Nri in the Awka area is the cradle of Igbo civilization and culture...it is the Mecca of Igboland...also one of the oldest kingdoms (if not the oldest) in Nigeria earlier than 500 BC...it was the spiritual and economic center of Igboland, parts of Edoland (later became the Benin Empire), and Igalaland (later became the Igala empire) at its prime in the 12nth-15nth centuries...their culture, tradition, and philosophy was centered on peace, harmony, knowledge, wisdom, justice, and oneness with Creation (Chi, Aja Ana, Anyanwu, Igwe, and etc) and the Creator (Chineke)...Eze Nri (Divine king of Nri) was the traditional Igbo pope and he and his mediators (real Nze and Ozo men) spread peace and civility throughout the land and found many settlements abroad...they are responsible for the Igbo Ukwu sites, Four market days, Nsidibi, Okonko society, Ozo/nze title systems, Igu alu, and etc...
Unfortunately they declined after the 15nth century due to internal disputes and the slave trade...this led to the rise of bloody imperialistic states like Benin and Igala and greedy commercial oracular oligarchies like the Aro Confederacy, Awka, Umunoha, and etc...however, Nri stood against slavery and the Osu caste systems and was still a safe haven for ALL PEOPLE...including runaway slaves...
The British hated the Nri Kingdom and until 1911, repeatedly attempted to invade Nri which always ended in complete failure....The British never defeated Nri militarily...they made negotiations and threats to Eze Nri Obalike (Last Divine King of Nri Kingdom before colonialism) that they will commit genocide against all Igbos if he did not commit a taboo of leaving Nri Kingdom (Eze Nris were not allowed to leave Nri)...Eze Nri Obalike agreed to leave Nri in order to save innocent lives...the British managed to almost destroy what was left of Nri's influence by 1911 through their mischief...
Nri people are descendants of Eri (manifestor) and his son Nri (manifestation) the fathers of Igbo civilization...Eri founded Aguleri and the Umueri clan through his other children but he gave his powers to Nri who migrated from Aguleri and founded the Nri kingdom...
The cross migration of Nri-Igboland was great...therefore it is impossible to say "I have more Nri then you"...there is a little bit of Nri in all of us...Igbo is Nri and Nri is Igbo...you are Nri and Nri is you...
*60% of African Americans have at least one Igbo ancestor...Igbo captives and traders also came in large numbers to Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Trinidad, Dominican Republic, and through out the Western hemisphere
-Chi Bless
Eze Nri Ènweleána II Obidiegwu Onyeso...16nth recorded King of Nri
And more...
http://www.chikodianunobi.com/pages/books-in-print/nri/tranditions_beliefs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nri_kingdom
http://www.springerlink.com/content/r52vw2388641744h/
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/igbo/hd_igbo.htm
http://archaeology.about.com/od/iterms/g/igbo_ukwu.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKTP_HkpGd4
Unfortunately they declined after the 15nth century due to internal disputes and the slave trade...this led to the rise of bloody imperialistic states like Benin and Igala and greedy commercial oracular oligarchies like the Aro Confederacy, Awka, Umunoha, and etc...however, Nri stood against slavery and the Osu caste systems and was still a safe haven for ALL PEOPLE...including runaway slaves...
The British hated the Nri Kingdom and until 1911, repeatedly attempted to invade Nri which always ended in complete failure....The British never defeated Nri militarily...they made negotiations and threats to Eze Nri Obalike (Last Divine King of Nri Kingdom before colonialism) that they will commit genocide against all Igbos if he did not commit a taboo of leaving Nri Kingdom (Eze Nris were not allowed to leave Nri)...Eze Nri Obalike agreed to leave Nri in order to save innocent lives...the British managed to almost destroy what was left of Nri's influence by 1911 through their mischief...
Nri people are descendants of Eri (manifestor) and his son Nri (manifestation) the fathers of Igbo civilization...Eri founded Aguleri and the Umueri clan through his other children but he gave his powers to Nri who migrated from Aguleri and founded the Nri kingdom...
The cross migration of Nri-Igboland was great...therefore it is impossible to say "I have more Nri then you"...there is a little bit of Nri in all of us...Igbo is Nri and Nri is Igbo...you are Nri and Nri is you...
*60% of African Americans have at least one Igbo ancestor...Igbo captives and traders also came in large numbers to Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Trinidad, Dominican Republic, and through out the Western hemisphere
-Chi Bless
Eze Nri Ènweleána II Obidiegwu Onyeso...16nth recorded King of Nri
And more...
http://www.chikodianunobi.com/pages/books-in-print/nri/tranditions_beliefs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nri_kingdom
http://www.springerlink.com/content/r52vw2388641744h/
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/igbo/hd_igbo.htm
http://archaeology.about.com/od/iterms/g/igbo_ukwu.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKTP_HkpGd4