Kachi Amobi II

Just a few similar words presented out of thousands.

I wonder the shock waves it would generate when it is finally discovered that the "Indigenous - Strictly West African" Igbo language is actually the Middle Eastern Hebrew reconfigured by time.
That discovery would turn academia and genetic science upside-down.

Dialectal variations of dog in Igbo

Step-by-step similarity between the Igbo morning wash and the Jewish/Israel morning wash procedure

Kachi's Commentaries

𝘎𝘶𝘳: The Young Lion or the Fierce Leopard

Today, we leave our wilderness habitation at the foot of Mount Sinai and direct our focus to some debated words in the Igbo language.

The title as presented, "𝘎𝘶𝘳: The Young Lion or the Fierce Leopard," will likely lead the Igbo reader to correct me thus: Kachi, you have written 𝘎𝘶𝘳, where you certainly intended 𝘈𝘨𝘶.

I will tell you to hold your horses yet. I have made no error at all as I will show further on.

When Igbo discussions come around to naming the lion, the leopard, and occasionally the tiger, an argument arises. A good number of people believe the name of the lion or tiger to be 𝘈𝘨𝘶, while others insist that it refers to the leopard specifically.

A third emerging group argues that 𝘈𝘨𝘶 refers to several examples of predators.

The last proposition is what we will go with as it connects better to the historical origin of the word.

Historical Origin of the word 𝘈𝘨𝘶

𝘈𝘨𝘶, as a word in Igbo emerged from the Old Hebrew 𝘎𝘶𝘳 (גּוּר). 𝘎𝘶𝘳 (pronounced goo-r) specifically referred to any young predator, usually one still being nurtured. It covered an array of predators, including the young lion, the young leopard, the young wolf, and the young bear. All were 𝘎𝘶𝘳.

Juxtaposing that with the Igbo reality today, it is easy to see why the argument surrounding 𝘈𝘨𝘶 has persisted into modern discussions. The word, as passed down by the Igbo ancestors, referred to an array of predators. Therefore, trying to shrink its semantic territory to just the leopard stirs up opposing arguments from each section.

Meaning Shift in Igbo

It is pertinent to note that a linguistic change known as semantic broadening or elevation altered the scope of the word from referring to a young predator to nearly all predators across every age. This is akin to how the word "bird" was initially used in referring to young birds/nestlings but later expanded to becoming the name of the entire species.

For illustration, aside from referring to the leopard, lion, and sometimes tiger across all ages, the word 𝘈𝘨𝘶 now applies to animals like:
𝘈𝘨𝘶 𝘈𝘸𝘶𝘭𝘶 - The Wolf (?).
𝘈𝘨𝘶 𝘐𝘺𝘪 - The Crocodile
𝘈𝘨𝘶 𝘜𝘯ọ/𝘈𝘸𝘶 𝘜𝘯ọ - The Gecko
𝘈𝘨𝘶 𝘕𝘬𝘸ọ - The Hawk

Meaning Shift in Modern Hebrew

A mirror change has, however, occurred in the Hebrew speech of Judea, modern-day Israel.
𝘎𝘶𝘳 is now used—very informally—to refer to any creature in a young and vulnerable state.

That is, while the word originally denoted the characteristics of being young and predatory, the Igbo speakers later associated the word strictly with predatory nature.
On the other hand, the people in Judea now associate the word with vulnerability and a young stage of development. Talk about language divergence in motion.

Name Swapping Phenomenon

As noted above, some Igbo speakers will usually swap the name of the leopard for the lion. This is brought about in part by a symbolic overlap between the two animals in Igbo thought (such as how the traditional representation of bravery is either a lion's head or a leopard's head, 𝘐𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘶).

This reality, however, plays out nearly the same way in Judea.
The name for the leopard, 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳, is often used to refer to the tiger due to a symbolic overlap when considering both predators in Jewish understanding.

The above observations justify the maxim that the same people tend to have the same tendencies overall.

Coming back to Igbo understanding. There exists a cultural identity usually evoked as 𝘕𝘢𝘮 𝘈𝘨𝘶 in traditional settings and folklore music.

Considering that the word for leopard is specifically 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳 in Old Hebrew, it is not difficult to propose that the hard-to-recognise folk word 𝘕𝘢𝘮 𝘈𝘨𝘶 is actually 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘨𝘶 in a contracted form—a kind of reduplication for emphasis—which communicates literally that the speaker is specifically referring to the leopard predator.

By Kachi Amobi

I have told people in confidence that the traditionalists are hand in hand with the Islamists.

This fact is, however, hard to comprehend because many don't know the internal dynamics of these traditional cliques.

But all will be silenced forever soon.

Dialectal variations of one in Igbo

Short Notes on the Igbo Clans Part 5

By Kachi Amobi

Igweocha State

The area is found to the far south of Igboland and corresponds with today's Rivers state. Here, you find Igbo clans like Ikwerre, Etche, Ekpeye, Ogba, Ndoni, Ndoki, Opobo, Bonny, etc. You also find Igbo affliated/descended clans like Okrika, Kalabari, etc.

Ikwerre

This clan has its most senior community as Elele. Elele is respected as the cultural area most connected to the founding of the Ikwerre group.

Many Ikwerre communities speak a much divergent Igbo tongue, and this reality has, rather incredibly, become a tool of political division.
The Ikwerre people point to these differences in speech as evidence of a non Igbo ancestry.

Today, members of the Ikwerre group openly support antagonist moves against the Igbo.

Etche/Echie

This clan is much related to the Owerri people of Imo state. Some studies suggest that the Echie people may have been the wider group from which Owerri broke off. The clan leader of the Echie people is known as the Ochie of Echie.

Ogba/Ndoni/Ekpeye

The Ogba and Ekpeye people are said to share some links to the neighbouring Ikwerre people. These clans, much like the Ikwerre, present themselves as Bini people and deny any links to the Igbo. The problem with their claim is the undeniable Igbo dialect they speak and the Igbo culture they practice.

Ndoni is more related to the Igbos in Anioma, particularly the Ukwuani clan. Both Ndoni and the Ukwuani people share the same territory but are only divided geographically by the River Niger. Ndoni was, in fact, under the western region in colonial times, along with Ukwuani, etc.

Ndoki

The Ndoki are a riverine Igbo group like the Ogbaru, Oguta, and Anam. They are domiciled along the Imo River and have some connection to the neighbouring Ngwa in Abia state. The Ndoki are culturally and ancestrally connected to the Opobo, Bonny, and Okrika clans, who are now purely coastal dwellers.

Opobo and Bonny

These two clans are related and are culturally known as the Ubani people. The Bonny people are directly connected to the Ndoki and have a history that stretches back to pre-1400s.
Opobo is a much later breakaway from Bonny and was founded in the final decades of the 1800s. The three—Ndoki, Bonny, and Opobo—are a cultural triad held together by the same riverine/seaside culture and Igbo dialect.

Okrika

The Okrika people are descended from a group that left the Ndoki area centuries ago and migrated closer to the coast. In early Okrika history, they were famed for a strongly truculent disposition and persistent troublemaking along the coast. Today's politics of tribal denial, division, and violence have relegated Okrika to an abyss of underdevelopment.

Kalabari

The Kalabari are a very enterprising group and have an overarching presence in Rivers state. They are culturally and ancestrally linked to Arochukwu and many other Igbo communities in the hinterland.

But in particular, they share a long historical connection to Emohua, a community within Ikwerre. To this day, the historical affinity between both peoples is still felt and observed.

Kachi Amobi

‼️ High Alert ‼️

Bandit scare in Anambra State. Schools contemplating lockdown.

Kachi's Commentaries

𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦, The Afternoon Time: A Period of Devotion the Igbos Left Behind

For a people who have one of the most vibrant cultures in Africa and beyond, it comes across as paradoxical to observe just how much of Igbo culture has been lost in the present day.

With every breaking dawn, an entirely new aspect of Igbo history and worldview is uncovered, raising questions as to how significantly the Igbo people have drifted from an earlier existence.

In that spirit, we make yet another discovery. This time, it connects to the original meaning and understanding of the word 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦, which means afternoon in the Igbo language of this era. We will expand on the root of the word as well as discuss its entry into Igbo speech and communication.

The Root of the word 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦

In the Igbo language, sound communicates meaning. If there's a recurring sound across words, chances are, there's a recurring meaning present across these different words.

With this understanding in mind, when you assess the word 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦—depending on your disposition in the moment—you may or may not recognise an embedded theme within.

The recurring theme within the word is fe/ịfe.

Depending on your fluency in the language, you may also notice that the word 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦 communicates a continuous action. Much like the word 𝘜𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘶 for morning, which refers to a continuous picking (coined from the repeated action of picking manna every morning).

Another example is 𝘈𝘻𝘪𝘻𝘢 (a broom), which emerges from the verb Ọ𝘻𝘪𝘻𝘢 connoting "a sweeping motion."

So, ịfe is the action word from which 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦 emerges.

The Meaning of the word 𝘐𝘧𝘦

The meaning of the word depends on the tone applied on the ending vowel.

Ịfé (high tone) - means to wave back and forth, to move through the air as in the state of flying, or to sprinkle.

Ịfè (low tone) - refers to worship.

Ịfe can also mean "a thing," but this meaning is outside the focus of our discussion today.

The History and Evolution of Ịfé and Ịfè

Both of these words as observed in the Igbo language, are modern representations of their earlier forms. Ifé and Ifè were originally nofef, nuf, and nup. These three words are Old Hebrew and refer to the actions of waving back and forth and sprinkling. A later adaptation in Hebrew speech connected these words to worship.

The connection between waving and worshipping emanated from the fact that the priest's offerings were literally waved back and forth (and up and down) before God at the altar.
This is the underlying reason why the Igbo way of saying "to worship God" is 𝘐𝘧𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘬𝘸𝘶, which strategically sounds like "to wave at God."

How These Terms Connect to 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦, the Afternoon Period

To recognise the underlying idea of the word 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦, we must once again revisit the Exodus era of Hebrew history, which is a foundational phase of the Hebrew identity.

During the forty-year period spent in the wilderness, the LORD commanded the Igbo ancestors to carry out a daily sacrifice and worship during the afternoon. The reason for this was to ensure that His Holy Presence could continue to abide in their midst and directly transmit His laws in preparation for them to become a nation of their own.

The LORD also commanded all Israelites—today's Igbos and Judeans alike—to continue this practice until the end of time.

This particular command, therefore, cemented in the consciousness of the Old Igbos that the afternoon was a time of worship, hence the word Ọ𝘧𝘶𝘧𝘦, and eventually 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦 as pronounced today.

Maintaining This Standard Afterwards

Beyond the Exodus era and down to this day, the Judeans have continued to keep this command as instituted by YHVH in the wilderness.
The only difference is that the afternoon sacrifice, which was a burnt offering in those days, has been replaced by a mandatory national prayer in the afternoon. So they have continued Ọ𝘧𝘶𝘧𝘦/𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦 successfully.

Within the Igbo settings, however, things have advanced differently. Due to a separation from the larger body of Israelites, aspects of our heritage have practically fallen away. The
foundational understanding of 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦 (afternoon) being the time of worship to the LORD is officially lost to the modern-day Igbo.

In fact, it has been lost for so long that one cannot pinpoint in what era this practice ended. But somewhere in the last thousand years is the best guess.
The only remnant we have from what our ancestors bequeathed to us is the name itself 𝘌𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦/Ọ𝘧𝘶𝘧𝘦.

Conclusion

As a people going through a revivalist period in readiness for nationalist restoration, the Igbo people must begin to reinstate this and other similar ideas that have been lost over time. We must remember that without YHVH's commands being upheld, there can be no Israel or any likeness of it we yearn for ourselves.

By Kachi Amobi

Dialectal variations of maiden in Igbo