Medieval and Ancient West African Civilization Highlights: Igbo Addition

[Bawon Samedi]

im researching ile ife right now found some interesting stuff on how they paved all the roads there and the process of how they did it. real cool stuff Movements, Borders, and Identities in Africa

also looking at some work their doing on Ile ife's famous Eredo wall. http://www.ifra-nigeria.org/IMG/pdf/preliminary-report-ife-sungbo.pdf

basically Ile Ife is a advanced mega city burried under hundreds of years of vegetation and soil.

heres some ife bronze work. Igbos bronze work actually predates most of the ones they found in Ile Ife so far. Yoruba | (Ife Kingdom Figures)

This is pretty neat!

Also I heard Ile Ife had plants from the Americas, but thats a topic for another time.

 

[KOohbt]

This is pretty neat!

Also I heard Ile Ife had plants from the Americas, but thats a topic for another time.

we know they had trade throughout the forest states and the western sudanic empires and as far as the middle east and obviously through central africa. so i wouldn't see why they wouldn't have went out to sea to explore. especially since ships naturally would be guided by currents to brazil. i mean if the forest didn't stop them then im sure water wouldn't.

 

[Anwulika]

@Golden @1984

@KOohbt
You did a really good job describing Igbo culture but you haven't touched upon the biggest aspect of it, trade. The Igbos are renowned for their trade and it was one of the things that were responsible for the Igbo expansion in Eastern Nigeria. Onitsha market is the biggest market in west Africa and the days of the week were centred on the four market days: Eke, Orie, Afor and Nkwo. Essentially, we didn't need to start wars to 'conquer' people, we simply traded with them and married them to establish long-standing relationships with them.

Another interesting tidbit about Igbo culture, although Chukwu was seen as the supreme God, idols of the 'little gods', called the Alusi (Ah-roo-see), were used by individuals in order to assist them with particular tasks. For example, if a man wanted to build a house, he would consult the patron god of carpentry in order to fulfill his task. Once he was finished with it, he would destroy the idol as he no longer needed it. It must have been very peculiar for the Europeans when they learned that the Igbos disposed of gods they had no use for.

 

[KOohbt]

@KOohbt
You did a really good job describing Igbo culture but you haven't touched upon the biggest aspect of it, trade. The Igbos are renowned for their trade and it was one of the things that were responsible for the Igbo expansion in Eastern Nigeria. Onitsha market is the biggest market in west Africa and the days of the week were centred on the four market days: Eke, Orie, Afor and Nkwo. Essentially, we didn't need to start wars to 'conquer' people, we simply traded with them and married them to establish long-standing relationships with them.

Another interesting tidbit about Igbo culture, although Chukwu was seen as the supreme God, idols of the 'little gods', called the Alusi (Ah-roo-see), were used by individuals in order to assist them with particular tasks. For example, if a man wanted to build a house, he would consult the patron god for carpentry in order to fulfill his task. Once he was finished with it, he would destroy the idol as he no longer needed it. It must have been very peculiar for the Europeans when they learned that the Igbos disposed of gods they had no use for.

thats very interesting. You by any chance know what they were trading with nearby Yoruba kingdoms or Hausa areas and also ones far away like Egypt and Mecca.

 

[5star]

Great thread

 

[Anwulika]

thats very interesting. You by any chance know what they were trading with nearby Yoruba kingdoms or Hausa areas and also ones far away like Egypt and Mecca.

Unfortunately, I'm quite ignorant as to what they sold and to whom they sold it to and I come from the place mentioned in my previous post . All I know is that they definitely traded with the Benin and Kalabari Kingdoms as evidenced by the cultural similarities we share. I could do some more research and ask my elders for more information, if you like?

 

[KOohbt]

Unfortunately, I'm quite ignorant as to what they sold and to whom they sold it to and I come from the place mentioned in my previous post . All I know is that they definitely traded with the Benin and Kalabari Kingdoms as evidenced by the cultural similarities we share. I could do some more research and ask my elders for more information, if you like?

That's be dope. I think read or heard somewhere that they were trading iron to the Nile Valley. Glass bead production was also found in Igbo and Yoruba areas. I'd Imagine yam exports would be plentyful.

 

[Anwulika]

That's be dope. I think read or heard somewhere that they were trading iron to the Nile Valley. Glass bead production was also found in Igbo and Yoruba areas. I'd Imagine yam exports would be plentyful.

That's so interesting. Yams were and still are a vital source of food for Igbos. Did you know that cocoyams were considered 'feminine' and were solely harvested by women whereas normal yams were considered 'masculine' and were harvested by men? Btw, are you Igbo?

 

[KOohbt]

That's so interesting. Are you Igbo?

Naw I'm AA. Just interested inthe intricacies of regular life in these areas where my ancestors come from. Trying to paint a picture cause we get this distorted view of Africa. A lot of moor worship and egypt hype. Very little talk of these west African forest states. I even notice people who focus on west Africa usually only talking about Mali or Ghana. A lot of ignoring of the forest states. Which IMO were more advanced as they had better technologies and a harsher climate at that.

 

[ChatGPT-5]

The Bantu migration started way earlier than the dates you mention.

proof

 

[Bawon Samedi]

proof

 

[Anwulika]

Naw I'm AA. Just interested inthe intricacies of regular life in these areas where my ancestors come from. Trying to paint a picture cause we get this distorted view of Africa. A lot of moor worship and egypt hype. Very little talk of these west African forest states. I even notice people who focus on west Africa usually only talking about Mali or Ghana. A lot of ignoring of the forest states. Which IMO were more advanced as they had better technologies and a harsher climate at that.

Well, you're very knowledgeable about Igbo customs and traditions, more than most Igbo people I know. If you're AA then there's a big chance that you have a significant percentage of Igbo ancestry anyway. You guys are blessed to come from such an assemblage of various west/central African cultures and you should appreciate them all.

 

[KOohbt]

Well, you're very knowledgeable about Igbo customs and traditions, more than most Igbo people I know. If you're AA then there's a big chance that you have a significant percentage of Igbo ancestry anyway. You guys are blessed to come from such an assemblage of various west/Central African cultures and you should appreciate them all.

I try and tell people how we're basically the embodiment of West and Central Africa. From Senegal to Congo. Also Mozambique was an area we came from that people don't know. I've seen AAs get DNA test here the % were almost shockingly even between Senegambia, along the coast all the way to Angola. My fams from mostly North Carolina and VA so I know there's a huge chance that I could be mostly Igbo, and Senegambian ancestry.

 

[ChatGPT-5]

The first yellow doesn't make sense since we come from east africa. I think the cacs got it wrong here. Our oral tradition doesn't support the first yellow. the others, it does.

The top yellow arrow should be inverted.

 

[KOohbt]

The first yellow doesn't make sense since we come from east africa. I think the cacs got it wrong here. Our oral tradition doesn't support the first yellow. the others, it does.

The top yellow arrow should be inverted.

Yeah I'm confused too. This has Bantu originating in Igbo and Hausa areas. Also the Nok were there at that time. Seems off. I need to see the study for this.