Nwata kịrị ụkwa na be nne ya, ọ gaghị asị na ọ tufuru aka.(A child who eats breadfruit at his mother’s house cannot say he lost his hand.) One who stays within his roots retains strength and identity. In traditional Igboland, the social framework was rooted in kinship, land, and ancestral order. Within this framework,…
The saying “Igbo enwe Eze,” meaning “The Igbo have no king,” is often misinterpreted. It is a statement that shows the way of governance in Igbo society without a central leader, not that there is no leadership or that rules are not in place. The Igbo people have had different kinds of leadership based on…
Unidentified women photographed by Henry Crosse with the Royal Niger Company, c. 1886–1895. Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge. It is plausible to identify the woman on the left as Omu Nwagboka, the last Omu of Onicha (Onitsha). Omu Nwagboka was a prominent and wealthy trader, appointed as Omu in 1884 by Obi Anazonwu, the…
Place Onicha
The Titled Elder Onyeso and Igbo Cultural Heritage: A Glimpse into Early 20th Century Mgbakwu In the early 1910s, renowned British anthropologist Northcote Thomas captured a photograph of a man from Mgbakwu and a titled elder named Onyeso in what is now Anambra State, Nigeria. This photograph offers valuable insight into the traditions, leadership, and…