Ndi-Ichie with Okpu Ogịdị, Ofala Festival, Onitsha photo by @Owusi on X/Twitter.
An Ndi-Ichie [titled elders] of Onicha (Onitsha) wearing an ogidi headdress also referred to as nnukwu okpu or the 'Great Crown,' mainly worn by titled men of Onitsha during the towns annual Ofala festival.
The term “Nnukwu Okpu” translates to “large cap” in Igbo. It…
"Abaw Ndonni Market at junction of Ndonni Creek with the Niger" - P.A. Talbot
In P.A. Talbot’s book “Tribes of The Niger Delta”, which examines various communities and their cultures in the Niger Delta, he refers to places like Aboh and Ndoni, important riverine communities with significant historical relevance in the region’s trade and cultural development.…
Aminikoro mask Ogbukele festival, Ekpafia Igbo - G.I. Jones, 1930s
The Aminikoro Mask and the Ogbukele Festival are cultural elements primarily associated with the Ijaw people, The Ekpeye "Ekpafia,” which is an Igboid group seems to have borrowed the masquerade display and culture.
This is suggesting an overlap or connection between the Ijaw and Igbo people, especially…
Awka Nibo Nise. Compound of Nwankwo Irienzuo. House with tower in the background." Zbigniew Dmochowski.
These towers became popular in Igbo compounds around today's Anambra & Imo States due to the effects of the Atlantic slave trade which included raids in order to capture people to enslave.
The towers, also known as "war towers" and known in…
African Genome sample of Igbo mixing with Khoi-san around 9,000 years ago.
A genetic analysis of Igbo samples by The African Genome Variation Project reveals that the Igbo people may have mixed with populations similar to the Khoi-San around 9,000 years ago, a people living today in southern Africa who have the oldest genetic lineage in…
Okpoha Ngodo performance at Okpoha Village-Group, an Igbo village-group northwest of Afikpo, 1959-60. Photo: Simon Ottenberg.
Okpoha Ngodo is a traditional Igbo performance art form, combining: Music (drums, flutes), Dance, Theater and Storytelling.
Okpoha Village-Group, located northwest of Afikpo, is an Igbo community known for it's rich cultural heritage, traditional art forms (e.g., woodcarving, pottery), agricultural practices…
A royal burial chamber - Unearthing Igbo-Ukwu
In 1959-60, archaeologist Thurstan Shaw excavated a burial chamber in the compound of Richard Anozie in Igbo Ukwu, Anambra State, Nigeria.
He found Ivory artifacts like, elephant tusks and that of carved ivory, Glass beads, Metal artifacts like bronze and iron, Pottery and ceramics and Human remains.
The significance of Igbo…
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…
Amuneke of Owerri
An Oratta man [Amuneke]? from Owerri.
Second slide, words from Amuneke from Owerri and translated by an Okirika man who is part of P. A. Talbot's team.
Photo: P. A. Talbot - Tribes of the Niger Delta, 1930s.
"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…