₦airaland Forum

J111333:
It's so unfortunate.
Everyone believed that Nigerian communities in diaspora are mostly made up of Igbos so when this evacuation thing came up, they were nonchalant to the extent that they mocked Igbos about it.
Life goes in cycle.

Truly most people from Nigeria in China are Igbos. However, there are still other ethnic groups too. So if the usual haters plus the fulani government don't care, it's no big deal. Have they even protected the innocent people inside Nigeria from the terrorist herdsmen? The hatred and neglect is expected.

GreyLaw:
What was "Northern Igbo states" in 1450? I know Nairaland makes people irrational, but what in the name of whatever you worship was "Northern Igbo states" during the timeline stated in this piece?

When did we even have the concept of states in Nigeria? If at all what was written in the research happened (Africans cannot even tell their fathers 4 generations ago let alone over 600 years ago), Igbos, or Eboes, or Ibos were residing in groups or hamlets and such groups could be attacked by anybody. Now those groups could have been in Nsukka or wherever.

Op, if the essence of this post was to gather likes and to help you fight the Igbos online, then I understand. No problem with that. However, if you want a healthy discussion, then you should know that this whole thing written up there, if ever correct, refers to wars and skirmishes between hamlets and small village fights where maybe the Igala won. Just like there were no United Yoruba in those years, there were no United Igbos also. People existed in family groups and hamlets.

Before you conquer a people in those days you needed severe numerical advantage. Pray tell, how many are the Igalas today? They don't even have a state to themselves.

Don't mind the crazy OP. He's mischievous and his reference is totally. I took my time to investigate all he posted here and I confirmed his mischief.
The piece he posted was written by an Igala man named Michael Achille Umameh and the guy clear wrote that the work is still in progress and anyone can comment or bring suggestions to enhance his work. His references never had the popular Chinua Achebe like the criminal will want us to believe. It was another Achebe that was referenced. The only credible reference he submitted which actually commented on the Igbo/Igala relationship emphasized that it was an equal relationship. That was the one by J.S Boston. The book of N.W Thomas whose pix he was posting all around never discussed anything of such. The man's work was as early as 1913 which was very detailed and it dwelt in the northern fringes of Anambra. He never stated any Igala domination there. Rather, he stated that Awka blacksmiths and Nri priests go as far as Idah to conduct what concerns them on their own free will.
The OP is a scam and should be disregarded.
In the course of my studies, I stumbled on the work of another European explorer named Joseph Hawkins who visited Igboland in the year 1796. He mentioned a war between the Ebo and Galla in which the Galla were defeated. He wrote a lot of good things about the Igbos. Even others who reviewed his work had eulogies for Igbos.

kayfra:
We know that history. Abeokuta defeated King Gezo and his sons all the time they attempted Abeokuta. But my Yoruba brothers in Ketu had it bad in the hands of Gezo and his Amazon warriors. We know and acknowledge our history. Aren't ashamed of it either. Oyo overplayed their hands with Dahomey after enslaving them for centuries but they eventually fought back.

Even Dahomey was formed by Migrant Yorubas and another tribe in present day Ghana to create Fon. So those are Amazon warriors are half Yorubas.

Lol @ half Yorubas. Oyos defeat of dahomey was a period consisting few decades. The infamous Ouidah port (the port through which majority of Yoruba slaves were sold off) was founded and controlled by the Fon throughout two centuries. The Fon rather dealt with the Yorubas so much.
The Fons have no any roots with the Yorubas. The closest association you have with them is that you guys use the syllable 'gbe' often in your speeches and together you're called the 'the speakers'.

gambia:
Las las Nigeria go scatter, even if its not in our time. I bet you the next generation won't take all these mess happening.

Chai! See coward. What stops your generation from effecting the disintegration?

Fools! Didn't I tell you all(southerners and Christians in general) that you have no country? They made you all to hate Igbos so that no one can resist them. Today, everyone is crying. Now the worst is that instead to join Igbos, they prefer to run away to other countries. It now seems some people will lost their ancestral lands forever.
Biafra is the present Noah's Ark if any group wishes to survive the deluge. Viva Biafra and death to the evil contraption.

Fools! Didn't I tell you all(southerners and Christians in general) that you have no country? They made you all to hate Igbos so that no one can resist them. Today, everyone is crying. Now the worst is that instead to join Igbos, they prefer to run away to other countries

kayfra:
Cool story Bro. It's nothing but a cool story without citing any references. I cited a detailed research study that cited the likes of Chinua Achebe (I am sure you've heard of that guy right? ) the likes of N.W. Thomas an Academic authority in Antropology that was responsible for creating the Igbo to English dictionary as evidenced in the books below and J.S. Boston a renowned academic that edited the works of people like Francis Arinze etc.

If you read the original post you'll find detailed information about areas Igala administered and the titles Ezes they controlled. It is all carefully documented.
"On the religious level, the Igala installed their own priests- the Attama- as the custodian of the dangerous ‘alusi’ shrine, took control as mediators between the spirit and the Igbo communities, presided over divinations and fashioned ‘Ikenga’, ‘Okwute’ (ritual staffs) that combined both Igala and Igbo religious elements."

While you rely on a feel good cool stories. I rely on cold hard facts with proof to back up everything I post.

Do you lack comprehension skill? That the Igalas installed the attamas as custodian of things already established by Igbos in Nsukka doesn't mean that they're the ones that formed them. Do Igalas have 'alusi'? Do they have Ikenga? You can only give what you have! They succeeded to dominate the Nsukka area and installed the Attamas which are still there till date but having been Igbonized. Where else do we have Attamas in the northern fringes of Igboland? There are no Attamas in Anambra or Enuani areas because Igalas didn't succeed there. Slow down and read carefully to understand better. No one can dispute the intrusion of Igalas into those areas but it wasn't a conquest as you wish it was. ONLY in Nsukka was there any domination of Igbo groups and it was resisted too.
All around the banks of River Niger the Igalas traded with Igbos and Ijaws who managed to come up stream. Igbos waged no war on anyone. It was business and harmonious living. Do you know that there were Igalas in Onitsha yet Obi of Onitsha was there? In Obi Aroli's time, Igalas were trading there. Fewer of them went deeper into the Anambra area and they settled and are today Igbos. If you want to learn about Igbo history ask properly and you will be taught.
The Igalas normally present a Benin mask as an evidence that they defeated them in a battle. How true is that story? Only solid evidences can prove it. The same here.

kayfra:
Why would you say I am painting Igbos in a bad light?

Should we deny history?

Should be pretend that Igbos only existed from 1921?

Should we not promote the truth?

Why are you so insecure about your documented history?

Lol. You are the fearful person who goes around looking up for anything to use against the great Igbos. You're pathetic.
Now to the topic. The sojourn of Igalas into Northen fringes of Anambra and Enugu states are well documented. It actually started as invasions but gradually faded into interactions. The only areas they political had strong footing was in the Nsukka area. The book you quoted was clear enough to tell you that it had limited knowledge in telling the full story of the interaction. Among all the areas in those areas I mentioned, only Nsukka had institutions with Igala origin signifying the strength of the Igala gains there. Nsukka people bear Igala names and use similar articles as them. This is clear to anyone that visits Nsukka. Nsukka today happens to a small area of Enugu state. Compare the size of Igala to the size of Nsukka then you see that the Igalas underperformed. The other areas the Igalas encroached into in the Anambra area have a story to mark the defeat of the Igalas. They lost steam and gradually had to settle down around those areas and acculturate. It was these groups that influenced the Igalas so much that the popular Igbo four market days was adopted by them. No group from Anambra have 'Atama' or the Igala institution but they welcomed Igalas and they all settled down well. Igbos also settled down around Igala areas and names of Igbo areas can still be found today in Igala areas. The Obi of Aboh traded with the Attah of Igala as far as Idah. Such was our interaction. The only thing I'll say is that various Igbo groups had individual relationship with the Igala which shouldn't have been so but our republicanism caused it. The powerful Obi Ossai didn't know that the Nsukka were struggling at the time under Igala power. Today, it wouldn't be so. This is the Igbo/Igala story. I wonder where you got that Ikenga the powerful Igbo cult of Nri origin came from Igala. Is Ikenga an Igala word or does it even sound so? Your hatred wouldn't let you be objective.
Like I've said before, Igboland was and is still a land of free people. Everyone is welcomed as long as you will add to make it great. We are the great Igbo whose presence send fear into the hearts of the wicked. Choke on your hate!

efighter:
Good, just remember that Major General Muhammadu Buhari fought in the civil war, if you bring another senseless war, he will repeat the 1967 to 1970 massacre because there will never ever be a country called Biafra situated beside Nigeria.

Time will tell almajiri.

PapaBaby:
When did you become itsekiri? Where in Itsekiri land are you from? Itsekiri people are Christians, from your post history, you're always anti Christian. Stop denying your fellow Hausa.

Hahahaha. Chai! Thanks my fellow undercover agent. Sherlock Holmes 2.

This Kayfra of a person is so zealous to paint Igbos in bad light. He is a real example of what majority of his people desire for Igbos. Day after day, all that occupies his mind is Igbo. Lol. We have seen your type here on Nairaland many years ago. They've all run away after reality hit them hard. Even you will soon run away. You will still beg us for your survival some day. I'll respond to the post properly in my next post.

tsdarkside:
ha,now i understand....

but i didnt bother to check it out....

where should i check that out....??

you can atleast give me a link or something....

Simply Google the date of both attacks i.e Ore and Bonny attacks.

tsdarkside:
i dont hate igbos....
na them started insultin everybody because of ipob....

who said anything against igbos before ipob came along....??

look....some will say nothing,but others will not keep quiet when you try to talk down on them....

now,its a fulani group claimin the ol nigeria after you insulted them for soo long....
mentionin dan fodio today....??

this is what ipob caused....

You're incoherent. Gather your thoughts together and lay them properly.
Now you know that Yorubas joined the war even before the Biafran army got to Ore, will it change your conclusion? That was my first response to your comment. React on that.

The foolish Nigerian Army can do all their show of strength for now; when boys are equally armed I'll like to see their faces again. They're always running away from Boko haram because Boko terrorists are armed. We are watching.

History as a subject was not stopped in Nigerian schools for joke. They don't want fair minded people to know the truth. They're ashamed of their conduct but don't want to face it. They demonize Ojukwu yet Aburi exonerated him. They call the Nzeogwu coup an Igbo coup yet many other tribes were active part of it. Only history lessons will clear this.
People like me hate this Nigeria and not the innocent people within her struggling everyday to eke out a living having been failed by their evil government.

tsdarkside:
is that true....??

Yes it is. You ask as though it's going to change your innate hatred against Igbos.

pazienza:
There is nothing like Southerners brother. If you have not understood this now, then you have a long way to go.

Amaram ihe m na eme.

DeViNe007:
You are a fOol for calling me a northerner,have you ever visited my previous post?

You're an almajiri in the sense that your loyalty lies elsewhere from your original people. Joe Igbokwe is an Afonja today. He lost his Igbo identity the day he shifted his loyalty. Your insult makes no difference almajiri.

Ritchiee:
Olaudah or Gustavus was not Igbo but was unfortunate to write what he wrote from hearsay.

Says an Igbo hater. Where was he from? So you mean that a black man who suffered slavery will choose to tell another slave's story at the time when slavery was at its peak? You and others who think like that are deluded. He even tried writing Igbo words.

GerogeI:
Odibo in Igbo means servant, not slave. "Igba Odibo" is something we do today in trading without shame, and in that context translates to "apprenticeship".

Igbo folklores will readily talk of Odibo and Nnia Ukwu.
"Odibo" does not mean slavery in any context, talkless of Igbo.

Were ire gi guo eze gi onu! Odibo means slave. It can contextually mean servant too like you mentioned. What does 'Nnia Ukwu mean? Master? Is that the equivalent of master in Igbo language? Most young Igbos don't even know the right word for master. Mgba diri-anyi ka m na agba!

kayfra:
Have you ever questioned Olauda Equiano that was "Eboe"?

U want to latch on oyinbo man's mispronunciation then how about we go all out with it?

His mispronunciation doesn't negate his work. Your own work meanwhile is fiction at best

Funny dude

Olaudah Equiano is Igbo and I concur with his submissions. His descriptions were apt and his narrations clear enough to any well read Igbo. He spelt Igbo as 'Eboe' following the English style of spelling. This was as far back as the 18th century when even English alphabets were still changing. Quit the route you're going. You're bound to lose.

Trump2020:
In expedited entry especially where a president will be visiting is a high clearance level meaning you don't need to be cleared like other people.

Go school you no gree

Lol. You're the uneducated one. Expedited entry means an accelerated entry because one is seen as a low risk personality. Which school did you attend?

kayfra:
All you typed is typical wishful thinking. I am quoting an authoritative book while you are just writing your opinion.

You're a clown. How can verifiable things I wrote here be wishful thinking? I'm a well read Igbo man who have researched about my people for about 20yrs now and visited many Igbo areas. Who the hell are you?
The writer you quoted said the founder of Asaba was Nevise. Can you go to Asaba and ask them about anyone called by that name? I know you didn't bring this write up for learning purpose. I'm here to deflate all your balloon of mockery.

kayfra:
The colonial is pretty spot on and dead accurate. Most of his observations are dead ringer to what we discus to date

1. Northern Igbos are superior to southern Igbos. Explains pomposity in Anambra. They conquered the clans and the further you go south the worse the caste
2. Igbo means slave. Self explanatory
3. They didn't expand much westward. Asaba and a few hamlets. So all the claims about Ndoka, Igbos in Edo, Jim Ovia etc are false. They assimilated the language due to trade. History is clear, they aren't Igbo
4. The real Igbos that conquered are of Igala stock
5. Igbo clans are not homogeneous unlike their cousins in the west. Hence, difficulty in urbanization and more dispensation to primitive governance. It still shows today

Lol. No Igbo group is superior to another. Our land is the land of free people. Anambra is a recent creation and is subject to any future political change.
Our expansion is clear and we went even to the heart of Benin Empire until the decline of the Empire forced the return of lots of our people back(Ezechima migration). The Ika and Ndokwa areas are all Igbo frontier territories. The Benins and Esan people migrated into Ika while the Urhobos and Isokos migrated into Ndokwa but the aborigines are Igbos. Today, they are all Igbos.
Igbos from the oldest regions didn't conquer other groups. They simply dispersed and attracted other neighbouring groups by the way they lived. The Nri priests were known to move about majority of Igboland cleansing and settling disputes. They constantly reminded the people of not shedding blood. Violent conquest is not an Igbo thing. The Igalas that tried in the Nsukka, Aguleri and Enuani areas failed though won some battles around a tiny Nsukka area but couldn't conquer them. Same happened for the mighty Benin Empire around Agbor but couldn't conquer. Igbos love their freedom and will do anything to enjoy such living.
Finally, you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to belittle such a great people. You can only envy us yet can stop us.

kayfra:
Journal of The Anthropological Institute Of Great Britain And Ireland Vol.47 1917

Some Ibo Burial Customs by N. W. Thomas

The Ibo-speaking peoples, with a portion of whom this paper deals, occupy a small area on the west bank of the lower Niger, and a much larger area on the east bank, extending as far as the Cross River from the Ibibio boundary northwards, and, at their most easterly point, beyond the northernmost point of the bight of the Cross River.

The Ibo speak a great variety of dialects, and the Eastern branches are almost unintelligible to the Western groups.

Even such close neighbours as Asaba and Onitsha, only three miles apart on the banks of the Niger, differed, until recently, somewhat widely in language.

The main Ibo area is, especially on the south and east, more or less surrounded by a fringe of aberrant dialects, which seem to have resulted from an incomplete assimilation of an alien population by Ibo-speaking conquerors, or, at any rate, a very imperfect acquisition of what might be called standard Ibo ; or we may, on the other hand, regard these dialects (e.g., Okugba, Biko, Ezza as allied to the older wave of immigration that resulted in Efik, Ibibio, Kana and Ebiobolo.

Generally speaking the main Ibo dialects east of the Niger seem to run strip-wise from north to south, and this, no less than the aberrant character of the southern or south-eastern dialects, suggests that the Ibo migration came from the north.

In this connection it is noteworthy that Abua and Akunakuna, two closely related dialects, have clearly been cleft asunder by the Ibo stream and now lie, one north-west of Degema, the other east of the Cross River.

It is worthy of notice that the word Ibo (Ibo) means slave ; this suggests that there was no migration in mass, driving alien populations before it ; but that a conquering people imposed its language on subject populations.

This would afford a sufficient explanation of the character of the language of outlying areas, as well as of the great number of dialects which form a strong contrast to the homogeneity of the Yoruba area.

It is not without interest that the town of Nri, or Aguku, which claims the right of inducting Chiefs and doing other ceremonial work as far as Asaba, at least, on the west, and, probably, over an equally wide area in other directions, also speaks of the people of the surrounding area as Ibo, and themselves claim the name of Nri.

This fits in well with the supposition that they are an island of the original Ibo-speaking conquering race, which is now swallowed up in the mass of the population everywhere else.

As regards the areas with which this paper deals, the districts of Awka and Asaba, the former includes the town of Aguku, just mentioned ; generally speaking, there are few traditions of origin among them.

In Asaba, on the other hand, each town has its tradition of a founder or a record of migration, so that the diversity of custom is easier to understand.

Generally speaking, Asaba, Ibuzo and Okpanam form a closely associated group, as far as general customs go.

Some data for the other towns and for the Awka district will be found elsewhere, together with maps showing the localities, which are enumerated below, for each district.

Asaba was founded by Nevise, according to tradition, who came from Nteje on the east of the Niger perhaps some four hundred years ago.


http://jstor.org/stable/2843415

It's interesting to read such a description about my people at an early stage. The writer described aptly a lot of observations to the best of his knowledge which in some cases weren't correct. It's well known among Igbo historians that earliest Igbo settlements were around the perimeter of Nsukka-Awka-Owerre-Okigwe. The oldest excavations and artifacts were found within this axis while other areas were recent expansions. Truly, there weren't mass migrations into Igbo areas but the many people who were distressed from their places of origin were easily accommodated among the Igbos. From tiny groups from the cross river areas to more larger groups like the Benin, Igala and Olukumis(Yoruba). Igbos were a very hospitable people. No one mighty King forcing everyone to do things forcefully. People lived almost free in Igboland; this is the reason for our republicanism.
As for the name Igbo being slaves, I disagree with him though I understand the reason why he may have written it so. Lots of our neighbours refers to slaves as 'Ibo' even we (Igbos) call slaves 'Odibo'. Among Igbos, the word 'Igbo' was borne as a name and more like- a living entity. People bear it, communities bear it and a whole lot of other references are made to it. It's meaning to the best of my knowledge is not exact. Note that all Igbos referred to themselves by the name of their sub groups. Only the word Igbo could unite them.
Back to the original write up, Igbos love to be unique as can be seen in our variety of dialects. Even among those dialects, little differences are noted but the crux of the language is the same. Then for the founder of Asaba, it is not 'Nevise' like he wrote. It's Nnebisi. I think his error is due to hearing problem.
Finally, the crazy OP and his likes who think this write up is enough to refer to Igbos as slave are just hallucinating. Igbos have been been great from the earliest of time. The present situation we found ourselves in Nigeria is teaching us the merits and demerits of certain ways of life and we are learning. The Jews learnt the hard way before they could govern themselves again. They don't have Samaritans again. As long as you got Jewish DNA, you're Jewish. We are learning too.
We know our detractors are numerous and we are preparing for them too.

Foolish southerners tearing themselves, while the slow almajiri OP is long gone. I can't believe some people can be this dumb not to see the intention of this thread.

saaron:
Society Safety Network SSN = Miyeti allah/Fulani Caliphate in Sokoto.
Only a murderer will be against Amotekun.

If it smells like a herdsman then it is a herdsman. Lol.
Fulanis hate to be resisted. They're cowards who only attack when you least expect them. This is why they've been crying against Amotekun.

darfay:
the guy you quoted seems to be living in wonderland, i would have believed him if i hadn't met one of the people he was talking about. the language isn't as dead as he would make us believe

He never claimed the language was dead. He stated that it is a second language now and it's dying which is true. I too have met one of them; actually a whole family and their names were all Igbo names. I only got to know about them because of my high curiosity otherwise, other neighbours and even my family members never knew anything about 'Olukumis'. So far, it appears the language is steadily on the decline and only Ugbodu still try to cling to it.

DIKEnaWAR:
Langtang is not a tribe in Jos. It is the name of a town in Plateau state. Langtang people are from a tribe called Tarok.

The person you quoted is an indigene. He's right with his description. Most times, Langtang and Tarok are used interchangeably. Like you rightly said, their language is Tarok but the people mostly refer themselves as Langtang people.

GuestLog:
Don't mind him. They have taken over Congo Russia and Nassarawa so now he thinks the indigines are minorities

The loss of Congo-Russia was a bitter loss. I hope no significant loss would ever happen again. Jos metropolis still have Christians with the upper hand.

pazienza:
They are strictly Ekoid.
Nothing in their language is Igboid.
But you know, people are quick to allude to Igbos assimilating smaller neighboring groups, without mentioning the fact that these neighbouring non Igbo speaking groups also assimilated many Igbos in their midst.

Someone already said that many Igbo groups in Ebonyi were initially none Igbos from Cross River that were converted to Igbos. What they don't say is that many non Igbos in cross River were also Igbos who migrated there and got assimilated by non Igbos there. In other words, the influence was not a one way traffic.

I once met a Legbo (Agbo) man in Enugu, he was my client, and his surname was "Igwe".
I was curious, Because he doesn't speak Igbo, so I asked him how come the name Igwe, and what does it mean in Legbo?
He told me that it has been their family name for a long time, it has no direct meaning in Legbo, but they were told it means village chief. He said he suspects that his great great grandfather came from the Igbo area to live amongst the Ekoids in Abi LGA.

There is a whole lots of mixing going on in border communities between Ndiigbo and our minority neighbours.
But I believe that the assimilation was a two way traffic. Igbos who migrated to Ekoid dominated areas got assimilated and their bloodline became Ekoids with some of their Igbo past preserved in Igboid names some of them can no longer make sense of using their current language.
On the other hand, the Ekoids who migrated into Igbo dominated areas got Igbonized as well, with their Ekoid bloodline preserved only by their family Ekoid surnames for those of them who still retained their ancestors names as surnames.

You're correct. Assimilation or acculturation at border communities is a two way thing.
As for Ogoja, I'm certain that lots of the present people there were from Igbo areas. I once read about an Igbo migration into that location by a European explorer in the 18th century. I'm still trying to get that piece back.

middlebelter:
He has no idea of what is going on in the Middle belt. Unfortunately, the Fulanis has so designed the system using the successive military administration to their advantage, that it entire South and Middle Belt cannot unite against their domineering strategies, rather, the Igbos will keep fighting Yorubas and the Yorubas will not want to be betrayed by Igbo, the Middle Belt are segregated on religious differences. Fulanis are politically more sophisticated than the e tire South and Middle Belt.

You're spot on. Try and enlighten more southerners about this as it will help in clearing some assumptions against your people. The time is near.