23/06/2024
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐,
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฆ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฏ๐ผ (๐๐๐ข๐) ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐.
1. In the earliest journals and maps of the lower Guinea, Abo was written as โArboโ and โArebo. These two spelling are in accordance to Dutch phonemics.
2. According to Dutch phonemics the /Ar/ phoneme in โArboโ is pronounced as the โAโ in apple or ally. (Go here for Dutch-English pronunciation of phoneme https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Manual_of_English_Pronunciation_and_Gr.html?id=_qYOAAAAMAAJ). This pronunciation actually gives the correct pronunciation of Abo, as the native pronounce it.
3. On the other hand the Dutch phoneme /Are/ in โAreboโ is pronounced as the โแบธโ in แบธbiriba or similar the โAโ in air. In this came it would be spelled แบธbo. (Go here for Dutch-English pronounciation of phoneme https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Manual_of_English_Pronunciation_and_Gr.html?id=_qYOAAAAMAAJ). This pronunciation of Abo indicates that the Dutch traveler who recorded the name as such may have been in the land of the Ukwuani, a neighboring Igbo group.
4. Although some authors have speculated that Arbo/Arebo were the Abo people, many were unsure giving the location of the people, which was off of the Forcados River, a location they are no longer at, and concluded that it was just a town that faded away with time.
5. Nonetheless, the Arbo/Arebo were the Aboh people. In the book ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ by Astley Thomas, which was published in 1746 and consists of translated accounts from the 1600s, on Pg. 97, a Dutch traveler recorded his experience of the outdated Igbo cultural practice of the killing of twin that took place at โAreboโ:
โAt Arebo, however, they are of a contrary opinion, and treat Twin-bearing Women barbarously, killing both the Mother and Children by Way of Sacrifice to a certain Demon; who, as they believe, inhabits a Wood near the Village. The Man generally redeems the Wife, by offering a Female Slave in her place, but the children are condemned without Mercy.โ
6. In another account the system of governance at Arebo is describe as the Obi governance system practiced till date, where the ruler of the kingdom is actually a representative answerable to a council of elders. The account is given in the book ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ by T. Osborne, published in 1760, on Pg. 359:
โArebo is a fine, large, and populous city, of an oval figure, the houses larger, but built with the same materials, and in the same taste, as those of Bododo. The city and adjacent country are under the government of a viceroy and council, wirh similar powers as those of Bododo.โ
7. In addition to the Igbo cultural practices of the killing of twins and the practicing of the Obiship system, there is the Ofo aspect. Along that same area of the Forcados River, at least 3 bronze Ofos were recovered by archeologists. The Ofo is the Igbo ritual staff of authority. In 1976, Nancy C. Neaher published an article in the African Arts, Vol. 9 called ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐จ, where she speaks of the recovered Ofos:
โBronzes recently recovered from sites along the Forcados River included at least threeofo, which are now housed in Belgian collections. The Nigerian museums possess nine ofo, five of which are in the National Museum, Lagos.โ
8. To see one of the ancient bronze Ofos recovered off of the Forcados, see Photo #1. Also, see a map showing Areboโs original location along to Forcados before migrating to their current location, see Photo #2.
9. The Abo made a migration eastwards where they met an aboriginal Igbo group known as the โAkaraiโ or โAkaraโ people, whom they largely displaced and cause I mass migration into eastern Nigeria but did allow some to remain in their fatherland.
10. This oral tradition was recorded by Augustus Ferryman Mockler-Ferryman in his book ๐๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ published in 1892 on Pg. 234-235:
โAccording to Abo tradition,the town,a century or more ago,belonged to the Akris, one of the numerous Ibo clans, the forefathers of the present possessors being natives of Idu. These latter people revolted against their chief at Idu, and, having been driven from their native town, betook
themselves to the neighbourhood of Abo. Here they were well received by the Akris, and given a portion of land whereon to build a town, on the understanding that they should give assistance to their friends,if called upon to do so the refugees soon became jealous of the power of the Akris,and determined to make an attempt to get the upper hand. They asked the chiefs and young men of the Akris to meet them at a certain spot in the bush at night, for the purpose,as they asserted,of settling some important affairs of state. The Akris, unsuspecting treachery, agreed, but stipulated that no weapons should be taken by any one,mats and fans being the only things allowed. At the appointed time,the two clans met,each Idu having carefully concealed in his mat a well-sharpened matchet (or chopper).
The Idus opened the discussion by demanding that one of their number should be appointed king of themselves and of the Akris, to which, of course, the latter objected. This was the signal for the Idus to draw their matchets and fall on their former friends, more than 800 of whom they slaughtered on the spot. The Akris were obliged after this to abandon their town,and became scattered about the country, paying a yearly tribute of smoked fish to the new king of Abo.โ
11. In the above oral tradition we note that the Abo are reported to have come from the Igbo country name Idu, which is also known as Obodo Idu. They were not from the Olukumi country known as Great Benin (Udo).
12. It can also be noted that the land of the Akara people was on the outskirts of Idu. This would make them a part of the Igbo area described as โOnicha Udo na Iduโ: Outskirts of Udo and Idu.
13. The descendants of the dispersed Akara people migrated to the present day states of Anambra, Imo, and Rivers State. Some notable places are Akri-Ogidi (Anambra/Rivers), Akri-Oziza (Anambra), and Akri-Atani (Anambra).
14. It is important to note that, as observed in the writing of Mockler-Ferryman, โAkriโ is the anglicized spelling of Akarai. However, there are various Igbo dialectical spellings of Akarai that are correct and they are: Akalai, Akala, Akara, Akili, and Akiri.
15. In regards to Rivers State, the Akarai descendants can be found among the Ekpeye, the Ogba, and the Ndoni. On the case of the migration of the Akara people and their relation to the people of Ndoni, Ndoni anthropologist and Historian, Charles Ikwuazom, writes the following in a 2014 article titled ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐ข:
โThe Aboh and Ndoni ancient towns were
first founded by the Igbo-speaking elements from Nri or Awka zone. For Aboh, they were the Akala or Akalai party whose eponymous ancestor was Ogidi who magically invoked down an imposing rock (salvivic water deity) that aided his party to cross the Niger from Isala axis, a reason why the ancestors of Akili never drowned in the river. In Ndoni, they were the Obonya elements, whose ancestor was Awka, father of Aguukwu to Ezenwocha and Anyaogwu. Both Ogidi and the Awka were reputed to have arrived at the banks of the lower Niger about the 10th century or before. History has it that the Onya siblings among the Akalai elements moved downstream and founded the Onya town before Aboh conquered the Akalai people..โ
โThe name โAkalai or Akiliโ originated from โakalaโ or tattoo-marked ichi faces of the ancient Igbo elements at Aboh axis. The word โakalaโ got corrupted to Akalai, Akarai or Akili with time, movement and linguistic associations of stranger elements in the midst of the people at various locations.โ
16. When it comes to the Akara descendants of Ekpeye and Ogba, they are known as the two children of Akaraka. They refer to their original land, fatherland, as Akara-Aka, commonly written as Akaraka or Akalaka. Though Akalaka, Akaraka, and Akaluka all mean โdestinyโ in the Igbo language, it is not the meaning the name is referring to.
17. The Akalaka of the Ekpeye and Ogba means Akala (Akarai) and Aka (Place): the abode of the Akarai. This is to say their fatherland is Akalai. Although this designation has been personified over the years making many to believe the name means โDestinyโ and Akalaka was a father not a fatherland.
18. Interestingly, in an Intelligence Report carried out by W. F. H. Newington, an Administration Officer in Eastern Nigeria during the colonial days, of all the towns and villages visited in Ekpeye, 76 in total, none mentioned a migration from Benin or mentioned the name โBeninโ at all; instead, they claimed partial migration from Aboh while their other heritage remained in eastern Nigeria.
19. To square back on the Forcados River, the location is known as the abode of the Yoruba-speaking people the Itsekiri. This is to confirm that the Itsekiri people and the Igbo-speaking people of Abo were once neighbors even during the time of European exploration and trade in the region.
20. We also know from intricate records of the Portuguese and Dutch that Great Benin was an Olukumi-Yoruba speaking kingdom known to the natives as Udo. This Udo in present day Ovia SW, Edo State. See Photoโ #3 map from the 1600s showing Benin as west of Ughoton.
21. We know from Dutch records that the Igbo territory known as Obodo Idu, written by Dutch as โBoededoeโ, was the neighbor and ally of the Olukumi-Yoruba Kingdom of Great Benin (Udo). And it was made clear that the Edo-speakers were refugees, P.O.W.โs, and servants who were allowed to settle and integrate into the societies of these two Igbo and Yoruba allied territories.
_By Dede Chibu
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