THE TRUTH ABOUT THE IGBO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NDOKI AND BONNY

Of the many accounts detailed by Portuguese and British explorers about the night of BIAFRA, they were in agreement about the blood relationship between Bonny island and Ndoki located inland along the Imo River, the relationship between Ndoki and Bonny is one that even the early Ijaw nationalists couldn't deny.

E.J Alagoa writing in the 60s about the origin of the Ijaw clans had written extensively about the Bonny, but his writings where punctured by many historians who saw holes in it, how could Bonny which Are siblings to Ndoki be Ijaw when Ndoki are Igbo
Alagoa went back to his drawing board and revised his history, Alagoa in his book in 1972 alleged that Ndoki were originally an Ijaw clan which migrated from the creeks around Sagbama and the Beni clan of Ijaw through which they traveled inland via Isuama country down to the Imo River to their current location,

This were all fabrications, Alagoa did this by merging and exaggerating the migration stories of two different peoples in Bonny, the pfew families that came with the Kalabari directly from the Ijaw creeks, and the Ndoki tradition that came from inland beginning from Oguta. Alagoa forgot that in his Ijaw nationalism the Ndoki cannot be Ijaw because Ijaw are not inland travellers, especially not then.

Ndoki traditions of origin is traced to Oguta, it has variations but all accounts are consistent about one point, Oguta, some talk of Benin before reaching Oguta but this can be understood as a result of the relationship between Oguta, Aboh and other Ndoshimili towns with Benin which the Ndoki brought such tales with them as they were leaving Oguta,
The Ndoki were probably one of the many Oru Igbo communities that lived in that territory between Akasa and Oguta, their sojourn inland coincides with the attack by Aboh and Osomari on Oguta that sent many Oru communities inland towards the lake.

Their migration seems to have followed the course of the Njaba and Orashi Rivers inland through Umunoha to Izuogu from which they entered the Imo River and sailed down to their current location.

The Obani group is an offshoot of this migration, the name Ibani as claimed by the Ijaws is an appropriation, the name.originated as a nickname for the Ndoki group and it was given them by none other than the Ogoni

around the time the Ndoki settled around the Azumini creeks and Imo River, some of them had left and ventured deep into Ogoni land and settled afar off an Ogoni town along the banks of the Imo River known as Ko, from their they established some sort of diplomacy with the Ogoni who gave them the monicker Ebane or Bani, it means someone from a strange land or someone from afar or a distant land.

This tradition is plausible because the Ndoki to get from Umuagbai to Bonny has to pass through Ogoni land, the first point they settled on the coast before finally crossing onto the island was just adjacent to Ogoni,

For a long time the Ogoni and neighboring people referred to the island as Bani after the strangers and the people as Ebane, this name is attested for by W.Baike in 1854 in "Narrative of an Exploring Voyage" p.380 writes, "The Bonny people claim an Igbo descent, their territory which is not very extensive is by them pronounced Ebane, by the Igbos it is pronounced Obane, and by the Kalabari : Ibani"

John Barbot in description of the coasts attests to the same thing.
Therefore with time the term became igbonized by the people to Ubani or Obani, this is the form which they carried it into the Igbo heartland.
The Kalabari when they settled on the island appropriated that name which they corrupted to Ibani, even the near extinct language they speak which they claim to be distinct is the same with Kalabari compared to the distinction with Okrika, they claim the name came from Beni Ijaw clan in the central Delta, the same Beni which the Ijaw are claiming Benin city was named after?? There's not even any colonial records to back up any of their claims.

With the relationship between Ndoki and Ubani explained, anybody who still contends that the Ndoki were Ijaw of which there is no evidence, should note that the early founders of the Ndoki towns after they settled at Azumini were all Igbos, the supreme ancestor was called Eze, his children were Ihu(umuihueze group) iloko (Obohia group) and Kwokwo (kwokwoeze group) others such as Ikwueke, umuokobo, Azuogu, Agbai, Ayama are all Igbo names.

The aborigines which the Ubani met when they touched Bonny were an Ibibioid people known as Inyong Okpon, who are also the aborigines of Tombia. They had a chief priest called Awanta, for centuries the Ubani lived side by side with these aborigines until in the 18th century a late Eastward expansion of Ijaw groups (Awome who are the precursors of the Kalabari) brought Awome settlements directly into the region, they assimilated much of the Inyong peoples just as they did at Elem and established canoe war houses, that was how Ijaw culture gradually diffused into the daily life of Bonny, Ndoki language however still remaimed the lingua franca and dominant culture in Bonny as attested by many British colonists in the region, the first Igbo bible written by the missionaries was done using the Ndoki dialect of Bonny. Many Ijaw dissenters love to attribute the igbo presence in Bonny to slaves should note that majority of the slaves in Bonny were Isuama in origin but isuama is not spoken in Bonny neither is Isuama culture or deities to be found in Bonny,
Amongst the pantheon worshipped in Bonny, of the four major ones, three are from Ndoki,

Ikuba deity whose totem is a monitor lizard is the national deity of Bonny is also the national deity at Ndoki,

Otuburu(totem crocodile) and Tolofari(totem Stone) were brought from Azuogu Ndoki.

Inyana-Simingi was the major deity of the Inyong aborigines.

Ogu is the main deity of the Umuihueze group and the Ogu cult was introduced to Bonny via mediation of Aro priests to replace a native Pogo cult which was misbehaving.

And lastly is the Nwotam masquerade, which is danced by the Ndoki, Ubani and Opobo alike, originated from mkpaejekiri in Ohambele Ndoki, people who watch Nwotam in Opobo and Bonny would note that it has maintained it's igbo language, the dance steps and the different guilds(uke) are igbo and the oja music and dance style and rythm is distinctively Igbo.

The man who led the Ubani from Ndoki now known as Agbaria and his friend Okpara Ndoli,
The first settlement of the Ndoki on the Azumini creeks was on a place called Okoloma, which name came from the aborigines.
Naturally they gave their new settlement on the island the same name Okoloma after their old settlement.
The entire story about curlews are fabrications.
There fore any scholar who is honest would learn that Bonny has been a product of mix of peoples, Aborigines, Ijaw and Ndoki with the Ndoki elements being majority,
The feudal culture of the Ijaw (the amayanabo land owning system) meant that they grabbed a lot of land and became feudal lords, but the culture remained unchanged and the Ndoki(Ubani) controled much of the commerce still.

©Kaycee Alozie

It's not going to be easy getting this ones back. They're not exactly keen.

Stop over stressing this issue
I have lived in Ndoki (Akwete axis) the are proudly Igbos

Infact most of Ndoki is just an integrated part of Aba yet to be
Places in Aba like obiohia, ohanku (not ohanku Rd) are all Ndoki communities,
Call and Ndoki man ijaw and he would bury you alive (the have this feeling that they are Superiors to ijaw) that's why you hadly see any Ndoki king visiting ijawland
But you will always see ijaw miscreants all over Ndoki doing unity begging, Even there kings do pay homages to Ndoki clan leaders,

The ijaw man can only speak Pidgin or English to someone from Ndoki, while Ndoki goes about there normal business speaking Igbo.
I have many Ndoki friends, infact the first female pilot of Nigeria is from there chinenyere kalu (Note "the name "kalu or kanu" is mainly an Abia name)
So I wonder how someone from far away bayelsa, will wake up one day and start claiming land in Abia state, (the ijaw people should claim Rivers State first) before dreaming of ABIA state

Nigercity:
Stop over stressing this issue
I have lived in Ndoki (Akwete axis) the are proudly Igbos

Infact most of Ndoki is just the integrated part of Aba yet to be
Places in Aba like obiohia, ohanku (not ohanku Rd) are all Ndoki communities,
Call and Ndoki man ijaw and he would bury you alive (the have this feeling that they are Superiors to ijaw) that's why you hadly see any Ndoki king visiting ijawland
But you will always see ijaw miscreants all over Ndoki doing unity begging, Even there king,

lol really?

One of my older cousins told me Ndoni means Ndi Onuiyi.

PHIjo, Adakaboro8 and tonyebarcanista will not like this thread

PROUDIGBO:
One of my older cousins told me Ndoni means Ndi Onuiyi.

Yes! That's the meaning.

But are you aware of the leadership tusssle going on currently in Ndoni between the Biniphilic and Igbophilic components of the town?

When igbo on Nairaland will stop lay claim on people land.You will go to a better place claiming their ancestors land you accused fulani people for forced relationships but you are doing the same thing.

SlayerForever:
It's not going to be easy getting this ones back. They're not exactly keen.

It wouldn't.
But acknowledging that the Ijaws are no brothers to Ndiigbo but rather aggressively expansionist neighbors would be a great way to start to unwind this conundrum.

ChinenyeN

What do you have to say about this OP?

Ijaw miscreants, come and wail

Igboid:


Yes! That's the meaning.

But are you aware of the leadership tusssle going on currently in Ndoni between the Biniphilic and Igbophilic components of the town?

That’s news to me!

Team Igbophilic all da way!

Igboid:


It wouldn't.
But acknowledging that the Ijaws are no brothers to Ndiigbo but rather aggressively expansionist neighbors would be a great way to start to unwind this conundrum.

Okay.

Igboid:
ChinenyeN

What do you have to say about this OP?

I don’t know who the OP (original poster) is, so I won’t offer up any opinions on them per se. But it’s possible you mean OP as in “original post” (the post itself). In that case, I can say a few things about it.

To begin with, I can’t say I disagree with the writer’s premise. Anyone who casually examines the ethno-linguistic history and traditions of origin in the area will find it near impossible to claim beyond a doubt that Ndoki and Bonny don’t have ancestral, non-slave, Igbo-speaking origins. So that part is agreeable. It’s just that a lot of what the writer says to support the premise in this write up is questionable.

Truthfully, I think the original post is rather “Ijaw-phobic”, if I can use that term. The writing is so heavily anti-Ijaw that it ends up discrediting itself at times. If you dig even a little, the write up shows a lot of inconsistencies and even some outright wrong things.

Ndoki traditions of origin is traced to Oguta, it has variations but all accounts are consistent about one point, Oguta, some talk of Benin before reaching Oguta but this can be understood as a result of the relationship between Oguta, Aboh and other Ndoshimili towns with Benin which the Ndoki brought such tales with them as they were leaving Oguta,
The Ndoki were probably one of the many Oru Igbo communities that lived in that territory between Akasa and Oguta, their sojourn inland coincides with the attack by Aboh and Osomari on Oguta that sent many Oru communities inland towards the lake.

Their migration seems to have followed the course of the Njaba and Orashi Rivers inland through Umunoha to Izuogu from which they entered the Imo River and sailed down to their current location.

If this is limited to the Umueze clan, then I can understand where the writer may be coming from. One of the oral traditions in Umueze claims a long-winding history of migration from Benin or Central Delta, entering “Igboland” from the south and then cutting northeast towards Oguta, etc. However, Umueze has never claimed Oguta as its homeland. Even before this “Ijaw vs Igbo” saga started, the Umueze never mentioned Oguta as ancestral homeland. It’s always been either Benin or Central Delta Ijaw. The writer could possibly be making a supposition here that Ndoki (Umueze) are part of that set of Ndoni-Abo-Oguta communities near the Central Delta. It’s not a bad supposition. However it is not a claim that has ever been made by Ndoki people, not even in early intelligence reports.

Now, if the writer is not limiting this to Umueze and is instead referring to all of Ndoki, then this would simply be wrong. Ndoki is not from Oguta. Their traditions do not trace them to Oguta.

the name.originated as a nickname for the Ndoki group and it was given them by none other than the Ogoni

around the time the Ndoki settled around the Azumini creeks and Imo River, some of them had left and ventured deep into Ogoni land and settled afar off an Ogoni town along the banks of the Imo River known as Ko, from their they established some sort of diplomacy with the Ogoni who gave them the monicker Ebane or Bani, it means someone from a strange land or someone from afar or a distant land.

The writer got this wrong and ended up confusion themselves in the process. It is actually the ethnonym “Ogoni” (and not Ibani) that refers to a “guest” or a “stranger”, derived from the Ijaw word “igoni”.

This tradition is plausible because the Ndoki to get from Umuagbai to Bonny has to pass through Ogoni land, the first point they settled on the coast before finally crossing onto the island was just adjacent to Ogoni,

This is not, actually. To begin with, Ogoni traditions actually acknowledge that they are not the aboriginal settlers in the area. Much of what is “Ogoniland” was acquired bloodily through conquest and the absorption of already existing communities. There are two main Ogoni traditions of origin. The tradition that has the most support claims that they migrated east to west, crossing the Imo (from present day Akwa Ibom) to settle in the area. The second tradition claims that their ancestors arrived on trading ships that would visit Bonny. They lived in Bonny for a while and later felt the need to move further inland to settle (Bonny traditions I believe suggest that this is how they got their name). Regardless of which tradition is the “correct” one, the dating for both of these (as far as I see it) can at best be justified at the 17th/18th century or so. This is centuries after Bonny was founded. There would have been no Ogoni to interact with at the time and when you survey the oral traditions of the entire Niger Delta, you’ll notice the absence of Ogoni in the communities’ early traditions. Early Asa traditions and early Ngwa traditions make no mention of Ogoni. Early Bonny traditions make no mention of crossing through Ogoni communities to settle. Okrika and Kalabari traditions show no early memory of Ogoni, and (to the best of my knowledge) even the Ogoni themselves have no traditions that mention how the other communities arrived and settled, meaning they could not have been in the area during those formative periods.

For a long time the Ogoni and neighboring people referred to the island as Bani after the strangers and the people as Ebane, this name is attested for by W.Baike in 1854 in "Narrative of an Exploring Voyage" p.380 writes, "The Bonny people claim an Igbo descent, their territory which is not very extensive is by them pronounced Ebane, by the Igbos it is pronounced Obane, and by the Kalabari : Ibani"

John Barbot in description of the coasts attests to the same thing.
Therefore with time the term became igbonized by the people to Ubani or Obani, this is the form which they carried it into the Igbo heartland.
The Kalabari when they settled on the island appropriated that name which they corrupted to Ibani, even the near extinct language they speak which they claim to be distinct is the same with Kalabari compared to the distinction with Okrika, they claim the name came from Beni Ijaw clan in the central Delta, the same Beni which the Ijaw are claiming Benin city was named after?? There's not even any colonial records to back up any of their claims.

If we take a survey of ethnonyms within the Niger Delta region, we will notice some ethnonyms that are used exclusively by Ijaw.

Where the natives will call themselves “Obolo” and others will call them “Andoni”, only the Ijaw will call them Idoni.

Where the natives will call themselves originally as “Khana”, others will call them “Ogoni”, but only the Ijaw will call them “Igoni”.

Where they natives called themselves “Okoloma”, and others call them Ubani or Obani, but only the Ijaw will use “Ibani”.

There is a clear pattern of derivation here and a clear pattern of consistency in Ijaw usages. It suggests that the name “Ibani” (like "Ogoni" and "Andoni" ) is likely derived from Ijaw. While I do agree with the writer in that I am suspicious of Alagoa likely having fabricated some stories and migrations during the Ijaw re-authorization period, there nothing to suggest that this is one such fabrication. The term “Ibani” likely comes from Ijaw and was derived into Ubani, Obani, etc. by others.

Ndoki towns after they settled at Azumini were all Igbos, the supreme ancestor was called Eze, his children were Ihu(umuihueze group) iloko (Obohia group) and Kwokwo (kwokwoeze group) others such as Ikwueke, umuokobo, Azuogu, Agbai, Ayama are all Igbo names.

This is incorrect on a number of points. One, “Ndoki” is a collection of clans that do not claim a common ancestor. Eze is only the progenitor of Umueze clan. The Umueze clan are noted by other Ndoki clans as recent arrivals. They arrived in the late 18th century in the company of Ijaw people. Azumini is also one of the youngest settlements in the area, established by Kwokwo Eze (a son of Eze). Umueze first settled at Obunku Okwanku. That said, the writer is correct on one count. All of the founding/early communities in Ndoki seem to have been Igbo-speaking.

The aborigines which the Ubani met when they touched Bonny were an Ibibioid people known as Inyong Okpon, who are also the aborigines of Tombia. They had a chief priest called Awanta, for centuries the Ubani lived side by side with these aborigines until in the 18th century a late Eastward expansion of Ijaw groups (Awome who are the precursors of the Kalabari) brought Awome settlements directly into the region, they assimilated much of the Inyong peoples just as they did at Elem and established canoe war houses, that was how Ijaw culture gradually diffused into the daily life of Bonny

More or less correct. Apparently, it is corroborated that there were two other communities in the vicinity during Bobby’s early days, Abalama and Inyong Okpon (what later came to known as Finima). However, contact between these communities was not during initial settlement. According to one tradition by Finima, their boundaries grew into each other and that is how they became aware of each other. Fixing a chronology for their interactions has been a little difficult, because some claim they were there since the 12th century, but some specifics in oral traditions hint as a later date of a perhaps the 15th century or slightly later. I suspect that they all more or less arrived at the same time and that they likely became aware of each other a bit late in their early histories. However, that is just a suspicion. Until the oral traditions can be thoroughly untangled and a chronology can be reasonably established, I will tend to just go with the current orthodox traditions that Inyong Okpon was likely there first, followed by Abalama and then Bonny. So, if we want to follow hard ethno-linguistic lines, Ibibiod (Inyong Okpon), Ijaw (Abalama), and Igbo (Bonny, though contested) were all in the area during that formative period.

Ndoki language however still remaimed the lingua franca and dominant culture in Bonny as attested by many British colonists in the region, the first Igbo bible written by the missionaries was done using the Ndoki dialect of Bonny.

No. Once the social-political culture shifted in the 18th century, so did the lingua franca. The lingua franca of the controlling Conoe Houses was Ijaw. The language used by Bonny leadership, used for official rites, ceremonies, festivals, music, and all sorts of culture, was Ijaw. Igbo-speaking was for commoners and trade as things were shifting into the Palm Oil trade era (dominated by Ngwa, Asa and Ndoki).

Many Ijaw dissenters love to attribute the igbo presence in Bonny to slaves should note that majority of the slaves in Bonny were Isuama in origin but isuama is not spoken in Bonny neither is Isuama culture or deities to be found in Bonny,
Amongst the pantheon worshipped in Bonny, of the four major ones, three are from Ndoki,

Ikuba deity whose totem is a monitor lizard is the national deity of Bonny is also the national deity at Ndoki,

Otuburu(totem crocodile) and Tolofari(totem Stone) were brought from Azuogu Ndoki.

Inyana-Simingi was the major deity of the Inyong aborigines.

Ogu is the main deity of the Umuihueze group and the Ogu cult was introduced to Bonny via mediation of Aro priests to replace a native Pogo cult which was misbehaving.

More or less correct. Except Ikuba is from Andoni, not Ndoki, if I recall correctly. And Tolofari is Ijaw.

And lastly is the Nwotam masquerade, which is danced by the Ndoki, Ubani and Opobo alike, originated from mkpaejekiri in Ohambele Ndoki, people who watch Nwotam in Opobo and Bonny would note that it has maintained it's igbo language, the dance steps and the different guilds(uke) are igbo and the oja music and dance style and rythm is distinctively Igbo.

Mostly correct on this account. The version of Nwotam practices by Bonny and Andoni comes from the one from Mkpuajekere. Other variants of the masquerade exist in Ngwa and Asa (as Nwutam), but not the guild form developed by Mkpuajekere and consequently spread to Bonny and Andoni.

The man who led the Ubani from Ndoki now known as Agbaria and his friend Okpara Ndoli

This is more or less in line with most of the traditions of origin.

The first settlement of the Ndoki on the Azumini creeks was on a place called Okoloma, which name came from the aborigines.
Naturally they gave their new settlement on the island the same name Okoloma after their old settlement. The entire story about curlews are fabrications.

This curlew tradition is independently referenced and corroborated by Ngwa, Ndoki and Bonny-Ijaw communities. This is not a fabrication but instead an actual oral tradition shared by multiple communities in the region. As stated earlier, the first settlement of Ndoki (Umueze) was Obunku Okwanku. The Okoloma in Ndoki are a recent settlement part of a reverse migration that occurred in the 19th century as a result of the civil war (Bonny vs Opobo) and ongoing conflict with other Niger Delta trading states .

There fore any scholar who is honest would learn that Bonny has been a product of mix of peoples, Aborigines, Ijaw and Ndoki with the Ndoki elements being majority,
The feudal culture of the Ijaw (the amayanabo land owning system) meant that they grabbed a lot of land and became feudal lords, but the culture remained unchanged and the Ndoki(Ubani) controled much of the commerce still.

It would take a lot to respond to this effectively, so perhaps I’ll leave much of it for another day and just say that yes. For the most part, the writer is correct here in that Bonny is an admixture of people, and the political shift in the 17th - 18th century introduced the Canoe House system and feudal system into Bonny. However, since then, Ijaw houses have controlled the commerce, not "Ndoki".

ChinenyeN:


I don’t know who the OP (original poster) is, so I won’t offer up any opinions on them per se. But it’s possible you mean OP as in “original post” (the post itself). In that case, I can say a few things about it.

To begin with, I can’t say I disagree with the writer’s premise. Anyone who casually examines the ethno-linguistic history and traditions of origin in the area will find it near impossible to claim beyond a doubt that Ndoki and Bonny don’t have ancestral, non-slave, Igbo-speaking origins. So that part is agreeable. It’s just that a lot of what the writer says to support the premise in this write up is questionable.

Truthfully, I think the original post is rather “Ijaw-phobic”, if I can use that term. The writing is so heavily anti-Ijaw that it ends up discrediting itself at times. If you dig even a little, the write up shows a lot of inconsistencies and even some outright wrong things.



If this is limited to the Umueze clan, then I can understand where the writer may be coming from. One of the oral traditions in Umueze claims a long-winding history of migration from Benin or Central Delta, entering “Igboland” from the south and then cutting northeast towards Oguta, etc. However, Umueze has never claimed Oguta as its homeland. Even before this “Ijaw vs Igbo” saga started, the Umueze never mentioned Oguta as ancestral homeland. It’s always been either Benin or Central Delta Ijaw. The writer could possibly be making a supposition here that Ndoki (Umueze) are part of that set of Ndoni-Abo-Oguta communities near the Central Delta. It’s not a bad supposition. However it is not a claim that has ever been made by Ndoki people, not even in early intelligence reports.

Now, if the writer is not limiting this to Umueze and is instead referring to all of Ndoki, then this would simply be wrong. Ndoki is not from Oguta. Their traditions do not trace them to Oguta.



The writer got this wrong and ended up confusion themselves in the process. It is actually the ethnonym “Ogoni” (and not Ibani) that refers to a “guest” or a “stranger”, derived from the Ijaw word “igoni”.



This is not, actually. To begin with, Ogoni traditions actually acknowledge that they are not the aboriginal settlers in the area. Much of what is “Ogoniland” was acquired bloodily through conquest and the absorption of already existing communities. There are two main Ogoni traditions of origin. The tradition that has the most support claims that they migrated east to west, crossing the Imo (from present day Akwa Ibom) to settle in the area. The second tradition claims that their ancestors arrived on trading ships that would visit Bonny. They lived in Bonny for a while and later felt the need to move further inland to settle (Bonny traditions I believe suggest that this is how they got their name). Regardless of which tradition is the “correct” one, the dating for both of these can at best be justified at the 18th century or so. This is centuries after Bonny was founded. There would have been no Ogoni to interact with at the time and when you survey the oral traditions of the entire Niger Delta, you’ll notice the absence of Ogoni in the communities’ early traditions. Early Asa traditions and early Ngwa traditions make no mention of Ogoni. Early Bonny traditions make no mention of crossing through Ogoni communities to settle. Okrika and Kalabari traditions show no early memory of Ogoni, and even the Ogoni themselves have no traditions that mention how the other communities arrived and settled, meaning they could not have been in the area during those formative periods.



If we take a survey of ethnonyms within the Niger Delta region, we will notice some ethnonyms that are used exclusively by Ijaw.

Where the natives will call themselves “Obolo” and others will call them “Andoni”, only the Ijaw will call them Idoni.

Where the natives will call themselves originally as “Khana”, others will call them “Ogoni”, but only the Ijaw will call them “Igoni”.

Where they natives called themselves “Okoloma”, and others call them Ubani or Obani, but only the Ijaw will use “Ibani”.

There is a clear pattern of derivation here and a clear pattern of consistency in Ijaw usages. It suggests that the name “Ibani” (like "Ogoni" and "Andoni" ) is likely derived from Ijaw. While I do agree with the writer in that I am suspicious of Alagoa likely having fabricated some stories and migrations during the Ijaw re-authorization period, there nothing to suggest that this is one such fabrication. The term “Ibani” likely comes from Ijaw and was derived into Ubani, Obani, etc. by others.



This is incorrect on a number of points. One, “Ndoki” is a collection of clans that do not claim a common ancestor. Eze is only the progenitor of Umueze clan. The Umueze clan are noted by other Ndoki clans as recent arrivals. They arrived in the late 18th century in the company of Ijaw people. Azumini is also one of the youngest settlements in the area, established by Kwokwo Eze (a son of Eze). Umueze first settled at Obunku Okwanku. That said, the writer is correct on one count. All of the founding/early communities in Ndoki seem to have been Igbo-speaking.



More or less correct. Apparently, it is corroborated that there were two other communities in the vicinity during Bobby’s early days, Abalama and Inyong Okpon (what later came to known as Finima). However, contact between these communities was not during initial settlement. According to one tradition by Finima, their boundaries grew into each other and that is how they became aware of each other. Fixing a chronology for their interactions has been a little difficult, because some claim they were there since the 12th century, but some specifics in oral traditions hint as a later date of a perhaps the 15th century or slightly later. I suspect that they all more or less arrived at the same time and that they likely became aware of each other a bit late in their early histories. However, that is just a suspicion. Until the oral traditions can be thoroughly untangled and a chronology can be reasonably established, I will tend to just go with the current orthodox traditions that Inyong Okpon was likely there first, followed by Abalama and then Bonny. So, if we want to follow hard ethno-linguistic lines, Ibibiod (Inyong Okpon), Ijaw (Abalama), and Igbo (Bonny, though contested) were all in the area during that formative period.



No. Once the social-political culture shifted in the 18th century, so did the lingua franca. The lingua franca of the controlling Conoe Houses was Ijaw. The language used by Bonny leadership, used for official rites, ceremonies, festivals, music, and all sorts of culture, was Ijaw. Igbo-speaking was for commoners and trade as things were shifting into the Palm Oil trade era (dominated by Ngwa, Asa and Ndoki).



More or less correct. Except Ikuba is from Andoni, not Ndoki, if I recall correctly. And Tolofari is Ijaw.



Mostly correct on this account. The version of Nwotam practices by Bonny and Andoni comes from the one from Mkpuajekere. Other variants of the masquerade exist in Ngwa and Asa (as Nwutam), but not the guild form developed by Mkpuajekere and consequently spread to Bonny and Andoni.



This is more or less in line with most of the traditions of origin.



This curlew tradition is independently referenced and corroborated by Ngwa, Ndoki and Bonny-Ijaw communities. This is not a fabrication but instead an actual oral tradition shared by multiple communities in the region. As stated earlier, the first settlement of Ndoki (Umueze) was Obunku Okwanku. The Okoloma in Ndoki are a recent settlement part of a reverse migration that occurred in the 19th century as a result of the civil war (Bonny vs Opobo) and ongoing conflict with other Niger Delta trading states .



It would take a lot to respond to this effectively, so perhaps I’ll leave much of it for another day and just say that yes. For the most part, the writer is correct here in that Bonny is an admixture of people, and the political shift in the 17th - 18th century introduced the Canoe House system and feudal system into Bonny. However, since then, Ijaw houses have controlled the commerce, not "Ndoki".

Do you know the meaning of the word "Ndoki"?
What does it mean?

see what landlocked has turn u people to... landlockedness has turn igbo activists to total insane people.. fabricating a unfabricateble history.. twisting the untwistable history.. igbo activists having sleepless trying to shake IJAW rigid identity all bcux u want sea access.. mtchew. pls go try another lie.

johnmartus:
When igbo on Nairaland will stop lay claim on people land.You will go to a better place claiming their ancestors land you accused fulani people for forced relationships but you are doing the same thing.

igbo and fulani are brothers

OfoIgbo:
PHIjo, Adakaboro8 and tonyebarcanista will not like this thread

see why ur igbo is not different from fulani... it is mistake we found ourselves with igbofulani in thesame country..

cheruv:
Do you know the meaning of the word "Ndoki"?
What does it mean?

Two oral traditions exist to explain this.

1. Some conflict between Ndoki communities and Bonny led to the phrase “anyi na-ado ke?” (What are we fighting for?). Some Ndoki people (who are typically anti-Ijaw) have been pushing this tradition as of late.

2. During the reverse migration, Ijaw from Bonny/Opobo came looking for communities that they identified with as “minabo” (sibling). The phrase developed “a mina dokiari” (I am looking for my sibling). The name “Ndoki” is supposedly derived from here.

Between these two, I’m more inclined to believe the second one. There is a lot of cultural, historical and linguistic basis for this. Between Bonny’s long history with Umuagbayi, Azuogu, etc. (Bonny’s founding ancestor being literal kin with Umuagbayi’s founding ancestors), Umueze’s migration into the area alongside Ijaw, along with the fact that some of Umueze’s early ancestors had Ijaw names, the “a mina dokiari” tradition makes sense to me since all of this compounds into a strong sense of kinship between Bonny and Ndoki communities (which is well-acknowledged).

ChinenyeN:


Two oral traditions exist to explain this.

1. Some conflict between Ndoki communities and Bonny led to the phrase “anyi na-ado ke?” (What are we fighting for?). Some Ndoki people (who are typically anti-Ijaw) have been pushing this tradition as of late.

2. During the reverse migration, Ijaw from Bonny/Opobo came looking for communities that they identified with as “minabo” (sibling). The phrase developed “a mina dokiari” (I am looking for my sibling). The name “Ndoki” is supposedly derived from here.

Between these two, I’m more inclined to believe the second one. There is a lot of cultural, historical and linguistic basis for this. Between Bonny’s long history with Umuagbayi, Azuogu, etc. (Bonny’s founding ancestor being literal kin with Umuagbayi’s founding ancestors), Umueze’s migration into the area alongside Ijaw, along with the fact that some of Umueze’s early ancestors had Ijaw names, the “a mina dokiari” tradition makes sense to me since all of this compounds into a strong sense of kinship between Bonny and Ndoki communities (which is well-acknowledged).

But why are you guys forcing all this relationships with the people of the NigerDelta, I get the historical links with the Igbo people as a result of the slave trade, like there's a community in Calabar called Essien town, they are the descendants of Igbo slaves that settled the Area after the Abolishment of Slave trade, the Obong of Calabar gave them the land to settle, although they have adopted Efik as their primary language until today, if you go to their homes, they still speak ibo.
I don't argue that there is historical and cultural links and sometimes even assimilation, like if you go to the North, All communities in Nassarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa, Niger, Abuja, Plateau etc speak Hausa, the Middle-belt of Nigeria is the most ethnically diverse part of this country, but they seem to have the same Lingua franca with the core North as a result of trade and commerce.
Does this make them Hausa?
In trying to find these links my all means, it breeds suspicion and reinforces stereotypes.
the closest neighbours of the Ndoki people are the Ijaws, now the poster here is trying to alienate them and cause mischief, is it by force to be igbo? is this how you want to sell Biafra?

Beats me what the igbos wants from the niger delta. The ikwerres have vehemently rejected you, now you are shifting to the ijaws, good luck with that.

lebuhsi:


But why are you guys forcing all this relationships with the people of the NigerDelta, I get the historical links with the Igbo people as a result of the slave trade, like there's a community in Calabar called Essien town, they are the descendants of Igbo slaves that settled the Area after the Abolishment of Slave trade, the Obong of Calabar gave them the land to settle, although they have adopted Efik as their primary language until today, if you go to their homes, they still speak ibo.
I don't argue that they is historical and cultural links and sometimes even assimilation, like if you go to the North, All communities in Nassarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa, Niger, Abuja, Plateau etc speak Hausa, the Middle-belt of Nigeria is the most ethnically diverse part of these country, but they seem to have the same Linga franca with the core North as a result of trade and commerce.
those this make them Hausa?
In trying to find these links my all means, it breeds suspicion and reinforces stereotypes.
the closest neighbours of the Ndoki people are the Ijaws, now poster here as their to alienate them and causes mischief, is it by force to be igbo? is this how you want to sell Biafra?

Which closest neighbor?
Oga say what you know sir!
The closet people to Ndoki is ASA
The share a l.G.A with them in Rivers and both brother are called ukwa people in Abia state..
Infact after the ASA people another people close to them are the Ngwas (browse about Ukwangwa the easily act like brothers)

I don't even know why we're arguing this
No Ndoki man can claim ijaw
Infact the see ijaw as there slaves...

I can't really agure about ubani or ibani
Cos I haven't stayed there for long
(Although most of them, I have seen claims Igbo, infact there is this ceremony the normally host in Ndegoro Axis of Aba, every 25th December together with the etches, ask anyone in Aba about etche field, this people sees Aba as there home over pH)

As for Ndoki is purely Igbo
Don't even agure that in public
B4 you look like a clown
Infact come to obiohia, ohanku or ohambele
(These are Ndoki communities all in Aba) go there and shout you are in ijaw land, and see what they Ndoki would do to you,

Do you even know that the new enyimba economic City in ABA does not even cross any Ngwa portion of Aba, it is solely in Ndoki land

So before you come online and start speaking trash
Try visiting Ndoki
Cos I have stayed there for up to 6 years before relocating

Imagine what you are saying ijaw being close to Ndoki
Like how is that even possible, from bayelsa to Abia state

Nigercity:


Which closest neighbor?
Oga say what you know sir!
The closet people to Ndoki is ASA
The share a l.G.A with them in Rivers and both brother are called ukwa people in Abia state..
Infact after the ASA people another people close to them are the Ngwas (browse about Ukwangwa the easily act like brothers)

I don't even know why we're arguing this
No Ndoki man can claim ijaw
Infact the see ijaw as there slaves...

I can't really agure about ubani or ibani
Cos I haven't stayed there for long
(Although most of them, I have seen claims Igbo, infact there is this ceremony the normally host in Ndegoro Axis of Aba, every 25th December together with the etches, ask anyone in Aba about etche field, this people sees Aba as there home over pH)

As for Ndoki is purely Igbo
Don't even agure that in public
B4 you look like a clown
Infact come to obiohia, ohanku or ohambele
(These are Ndoki communities all in Aba) go there and shout you are in ijaw land, and see what they Ndoki would do to you,

Do you even know that the new enyimba economic City in ABA does not even cross any Ngwa portion of Aba, it is solely in Ndoki land

So before you come online and start speaking trash
Try visiting Ndoki
Cos I have stayed there for up to 6 years before relocating

Imagine what you are saying ijaw being close to Ndoki
Like how is that even possible, from bayelsa to Abia state

I see what you did here, very typical unfortunately of Igbo posters here, A vicious circle of hate and resentment, do you want all the ethnic nationalities to see the world the same way you guys see it? because it's really bad, that's why you guys do shit in politics.
Always feeling entitled and feeling like the victim.
I bet you and ikwerre man would be president twice before an igbo man even smell the presidency.
You want Biafra to encompass all former Eastern Nigeria, yet you go around social media sowing seeds of discord among other supposed minority groups. Divide and conquer
isn't this the same thing you guys accuse the Fulani of doing?

johnmartus:
When igbo on Nairaland will stop lay claim on people land.You will go to a better place claiming their ancestors land you accused fulani people for forced relationships but you are doing the same thing.

Onye iberibe. Born to hate

AdakaBoro8:
see why ur igbo is not different from fulani... it is mistake we found ourselves with igbofulani in thesame country..

Haven't you noticed that Ijaws have territorial squabbles with every single neighboring ethnic group?

Ijaws would have been worse than Fulanis, if Ijaws had the Igbo population. We cannot also forget the ABANDONED PROPERTIES saga, which Ijaws spearheaded. Your land grabbing tendencies are well known.

You have land issues with Igbos, Yorubas, Urhobos, Itsekiriis, Binis. Haba!!!

Now Bonny which a neutral traceable entity recorded in the 1790s and published in 1830, claimed was first settled by Igbos, and that the ruling families were Igbos, Ijaws are trying to claim, using quack historians like Alagoa, and fake Igbo:sounding monikers on nairaland, to try and claim

lebuhsi:


I see what you did here, very typical unfortunately of Igbo posters here, A vicious circle of hate and resentment, do you want all the ethnic nationalities to see the world the same way you guys see it? because it's really bad, that's why you guys do shit in politics.
Always feeling entitled and feeling like the victim.
I bet you and ikwerre man would be president twice before an igbo man even smell the presidency.
You want Biafra to encompass all former Eastern Nigeria, yet you go around social media sowing seeds of discord among other supposed minority groups. Divide and conquer
isn't this the same thing you guys accuse the Fulani of doing?

Hatred kill you there

Isobug:

Hatred kill you there

If another person come win now, you go de cry "marginalisation"
same shit, different day.

lebuhsi:


I see what you did here, very typical unfortunately of Igbo posters here, A vicious circle of hate and resentment, do you want all the ethnic nationalities to see the world the same way you guys see it? because it's really bad, that's why you guys do shit in politics.
Always feeling entitled and feeling like the victim.
I bet you and ikwerre man would be president twice before an igbo man even smell the presidency.
You want Biafra to encompass all former Eastern Nigeria, yet you go around social media sowing seeds of discord among other supposed minority groups. Divide and conquer
isn't this the same thing you guys accuse the Fulani of doing?

Will you keep quiet and debunk his facts...
How is he sowing seed of discord among minority groups when its proven beyond obvious fact..
Comparing igbos with the fulanis.. What about the ijaws that r having issues with yoruba, itshekiri, edo, akwa ibom, delta state?

lebuhsi:


I see what you did here, very typical unfortunately of Igbo posters here, A vicious circle of hate and resentment, do you want all the ethnic nationalities to see the world the same way you guys see it? because it's really bad, that's why you guys do shit in politics.
Always feeling entitled and feeling like the victim.
I bet you and ikwerre man would be president twice before an igbo man even smell the presidency.
You want Biafra to encompass all former Eastern Nigeria, yet you go around social media sowing seeds of discord among other supposed minority groups. Divide and conquer
isn't this the same thing you guys accuse the Fulani of doing?

And you made no point
Just ranting, wailing and crying as usual
Counter my claims with your own fact
And stop being emotional,

All the pictures of ohanku, obiohia (all in Aba) being littered in Nairaland, where the called ijawland
No! They where all called Igbo land
And mind you these places are very popular in ABA
So try and go there and shout "this is ijawland"
And see the outcome

Just the other day your ijaw brother (Adakaboro8 and pHijo was trying to demarket Aba) but in another thread the will try to claim part of Aba
Funny enough the don't know that the slum part of Aba is ohanku and obiohia, which is rapidly undergoing changes,

irepnaija4eva:




Will you keep quiet and debunk his facts...
How is he sowing seed of discord among minority groups when its proven beyond obvious fact..
Comparing igbos with the fulanis.. What about the ijaws that r having issues with yoruba, itshekiri, edo, akwa ibom, delta state?

Shey una want Biafra because of "Fulanization agenda" now me as Niger Delta now, De come de see all this nonsense for SM no be "Ibgonisation agenda" be this? how is it any different?

when you get your Biafra, with all this alienation agenda, Ijaw people no go de inside?

ChinenyeN:


Two oral traditions exist to explain this.

1. Some conflict between Ndoki communities and Bonny led to the phrase “anyi na-ado ke?” (What are we fighting for?). Some Ndoki people (who are typically anti-Ijaw) have been pushing this tradition as of late.

2. During the reverse migration, Ijaw from Bonny/Opobo came looking for communities that they identified with as “minabo” (sibling). The phrase developed “a mina dokiari” (I am looking for my sibling). The name “Ndoki” is supposedly derived from here.

Between these two, I’m more inclined to believe the second one. There is a lot of cultural, historical and linguistic basis for this. Between Bonny’s long history with Umuagbayi, Azuogu, etc. (Bonny’s founding ancestor being literal kin with Umuagbayi’s founding ancestors), Umueze’s migration into the area alongside Ijaw, along with the fact that some of Umueze’s early ancestors had Ijaw names, the “a mina dokiari” tradition makes sense to me since all of this compounds into a strong sense of kinship between Bonny and Ndoki communities (which is well-acknowledged).

Madam
The name Yoruba was given to them by the hausa
Does that makes Yoruba hausa people eh!

How come there is so much different between ijaw people and Ndoki people
There language doesn't even sounds alike,
How come the ndokis all speak Igbo
Instead of ijaw?
And how come there places answers Igbo names not ijaw names

Nigercity:


And you made no point
Just ranting, wailing and crying as usual
Counter my claims with your own fact
And stop being emotional,

All the pictures of ohanku, obiohia (all in Aba) being littered in Nairaland, where the called ijawland
No! They where are called Igbo land
And mind you these places are very popular in ABA
So try and go there and shout "this is ijawland"
And see the outcome

Just the other day your ijaw brother (Adakaboro8 and pHijo was trying to demarket Aba) but in another thread the will try to claim part of Aba
Funny enough the don't know that the slum part of Aba is ohanku and obiohia, which is rapidly undergoing changes,

"Na my land be this, no be you land"
person go bring out 17th century document from God knows where.
Na which person de do am for these streets?
why una de go de claim bonny Island?

If una bin want the land, Na Arochukwu for claim am, but they preferred to stay in the hinterland, una lose, rest.