Brief History Of the Igbo's

      The question of the origin of Igbo people has not been fully answered but there are very intriguing theories or histories that are now being studied in order to ascertain the origin of the Igbo people

There is a school of thoughts that linked the origin of the Igbo people to Jewish state of Israel. Also, there is another one which claimed that the Igbo people might have migrated from Egypt during the stone age era.

All these aside, historians have located the Igbos originally around the Niger-Benue confluence; thence, due to population pressure, they migrated through the Niger. Igbos during the migration moved from Egypt, through the Sudan and southwards to their present location.


It has become a part of the history that the Igbos have manifested their zest for adventure and industry in their roles as national public servants, educators, captains of industry and commerce, philanthropists, and have contributed in no small measure both to the emancipation of Nigeria from colonial rule and the progress of developing the country.

 The first contact between Igboland and Europe came in the mid-fifteenth century with the arrival of the Portuguese. From 1434-1807 the Niger coast acted as a contact point between African and European traders, beginning with the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the English. At this stage there was an emphasis on trade rather than empire building, in this case the trade consisting primarily of Igbo slaves. 

With the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 came a new trading era, concentrating on industry palm products, timber, elephant tusks and spices. At this point the British began to combine aggressive trading with aggressive imperialism. They saw the hinterland as productive, and refused to be confined to the coast. In 1900 the area that had been administered by the British Niger Company became the Protectorate on Southern Nigeria, also incorporating what had been called the Niger Coast Protectorate. Control of this area then passed from the British Foreign Office to the Colonial Office. Long before it had officially been conquered, Igboland was being treated as a British colony. Between 1900 and 1914 when Northern and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated there had been twenty-one British military expeditions into Igboland. In 1928 for the first time in their history, Igbo men were made to pay tax – they were a subject people.

 This attempt to take over political control of Igboland met with resistance and cultural protest in the early decades of the twentieth century. A nativistic religious movement sprang up (the ekumeku) which inspired short-lived but feverish messianic enthusiasm. The rumours that the Igbo women were being assessed for taxation, sparked off the 1929 Aba Riots, a massive revolt of women never encountered before in Igbo history. However, the engine of imperialism could not be stopped, and once it had begun, Igbo culture would never be the same again.



Igbos are culturally rich people and they are surrounded on all sides by other tribes like Bini, Warri, Ijaw etc.

Igbo people are industrious, friendly and educated people and they played an important role in Nigerian political development.

Igbo people has a dynamic and fascinating cultural heritage that says lots about them, and most of the Igbo people are Christians. Their cultures are further divided into many groups, due to dialects and boundaries among the eastern states in particular and a good sample of this is their traditional way of welcoming visitors, which is usually offering kola to guests, even before they made their mission known.

The Igbo people have a melodic music style into which they incorporate various percussion instruments; the Udu, which is essentially designed from a clay jug; an Ekwe, which is formed from a hollowed log; and the Ogene, a hand bell designed from forged iron.

Other instruments include Opi – a wind instrument similar to the flute; Igba, and Ichaka. They also have a style of music called Ikorodo, which involves a vocal performance accompanied by several musical instruments.

Another musical form among the Igbos is Highlife, which is a fusion of jazz and traditional music and widely popular in West Africa.


MAJOR TOWNS AND CITIES
Most of the cities and towns in eastern Nigeria are predominantly occupied by the Igbo people. Amongst these main cities are: Enugu City – The Coal City, Owerri, Onitsha, Asaba, Anambra, Abia, Abakaliki, Yenagoa, Orlu etc. 

Other cities and towns in South-East and South-South Nigeria are Calabar – The people’s paradise, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Eket, Bonny Island,  Ikot Ekpene, Abak.