Hebrews Words of Igbo Origin - Onyeji Nnaji

 

The image of Eri, the fist Igbo ancestor

P. E. Okwoli, a historic Igala writer made a staring remark that, when people speak like another people or share similar cultural properties with others, it becomes expedient to know that they had had encounters in the past. Okwoli, by this, was of the opinion that similarities in cultural practices or language could be evidence of biological relationship or a proof of meetings in the past. These are natural phenomena; but in Africa (especially Nigerians) these relationships have been utterly misinterpreted to mean a place of origin for the part of Nigeria concerned. Nigerians do not think of peopling others, instead they subscribe to the later.

In 2003, Dr. Atkinson and Russell Gray, another biologist at the University of Auckland carried out a succession of the sequence of research Arkinson's earlier research on the origin of the human tongue and came to the conclusion that, "The presence of a particular language in many other languages does not means that it was sourced from those languages; rather it is a proof that other languages sprung from it". If this conclusion is taken to digest, considering the presence of Igbo language in all the languages of ancient civilizations, it may be concluded that they all sprung from Igbo. For, as there are Igbo language in Hebrew, there are also presence of igbo language in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Dravidia, Kikuyu of Kenya, The Zulus of South African etc. Does it mean that Igbo ancestors had travelled through all these places to form the Igbo race or rather that they actually founded those areas? The answers are in the topics below.

Origin of Africa

African Genesis

The first person to posit any relationship between Igbos and Jews was Olaudah Equianio. In his autobiography, he states:

“Such is the imperfect sketch my memory has furnished me with of the manners and customs of a people among whom I first drew my breath. And here I cannot forbear suggesting what has long struck me very forcibly, namely, the strong analogy which even by this sketch, imperfect as it is, appears to prevail in the manners and customs of my countrymen and those of the Jews, before they reached the Land of Promise, and particularly the patriarchs while they were yet in that pastoral state which is described in Genesis–an analogy, which alone would induce me to think that the one people had sprung from the other.”

People should stop interpreting the cultural similarities of the Igbo and Israel to mean that one migrated from the other. How long shall we continue to bear the names given to us by foreigners even when we have names given to us at birth. Igbo name children after ancestors, mourn deaths, observe circumcision etc. each of which has an aspects of the Igbo history it depicted. Israel observe almost all of these; but rather than allow them to form parts of their history, they claimed their God told their father to observe them. But people have not studied to realise that the word ''Hebrew" originated from Moses in Egypt and that it  was the same Moses who invented the Hibrew tongue. If you read the late 19th century publication of Rudolph R. Windsor you will see how Hebrew tongue was formed. If you want to know the origin of this deceitful claim, read the next subheading below.

The Confusionists' Claims

White men found it very difficult to give a possible definition of the Igbo race. I do not blame them much because, even among the Igbo, greater in the population do not know who they are as Igbos let alone knowing their history. It wasn't a surprise to me hearing a big political researcher like Simon Ekpa and the academic, Dr. Nelly Ofoegbu insisting that Iduu was the ancient name of Biafra. It was clear that these people have drank from the waters of Jordan. Do you know the cause of this loss of self? It resulted from inadequate research. Ottenberg Simon agrees with me in the following excerpt.

Considering the size and importance of the Igbo, very little research and publication has been undertaken on them, not only in history but in anthropology and other fields, compared to, say, the Yoruba or Ashanti (Igbo Religion, 120)

Ottenberg was a Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Washington, who conducted several anthropological findings in Igbo land. Some of his bestselling books include Double Descent in African Society: a Study of Afikpo Village groups, Igbo Religion and Social Life etc. The excerpt above came from the latter book. The problem is still researchers' inability to dig deep to find hidden aspects of Igbo life. This is one reason for the speculated Igbo migration from Middle East.

George Basden who wrote in 1912, pointing out certain constructions found in the Igbo language and what he considered the deep religious feeling of the people, propagated the view that Igbo culture probably evolved under the impact of the Levitical Code. Impressed by what he considered the superior intelligence of the Aro Igbo and by their religious systems and rituals, he and Sir Herbert Richmond contended that the Aro carried Hamitic blood in their veins and that it was under their leadership that the “higher” aspects of Igbo culture had evolved.

Similarly, impressed by Igbo sun-worship and by the feature of dual organization in their social structure, M.D.W.  Jeffrey held that the Igbo, at some stage in the past, had come under Egyptian influence. Jeffrey helplessly concluded that the carriers of this Egyptian influence probably were the Nri of Awka in northern Igboland. Jeffrey could conclud wrongly this way because, about that time he was too shallow to have read books that would have taught him better. Had he read books like the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Before the Pyramids, Reminiscence, Myths or Reality etc. he would have known that it was rather the Egyptians who carried the Igbo culture to Egypt. How did they do this? Read the books above and you will see that Egyptian Civilization was the product of the Nsukka civilization. If you want the whole information in a jiffy, then see The History and Origin of Egypt.

Another error is the application of the Oriental hypothesis to Igbo cultural history by colonial officials. It enforced a propagandistic side to those confusionists' claims. These men refused to concede the Igbo cultural traits which they traced to the East could indicate that the Igbo came from there. To do so would, in the intellectual climate of the time, have been to assign this despised colonial people a higher place on the world tree of culture than the colonial masters would have found convenient. Instead, the colonial theorists claimed that these traits showed that the Igbo had once been under Egyptian or Jewish cultural dominance. 

Implicit in this claim was the idea, not hitherto emphasize by anyone, that British colonialism was not a radical departure from the past, but in some sense a continuation of the cultural education of the Igbo which had been started long ago by the Egyptians. In this regard it is revealing that the Oriental hypothesis was imported as an explanation of Igbo history in the 1920s, when the colonial government was experiencing great difficulty in the administration of the Igbo. It was in this situation that it came to be argued first that Igboland had once been under Egyptian influence, second that the spread of Egyptian culture in Igboland was the work of a small elite, who after interbreeding with the people, became the Nri and Aro of today, and third that if the British really wanted to rule the Igbo “indirectly”, then they had to do so through the Nri and the Aro. 

Colonial Masters knew the truth about the Igbo race. If you study the works of MacGregor you will notice that they knew that the human history evolved from Africa, but the exact point and people among whom human history stemmed was the big question. If you read the account of Mungo Park's expedition of the Niger, you will hear him say that he was told already before the journey that the river has a course: flowing towards the place of beginning. Read also the account of the missionary, Pa Elton, and hear him lament that we did not know that creation began with us. So, when they stepped into Igboland, they sought to hear our story but could not untill 1911 when Eze Nri (Obalike) told the Igbo story at a court in Awka.

Unfortunately, the more curious historians and archaeologists who had had their minds deluged by the thought of Egypt and Israel origin for the Igbo race were not there. Yes, the likes of Basden and Jeffrey were not there to hear the truth. That is why someone would wake up today to say that Ndigbo originated from Egypt which was founded by Umudiala pygmies or Israel who wedded Igbo culture into theirs from Egypt. Abomination! Researchers who want to have glimpse of Igbo history should read the works of Northcote Thomas. He was in the meeting when Obalike told the world who we are for the first time. Read the works of Onwuejiogwu and learn what the Igbo origin is.

Hebrews Words Traced to Igbo

It will be very abstruse to believe easily that there could be evidences of Igbo words in the Hebrew tongue. But this is not supposed to be too exotic since the Hebrew’s were civilized by the Egyptians whom we have found above with several instances of Igbo words. In the second chapter of the book, Reminiscence: Comparative Study of World Ancient Civilization from Adam to Peopling of Ancient Egypt, it was uncovered that the Hebrew did not have original tongue. Of course, instances of words belonging to other languages such as Egypt and Sumer should veritably sustain this claim. 

A little part of these borrowing Nnaji notified in the Sumer civilization discussed in the third chapter of the book mentioned above. We can assert here that the borrowing might have come from the heavy influences of these two languages which also had the presence of the Igbo language. Cursorily, we can identify few words that look similar in related sound and similar meaning to Igbo from the Hebrew. It is evident that the few words below have Igbo origin:

Hebrew words	Implied Meaning	Igbo equivalents	Impied Meaning
Amar	Command	(h)amara or mara	Command
Hayah	Let there be	Haa ya	Let it be/let there be
Hayah uwr	Let there be light	Haa ya owuru	Allow it to lit
Hayawu	Name of the creating deity	Anyanwu	Sun (Igbo also take the sun as the creation deity).
Genesis	Go to the beginning	Ge n’isisi	Go to the beginning

These were the few words uncovered by the eminent professor, Late Prof. Catherine Acholonu. Further studies have uncovered more words that directly point towards Igbo origin. Some of the words are shown below.

Hebrews:             Igbo:         Meaning:

Adah/Ada            Ada           First Daughter  

Agur                     Agu           Lion 

Ahi                       Ahia          Market 

Amarih               Amara       Grace 

Ara                      Ara             Mad

Ayya                    Anya          Eye

Aziza                   Aziza         Broom

Chema                Chima        God knows 

Eber                   Ebere          Mercy

Ezer                    Eze              king/Chief

Geba                  Gaba           Move on 

Hagaba             Ha gaba       Let them go 

Salu                   Dalu             Well done

Raphu               Rapu            Leave it 

Sobe                  Sobe             Follow 

Ubal                  Uba               Wealth 

Zaam                Zaam            Please answer me

With all these proves placed before you as a researcher or a histrian, what could you make of the relationship between the Igbo and the Hebrews? If you still think it was Igbo who acquired these words from Hebrew, then you need further mental correction. If you seek a better information about the prehistory of Nri kingdom, one staring information you will get to your surprise is that, the kingdom comprised Eze Nri encopporating such leadership as Oba and Ezeadama (translated to mean the head/king of the created man). People find it very hard to take to memory that, before the flood of old, the descendants of Adam lived in Africa before Noah's boat sailed on the flood waters. This was the sole reason why Igbo language is prominent in Sumerian document.

If Sumerian writings have evidence of Igbo language, and the same language features are present in Egyptian language and culture, one with human brain in his skull should think and understand that the Hebrew must have acquired Igbo language in their civilization days. For, since Igbo language is the language of the gods, it is apparent that, to be launched into the aura of power for mystic application, they need Igbo to construct the mystery in their Hebrew tongue. 

Note: Igbo bu mmuo; they existed before Adam. Obalike said this and the Holly Scripture supports him in the creation story. You may refer to the works below for more information.

How the Bible Discussed African Origin

Adam Lived with Igbo Fathers