Where did the Igbos come from

[Pastor Bros]

“Majority of Igbos are satisfied to accept the Israel hypothesis supported by the triple testimonies of oral tradition, Eri migration and archaeological evidence.”


Odumegwu Ojukwu


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Where the Igbos migrated from has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The ancestry of the Igbos has bothered many people for a long time. Many historians, philosophers, sociologists, archaeologists and anthropologists have raised a lot of dust on this issue. A lot of views have been proffered but yet the origin of the Igbos remained a mirage.

Suffice it to say that the Igbos have found themselves in Nigeria and indeed they are Nigerians like every other tribe. This tend to support the claim of an elderly Mbaise man from Imo State of Nigeria, whose name remain anonymous, in a book by Dr. Elizabeth Isichei titled “History of the Igbo People”. The elderly Mbaise man maintained that the Igbos did not come from anywhere. But the fact remains that the Igbos must come from somewhere beyond the limited knowledge of the Mbaise elder. Another claim seek to establish that the ancestors of the Igbos originated from the area they inhabit, presently known as Awka-Okigwe. Hence, the communities known as Umu-Nri regard themselves as the descendants of a hero called Eri, who along with his wife, Nnamaku, was sent down from the sky by Chukwu, the Igbo supreme God. I must confess that this claim sounds just like a fairy tale. Even a ten-year-old child would never believe this story. There is no “abracadabra” in Igbo man’s origin, certainly he is from somewhere.

The Igbos are more pragmatic in the claim of their origin unlike some other tribes in Nigeria. To suit their natural and competitive tendencies, they rarely rely on myths, legends and oral traditions. What the average Igbo man cannot hold on in respect of practical evidence, he would rather resign to faith and to God with whom he is more comfortable. This explains why they give such names as Chimaroke (God knows my portion), Chijioke (The Creator God), Chikelu (God creates), Chukwuma (God knows), Chinenye (God gives), Chukwuebuka (God is great), Chukwudi (God exits), Ngozichukwu (blessing of God), Eberechukwu (mercy of God), etc.

Well, there are three basic ways of providing the historical claims of any people or tribe. These ways are by written documents, by oral tradition and by archeological evidence. Needless to say that the Igbos have these three ways to present in the justification of the claim of their origin. The historical problem of the Igbo man since the inception of Nigeria has been how to convince his fellow Nigerians that he is part and parcel of the political entity called Nigeria. While some people have tried to link the Igbos to the Jewish race, others simply see them as the Jews of Africa. It is not a mistake to mention that the Igbos have genealogical relationship as well as historical resemblance with the Jewish race.

First and foremost, they are adventurous and aggressive like the Jews. The Igbo and Jewish customs permit a man to raise children from his brother’s widow. Both the Igbos and the Jews have a common tradition of lengthy funeral ceremony (Genesis 50:1-3). Igbos and the Jews have common circumcision; date on the eight-day following the delivering of a male child. Igbos and the Jews use intermediaries in marriage negotiations, this is practicable in Igboland up till now. Abraham did it while negotiating Rebecca for Isaac (Genesis 24.). Many groups of scholars have the view that the Igbos originated from the Jewish stock. To make this view more acceptable, Olaudah Equiano, an Igbo ex-slave in London, who is said to have travelled widely, happens to be the first person to write about the Igbo tribe before his death in 1797. Equaino, in one of his findings, discovered that some names amongst the Igbos such as Uburu and even the “Igbo” itself are derived from Hebrew words.

The vast majority of the Igbos who fell victim of the trans-Atlantic slave trade have been forgotten. They lived lives of toil and suffering, and their children rapidly lost a sense of their Igbo identity. One of them, however, by his courage and ability, won his freedom, and went on to a remarkable career which he described in an autobiography which is one of our most valuable sources of knowledge of the Igbo past. He was the first of many Igbos who have achieved distinction in Europe, and the first of a series of notable Igbo authors in English. His name was Olaudah Equiano, which might mean Olaude Ekweano and he was born in about 1745 and died in 1797.

Rev. J.T. Basden, an Anglican missionary, who worked in Igboland for over a decade, shared the opinion that the word ‘Igbo’ might be a shortening of a longer name of an Igbo influential ancestor. Another school of thought led by Late Professor Dike, whose book was expanded by I.C.U. Enochusi in his book: “The Living Document of Ekwulobia”, found out that the Igbos had three origins and settled in their homes in two different periods. According to them, the first branch of the Igbo was the Jewish stock who wandered through the Sudan and eventually settled at their current home earlier than 9th century A.D. Those Jewish Igbos have the same tradition and custom with the Jews of the Eastern World. They are the Nris, the Aros, the Igbo Ukwus, the Otuochas and so on.

The second origin is the Benin or Oduduwa origin. These Igbos were believed to be a part of the descendants of Oduduwa, the father of the Yorubas, and originated from Benin Kingdom only to settle at River line area or the Ika Igbo country land of the Igbo man in 17th century A.D. Dr. K. O. Dike, in support of this assertion, said that there was an eastward movement of population from Benin in 17th century A.D., which resulted in increased population of the Western, or Ika Igbo country. The third Igbo origin is the Benue River Region origin. These Igbos migrated from Igala country of the Benue River country into Igbo belt late 17th century A.D. to avoid the Fulani slave trade. Majority of these Igala Igbos settled in the Northern part of the Igbo territory.

According to a team of researchers from University of Ibadan, led by Thusten Shaw, it is now believed that some ancient Igbos had settled at Igbo-Ukwu-Aguatat-Anambra State earlier. That in 19th century A.D. Igbo-Ukwu, Ekwulobia and the environs were believed to belong to Jewish Igbos due to the period of the settlement. Another group headed by A.E. Afigbo linked the Igbos to branch of a Negro race who originated along the latitude of Asselar and Khartoun. Some linguists in support of this came out with the view that the Igbos originated from Niger-Congo family. This was due to the alignment of the language with that of ‘kwa’ in this area who were separated from Igbos by the Niger-Benue confluence.

That the Igbos migrated from Isreal is no longer in doubt. According to Uche P. Ikeanyibe, as for geographical migrations and settlements, majority of Igbos are satisfied to accept the Israel hypothesis supported by the triple testimonies of oral tradition, Eri migration and the biblical evidence of Eri as a true historical descendant of Israel and the archaeological evidence, some of which are now lodged by Anambra state Government at Igbo-Ukwu Musem”.

Speaking on the origin of the Igbos, on behalf of Nri people, during an audience participation programme of Radio Nigeria on July 13, 1966, Ogbuefi Madubueze Enemmou was quoted as having said, “about two years ago, Israel government sent delegates to our place, Nri to confirm the historical relationship between Igbos and Hebrew people. We took Israeli officials round historical places in our town. They expressed surprise at what they observed as obvious similarities between our custom and theirs. Later, they could not help but conclude that Nri and Igbo in general are among the lost tribes of Israel”.

[NNE1]

basden was an mf. read his book that he wrote about 1920s naij igbos the guy was seriously not with it

[NNE1]

my understanding is that the igala people were effik not necessarily igbo and the ika were their own tribe but came together with the Igbos and the Olu to make up different igbo communities. so Igbo is not exactly one tribe like most naija tribes per se.

[anddar]

LOL, almost none of our ethnic groups are 'one tribe.' The British imposed that on us...

most igbo people?

[laco]

interesting. But I read somewhere in that article about "otuocha" Does that sound what i think it is?

[Ariya]

Stuff like this is embarrassing. There's no link between Igbos and Jews--almost all the major West African groups with prominent Christians have made the same claim, from Senegal on down to Cameroun: http://www.kulanu.org/africa/africa2.html

Believing that practicising circumcision and raising your deceased brother's children is evidence of Jewish ancestry is like saying people from Benin are of Japanese ancestry because they both have monarchies centered around a city named Edo.

The funny thing is that the myth he dismisses as a fairy tale is infinitely more believable than this Jewish obsession he has. Many African groups who are native to an area have exactly the same beliefs as Awka/Nri people--that their ancestor came from the sky, landed on a spot, and that they didn't come from anywhere else. It's the same myth you'd find in Ife, Benin, among the Akan etc. and it's a metaphor for being aboriginal to an area.

[FekNr]

Originally Posted by Ariya

Stuff like this is embarrassing. There's no link between Igbos and Jews--almost all the major West African groups with prominent Christians have made the same claim, from Senegal on down to Cameroun: http://www.kulanu.org/africa/africa2.html

Believing that practicising circumcision and raising your deceased brother's children is evidence of Jewish ancestry is like saying people from Benin are of Japanese ancestry because they both have monarchies centered around a city named Edo.

The funny thing is that the myth he dismisses as a fairy tale is infinitely more believable than this Jewish obsession he has. Many African groups who are native to an area have exactly the same beliefs as Awka/Nri people--that their ancestor came from the sky, landed on a spot, and that they didn't come from anywhere else. It's the same myth you'd find in Ife, Benin, among the Akan etc. and it's a metaphor for being aboriginal to an area.

I'm so glad you said this, i'm so feking tired of the jewish Igbo comparison.

[Chickram]

worevva! why is all man so fascinated about the igbos and where dey came from? some ish i guess.

[Anubis]

While I may not necessarily believe that Igbos are lost Jews (because I am too proud an Igboman to subsume my Igbo identity to the Jewish nation), nevertheless I have the presence of mind not to calumniate people who, after some form of research and study have come to hold this view. The circumstantial evidence tendered to suggest a possible Igbo-Jewish connection is interesting if not compelling therefore it is only natural to investigate these claims no matter how farfetched they may sound. It is no secret that the same rigorous nature of research has led to reconciliation between Diasporan Jewry and their kin in the African continent. Anyone familiar with Jewish history will not lightly paper over these claims judging by their nomadic nature.


Nevertheless, I must admit that many Igbo people I have spoken to view this Igbo-Jewish connection favorably for some of the most pathetic reasons; chief of which is to secure some form of economic respite and military solidarity. That, in my estimation, has to be one of the saddest reasons to want to submerge your entire history and identity under something “ostensibly” foreign. If on the other hand, the supporters of this theory are egged on by some admirable quest for knowledge—despite their utilization of sufficiently “imprecise” tools like oral history—I cannot but commend their efforts even if my inclinations tend away from their position. Their focus on real and verifiable history is certainly more commendable—in my own view—than some unshaking belief in the “Oduduwa on the golden chain sky drop” theory.


It is interesting to note that some versions of history hold that Oduduwa was some fleeing Edo prince (a realistic view held by Edo people); another version claims the Yoruba people came Saudi Arabia. This is yet another feasible theory even if it is not yet provable. What would be embarrassing truly would be to reject these views (Saudi Arabia-Yoruba connection; Jewish-Igbo connections) in favor of fantastic folklore often spun around figures like Oduduwa. The point therefore remains that as long as there is no infallible methods or standards employed to verify realistic claims, it would be ill-advised to cavalierly write these "nettling" claims off.

[Hawtie]

Originally Posted by Anubis

While I may not necessarily believe that Igbos are lost Jews (because I am too proud an Igboman to subsume my Igbo identity to the Jewish nation), nevertheless I have the presence of mind not to calumniate people who, after some form of research and study have come to hold this view. The circumstantial evidence tendered to suggest a possible Igbo-Jewish connection is interesting if not compelling therefore it is only natural to investigate these claims no matter how farfetched they may sound. It is no secret that the same rigorous nature of research has led to reconciliation between Diasporan Jewry and their kin in the African continent. Anyone familiar with Jewish history will not lightly paper over these claims judging by their nomadic nature.


Nevertheless, I must admit that many Igbo people I have spoken to view this Igbo-Jewish connection favorably for some of the most pathetic reasons; chief of which is to secure some form of economic respite and military solidarity. That, in my estimation, has to be one of the saddest reasons to want to submerge your entire history and identity under something “ostensibly” foreign. If on the other hand, the supporters of this theory are egged on by some admirable quest for knowledge—despite their utilization of sufficiently “imprecise” tools like oral history—I cannot but commend their efforts even if my inclinations tend away from their position. Their focus on real and verifiable history is certainly more commendable—in my own view—than some unshaking belief in the “Oduduwa on the golden chain sky drop” theory.


It is interesting to note that some versions of history hold that Oduduwa was some fleeing Edo prince (a realistic view held by Edo people); another version claims the Yoruba people came Saudi Arabia. This is yet another feasible theory even if it is not yet provable. What would be embarrassing truly would be to reject these views (Saudi Arabia-Yoruba connection; Jewish-Igbo connections) in favor of fantastic folklore often spun around figures like Oduduwa. The point therefore remains that as long as there is no infallible methods or standards employed to verify realistic claims, it would be ill-advised to cavalierly write these "nettling" claims off.

Kpom kwem! All around, solid post .. especially the highlighted parts.

I am not overly concerned with this origin thing and couldn't be bothered, any which way it falls. However, the fact is that while some people may be aboriginal, others may not be. If a person feels the evidence put forth by someone else is shaky, put up you own information .. and it better not be something incredulous about chains and the sky. AGAIN, while some people may be aboriginal, others may not be. Absolutely nothing wrong with a person(s) being of an inquiring mind. Mr. A does not have to accept Mr. B's aboriginal hypothesis,especially when it is backed up with nothing but phooey.

I just wonder why it bites some people so much. If you seek to disprove, disprove cooly and unemotionally ..especially since it does not affect the price of garri at your local market.

[kulata]

Originally Posted by Hawtie

Kpom kwem! All around, solid post .. especially the highlighted parts.

I am not overly concerned with this origin thing and couldn't be bothered, any which way it falls. However, the fact is that while some people may be aboriginal, others may not be. If a person feels the evidence put forth by someone else is shaky, put up you own information .. and it better not be something incredulous about chains and the sky. AGAIN, while some people may be aboriginal, others may not be. Absolutely nothing wrong with a person(s) being of an inquiring mind. Mr. A does not have to accept Mr. B's aboriginal hypothesis,especially when it is backed up with nothing but phooey.

I just wonder why it bites some people so much. If you seek to disprove, disprove cooly and unemotionally ..especially since it does not affect the price of garri at your local market.

Na bush you people come from

Jews ko San bushmen ni

[kulata]

From Wiki

Origin
The Igbo appear to have come south from the area where the Niger and Benue Rivers come together.

According to Professor A. E. Afigbo, a scholar of Igbo heritage, "the Igbo, and perhaps the Idoma and most likely the Ijaw (Ijo), would appear to be the one of the only surviving coherent ethnic groups from the first set of proto-Kwa speakers to penetrate the forest areas of Southern Nigeria and who at one time occupied areas as far to the west as Ile-Ife in Yorubaland.

Archaeological, linguistic, botanical and anthropological evidence also do suggest that the Igbo and their ancestors have lived in their present homes from the dawn of human history.

Igboland is the home of the Igbo people and it covers most of Southeast Nigeria. This area is divided by the Niger River into two unequal sections – the eastern region (which is the largest) and the midwestern region. The river, however, has not acted as a barrier to cultural unity; rather it has provided an easy means of communication in an area where many settlements claim different origins. The Igbos are also surrounded on all sides by other tribes (the Bini, Warri, Ijaw, Ogoni, Igala, Tiv, Yako and Ibibio).

The origins of the Igbo people has been the subject of much speculation, and it is only in the last fifty years that any real work has been carried out in this subject:

...like any group of people, they are anxious to discover their origin and reconstruct how they came to be how they are. ...their experiences under colonialsim and since Nigeria’s Independence have emphasized for them the reality of their group identity which they want to anchor into authenticated history. (Afigbo, A.E.. ‘Prolegomena to the study of the culture history of the Igbo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria’, Igbo Language and Culture, Oxford University Press, 1975. 28.) Analysis of the sources that are available (fragmentary oral traditions and correlation of cultural traits) have led to the belief that there exists a core area of Igboland, and that waves of immigrant communities from the north and west planted themselves on the border of this core area as early as the ninth century. This core area – Owerri, Orlu and Okigwi – forms a belt, and the people in this area have no tradition of coming from anywhere else. Migration from this area in the recent past tended to be in all directions, and in this way the Igbo culture gradually became homogenized. In addition to this pattern of migration from this core area, other people also entered the Igbo territory in about the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries. Many of these people still exhibit different characteristics from that of the traditional Igbos – for example geographical marginality, the institution of kingship, a hierarchical title system and the amosu tradition (witchcraft). For some time some Igbo-speaking peoples claimed that they were not Igbo – the word was used as a term of abuse for “less cultured” neighbours. The word is now used in three senses, to describe Igbo territory, domestic speakers of the language and the language spoken by them.(see (A.E. Afigbo,1981: Ropes of Sand, Caxton Press,Ibadan. and T. Shaw:1970; "Igbo Ukwu: An Account of Archaeological Discoveries in Eastern Nigeria", Faber and Faber, pp. 268-285).

[Ariya]

Originally Posted by Anubis

While I may not necessarily believe that Igbos are lost Jews (because I am too proud an Igboman to subsume my Igbo identity to the Jewish nation), nevertheless I have the presence of mind not to calumniate people who, after some form of research and study have come to hold this view. The circumstantial evidence tendered to suggest a possible Igbo-Jewish connection is interesting if not compelling therefore it is only natural to investigate these claims no matter how farfetched they may sound. It is no secret that the same rigorous nature of research has led to reconciliation between Diasporan Jewry and their kin in the African continent. Anyone familiar with Jewish history will not lightly paper over these claims judging by their nomadic nature.

I totally forgot about this thread. Scholars who are much more qualified than I am have already spent their time refuting this issue. If you have access to the JSTOR scholarly archive and you're interested, I suggest you give this journal article a good, close read: http://www.jstor.org/view/00218537/ap010120/01a00050/0 . It's titled "Of Origins and Colonial Order: Southern Nigerian Historians and the 'Hamitic' Hypothesis c. 1870-1970".

Regarding the Jewish diaspora in Africa--Have you noticed where these verifiably Jewish kinfolks happen to be located in relation to Nigeria? There's a logical pattern to the spread of the Jewish diaspora in East Africa and a stronger tradition of cultural similarity than this vague comparison of circumcision patterns. It's interesting that these "rigorous researchers" haven't compared this circumstantial evidence to closer groups. In fact, it's a hell of a lot more likely that similarities between Igbo and Jewish circumcision customs came through Muslim traders who have similiar practices to Jews and were much more likely to be in touch with West African groups like the Igbo. I wonder why that explanation doesn't appeal to the writer as much? I think we both know the answer to that question.

Nevertheless, I must admit that many Igbo people I have spoken to view this Igbo-Jewish connection favorably for some of the most pathetic reasons; chief of which is to secure some form of economic respite and military solidarity. That, in my estimation, has to be one of the saddest reasons to want to submerge your entire history and identity under something “ostensibly” foreign. If on the other hand, the supporters of this theory are egged on by some admirable quest for knowledge—despite their utilization of sufficiently “imprecise” tools like oral history—I cannot but commend their efforts even if my inclinations tend away from their position. Their focus on real and verifiable history is certainly more commendable—in my own view—than some unshaking belief in the “Oduduwa on the golden chain sky drop” theory.

Your second sentence is key, and that's why this whole exercise is sad and frustrating. The sole reason people even propose the idea has to do with religion and nothing to do with any historical connections--if people were interested in 'real' and 'verifiable' history, they'd be picking up Christopher Ehret's books on historical linguistics or reading the latest archaeological research on Igbo ethnogenesis. Reputable historians of the Igbo do not take this claim of Jewish ancestry seriously. You'll never find an Afigbo (RIP), Isichei, or any historian worth their salt espousing such a theory. There's simply no evidence for it, and no reason for people to look into the claim unless they have special interests vested in associating themselves with Jews.

The motives of this writer and his type are exactly the same as those of Hausa (and Nupe, Yoruba, Kanuri etc.) Muslims who talk about their Saudi Arabian ancestry in order to establish some spurious ancient ties to their latter-day religions . If you read Rev. Samuel Johnson's History of the Yorubas, he's convinced that Ile-Ife was a Hebrew colony too and that the edi book in the city is supposedly written in Phoenician characters. Why? For the very same reason that he was a Christian looking to see himself and his ethnic nationality reflected in his religious beliefs. It doesn't have any basis in historical fact, much like this illogical belief about Igbo Jews. If Nigeria had been colonized by India, you would be reading about the Yoruba ancient connections with polytheistic Hinduism or the Buddhist ancestry of the Igbos.

It is interesting to note that some versions of history hold that Oduduwa was some fleeing Edo prince (a realistic view held by Edo people); another version claims the Yoruba people came Saudi Arabia. This is yet another feasible theory even if it is not yet provable. What would be embarrassing truly would be to reject these views (Saudi Arabia-Yoruba connection; Jewish-Igbo connections) in favor of fantastic folklore often spun around figures like Oduduwa. The point therefore remains that as long as there is no infallible methods or standards employed to verify realistic claims, it would be ill-advised to cavalierly write these "nettling" claims off.

Neither of those theories are either realistic or feasible to most historians, whether they sound "realistic" or not. This whole sad Oduduwa saga is a perfect case study in myth and history. There's a great likelihood that there never was an Oduduwa and he is either a fully or semi-mythical figure. In several places in Yorubaland, Oduduwa is female and a deity, not a male prince/invader/figure climbing down from a golden chain etc., so just because one explanation sounds more "believable" than another doesn't make them qualify as history. Again, what you term realistic are spurious latter-day claims that exist only because people have political axes to grind. Omo N'Oba Erediuwa's claims about Ekalhaderan/Oduduwa were never recorded by earlier historians, even the Edo ones like Egharevba. Earlier Obas made it clear that they believed their dynasty was descended from an inland culture which some historians have identified as being around modern-day Nupe (where there were other cultures named Beni). Myths about princes wandering through forests and being elected kings in a foreign state (how realistic does that sound to you?) are politically motivated recent inventions that aren't supported by history. Read the part labelled "Achievements". There are methods and standards used to evaluate the differences between myth and history, and while they might not be infallible, they are much more precise than making religiously- or politically-motivated claims of Jewish/Saudi Arabian/Egyptian etc. ancestry.

I could go on forever--the point remains that this idea is a sad refusal to really study and accept 'real' and 'verifiable' Igbo history, which does not begin in the Bible or with the Middle East.

[Hawtie]

Originally Posted by kulata

Na bush you people come from

Jews ko San bushmen ni

and na from pit latrine you people come from and they reside

Carry your ko ni blather commot for here.