Odinala ìgbo

18/06/2023

Ụmụ Ìgbò, Taata Bụ Óriè, na Ọnwa Agwu (Sunday, 18th June, 2023).

Chukwu gozie gi taata. Ka Agwụ gọzie anyị na Ọnwa a. Ife ọbụna anyị tinyere aka na Ọnwa ga ebu ngozi Agwụ were bịa.

Ụmụ Ìgbò ga na apụ na abata abata. Ndi ịchie ga na echekwaba anyị. Okike gọzie anyị ma dube anyị.

To get the complete Igbo Calendar for 2023, Click the link below: https://bit.ly/3XRodtm

20/08/2022

The Anglo-Aro War Of 1901-1902: How Britain Invaded Igbo Land And Terrorized The Aro Confederacy

The history of Africa, for the last 500 years and more, is filled with accounts of European invasions and terrorism. Europeans, in their quest to plunder, steal, and expand their empires, entered Africa with more deadly weapons. They had a vile intention to subdue and decimate, and without delay, they destroyed so many ancient kingdoms and civilizations in Africa. One of such thriving civilizations was the Aro Kingdom in Igbo land.

The Anglo-Aro War (Igbo: Agha ndi bekee na Aro) was a conflict between the strong Aro Confederacy in present-day Eastern Nigeria and the British Empire between November 1901 to March 1902, which ended with the destruction of the Aro Confederacy. Although it is called a war by the British and their European historians, we will like to refer to it as “Terrorism”. The terrorist invasion began after years of failed negotiations and increasing hostility between Aro leaders and British colonialists.

Cause of The Anglo-Aro War

Before the advent of colonialism, the Aro Confederacy―with its capital at Arochukwu―was a strong force to reckon with. The Confederacy whose powers extended across Eastern Nigeria and beyond, was, however, challenged in the last decades of the 19th century by increasing British pe*******on of the hinterland.

At the height of this pe*******on, the Aro people and their allies resisted the colonists who posed a threat to their culture, influence, and sovereignty.

The Aros who were very aware that British pe*******on would destroy their economic dominance in the area, also opposed British religion, Christianity, which also threatened Aro’s religious influence through the deity Ibini Ukpabi. Subsequently from around the 1890s, Aro-led raids and invasions on communities were conducted to bully those who supported the British and to undermine British pe*******on.

On the part of the British, reasons for engaging the Aros varied. Advanced by then British High Commissioner of the Nigerian Coast Protectorate, Sir Ralph Moore, they Included:

“To put a stop to slave dealing and the slave trade generally with a view to the Slave Dealing Proclamation No. 5 of 1901 being enforced throughout the entire territories as from first of January next; to abolish the Juju hierarchy of the Aro tribe, which by superstition and fraud causes much injustice among the coast tribes generally and is opposed to the establishment of Government. The power of the priesthood is also employed in obtaining natives for sale as slaves and it is essential to finally break it; to open up the country of the entire Aro to civilization; to induce the natives to engage in legitimate trade; to introduce a currency in place of slaves, brass rods, and other forms of native currency and to facilitate trade transactions; to eventually establish a labor market as a substitute to the present system of slavery.”

In Religion and Violence: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict from Antiquity to the Present, Jeffrey Ian Ross notes that “the Aro people’s use of the divinatory practice in shrines dedicated to the god IbinI Ukpabi, to dominate enslavement activities, was perceived to be contrary to the imperial ambition of British powers, which was the cause of a need to consequently destroy the primary shrine, based at Arochukwu”.

The above statement is a pathetic lie, and was the strategy and excuse the British and other Europeans used to invade Africa and exonerate themselves from their crime of slavery and terrorism. Who in Africa asked them for their help and opinion of our culture and style of commerce? Who told them that Africa needed their destructive style of civilization? Who made them God over Africans?

The same British that Practiced slavery for hundreds of years and introduced it to various parts of Africa, now absolved themselves of wrongdoing, and started to invade kingdoms in Africa, blaming them for instituting slavery, and killing them, just so they can have access to resources in Africa.

But as usual, the one who kills and wins with the gun is the one who writes the story of the battle – that is how we ended up with various accounts written by British scholars, blaming the terrorism by the British on the Igbo victims of Aro.

The Aro Expedition

While the British forces planned to invade Arochukwu in November 1901, the Aros led by Okoro Oti attacked and destroyed Obegu, a town belonging to the rival Ngwa clan which had for many years been at war with the Aros, and were British allies, killing around 400 people.

This meant that the British would hasten their preparation for an attack and on November 28, Lt. Col. Arthur Forbes Montanaro led a force of 87 officers, 1,550 soldiers, and 2,100 carriers in four axes of advance to Arochukwu. These were strongly resisted by the Aro forces, despite their lack of modern weapons.

However, on December 28, Arochukwu was captured after days of fierce battles in and around the city, allegedly resulting in the blowing up of the Ibini Ukpabi shrine. Battles between both forces would continue throughout the region until March 1902 when the Aros were defeated in a last major battle at Bende.

The Aftermath oF The Anglo-Aro War

As a result of the wars, some Aro leaders, like Okoro Oti, were arrested, tried, and hanged. The Aro Confederacy was destroyed, prompting Eze Kanu Okoro (king of Arochukwu) to go into hiding, although he was later arrested. There are no official records on the number of casualties on both sides, the war had cost the lives of thousands.

The war also saw the dispersal and displacement of many Aros who migrated to many other places where they formed new communities such as Ajalli (or Ujali), Arondizuogu, Ndikelionwu, etc., or were assimilated by their host communities.

Despite the defeat of the Aros and apparent British access to the interior, serious opposition to British pe*******on in Igboland did not end. In the years that followed, The British were forced to engage in repeated wars, in various parts of Igboland, with various Igbo clans and groups resisting the colonialists.

This Article Was Written By Chuka Nduneseokwu, Editor-In-Chief, Voice Of The Sun

Personal blog

19/08/2022

Igbo Amaka

08/08/2022

It Is Wrong For Ònye Ìgbò To Use European Names As Surname

With every new day, there is an increasing number of Ndi Ìgbò, who want to know more about their history, heritage, and the various aspects of our Ọdịnanị na omenani.

This population of Ndi Ìgbò are waking up to the beauty of our cultures and traditions and are expressing their anger and distaste about the encroachment of foreign ideas, cultures, and religion on the Ìgbò worldview.

There are more and more awakened Ìgbò people who want nothing to do with European ideologies, religion, and thoughts. But one thing we have realized is that no matter how much many Ndi Ìgbò speak against colonialism and its effects today in ani Ìgbò, they still maintain and use the names of their oppressors. It is safe to say that about 90% of Ndi Ìgbò go by European names as their first names, and about 20% have replaced their indigenous surnames with European names.

During colonization, the Europeans infiltrated Africa with their Christian missionaries, who preached about Jesus being the way, and how our ways were evil and demonic. They somehow were able to convince our people that European names were better than African names. And soon we had shallow Africans take up the European names and immediately, our identity as Africans started to die. And after almost a century that the Europeans have left, we have Africans who have even gone ahead to drop their indigenous surnames and taken up European first names and surnames.

The invasion of ani Ìgbò by British colonizers & European missionaries forced many Ndi Ìgbò to take the names of their enslavers and oppressors. This abnormality would spread throughout Ìgbò land from the later decades of the 19th, through the 20th, to the 21st century.

In a desperate attempt to convert as many souls for their Jesus Christ, the missionaries convinced some Ndi Ìgbò that our cultures, traditions, spirituality, and even names, were evil. And that for us to become clean and holy, we need to drop our names and take up Christian names ­­­- European names. Our people who were initially converted, and so began the corruption of the minds of great people such as ndi Ìgbò, against their heritage and ancestry. And to date that cancer still eats deep into our fabric as a people.

So, after long exposure to brainwashing in Christianity, you will find Ndi Ìgbò going by Esther Mathew, Simon Jude, etc, with no trace of ancestry or heritage. We now have Ndi Ìgbò who says our names are cursed, and evil, while the European’s name is Godly and pure.

Now what kind of self-hate would you call that?

How can you as an Ìgbò person strip yourself of your heritage, identity, and name and take up that of a European as your surname, denying all the accomplishments of your ancestors – those who lived and died for you? Those whose blood run in your veins. Those whose lands you live on?

Ndi Ìgbò have no reason to answer the names of their colonizers and oppressors. Many of us might want to argue and say the world is a global village now, but that is just plain myopia and low self-esteem. If the world was a global village, why are Europeans not answering Ìgbò names?

We owe it to our ancestors and to our next generation to reverse this disgraceful act of abandoning who we are for something else. We owe it to our children to retrace our steps and be 100% Ndi Ìgbò.

To Read the complete article, and watch the attached videos (in Igbo and English), follow the link below: https://bit.ly/3Q6Edo8

06/08/2022

The Role Of Literature In The Images Of Odumegwu Ojukwu And Nnamdi Kanu

More often than not, the responsibility of being a writer of facts and reality is that the truth sometimes becomes a burden for you to carry.

A writer must have enthusiasm. But above all, a writer must be willing to exhaust all possible angles to a story or narrative, putting the truth above all things. He must put sentiments and personal feelings aside to tackle the matter from a background that would be suitable to all.

Though this is most difficult, it is the price a writer has to pay.

The views that a writer expresses in a book or an article might transform as time goes by; this being as a result of a better understanding or knowledge of the subject matter. But in some cases, a writer’s view is always right from day one.

Fictional writers might not be troubled with these demons, because they live solely and exclusively in their imaginations. Although some fictional writers can paint our reality through the canvass of fiction, their stories can be passed for pure fiction (without an ounce of it relating to a true story), depending on who is reading it.

All these bring me to my subject of discussion today, which is the person of my soul brother, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu. The roles he played as the Eastern governor before the hostilities of 1966-1967 (the massacre of Igbo people in Northern Nigeria), his role as the Head of State of Biafra during the war, his character as a person, his achievements, his mistakes and very importantly the light in which he has been cast by different circles of the Igbo and Biafran society at large.

I have read books and heard stories (both true and false) which would cloud the mind of anyone, but as a writer, I had to explore all possible literature on Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

The sole reason for this is that a lot of disputes among our people about the issue of a separate state still hang around his name. Some are quick to say: “Ojukwu did it so we should continue” and others would say “Ojukwu made a mess of things so we should not follow that route”.

But somehow, I know better. I know that the issue of a true leader and the future of Ndi Igbo is not a matter to be taken lightly and not one to be discussed based on a former leader’s merits and flaws.

There was a time when I would swear and argue that Ojukwu had no faults or that all he did was best for our people; I would curse anyone who did cast him in a bad light, something I might still do now.

But it is important to note that he was human and so made some mistakes in places where he would have confided in the people around him to gain knowledge and draw wisdom. But again, who is to say that if his detractors were to be put in his position, they wouldn’t have made their own set of human errors?

Ojukwu’s case among his people might just be similar to that of Nnamdi Kanu of our time.

You see I have come to the brazen conclusion that it is often very difficult to lead and rule over supposed ‘wise people’. A people with such high achievements and intellect, a people with a Republican approach to life. I honestly feel it is most difficult to be a leader in Igbo land than to be a leader anywhere in the world.

Click the link below to read the reast of the article: https://bit.ly/3SsUkxX

02/08/2022

How Igbo Ekumeku Warriors Went To War Against British Invaders And Resisted Them For 31 Years

The resolutions of the Berlin conference of 1884-1885, gave European nations the right to lay claims to lands and resources in Africa.

Britain, who had engaged in the trade with coastal cities before and during the 19th century, made bold their intentions to covet resources and rule over indigenous nations all over Africa.

They came with guns and preachers. Many African indigenous nations resisted the British invaders, and this led to protracted wars. Many African indigenous nations put up a great fight against the superior firepower of the suppressive British.

One such indigenous nations are the Igbo people of ancient Biafra, who are now one of the three major indigenous nations in Nigeria.

The Ekuemeku Movement was the name of the Igbo army, that held the British at bay and fought them for 31 years.

The Ekumeku movement consisted of a great number of attacks and uprisings by the Anioma people of Igbo land, against the British, from 1893-1914.

The Ekumeku warriors were bound by a secret oath, and meticulously utilized guerrilla tactics to attack the British Royal company, who were determined to pe*****te Igbo land.

The Ekumeku warriors were drawn from thousands of Anioma youth from all parts of Anioma land. As the war raged on, the Ekumeku warriors defended their rights to live peacefully without foreign interjection, while the British used heavy armaments. The British destroyed homes, farms, and roads, by bombardment.

The British invaded Ndoni in 1870 and bombarded Onicha-Ado (Onicha) on November 2nd, 1897, from River Niger. This set the tempo for the rest of the war.

The Royal Niger Company was commanded by Major Festing. They engaged the Anioma people of Ibusa in 1898. The battle was so severe in 0wa/Okwunzu, in 1894, that the commander W.E.B Crawford requested more arms from the British headquarters to crush the Western Anioma communities. The people of Owa again in 1906 engaged the British in a gruesome battle that consumed the life of the British commander S. O. Crewe.

Ogwashi-Ukwu faced the British on the 2nd of November 1909 and dealt a heavy blow to the British, who sustained many casualties, with the death of H. C. Chapman.

The Ekumeku became a formidable force in Igbo land and was a great source of nationalism for the Anioma people. It also served as a uniting cord that held together various towns that were independent of each other in the past. The Igbo were a republican people and each town had a leadership that was drawn from its oldest men and families.

The war would have lasted longer, and possibly ended in a British defeat, if the Anioma people had equivalent firepower, and had more allies from other great Igbo kingdoms and towns. But even at that point, other indigenous Igbo towns, and villages were facing the British on their own.

After almost 20 years of battle, Britain decided to strike with great force. And in December of 1902, they sent a powerful expedition to the Anioma kingdom. A great number of towns were destroyed. Civilians and soldiers alike were killed. And their leaders were arrested and imprisoned.

After this, the British were sure that they had suppressed the Ekumeku military cult, and that victory was theirs. The British officers boasted: “the Ekumeku and other secret societies have been completely broken.”

To their greatest surprise, two years later, in 1904, the fearless Ekumeku rose again.

The Igbo are proud and egalitarian people. They don’t go down that easily.

When the Ekumeku started their renewed campaign, they changed tactics and abandoned the guerrilla warfare style of 1989, for the individual defense of each town.

The last battle began in 1909. There was a succession dispute in Ogwashi-ukwu, and the British tried to remove the rightful king and enthrone someone else. One of the heirs to the throne, Nzekwe, the son of the last Obi, sensed the plot of the British and went to war with them to fight for his inheritance.

On November 2nd, 1909, the British sent an expedition to Ogwashi-ukwu to capture him, but they failed. No amount of firepower at that point could defeat or quench the sympathy and dedication of the people towards the Ekumeku.

In Asaba, the sympathy for the Ekumeku was so high that the people had the disposition to throw off the already British government in certain parts.

At the time, the acting Lieutenant-governor of the Southern provinces sent an agitated telegram to Lagos. It read: “Whole country is above are… is the state of rebellion.”

After this, reinforcements were sent from Lokoja, for another confrontation at Akegbe. The war raged on, till 1914 when the Ekumeku movement was defeated. That was the same year, the Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria were joined as one country.

Some of the heroes of that 31-year war included Dunwku Isus of Onicha-Olona, Nwabuzo Iyogolo of Ogwashi-Ukwu, Awuno Ugbo, Obi of Akumazi, Aggbambu Oshue of Igbuzo, the Idabor of Issele-Ukwu, Ochei Aghaeze of Onicha-olona, Abuzu of Idumuje-Unor, Idegwu Otokpoike of Ubulu-Ukwu. These men are remembered in Anioma land to date.

The Ekumeku war remains one of the most bravely fought wars and campaigns against British rule and plundering. It later inspired other rebellions around Africa, such as the Mau Mau of Kenya.

The Ekumeku have long been defeated, and that kingdom is now part of the greater Igbo land, in today’s Nigeria. But no matter how far we travel in time, history always remembers that brave people defended their ancestry, heritage, and legacy against the tyranny of Wilberforce.

To date, in Nigeria, the Igbo remains one of the few indigenous nations that still resist British rule over them and their resources. It can be said that these sentiments were at play when the British supplied weapons to the Northern and Western parts of Nigeria to commit genocide against the Igbo between 1967-1970.

Visit Our Website To Read Other Articles On Igbo History.

01/08/2022

A Brief History Of Nri As One Of The Pillars Of ÌGBÒ Civilization

The Nri Kingdom is one of the oldest existing monarchies in ani ÌGBÒ. The origin of the ÌGBÒ civilization, culture, and religion are credited to this kingdom. The Nri Kingdom existed around AD 900 and also observed a theocratic system of government.

According to Igbo myth, Eri, a divine figure who descended from heaven, is perceived as the first ancestor of the Igbo people. He had a son called Nri. He led the establishment of the Nri Kingdom. Nri Ifikuanim was the first king of this Kingdom (1043 – 1158), ordained by the gods to rule the people of Nri. In Nri, gods reserve the sole power to choose who they appoint a king. The kings are said to be half-human and half-spirit. The king is viewed as the direct link between the gods and the people and must be free of blemishes and sins.

The mandatory rituals involved in the initiation of Nri kings are one of the facts to prove this belief. When the gods appoint a king, there are some significant signs to ascertain the authenticity of his call. To prove this, the symbolical Mgburu will fall in the compound of the appointed person. Also, the discovery of the new king could be through Igba Afa.

The installation of a king in Nri is strictly by spiritual (Agbala) appointment because the system refrains from politics. After this discovery, the appointed king would leave his parent's house and family to serve the people/gods. He would visit the Agbanabo river of Aguleri, where he’d swim deep inside the river to excavate clay (uro) for molding his Udu Eze, a bronze cup.

When this is done, he goes to a half-house (Okara uno) where he would stay alone for two ÌGBÒ weeks (8 days). While there, they would apply nzu on his body; he eats only nzu and drinks water from the Agbanabo river; nobody is allowed to visit him. This 'monk period' is strictly to let him transform from a human to a spirit: Just like the Biblical Jesus, the King is believed to die and resurrect after 3 days. He would also pay homage to all the necessary shrines and deities in Aguleri. If he survives all these, he would be coronated as the King of Nri by the three kingmakers of Nri-Onuko. They would give him an Ikenga – a symbol of ritual power and authority in ÌGBÒ land. The marital status of Nri King is still a mystery as it is not public knowledge.

The king of Nri is said to be infallible. His decrees are final and can not be disputed by anybody. After making a decree, he seals it by beating the gong three times. The king does not sleep on an ordinary bed; he sleeps on a customized traditional bed called Ikpo Eze. This customized bed serves other purposes: After a consensus with his cabinet, the Ndi Ichie (Ancestors), he makes a final decree on the bed. The king performs his early morning ceremonial communion/ritual with the gods on this bed and then beats his gong four times as consultation and greetings to the four Igbo market gods and also, to alert the villagers that he has woken.

As years passed, the Nri Kingdom grew larger and stronger along with its economic growth; it expanded to other parts of ani ÌGBÒ hence the creation of its capital at Igboukwu. The development and success of this kingdom fostered the creation of a banking system and a currency (Okpogho) to ease business transactions. The economy was mainly boosted by agriculture and hunting. Also, in 1952, they built a museum for the safekeeping and exhibition of artifacts and heirlooms of past kings of the Nri kingdom.

However, the kingdom did not possess supremacy over all of ani ÌGBÒ, even at its peak. This is because the kingdom practiced Theocracy, and also due to the decentralized nature of ÌGBÒ land. The kingdom succeeded in wielding undisputed power over its territories. It was the centre for all ÌGBÒ cultural and economic activities, and its influence transcended ÌGBÒ land.

The kingdom served as a custodian of peace and harmony and, as such, prohibited war and violence of any form. Therefore, the Nri kingdom was void of military force, so allegiance was by ritual oath. Peace, wisdom, justice, and harmony were the bedrock of their philosophy. The peaceful nature of the Nri Kingdom is attributed to their belief that violence was an abomination that soiled the earth. The kingdom became a refuge for fugitive slaves, outcasts, commoners, etc.

The Nri kingdom became so strong that it proved resistant to the British colonist and the slavers. But unfortunately, in 1911, the British troop forced the incumbent Eze Nri to renounce his Ikenga. This led to the dissolution of the ancient Nri Kingdom. However, after the Nigeria Independence, the Nri Kingdom continued to reclaim its relevance in ÌGBÒ land. The Kingdom still holds a strong effect and influence in ÌGBÒ land and would always be remembered as one of the architects of ÌGBÒ civilization.

To Read The Complete Article, Follow The Link Below To Our Website: https://bit.ly/3JlkZIL

29/07/2022

How Some Nollywood Producers Are Destroying The Image Of Ìgbò Culture And History – Biko Kwụsịnụ Ya

Nollywood producers, directors, executive producers, and actors, in an attempt to always have fresh content and make quick money, sell lies and unnecessary fiction about Ìgbò culture and history.

To be specific, the Ìgbò among them, have continued to bastardize our history and culture with their "Kingdom" and "The Gods are angry" monotonous motion pictures.

Number one on this list is the negative and false portrayal of Ọdịnanị Ìgbò (as a form of spirituality, and organized religion). All they show the passionate viewers is a supposed native doctor tying red cloths, marking his eyes with nzu, and portraying the gods and deities of ani Ìgbò as bloodsucking entities, whose only concern is human sacrifice.

These producers do not care to learn or show the true, real and basic tenets of Ọdịnanị Ìgbò, such as: Chi, Agwu, Ndi ichie, Akwali omumu/Oda Omumu, Ogwugwu, Anyanwu, Agbala, Nso ani, Ikpu alu, and many more. These aspects of our spirituality as Ndi Ìgbò are not infused into many movies about Ìgbò culture, religion, and worldview, leaving the viewers to go away with false narratives that hurt us in the long run.

There is no real portrayal of who a complete Ìgbò DIBỊA is, showcasing the real way we practice our spirituality and connect to the divine. This, in the long run, paints our spirituality as dark, and our DIBỊAs as men and women connected to human-bloodsucking deities and forces of nature; now outsiders and the unconscious ones amongst us are left with the notion that we practice a backward, diabolic and evil religion, which should be feared.

Number two on the list is the constant need to have movies about blood money and rituals. They are neck-deep in the narrative that a man must have to sacrifice his mother, child, wife (or any other human being) for him to be financially successful. There are too many of these kinds of movies out there, and it now makes it seem as if there is no wealthy Ìgbò man in a society whose hands are not soiled in blood money, or rituals. And this is wrong because Ndi Ìgbò are some of the most hardworking people you can find in the entire world. Ndi Ìgbò are hardworking and have attained success through hard work, in the formal and informal sectors of life. We have men and women who have succeeded through years and years of learning, implementation, and hard work.

We have billionaires, and millionaires, who have attained great heights, without soiling their hands. They are too numerous to mention.

Through the Ìgbò apprenticeship system, Igba boy/Imu ahia, we have seen young boys from poor backgrounds, taking to their master’s house, and after 5-8 years of servitude and learning, get settled, start their own business, and after a few years of toiling, saving and investing, become successful millionaires. There are hundreds of thousands of such stories scattered all over ani Ìgbò. And then after years of hard work, and such men are blessed in business, society now paints them as ritualists. Why? Because that is the common notion that has been planted subconsciously by a good number of Nollywood movies.

This is unfair to the hardworking Ìgbò man and woman.

To Read The Complete Article, Follow This Link To Our Website: https://bit.ly/3ByldKG

To Watch A Video On This Topic, Follow This Link To Our Youtube: https://youtu.be/6CTSpjZaHEs

28/07/2022

Agụ In Ìgbò Culture And Cosmology: A Critical Overview And Response To The Erroneous Assumptions Circulating Among The Present-Day Ìgbò

One interesting yet an amusing feature of a substantial number of Ìgbò persons or groups (especially the young and middle-aged) today on the social media is their capacities and quickness to “disagree” with submissions on traditional Ìgbò affairs that counter their already formed conclusions—even when facts are presented against those conclusions.

This is in itself not bad, given the highly democratic cultural background that molded their minds and genes. Perhaps, they need to be consistently educated with tested facts, even if they—out of ego protection—refuse to take correction or learn. This evidently tells why the respected Ọmụ Ọkpanam Martha Dunkwu, in her wisdom, never fails to emphasize that “Ndị Ìgbò dị ọkịtịkpa rinne.”

Despite the repeated enlightenment that what the Ìgbò people principally/originally refer to as “Agụ” is the leopard, some Ìgbò people disagree vehemently saying it is the lion. This is not even the major problem. The major and nauseating problem is that some other Ìgbò persons defiantly say that “Agụ” is the tiger and that “Ọdụm” is the lion. Amazingly, they have nothing for the leopard, as they have deleted it from the Ìgbò environment and memory. You would think they are not many that hold this view, but they are. As such, it is important to quickly dispel the ignorance by removing aka enwe n’ofe tupuu ọ ghọọ aka mmadụ.

So, let us—from a position of current and updated research—deal factually with these contentions and other related concerns considering (and under) the following factors: the Ìgbò geography/environment, Ìgbò linguistics, Ìgbò spirituality/metaphysics/animal studies & symbolism/mythology, Ìgbò philosophy, Ìgbò history, and modern politics. For the avoidance of doubts, I have—very recently—consulted and interviewed various sources and authorities/experts on the issue at hand based on each of these aforementioned areas of Ìgbò studies as to obtain more valid information and facts, irrespective of my own knowledge. Now, let’s take off.

The word “Agụ” can be linguistically examined from two perspectives: the root word and the animal type. The root of “Agụ” is “gụ” which principally implies holding firmly, getting a grip, grabbing, arresting, etc. Even the Ìgbò verb “ịgụ” (to read or to count) implies getting a grip (making sense) of what is written (ịgụ akwụkwọ) or what is numerous (ịgụ ọnụ). Also, very common expressions like “agụụ na-agụ m,” “agụụ agụgbugo m” or “agụụ ji m aka” imply one being badly gripped by hunger. Yet again, the word “agụụ” is spoken of by the Ìgbò as something alive/personified, hence, expressions like: “Kedụ ife bụ otii nwata n’iru nne ya? Agụụ!” (What/who is it that beats a child despite the mother’s presence? Hunger!) or “Agụụ abụrọ nwanne mmadụ” (Hunger is not any person’s beloved). This background offers insight into the evolution of the word “Agụ” as an animal type descriptor. And so, as an animal type, “Agụ,” in Ìgbò linguistics, generically refers to the feline/cat animals, famous for their extremely ferocious and firm ‘gripping’ of preys before devouring them. This is why, according to renowned Professor Boniface Mba of Ìgbò linguistics, these cats are delineated at the generic category with the “Agụ” prefix as in “Agụ-owulu” (the enigmatic leopard), “Agụ-Ọdụm” (the lion), “Agụ-ùfù” (the hyena/wild fox), etc. “These,” Professor Mba told me, “were mostly the biggest cats known in the Ìgbò environment.”

But one may want to wonder why the pussycat itself is called “buusu” in the contemporary Ìgbò language and isn’t commonly known as “Agụ.” The fact is that “buusu” is assumed to be the local rendering (Ìgbònization) of the “pussy” in “pussycat.” The pussycat’s real Ìgbò name is “Nwamba/Nwologbo” or “Nwaobushi” (as called in parts of Nsụka). But then, one may ask: How isn’t the cat an “Agụ” by name since it is the foundation of the bigger Agụ? On this, a very knowledgeable and educated Dibịa (Ijelenze n’Ụmụnze), in our conversation recently, told me that in the older Ìgbò language, “cat was alternatively called ‘obele-agụ’ (small agụ) and some Ìgbò people still call it so till today.” This quickly made me remember that many Ìgbò persons commonly answered “Obeleagụ” in the last century but the name has almost disappeared these days. For example, one of the early Ìgbò catholic priests from Ọnịcha was, by name, late Msgr. William Obeleagụ. The street/road behind St Mary’s Catholic Church in Ọnịcha today called “Obeleagụ,” as Ike Lord Aligo informed me recently, is named after the priest who ministered in the church many decades ago. Also, the fuller version of “Nwamba” appears to be “Nwamba-agụ” just as some parts of Nsụka would refer to a non-domestic cat as “Nwaobushi-agụ.”

On another hand, “Agụ” goes beyond the cats/felines to even birds and reptiles, which is why we have, for example, Agụ-Nkwọ (the hawk), Agụ-Íyí (the crocs), Agụ-Ụnọ (the geckos), among others. It is sometimes speculated that these ones represent “Agụ” based on their outer body designs that range from scales to spots, and to strokes (tiny or big). But this seems to contradict the nature of lions that may have existed in the Ìgbò environment, especially the regular ones with no designs on their bodies. Lastly in Ìgbò linguistics, “Agụ” refers to the wild, uninhabited, communally owned land space—suggesting an entrapment for a normal person, following what the root word “gụ” entails in the sense of ‘gripping’ or ‘trapping’.

Meanwhile, what the Ìgbò revere, admire and imitate—even in fear—is Agụ the leopard. The lion is only feared—and may be praised—by the Ìgbò just for its merciless and ruthless capacity for violence. As such, there is hardly any known Ìgbò proverb or lore that entertains the lion but there are for Agụ the leopard, even in music (such as in the song titled “Ife Onye Metalụ” by the legendary Osita Ọsadebe). Also, Cardinal Francis Arinze is reported (by some Ọzọ men of Ògídí in Anambra State) to have said that his father taught him how to interpret the sounds of Ògídí’s Ekwe Érùlù (Ikolo) in the early 1940s when the instrumentalist plays it to send the danger signal that Agụ has invaded the community, so that people may quickly run to safety. A few rhetorical and proverbial expressions based on Agụ include:

A na-abalụ agụ mba? Adịrọ abalụ agụ mba (Can a leopard be scolded? No one dares scold a leopard)

Ukwu jie agu, mgbada abialụ ya ụgwọ (When a leopard lames, it becomes the duiker’s debtor)

Nwa agụ isi ya-aka aka, a na-afụ ya mbọsị amụlụ ya (A young leopard that will live old is known from the day it is born)

Also, titles/names of persons and places among the Ìgbò abound with Agụ either as a prefix (Agụnwa, Agụnze, Agụegbo, Agụnecheibe, Agụobuowa—a community in Ezeagụ, Enugwu State, etc) or suffix (Ebubeagụ, Ikeagụ, Akagụ, Obiagụ in Enugwu city, Nwagụ in Agụlụ, Anambra State, Ụmụmba-Ndịagụ in Ezeagụ, Enugwu State, and so on). The litany of Agụ-based expressions and names among the Ìgbò, by far, pales Ọdụm-based ones (such as “Ọdụm-gburu-agụ/Ọdụm-na-egbu-agụ” for titles, “Ọdụmagụ” or “Ọdụm” as surnames).

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