IGBOS, OLDER THAN THE JEWS IN EXISTENCE
By Emeka Esogbue
The European commerce having entered the world stage and dominated the world had driven the belief that the original home of man was Europe but how wrong they were.
The European palaeontologists and archaeologists concentrated their efforts in Europe and Asia to the neglect of Africa as Africa was never considered a possible spatial original home of the human race.
In 1891, Eugene Dubous discovered a hominid fossil known as Pithecanthropus Erectus in Java, Indonesia and for many years it was the only available evidence of man's origination from Asia.
In 1908, the Europe became another theatre with the discovery of a complete skeleton of the Neanderthal man and Cro-Magnon and Grimaldi in Abbeville, France then there was the belief that man originated from Europe before dispersing to Asia and Africa.
Africa was totally excluded from the evolutionary development.
According to Nwanunobi (200:1) Biereenu-Nnabugwu (2005:28), "the view that Africa has no place in the process of man's separate evolutionary development, SED was effectively forward his discovery".
All of these changed when in 1925 Raymond Dart discovered the fossil called Australopithecus Africanus in South Africa. This was further sealed in the 1959 evidence of discovery of a fossil named Zinganthropus Boise in Oldvai George, Tanzania by Mary and Louis confirmed Africa, the world most ancient. This strengthened the belief that Africa is the original home of man.
Asians have also been battling to arrogate same belief to themselves. Biereenu-Nnabugwu references Jia Lanpo (1980) who in his study argues that Ramapitheous whose age is about that of Africa is an adequate evidence that Asia is man's first home.
Ironically, some typical Africans still claim to have originated from Europe and Asia. For instance, while the Yorubas claim the Middle East as their original home from where they arrived their present settlement, the Igbos of Nigeria specifically claim Israel. Some Igbo claim to be Jews perhaps due to the Bible link to the Asian nation and strong attachment to the Christian God. Africans are known to have the tendency to claim socially and religiously celebrated societies of Asia whereas they seem older than these places in existence.
In spite of this, some respected scholars of Igbo background argue against this. Nnabugwu (2005:45), Ezekwugo (1992:228), Ugonna (1985:11) and Onwuejeogwu believe that "the Igbo did not migrate from other lands. ...the Igbo people had settled in the thickly populated parts of Nri-Awka, Orlu, and Owerri axis far earlier than Hamistic migrations and dispersal of the so-called Black Jews".
Ugonna (1985), Uchendu and Onwuejeogwu adds that the Igbo did not migrate from anywhere but extends to Okigwe and Afikpo.
Xrydz-Eyutche (1979) wrote:
"Going back to 2555 BC and probably beyond, the Igbo were occupying their lonely spit in Africa without interference from outside world...being the nucleus of aborigines of West Africa...the Igbo have an original pre-history entirely its own as old as the pre-history of the entire continent".
Recently, Facebook writers have resurfaced this unproved idea of Igbo originating from Israel and unscholarly backing it up with DNA. However, it is questionable why Africans are always the ones claiming white origination while the whites do not do this. While the Europeans and Asians do not claim to be Blacks, Africans claim to be Europeans and Asians.
The Igbo and Yoruba scholars should go into deeper researches to unearth the histories of origins rather than cheaply claim the Middle East.
By Emeka Esogbue
The European commerce having entered the world stage and dominated the world had driven the belief that the original home of man was Europe but how wrong they were.
The European palaeontologists and archaeologists concentrated their efforts in Europe and Asia to the neglect of Africa as Africa was never considered a possible spatial original home of the human race.
In 1891, Eugene Dubous discovered a hominid fossil known as Pithecanthropus Erectus in Java, Indonesia and for many years it was the only available evidence of man's origination from Asia.
In 1908, the Europe became another theatre with the discovery of a complete skeleton of the Neanderthal man and Cro-Magnon and Grimaldi in Abbeville, France then there was the belief that man originated from Europe before dispersing to Asia and Africa.
Africa was totally excluded from the evolutionary development.
According to Nwanunobi (200:1) Biereenu-Nnabugwu (2005:28), "the view that Africa has no place in the process of man's separate evolutionary development, SED was effectively forward his discovery".
All of these changed when in 1925 Raymond Dart discovered the fossil called Australopithecus Africanus in South Africa. This was further sealed in the 1959 evidence of discovery of a fossil named Zinganthropus Boise in Oldvai George, Tanzania by Mary and Louis confirmed Africa, the world most ancient. This strengthened the belief that Africa is the original home of man.
Asians have also been battling to arrogate same belief to themselves. Biereenu-Nnabugwu references Jia Lanpo (1980) who in his study argues that Ramapitheous whose age is about that of Africa is an adequate evidence that Asia is man's first home.
Ironically, some typical Africans still claim to have originated from Europe and Asia. For instance, while the Yorubas claim the Middle East as their original home from where they arrived their present settlement, the Igbos of Nigeria specifically claim Israel. Some Igbo claim to be Jews perhaps due to the Bible link to the Asian nation and strong attachment to the Christian God. Africans are known to have the tendency to claim socially and religiously celebrated societies of Asia whereas they seem older than these places in existence.
In spite of this, some respected scholars of Igbo background argue against this. Nnabugwu (2005:45), Ezekwugo (1992:228), Ugonna (1985:11) and Onwuejeogwu believe that "the Igbo did not migrate from other lands. ...the Igbo people had settled in the thickly populated parts of Nri-Awka, Orlu, and Owerri axis far earlier than Hamistic migrations and dispersal of the so-called Black Jews".
Ugonna (1985), Uchendu and Onwuejeogwu adds that the Igbo did not migrate from anywhere but extends to Okigwe and Afikpo.
Xrydz-Eyutche (1979) wrote:
"Going back to 2555 BC and probably beyond, the Igbo were occupying their lonely spit in Africa without interference from outside world...being the nucleus of aborigines of West Africa...the Igbo have an original pre-history entirely its own as old as the pre-history of the entire continent".
Recently, Facebook writers have resurfaced this unproved idea of Igbo originating from Israel and unscholarly backing it up with DNA. However, it is questionable why Africans are always the ones claiming white origination while the whites do not do this. While the Europeans and Asians do not claim to be Blacks, Africans claim to be Europeans and Asians.
The Igbo and Yoruba scholars should go into deeper researches to unearth the histories of origins rather than cheaply claim the Middle East.
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