Читать книгу Igbo History Hebrew Exiles of Eri - Omabala Aguleri - Страница 21

We have read from this chapter of how some Israeli Jews who are anthropologist came to Aguleri in search of one of the lost tribes of Israel. We have also read that Eri had the attributes of someone who could belong to the house of the chosen ones of God. For instance, Igbo mythology described Eri as a king from the sky. Coming from the sky means coming from, God because there is the general belief that lives in heaven. Above it is the Sky. Aguleri folklore described Eri as a king who derived his legitimacy from God and who was destined to build the Igbo race. Another relevant pointer to this view is that Eri was deeply religious. He established the Igbo traditional religion and used the doctrines of Igbo religion to enhance the administration of the early settlement. For instance, the sacred temple of Obu-ga presently exposed in Aguleri is regarded by the descendants of Eri as the collective temple, which binds them to their common ancestor, Eri. Further Obu ga is a temple dedicated to the memory of Gad, the father of Eri. It will interest my readers to know that Obu ga means ‘the home of ga’. Obu means home and Ga is the name of the owner of the home. It cannot be ruled out that the word GA is a mispronunciation of Gad. Gad is one of the twelve sons of Jacob. It therefore stands to reason that the right pronunciation of Obu ga is Obu Gad. Obu Gad means the home of Gad. I would not like to believe that this is a mere coincidence when one considers that Eri was the son of Gad who was the son of Jacob. Furthermore, we all know that in Igbo tradition, fathers’ names are affixed to children’s names to ensure continuity and are named after places in memory of someone that needs to be remembered.

This is why the name Gad is given to a collective temple which binds the descendants of Eri to their common ancestor.

Furthermore, it may well be that Eri initially established the Jewish religion of his forefathers in Igboland but it became misinterpreted and misrepresented in time. The basic doctrine of Igbo religion is hinged on the unwritten commandments of God issued to Moses as found in the Jewish religion. Along the line there may be distortions here and there but the doctrines in both religions remain the same. I do not believe that it is a coincidence that the Igbo people in Nigeria are in the forefront of Christian religion, which traces its root to Jesus of the house of David and back to the house of Jacob. I equally do not believe that it is a mere coincidence that the first saint in the making in the person of Blessed Father Tansi is from Aguleri, which is the settlement of Eri and the ancestral home of all Igbo people.

As if these proofs are not sufficient, the author has driven his argument home when he discovered that there are African Hebrew Israelites who have practically claimed their root in Israel and are physically living in Israel in Peace Village in Dimona. He also discovered that there are African Palestinian Jews who live in Jerusalem Israel and claim citizenship.

There has been the argument that all Hebrew are light-skinned. Therefore, it is wrong to talk of Nigerian Igbo Hebrews since there were no original white or light-skinned Igbo. This is not true. An allusion to dark-skinned African Hebrews was made in Alaezi (1999) when he discussed the eventual return to Israel of all Jews scattered all over the world, including those from Africa. He commented that “Most of the African Jews or Hebrews are dark-skinned, maybe more dark-skinned than Zipporah, the African wife of Moses from the African town of Median, or the dark-skinned lover in King Solomon’s own SONG OF SOLOMON (1:5-6). She might represent other black women who went to Israel, the homeland of the Hebrews and slept with or married the Hebrews, and by extension of the argument begot black or dark-skinned Hebrews. “Dark am I, yet so lovely O daughters of Jerusalem… Do not stare at me because I am dark”. Before now, Keturah, the African woman whom Abraham took as wife after the death Sarah, had already begot for the Jewish world a generation of dark-skinned Hebrews. It is true that the emphasis was on the Hebrews not marrying foreigners. The reason was religious, not racial. In fact, when foreigners were willing to serve the God of Israel, they were welcomed”. This was the case where (see also the book of Ruth) the dark-skinned Hebrews also came into existence out of marriage between the Hebrews and dark-skinned Egyptians when the former were in slavery in Egypt. Therefore the assertion of Donin (1977.8), a renowned Jewish scholar, that the people of Israel “include those whose skins range from the lightest to the darkest in colours” makes a lot of sense.

Although some proponents of Eri migration differ in their assertions of the dates and periods of migration, the author is of the view that what is most important is the proof of the migration of Eri, the founder of Igbo race from the Hebrew state of Israel to Igboland and that the Eri we are talking about is the Eri of the House of Jacob and not Eri from the Sky.

We have also learnt that the work Igbo was neither a name of a person nor a name of the progenitor of Igbo race. The Word IGBO is a mispronunciation of the word Hebrew. The pronunciation was first Heebo and later Ibo, later Igbo.

Eri is the name of the progenitor of Igbo race. ERI, the founder of Igbo race, led the first batch of Hebrew Israelites into Eastern Nigeria. This is why history credits ERI as the founder of Igbo race in Nigeria.

In summary, the author has been able to assemble the works of anthropologists, historians, Bible authors and researchers who made progress in using the creationist and evolutionary theories. These, according to Prof. Onwuejeogu, are standard requirements for tracing the origin and migration of a people. In this case, that of Eri from Israel to Egypt; from Egypt to Sahara; from Sahara to Igala; and from Igala to the Igbo first settlement called Eri-Aka in Aguleri (Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State).