The Kingdom of Nri () was a medieval polity located in what is now
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of
Igboland
Igboland (Standard ), also known as Southeastern Nigeria (but extends into South-Southern Nigeria), is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people.
It is a cultural and common linguistic region in southern Nigeria. Geographically, it is divided b ...
, and was administered by a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
-
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
called an ''
Eze Nri
The following is a list of rulers of Nri. The title of the ruler of Nri is ''Eze Nri''. He held religious and political authority over the Kingdom of Nri.
The Nri culture is believed to stretch back to at least the 13th century, with a traditiona ...
''. The ''Eze Nri'' managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people, a subgroup of the
Igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...
-speaking people, and possessed divine authority in religious matters.
The kingdom was a haven for all those who had been rejected in their communities and also a place where slaves were set free from their bondage. Nri expanded through converts gaining neighboring communities' allegiance, not by force.
Nri's royal founder,
Eri
Eri may refer to:
People
* Eri (biblical figure)
* Eri (given name), a Japanese feminine given name, including lists of people and fictional characters
* Eri (king), the progenitor of the Umu-Eri and Umu-Nri-Igbo ancient Nigerian city-states
* ...
, is said to be a 'sky being' that came down to earth and then established civilization. One of the better-known remnants of the Nri civilization is manifested in the igbo ukwu artifacts.
Nri's culture permanently influenced the Northern and Western Igbo, especially through religion and taboos.
The kingdom appears to have passed its peak in the 18th century, encroached upon by the rise of the
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
and
Igala kingdom, and later the
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
, but it appears to have maintained its authority well into the 16th century, and remnants of the ''
eze
Eze (pronounced ) is an Igbo word which means King. Such words as Igwe and '' Obi'', plus others, are used by Igbo people as titles of respect and homage to the Eze. Igwe is derived from the Igbo word ''Igwekala'' or ''Eluigwekala'', "the sky or ...
'' hierarchy persisted until the establishment of
Colonial Nigeria
Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain a ...
in 1911 and represents one of the
traditional states within modern
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
History
The Nri kingdom is a kingdom within the Igbo area of Nigeria. Nri and Aguleri, where the Umueri-Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umu-Eri clan, who trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure,
Eri
Eri may refer to:
People
* Eri (biblical figure)
* Eri (given name), a Japanese feminine given name, including lists of people and fictional characters
* Eri (king), the progenitor of the Umu-Eri and Umu-Nri-Igbo ancient Nigerian city-states
* ...
.
[Isichei, page 246—247] Eri's origin is unclear, though he has been described as a "sky being"
sent by
Chukwu
Chukwu is the supreme being of Igbo spirituality. In the Igbo pantheon, Chukwu is the source of all other Igbo deities and is responsible for assigning them their different tasks. The Igbo people believe that all things come from Chukwu, who b ...
(God).
[Uzukwu, page 93] He is credited with first giving societal order to the people of
Anambra
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi Stat ...
.
Nri history may be divided into six main periods: the pre-Eri period, the Eri period, migration and unification, the heyday of Nri influence, decline and collapse and the Socio-culture Revival (1974—Present).
Foundation
![East-Hem 900ad](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/East-Hem_900ad.jpg)
Author Onwuejeogwu suggested that Nri influence in Igboland may go back as far as the 9th century,
[Hrbek, page 254] and royal burials have been unearthed dating to at least the 10th century.
According to other authors, Eri, the god-like founder of Nri, is believed to have settled the region around the 1500s.
[Lovejoy, page 62] The first
''eze'' Nri (King of Nri),
Ìfikuánim, follows directly after him. According to Angulu (1981), oral tradition suggests an accession of Eri in 1043.
Chambers (2005) laces Ìfikuánim's reign at around 1225 CE.
In 1911, the names of 19 ''eze'' Nri were recorded, but the list is not easily converted into chronological terms because of long
interregnum
An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...
s between installations.
Tradition held that at least seven years would pass upon the death of the ''eze'' Nri before a successor could be determined; the interregnum served as a period of divination of signs from the deceased ''eze'' Nri, who would communicate his choice of successor from beyond the grave in the seven or more years ensuing upon his death.
Regardless of the actual date, this period marks the beginning of Nri kingship as a centralized institution.
Zenith and fall
Expansion of the kingdom of Nri was achieved by sending ''mbùríchi'', or converts, to other settlements. Allegiance to the ''eze'' Nri was obtained not by military force but through ritual oath. Religious authority was vested in the local king, and ties were maintained by traveling ''mbùríchi''. By the late 16th century, Nri influence extended well beyond the nuclear northern Igbo region to Igbo settlements on the west bank of the Niger and communities affected by the
Benin Empire
The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th c ...
.
There is strong evidence to indicate Igbo influence well beyond the Igbo region to Benin and Southern
Igala areas like
Idah
Idah is a town in Kogi State, Nigeria, on the eastern bank of the Niger River in the middle belt region of Nigeria. It is the headquarter of the Igala Kingdom, and also a Local Government Area with an area of 36 km. Idah had a population o ...
before the arrival of the Nri. At its height, the kingdom of Nri had influence in over roughly a fourth of Igboland and beyond.
Nri's influence in much of northwestern and western Igboland lasted from the reigns of the fourth ''eze'' Nri to that of the ninth. After that, patterns of conflict emerged that existed from the tenth to the fourteenth reigns, which probably reflected the monetary importance of the
slave trade
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
.
Outside-world influence was not going to be halted by native religious doctrine in the face of the
slave trade's economic opportunities. Nri influence declined after the start of the 18th century.
[Lovejoy, page 63] Still, it survived in a much-reduced, and weakened form until 1911, when an expedition carried out by
British colonial troops forced the reigning ''eze Nri'' to renounce the ritual power of the religion known as the ''ìkénga'', ending the kingdom of Nri as a political power.
Government
![Palm frond](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Palm_frond.jpg)
Nearly all communities in Igboland were organized according to a title system. Igbo west of the
Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...
and on its east bank developed kingship, governing states such as
Aboh
Aboh or Abo,"Ibo, a district of British West Africa..." () is a city in Delta State of Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nig ...
,
Onitsha
Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...
and
Oguta
Oguta is a town on the east bank of Oguta Lake in Imo State of southeastern Nigeria.
Oguta is called "Oguta-Ameshi" or "Ameshi"- by its aborigines. Indigenes - consists of two parts, the old part which holds the 27 villages of Oguta, and the ...
, their title ''Obi'',
[Ogot, page 229] apparently from the
Benin Empire's ''Oba'' (this is debatable however, because the word "obi" in most Igbo dialects literally means "heart" and may be a metaphorical reference to kingship, rather than a loanword from
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
or
Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
)
The Igbo of Nri, on the other hand, developed a state system sustained by ritual power.
The Kingdom of Nri was a religio-polity, a sort of
theocratic
Theocracy is a form of government in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries who manage the government's daily affairs.
Etymology
The word theocracy originates fro ...
state, that developed in the central heartland of the Igbo region.
The Nri had a
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
symbolic code with six types. These included human (such as
twins
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
), animal, object, temporal, behavioral, speech and place taboos. The rules regarding these taboos were used to educate and govern Nri's subjects. This meant that, while certain Igbo may have lived under different formal administration, all followers of the Igbo religion had to abide by the rules of the faith and obey its representative on earth.
[, page 130]
An important symbol among the Nri religion was the ''omu'', a tender
palm frond
The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm ''(Phoenix)'' was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represented immortality. In ...
, used to sacralize and restrain. It was used as protection for traveling delegations or safeguarding certain objects; a person or object carrying an ''omu'' twig was considered protected.
The influence of these symbols and institutions extended well beyond Nri, and this unique Igbo socio-political system proved capable of controlling areas wider than villages or towns.
For many centuries, the people within the Nri related areas were committed to peace. This religious pacifism was rooted in a belief that violence was an abomination which polluted the earth.
Instead, the ''eze Nri'' could declare a form of
excommunication
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
from the ''odinani'' Nri against those who violated specific taboos. Members of the ''Ikénga'' could isolate entire communities via this form of ritual siege.
''Eze Nri''
![Eze Nri Obalike](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Eze_Nri_Obalike.jpg)
The ''eze Nri'' was the title of the ruler of Nri with ritual and mystic (but not military) power.
He was a ritual figure rather than a king in the traditional sense. The ''eze'' Nri was chosen after an interregnum period while the electors waited for supernatural powers to manifest in the new ''eze'' Nri. He was installed after a symbolic journey to Aguleri on the
Anambra River
The Anambra River (Igbo: Ọmambala) flows into the Niger River and is found in Anambra, Nigeria. The river is the most important feeder of the River Niger below Lokoja. The flow of the Ọmambala River is released into the Atlantic through vario ...
.
The authorities must be notified prior to commencement of this journey to obtain the Ududu-eze, the royal scepter. There, the process of paying of homage to all the necessary shrines/deities in Aguleri by the new Eze Nri, visitation to Menri's tomb at Ama-Okpu, collection of Ofo, purification of the virgin boy to receive the clay from the chosen diver from Umuezeora in Aguleri, sitting on the throne of Eri at Obu-Gad in
Enugwu Aguleri
Enugwu Aguleri is a community in Anambra state (Nigeria) with one of the oldest dynasty in South eastern Nigeria in which the kingdom has produced over thirty four kings of Aguleri, up to the 18th century, and has continued, in recent times, up ...
by the new Eze-Nri before going back to Nri on the seventh day to undergo a symbolic burial and exhumation, then finally be anointed with white clay, a symbol of purity. Upon his death, he was buried seated in a wood-lined chamber.
The ''eze'' Nri was in all aspects a divine ruler.
Ìkénga
While the ''eze'' Nri lived relatively secluded from his followers, he employed a group of officials called ''ndi'' Nri.
[Chambers, page 31] These were ritual specialists, easily identifiable by facial
scarification
Scarification involves scratching, etching, burning/branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification or body art. The body modification can take roughly 6–12 months to heal. In the p ...
s or
ichi
The International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) is a system of classifying procedure codes being developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is currently available as a beta 3 release. The components for clinical documentat ...
,
who traveled with ritual staffs of peace in order to purify the earth from human crimes.
The ''ndi'' Nri exercised authority over wide areas of Igboland and had the power to install the next ''eze Nri''.
Areas under Nri influence, called ''Odinani'' Nri, were open to ''Ndi'' Nri traveling within them to perform rituals and ensure bountiful harvest or restore harmony in local affairs.
Local men within the ''odinani'' Nri could represent the ''eze'' Nri and share his
moral authority Moral authority is authority premised on principles, or fundamental truths, which are independent of written, or positive, laws. As such, moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth. Because truth does not change, the princi ...
by purchasing a series of ranked titles called ''Ozo'' and ''Nze''. Men with these titles were known as ''mbùríchi'' and became an extension of the Nri's religio-political system. They controlled the means for agriculture and determined guilt or innocence in disputes.
Both the ''Ndi Nri''
priests
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...
and ''mbùríchi''
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
belonged to the ''Ikénga'', the right hand. The Ìkénga god was one dedicated to achievement and power, both of which were associated with the right hand.
Economy
Nri maintained its vast authority well into the 16th century.
[Griswold, page XV] The peace mandated by the Nri religion and enforced by the presence of the ''mbùríchi'' allowed trade to flourish. Items such as horses, which did not survive in
tsetse fly
Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...
-infested Nri, and seashells, which would have to be transported a long ways due to Nri's distance from the coast, have been found depicted in Nri's bronze. A Nri dignitary was unearthed with ivory, also indicating a wealth in trade existed among the Nri.
Another source of income would have been the income brought back by traveling ''mbùríchi''.
Unlike in many African economies of the period, Nri did not practice slave ownership or trade. Certain parts of the Nri domain, did not recognize slavery and served as a sanctuary. After the selection of the tenth ''eze'' Nri, any slave who set foot on Nri soil was considered free.
Nri had a network of internal and external trade, which its economy was partly based on. Other aspects of Nri's economy were hunting and agriculture. Eri, the sky being, was the first to 'count' the days by their names, ''eke'', ''oye'', ''afor'' and ''nkwo'', which were the names of their four governing spirits. Eri revealed the opportunity of time to the Igbo, who would use the days for exchanging goods and knowledge.
Culture
Art
Igbo-Ukwu
Igbo-Ukwu (English: ''Great Igbo'') is a town in the Nigerian state of Anambra in the south-central part of the country. The town comprises three quarters namely Obiuno, Ngo, and Ihite (an agglomeration of 4 quarters) with several villages within ...
, a part of the kingdom about south of Nri itself, practiced bronze casting techniques using elephant-head motifs.
The
bronzes of Igbo-Ukwu are often compared to those of
Ife and
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
, but they come from a different tradition and are associated with the ''eze'' Nri by descendants of Eri.
In fact, the earliest body of Nigerian bronzes has been unearthed in Igbo territory to the east of the Niger River at a site dated to the 9th century, making it older than Ife.
It appears that Nri had an artistic as well as religious influence on the lower Niger. Sculptures found there are bronze like those at Igbo-Ukwu. The great sculptures of the Benin Empire, by contrast, were almost always brass with, over time, increasingly greater percentages of zinc added.
The bronzes of Igbo-Ukwu pay special attention to detail depicting birds, snails, chameleons, and other natural aspects of the world such as a hatching bird. Other pieces include gourds and vessels which were often given handles. The pieces are so fine that small insects were included on the surfaces of some while others have what looks like bronze wires decorated around them. None of these extra details were made separately; the bronzes were all one piece. Igbo-Ukwu gave the evidence of an early bronze casting tradition in Nri.
Religion
Religious beliefs were central to the Kingdom of Nri. Nri oral tradition states that a bounty of
yams and cocoyams could be given to the ''eze'' Nri, while blessings were given in return.
It was believed that Nri's influence and bountiful amount of food was a reward for the ruler's blessings.
Above all, Nri was a holy land for those Igbo who followed its edicts. It served as a place where sins and taboos could be absolved just by entering it. Even Igbo living far from the center of power would send abnormal children to Nri for ritual cleansing rather than having them killed, as was sometimes the case for dwarfs or children who cut their top teeth before their lower teeth.
Nri people believed that the sun was the dwelling place of
Anyanwu
Anyanwu (''anyaanwū'', meaning "eye of the sun" in Igbo) is an Igbo solar deity and a surname given to people of the Igbo people of Nigeria.
Anyanwu is also the name given to a major character in the Octavia E. Butler's ''Patternist series'' ...
(Light) and
Agbala (Fertility). Agbala was the collective spirit of all holy beings (human and nonhuman). Agbala was the perfect agent of Chukwu or
Chineke
Chineke (russian: Чинеке; sah, Чинэкэ, ''Çineke'') is a rural locality (a '' selo''), the only inhabited locality, and the administrative center of Chernyshevsky Rural Okrug of Vilyuysky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, loca ...
(the Creator God) and chose its human and nonhuman agents only by their merit; it knew no politics. It transcended religion, culture and gender, and worked with the humble and the truthful. They believed Anyanwu, The Light, to be the symbol of human perfection that all must seek and Agbala was entrusted to lead man there.
Tradition
Nri tradition was based on the concept of peace, truth and harmony.
[Onwuejeogwu (1981), page 11] It spread this ideology through the ritualistic Ozo traders who maintained Nri influence by traveling and spreading Nri practices such as the "''Ikenga''" to other communities. These men were identified through the ritual facial scarifications they had undergone. Nri believed in cleansing and purifying the earth (a supernatural force to Nri called
''Ana'' and ''Ajana'')
of human abominations and crimes.
Year counting ceremony
The ''Igu Aro'' festival (counting of the year)
[Basden (1912), page 71] was a royal festival the ''eze'' Nri used to maintain his influence over the communities under his authority. Each of these communities sent representatives to pay tribute during the ceremony to show their loyalty. At the end the Eze Nri would give the representatives a yam medicine and a blessing of fertility for their communities. The festival was seen as a day of peace and certain activities were prohibited such as the planting of crops before the day of the ceremony, the splitting of wood and unnecessary noise.
''Igu Aro'' was a regular event that gave an opportunity for the ''eze'' to speak directly to all the communities under him.
Nri scarification
![Igbo ichi marks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Igbo_ichi_marks.jpg)
Ritual scarification in Nri was known as ''Ichi'' of which there are two styles; the Nri style, and the Agbaja style. In the Nri style, the carved line ran from the center of the forehead down to the chin. A second line ran across the face, from the right cheek to the left. This was repeated to obtain a pattern meant to imitate the rays of the sun. In the Agbaja style, circles and semicircular patterns are added to the initial incisions to represent the moon. These scarifications were given to the representatives of the ''eze'' Nri; the ''mbùríchi''.
The scarification's were Nri's way of honoring the sun that they worshiped and was a form of ritual purification.
Scarification had its origins in Nri mythology. Nri, the son of Eri who established the town of Nri, was said to have pleaded to ''Chukwu'' (the Great God) because of hunger. Chukwu then ordered him to cut off his first son's and daughter's heads and plant them, creating a 'blood bond' between the Igbo and the earth deity, ''Ana''. Before doing so, Nri was ordered to mark ''ichi'' onto their two foreheads.
Coco yam, a crop managed by females, sprang from his daughter's head, and yam, the Igbo peoples' staple crop, sprung from his son's head; Chukwu had taught Nri plant domestication. From this, the ''eze'' Nri's first son and daughter were required to undergo scarification's seven days after birth, with the ''eze'' Nri's daughter being the only female to receive ichi. Nri, the son of Eri, also gained knowledge of the yam medicine (''ogwu ji''). People from other Igbo communities made pilgrimages to Nri in order to receive this knowledge received in exchange for annual tributes.
[Uzukwu, page 104]
See also
*
Nri-Igbo
Nri is an Igbo city-state in Anambra State, Biafra. It was the seat of a powerful and imperial state who was influenced much by the territories inhabited by the Igbo of Awka and Onitsha to the east; the Efik, the Ibibio, to the south; Nsukka and ...
*
Archaeology of Igbo-Ukwu
The archaeology of Igbo-Ukwu revealed bronze artifacts dated to the 9th century A.D. which were initially discovered by Isiah Anozie in 1939 while digging a well in his compound in Igbo-Ukwu, an Igbo town in Anambra State, Nigeria. As a result of ...
*
History of Nigeria
The history of Nigeria can be traced to the earliest inhabitants whose remains date from at least 13,000 BC through early civilizations such as the Nok culture which began around 1500 BC. Numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the reg ...
*
List of rulers of Nri
The following is a list of rulers of Nri. The title of the ruler of Nri is ''Eze Nri''. He held religious and political authority over the Kingdom of Nri.
The Nri culture is believed to stretch back to at least the 13th century, with a traditiona ...
*
List of Nigerian traditional states
There are many traditional states in Nigeria. A partial list follows.
Although the traditional rulers no longer officially have political power, they still have considerable status in Nigeria and the power of patronage.
Except where otherwise n ...
*
Nigerian traditional rulers
Nigerian traditional rulers often derive their titles from the rulers of independent states or communities that existed before the formation of modern Nigeria. Although they do not have formal political power, in many cases they continue to comma ...
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nri, Kingdom of
Countries in medieval Africa
Countries in precolonial Africa
African civilizations
History of Nigeria
States and territories disestablished in 1911