Nri is an
ancient Igbo city-state in Anambra State Nigeria. The Kingdom of Nri was a center of
learning, religion, and commerce in pre-colonial West Africa. Historians
have compared the significance of Nri, at its peak, to the religious cities
of Rome or Mecca: it was the seat of a powerful and imperial
state that influenced much of the territories inhabited by
the Igbo of Awka and Onitsha to the east;
the Efik, the Ibibio, and the Ijaw to the
South; Nsukka and southernIgala to the north; and Asaba,
and the Anioma to the west. The rulers of Nri did not use military
conquest, but used religious authority and control of commercial routes as
tactics in the spread of their city-state. Politically, Nri is known to be
the most ancient origins of the Eze kingship
in Igbo societies. But Nri and its rulers were also known for their
occult religious Juju, an institution that instilled both awe and fear in
those who made pilgrimages to the shrine.
Commercially, Nri was against slave
holding. "Osu" was the name of outcasts of other communities who
migrated and were accepted in Nri. Some Osu became eunuchs. During the
colonial period, Nri and the regions under its political, religious, or
commercial control became international markets for palm oil. In the heart of
Nri influence was the Igbo Ukwu bronze castings.
ORIGIN
NRI KINGDOM is one of the
oldest Kingdom in Nigeria. It was founded around 900AD by the progenitor, Eri,
the son of God. According to biblical accounts, Jacob had Leah as his wife who
begot four sons for him. When Leah noticed she had passed child-bearing
age, she gave her maid – servant, Zilpah to Jacob to wife, and through Zilpah
he had a son named Gad. Gad then bigot Eri, who later formed a clan known as
Erites vide Genesis Chapter 30 verse 9; 46 verse 16 and Numbers chapter 26
verses 15-19. Eri was therefore amongst the twelve tribes of Israel via
Gad.
During their stay in Egypt Eri became the high priest and spiritual
adviser to Pharaoh Teti, the fifth dynastic king of Egypt around 2400 BC.
During the Exodus, which marked the beginning of the mass movement of
the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Eri was amongst the tribe that left Egypt
following the injunction from God to the Israelites (see Deuteronomy chapter 28
verses 58 – 68). Some of these tribes founded settlements in the southern part
of Sudan, where they established the “Nok” culture, which is similar to that of
other (sun Cult) culture, like Nri, Fiji, Samoa, and Jukun in the Northern part
of Nigeria and elsewhere. But others who could not remain in the Southern Sudan
traveled further South, some branched off to Jukun, in Northern part of
Nigeria, others continued and arrived at the confluence of Rivers Niger and
Anambara known as “Ezu-na-Ọmambala” and settled there while some veered off to
the Island of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean. An intelligence report notes
that the Fijians have the same sun culture with the people of Nri.
When Eri arrived at the confluence of “Ezu-na-Ọmambala” he had two
wives, namely Nneamakụ and Oboli, Nneamakụ begot five children, namely (a)
Nrifikwuanịm-Menri being the first son (b) Agụlụ (c) Ogbodudu (d) Onogu and (e)
Iguedo the only daughter. Oboli begot Ọnọja, the only son who founded the Ịgala
Kingdom in Kogi State. Meanwhile, Nri-Ifikwuanịm begot Agụkwu Nri, Enugwu-Ukwu,
Enugwu-Agidi, Nọfịa, and Amọbia, while his brother Ogbodudu who later became
Nrinaoke N’Ogbodudu had founded the Diodo Dynasty, while his brother Ezikannebo
founded Akamkpịsị and Amanuke. Onogu Begot Ịgbariam, while Iguedo, the only
daughter, begot Ogbunike, Ọkuzu, Nando, Ụmụleri, and Nteje, Known today as
Ụmụ-Iguedo clan, while the former are better known as Ụmụ-Nri clan. According
to Nri Oral tradition recently substantiated by archaeological findings of
Ọraeri/Igbo-Ukwu objects, the unification of Agukwu, Diodo, and Akamkpịsị was
enacted constitutionally during the beginning of reign of Nribụife (AD 1159 –
1252) who was the first Eze Nri to observe the Ịgụ-Arọ Festival as a pan – Igbo
affair in 1160AD (Prof. M.A. Ọnwụejeọgwu 2003).
Nri-Ifikwuanịm took after his
progenitor Eri, and became a high priest among his people. He left Agụleri in
search of a better living place, according to Mr. M.D.W. Jeffreys report, and
settled at present Nri site. He started performing what Eri did at Egypt,
cleansing of abominations, giving titles such as prestigious Ọzọ title, to his
people, proclaiming the New Year (Ịgụ-Arọ) etc.
The Nri were great innovators in rituals, diplomacy, economy,
administration, and management of a segmented and decentralized people. The
Lunar system of calculating the year with a system of adjustment was known to
the Nri priests of Alụsị Arọ and the knowledge of the movement of the heavenly
bodies were employed in calculation the lunar year, according to Northcote
Thomas (M.A. Frai) a British Government Anthropologist who served in Ọka
District in the early 20th century, in 1910 he reported he got names from the
following heavenly bodies at Nri-Pleiades, Orion and Great Bear. Therefore Nri
elders had clear knowledge of these stars and others which helped them in
calculating the intervals between each Lunar period and finding their
directions during their sojourn from one Igbo Village to another in both the
semi – forest and the forest zones.
During the Ịgụ-Arọ Festival, Eze Nri proclaims the New Year; he also
distributes seed yams to the Igbo People and asked them to go home and farm. He
tells the people that after his Ịgụ-Arọ, approximately within four days but
certainly not more than three native weeks (Izu Anọ) “you will have the first
rainfall, so after this rainfall you can go ahead to cultivate your
crop”.
Eze – Nri introduced the cowrie currency (Ego ayo), and a sophisticated
system of using cowrie as a medium of exchange and valuation was developed in
the Igbo cultural area. One of the better-known remnants of the Nri
civilization is its art, as manifested in the Igbo Ukwu bronze items. Nri's
culture had permanently influenced the Northern and Western Igbo, especially
through religion and taboos.
British Colonialism, the Atlantic Slave Trade and the rise of Bini and
Igala kingdoms contributed to the decline of the Nri Kingdom.
culled from www.logbaby.com
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| A bronze snail shell of the Nri Kingdom |
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