WOW! Igbos made IFE bronze and NOK Bronze!

[naija 2real]

http://www.nacdonline.net/Anambra_state_people.htm



According to historical accounts of their migration, Jabbokigbo after traveling through the region of Arabia, followed the traders. Being a trader in various articles and merchandise, he entered Northern Gobir in present day Katsina, a major trading centre. Finding solace in this new settlement, he decided to set up a settlement called Degel, a name taken from ‘Dege’ the first son of Jabbokigbo.

Following the arrival of the Hausa from North Africa in the town and the attendant hostilities towards the Igbo migrants, Jabbokigbo left Degel to Tor-Uga, a town not far from the later famous Nok settlement said to have been established by Igbo settlers, a name that has Igbo ethymology because Nok and Nawgu in present day Anambra State are the same in pronounciation and meaning. In line with the migratory structure of the Igbos, which is usually in cluster form for defence purposes, some of the people moved westwards to settle at a place called IgboAikun which means ‘Igbo that lives forever till date’ in Ile-Ife in Oyo State.

The peace of this settlement was destroyed following the invasion of the area by Lamurudu who led a Yoruba military expedition out of Bini Empire. Lamurudu attacked and scattered the Igbo settlers and to hide the treasured bronze works which were religious items, the Igbos buried these items. This was to be later excavated by archeologists and became known as Ife bronze works. Perhaps this explains the level of acculturation that took place as a result of interactions between the Yoruba indigenous population and the Igbo, as the Yoruba borrowed from the religious belief systems of the Igbo settlers. This was affirmed by the Yoruba belief in ‘Orisa’ which is the corruption of Igbo ‘Olisa’, the Supreme Being.


Leaving Igboaikun after the Lamurudu attack which led to the destruction of their settlement, Jabbokigbo and his kinsmen moved eastwards passing the great Bini kingdom, the Niger river and arrived at a virgin land they called ‘Igbo’, which later became known as Igbo-Ukwu.

Since the place was still virgin, a tropical rain forest zone, rich in assorted trees, shrubs, fruit trees, animals, grasses, rivers, streams and lakes among other gifts of nature, they gradually conditioned themselves to suit their new environment. As great hunters and with skills in irrigation farming acquired when the Israelites sojourned in Egypt, they made effective use of the arable land aided by the several streams around and turned the area into a food basket. Being an agrarian people, they developed their planting seasons and times with agriculture as its base. And with good knowledge of astronomy which they learnt from their ancestral home, they were able to count their seasons, festivals and time using the appearance of the moon and its cycle.

Having found this fertile and uninhabited land, nor was there the need to fight for territorial expansion, and being of one family, the descendants of Jabbokigbo found no reason to migrate. Rather what took place was movement of families to occupy other uninhabited lands not far away from each other. This explains the close proximity of communities in Igbo land as they all recognize their filial relationship with one another which does not require inter-communal boundaries. Later as a result of attacks by neighbours, the Igbo were dispersed to other lands across the great river Niger, up to the great ocean bordering Rivers states, Cross river and Delta states in the present day Nigeria.

In spite of the fact that they finally settled at present day Igbo Ukwu, the greatest legacy bestowed by the Igbo in their various lands of sojourning was the bequeathing of the art of bronze and iron works, which was very active around 500 B.C to 200 A.D., a period marked by the discovery of metal works and iron smelting. It is a time noted for the great sculptural works with varied representations in forms of animals, human heads and figures, which incidentally tallies with the history of Igbo contact with the people living in the Niger tributaries and beyond. This historical link was further demonstrated by the size of the bronze and iron works which were found in the final settlement; Igbo-Ukwu. Another mark of this history is shown by the fact that Igbo-Ukwu bronze works show a similarity with what was found in other excavated sites such as Lake Chad area, Ile-Ife bronze works, Jebba discoveries in Kwara State, Esie in Niger State, Tor-Uga works in the southern part of Abuja, the terracotta and the Benin bronze works. The knowledge and workings of iron smelting and bronze work techniques is further shown as exclusive to Igbos as shown in Awka and Igbo-Ukwu bronze smiths among others. Though the bronze objects found in Igbo-Ukwu were carbon dated 9th century A.D which may be earlier than this, one significant thing remains, the Igbo-Ukwu bronze culture undoubtedly is found in all the migration routes of the Igbos in all parts of Nigeria. This is coupled with the fact that Igbo-Ukwu has the largest deposits of bronze so far discovered in Africa. According to history, the art of bronze casting came to an abrupt end in Igbo-Ukwu after the empire was conquered by the Okotu, while the bronze works in order to be protected were buried as seen in other old Igbo settlements, which were later excavated.

[Mazi Bawbee]

I hope buffnaija doesn't suffer a heart attack...

[______]

so are igbos jews or arabs ???

[Sophia]

both I think...

[______]

Originally Posted by Sophia

both I think...

Hogwash

[Sophia]

Originally Posted by I_am

Hogwash

u go dey ok

[Clockwatcher]

lol... you ppl, sef. Can't even allow Nok people to have their bronze.

[anddar]

I mean y'all invented the internet, so of course the Ife and Nok bronzes must have been yours too

[buffnaija]

total complete rubbish.

igbo ukwu has nothing stylisticly in common with ife bronzes. nothing.

all they did was cast some pots and pans.

ife bronze is a continuation of yoruba sculpture tradition that started out in clay sculptures.

this right there is pure proof of yorubaness of the sculpture. u see the tribal mark for face.

thats yoruba right there.


stop being stupid and claim something else.

claimer oshi

[Mazi Bawbee]

I warned ya'll...