Nri is an
Igbo city-state in
Anambra State,
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, ...
. It was the seat of a powerful and imperial state who was influenced much by the territories inhabited by the
Igbo of
Awka and
Onitsha
Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...
to the east;south;
Nsukka and
Asaba. 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
Igbo land ( Standard ) is a cultural and common linguistic region in southeastern Nigeria which is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. Geographically, it is divided into two sections, eastern (the larger of the two) and western. Its popu ...
. 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, ''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&dq=nri+igbo+ukwu&pg=PA246
*
*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,
Nigerian traditional states