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| The '''Igala Kingdom''', also known as the ''''']'', ''Anẹ-Ìgàlá''','' is a pre-colonial West African state, ], ]. The kingdom was founded by the ],The Attah as their King, Father and Spiritual head, with its capital at ].Although Igala people migrated to other lands, it is believed that most if not all Igala people settled or came from Idah which is the spiritual Capital of the Igala Kingdom. The Igala Kingdom is influenced by ], ], ], |
The ''']''', also known as the ''''']'', ''Anẹ-Ìgàlá''','' is a pre-colonial West African state, ], ]. The kingdom was founded by the ],The Attah as their King, Father and Spiritual head, with its capital at ].Although Igala people migrated to other lands, it is believed that most if not all Igala people settled or came from Idah which is the spiritual Capital of the Igala Kingdom. The Igala Kingdom is influenced by ], ], ], and ]. | ||
| ==Igala linguistics== | ==Igala linguistics== | ||
| Line 99: | Line 99: | ||
| *Note Ọm/Ọma indicates parentage | *Note Ọm/Ọma indicates parentage | ||
| == |
==History== | ||
| <ins>The first "Ata", the title given to the ruler of the kingdom, was Ebule- Jonu, a woman; she was succeeded by her brother Agana- Poje, the father of Idoko. Idoko would later succeed him as Ata, and had two children Atiyele and Ayegba om'Idoko (Ayegba son of Idoko), Atiyele the first son of Idoko migrated eastward of the kingdom to establish Ankpa kingdom while Ayegba the second son of Idoko succeeded his father as Ata'Gala. He led a war against the Jukun, which resulted in victory. Idakwo Micheal was appointed as the new Ata in December 2012.<nowiki><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/34566647/IGALA_COLONISATION_OF_NORTHERN_IGBO_STATES_1450_18th_century.|title=Igala History|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref></nowiki></ins> | |||
| According to a detailed breakdown of the different ruling dynasties of the Igala kingdom by Yesufu Etu, we can see a total of three distinct dynasties in action.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Etu|first=Yesufu|url=https://books.google.com.ng/books/about/Ame_Oboni_1946_1956.html?id=_4wSuQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y|title=Ame Oboni, 1946-1956|date=1993|publisher=Macmillan Nigeria|isbn=978-978-018-076-8|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| <ins> </ins> | |||
| === Igala Dynasty === | |||
| Year Established: 1477 - 1507 | |||
| <ins>The ata-ship of Igala rotated among four branches of the royal clan. <nowiki>]</nowiki> was founded by Abutu- Eje in the 7th century. The kingdom was ruled by nine high officials called the Igala Mela who are custodians of the sacred Earth shrine.</ins> | |||
| ==== Rulers ==== | |||
| <ins> </ins> | |||
| * Ata Ogwu | |||
| * Egara Eri | |||
| <ins>Igala colonisation of northern <nowiki>]</nowiki> states (1450-18th century)</ins> | |||
| === Benin Dynasty === | |||
| Year Established: 1507 - 1687 | |||
| <ins> </ins> | |||
| ==== Rulers ==== | |||
| <ins>The Igala mega state attained the height of its fame during the mid-17th century. The rise of the Igala mega state disrupted and contributed to the shift of the <nowiki>]</nowiki><nowiki><nowiki/></nowiki>from the Bight of Benin to the <nowiki>]</nowiki> and the decline of the <nowiki>]</nowiki> Empire between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Idah-Benin war (1515-1516) was a war of mutual independence. The Igala state reached its political and commercial supremacy afterwards, when it became a leading exporter of choral beads, horses, medicine, skills and of course, slaves to the coastal region. Its growing power, nevertheless, changed the dynamics of the earlier complex relationships with several northern <nowiki>]</nowiki><nowiki><nowiki/></nowiki>communities. Joseph Hawkins in 1797 already captured the relentless raiding of the extreme northern <nowiki>]</nowiki> by the Igalas. In his “A History of a Voyage to the Coast of Africa” he noted the growing conflicts between the 'Ebo Country' and 'Galla'. By the late 17th century, the Igalas conquered and held socio-economic, political and religious control of the indigenous northern Igbo mini-states. From <nowiki>]</nowiki>, <nowiki>]</nowiki>, Nsugbe, several Igbo communities on the <nowiki>]</nowiki>, the lower Niger, through Okpanam to Asaba the Igala held sway. Trading out post with Onitsha and the Ijo middlemen were fully established. The mythical Omeppa, Inenyi Ogugu set up garrison at <nowiki>]</nowiki> and several Igala warlords played their part in the buildup of the Igala colonial take over of these northern <nowiki>]</nowiki> states. But no other individual played a greater role in shaping Igala-Igbo colonisation during the 18th century than Onoja Oboni, the legendary Igala warrior and slave trader. Onoja Oboni’s personality and heritage has been shrouded in mythical imagery over time. Ranging from being the Son of Eri, the grandson of Aganapoje to being a descendant of one of the Idah royal families; the priestly sub-clan of Obajeadaka in Okete-ochai-attah. The key areas of consensus are; he was a master strategist, slave raider and trader, conqueror, coloniser and imperialist. Added to these were his diplomacy, expansionist traits and the acculturation of conquered territories. He built himself a walled city in Ogurugu and recent archaeological findings of the remnant of the ruins of his fort on the grounds of the <nowiki>]</nowiki> confirm this. The Igala soldiers built forts and fortifications that stretched from Ete down to <nowiki>]</nowiki> and then to Anambra. Oboni’s rise to power affected the history of the North-western Nsukka and the Igbo communities on the <nowiki>]</nowiki> and the Lower Niger during the Igala commercial and socio-cultural ascendancy and domination. This was the reinforcing of the golden age of Igala imperial expansion. In this way, Igala mega state took control and allegiance were paid. Until the decline of Igala power, the Ezes of <nowiki>]</nowiki>, Akpugo, Nkpologu, Ibagwa Ani and Opi continued to receive their titles from Idah; investiture, installation and confirmation of their office was only by the royal blessing of Attah Igala in Idah. The <nowiki>]</nowiki> were only validated when they returned home with Igala choral beads ‘aka’, staff of office believed to be imbued with protective charms to ensure longevity and security of the Eze as well as prestige animal (horse) to bolster up their ego. There were also periodic royal visits to the Attah Igala to pay tributes and as well intended to strengthen diplomatic ties and inter-group relations, renew allegiance, and assured insurance from slave raids. In terms of indigenous technologies, the Igala soldiers built factories (forges) for manufacturing Dane-guns, ironworks, carving, introduced arrowheads with tip-poison from sting ray; cloth knitting, terracing of <nowiki>]</nowiki> hillsides and brought in a well developed political and social hierarchies. At this time Igala empire had become a cultural exchange hub for other emerging states; the influence was felt as far north as the Nok civilisation and down east to <nowiki>]</nowiki><nowiki><nowiki/></nowiki>civilisation. Till date many of the Igala-Nsukka borderland remain bilingual. On the religious level, the Igala installed their own priests- the Attama- as the custodian of the dangerous <nowiki>]</nowiki>, shrine, took control as mediators between the spirit and the Igbo communities, presided over divinations and fashioned ‘Ikenga’, ‘Okwute’ (ritual staffs) that combined both Igala and Igbo religious elements. The Attama thus became the major agents of Igala socio-cultural control. Several efforts to keep the Attama lineage Igala failed, eventually the priestly office has been greatly igbonized, even though the nominal Igala identification is still predominant. Many of the northern Igbo state settlements have lineages with Igala names, cultural practices with marked Igala modification and adaptations. The use of Igala circular basket in contrast to the Igbo rectangular types persists till this day. By the turn of the 19th century, the Igala empire was too large for any reliable and robust central control. Internal decay and implosion set in. The Fulani jihadists started contracting the Igala imperial power, conquered territories in the north switched tributes, forced or/and seceded from the Igala empire. The Bassa war added more pressure to the war-weary empire. The abolition of slave trade brought in untold economic recession. In 1914 the British burnt down Ibagwa and Obukpa as a punitive measure. By the 1920s, Igala empire was a spent force and a limping shadow, the British easily took over control of both Nsukka and the Igala territories.</ins> | |||
| * 1507 - 1537 -- Aji Ata | |||
| * 1537 - 1567 -- Olema I | |||
| * 1567 - 1597 -- Anogens | |||
| * 1597 - 1627 -- Agbo, Abutu Eje | |||
| * 1627 - 1657 -- Agoshi, Agane Poje | |||
| * 1657 - 1687 -- Olema II, Idoko Ebule Jonu | |||
| <ins> </ins> | |||
| === Jukun or Kororofa (kwararafa) Dynasty === | |||
| ==== Approximate Years: 1687 - 1957 ==== | |||
| ==== Rulers ==== | |||
| * 1687 - 1717 -- Atiele, Ayegba | |||
| * 1717 - 1765 -- Ennobi, Akwumabi, Inikpi, Akogwu, Agada, Ayi, Ohiemi | |||
| * 1765 - 1813 -- Ame, Acho, Itodo, Agada, Ogala, Idoko Adegbe | |||
| * 1813 - 1861 -- Onuche 15, Amocheje 17, Ekele Aga 16, Aku Odiba 18 | |||
| * 1861 - 1909 -- Okoliko 19, Ocheje Onukpa 21, Amaga 20, Oboni 22 | |||
| * 1909 - 1957 -- Oguche Akpa 23, Obaje Ocheje, Atabo 24, Ame Oboni 26 | |||
| * 1957 -- Ali | |||
| ==History== | |||
| According to original Igala narratives and the study of archeologists, the Igala kingdom wasn’t established until the mid-1500s, the around 1550s when their first Attah, Ebule Jonu (a woman) formed the kingdom with its capital at Idah.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Boston|first=J. S.|date=1969|title=Oral Tradition and the History of Igala|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/180294|journal=The Journal of African History|volume=10|issue=1|pages=29–43|issn=0021-8537}}</ref> | |||
| Ebule Jonu was the daughter of Abutu Eje, who migrated to Amagede in Igalaland from the Doma Kingdom of Nassarawa. Back then, the area the Doma, Keana, and Wukari areas was termed as Kororofa (Kwararafa) by the Hausa. Abutu Eje migrated with his followers to Amagede around the early 1530s. | |||
| Doma is an Arago kingdom. The Arago are a subgroup of the Idoma people. However, a section of Doma migrated from Bida, which was in the Beni Confederacy, assimilated to an extent and produced the ruling dynasty of Doma. It is from this section of assimilated Nupes in the Doma kingdom that Abutu Eje was from. So the current Attah of Igala is an Idoma man with Nupe heritage. The Igala capital, Idah, is an Arago-Nupe word meaning Cliff/Canyon/Revine, which describes the topography of Idah. The “Jukun” migration claim is false. This belief stems from an assumption by some European authors that Kororofa (Kwararafa) was a Jukun confederacy when in reality it was just an area of people which the Hausa identified as Kororofa/Kwararafa which means ‘Man who lives by the Kwara river’. In fact, the Ebira kingdom of Opanda precedes the Igala Kingdom. It is also pertinent to note that just as the Jukun ancestry claim is false and there is no sign of Jukun influence in Igala, there is likewise no Igala influence - whether culturally or linguistically - in the areas misrepresented as once paying tribute to the Attah of Igala. And to add, Attah of Igala/Igara was not his original name. It was Attah of Idah. | |||
| The kingdom of Igala survived well into the 19th century, becoming a British protectorate in 1901. | |||
| Before the coming of the migrant group out of Doma the place now known as Igalaland was a land which consisted of a hybrid group of Yorubas, Idomas (Idoma proper/Akpoto), and Igbos. This hybrid group is your Igala of today. This too was admitted in 2017 by Attah Ameh Oboni in an interview with punch; although today he says Igalas are from Egypt. See link for Punch interview (https://punchng.com/im-first-attah-in-igala-history-with-one-wife-ameh-oboni/). It’s important to note that there is no word in the Igala language, apart from those borrowed from the Hausa during the Nigerian regional days or borrowed from neighbor Ebira, Nupe, or Okpoto (not Akpoto), that isn’t either an exact word or cognate of a word from the Idoma, Yoruba, or Igbo language. The Idoma, Yoruba, and Igbo are the groups who formed the Igala linguistic group. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 154: | Line 127: | ||
| ==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
| *{{cite book |author=Isichei, Elizabeth. |title=A history of African Societies to 1870 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofafrican00isic |url-access=registration |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=1997 |isbn=0-521-45599-5}} | *{{cite book |author=Isichei, Elizabeth. |title=A history of African Societies to 1870 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofafrican00isic |url-access=registration |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=1997 |isbn=0-521-45599-5}} | ||
| *Ajodo, Saidu (2006). ''A Short History of Omoja Clan in the Igala Kingdom''. El-Deen Printers. ] ]. | |||
| *Boston, J. S.; Research, Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic (1968). ''The Igala Kingdom''. Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research. ] ]. | |||
| {{Nigerian traditional states}} | {{Nigerian traditional states}} | ||
Revision as of 06:00, 21 February 2021
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The Igala Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Idah, Anẹ-Ìgàlá, is a pre-colonial West African state, Middle Belt, Nigeria. The kingdom was founded by the Igala people,The Attah as their King, Father and Spiritual head, with its capital at Idah.Although Igala people migrated to other lands, it is believed that most if not all Igala people settled or came from Idah which is the spiritual Capital of the Igala Kingdom. The Igala Kingdom is influenced by Jukun people, Yoruba people, Igbo people, and Bini People.
Igala linguistics
Abo-Igala= people ) (Culture=ÌCHÒLÒ/ÙCHÒLÒ
(Ichi Igala=Igala language)
Now as for The naming of the igala it can be broken down as Iga whichmeans a partition, blockade, a dividing wall and which Ala means “Sheep”
Iga-ala became igala As for the reasons why Igala people identify themselves and their nation as this it is currently beyond known scholarly knowledge maybe due to do The idea of the people being the sheep and the state being the wall or partition that protects them.
Religion
Animism is the traditional belief of the Igala and is still practiced by many. This system of belief is predicated on an ancestral spirit system. Many communities, families, and individuals have shrines serving to worship deities and spirits. Custodians serve as medicinal practitioners, and are versed in oral traditional history and the use of herbs and plants to cure ailments. Islam is practiced by the Igala. The religion was introduced through trade with the Sokoto, Kaduna, Kano, and all the emirates and sultanates of northern Nigeria. Trade in northern Nigeria influenced many aspects of culture in Igala land with the introduction of Ajami Arabic texts. Christianity is practiced by the Igala people as a direct result of trade with Portuguese merchants through the Benin Kingdom and was expedited by the colonization of the region. Protestantism, Catholicism, Anglicanism, Baptism, as well as Methodism are amongst the forms of Christianity practiced.
Political structure
Àtá's court is known as the Ogbede with its head being known as the Ogbe or president of court the Amedibo are the Royal servants and the Amonoji are Àtá's eunuchs The symbols of power are the Royal objects oka (beads) okwu (neck-let) robe (olawoni) red-cap (olumada) and otihi (flywhisk).) Ejubejuailo (The Ata's pectoral Mask) 2) Onunu-Ere (Royal Crown) 3) Unyiale Ata (Royal Umbrella) 4) Odechi / Okakachi (Royal Band) 5) Oka kpai Okwu (Royal Beads) 6) Akpa-Ayegba (The Stool)
Àtá Igala in-charge of the major Igala sacred objects, shrines and festivals
Ach'adu Chief executive Oko-Ata (Ata's traditional husband or the Prime Minister=Ach'adu)
DISTRICT OFFICERS (ONU) provincial Chiefs (Am'onu) were also in custody of their various shrines, grooves, sacred objects and festivals in their own domains. District-heads (Am'onu-ane).
CLAN HEADS (GAGO)
VILLAGE HEADS (OMADACHI)
YOUTH LEADER (ACHIOKOLOBIA)
Among the Igalas The Titles of Ata and Achadu are held by only two people at the same time while The titles of Onu, Achema, Akoji, Makoji, Eje, Onoja are used by multiple people these titles may also be used as names in cases many of these titles largely relate to occupations as opposed to being just titles that are held also such as Gago which is clan leader or Onoja being head of the market even the names also used as titles such as Akoji being a representative and Makoji being a representation and substitute for the Ata or King such names are given in hopes that the child will gain that title it should also be noted that titles are rarely ever given just because of someone's wealth but more so on merit
Igala Subdivisions
Igala land has nine traditional ruling councils including the capital Idah. The nine councils each has a chief(Onuh who is appointed by religious rite through a complex system of traditional rite and proceedings supervised by the head of the council the Attah Igala in Idah.The nine councils are referred to as Igalamela-Odolu. The eight councils are: Ankpa, Ajaka, Ugwolawo, Bassa, Anyigba, Dekina, Omalla, Olamaboro.
Historically, each council had varying degrees of traditional administration which was based on tax collection from land holders, fishermen and market trade
Ata
The first "Ata", the title given to the ruler of the kingdom, was Ebulejonu, a woman; she was succeeded by her brother Aganapoje, the father of Idoko. Idoko would later succeed him as Ata, and had two children Atiyele and Ayegba om'Idoko (Ayegba son of Idoko), Atiyele the first son of Idoko migrated eastward of the kingdom to establish Ankpa kingdom while Ayegba the second son of Idoko succeeded his father as Ata'IGala. He led a war against the Jukun, which resulted in victory. HRH Idakwo Micheal was appointed as the new Ata of Igala in December 2012. The position of Ata Igala rotates among four branches of the royal clan. The Igala kingdom was founded by Abutu- Eje in the 16th century. The kingdom was ruled by nine high officials called the Igala Mela who are custodians of the sacred Earth shrine, The Throne of the Ata is currently rotated among the clans of Aju Akogwu, Aju Ameachor, Aju Akwu, Aju Ocholi, Aju is meant to signify who the clan came from as being a grandfather of the clan
List of Àtá
- Abutu Eje
Independence Era Ata
- Ebulejonu Ọm Abutu(f)
- Agana poje Ọm Abutu
- Idoko Ọm Agana poje
- Ayegba Ọm Idoko
- Akumabi Ọm Ayegba (Onu)
- Akogwu Ọm Ayegba
- Ocholi Ọm Ayegba (Ohiemi Obogo)
- Agada Elame Ọm Ayegba
- Amacho Ọm Akumabi
- Itodo Aduga Ọm Akumabi
- Ogala Ọm Akogwu
- Idoko Adegbe Ọm Ocholi
- Onuche Ọm Amacho
- 1835 Ekalaga Ọm Ogala
- 1835–1856 Amocheje Ọm Itodo
- 1856–1870 Odiba Ọm Idoko
- 1870–1876 Okoliko Ọm Onuche
- 1876–1900 Amaga Ọm Ekalaga
British occupation era Ata
- 1900–1903 Ocheje Onokpa Ọm Amocheje
- 1905–1911 Ame Oboni Ọm Odiba
- 1911–1919 Oguche Akpa Ọm Okoliko
- 1919–1926 Atabo Ọm Amaga
- 1926–1945 Obaje Ọm Ocheje
- 1945 – 23 June 1956 Umaru Ame Akpoli Ọm Oboni
Independent Nigeria Ata
- 20 October 1956 – 16 July 2012: Aliyu Ocheja Om Obaje - was installed by the British shortly before independence
- 10 March 2013 – 27 August 2020: Idakwo Michael Ameh Oboni II
- Note Ọm/Ọma indicates parentage
History
The first "Ata", the title given to the ruler of the kingdom, was Ebule- Jonu, a woman; she was succeeded by her brother Agana- Poje, the father of Idoko. Idoko would later succeed him as Ata, and had two children Atiyele and Ayegba om'Idoko (Ayegba son of Idoko), Atiyele the first son of Idoko migrated eastward of the kingdom to establish Ankpa kingdom while Ayegba the second son of Idoko succeeded his father as Ata'Gala. He led a war against the Jukun, which resulted in victory. Idakwo Micheal was appointed as the new Ata in December 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/34566647/IGALA_COLONISATION_OF_NORTHERN_IGBO_STATES_1450_18th_century.|title=Igala History|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref>
The ata-ship of Igala rotated among four branches of the royal clan. ] was founded by Abutu- Eje in the 7th century. The kingdom was ruled by nine high officials called the Igala Mela who are custodians of the sacred Earth shrine.
Igala colonisation of northern ] states (1450-18th century)
The Igala mega state attained the height of its fame during the mid-17th century. The rise of the Igala mega state disrupted and contributed to the shift of the ]<nowiki/>from the Bight of Benin to the ] and the decline of the ] Empire between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Idah-Benin war (1515-1516) was a war of mutual independence. The Igala state reached its political and commercial supremacy afterwards, when it became a leading exporter of choral beads, horses, medicine, skills and of course, slaves to the coastal region. Its growing power, nevertheless, changed the dynamics of the earlier complex relationships with several northern ]<nowiki/>communities. Joseph Hawkins in 1797 already captured the relentless raiding of the extreme northern ] by the Igalas. In his “A History of a Voyage to the Coast of Africa” he noted the growing conflicts between the 'Ebo Country' and 'Galla'. By the late 17th century, the Igalas conquered and held socio-economic, political and religious control of the indigenous northern Igbo mini-states. From ], ], Nsugbe, several Igbo communities on the ], the lower Niger, through Okpanam to Asaba the Igala held sway. Trading out post with Onitsha and the Ijo middlemen were fully established. The mythical Omeppa, Inenyi Ogugu set up garrison at ] and several Igala warlords played their part in the buildup of the Igala colonial take over of these northern ] states. But no other individual played a greater role in shaping Igala-Igbo colonisation during the 18th century than Onoja Oboni, the legendary Igala warrior and slave trader. Onoja Oboni’s personality and heritage has been shrouded in mythical imagery over time. Ranging from being the Son of Eri, the grandson of Aganapoje to being a descendant of one of the Idah royal families; the priestly sub-clan of Obajeadaka in Okete-ochai-attah. The key areas of consensus are; he was a master strategist, slave raider and trader, conqueror, coloniser and imperialist. Added to these were his diplomacy, expansionist traits and the acculturation of conquered territories. He built himself a walled city in Ogurugu and recent archaeological findings of the remnant of the ruins of his fort on the grounds of the ] confirm this. The Igala soldiers built forts and fortifications that stretched from Ete down to ] and then to Anambra. Oboni’s rise to power affected the history of the North-western Nsukka and the Igbo communities on the ] and the Lower Niger during the Igala commercial and socio-cultural ascendancy and domination. This was the reinforcing of the golden age of Igala imperial expansion. In this way, Igala mega state took control and allegiance were paid. Until the decline of Igala power, the Ezes of ], Akpugo, Nkpologu, Ibagwa Ani and Opi continued to receive their titles from Idah; investiture, installation and confirmation of their office was only by the royal blessing of Attah Igala in Idah. The ] were only validated when they returned home with Igala choral beads ‘aka’, staff of office believed to be imbued with protective charms to ensure longevity and security of the Eze as well as prestige animal (horse) to bolster up their ego. There were also periodic royal visits to the Attah Igala to pay tributes and as well intended to strengthen diplomatic ties and inter-group relations, renew allegiance, and assured insurance from slave raids. In terms of indigenous technologies, the Igala soldiers built factories (forges) for manufacturing Dane-guns, ironworks, carving, introduced arrowheads with tip-poison from sting ray; cloth knitting, terracing of ] hillsides and brought in a well developed political and social hierarchies. At this time Igala empire had become a cultural exchange hub for other emerging states; the influence was felt as far north as the Nok civilisation and down east to ]<nowiki/>civilisation. Till date many of the Igala-Nsukka borderland remain bilingual. On the religious level, the Igala installed their own priests- the Attama- as the custodian of the dangerous ], shrine, took control as mediators between the spirit and the Igbo communities, presided over divinations and fashioned ‘Ikenga’, ‘Okwute’ (ritual staffs) that combined both Igala and Igbo religious elements. The Attama thus became the major agents of Igala socio-cultural control. Several efforts to keep the Attama lineage Igala failed, eventually the priestly office has been greatly igbonized, even though the nominal Igala identification is still predominant. Many of the northern Igbo state settlements have lineages with Igala names, cultural practices with marked Igala modification and adaptations. The use of Igala circular basket in contrast to the Igbo rectangular types persists till this day. By the turn of the 19th century, the Igala empire was too large for any reliable and robust central control. Internal decay and implosion set in. The Fulani jihadists started contracting the Igala imperial power, conquered territories in the north switched tributes, forced or/and seceded from the Igala empire. The Bassa war added more pressure to the war-weary empire. The abolition of slave trade brought in untold economic recession. In 1914 the British burnt down Ibagwa and Obukpa as a punitive measure. By the 1920s, Igala empire was a spent force and a limping shadow, the British easily took over control of both Nsukka and the Igala territories.
The kingdom of Igala survived well into the 19th century, becoming a British protectorate in 1901.
See also
References
- Becky, Ahmadu. "CHAPTER TWO POLITICAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KINGDOM 1. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Igala Kingdom Gets New Attah". Information Nigeria. 17 December 2012.
- Ottah, Gabriel Alhassan (2015). "African Culture and Communication Systems in the Coronation of Ata Igala, North- Central Nigeria". International Journal of Arts and Humanities. 4 (3): 210 – via AJOL.
Further reading
- Isichei, Elizabeth. (1997). A history of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-45599-5.
| Nigerian traditional states | |
|---|---|
| Emirates | |
| Kingdoms | |
| Other | |