Aro People
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The Aro people or Aros are an Igbo group that originated from the
Arochukwu Arochukwu Local Government Area, sometimes referred to as Arochuku or Aro Oke igbo is the third largest local government area in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people. It ...
kingdom in present-day
Abia state Abia is a state in the Southeastern region of Nigeria. The state's capital is Umuahia and its most populous city is Aba. Abia is bordered the west by Imo, east by Cross River, south by Rivers, northwest by Anambra and northeast by Enug ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. The Aros can also be found in about 250 other settlements mostly in the Southeastern Nigeria and adjacent areas. The Aros today are classified as Eastern or Cross River Igbos because of their location, mixed origins, culture, and dialect. Their god, Chukwu Abiama, was a key factor in establishing the Aro Confederacy as a regional power in the Niger Delta and Southeastern Nigeria during the 18th and 19th centuries.


Origins and history

The history of the Aros predates Igbo migration and founding of the kingdom of Arochukwu. During the Bantu expansion, a group of Proto bantu migrated to the area and established the Mbot Abasi Kingdom. The Proto bantu group originally came from Usak Edet ( Isanguele), a segment of the Ejagham in present-day Southern Cameroon. Igbo migrations led by Eze Agwu from Abiriba and Nnachi from
Edda "Edda" (; Old Norse ''Edda'', plural ''Eddur'') is an Old Norse term that has been applied by modern scholars to the collective of two Medieval Icelandic literary works: what is now known as the ''Prose Edda'' and an older collection of poems ( ...
migrated into the Aro region started in the mid-17th century. These Igbo migrants were resisted by the indigenous proto Ibibios. The Aro-Ibibio Wars and the migration of the Akpa from east of the Cross River, formed the nation during the turning point of the 17th century to the 18th century. The
Efik The Efik are an ethnic group located primarily in southern Nigeria, and western Cameroon. Within Nigeria, the Efik can be found in the present-day Cross River State and Akwa Ibom state. The Efik speak the Efik language which is a member of the ...
were originally from the Ibom Kingdom and might have left before or during the Aro-Ibibio Wars. By this time, the
palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
and slave trade was popular in the hinterland. By the mid-18th century, there were mass migrations of Aro businessmen to the Igbo hinterland and adjacent areas. This migration, influence of their god Chukwu Abiama through priests, and their military power supported by alliances with several related neighboring Igbo and eastern Cross River militarized states (particularly Ohafia, Abam, Ihechiowa, Abiriba, Nkporo,
Afikpo Ehugbo often referred to as Afikpo, is the second largest urban area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Afikpo North Local Government Area. It is situated in the southern part of Ebonyi State and is bordered to the north by ...
, Ekoi, etc.) quickly established the Aro Confederacy as a regional economic power. However, Aro economic hegemony was threatened by the penetration of Europeans, mainly
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
colonists A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...
towards the end of the 19th century. Tensions finally led to bloodshed, and the Anglo-Aro war took place from 1901 to 1902. The Aro Confederacy stoutly resisted but eventually suffered defeat. This helped the British to occupy the rest of what became Eastern Nigeria.


Tradition

The Aros have a rich tradition. One factor is the Ekpe society which is a sacred society originally from east of the Cross River. The highly religious and judicial society took a major part in Aro society. The use of the writing system,
Nsibidi Nsibidi (also known as Nsibiri, Nchibiddi or Nchibiddy) is a system of symbols or proto-writing developed by the Ekpe secret society that traversed the southeastern part of Nigeria. They are classified as pictograms, though there have been sugges ...
, was based on secret societies like Ekpe. Uli, another writing system, occurred mostly in the form of body art. Another factor is the Chukwu Abiama Temple, which was mediated by the Aro priesthood. They influenced neighbors and allies before the British invasion and destruction of the Chukwu Abiama Temple and Aro priesthood. The Ekeleke masquerade activity was important in Aro settlements. Brought from the Aros in the western Niger Delta, it eventually spread to the
Oguta Oguta is a town on the east bank of Oguta Lake in Imo State of southeastern Nigeria. Oguta is called "Oguta-Ameshi" or "Ameshi"- by its aborigines. Indigenes - consists of two parts, the old part which holds the 27 villages of Oguta, and the ...
area. They also were known for wearing the popular "George" cloth. The Ikperikpe warrior dance was very famous among warriors in the old days and continues to be in use.


Largest settlements in Western Africa

*
Arochukwu Arochukwu Local Government Area, sometimes referred to as Arochuku or Aro Oke igbo is the third largest local government area in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people. It ...
* Aro Confederacy * Ezi Njoku History


References

*http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0438/is_1_35/ai_90331352/pg_5 *https://web.archive.org/web/20071009081317/http://www.aronetwork.org/others/ibini.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20070322182431/http://www.aronetwork.org/others/index.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20060212061924/http://africanevents.com/AroChuku2003AnnualDinner.htm {{Authority control Ethnic groups in Nigeria Ethnic groups in Cameroon Ethnic groups in Equatorial Guinea