THE END THE IGBO HISTORY MYTH.

 BENIN ROOT OF ONITSHA-
BY UGONABO ONWA AMENE ESQ.
Our history as a people should neither be a mystery nor a guess work. It must be written by us for us based on our knowledge of what was, what is and what will forever be as children of Onicha: a divine town of assured prospects; a town that was oriented and aligned to sacred stars of the immortal galaxies; a town, that was divinely inspired and strategically founded on the sacred banks of God's own river, the Niger. Onicha, the sacred abode, uniquely ordained to soar and tower above all obstacles; a town, where the immortal flame of God's own love will forever glow. Onicha-Ado n' Idu! Atulukpa Ose! Onicha, oke Ebo na eri agu! Eke nwe ovia! (The royal python that reigns in the the sacred forest!) Oke Nnunu Mmuo n' ebe n' oku!(The great mystical bird that perches on deadly flames and yet remains immuned from the inferno!) Onicha; my Onicha, our Onicha, the divine breasts whose nourishing milk has sustained all from the misty dawn of times!

The word "Onitsha" is an alienization of the proper spelling of our correct name "Onicha". From my research, this word was first used by Mungo Park in his reports of his expedition amongst the Niger people and this was continued by other Europeans. The compound term "tsha" is non-existent in any African or Igbo syntax. We should abandon the perpetuation of this anomaly and revert to the correct form of our name: Onicha. The ancestral name of our beloved town is "Onicha-Mmili".This was to distinguish it from our other kinsmen at other Onicha settlements on the West of the Niger, like "Onicha-Ugbo"; "Onicha-Olona"; "Onicha-Ukwu"; and other blood relatives that branched out from the major migrational group to develop those settlements on the West of the Niger or "Enu Ani". It is really sad that these days, our interactions and dynamics with these our blood relatives at Enu Ani have become almost extinct.

My immortalized and legendary kinsman, Chief Philip Okonkwo Anatogu, the Onowu Iyasele of Onitsha, once explained that the word "Onicha-Ado N' Idu" referred to the Nation of all Onicha stock that made the exodus from the Idu land. Idu was one of the names for ancient Egypt. "Idu" or "Edo" was later corrupted to Edo and was usurped by the Benin nation. The Iyasele explained that the towns of Onicha-Mmili, Onicha-Ugbo, Onicha-Olona, Onicha-Ukwu, Issele-Ukwu, Issele Mkpitima, Ezzi, Obamkpa and other towns of Benin migrational orientation were all collectively referred to as "Onicha Ado n' Idu" by the Edos! Over the years when Onicha-Mmili became very accomplished, the usage of the name "Onitsha Ado n' Idu" appeared to have been narrowed down to her. Many of our brethren at Enu Ani had criticized this as what they perceived as an attempt by Onicha-Mmili to solely assume what was a national identity of all Onicha children. Who are Ndi Onicha? Onye ka anyi bu? Ebe ka anyi sii? Anyi abu ndi Edo/Idu/Benin?
However, many of our traditional titles are the same with the Edos/Binis: Onicha titles like "Iyasele" is "Iyasere" in Bini; "Ogene Onira" is "Oliha" in Benin; "Odu Osodi" is "Osodin" in Benin; "Omodi Daike" in Onitsha is "Edaiken" in Benin; "Esagba" in Onitsha is "Esogban" in Benin; the "Isama" titles are the same in both towns amongst many others. The "Obi" of modern Onitsha today is the continuation of the ancient Pharonic dynasty of ancient Kemet or Egypt. Onitsha must retrace the history of her monarchs from his imperial Majesty Obi Achebe back to the Ogiso Kings of Igodomigodo in Edo, then to Egypt; to Pharoah Tutankhamon, Pharoah Amenemhet, Pharoah Amenemes, Pharoah Amenkhuti Ra; Pharoah Khafara, and back to the first dynasty in Egypt. Enough of this tracing of our kingship to just Obi Oreze or his father Ohime(corrupted to "Chima") by his later descendants. Onicha people came from Benin or Edo land, they were also in Igbo land. I suspect that the Priests of Nri were distantly connected, that is why till date an Nri King upon consecration must bring certain sacrifial items to the Obi of Onicha and must sleep over in Onicha before assuming the Nri throne. Why would the very traditional Nri people who were(and still are) known all over the Igbo land as a holy people and the spiritual custodian of all Igbo lands, accord these rights to Onicha Kings? All these indicate that Onicha and many other tribes had had prior interactions and established certain traditional precedence which had been ongoing before the Onicha town was founded just around 700 hundred years ago. No Nri man would just concede to subject his divine King to some unknown immigrants who just crossed over from the Niger River, if that were to be the case.

BENIN EMIGRATION OR EXODUS:
The migration of Onicha people from Benin happened in phases over many years and did not happen once. The Ohime/Obi Ezechima's exodus was one of the last ones that occurred but it should be noted that not all Onicha people left with Obi Eze Chima or Ohime. Some stayed back and are still in Benin today. Some took a different migrationary route towards Ile Ife and Ado Ekiti. Some went to establish Ondo. Some made a northern migrational journey towards the north to establish the Igala Kingdom.The Attah of Igala and a substantial part of the Igala kingdom were Onicha people who immigrated into Igala from Benin. The first Attah of Igala was a Prince of the Edo/Benin Kingdom. Now it can be understood why the Onicha people were ferried across the Niger and greatly assisted by their Igala kinsmen when they reached the banks of the Niger river. It can also be understood why Onicha people easily incorporated many Igala rituals and traditions into their own concepts. They were of the same roots but different branches. Onicha people left Benin to establish Igala; that was the secret behind the easy adoption of and exchange of different tenets amongst Onicha and Igala people.

Some Onicha people, before Eze Chima's exodus, had left Benin to establish other towns like Issele Ukwu, Ebu, Kwale, Ezzi, Onicha-Ukwu, Okpanam, Asaba(originally called "Araba") and some other towns of Benin orientation that had been established before the Ezechima's exodus from Benin.. It was these settlements that habored Obi Ohime/Ezechima when he and his family fled from Benin. The migration from Benin to Onicha Mmili took many years, towns of Onicha-Olona and Onicha-Ugbo were established by Onicha people who felt reluctant to continue and follow Obi Ohime to Onicha-mmili.

ESTABLISHMENT OF ONICHA-MMILI AND HER RULING DYNASTY:
Obi Ohime or Eze Chima, having been told that he could not enter Onicha, stayed for a long time in Obio with his family and relatives before he died. After he died, his relatives decided to continue with their migration to establish Onicha. The qualification for whom shall be crowned king was conditioned upon who shall sound ancient rhythms on a wooden Ufie. Traditionally, Ufie cannot be owned or be sounded/beaten by a person whose father is still alive. The contestants to the throne having just lost their father, had no ufie, however, Oreze Obi, had carved one which he hid under the boat and sounded first upon getting to Onicha whilst his siblings were busy looking for the appropriate wood to cut for the Ufie.

The contestants to the throne were Oreze, Ukpali, Agbor Chima, Ekensu(Aboh Chima), Obio, Obamkpa and Isele. All these men were all children of Eze Chima. This is very important because I have read some articles being written about "non-royal and royal" Onitsha families by people who are very ignorant of our history. Dei Ogbuevi was uterine brother of Eze Chima and was therefore not excluded from Onicha kingship unlike the children of Eze Chima outlined above. That is why any Dei descendant can still aspire to the Oncha throne, unlike the descendants of the children of Eze Chima that contested the throne. Rather than contest the election of their sibling, they resolved to emigrate from Onicha and go back to "Enu Ani" to establish their own clans. Thus Obamkpa, left to establish Obamkpa town. Umuasele, Iyiawu and Umu Odimegwu Gbuagwu villages are all descended from Obamkpa. Ukpali went to found Agbor and Ekensu went to found Aboh. After, Ojedi's sacrifice of her life tosave Onicha, her father Dei, left Umudei village to reside with his nephew Ukpali who had founded Aboh town(because then, it was a taboo for a child to die before the parents.) Whilst at Aboh, Dei had more children, who just like their Aboh relatives, became very wealthy by fishermen and traders. These children of Dei in Aboh, whenever they came to Onicha to trade and market their wares, would spend some days with their relatives at Umudei village. Some later settled at Umudei after exchanging marital vows with other Onicha people and founded the "Ogbe Onira" clan in Umudei village, a very spiritual, mystical and tough clan. The term "Aboh Rika" is now being erroneously applied to all Umu Dei people, but this is historically incorrect. It was originally used for Ogbe Onira clan because of their "Dei-Aboh" roots. Till date, our relatives from Aboh town are saluted with "Abohrika". It literarily means Aboh predominates! One always sees that pride wherever children of Eze Chima are founded.

When Dei later left Aboh, he went and founded Oguta town in Imo State and till date, only descendants of Dei can assume the throne of Oguta town. In Oguta today, the Umudei Village exists. Traditionally, whenever, the Obi of Oguta visited Onicha-Mmili, he would first go to the Diokpa of Umudei village who would then accompany him to the Obi of Onicha.

ONICHA TRADITIONAL CONCEPTS OF SPIRITUALITY:
Onicha people traditionally believe in one omnipotent God whom we call"Ose Ebuluwa" or "Osa Ebuluwa" ( "Olisa Ebuluwa".) One of the original ancient Egyptian, Kemetic names of God, was "Osa". The Greeks changed it to "Osiris". Another name of God in ancient Egypt was "Ra". In Onicha today we bear the names "Chukwu Ra" etymologically it alluded to "Ra", the high spirit. It was this aspect of God that the Jews worshipped that is why the term"RA" is reflected in many Jewish and Isreali names. Terms like (Abraham); Ab "Ra" ham, (Israel): Is "Ra" el, {Sarah};Sa "Ra" h, (Raphael);"Ra" phael, (Gabriel);Gab "Ra" el, (Ariel); A "Ra" el, (Mount Ararat);A,ra "Ra" t, and so many others. Could these be "just" coincidental?

In Benin, God is called "Osa No Obuwa", which has the same etymological root with "Ose Ebuluwa". The closest transliteration (it cannot be adequately translated into English) of the term "Osebuluwa" can be glimpsed if one attempts to etymologize the term "Osebuluwa". The term is derived from "Ose/Osa(mystical force/being), ebili(waves), uwa(world), Osebuluwa therefore, subject to my human limitations, means "The mystical being whose waves sustain the world." Going into the mystical and esoteric meaning of "OLISA": which literarily means "the devourer of mystical seven", would cast me beyond the scope of this article. MAKA NA IVIE LIE ISAA ONAA! (WHATEVER DEVOURS SEVEN CEASES TO EXIST!)

The name Ose Ebuluwa was (still is) deemed so holy that the Onicha men, especially Priests of Nze(Agbalanze) would not respond to any greetings from family members upon waking up in the morning, until they ritually cleansed their mouths with (chewing stick) Atu Oborsi, bathed and then faced the direction of the rising sun to pronounce the sacred name "Ose Ebuluwa". He does this whilst standing in a very consecrated and hallowed ground called "Ani Ezi". This name is very powerful:none should dare to falsely swear in this name. Our ancestors were spiritually advanced to know that God had no gender, we therefore till date ascribe no gender to God unlike in our European oriented creeds.