Chukwu is Aro, Not Nri: Understanding Igbo Cosmology Beyond Misinterpretations

Sketch of Igbo Cosmology / Unknown source. Many have misunderstood the concept of "Chukwu" in Igbo culture. That confusion arose partly due to colonialism and missionization that sought to reform Igbo understandings of deity to better fit Judeo-Christian beliefs about one all-powerful God . However, Igbo worship was historically a belief in many gods, each…

ByIde NzeNovember 2, 20240Comments

Historical Studies

Beyond the Slave Trade: The Aro Confederacy’s Adaptive Commerce and Colonial Misinterpretations

Photo by Charles Partridge of a dance in Ibom, Arochukwu in 1903. "The first Europeans to visit Arochukwu, in 1901, noted with some surprise — since it contradicted what they had been led to expect by their superiors — that the Aro trade in factory goods was no less than their trade in slaves, and that…

ByChukaOctober 22, 20240Comments

⁠Religion and Spirituality

Ibini Ukpabi: The Arochukwu Long Juju

The Arochukwu Long Juju The Aro people, a branch of the Igbo ethnic group, founded the Arochukwu Long Juju shrine in the 17th century. A renowned Aro priest from Agbagwu, is credited with establishing the shrine. He is believed to have discovered the Long Juju (Ibini Ukpabi), a supernatural being, in a cave. The…

ByChikwereOctober 17, 20240Comments

Ethnohistory Historical Studies

Resistance and Resilience: The Anglo-Aro War (1901-1919).

"Aro men clearing bush paths with machetes for British forces outside Bende during the Anglo-Aro War (1901)" The Aro Punitive Expedition, also known as the Anglo-Aro War, was a British military campaign against the Aro-Oke-Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria from 1901 to 1902. The Aro-Igbo resisted British colonization fiercely, engaging in over 300 battles spanning twenty years…

ByChukaOctober 15, 20240Comments

Anthropology and Ethnography

Igboland (Alaigbo): A Regional Breakdown of Ethnic Divisions, Tribes, and Sub-Tribes

"Alaigbo" A classification of ethnic divisions, tribes and sub-tribes. "Alaigbo" A breakdown of Igboland cultural regions, ethnic divisions, tribes and sub-tribes. 1. Cross River Igbo (Aro) - Location: Found primarily in the eastern part of Igboland, close to the Cross River area. - Key areas: Arochukwu, Afikpo, Ahaba, Nguzu-Edda, Ihechiowa, Ohafia, Isuikwuato, Abiriba, Bende, and Isiama - Tribes: - Aro - Edda -…

ByChukaSeptember 26, 20240Comments

Tag: Aro

Chukwu is Aro, Not Nri: Understanding Igbo Cosmology Beyond Misinterpretations

Beyond the Slave Trade: The Aro Confederacy’s Adaptive Commerce and Colonial Misinterpretations

Ibini Ukpabi: The Arochukwu Long Juju

Resistance and Resilience: The Anglo-Aro War (1901-1919).

Igboland (Alaigbo): A Regional Breakdown of Ethnic Divisions, Tribes, and Sub-Tribes

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