Ileke, gele is only relevant to Yoruba is what I'm trying to say. I don't know how I can be any clearer.

How about aku isi = Nigerian head tie. If they call it something different in your language ignore it?

What I'm trying to make you understand is that my interpretation if head-tie is different from yours. Gele does not equal aku isi. So all Nigerian head-ties cant be labeled as "gele" since they are various.
Like I said before, gele is a type of headtie so if you want to talk about Yoruba headties you can, but Nigerian headties in general is a whole other topic.

Ileke-IdI:
Gele = Nigerian headtie for now. If they call it sth diff in your language, ignore it and think Gele for now.

And are the designs on the gele Yoruba designs?

[img]http://2.bp..com/-Pwro-DlhAqw/Tn4LlnJDTBI/AAAAAAAAC2c/ud73f-ZnI5k/s1600/Atinuke-Osude-Weds-Gbeke-Solanke-August-2011-BellaNaija-007-399x600.jpg[/img]


[s]We should celebrate multiculralism, but that shouldnt stop us from knowing the source of his mixture. Inferiority display by NLers on here is not enough to stop me.
[/s]

Ileke-IdI:
Not talking about the invention of the head tie.
I'm more concern about the modern gele, the colorful full headtie.
It must have started somewhere.

Telling me where the textile was first used in Nigeria does not explain the modern style we have nowadays.

[img]http://3.bp..com/-PIGQP9aHqxY/Tkw210Qdp9I/AAAAAAAAAD4/RvjQJY1Hx74/s1600/Ade+Adetayo.png[/img]

"Gele" refers to Yoruba head-ties does it not?

Ileke-IdI:
PS: What happened to Crayola's pictures?

Anywaz, will keep renewing this thread until someone answers the gele question.

Am I the only one who wonders about it's origin?

Every culture has it's own form of head ties. No one culture invented the head-tie. That's like asking who invented the boat.

What did you ask?