₦airaland Forum

ScamHunter:
I just love this. Just check those names and compare with what we bear these days. My first ancestor with English name also had Igbo name, Ejiemeni. I've not even heard that name any other place in Ala Igbo.

Yes, their names were peculiar. Sometimes when written I can't even tell the meaning.

BKayy:
That brings me to the question one elder asked one man quoting history of others that they come from one place or the other but maintained his own clan didn't come from any place.
It goes this way "onwe onye akọ na ala o puo Ome?" meaning, "is there anybody that was planted on the land and he germinated?"

What you just described is your people's modern history. I won't like to go deeper but one thing you have to keep in mind is that any history of a particular place in Igboland that starts with the man marrying one wife is a lie.

You insult others when you say their history is a lie. And by extension, with your logic all Igbo history is a lie.

ScamHunter:
Unless you're claiming that our ancestor lied. Before the whiteman came, Ndigbo or Ndi gboo had clear oral tradition that was passed from generation to generation. Father to children. This is what we are talking about not some research. For instance, if you go to my village, every knowledgeable person will give you the same history. Compare to Konta Kinte of Roots that his American descendants traced their ancestry to the Gambia using exactly the same family tree. If it is not applicable in your part of Igbo, do not think that this oral tradition died off in all Ala Igbo.

I have an idea of what he's saying. What he is talking about goes beyond Eri. Your ancestors did not lie at all. Their accounts are in order.

BKayy:
No doubt, there is always a first.
But there is a high chance that names we know today are not actually the first or even humans.
Most are a reference, probably to what the place or people are known for (attitude or otherwise) eg Obi Ekwensu, Nkerehi, Ámá enyi, ogbu n'abalị in Ikwerre Rivers state Etc.
All these things you see on Wikipedia or one old man will wake up and start counting imaginary children of one mystical man as the founders of the community is fallacy.

Igboland has been in continuous inhabitation for thousands of years. Carbon dating of things excavated from there confirms it.

The Funniest ones are those that quote 15 century, 16 etc on their town and ascribe it to a mystical founder but can't explain why there are towns with related names in their zone.

When we are ready to be truthful to ourselves, we will come to the understanding that Eri is not the founder of Igbo. He is an Igbo man like everybody else.

Culture, Customs and Language is not something that be formed in an instant but evolves to attain climax after hundreds or thousands or years. That climax is what we call distinct ethnicity. No matter how much you try to erode it, it will still miraculously survive because it took time to be formed.
Igbo is one of it. Probably the oldest in Nigeria.

Ancient Igbo people the whites met placed little importance in it because like they told the whites "Igbo dị omimi" Meaning "Igbo is a mystery"
Then the whites saw it as lack of Knowledge but today they no longer classify towns or ascribe their history to a particular man if it was not recorded and if it is will be noted that it was just the name.

I know what you are talking about. You see, in my findings I have discovered that what we know as Igbo today was not Igbo like this thousands of years ago. In fact back then it wasn't Igbo, but a lot of it has been carried over to this later time, including language and some hardcore traditional African beliefs. Before Igbo we know now, there was a prehistoric time of existence of the people (perhaps this is where Igbo di omimi comes in). This prehistoric people were likely related by blood to the Yoruba, the Akans, Ewe, Ejagham etc etc eons ago. I called this years ago on this nairaland, a SUPER RACE.

Eri, in my knowledge and understanding was the first "Igbo" to be. Igbo here, describes the people as we know today. The coming of Eri and his group marked the closing of another previous age. This prehistoric people before Eri were not wholesomely "Igbo" as we know today and as you said may not even be wholly human. Hence this is the reason the Igbo history today begins with Eri. Not that culture did not exist before he came. There was culture. But that culture was not wholesomely "Igbo" as we know today. The coming of Eri marked a new beginning. That is it.

michelz:
How was this done? Oral or written? From Eri?
Tell us more. What did they tell you of Eri? Who was he? Where did he come from? Abeg, tell us.

Apparently, it's always been documented by the community. Because even before last two Christmases they shared the document again I have seen the family lineage written down in lesser detail by my grandfather in Igbo as far back as 20 years ago. (He was very learned and kept records. My father does so too. And I do so too, at least small )

As for the document just little detail is written about the ancestors. Perhaps so it won't be too voluminous.

ScamHunter:
You are actually quite correct. Anyway, my definition of a town there isn't like Enugu or Nsukka, but a subset which some call community. I wasn't implying town in a modern sense but the fact the in the olden days, our collection of villages or clans were probably our idea of town.

Yes definitely. The towns in definition today due to expansion may be too big to have a single history. When I talk about town myself I'm talking about all the sibling communities to mine who mostly have a common ancestor. I don't used the modern connotation of town, it's not very accurate.

ScamHunter:
Do not generalize. One, I did not learn anything I wrote there from any book, but oral tradition of may village when I was a boy. There was no phone or common internet access then.
Two, I cannot marry anyone from my village or clan because it is seen as incestuous. Everyone in my village, even old people would trace the same ancestry to a man called Dioba.
Three, I can even tell you of some things that some of these my ancestors did. One was jailed by whitemen when my village fought a war with another town and burnt down a house. Another older ancestor was shot with a gun but survived during precolonial days. Another was lots in a jungle and was escorted home by a wild dog. Oral tradition says that is the reason they do not eat that species of dog.
Four, we know those who se forefathers were migrants in my village

This has nothing to do with the whiteman or research.

You are mostly on point. In our place we still narrate the exploits of the earliest men. My great great great grandfather was a particularly brutal fellow known far and wide. His son was a fabled hunter who killed an elephant. The tusks are still with us. I even grew up playing with the arrow and heavy spear. Mehnnn nostalgic!



OP you just made me recall some things I hold dear. The whites do not play with their history. We should not play with ours.

If I could get hold of those hunter equipments our fabled ancestor left I will show them to even my children and grandchildren if I live long enough. I don't see them around anymore, sadly.

BKayy:
No community in Igboland is founded by one person.
Most of the names Igbo communities bear is not even human names.
Some are like the 10th or 4th name of the particular community (eg Opobo).

There's always a forefront founder.

Definitely. In my town one of the communities is named after some group of people that came later. Another one is simply named after the back of the town.

BKayy:
Saying that everybody in the community is a descendant of the "man" (if it is a human) the community was named after is a lie. A very big one.

Yes. One's lineage may not necessarily start at the name of the town. I confess that was a bit naive from OP.

BKayy:
Mr Scamhunter that is total fallacy. No village/community in Igboland is founded by one person.
In that your community, there are people you can marry and those you cannot.
Ask about your own lineage.

Don't be deceived by what you see on Wikipedia or from ignorant people that make things up just to compensate for their lack of history or knowledge about themselves as Igbo because their parents were busy licking white people's ass in the name of civilization.

We have gotten to the stage that an average Igbo man can recite up to the 10th ancestors of David in the Bible but doesn't know his Grand father's name talkless of great grand Father.

Thank God I am not in that category

What do you mean?

Are you kidding? I have my family tree traced up to Eri sef. Do you know how many generations that is?

Nearly every family from my place can trace back to Eri, except the ones who sojourned to our town sometime in the past. Perhaps centuries ago.

Even just last 2 Christmases they shared the document again showing the trace back. I saw all the sibling families to mine. Incidently nearly the whole sibling families live close to our house.

How much dem give you my brother

This Innocent Orji man eh

Hmm

Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.

We don't need any sympathy from any mor0n.

The slave masters (Fulani) are not ready to let their slaves go.

RobbStark:
Kanu miscreant, how far.
I thought you said you are in Lagos, why don't you dreamers take the 5states and go, maybe later your kinsmen will join you guys...
Oh! I forgot, Biafra is just a dream and you are still asleep.
No region will suffer but know this, you can't force who don't want you.
Biafra is coming in wonderland

Why are you so fixated on Biafra.

Because their almajiri brain thinks we in the South East will suffer if we go without the rest of the Igbo nation. Almajiri are cursed no mind them.

Juliusmalema:
In essence ESN are the ones behind all the killings in SE.

Once again fulani herdsmen exonerated.

Hahahaha

Lolllllll. Bastard you were lucky.

Good.

BigSarah:
Nigeria army these are acts of terrorism, over 20 rounds fired in those few seconds

Who knows how many were killed

Wetin be 20? We're talking about 200 rounds you're talking 20.

They will be left behind for Ijaw and Hausa people. Who dey beg you.

[s]

iamuyiekpen:
eyah. Go and die. That’s the adopted coat of arms. If you’re not okay with it then jump into the lagoon. What’s wrong with these ipob vagabonds? Is this an ipob thread? Ogun dey kill you this boy?

[/s]


You're just a small rat. I don't even have your time.

DOTian:
Now, this is open genocide! Is there any other evidence needed? This is nothing but a ruthless attempt at ethnic cleansing! These are poor humble villagers being massacred in their poor homes by an evil government and her Yoruba supporters, whose engine runs with the fuel called Igbo blood have been looking for all sorts of excuses to massacre Igbo civilians in their homes yet again.

This fulani government and her supporters have declared war on igbos since their inauguration in 2015. Our sin is that we refused to die after the war. They cant stand us but they don't want us to leave. Buhari started this but this struggle will outlive him. This won't end untill the igboman is free from the evil contraption called Nigeria. . We will NEVER be cowed by a bunch of desert irritants whose stock on trade is bloodletting and primitive existence..

This is so pathetic. I'm devastated by this.

This coat of arms is an insult to the people from other states. Bini will never learn.

Yorubakidd:
Anything from my mother these days is propaganda. I have stopped taking her serious.

That's fine.