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Excerpts from his post: AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN LINK TO IGBO ORIGINS; THE EGBA ARE IGBO
It is an established fact and beyond dispute that the vast majority of captives taken from Africa for enslavement in the Americas were of Igbo origins. In addition to the massive amount of Igbos documented and acknowledged to have been shipped directly out of the Igbo dominated areas of the Niger Delta millions of others were brought to the Americas from Igbo slave colonies which were established throughout the African Continent and thus arrived under a variety of tribal and national listings.
Those classified as Ashante were actually Igbos who were imported to Ghana by Portuguese slave traders to work the gold mines. Others listed as Angolan were also Igbos. Some Igbos were imported to Angola prior to their arrival in the Americas, while others were born and raised in the Igbo slave colony of Angola. Both Angola and Mozambique have coastal cities named IBO(EBO)conveniently located for exporting slaves.
The Gullah whose name derives from the word Angola are an African - American community that live on the sea islands off of the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The Gullah are currently engaged in a strenuous battle to secure a memorial at a site called Igbo Landing. Igbo Landing was named in memory of the countless Igbos who drowned themselves to protest their enslavement. Historians who have taken a serious interest in the slave trade and tribal origins of African - Americans most certainly understand that there was a significant "Yoruba" element amongst the captives. The purpose of this writing is to further support research that proves that the majority of those enslaved and brought to the Americas were Igbo by acknowledging those classified as " YORUBA" as being Igbo as well.
The term " YORUBA " originally referred to the Oyo, a tribe who lived amongst the Hausas in what is presently Northern Nigeria.(3) Over the centuries they were gradually driven southward where they in turn became the conquerors of the indigenous people of " Southwest Nigeria" who like their Southeastern counterparts were referred to as the Igbos.(4) This Igbo society was traditionally protected by a secret society of masked warriors known as the Egbo or Egba.
The Southwestern Igbo lived in the forest surrounding Ife. It was there that they were first confronted by Oduduwa who along with his youngest son Oranyan are remembered as the founders of the Oyo(Yoruba)Kingdom at Ife.(5) In their initial encounters, the Oyo were unable to penetrate the frightening Egba(Igbos) as these intimidating forest dwellers mastered the art of instilling fear into their opponents. These Igbos went further in raiding and burning down the intruding Oyo(Yoruba) settlements in the town at Ife.
The Igbo(Egba) were first defeated through the scheming of a women named Moremi who allowed herself to be captured by the Igbo as she used her beauty to seduce the Igbo King into revealing the secrets of the Egba(Igbo).(6) She later returned to the Oyo providing her fellow countrymen with the necessary information needed to finally conquer the Igbo(Egba) " menace ". This defeat of the Igbo is celebrated every year at the annual Eid festival at Ife.
In 1835, the Egba(Igbo) declared themselves independent of the Yoruba(Oyo) and in response the Oyo along with the Ijebu drove them out of Ibadan, Ife and other towns north of their present day capital of Abeokuta.(7) As a result of close interaction with the Ijebu , the city Ijebu-Igbo was established. The founding of the Egba(Igbo)Kingdom at Abeokuta in 1837 is considered to be the last one recognized within the "Yoruba confederation " of tribes. By this time the term Yoruba had now expanded beyond its original usage in referring to the Oyo and generally applied to all of the inhabitants of Southwest Nigeria.
In addition to the Egba there remains a "Yoruba " tribe in the Kwarra State that continues to use the more original Igbo as part of their tribal name and they are referred to as Igbo-Mina. The tradition of the masked Egbo(Egba)warriors is likewise documented in Southeastern Nigeria the home of the present day Igbo people.
1. Egbo - A secret society at one time existing as a political bond between various towns especially in Eastern Nigeria. - World Book
Dictionary A - K 1974.
In 1876, the Scottish Presbyterian Missionary Mary Slessor came to Calabar. According to the accountings of Ms. Slessor, in the Igbo areas a secret society known as Egbo went around in masks and beat people. She claimed to have chased a group of Egbo and tore off a mask.(8) (Note
THE EGBO WARRIORS SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM OR WEAKNESS FOR FOREIGN WOMEN. FIRST MOREMI IN THE WEST INFORMS HER PEOPLE TO BURN THE MASKS OF THE EGBO(EGBA) AND LATER IN THE EAST, MARY SLESSOR CLAIMS TO HAVE PERSONALLY TORN OFF AN EGBO MASK.)
The Egba of Abeokuta worship a deity called the Oro. Oro is a god who resides in a bush. In honor of Oro a sacred ceremony is performed at a secluded spot inside the bush. This ceremony is called Igbo Oro. (9) The concept of Igbo Oro closely resembles the story of the Lord of Israal(Israel) speaking to the Prophet Moses(Musa) from inside of the burning bush. Igbo Oro can be related to the early Israal origins of the Igbo(10).
Although the concept of Legba(Eshu) varies it began as an ancestral memorial designed to maintain the Igbo identity during times when the Igbo declared themselves to be in a state of secrecy called Egba/Egbo. Legba was also activated in the New World to counter modern slavery and its attempts to wipe out the Egba(Igbo) identity of the captives. The deity is described in " Yoruba " mythology as the " Divine Trickster " who wields great power because of his ability to outwit his fellow gods. Evidences of Legba have been documented throughout the Americas in such places as Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad, Haiti and New Orleans under various names such as Lebba,Legba, Elegbarra and Liba.(11)
The term Elegbarra or Lugbarra is of great significance because not only does the name appear in the Americas amongst the Egba slaves who are of Igbo origin, but it is also the name of a tribe that lives in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda who are likewise related to the Igbos of Nigeria. When traveling in Uganda I personally met a Lugbarra Doctor of Medicine who previously studied alongside of Igbos from Nigeria. The Lugbarra man stated that he could understand much of the Igbo language which had much in common with his own Lugbarra tongue. He was definitely convinced that the Lugbarra and the Igbo were akin.(12)(13)
In 1967,Haiti became the only country outside of Africa to recognize the Igbo quest to establish the independent Republic of Biafra. This was due to the Haitian's memory of their own Igbo revolutionary past. The numerous and successful slave revolts in Haiti are all clearly documented as Igbo uprisings(14),but yet we find the strongest presence of the ancestral deity Legba amongst the Haitians. In Haiti Legba is described as the most powerful of all Loa.He is the guardian of the gate between the material and spiritual world. He has great wisdom and knowledge of the past and future. Every ritual begins with a sacrifice to Legba. 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 the ancient Igbo reference to the land of Biafra.(15)
In Brazil, an organized Igbo revolt led to the establishment of the independent " Igbo" Republic of Palmares which lasted 45 years.(16) Being consistent with Igbo resistance, Palmares ended in a massive suicide of Igbo warriors who preferred death to captivity.(17) The city Ibotirama testifies to a strong Igbo presence in the region. (18) However as in the case of Haiti Afro-Brazilian culture and religious practices are more readily associated with that of the "Yoruba " including the worship of Legba.
Olukwumu is spoken in Brazil and interestingly enough in a few Igbo communities such as Anioma,Idumu-Ogu, Ubulubu,Ugboba,Ugbodu and Okwumzu. Although this dialect cannot be found in Yorubaland it remains in reference as a " lost dialect of the Yoruba language ". (19) This indicates that in addition to the Egba and Igbo -Mina, other Igbo communities likewise were classified as " Yoruba " and like the Olukwumu some made their way to the New World accompanying the majority Egba.
In Cuba the Olukwumu(Yoruban-Igbos)are referred to as the Lukumi or Olukumi. Like other Igbo captives the Lukumi of Cuba were noted for their massive suicidal resistance that often found them hanging from the branches of the Guasima trees.(20) This sounds very similar to the Igbos of Haiti, as the Haitian saying," IGBOS PEND COR A YO " - The Igbos hang themselves is still current.(21) NOTE: ( IN ADDITION TO THE IGBO OLUKUMI THERE ARE THOSE IGBOS WHO WERE TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM CALABAR TO CUBA AND THEY ARE KNOWN AS THE
ABAKUA.)
No one would argue that Paul Robeson and Booker T. Washington standout amongst the most accomplished "African-Americans " the latter being the founder of the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. It can be speculated that the success of these two individuals can at least partially be attributed to the fact that they both maintained links to their Igbo origins. Paul Robeson confirmed his Igbo identity through linguistics as he was able to verify the Igbo origins of a number of African words that had been passed down through his family(22),while Booker T. Washington obviously maintained an understanding of his Egba(Igbo) background which is reflected in his middle name Tanifeani, a name most common to the Egba people.(23). In summary the captives taken to the Americas of whom were classified as " Yorubas " were of Igbo origins, as the Igbos arriving under a variety of tribal names and classifications account for approximately 90% of all slaves.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: 23 NOTES
1. AFRICA THE HISTORY OF A CONTINENT - JOHN ILLIFE - CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
PRESS - 1995 PAGES 129-130 - IGBOS SOLD TO GHANA
2. TIME ATLAS OF THE WORLD 10TH COMPREHENSIVE EDITION PAGE 87 F-9 - THE CITY
EBO IN ANGOLA 50 MILES FROM THE COAST. THERE ARE CURRENTLY TWO CITIES NAMED
IBO IN MOZAMBIQUE - PAGE 88 j-10 - IBO AND ILHA IBO.
3. THE KINGDOM OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH- 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS -PAGE 7. THE OYO AND THE HAUSA
4. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH- 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 14 - THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AT IFE CALLED IGBO.
5. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH - 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 15. ORANYAN THE SON OF ODUDUWA,THE FOUNDER OF OYO.
6. THE KINGDOMS OF THE YORUBA - ROBERT SMITH - 3RD EDITION - UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN PRESS - PAGE 15. THE SCHEMING OF MOREMI
7. SANTERIA - PALO AND LUKUMI ORGANIZATION: WWW. PALO.ORG YORUBA
PEOPLES OF WEST AFRICA. HTML - EGBA VS. THE OYO AND THE IJEBU. EGBA DRIVEN
SOUTHWARD TO ABEOKUTA
8. GLIMPSES ISSUE #128 - PUB. CHRISTIAN HISTORY INSTITUTE - WORCESTER,PA. -
MARY SLESSOR AND THE EGBO
9. THE RELIGION OF THE YORUBA - J. OLUMIDE LUCAS - LAGOS C.M.S. WORKSHOP
1948 Pages 120-121 - THE PRACTICE OF ORO-IGBO AMONGST THE EGBA.
10.THE NIGER IBOS -BASDEN - THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE IBOS AND ISRAELITES
-ISRAAL CUSTOMS OF THE IGBO
11. THE MYTH OF THE NEGRO PAST - MELVILLE J. HERSKOVITS -BEACON PRESS BOOKS
PAGE 253 - LEGBA FOUND THROUGHOUT THE NEW WORLD
12. The DOCUMENTATION OF ISHAQ AL-SULAIMANI/CHIEF NWANNE DI NAMBA NDI IGBO -
CULTURAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE - TEANECK NEW JERSEY - INTERVIEW WITH LUGBARRA
DOCTOR OF MEDICINE
