Nri is an

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 ...

city-state in

Anambra State 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 State ...

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

. It was the seat of a powerful and imperial state who was influenced much by the territories inhabited by the

Awka Awka () is the capital city of Anambra State, Nigeria. The city was declared capital on 21 August 1991, after the creation of Anambra and Enugu state, which moved the capital from Enugu to Awka (an administrative center since pre.-colonial times). ...

and

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. ...

to the east; the Efik, the

Ibibio Ibibio may refer to: * Ibibio language * Ibibio people * Ibibio Sound Machine, an English electronic afro-funk band who sing in Ibibio See also * Ibiblio ibiblio (formerly SunSITE.unc.edu and MetaLab.unc.edu) is a "collection of collections" ...

, to the south;

Nsukka Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo. The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively referr ...

and

Asaba Asaba is the capital city of Delta State, Nigeria. It is located at the western bank of the Niger River, in the Oshimili South Local Government Area. Asaba had a population of 149,603 as at the 2006 census, and a metropolitan population of o ...

, and the

Anioma Anioma people are a subgroup of the Igbo ethnic group in Delta State, Nigeria. They are made up of communities which span across 9 Local government areas and speak different varieties of the Igbo language, including the Enuani language, Ukwuani l ...

to the west. Today, Nri claims to be the heart and origin of the Igbos, but it is historically dated that Igbo Ukwu, formally known as Igbo, and Igbo Nkwo is the true origin and beginning of the Igbos.

History

The Nri clan existed from as far back as the 9th century. Nri (the founder of Nri clan) and Aguleri were two of the sons of

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 * ...

(founder of

Aguleri Aguleri meaning Agulu nwa Eri (Agulu-Eri). This is because according to their traditional lores, Agulu is the son of Eri , son of Jacob. Lawrence Ozeh is an internet entrepreneur, in his essay, he opined that Aguleri is the cradle of Igbo peopl ...

) and had migrated to the present day Nri from the Anambra (Omambala) river valley (Eriaka) in Aguleri in Northern

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 ...

. Nri was said to have inherited spiritual powers from his father. The Nri people belong to the Umueri clans who trace their origins to Eri.

Mythological Origin

In the Nri mythology, Nri sent by Chukwu to make peace (settle disputes and cleanse abominations) and provide Igbo people food (yam and cocoyam).

Sources

Elizabeth Isichei Elizabeth Allo Isichei (born 1939 in Tauranga, New Zealand) is a Nigerian author, historian and academic. Her parents are Albert (an agricultural scientist) and Lorna Allo. On 23 July 1964 she married Uche Peter Isichei (a chemical pathologist) ...

, ''African before 1800'' (London: Longman, 1984). *Elizabeth Isichei, ''A History of the Igbo People'' (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1976). *Chikodi Anunobi, ''Nri Warriors of Peace'' (Zenith Publishers, January 2006) *https://books.google.com/books?id=3C2tzBSAp3MC&pg=PA246&lpg=PA246&dq=nri+igbo+ukwu&source=web&ots=1gvnMpIuM-&sig=Femk-UEgQw2M_soZUAU3ZZ4GEv8

*http://essays.igbonet.com/EzeNriNriEnwelanaIIObidiegwuOnyeso/1005thIguAroNdIgbo/

*http://www.chikodianunobi.com/pages/PressRoom/Conversation_w_Cyril.htm *http://www.kwenu.com/publications/anunobi/leadership_crises1.htm *http://www.nrienweluana.com {{Igbo topics Nri-Igbo, History of Nigeria