Theories of Ndi Igbo Origins Pt. 1: Ancient Hebrews
Maternal Grandpa
Where do the Igbo come from? What are their origins beyond the 1,100 plus years of the Nri Kingdom, which is considered the heart of Igbo nationality?
We know that we are Igbo, and we know that we are proud to be Igbo. Exploration into the origins of the Igbo does not imply we are somehow unsatisfied with our own history, but instead, I find it an admirable journey to explore our origins, which in turn results into an exploration of African peoples. This journey into the African past requires diligence of anyone who chooses to embark on this path. Like Earth Wind and Fire sing, “You need devotion…” That’s all you need. =)
For me, this exploration is in line with this Igbo proverb told to me by my father: “Until lions have their own historians, the tale of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.”
The time is now for the lion to rise up and tell her/his story, to reclaim the past in order to change the present course and in turn the future.
“The Nri Kingdom – is the oldest Kingdom in Nigeria. It was founded around 900AD by the progenitor, Eri, the son of Gad. According to biblical accounts, Jacob had Leah as his wife who begot four sons for him. When Leah noticed she had passed child-bearing age, she gave her maid – servant, Zilpah to Jacob to wife, and through Zilpah he had a son named Gad. Gad then bigot Eri, who later formed a clan known as Erites vide Genesis Chapter 30 verse 9; 46 verse 16 and Numbers chapter 26 verses 15-19. Eri was therefore amongst the twelve tribes of Israel via Gad.
During their stay in Egypt Eri became the high priest and spiritual adviser to Pharaoh Teti, the fifth dynastic king of Egypt around 2400 BC. During the Exodus, which marked the beginning of the mass movement of the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Eri was amongst the tribe that left Egypt following the injunction from God to the Israelites (see Deuteronomy chapter 28 verses 58 – 68). 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 who could not remain in the Southern Sudan traveled further South, some branched off to Jukun, in Northern part of Nigeria, others continued and arrived at the confluence of Rivers Niger and Anambara known as “Ezu-na-Ọmambala” and settled there while some veered off to the Island of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean. An intelligence report notes that the Fijians have the same sun culture with the people of Nri.
The Biafran Flag is represented by the rising sun, and Biafra is called the “Land of the Rising Sun.”
“The entity known as Biafra consisted of the Nine states existing in the present day South Eastern states of Nigeria, including Abia (Umuahia), Akwa-Ibom (Uyo), Anambra (Awka), Bayelsa (Yenegoa), Cross River (Calabar), Ebonyi (Abakaliki), Enugu (Enugu), Imo (Owerri), and Rivers (Port Harcourt). Within these nine states there are about 30 tribes consisting of Adaada, Agbaja, and Wawa in Enugu state; Bende, Ebonyi, Egbema, Ihiala, Ika, Izza, Nri, Oka, Onicha, Owerri, Ngwa known as central Igbo. Others are An-donni, Anang, Abanyom, Anyima, Akajuk, Adun, Boki, Ikwerre, Degema, Igbani, Ejagham, Eket, Ekoi, Efik, Etche, Ibibio, Ibeno, Izon, Ikom, Iyala, Kana, Mbembe, Mbube, Nkum, Ogoni, Okobo, Oron, Kwa, Ukale, Uyanga etc. The Biafran national anthem is titled ‘The Rising Sun’ ” (Source: “The Igbo Story,” Mazi Chukwuma Obiagwu)
Umuahia is the township where my parents are from. I will discuss in another post the Biafran War and the personal accounts given to me by my parents.
This symbolism of a rising sun is interesting to me. The colors of the flag are Pan-African.
Solar worship was an important part of ancient Egypt and reached its peak in the fifth dynasty in Egypt. This is the same period where Eri (part of the Igbo story; see above) is identified as being in Egypt as a high priest and spirtual advisor to Pharoah Teti.
“The well-known Egyptian sun god Re (Ra) of Heliopolis became a major diety by the fifth dynasty in ancient Egyptian religion. Ra/Re is the ”head of the great ennead, supreme judge; often linked with other gods aspiring to universality, e.g. Amen-Re, Sobk-Re; represented as falcon-headed. Seen as the father of the gods, it was from him that all the gods and goddesses were created. He is also known by three aspects, which correspond to the positions of the sun, Amen at dawn, Re in the evening, and Set at dusk.” (Source)
Malawi has a similar flag to the Biafran flag.
“In 1967, Haiti became the only country outside of Africa to recognize the independent Igbo Republic of Biafra in seccession from Nigeria. The vote of confidence in favor of Biafra on the part of this tiny Carribean nation was due to the Haitian’s memory of their own “ Igbo “ revolutionary past. The numerous and successful slave revolts in Haiti are clearly documented as “Igbo” uprisings but yet we find the strongest presence of the ancestral deity Legba (Eshu) amongst the Haitians. In Haiti Legba is described as the most powerful of all the Loa. He is the guardian of the sun and his color is black The guardian of the sun is most likely a code for the “ Land of the Rising Sun “ which is an ancient Igbo reference for the Land of Biafra. The Igbo revolutionaries and devoutees of Legba (Eshu) in Haiti were in actuality the Igbo descended Mina tribes such as the Ewe and Fon(Fongbe) who are well associated with the worship and reverence for Legba.” (Source: ”The Greater Igbo Nation – Identifying Igbo Variants During the Era of the Slave Trade,” Al-Sulaimani & Grier)
“When Eri arrived at the confluence of “Ezu-na-Ọmambala” he had two wives, namely Nneamakụ and Oboli, Nneamakụ begot five children, namely (a) Nrifikwuanịm-Menri being the first son (b) Agụlụ (c) Ogbodudu (d) Onogu and (e) Iguedo the only daughter. Oboli begot Ọnọja, the only son who founded the Ịgala Kingdom in Kogi State. Meanwhile, Nri-Ifikwuanịm begot Agụkwu Nri, Enugwu-Ukwu, Enugwu-Agidi, Nọfịa, and Amọbia, while his brother Ogbodudu who later became Nrinaoke N’Ogbodudu had founded the Diodo Dynasty, while his brother Ezikannebo founded Akamkpịsị and Amanuke. Onogu Begot Ịgbariam, while Iguedo, the only daughter, begot Ogbunike, Ọkuzu, Nando, Ụmụleri, and Nteje, Known today as Ụmụ-Iguedo clan, while the former are better known as Ụmụ-Nri clan. According to Nri Oral tradition recently substantiated by archaeological findings of Ọraeri/Igbo-Ukwu objects, the unification of Agukwu, Diodo, and Akamkpịsị was enacted constitutionally during the beginning of reign of Nribụife (AD 1159 – 1252) who was the first Eze Nri to observe the Ịgụ-Arọ Festival as a pan – Igbo affair in 1160AD (Prof. M.A. Ọnwụejeọwu 2003).
Nri-Ifikwuanịm took after his progenitor Eri, and became a high priest among his people. He left Agụleri in search of a better living place, according to Mr. M.D.W. Jeffreys report, and settled at present Nri site. He started performing what Eri did at Egypt, cleansing of abominations, giving titles such as prestigious Ọzọ title, to his people, proclaiming the New Year (Ịgụ-Arọ) etc.”
We inhabit the world to the tune of over 40 million. Nigeria’s overall population is 140 million plus people. The largest ethnic groups in Nigeria are: Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa, though there are at least 250 ethnic groups in the country (Including the Tiv, Fulani, Nupe, Ibibio, Tiv, and Edo). Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba consitute the principal languages in Nigeria.
These languages fall into the following groups:
Niger-Congo – Igbo
Niger-Congo – Yoruba
Afro-Asiatic – Hausa
According to record, Nigeria is named after the Niger River, the third largest river in Africa, behind the Nile River and Congo River. The main tributary of the Niger River is Benue River.
The Niger River cuts through Guinea, Mali, Niger, on the border of Benin, and through Nigeria. It reaches the sea at the Niger Delta of the Oil Rivers. Prior to the 20th century, geographers were confused as to where the river began. The Niger River starts in Guinea.
The map below shows a trade route taken by the Songhai Empire of Mali which crosses through the Niger River.
Recent findings in Gao, in eastern Mali which is shown on the map have suggested an alternative route to between trade from Nigeria to the Nile civilizations, through Igbo-Ukwu. Glass beads found at Igbo-Ukwu have been labeled as Egyptian beads.
“The external connections of Igbo-Ukwu, in the forest belt of south-eastern Nigeria, around the ninth century AD, are demonstrated by the large numbers of glass beads, apparently of Egyptian manufacture, and are implicit in the rich collection of bronze artwork that lacks known prototypes. Although the metals were mined locally, the labor and the expert alloying and casting of numerous ritual or ornamental objects indicate an accumulation of wealth derived from distant trade of special commodities. The identification of these commodities, however, and the routes by which they—and in the reverse direction the beads—would have traveled, remain unsatisfactorily resolved. A preference is repeated here for an eastern Sahelian routing from Lake Chad to the Middle Nile kingdoms (Alwa and Makuria/Dongola), then at their height, thus avoiding the Sahara. The alternative direction suggested recently (Insoll, T., and Shaw, T. (1997) Gao and Igbo-Ukwu: Beads, interregional trade and beyond. African Archaeological Review, 14:9–23), through Gao on the Niger bend and across the west-central Sahara, seems less likely on grounds of geography and chronology. The essential items of merchandise deriving from Igbo-Ukwu are unlikely to be those commonly assumed for sub-Saharan Africa, notably ivory and slaves, but would have been more local and precious, presumably metals. The bronzes stored and buried at Igbo-Ukwu might be regarded as by-products of this export activity. Demands in the Nile Valley for tin (for bronze alloying) and for silver, both of which occur in the ores exploited, deserve consideration. A call is made for comparative study of metals and their uses between the Middle Nile and West Africa in the first millennium AD—a neglected subject owing to the intellectual gulf that persists between Africanists and Egyptologists.” (Source)
“Igbo Ukwu is an archaeological site near the modern town of Onitsha, southeastern Nigeria. The site was part of the Nri Kingdom, and it was used in the 10th century AD (date may go back further than this by at least 200 years). The site has several parts, including a main burial, and associated caches and shrines.” (Source)
What is the significance of Igbo-Ukwu?
Igbo-Ukwu represents one of the archaelogical findings in West Africa which challenges the assumption that West Africa had no advanced cultures or contributions to the world in its past, especially before the 15th century. Other findings such as the Dufuna Canoe, with a carbon date of at least 8,000 years B.P., making it the oldest boat in Africa (The Dufuna Canoe, found in Nigeria in 1987 by Fulani herdsmen, is older than Egypt’s oldest boat by at least 3,000 years. Egypt’s oldest boat is dated to 5,000 years B.P.).
“Before British colonialism, the Igbo were a politically fragmented group. There were variations in culture such as in art styles, attire and religious practices. Various subgroups were set according to clan, lineage, village affiliation and dialect. There weren’t many centralized chieftaincy, hereditary aristocracy, or kingship customs except in kingdoms like that of the Nri, Arochukwu and Onitsha. This political system changed significantly under British colonialism in the 19th century; Eze (kings) were introduced into most local communities by Frederick Lugard as “Warrant Chiefs”. The Igbo became overwhelmingly Christian under colonization.” (Source)
Now onto what you came here for: The Igbo Origins
Hebrew Angle
There are three major theories circulating regarding our origins under this angle. That we came:
1) Through early Hebrew and later Israeli migrations west from the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Ethiopia,
Kenya, and the Sudan
2) Through trade and travel of North African Jews within the West African Kingdoms of Mali, Songhai,
and Kanem-Bornu
3) Through Jews traveling with Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) trade caravans from various parts of Northeast
I will address all three.
DNA findings suggest that West Africa has been inhabited for at least 20-30,000 years, Nigeria at least 8,000 years. But then again, we must also remember that Nigeria, came to being as a country in the early 20th century. Prior to the this time, maps of Africa labeled the region which became known as Nigeria, by such names as Biafra (in Igboland), Soudan/Sudan, Ethiopia, etc. *See maps further down*
These maps, in my opinion, show that observers saw commonalities between West, Central, and East Africans. The recent phenomenon (by at least 50 years) of continuously compartamentalizing Africa into carved out boundaries – along country, state, regional, etc. lines with such terms as Sub-Saharan for example, is simply to try and demarcate Africaness, and say who is African and who is not African, or only somewhat African. Well, let me say this, Africans are Africans.
Mom, Aunt, and Family Friend
Maternal Great Grandma and Grandma
Aunt
To attempt to separate Africans based on supposed Caucasian features (i.e., slender nose, light colored eyes) and supposed Negroid features (i.e., broad nose, coarse hair) is like me separating my family members based on the fact that some have fair complexions, while others have rich, dark complexions. Or because some members have coarser hair than other members, or slender noses than other members; even though we have the same blood running through our veins and are family.
{Through early Hebrew and later Israeli migrations west from the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Sudan}
“According to most accounts, the earliest Israeli settlements in Africa were in places such as Ethiopia, Egypt and Tunisia. It is believed that these settlements may have been in existence as early as the kingdoms of David and Solomon, as well as during the Assyrian invasion of northern Israel in 722 BCE and the Babylonian captivity of Judah in 586 BCE in the Punic-Carthaginian age. These communities were augmented by subsequent arrivals of Jews after the destruction of the 2nd Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE, when 30,000 Jewish slaves were settled throughout Carthage by the Roman emperor Titus.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“Africa is thus identified with it even more closely (Tamid, 32b, and the parallel passage, where, “African land,” is evidently the same as Carthage). The Septuagint (Isa. xxiii. 1), and Jerome (on Ezek. xxvii.), who, though a Christian, was taught by Jews, and very often the Aramaic Targum on the Prophets, identify the Biblical Tarshish with Carthage, which was the birthplace of a number of rabbis mentioned in the Talmud (compare above the identification with Tunis). Africa, in the broader sense, is clearly indicated where mention is made of the Ten Tribes having been driven into exile by the Assyrians and having journeyed into Africa, (Mek., Bo, 17; Tosef., Shab. vii. 25; Deut. R. v. 14; and especially Sanh. 94a).” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“Connected with this is the idea that the river Sambation is in Africa. The Arabs, who also know the legend of the Beni Musa (“Sons of Moses”), agree with the Jews in placing their land in Africa (compare Bacher, ” Ag. Tan.” i. 298; Epstein, “Eldad ha-Dani,” p. 15). The probable basis of this legend must be sought in the actual existence of the Beta Yisrael (Jews of Ethiopia) in Africa.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“The exact arrival date of the first Israeli ancestors of the Ibo Benei-Yisrael, from the Middle East into West Africa, is somewhat of a mystery. It is believed that the first migration of Semitic peoples into the region was prior to 202 BCE with the appearance of iron working civilizations, the most notable of which was the Nok.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“The linguistic reconstructions of Semitic vocabulary, related to farming and agriculture, have supported the theory that the origin of Semitic languages is in the Near East (Diakonoff 1988; Militarev 2003). On the other hand, the finding of all major branches of the Afro-Asiatic language tree in Africa/Ethiopia, including those that are not spoken elsewhere in the world, suggests that the homeland of the Afro-Asiatic language family may have been somewhere close to Africa’s southwestern Ethiopia (Ehret 1995). However, both cultural and historic evidence show tight connections between East Africa and the Semitic cultural substrate in the Near East and southern Arabia, Which points to four distinct phases of Semitic cultural intrusion into Ethiopia: First, related to the Sabaens in the 1st millennium b.c.; Second, as the arrival of Falasha Jews from southern Arabia in the first 2 centuries a.d.; Third, during the 4th–6th centuries, when Syrian missionaries brought, Christianity to Aksumites/Axumites አፁሚተ and to their descendants, The Tigrais ቲግራኢስ and the Amharas አምሃራስ : And fourth, because of the influence of Muslim Arabs, which primarily affected the southeastern parts of the country..…(Levine 1974).” (Source)
In terms of DNA among Kenyan, Sudanese, Ethiopian, and Arabian Peninsula populations, studies have shown the presence of African haplotypes E3a/M2 and E3b/M35 at noteworthy percentages.
M2 (My haplotype) is found among the following groups in some studies:
Kenyans – 52%
Nubians (Egypt-Nile ValleyCivilizations) – 67%
Nubian Woman
“Jerbian Hebrews from (North-Africa) Carthage/Tunisia’s Island “Jerba.” (Source)
“Sephardic-Hebrews” Judaeo-Christians at 8.4 % North-Africa (Source: Source: “Hisory in the Interpretation of the Patten of p49a, f RFLP Y-Chromosome Variation in Egypt: A Consideration of Multiple Lines of Evidence TaqI” Keita, 2005).
example: ( Algeria-8.5%, Libya-7.9% and Iberia 5-10% ..)
The Western Distribution of M2 show 80% in Senegalese Males and as well as a Southern Distribution in the Khoisan at 17.9% with
A small percentage of 3.4% In Ethiopians while the Brother clade M191 is 1% in Senegalese and 0% in Ethiopians..
The Eastern Population in Kenya displays an E3a-M2 frequency of 52%, (Underhill et al. 2000 )”
M35/Haplotype V is “Haplotype V is of the Horn/Supra Sahara populations, with a northern geographic distribution in Egypt in the Nile River Valley” (Source)
For information on the mtDNA haplotype L1b (My haplotype), you can check out the post where I broke down prevalence across Africa here.
L1b, in addition to other L haplogroups and haplotypes, are found not only in West African populations but amongst North African populations as well.
“North Africans tend to cluster with West Africans, suggesting that the sub-Saharan component of North Africans originates primarily from West rather than East Africa.” (Source)
In the Canary Islands, the L haplogroup is found amongst aboriginal inhabitants.
“Significant frequencies of sub-Saharan L haplogroups (6.6%) is also consistent with the historical records on introduction of sub-Saharan slave labour in Canary Islands. However, the presence of Sub-Saharan lineages in North African populations could mean these lineages were introduced from North Africa rather than directly from Sub-Saharan Africa.[32][33] A 2009 study of DNA extracted from the remains of aboriginal inhabitants found that 7% of lineages were Haplogroup L. This leaves open the possibility that these L lineages were part of the founding population of the Canary Islands.” (Source)
I suggest a northward movement (West Africa, North Africa, Canary Islands).
Amongst populations in the Arabian Peninsula, L haplogroups are present in notable frequencies.
“Sub-Saharan Africa L lineages in Saudi Arabia account for 10% of the total. χ2 analyses showed that there is not significant regional differentiation in this Country. However, there is significant heterogeneity (p < 0.001) when all the Arabian Peninsula countries are compared. This is mainly due to the comparatively high frequency of sub-Saharan lineages in Yemen (38%) compared to Oman-Qatar (16%) and to Saudi Arabia-UAE (10%). Most probably, the higher frequencies shown in southern countries reflect their greater proximity to Africa, separated only by the Bab’al Mandab strait.” (Source)
{Through trade and travel of North African Jews within the West African Kingdoms of Mali, Songhai, and Kanem-Bornu}
Igbo Historian Remy Ilona with Berber Jews
“In later centuries ancient Israelis and Jews are believed to have settled in Western Africa during the height of the Songhai, Mali, Ghana and Kanem-Bornu empires. According to various accounts from explorers of the region, several of the rulers of the Songhai empire were of Jewish origin, until Askia Muhammad came to power and in 1492 decreed that all Jews either convert to Islam or leave the region.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“Arab chroniclers of West Africa such as the 13th century historian Ibn Khaldun, the famous 12th century geographer Al-Idrisi, and the 16th century historian and traveler Leon Africanus wrote accountsof peoples whom they termed as “Jewish Negroes” in the Western Sudan. Looking at maps from the period we find similar use of the terms Tarshish, Ethiopia, and Kush, which were often used in ancient times to describe all peoples whom at the time some chroniclers were calling “Negro/Negroid” in the various regions of Africa. Early maps made by these explorers often depicted the “Sudan” and “Ethiopia as lands from as far-east as modern day Ethiopia to as far west as modern day Nigeria and Cameroon. This similar to the way the “Africa” is used to describe the continent.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
An 18th Century Map of Africa
A 17th Century Map of Africa
{Through Jews traveling with Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) trade caravans from various parts of Northeast Africa into West Africa}
“Trans-Saharan trade between North Africa and the West African Sudan pre-dated Carthaginian and Roman settlement in North Africa. It was the introduction of the camel to the Sahara in the first centuries that made regular and extensive trade possible. Expansion of the trans-Saharan caravan trade, with the Arab conquest of North Africa in the seventh and eighth centuries, was a major stimulus to the creation of political organization south of the Sahara. The main commodities were gold, slaves, spices, leather, and later ostrich feathers going north and weapons, horses, textiles, and paper going south. From the eighth century on, North African Arabic writers make increasingly precise references to kingdoms in the Western Sudan straddling the Sahel-Saharan fringes: Takrur in the far west on the Senegal, Ghana further east in the open Sahel, and Gao, the nucleus of the later Songhay empire, on the Niger bend. Further south, on the upper Niger and tributaries, an incipient kingdom of the Malinke people, the likely forerunner of the Mali empire, was mentioned in the eleventh century.” (Source)
The Y-chromosome haplotype E3b has been found among Tuaregs, who speak a Berber language (part of the Afro-Asiatic language family) and who can be found in such places as Algeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Libya. E3b is part of an African Y-chromosome triad prevalent in Egypt which includes E3a/M2 (which is my haplotype), E3b/M35, and E3b1/M78.
North African Moor
For more on the triad and it’s prevalence in Egypt, go here.
Igbo Angle
If the Igbo are part of the ancient Hebrews (who originate from Africa) why don’t they seem “Jewish”? Well, Igbo will always be Igbo, always be African, no matter what their lineage entails. They will not abandon themselves. But, copious amounts of evidence point to the ancient Hebrews as African peoples, so whatever similarities between ndi Igbo (and many other African groups) with Hebraic tradition should be in my opinion looked at it from this perspective: Ancient Hebrews are African whether they left the continent and came back in, they were still African. And African haplogroups are the oldest haplogroups on the planet. So, rather that the Igbo, or whomever, customs draw similarity to modern Jewish customs or ancient Hebraic customs, the Jewish customs are similar to the Igbo customs and other African groups that display “Jewishness”.
“The decline of the Jewish communities of the Africa-Maghreb (West Africa) most likely began with the influx of Muslim invaders into North Africa starting in 640 CE and later into West Africa in the 1300’s and 1400’s CE. Various accounts record that Jews were instrumental in fighting with and often times leading the coalitions of peoples who unified to fight off the Islamic invasions. The most notable of which was the Jewish Berber Queen Kahina Dahiyah Bint Thabitah ibn Tifan, known as El Kahina. Believed to have been a descendent of the Israeli priestly class, El Kahina was able to lead North-African Jews, Berbers, Christians, and Greeks alike against the Arab invasions until her defeat at the hands of the Arab commander Hassan Ibn Numan. (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“During these times many of the Jews in Northern and Western Africa were forced to covert to Islam, exiled, sold into slavery, or massacred. Incursions of Christian missionaries may have also played a role in the decline of the distinct Jewish written element in the region.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“As with other Jewish communities in Moslem controlled lands, the Jews of West Africa also suffered at the hands of various nobles in the Islamic ruling parties, which took power in the 1300 to 1400’s. Such is the case of Al-Maghili whom tolled the death knell of Sahara and savanna Jewry when, in 1492 after destroying the Jewish enclaves in the Tuat, Mali he convinced potentates throughout the Western Sudan and the founder of Songhai to banish Jews from the empire’s cities. No doubt that some sought refuge south and south east toward the forest. The records of such are some three hundred years later than the destruction of the independent Jewish enclaves of Qamnurya or Naghira, in the area of modern day Senegal, in the 11th and 12th century.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“Due to these and other pressures the Ibo Benei-Yisrael along with other West African Jewish communities lost whatever written documents such as Torah, and other written traditions that may have existed. Yet, these communities, including the Ibo Benei-Yisrael, to this day were able to maintain at the least a knowledge of their Israeli origin and in some cases continue to practice their traditions in secret. Records of these communities however do exist within the Timbuktu, Mali Islamic library, which has documents of the presence of several Jewish families in West Africa dating from before the Muslim arrival in the 1300’s CE.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
“Even to this day Ibo Benei-Yisrael practices are still in line with the commands given in the Torah. Even with the loss of the written record, the Ibo Benei-Yisrael people have maintained the customs and traditions of ancient Israel in an oral form. A few of these customs still in practice are: circumcision of sons on the eighth day of life, separation of women during the menstrual cycle, not cross breeding animals or plants, the prohibition of un-kosher animals for consumption, the celebration of Yom Kippur and Sukkoth, immersion for uncleanness, and Passover just to name a few. Similar to theSamaritans in Israel, and some Moroccan Jews certain Ibo Benei-Yisrael elders, believed to be descended from ancient Levites due to their Levitical practices, are distinguished within the community by donning red head coverings which only they can wear.” (“The Ibo Benei-Yisrael Jews of Africa,” Ilona & Eliyah, 2003)
*Igbo
Igbo-Ukwu: Archaelogical Site
“Igbo Ukwu is an archaeological site near the modern town of Onitsha, southeastern Nigeria. The site was part of the Nri Kingdom, and it was used in the 10th century AD (date may go back further than this by at least 200 years). The site has several parts, including a main burial, and associated caches and shrines.” (Source)
Nri is considered the heart of Igbo nationality.
“NRI KINGDOM is the oldest Kingdom in Nigeria. It was founded around 900AD by the progenitor, Eri, the son of Gad. According to biblical accounts, Jacob had Leah as his wife who begot four sons for him. When Leah noticed she had passed child-bearing age, she gave her maid – servant, Zilpah to Jacob to wife, and through Zilpah he had a son named Gad. Gad then bigot Eri, who later formed a clan known as Erites vide Genesis Chapter 30 verse 9; 46 verse 16 and Numbers chapter 26 verses 15-19. Eri was therefore amongst the twelve tribes of Israel via Gad.
During their stay in Egypt Eri became the high priest and spiritual adviser to Pharaoh Teti, the fifth dynastic king of Egypt around 2400 BC.
During the Exodus, which marked the beginning of the mass movement of the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Eri was amongst the tribe that left Egypt following the injunction from God to the Israelites (see Deuteronomy chapter 28 verses 58 – 68). 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 who could not remain in the Southern Sudan traveled further South, some branched off to Jukun, in Northern part of Nigeria, others continued and arrived at the confluence of Rivers Niger and Anambara known as “Ezu-na-Ọmambala” and settled there while some veered off to the Island of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean. An intelligence report notes that the Fijians have the same sun culture with the people of Nri.
When Eri arrived at the confluence of “Ezu-na-Ọmambala” he had two wives, namely Nneamakụ and Oboli, Nneamakụ begot five children, namely (a) Nrifikwuanịm-Menri being the first son (b) Agụlụ (c) Ogbodudu (d) Onogu and (e) Iguedo the only daughter. Oboli begot Ọnọja, the only son who founded the Ịgala Kingdom in Kogi State. Meanwhile, Nri-Ifikwuanịm begot Agụkwu Nri, Enugwu-Ukwu, Enugwu-Agidi, Nọfịa, and Amọbia, while his brother Ogbodudu who later became Nrinaoke N’Ogbodudu had founded the Diodo Dynasty, while his brother Ezikannebo founded Akamkpịsị and Amanuke. Onogu Begot Ịgbariam, while Iguedo, the only daughter, begot Ogbunike, Ọkuzu, Nando, Ụmụleri, and Nteje, Known today as Ụmụ-Iguedo clan, while the former are better known as Ụmụ-Nri clan. According to Nri Oral tradition recently substantiated by archaeological findings of Ọraeri/Igbo-Ukwu objects, the unification of Agukwu, Diodo, and Akamkpịsị was enacted constitutionally during the beginning of reign of Nribụife (AD 1159 – 1252) who was the first Eze Nri to observe the Ịgụ-Arọ Festival as a pan – Igbo affair in 1160AD (Prof. M.A. Ọnwụejeọgwu 2003).
Nri-Ifikwuanịm took after his progenitor Eri, and became a high priest among his people. He left Agụleri in search of a better living place, according to Mr. M.D.W. Jeffreys report, and settled at present Nri site. He started performing what Eri did at Egypt, cleansing of abominations, giving titles such as prestigious Ọzọ title, to his people, proclaiming the New Year (Ịgụ-Arọ) etc.
The Nri were great innovators in rituals, diplomacy, economy, administration, and management of a segmented and decentralized people. The Lunar system of calculating the year with a system of adjustment was known to the Nri priests of Alụsị Arọ and the knowledge of the movement of the heavenly bodies were employed in calculation the lunar year, according to Northcote Thomas (M.A. Frai) a British Government Anthropologist who served in Ọka District in the early 20th century, in 1910 he reported he got names from the following heavenly bodies at Nri-Pleiades, Orion and Great Bear. Therefore Nri elders had clear knowledge of these stars and others which helped them in calculating the intervals between each Lunar period and finding their directions during their sojourn from one Igbo Village to another in both the semi – forest and the forest zones.
“It is possible that the inhabitants of Igbo-Ukwu had a metalworking art that flourished as early as the ninth century (though this date remains controversial). Three sites have been excavated, revealing hundreds of ritual vessels and regalia castings of bronze or leaded bronze that are among the most inventive and technically accomplished bronzes ever made. The people of Igbo-Ukwu, ancestors of present-day Igbo, were the earliest smithers of copper and its alloys in West Africa, working the metal through hammering, bending, twisting, and incising. They are likely among the earliest groups of West Africans to employ the lost-wax casting techniques in the production of bronze sculptures.” (Source)
Bowl on a Stand; 9–10th century Presumed from Igbo Isaiah, Igbo-Ukwu Leaded bronze; H. 8 in. (20.3 cm) National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria (39.1.1) Photo © Dirk Bakker
“Regardless, the talent of these casters was truly astonishing. Many of the castings were made in stages. For instance, in one bronze bowl set on a flat stand found at Igbo-Ukwu, small decorative items including insects and spirals were cast first and placed in the wax model before the main parts of the bowl were made. The vessel itself was then cast in two parts and fitted together by casting a middle band. In addition to a variety of ritual vessels (whose designs appear to reproduce the form of gourd vessels to which metal handles have been attached), many other bronze items have been found at Igbo-Ukwu, including pendants, crowns and breastplates, staff ornaments, swords, and fly-whisk handles.” (Source)
Roped Pot on a Stand; 9–10th century From Igbo Isaiah, Igbo-Ukwu Leaded bronze; H.12 11/16 in. (32.3 cm) National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria (79.R.4) Photo © Dirk Bakker
“They reveal not only a high artistic tradition but also a well-structured society with wide-ranging economic relationships. Of particular interest is the source of the copper and lead used to make the bronzes, which may have been Tadmekka in the Sahara, and of the coloured glass beads, some of which may have come from Venice and India, the latter via trade routes through Egypt, the Nile valley, and the Chad basin. It is believed that the bronzes were part of the furniture in the burial chamber of a high personage, possibly a forerunner of the eze nri, a priest-king, who held religious but not political power over large parts of the Igbo-inhabited region well into the 20th century.” (Source)
Items found in the burial chamber such as pendants, anklets, beads, etc. indicate this was the grave of someone important.
Pharisaic Egypt – Burial Practices
“From the earliest periods of Egyptian history, all Egyptians were buried with at least some burial goods which they thought necessary after death. At a minimum, these usually consisted of everyday objects such as bowls, combs, and other trinkets, along with food. Wealthier Egyptians could afford to be buried with jewelery, furniture, and other valuables, which made them targets of tomb robbers. In the early Dynastic Period, tombs were filled with daily life objects, such as furniture, jewelry and other valuables. They also contained many pottery and stone vessels.” (Source)
Igbo-Ukwu & Egypt
See above for story of Eri and his descendants
“Archaeomineralogical fieldwork in south-eastern Nigeria combined with metallurgical analyses has now all but confirmed the local provenance of most of the metals used in manufacturing the bronze and copper vessels, ornaments and sculptures which were kept and buried at Igbo-Ukwu about the ninth or tenth century AD. This demonstration may further support the view that the technical skills and artistic inspiration of Igbo-Ukwu were largely locally evolved. Yet the lack of prototypes remains disconcerting. Such a large collection of exquisite bronze artwork and ritual objects is unparalleled for this region at that period; and attempts to explain the circumstances which gave rise to Igbo-Ukwu remain unsatisfactory. It is argued here that, whatever local factors, either religious or secular, may have obtained at that time, there was also an international one. Presumably this region was for a period producing a rare and geographically specific mineral then in high demand in the wider world. The bronzes may be in effect the by-product of that mining and production for export. It is suggested that the principal trade-routes then may not have crossed the Sahara to Muslim North Africa but have run eastward from the Lake Chad region to the Christian countries of the Nile. There may be a hint of this in certain of the bronze forms. Moreover, contact with Egypt, if not indirectly with lands beyond, is demonstrated at Igbo-Ukwu by the vast numbers of imported beads.” (Source)
The Lake Chad basin is shared by Chad, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Algeria, Libya, and Sudan, and includes several transboundary rivers (Chari, Logone, Komandugu)
“Thurstan Shaw’s important archeological finds at Igbo-Ukwu attests to a time when the Igbo practiced elaborate burial ceremonies in which the king is buried with his earthly possessions in readiness for life after death, as practiced by Pharisaic Egypt. Burial chambers resembling the tombs of the kings of the ancient Egyptians were found, wherein the dead king, dressed in his coronation regalia and propped up on a copper-studded stool, sits surrounded by a vast store of treasures and ornaments.” (Source)
Nsude Village Shrine in Agbaja (Nigeria)
Step Pyramid (Egypt)
“The Pyramid of Djoser (Zoser), or step pyramid (kbhw-ntrw in Egyptian) is an archeological remain in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the city of Memphis. It was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his vizier Imhotep, during the 27th century BC. It is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration.” (Source)
Pyramids at Meroe, Sudan
“The number of pyramids in ancient Nubia (aka Kush & today Sudan) were a total of 223, (Kerma, Napata, Nuri, Naga, and Meroe), double the pyramids of its neighbor Egypt.” (Source)
“The implications for West Africa are many, for the invention of writing brought about an instant cultural revolution in Egypt. Records were kept, and knowledge preserved in more permanent forms. By contrast, ancient cultures in sub-Saharan West Africa relied upon oral traditions, hence their inability to keep records in a permanent shape. Consequently, as Basil Davidson et. al. have noted; “little is known about [the Igbo’s] distant past.” (Source)
“Indeed, a combination of archaeological evidence and the study of modern Ibo (this is the bastardized European version of the name; we are Igbo) peoples in Nigeria led scholars to believe that the people of Igbo-Ukwu ordered their society through a system of self-governing villages headed by family leaders. Instead of the highly stratified social hierarchy of centralized kingdoms or city-states, the social order of Igbo-Ukwu emphasized common goals and group achievements. The discovery of Igbo-Ukwu has provided yet another model by which scholars understand how ancient people ordered their worlds.” (Source)
Findings at Igbo-Ukwu and other archaelogical findings related to the Igbo and other West African ethnic groups will highlight the fact that West Africa was NOT void of culture, as many of the history books like to omit and instead tie West Africa to trans-Atlantic slavery. This blog will show the interrelatedness of African peoples all over the continent from East to West, South to North, and in between.
Y-DNA – My Dad’s DNA Migration Story
Through DNA testing, I learned that my Y-DNA haplotype is E1b1a/M2 (formerly known as E3a).
Y-DNA, or Y-chromosome DNA, is patrilineal (male-lineage).
After I took my mtDNA test, I followed up with a Y-DNA test. Once again, the process was as follows: I used the same DNA company as with my mtDNA test. There are numerous ones to choose from (Family Tree DNA, National Genographic, etc.). I contacted my older brother to take the test, because females cannot take the Y-DNA test. After hounding me about the reasoning for having him take the test, he agreed. I paid for the test and he received the package that contained testing materials. He swabbed the inside of his mouth and returned the testing materials to the DNA company.
Weeks later, I/we had our results =). Though I shared the results with him, I took on the job of analyzing those results.
My haplogroup E1b1a/M2 is approximately 30,000 years old, and descends from the paternal father clade PN2/P2. PN2/E is an African clade and approx 35k years old. PN2 is also the father of M35 (approx. 22,000 years old) and M78 (approx. 17,000 years old) (Source: Cruciani et al., p. 1018, 2004). E1b1b (formerly E3b) falls from the branch of M35, which The Jewish Virtual Library attributes as a major founding lineage among Ashkenazi Jews.
In a study that presented frequencies of haplogroups J and E among various groups, including both Ashkenazi and Sephardic populations, researchers found 14 out of 77 Ashkenazim (18.2%) were E3b, while 12 out of 40 Sephardim were E3b (30%) (Semino et al. 2004).
“The Y-chromosome clade defined by the PN2 transtion (PN2/M35, PN2/M2) shatters the boundaries of the phenotypically defined races” (Source: Keita, 2004, p. S18-19).
M78 gave birth to V12 and V13, both found in populations in Greece and Italy.
M2 is found at high frequencies in West Africa. M2 is found in approximately 58-60% of African Americans as well.
M2 can be found among 8.4% of Sephardic Jews. (Source: “History in the Interpretation of the Patten of p49a, f RFLP Y-Chromosome Variation in Egypt: A Consideration of Multiple Lines of Evidence TaqI” Keita, 2005)
M2 is found at 80% among the Tutsis of Eastern Central Africa who are thought to be originally eastern Ethiopians or Egyptian/Nile Valley people. Tutsis are said to be related to Jews. Tutsis are 100% of African origin. (Source)
M2 is one of the three prevalent groups among the Nubians: M2, M35, and M78.
In a study of the three common variants in Egypt, M2 was found at 67% (Source: “Hisory in the Interpretation of the Patten of p49a, f RFLP Y-Chromosome Variation in Egypt: A Consideration of Multiple Lines of Evidence TaqI” Keita, 2005).
Bantu Migration Map
1 = 3000 – 1500 BC origin
2 = ca.1500 BC first migrations
2.a = Eastern Bantu, 2.b = Western Bantu
3 = 1000 – 500 BC Urewe nucleus of Eastern Bantu
4 – 7 = southward advance
9 = 500 BC – 0 Congo nucleus
10 = 0 – 1000 AD last phase
(Source)
“The Bantu expansion was a millennia-long series of migrations of speakers of the original proto-Bantu language group. This group is hypothesized to have originated from modern day Cameroon. A diffusion of language and knowledge spread among neighbouring populations, and a creation of new societal groups involving inter-marriage spread to new areas and communities. The expansion is taken to have begun after the introduction of agriculture, which would indicate a date of ca. 3000-2500 BC for the early expansion within West Africa, followed by first eastwards and southwards migrations beyond West Africa from about 1500 to 1000 BC.” (Source)
“Haplotype IV has substantial frequencies in upper Egypt and Nubia, greater than VI and VII. Sometimes haplotype IV is seen as being associated with “Bantu expansion” but this does not mean that it is not much older. Bantu languages were never spoken in these regions or Senegal, where M2 is greater than 90% in some studies. (Keita, 2004, p. 229).
*M2 is represented by Haplotype IV*
Senegal is represented by the Western Atlantic family group of the Niger-Congo (A) language family.
The Igbo language of Nigeria falls into the West Benue-Congo family group of the Niger-Congo (A) language family.
“Haplotypes XI and IV, called ‘‘southern,’’ with IV labeled ‘‘sub-Saharan,’’ have their lowest frequencies in lower (northern) Egypt, but increase in upper (southern) Egypt and lower Nubia.” (Source: Keita, 2005).
“Early Afro-Asiatic Speakers, along with those of Nilo-Saharan, were likely drawn into the Sahara which was less arid in the late pleistocene in the early holocene after the last glacial maximum.” (Source: Keita, 2004)
“Haplotype IV, designating the M2 subclade as noted is found in high frequency in West, Central and sub-equatorial Africa in speakers of Niger-Congo — which may have a special relationship with Nilo-Saharan — spoken by Nubians.” (Source: Keita, 2004).
The Afro-Asiatic Language groups consists of Chadic, Egpytian, Berber, Omotic, Cushitic, and Semitic languages.
“The Nilo-Saharan languages are African languages spoken mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers (hence the term “Nilo-”), including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet. The languages extend through 17 nations in the northern half of Africa: from Algeria and Mali in the northwest; to Benin, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south; and Sudan to Tanzania in the east (excluding the Horn of Africa). The largest part of its major subfamilies are found in the modern nation of Sudan, through which the Nile River flows in all its incarnations: the White and Blue Nile, which join to form the main Nile at Khartoum. As seen in the hyphenated name (compare map at right), Nilo-Saharan is primarily a family of the African interior, including the greater Nile basin and its tributaries as well as the central Sahara desert.” (Source)
“Recently Roger Blench has proposed that Niger-Congo is simply a branch of Nilo-Saharan, most closely related to the Central Sudanic family of Nilo-Saharan in the centre of the African continent. If this view is correct, Niger-Congo would have originated farther east than is us ually assumed, perhaps to the northwest of the present-day central Sudan. The Congo family, in Sudan, is assumed to have moved eastwards. The other families of Niger-Congo presumably were gradually compressed into West Africa as a result of the desiccation of the Sahara. As Western Africa became more crowded, Adamawa-Ubangi and Bantu expanded southwards into central Africa and later, in the case of Bantu, into eastern and southern Africa….Two relatively small families, Dogon and Ijoid, are thought to have split off next. Dogon with little internal differentiation, remained on land, south of the bend in the Niger, while Ijoid, with somewhat more internal differentiation into Defaka and the Ijo group, moved down the Niger to its confluence with the Benue and then either directly along the Niger or via the Benue and Cross River to the Niger Delta and associated waterways where it is found today….” (Source)
“So-called Saharo-Sudanese or Aqualithic speakers are found from Nile to Niger rivers in the Sahara and Sahel, and south into Kenya.” (Source: Keita, 2004).
*Hausas who reside mainly in northern Nigeria speak Hausa, which is a Chadic language from the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Family members
Igbo man and my father circa 1970s
Hausa-Fulani Girl
Wolof (Senegal) Griot
Genevieve Nnaji (Igbo)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Igbo)
Somali Woman
Lemar Obika (Igbo)
Kola Nut (Ọjị)
“Kola-nut or carpel is a nut content of a pod, produced by a tree called Ọjị or Kola accuminata. It is used according for rituals, for marriage ceremonies, title taking, offering or prayers at traditional ceremonies, to welcome visitors and to introduce very important discussions and requests.” (Source)
Among Ndi Igbo, the Kola nut (Ọjị) symbolizes pure intention and connects us to our ancestors. Oji is the channel of communication beyond the physical world and into the spirit world. This practice is part of the Igbo traditional religion, or Odinani.
“The founding fathers chose Ọjị as the king of all the fruits and because it came from the gods, it is used in communicating with gods. Because it is the king of all the fruits (a sacred fruit from the gods) it is used in showing goodwill to visitors and for entering into bonds.” (Source)
Growing up, I do not recall ever seeing having a visitor in our home or seeing a function commence without the “breaking of the Kola nut.” To not include the kola nut is unheard of and almost criminal.
I can recall, however, that anytime an aunty or uncle (I use this to include all Igbo family regardless if there is immediate blood relation) came to visit our home, my mom or dad would tell me (or one of my siblings) to go and bring a special wooden plate (which we use in our home to serve the kola nut) with the kola nut on it. I would set the plate down before our guests, who would respond with a smile and/or thank you. That seemingly small gesture indicated that there was no ill will in the home towards the guest, and that essentially they were welcome. After I set the plate down with the kola nut, I would go back upstairs and resume whatever it was that I was doing.
Legend of Ọjị
“The importance which the Igbos attach to Ọjị can further be illustrated by a legend which speaks of the visit of the founding fathers to the home of the gods where the gods asked the founding fathers to choose a fruit from all the fruits in the orchard of the gods. The founding fathers chose Ọjị as the king of all the fruits and because it came from the gods, it is used in communicating with gods. Because it is the king of all the fruits (a sacred fruit from the gods) it is used in showing goodwill to visitors and for entering into bonds.” (Source)
Presentation of Ọjị
A person cannot present the Kola nut any way that he or she pleases.
“There is the usual handshake immediately a visitor comes in. This is the first demonstration of goodwill with the palm open and the fingers stretched one announces as it were: “I have not hidden on my person any object that will harm you.” A visitor is given a seat and within seconds there is an air of conviviality, which makes the visitor feel at home.” (Source)
“Soon a kola-nut is brought “E nwelem Ọjị” -“I have got kola-nut, Ọjị abiala –kola-nut has come.” This pattern obtains at simple receptions. Two kola-nuts may be served to a titled man. One is broken and shared and the other is taken home in fulfillment of the Igbo saying that: “Ọjị rue ụnọ okwue onye chere ya”- a kola-nut brought home says who offered it. It is not customary to present three kola-nuts at a time. Four kola-nuts or multiples of four are served at big gatherings such as fixing of bride price or at Ọzọ title taking. Incidentally, kola-nut is not served in five and six compositions. Seven kola-nut and other requisites in multiples of seven may be served during an important ceremony like “Igbu ewu ndi ichie” – killing a goat for ancestral gods. Eight kola-nuts are normal for marriage that is when the bride is to leave her abode for that of her husband’s. One kola-nut is normally shared even where there are many people; after all an Igbo proverb says: “If kola-nut does not go round when shared, then there are no finger nails to break it up to the required number.” Kola offering is a precursor at receptions, important meetings, customary ceremonies as well as the ceremonial slaughter of cows, goats and cocks. Who offers or can be offered kola-nut is determined by factors culturally discernable. A host offers or can be offered kola-nut as gifts. Priests, elders and titled men at village meetings or even at markets can offer kola-nuts to guests or any people who call on them for advice. The Igbo man offers kola-nuts to guests any time of the day. But, at night, he could excuse himself simply saying by this common saying: “Anyasị ewerela Ọjị’ – the night has taken away the kola-nut. Some are selective in the choice of kola-nut they offer to guests. Ọjị Ugo –champion kola may be selected for presentation to a particular dignitary or it may just happen that a chance pick is Ọjị Ugo. In whatever circumstance Ọjị Ugo is served, the recipient is always held highly as implied in the Igbo statement: “Ọjị Ugo ana-echere nwaeze” – the princely kola which is offered to a prince. Ọjị Ugo (a champion kola-nut) is symbolic of royalty and purity. It attracts blessings and luck on the parties.” (Source)
Breaking of Ọjị
”Usually it is the privilege of the eldest man in a group to offer prayers and thanksgiving when the kola-nut is about to be broken and shared. In some parts of Igboland, the youngest breaks the kola-nut. Investigations show that in some other areas, the youngest one shares out the kola-nut as a service though the eldest man still prays for the well-being of all present. A grandson cannot break kola-nut in the presence of his grandfather and maternal uncles however young they may be, because it is held that he has no effective prayers to offer for them. It is they who will pray for his good health, posterity and progress in life. One cannot also break kola-nut in the presence of one’s in-laws. This is because it is also held that only one’s in-law can effectively pray for the fruitful marriage between the latter and their daughter. Women do not break kola-nut in the presence of men though they can do so when it is an all women gathering. If a man is present, he would be called upon to break the kola-nut. This obtains because women do not offer rituals in Igbo tradition. Kola-nut is held by majority of Igbo people to be sacred. Hence women who because of their monthly period are regarded as impure are barred from breaking kola-nut in order to avoid its defilement. It is even held that women should not climb a kola-nut tree as this could result in the tree going barren. An old woman herbalist however has a privilege to break kola-nuts. She should nevertheless precede this operation by an act of self-purification. This she does by waving seven seeds of alligator pepper over the head, one after the other, and throwing each of them away.” (Source)
The Kanuri People and the Kola Nut
“The Kanuri tribes consist of the Yerwa Kanuri, the Manga Kanuri, and several other sub-tribes. The majority of the Kanuri live in the Borno province of northeastern Nigeria, where they are the dominant people group. They are also located in the countries of Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, and areas around Lake Chad. This region was once the powerful Bornu Empire, ruled by the ancestors of the Kanuri. Others can be found in western Sudan.” (Source)
The Kanuri language belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family.
Kola nut was one of the trading items used by the Kanuri people. As a trading item, Kola nut was very popular during Trans-Saharan trade among West African empires in their trade with the North.
“Between Lake Chad and Fezzan lay a sequence of well-spaced wells and oases, and from Fezzan there were easy connections to North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. Many products were sent north, including natron (sodium carbonate), cotton, kola nuts, ivory, ostrich feathers, perfume, wax, and hides.” (Source)
Kanuri-Manga Woman
Kanuri-Tumari Woman
mtDNA – My Mom’s DNA Migration Story
Through DNA testing, I learned that my mtDNA haplotype is L1b.
Positions 16126C,16187T, 16189C, 16223T, 16264T, 16270T, 16278T, 16293G, 16311C, 16519C yielded this haplotype.
You might be wondering why on Earth I would take DNA test when both of my parents are Igbo — Just know that everything happens for a reason. If I didn’t take a genealogy test, I might not have started this blog.
MtDNA, or mitochrondial DNA, is the DNA inherited from the mother and passed down by female members along the maternal line. mtDNA can trace maternal lineage far back into the past.
“Because mtDNA is transmitted from mother to child (both male and female), it can be a useful tool in genealogical research into a person’s maternal line.” (Source)
The process of taking this test, asked that I find a DNA testing company. There are numerous ones to choose from (Family Tree DNA, National Genographic, etc.). Once I found the company that I wanted to use, I paid for the test and received a package that contained testing materials. I swabbed the inside of my mouth and returned the testing materials to the DNA company.
Weeks later, I had my results. And the results are as follows:
My haplotype L1b is approximately 30,000 years old, and is one of the major branches connected to the mtDNA haplogroup, L1. Another major branch is L1c.
My Mother
L1 is approximately 175,000 years old and has an East African origin. L1 is the daughter of Mitochrondial Eve (our African common ancestor and the common ancestor of all living humans), as are L0, L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6.
The ages of the mitochrondial L haplogroup line are as follows:
L0 ~ approx. 188,000 B.P.
L1 ~ approx. 174,300 B.P.
L2 ~ approx. 111,100 B.P.
L3 ~ approx. 104,000 B.P.
L4 ~ unknown
L5 ~ appprox. 126,200 B.P.
L6 ~ approx. 129,800 B.P.
Frequent in West Africa, L1b is among 27% of the population of African-Americans. L1b is not restricted to just West Africa, as can be seen in the Salas et. al (2002) study of mtDNA variation in a total of 2,847 samples from throughout the African continent. (See below)
“Because the coalescence time of L1b is estimated at only ~30,000 years—whereas its sister clade, L1c, is estimated at ~60,000 years old—a recent bottleneck and re-expansion in West Africa may have shaped the evolution of L1b. Given the likely origin of its sister clade L1c in Central Africa, a Central African origin seems plausible for L1b as well.” (Source)
“The distributions and ages of L1a, L1c/L3e, and L1d testify to the habitation of East, Central, and southern Africa, respectively, by modern humans, by ~40,000 years ago. Similarly, L1b, L3b, and L3d imply that West Africa has been inhabited since at least 20,000–30,000 years ago.” (Source)
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.
DNA is a useful tool to trace the human migration. Oral history is also a valuable one. From the oral histories of various groups/nations/tribes in West Africa, there are stories of origins that points to the ‘North’.
My father has reiterated the same for me, that the Igbo came from the North. When speaking with an elder, Nze Onwa, from the Nri clan in Igbo land, author Remy Ilona (who is from the Ozubulu clan) notes, “To my question of where the Igbos came from? Onwa responded without hesitation. ‘The Igbo area a people called Hebrews. They were led by a man with the name Eri. There was trouble (crises in their original home, so they took ship and sailed down Omabala River (a tributary of the Niger). Eri was chief. On crossing the Omabala river into Igbo land he settled and established his government.” Source: The Igbos: Jews in Africa
Another elder, Nze Akunne, said that the Igbo were “Israelites who came from the confluence of Rivers Nile and Anambra. That their first settlement was at the confluence of the Anambra river.“ Source: The Igbos: Jews in Africa
Here is a map of rivers in Africa:
Here is a map of the major rivers of Nigeria:
*Other rivers in Nigeria include Anambra, Cross River, Gongola, Hadejia, Ka, Kaduna, Katsin-Ala, Kamadugu, Ogun, Osun, Owena, Osse, Sokoto, Yedseram, Yobe, and Zamfara.
This is a modern map of Africa:
Here is a 19th century map of Africa:
Here is a 17th century map of Africa:
The continent was not carved out the way that it is now. Borders were placed with little to no regard of the location of kingdoms, tribes, or ethnic groups. For instance, European boundaries created national boundaries that split up groups.
For instance, centuries ago, there weren’t specific boundaries that separated countries like Benin from Nigeria.
The kingdom of Benin (later the Benin Empire) (12th-19th century) was founded by the Edo people and was located in present-day Nigeria.
The Igbo in Nigeria
Igboland
”The Igbos have lived in their present location from the Neolithic period to the present day. Archaeological finds around the Ugwuele zone of Okigwe reveal that the proto Igboids used metal from the iron deposits there as far as 50,000 B.C.” (Source)
Here is a standard map of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria:
In closing, the history of the Igbo and their origins is a complicated one. In addition to that, a simplistic view of Africa, which disregards migration within and outside of the continent is an incorrect position on the matter of human history as it pertains to the African past.
Ndi Igbo
Beautiful Igbo wombman and my mother circa 1970s
In my family run almond-shaped eyes, the color of roasted almonds, varied skin complexions, long arms, and long height.
My mother is the eldest (or ada) of seven siblings, including one sister who preceded my maternal grandparents in death.
All in all, my grandma (or nnenne) bore two twin boys and five girls for her husband.
My grandma and grandpa (or nnanne) loved each other in life and in death. My grandfather was a headmaster. He was a tall and slender man of yellowish complexion. My grandma had deep dimples and loved to reveal those dimples with laughter. She was an entrepreneur, having her own store in the township of Umuahia.
My father comes from a family of farmers and traders. My paternal grandpa was a farmer and trader. He was known in his village for the beautiful masks he would weave and sell in such villages as Uburu, a major market place, and Uzakoli. Grandpa and his friends would often walk at least 55 miles from Afugiri to Port Harcourt to buy fish and other merchandise to sell.
This journey would span several days. Grandpa and his friends would carry the fish and other items that they bought back to the village atop their heads.
My father’s mother, my nnenna, was a housewife and also a minor trader. Both my father’s parents lived beyond 100 years and were both very active even as they ascended further and further up in age.
Who are the Igbo?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chinua Achebe
Adaora - Model
Philip Emeagwali
Beautiful Igbo wombman
Traditional Wedding
We are a very spiritual people who consistently give thanks to the supreme God (Chi-ukwu/Chukwu) for all that our God has provided.
*Igbo names (which I will discuss in another post) have significant meanings that give praise to God, the ancestors (or ndiichie), the earth (or ala), and which generally describe Igbo culture and the Igbo worldview.
For example Chinedu means “God leads” and Chioma means “God is great“.
Ndi Igbo are one of the over 250 ethnic groups that inhabit Nigeria. Made up of various clans, the Igbo live primarily in the south and southeastern states.
My parents come from the clan of Ohuhu in the village of Afugiri, in the township of Umuahia in Abia State.
Nri Legend
Igbo Nri myth has “claimed that man’s origin started from Igboland when God created Eri and sent him down. The Nri creation myth says that Chukwu the Igbo high God sent down the Igbo ancestor Eri and his wife Nnamaku somewhere in Aguleri. From these two human beings originated the Umueri and Umunri clans of the Igbo.” (Source)
According to Professor Maazi M.A. Onwuejeogwu “The great world drought (900-1000AD) resulted in further desiccation and expansion of the Sahara desert. Societies that were in former grasslands collapsed. Affected people poured into the forests seawards. So came Eri and his people to the Anambra valley, Oduduwa and his people to Igbomokun and Ogiso and his people to Iduu.” (Source)
The name Eri is also familiar in biblical times as Eri was one of Jacob’s (Yisrael) grandsons through his seventh son Gad. (Gen: 46:16)
“Historians of Igbo culture have not agreed on their exact origins: They have located the Igbos originally around the Niger–Benue confluence; thence, due to population pressure, they migrated through the Niger. Igbos during the migration moved from Egypt, through the Sudan and southwards to their present location. Archaeologists have based certain of their conclusions on Igbo child-naming and the meaning of names assigned at birth. Naming/circumcision ceremonies, for instance, are as important to the Igbos as they were to the Hebrews of old; one has only to read the Old Testament to note the similarities between Hebrew customs and those of the Igbo in this as in many aspects of life.” (Source)
Ndi Igbo is known almost anywhere in the world
We are known in the Gullah/Geechee people of the Sea Islands and coastal areas of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida, in the DNA of Paul Robeson, in Philip Emeagwali, the inventor of the supercomputer, in Haiti’s oral memory of its revolutionary past, a past which included Igbo uprisings against colonizers, and in the narratives of one of the most prominent Africans involved in the British abolitionist movement to abolish slave trade, Oladuah Equiano (Ikwuano), who later became Gustavus Vassa. Kidnapped from his village in the township of Umuahia as a child and forced into slavery in the 18th century, Ikwuano wrote very vividly about the horrors of slavery. However, the legacy of ndi Igbo is not one of slavery, and never will be. The legacy and lineage go further back than 600 years and further than just West Africa.
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