Nri is an
Igbo city-state in
Anambra State
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi St ...
,
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated f ...
. It was the seat of a powerful and imperial state who was influenced much by the territories inhabited by the
Igbo of
Awka
Awka () is the capital city of Anambra State, Nigeria. The city was declared capital on 21 August 1991, after the creation of Anambra and Enugu state, which moved the capital from Enugu to Awka (an administrative center since pre.-colonial times). ...
and
Onitsha
Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. I ...
to the east; the
Efik, the
Ibibio, to the south;
Nsukka
Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo.
The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively re ...
and
Asaba
Asaba is the capital city of Delta State, Nigeria. It is located at the western bank of the Niger River, in the Oshimili South Local Government Area. Asaba had a population of 149,603 as at the 2006 census, and a metropolitan population of ...
, and the
Anioma
Anioma people are a subgroup of the Igbo ethnic group in Delta State, Nigeria. They are made up of communities which span across 9 Local government areas and speak different varieties of the Igbo language, including the Enuani language, Ukwuani l ...
to the west. Today, Nri claims to be the heart and origin of the Igbos, but it is historically dated that Igbo Ukwu, formally known as Igbo, and Igbo Nkwo is the true origin and beginning of the Igbos.
History
The Nri clan existed from as far back as the 9th century. Nri (the founder of Nri clan) and Aguleri were two of the sons of
Eri (founder of
Aguleri) and had migrated to the present day Nri from the Anambra (Omambala) river valley (Eriaka) in Aguleri in Northern
Igboland
Igboland ( Standard ), also known as Southeastern Nigeria (but extends into South-Southern Nigeria), is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people.
It is a cultural and common linguistic region in southern Nigeria. Geographically, it is divide ...
. Nri was said to have inherited spiritual powers from his father. The Nri people belong to the Umueri clans who trace their origins to Eri.
Mythological Origin
In the Nri mythology, Nri sent by Chukwu to make peace (settle disputes and cleanse abominations) and provide Igbo people food (yam and cocoyam).
Sources
*
Elizabeth Isichei
Elizabeth Allo Isichei (born 1939 in Tauranga, New Zealand) is a Nigerian author, historian and academic. Her parents are Albert (an agricultural scientist) and Lorna Allo. On 23 July 1964 she married Uche Peter Isichei (a chemical pathologist) ...
, ''African before 1800'' (London: Longman, 1984).
*Elizabeth Isichei, ''A History of the Igbo People'' (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1976).
*Chikodi Anunobi, ''Nri Warriors of Peace'' (Zenith Publishers, January 2006)
*https://books.google.com/books?id=3C2tzBSAp3MC&pg=PA246&lpg=PA246&dq=nri+igbo+ukwu&source=web&ots=1gvnMpIuM-&sig=Femk-UEgQw2M_soZUAU3ZZ4GEv8
*http://essays.igbonet.com/EzeNriNriEnwelanaIIObidiegwuOnyeso/1005thIguAroNdIgbo/
*http://www.chikodianunobi.com/pages/PressRoom/Conversation_w_Cyril.htm
*http://www.kwenu.com/publications/anunobi/leadership_crises1.htm
*http://www.nrienweluana.com
{{Igbo topics
Nri-Igbo,
History of Nigeria