Igala Factor in Ibo Traditions of Origin, Migration and Settlement: Re-Defining the Umueri Hegemonic Phenomenon
Nwankwo T. Nwaezeigwe.
“Igala Factor in Ibo Traditions of Origin, Migration and Settlement: Re-Defining the Umueri Hegemonic Phenomenon.”
Igbo Studies Review (ISR)
, Goldline & Jacobs Publishing
, no. 6, 2018
, pp. 1-17
.
1781059
Abstract
The present paper addresses the controversy surrounding the origins, migration and settlement among the Igbo of a group of Igala immigrants called Umunri who subsequently gained historical currency through their ritual activities among their Igbo hosts. With the emergence of European colonialism and the subsequent in the study of indigenous peoples this group on account of their ritual activities soon became the pedestal on which European colonial anthropologists and some African scholars interpreted pivotal aspects of Igbo culture and history, which were hinged on the hypothesis of primacy of origin and settlement. The subject matter of this paper therefore the critical analysis of the matters arising from this hypothesis which sought to define the Umunri in the context of a historical and cultural fountain-head of the Igbo against obvious counter-historical evidence.