MY TAKE ON THE ORIGINS OF NDIGBO
One: Eri is not the father of ALL Igbo. There were autochtonous Igbo of the Nsukka and Ehugbo areas who were existing before Eri arrived in the Omabala area of Igbo land, if we are to measure by all the available records and dates of his arrival. Two: It appears Eri was the first man to successfully organize and popularize A culture of the Igbo to other areas of Igbo lands, subsuming OTHER Igbo cultures in the assimilation process. This even goes down to the Eri creation myth being popular in many parts of Igbo land than other Igbo creation myths. Three: It appears Eri might have had contact with Egypt or Israel or contact with a culture that had had contact with Egypt or Israel. Many aspects of the culture made popular by Eri bear the Semitic mark. Four: The Igbo is not one nation. It is made up of many smaller cultures and peoples. Only two known attempts have been made to bring all the groups into an empire-like union for religious and commercial purposes. Thes...