Igbo History 101

[Onyiiboy]

Igbo History 101
By: Akobundu Anyiwo and Onyemobi Anyiwo

Found online at:
http://igbokwenu.wikispaces.com/Redi...+Issue+History

Early history

Though not a lot has been written about the history of the Igbo people, it is in fact very rich. The Igbo people have lived in Southeastern Nigeria for thousands of years. According to Igbo mythology, Chukwu, the high God of the Igbos, sent down the Igbo grand ancestor, Eri, and his wife Nnmaku in the area now known as Nri, where most Igbos claim ancestry from. Similar myths of creation can be found amongst both the Bini and Yoruba people who are neighbors of the Igbos. While most Igbos do not believe in this story literally, a significant portion do believe that a man named Eri existed and that he is the father of the core Igbo that inhabit the area surrounding Nri of Northern Igboland today. Traces of ancient Igbo civilization have been found at the location known as Igbo-Ukwu the center of Nri influence. The area, which is one of the most famous archeological sites in Africa, includes artifacts (including famous bronze castings) that date back to roughly 900 A.D, which was the start of the Nri kingdom making it the oldest kingdom of Nigeria. The bronze castings even predate Ife by roughly 300-400 years and the ones in Benin by about 700 years yet you may not have heard of the Nri kingdom and Igbo Ukwu. The Nri kingdom was a center of spirituality, learning, and commerce. They were agents of peace and harmony whose influence stretched beyond Igboland and their neighbors (especially Igalaland and Benin kingdom). Since they did not own slaves and were against slavery, their downturn was at slave trade’s rise in Igboland. Another significant Northern Igbo town is Agbaja between Awka and Enugu, which is known for their ironwork, pyramids, etc.

One of the bronze castings in Igbo Ukwu:




Slave Trade

The Igbos was highly involved in the slave trade. The Aro Confederacy of the Cross River (eastern) Igbo was once a large slave trading oligarchy was responsible for most of the slave activity in Igboland from the 17nth-19nth century. Their influence covered Southeastern Nigeria, Southern Igalaland, and the Western Niger Delta (Urhobo and Isoko areas) through exploiting their oracle Ibini Ukpabi for slave trade, alliance with their related warlike neighbors (Ohafia, Abam, Edda, Ezza, and other Cross River communities), and other business oligarchies like Awka and other towns. Another advantage was their location between the Igbo, Efik, and Ibibio. The British in the Anglo-Aro war officially ended their economic power in 1901-1902.

The flag of the Aro people:



Colonialism

The conquest of Igboland in the late 1800s and early 1900s saw the end of the slave trade. Even with the conquest of the Aros, conquering the rest of Igboland was not an easy task for the British though the Igbos were armed with only capguns, Dane guns, machetes and the occasional rifle. The British were met with resistance every place they went within Igboland since there were so many independent and small communities. Elizabeth Isichei writes in her book “A History of the Igbo People” that resistance to colonialism was fiercest and longest in Igboland. After conquering Igboland, the British installed warrant chiefs, which the Igbo people in turn ignored. The apex of Igbo colonial resistance came at the 1929 Aba Women’s Riot when thousands of Igbo women protested upon rumors that the British would tax them on their goods. The rioting women attacked and ransacked the British imposed Native Courts, European owned factories, and Warrant chiefs themselves. After the use of force by the British, the riots were quelled.

Nigeria

Igbos played key roles during the colonial period of Nigeria as well as afterwards. The first president of Nigeria was an Igbo by the name of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. However, tensions between ethnic groups were still very high after colonization and culminated in a 1966 coup attempt. Because most of the officers involved were Igbo and most of the officers that were killed were from one of the northern ethnic groups, many of the Igbos living in the northern part of Nigeria became victims of mass killings. Eventually, a second coup took place that ousted the Igbo officers and caused even more widespread killing of Igbos across the nation. As a result, the most senior officer in the eastern region, Lieutenant Colonel Emeka Ojukwu refused to recognize the new government and decided that the region that he was overseeing would cede from Nigeria and form Biafra in 1967. The full scale civil war that occurred lasted for nearly three years (1967-1970) and resulted in the deaths of millions of Igbos, mostly from starvation and disease. The brave and fearless Igbos were outnumbered, outgunned, and had very little if anything yet they held on and fought gallantly for 3 years. After the war, Igbos have still been in a long and difficult phase of rebuilding as many of their lives had been lost, most of their money in the banks had been seized, and most of their homes had been destroyed.

Today

The Igbo continue to face many problems and challenges. Even today, Igbo people have continued to face discrimination from other ethnic
groups and the government in Nigeria. Many Igbo have emigrated out of Igboland because the traditional Igbo homeland was becoming too small for its growing population and better opportunities. This is why there is a huge Diaspora of Igbo people outside of Igboland. Unfortunately, too many of us are unaware of our culture and history. The great Dr. Naim Akbar says that history and understanding of history is the greatest source of physiological power and regeneration. It gives us identity, tells who we are, unifies us, and gives us comfort of who we are. It is time for us Igbos to know our history.

Bibliography

1. “World Holidays Encyclopedia”; 2006 Families.com: http://world.families.com/nigeria-446-452-jwwh

2. “People, Population and Settlemen” ; 2006 OnlineNigeria.com: http://www.onlinenigeria.com/links/a....asp?blurb=196

3. van Allen, Judith. **"Sitting on a Man": Colonialism and the Lost Political Institutions of Igbo Women**. //Canadian Journal of African Studies//: Vol. 6, No. 2, Special Issue: The Roles of African Women: Past, Present and Future (1972)

4. Dick-Read, Robert. “The Phantom Voyagers”

5. Craddock, Paul T: Ambers, Janet; R. Hook, Duncan; M. Farquhar, Ronald; E. Chikwendu, Vincent; C. Umeji, Alphonse; Shaw, Thurstan. “Metal Sources and the Bronzes from Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria” Journal of Field Archaeology(1997)

6. “Retracing the Slave Routes from Arochukwu to the Ports in Old Calabar and Bonny”; Njoku, Johnston: http://www.wku.edu/~johnston.njoku/arochukwu/

7. Onwumechili, Dr. Cyril Agodi, B.Sc. “Ibgo Enwe Eze: The Igbo Have No Kings”. 2000 Ahiajoku Lecture Series

8. Nlenanya Onwu, Dr. Emmanuel. “Uzo Ndu Na Eziokwu: Towards an Understanding of Igbo Traditional Religious Life and Philosophy”. 2002 Ahiajoku Lecture Series

9. Iwe, N.S. “Igbo Deities”. 1988 Ahịajọkụ Lecture Series Onugaotu Colloquium

10. Uzodinma Nwala; T. “The Igbo Idea of the Sacred: Contemporary Observances”.1988 Ahịajọkụ Lecture Onugaotu Colloquium

11. Kalu, O.U.. “Under the Eyes of the Gods: Saralization and Control of Social Order in Igboland.” 1988 Ahịajọkụ Lecture Onugaotu Colloquium

12. Adiele Afigbo: "Igbo History and Society: The essays of Adiele Afigbo", edited by Toyin Falola

Onyemobi Anyiwo is a student at University of Maryland

Akobundu Anyiwo is a high school student at High Point

[AfroSoul]

I enjoyed that article, I never heard of the Nri kingdom and I'll definately get around to reading more about them. You've probably heard of the book Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, if you haven't, I recommend it. The proto-Bantu culture likely resideded in south eastern Nigeria around 4000 years ago and I vaguely remember reading that, of all the non-Bantu languages, Igbo was the most similar to the Bantu languages.

[Onyiiboy]

Originally Posted by AfroSoul

I enjoyed that article, I never heard of the Nri kingdom and I'll definately get around to reading more about them. You've probably heard of the book Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, if you haven't, I recommend it. The proto-Bantu culture likely resideded in south eastern Nigeria around 4000 years ago and I vaguely remember reading that, of all the non-Bantu languages, Igbo was the most similar to the Bantu languages.

Yeah I will definitely pick it up. A book I would recommend would be "Nri Warriors of Peace"

[ChildOfOya]

My dad was telling me about the Biafran war and how his family felt about it. He still isn't too pleased to talk about at times.