Good to research into this....don't stay lost forever ...
Igbo Americans, or Americans of Igbo ancestry, (Igbo: Igbo nke Amerika) are citizens of the United States who can claim whole or significant ancestry from the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria.The vast majority of Igbo Americans have arrived in America by force through the Atlantic slave trade. Many African Americans of significant Igbo ancestry do not know that they have this ancestry. The Igbo were one of the common ethnic groups found amongst enslaved Africans in the United States. Another way the Igbo have arrived in America is through migration, one of the reasons being Nigeria's poor infrastructure and the effects of the Nigerian-Biafran War.
In the United States Igbo slaves were usually referred to as Ibo or Ebo (sometimes spelled Eboe), a corruption of their native name. Some Igbo slaves were also referred to as 'bites', denoting their Bight of Biafra origin, and their name were sometimes given to them denoting their origin such as Bonna for a slave that arrived through Bonny. Their presence in the United States was met with mixed feelings by American plantation owners. Till today there is a very small amount of African Americans with 'Ebo' as their surname.
I also have come across studies which directly link our language ties to the igbo, such as the prononciations of how we use certain wordings, and ways in which we say them even while being poisoned with this english crush on our original language.
The Igbo people first came in contact with European traders in the mid-15th century. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Igboland, followed by the Dutch and then the English.
The trade of Igbo slaves started in the mid-17th century. The Bight (large bay) of Biafra, located off the west African coast (east of the Bight of Benin) was a central location not only for the capture and purchase of slaves, but for the departure of European slave ships bound for the Americas. Between 1650 and 1900, 14.6% (totaling about 1.4 million people) of the slaves taken to the Americas were taken from the Bight of Benin. This was the third highest percentage of enslaved Africans taken to the New World.
The Igbo were taken to various colonies in the New World, including Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, and the United States. In the United States, most Igbo slaves were taken to Virginia and Maryland:
"Approximately 65,000 Africans came from the Bight of Biafra, which was about 16 percent of the total number, but 45,000 went to the Chesapeake where they represented about 36 percent of the African population. Moreover, they arrived early and were the largest group of immigrants from the 1690s through the 1750s. By contrast, they comprised less than 9 percent (about 18,000 people) of the total African population in the Carolinas and Georgia, with arrivals concentrated in the 1730s (over 5,000), the 1750s (over 4,000), and the years before 1808 (almost 4,000)." -- Peoples From the Kongo and the Bight of Biafra
The Igbo were known to be rebellious and feisty. Oftentimes, Igbo males committed suicide (this was seen as a problem in several New World colonies, not just the U.S.) or ran away. For these reasons, American slavers in Georgia and the Carolinas rarely sought out Igbo slaves, opting instead for Senegambian or Kongolese slaves.
"It is a truism in the historical literature that Igbo, especially Igbo males, were not at all appreciated in the Americas, mainly because of their propensity to run away and/or commit suicide. Igbo were, indeed, sometimes described as 'refuse slaves' who were purchased in high percentages in Virginia because the poverty of the slave owners left them no alternative." -- The Igbo
The Igbo came to represent a large percentage of Africans in the Americas. Some researchers postulate that 60% of black Americans have at least one Igbo ancestor.
The Igbo influence in the Americas is evident to this day, especially in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, for example, the creole word for "you" (plural) is unu, which is a direct descendent of the Igbo "unu." Foods like okra were introduced by the Igbo people as well. There's even an "Igbo Village" in Virginia. All in all, the Igbo represented a large portion of the slaves brought to America, and many black Americans today are descended from the Igbo people.
Igbo Americans, or Americans of Igbo ancestry, (Igbo: Igbo nke Amerika) are citizens of the United States who can claim whole or significant ancestry from the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria.The vast majority of Igbo Americans have arrived in America by force through the Atlantic slave trade. Many African Americans of significant Igbo ancestry do not know that they have this ancestry. The Igbo were one of the common ethnic groups found amongst enslaved Africans in the United States. Another way the Igbo have arrived in America is through migration, one of the reasons being Nigeria's poor infrastructure and the effects of the Nigerian-Biafran War.
In the United States Igbo slaves were usually referred to as Ibo or Ebo (sometimes spelled Eboe), a corruption of their native name. Some Igbo slaves were also referred to as 'bites', denoting their Bight of Biafra origin, and their name were sometimes given to them denoting their origin such as Bonna for a slave that arrived through Bonny. Their presence in the United States was met with mixed feelings by American plantation owners. Till today there is a very small amount of African Americans with 'Ebo' as their surname.
I also have come across studies which directly link our language ties to the igbo, such as the prononciations of how we use certain wordings, and ways in which we say them even while being poisoned with this english crush on our original language.
The Igbo people first came in contact with European traders in the mid-15th century. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Igboland, followed by the Dutch and then the English.
The trade of Igbo slaves started in the mid-17th century. The Bight (large bay) of Biafra, located off the west African coast (east of the Bight of Benin) was a central location not only for the capture and purchase of slaves, but for the departure of European slave ships bound for the Americas. Between 1650 and 1900, 14.6% (totaling about 1.4 million people) of the slaves taken to the Americas were taken from the Bight of Benin. This was the third highest percentage of enslaved Africans taken to the New World.
The Igbo were taken to various colonies in the New World, including Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, and the United States. In the United States, most Igbo slaves were taken to Virginia and Maryland:
"Approximately 65,000 Africans came from the Bight of Biafra, which was about 16 percent of the total number, but 45,000 went to the Chesapeake where they represented about 36 percent of the African population. Moreover, they arrived early and were the largest group of immigrants from the 1690s through the 1750s. By contrast, they comprised less than 9 percent (about 18,000 people) of the total African population in the Carolinas and Georgia, with arrivals concentrated in the 1730s (over 5,000), the 1750s (over 4,000), and the years before 1808 (almost 4,000)." -- Peoples From the Kongo and the Bight of Biafra
The Igbo were known to be rebellious and feisty. Oftentimes, Igbo males committed suicide (this was seen as a problem in several New World colonies, not just the U.S.) or ran away. For these reasons, American slavers in Georgia and the Carolinas rarely sought out Igbo slaves, opting instead for Senegambian or Kongolese slaves.
"It is a truism in the historical literature that Igbo, especially Igbo males, were not at all appreciated in the Americas, mainly because of their propensity to run away and/or commit suicide. Igbo were, indeed, sometimes described as 'refuse slaves' who were purchased in high percentages in Virginia because the poverty of the slave owners left them no alternative." -- The Igbo
The Igbo came to represent a large percentage of Africans in the Americas. Some researchers postulate that 60% of black Americans have at least one Igbo ancestor.
The Igbo influence in the Americas is evident to this day, especially in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, for example, the creole word for "you" (plural) is unu, which is a direct descendent of the Igbo "unu." Foods like okra were introduced by the Igbo people as well. There's even an "Igbo Village" in Virginia. All in all, the Igbo represented a large portion of the slaves brought to America, and many black Americans today are descended from the Igbo people.
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Any links to said studies?
