I was reading this book, Leopards of the Magic Dawn: Science and the Cosmological Foundations of Igbo Culture by Nze Chukwukadibia E. Nwafor. [Link: https://archive.org/details/LeopardsOfTheMagicalDawnScienceAndTheCosmologicalFoundationsOfIgboCulture] In many ways the book is no different than other attempts to connect the Igbo to cultures in the Middle East.

But the book makes an interesting reference to pre-colonial ‘writing systems’ among different Igbo groups, some of which I have already encountered in other literature. The following list of what the book calls “metacommunication systems and scripts” appears on page 186 and 187 of the book.

Akwukwo Mmonwu Pan-Igbo
Akwukwo Afa Pan-Igbo/Oha Dibia
Akwukwo Odo Oha-Odo communities
Uri Ala Ngwa Ngwa
Uri Ifite Ana Ifite Ana Oka
Uri Aniocha Aniocha
Ede-Ana Ugbogiri Pan-Igbo
Ede-Ana Oru Oru Igbo
Ede-Ana Ihembosi Ihembosi
Ede-Oballa Ede-Oballa-Nsukka
Ima Ogu Pan-Igbo
Itu Nzu Pan-Igbo
Ukara Ji Oru Igbo
Nshibiri Now Pan-Igbo
Aka-Umubeogene Ojebe-Ogene clan
Aka-Nwaichi Umudioka clans
Aka-Nwauzu Ancient Oka blacksmiths
Aka-Umuokwa Nneokwa
Aka-Udide Agulu
Aka-Umuagbara Owerri/Okigwe environs

There are fleeting references to Uri Ala Ngwa, Akwukwo Mmuo and the Aniocha graphic system in the other literature I’ve seen, but no details. Itu nzu (as far as I know) did not develop beyond a man drawing his ‘signature’ on the floor with nzu.
The rest of the ‘scripts’ (apart from the well-known nshibiri/nsibidi) sound new and strange to me. I’m particularly puzzled by the aka-nwauzu of the ‘ancient Oka blacksmiths’. There is/was no such thing as far as I know.

Is anyone here familiar with any of these scripts or ‘metacommunication sysyems’. To what extent were they developed as forms of expression/ real scripts? Were they restricted to ritual uses? Was there any relationship between them and nsibidi?

Yes, I realize this thread is 'ages old' for the digital world, but I figured I'd post here regardless (maybe because I'm longing for some non-wasteful stimulation from the culture section *shrug*). I'm surprised I never saw this post though. Or maybe it was posted during the brief period I did not log into NL late last year.

Anyway, a few of those scripts I have either heard of or come across in my readings. As for the rest, I'm not sure.

Though I didn't bother to read much of the text (I skipped ahead to the section of the text that focused on the scripts -- admittedly, reading preceding sections might have helped me better understand), I still have to say that the section on the scripts is just all over the place. I feel as though the writer somewhat went out of his way to bloat up the development and relevance of some of these "metacommunication systems" and then really overgeneralize the scope of it all. The work would have been much more satisfying to read if the author hadn't glossed over the matter as some general 'pan-Igbo' affair, and also if he had bothered to provide examples of the scripts in the text. Basically, his information just seems second-hand.

Moving on though, the only two systems I can speak for on the list provided by the writer are Nsibidi and Uriala. There is a connection between the two, in so far as there is a connection between the Ekpe and Okonko clubs. The story (which is not without contention) is that the history between Ekpe and Okonko facilitated the development of Uriala. Uriala is used by Okonko and Nsibidi by Ekpe. Some have claimed that the two systems are essentially the same (and this is where the contention arises). However, Ekpe (and by extension, Nsibidi) is more widespread. That is the short story. The long story is... long.

Thank you, ChinenyeN.

The post was hidden by anti-spam bot (and my account banned) shortly after I made it. That probably explains why you never saw it before now.

I'm curious about this uriala - really curious. Do you know of any literature that could furnish me with the 'long story'?

Trust me when I tell you that I have searched high and low for works on Uriala, its development and history, but have quite literally turned up nothing more than passing comments by historians.

I'm not surprised though. It seems that aside from just a few topics, the Ngwa cultural region is more or less ignored.

I have though, managed to piece together some parts of the story on my own, but, nnaa, I feel cheated on all this hehehe. Without being an Okonko initiate nor having actually seen the script first hand, there isn't much that I can definitively say.

LOL.

Perhaps, its strong connection with a 'secret society' is part of the reason why information about the script is so difficult to access.

I too came face-to-face with brick walls when I tried to gather information about Aba, the secret language of the Awka smithing/trading guild.

I'd venture to say that you are more fortunate than I. At least you could find enough information to learn some of the lexicon and syntax, and literature on Aba (no matter how limited) also exists.

You are very correct about the 'secret society' factor. Also, Okonko club members were literate in Nsibidi. So that and considering the socio-politics in Ngwa at the time (distinguishing indigene from non-indigene), it doesn't surprise me that Uriala would be kept under such lock and key by club members, even from other Ngwa and especially from lineage heads who were non-members.

True.

It's sad to think that one day there might not be anybody alive who even knows what Uriala looked like.

Yea, I know. It'll be a real shame, especially now that we're in this prime age of information sharing and preservation. Selfish Ngwa people hoarding invaluable knowledge, as if to say they'd rather it die with them than for it to create a lasting legacy. Mtcheww. Iwe ndinu iwe m.

LMAO@ 'selfish Ngwa hoarding invaluable information.'

ChinenyeN:
Yea, I know. It'll be a real shame, especially now that we're in this prime age of information sharing and preservation. Selfish Ngwa people hoarding invaluable knowledge, as if to say they'd rather it die with them than for it to create a lasting legacy. Mtcheww. Iwe ndinu iwe m.

How many communities/villeage still practice the okonko/ekpe agan in ngwa land my guess not many pratice it this time around, because of christianity.when christianity first came to ngwa land, ngwa people abandond many of their culture and tradition by replacing it european ways which was infuse into the new religion calld christianity well what i think might be that which is left of the so called uri alangwa will be the carving use in designing houses built in the 1960s/after 1960s and the years that came befor 1960s.

Radoillo:
LMAO@ 'selfish Ngwa hoarding invaluable information.'

It's not selfish but ignorance you need to see the amount of ignorance many of them(ngwa people) display when it comes to history that has to do with there ancieant culture and tradition, i blame it on the way ueropeans introduce christianity in ala igbo/africa.

Letu, you're correct. Okonko is more or less a dead practice, because its relevance is lost to the local community. Although, if anything, I would say that the death of Okonko has little to nothing to do with Christianity. Okonko started dying once trade shifted from slaves to palm oil, because they started losing ground to lineage heads over administrative and judicial matters around that time. The fate of Okonko was effectively sealed once the British introduced colonial rule and the Native Court system. Christianity played the least significant role in their decline.

Now, I can't speak for today, but as of my childhood, I know that there were still a few active Okonko clubs. But since their relevance had already long since declined by then, they didn't serve any real purpose.

Still, you'd think that someone between then and now might have thought to preserve the legacy of the Okonko clubs in one form or another. That's what I would expect from anyone who values the institution, but maybe I just have unnecessarily high expectations of mankind sometimes.

This is a very beautiful Truth (book), Our ancient truth. We must look into the book deeply and how it compares with the knowledge of all the African tribes on and outside of the continent.
My Family from the Ndigbo are gradually breaking their silence. I am still reading it though, and the book is POWER!
All praises to the Elder "Nze Chukwukadibia E. Nwafor".
He however didn't reveal much as most are symbolical.