Igbo (The lost tribe of Isreal)

IT’S ORIGIN

The Igbo appear to have settlede in their present area thousands of years ago possibly from Egypt. The origin of the Igbo is traced to the “Nri kingdom” the Nigeria’s oldest kingdom which was founded by the progenitor “Eri” . Nri the founder of Nri clan was the son of Eri.

ERI (The seventh son of Gad)

It was assumed that he migrated from the Igala area, settled and established a community in the middle of Anambra river valley where he married two wives. The first wife Nneamaku, bore him five children; The first which was Agulu, the founder of Aguleri. The second was Nri Ifikuanim, the founder of Umunri/kingdom of Nri. The third was Nri Onugu, the founder of Igbaria. The fourth was Ogbodulu, the founder of Amanuke. The fifth one was a daughter called Iguedo, who was said to have born the founders of Nteje, Awkuze, Ogbunike, Umuleri, Nnado and Ogboli in Onitsha.
The second wife gave birth to Onoja, the only son who founded the Igala kingdom in Kogi state. Eri is the founder of the Umueri and Umunri clans, both of whom were some of the influential and powerful dynasties of the priests and diviners in the Igboland and adjacent areas such as the Bini and Igala/Idoma areas. He and his children are responsible for the Igbo Ukwusites, four market days, Ozo/Nze title systems, Igu alu and other practices of the Igbo people and their neighbors.

LANGUAGE FORMATION

In ancient Egypt, Eri was a high priest and a spiritual adviser to pharaoh Teti (The fifth dynastic king of Egypt) around 2345BC by archeological account.
Based on linguistical evidence, it is proven that many Egyptain words survive in igbo today. A list of ancient Egyptain words which survives in the igbo language includes the following:
Egypt Igbo

Aru (mouth) Onu (mouth)
Amu (children) Umu (children)
Ala (land) Ala (land)
Ani (ground below) Ani (ground below)
Au-nu (crocodile) Anu-ma-nu/Anu (animal/beast)
Ak (man) Ok-a (man)
Bi (become) Bu (to become)
Beka (pray/confess) Biko/Beko (to plead,please)
Budo (dwelling place) Obodo (dwelling place)
Dor (settlement) Dor-Nor (sit down)
Dudu (black image of osiris) Mmadu (person)
Em (smell) Imi/Emi (nose,associated with smell)
Ehn (yes) Eh (yes)
Feh (to go away) Feh (to fly away)
Hoo (rejoice) Goo ta- Goo (dance, rejoice)
Isi (leader) Isi (leader/head)
Ikhenaten (name of pharaoh) Ikh-em/Ikem(name for one rep. power)
Miri (water) Mmiri (water)
Kaka (God) Ka (greater, superior)
Khu (to kill) Gbu (to kill)
Nahasu (other blacks) Ahasi/Ani-hasi (evening, night)
Ma (to know) Ma, Ma-li (to know)
Se (to create) Ke (to create) Se (to draw)

OBUGAD (The house of Gad)

Eri erected his house as well as a temple with an altar. He called the temple Obugad, in honour of his father Gad; the temple survived and had been preserved as the most Holy place in Enugwu Aguleri and serves as the palace of Ezeora. On the understanding and belief that the igbo have been traced to the lost tribe of Isreal through Aguleri, His Majesty Eze A.E Chukwuemeka Eri, Eze Eri, Ezeora 34th, Eze Aka Ji Ofor Igbo was appointed Leader of the Igbo-isrealites in West-Africa in May 1996, during a conference of King Solomon Igbo-isrealites (Bani-Isreal) Federation, held in Philadelphia U.S.A. The conference was aimed at increasing the brotherly relationship and cohesion among the tribes of Isreal worldwide.

THE SETTLEMENT

During the Exodus, the departure of the Isrealites from Egypt, the tribe of Eri was amongest them (Isrealites) that left Egypt.
Some of these tribes founded settlements in the southern part of Sudan, where they established the “Nok” culture which is similar to that of other (sun cult) culture like Nri, Fiji, Samoa and Jukun in the Northern Part of Nigeria and elsewhere. But others could not remain in the Southern Sudan, travelled further south, some branched off to Jukun (in Northern part of Nigeria), others continued and arrived at the confluence of Rivers Niger and Anambra known as “Ezu-na-Omambala” and settled there while some veered off to the island of Fiji in the south of Pacific ocean. An intelligence report notes that the Fijians have the same culture with the people of Nri.

THE IGBO PEOPLE

The Igbo people (formerly called Ibo/Ebo) work mostly as craftmen, farmers and traders. Most important crop is Yam followed by Cassava and Cocoyam. Many African Americans and Afro Carribbeans are of Igbo descent. The Igbo in Nigeria are found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo as well as in Delta and Rivers states. The common name heard “Igbo amaze” (which means Igbo recognize no kings) is a belief that the Igbos show great contempt for monarchies because the Igbo believe that there is a king in every man, in other words that each person is a king unto themselves and master of their own affairs.

THE INITIAL WAY OF LIVING

The way of governing was immensely different from most other communities of Western Africa. This is shared only shared by the Ewe of Ghana. The Igbo had their indigenous ancient calendar in which there are four days in a week. In the last month, an extra day is added. This practice holds till date. It is still in use in the villages and towns to determine the market days.
The Igbo had a banking system for saving and loans called Isusu (commonly known as Akawo) which is still in use today. They settled law matters via mediators.
During the colonial period, during the arrival of the British 1870s, the Igbos showed more enthusiasim in the embrace of Western education and Christainity and during this period the diversity between the Igbo and other ethnic group decreased and its distinction became sharper.

THE DISPERSION/SPLIT OF THE IGBO

After the Nigerian Civil war during the 1970s, the Igbo became the poorest ethnic group. Many migrated out of the traditional Igbo homeland in the south eastern Nigeria due to Federal presence, lack of jobs and poor infrastructure. Prominent ones to Houston, California, Atlanta and Washington DC in the United States. An example of Bishop T.D. Jakes has his DNA analyzed, that his Y chromosone showed he descended from the Igbo according to the 2003 PBS program, African American lives.

THE MODERN IGBO SOCIETY

Suffering from poverty during the early 1970s, the Igboland was gradually rebuilt over a period of twenty years and the economy was again prospering due to the rise of the petroleum industry in the adjacent Niger Delta, which led to new factories being set up in southern Nigeria. Many Igbo people eventually took Goverment positions.
However, the Igbo still face discrimination from other ethnic groups, because the traditional Igbo homeland was becoming too small for its growing population and at that many Igbo have and are still emigrating out of Igboland.