As we dive into “ideology”
it is important that we step back and seek answers to some very complex
questions.
If you will allow me,
before we continue with the report, it is important that we Praise and
acknowledge the Supremacy of Yah by performing a ceremony that Ndi Igbo for
thousands of years have engaged in whenever they come together.
Igbo Kweeeenu - YAH!
Kweeeenu - YAH!
Kweeeezuonu
- YAH!
As you already know Igbo
does not differentiate between the physical and the spiritual, both are one and
the same, and more importantly, Igbo is a way of life based on the philosophy
of our fore-parents, one of the foremost being, “Eziokwu bụ Ndụ –
Truth is the foundation of life”!
Who or what is Igbo?
Origin:
On April 4 & 5, in Cornel University at Ithaca, New
York, an
International Conference on Igbo Studies was held. Something very special
happened, Igbo from Ala Igbo in America finally met a special breed of Igbo
- Ndi Igbo from Ala Igbo got a little taste of Igbo who had come to the
conference to meet their brethren after more than three hundred years, Igbo who
still understand what being Igbo is all about, Igbo who are uncompromisingly
Igbo.
Do you remember the part
that our Igbo American brethren have played since the inception of this
struggle?
I have already informed
you about the part Maazi EzeNdubuisi played in the formation of the
organization. I forgot to inform you about the part played by some very special
Igbo American Elder-statesmen, Maazi Ausbra Ford (Prof.), Maazi Anderson
Thompson (Dr.) and Maazi Jacob Carruthers (Dr.), all of the Kemetic Institute,
or our special brother Maazi Nicolas Thompson, an Igbo Ghanaian of the Ga
nation, who was with us from day one when we started on this journey. These
giants stood by Ekwe Nche Organization even when our brethren turned their
backs on us. They took time to not only read both the Omenala (constitution) of
Ekwe Nche and the “Bible of the New Biafra Revolution – Leadership Series”,
which they pronounced great, telling us we were on the right path, but also
invited us to series of meetings and conferences and were not economical with
their time when we called for help. When Ekwe Nche celebrated two consecutive Igbo
Weeks, they were present to address empty halls and continued to remind us that
every struggle took time and they were ready with advice when it was dearly
needed.
Or shall I write about the
part that a very special sister, again an Igbo American continues to play in
this wonderful journey of Ndi Igbo towards self-discovery and actualization?
During the first “Ebo Landing” celebration in 2002, if not for this very
special Igbo American sister, Ada-Eze George (Dr.) it might not have happened.
What about the many
contributions of our Hebrew Israelite brethren, these soldiers of Yah continue
to grace our every event, demanding nothing in return but to share the joy and
pain of their long lost brethren.
The Elder-statesman Maazi
Hal Seiber, whose more than 20 years research finally proved that “Ebo Landing”
in St. Simon Island, Georgia, was not a myth, also played an important
part. He proved that only our Igbo ancestors were involved in this cry for
freedom and revolt against injustice. These our ancestor laid the groundwork
for the “Awakening and In-gathering”.
To these our great Igbo
American brethren and the many not mentioned, who, Yah has selected to help
bring about “the Ingathering and the actualization of New Biafra”, Igbo
say NDEEWO!
Back to the conference. At
this conference in Cornel University, our Igbo American brethren were represented by
two very special brethren – Maazi Ishaq Dawood (Nwanne di Namba Ndi Igbo) and
the elder-statesman, Maazi Alufiel Grier (Onwa), among others not mentioned,
and the topic of their presentation was “The Historical Origins of the Ibo
and their Dispersal During the Slave Trade”.
General, their great
presentation raised a lot of eyebrow and some very heated discussions. Not only
was their presentation well researched, it was well documented.
Allow me again to
express the thanks of the Igbo nation to our long lost brethren and also to
welcome them home – NNO NUOOOO!
Yah has finally started
to heal the tear in our Collective Chi.
Igbo Kweeeenu – YAH!
Kweeeenu – YAH!
Kweeeezuonu – YAH!
The Awakening &
In-Gathering as promised by YAH has begun!
Maazi Effiong, it is important that we
continue to stress to our brethren who still have not gotten the message, that
the shortest way to New Biafra is to join our Igbo American brethren and help
them in every way possible carry, “the message of their roots as Ndi Igbo” to
our other Igbo American brethren who as of yet do not know that they are Igbo.
My write-up on the origin
of Igbo will come from a different perspective.
I am reminded of a saying
of our fore-parents, “Igbo bu mmuo – Igbo are spirits”, and one of their
folklore state that Igbo are spirits who came to market on one of the four
market days and a catastrophe prevented them from returning home, they had no
choice but remain, settle amongst and marry the natives.
The folklore creates two
important periods in Igbo history, before and after the “spirits” settled among
and became part of the Igbo nation. This might explain both the contention by
some that Ndi Igbo have always lived in that area called Ala Igbo, and the
contention by others that Ndi Igbo came from somewhere else and settled in that
area.
The journey into trying to
uncover the Igbo question is more like trying to solve a puzzle with many
missing parts. Fortunately, there are answers if one is willing to take the
time, reject all we have been fed and go back to the philosophy and sayings
left behind by our fore-parents and when possible try to decipher written
books, documents and handed down stories. As a member of an Igbo Research
Spiritual Organization, Ekwe Nche, I have been blessed to work with some of the
best minds and more importantly learnt to open myself up to Yah, the Creator of
all things and the Giver of all knowledge.
I had the opportunity to
attend that same conference in Ithaca, New York (A Tribute to Simon Ottenberg –
April 4 & 5, 2003) as part of a delegation from Ekwe Nche organization. The
Key Note Speaker, Maazi Adiele Afigbo (Dr.) in a passing comment made a
profound statement, “Ndi Igbo were called Ndi Gboo (the ancient
people)”, he said.
This comment caught our
attention. Suddenly things started to fall in place. Ndi Igbo call themselves,
“Ndi Owuwa Anyanwu – People of the East.”
In Genesis 29 : 1, “Then
Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the People of the East”;
this is the first mention of the ‘People of the East’. Is this a coincidence?
If it is not, will this not explain why Ndi Igbo have been referred to as Ndi
Gboo (the ancient people)?
Now lets consider the two
periods mentioned in the folklore;
The oral
tradition says merely that Eri came down the Anambra to unify the surrounding
settlements …
By 994, Eri
had probably fully established his authority over settlements in the middle
Anambra valley. Eri came down from the sky. God sent him. He canoed down the
river Anambra and established a place now called Eri-aka. … Eri’s authority to
rule and his power over men were derived from Chukwu, the Great Creator as
expressed in myth.
NRI KINGDOM AND HEGEMONY, A.D. 994 TO PRESENT.
By Maazi M. A. Onwuejeogwu
(Prof.)
We are now faced with a
myth in this same form as the folklore; Eri is sent by Yah to already existing
settlements.
An interesting question
that might arise would be, why these particular settlements? Why go to total
strangers or was he going back to his people? We know that Ndi Igbo rarely if
ever marry outside their nation, until recently. Does this then mean that there
are blood ties between the new-comers and those that were already in the
settlements? Will this not explain why absorption was complete even without
war?
To make it even more
interesting, consider the term “Chi”, why is it that half way
across the globe in both China and Japan, they have this same word that has very nearly the
same meaning with the meaning of Chi in Ala Igbo? Was there a very old civilization that encompassed the whole
world? Did remnants of that civilization survive?
Spirituality:
“The traditional
philosophy and religious beliefs of the Nri like that of other Igbo peoples,
are interwoven and centered on five interdependent major concepts which are as
follows: Chukwu, Alusi, Uwa, and Ike Mmadu.”
He continues,
Chukwu is the Great Creator of all things. The Great
Creator has four major aspects which are manifestations of his existence.
First, Chukwu is Anyanwu, in the symbolic meaning of “the sun”.
Nri believe that as the sun’s light is everywhere so is the presence of Chukwu
manifested everywhere; as the sun is all powerful so is Chukwu all
powerful and as the sun is the light that reveals things so is Chukwu
the source of knowledge. Secondly, Chukwu is Agbala, manifested
in the fertility of the earth and the beings that inhabit it. Thirdly, Chukwu
is Chi, manifested in the power and ability of living things to
procreate themselves from generation to generation. Fourthly, Chukwu is Okike,
manifested in the creation of everything visible and the invisible. Chukwu
as Okike creates the laws that govern the visible and the invisible. These
laws are neither good or bad. They are simple laws that enable things to work.
Both good and evil are the products of the invisible “beings” and “forces”, the
Alusi.
NRI KINGDOM AND HEGEMONY, A.D. 994 TO PRESENT.
By Maazi M. A. Onwuejeogwu
(Prof.)
Maazi Effiong, this is one
of the most simple and yet most complete definition of Yah that I have come
across, and remember this definition was handed down thousands of years ago to
our fore-parents. In fact this definition also include and explain what some
now call the laws of science.
I am reminded of the
presentation made by Maazi Justin Akujieze (Dr.), also of Ekwe Nche
organization, in the same conference in Ithaca, New York. His topic was: An
Alternate Model to the Big Bang Theory otherwise known as “UWA WARA AWA”.
Using both Igbo philosophy and writing (Nsibidi or Nsibido -in the beginning),
he was able to show that there were two Big Bangs not one.
Amazing?
Why should it be, does all
knowledge not belong to Yah?
Were the secrets of the
universe not revealed to our fore-parents by Yah?
Did they thousands of
years ago not understand the importance of the Sun, is that not why they gave
it the name, “Anyanwu – the eye that never dies”?
If the eye dies will the
world nor cease to exist?
Did they not call humans ,
“Mma Ndu – The beauty of life or the masterpiece of life”?
One can then understand
why life was very precious to them, for if you could not give life, why should
you take it? Is the modern world not finally acknowledging what our
fore-parents had always know, “that we are all connected”!
Below is a copy of a letter
to Ekwe Nche Organization from the Palace of Eze Nri, Maazi Obidiegwu Onyesoh, Nrinweelana II (personal data have been
removed). The highlighted portion should make you shake your head in amazement:
PALACE OF
EZE NRI – NRINWEELANA
II
(The Custodian of Igbo Custom and
Tradition & Keeper of the Ancestral Homeland of Ndi – Igbo)
Date: 11th
July 2002
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE RECEIPT
OF YOUR
LETTER DATED JUNE 17, 2000.
I am directed by H. M. Eze Obidiegwu
Onyesoh, Nrinweelana II, the custodian of Igbo culture and civilization to
acknowledge the receipt of your all important historical letter of 17th
June 2002.
The letter got to him on the 6th of July instant. The revelation in
your letter is very interesting as it justified and confirmed to its logical
satisfaction what OLAUDAH EQUIANO, the famous Igbo slave who gave
graphic details of his ordeal in some of his books “THE INTERESTING
NARRATIVE OF THE AFRICAN” 1789. AND EQUINO’S TRAVELS”. Abridged Edition by
Paul Edwards, 1967, Heineman London…
There is another book by (A SLAVE
BOY ANAESO ARCHIBALD JOHN MONTEITH) a native helper and Assistant in the
Jamaican Mission at New Carmel – 1854 publication. A research fellow
from the University of West Indies Jamaica through the University Ibadan
African Studies Dept. came to the palace of Eze – Nri on the 23th Tune 1994 led
by the Prof. Maureen Warner Lewis Ph.D. Abridged copy of the book is enclosed ,
you can cross check with the Prof. For further collaborations. It is further
reported that Anaeso Archibold John Monteith’s descendants contributed over 30%
of the population of the West Indies.
H. M. Nrieweelana II is delighted to
note that the contribution and resilience of Ndigbo kidnapped from /within the territory of Nri Kingdom who believed in the sacrilege of the
human being, who believed in the equality of the human race that all human
being are equal before God (Chukwu). With the Supreme Being – Chi – Ukwu the
creator.
The early Nris were
divinely endowed with the quality of human value, that no human mortal has the
divine authority to enslave the other – hence their courage. They would rather
kill themselves than be subjected to slavery. This dogma is one of the tents of
NRIOLOGY. NRIOLOGY is the concept of Nri-ness, i.e. Equality of human being,
that all people are equal before God. Thus the following principles :- Nris do
not discriminate against Osu cast. If an Osu cast reaches the kingdom of Nri, He/She ceases to be Osu, Nri did not capture/kidnap people as
slave. Hence every one in the kingdom is a free born – (Amadi), Nri were the
recipient of children who cut the upper teeth first, they were regarded as (Nwa
Alu) and dumped away. The community where such happened would find Nri agents,
who will bring these unfortunate human beings to Eze Nri who will declare them
clean, they lived freely in the kingdom and integrated.
The popular Aka-Nri were never born in
Nri but were picked up from different communities by agents of Eze-Nri. These
people were born dwarf. The Non-Nris associate them with ALU (Nso) and called
them UMU ALU or NWA ALU. They were brought to Eze-Nri who
declared them clean and gave them full human right and citizen of Nri Kingdom.
The EZE-Nri empowers them by conferring the Ozo title on the male and
Ada Eze on the female. These are the concept of Nriology.
A Book on this by H. M. Eze O. Onyesoh
is on the making. H. M. salutes your courage. You may route all
information through his son …..
Hope to hear from you on your
planned programme
Thanks Sincerely,
CHIJIOKE. O. IFEKA
(PALACE SECRETARY)
Maazi Effiong, allow me to append below part of the
highlighted part:
The early Nris were divinely endowed with
the quality of human value, that no human mortal has the divine authority to
enslave the other – hence their courage. They would rather kill themselves than
be subjected to slavery. This dogma is one of the tents of NRIOLOGY. NRIOLOGY
is the concept of Nri-ness, i.e. Equality of human being, that all people are
equal before God. Thus the following principles :- Nris do not discriminate
against Osu cast. If an Osu cast reaches the kingdom of Nri, He/She ceases to be
Osu, Nri did not capture/kidnap people as slave. Hence every one in the kingdom
is a free born – (Amadi)
You can see that our
fore-parents thousands of years ago talked of equality of all and were strongly
opposed to slavery or the cast system.
The spirituality or should
I say the way of life of the ancient Igbo can be found in both Leviticus and
Deuteronomy, both books of the Bible. We already know that lots of Igbo
words are either same as or very similar to Hebrew words.
Again I ask who or
what is Igbo?
People’s General, below is some information
about Igbo as written by James Africanus Horton in 1868, in his book, WEST
AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES:
Among the
Egboes, women hold a superior rank in the social scale; they are not regarded,
as among other tribes, as inferior creation and doomed to perpetual
degradation, but occupy their 'rightful status in society'.
The Egboes
are considered the most imitative and emulative people in the whole of Western Africa; place them where you will, or introduce to them any manners and
customs, you will find that they very easily adapt themselves to them.
Stout-hearted, or, to use the more common phraseology, big-hearted, they always
posses a desire of superiority, and make attempts to attain it, or excel in
what is praiseworthy, without a desire of depressing others. To them we may
apply the language of Dryden - A noble emulation beats their
breasts.
Place an
Egboe man in a comfortable position, and he will never rest satisfied until he
sees others occupying the same or a similar position.
It is a
peculiar law among the Ibos, that when the inhabitants of one town are at war
with another, and one part or division of the town will not join in the war,
they can, without molestation, visit their relatives in the town which is at
war with a division of their own, whether men or women, no person touching
them. Strangers living in the country might visit the belligerent towns
freely, without apprehension, because they are said not to have a hand in
their quarrels. Should there be an intermediate town between the two contending
towns, neither the one nor the other can step over the intermediate one to
attack his enemies without a due notice and permission from the intermediate
one, unless they beat their way in a roundabout direction to affect their
purpose.
The religion
of the Egboes is Judaism intermixed with numerous pagan rites and ceremonies.
The Egboes
cannot be driven to an act; they become most stubborn and bull-headed; but with
kindness they could be made to do anything, even to deny themselves of their
comforts. They would not, as a rule, allow anyone to act superior over, nor
sway their conscience, by coercion, to the performance of any act, whether good
or bad, when they have not the inclination to do so; hence there is not that
unity among them that is found among other tribes; in fact everyone likes to be
his own master. As a rule, they like to see every African prosper.
Among their
own tribe, be they ever so rich, they feel no ill-will toward them. A poor man
or woman of that tribe, if they meet with a rising young person of the same
nationality, are ready to render him the utmost service in their power.
They give him gratuitous advice, and 'embrace him as their child', but if he is
arrogant and overbearing, they regard him with scorn and disdain wherever he is
met.
Hopefully
we have started painting a picture of the Igbo, although still fuzzy, at least
we do have a picture. A nation of kings and queens, who once they make up their
minds, can be extremely unbending whether right or wrong.
“Unto
a Land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee;
for thou art a stiff-necked people: lest I consume thee in the way.”
Exodus
33 : 3
Even
Yah, who has a special love for Igbo had to keep his distance from Ndi Igbo,
now we begin to understand what the Western world got themselves into by
stirring a hornet’s nest when they shipped Ndi Igbo to the New World! Yes, the Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba leaders are
about to find out the prize of trying to exterminate the children of Yah.
Maazi
Effiong, as you can see, I have not even scratched the surface on this topic.
All I have done is muddy up the waters. But that is precisely my aim.
Hopefully, the experts will go back and re-examine the Igbo question.
I
am remindeded of the poem, “The Blind Men and the Elephant”. Allow me
to conclude this part of our update with that poem. I have reproduced the poem
below in the hope that we will not make the mistake of the blind men and
dismiss the views of others off-hand, for no one can put his hands around the
topic “Igbo”.
The Blind Men and
the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and
sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his
hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake!”
The Fourth reached out an eager
hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is
like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“ ’Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”
The Fifth, who chanced to touch
the ear,
Said:“E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the
right,
And all were in the wrong!
Moral:
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!
Which
way forward?