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53-764: Ahiara is a city in Mbaise , Imo State , Nigeria . The city stands about 16 miles between Owere and Umuahia . It was the location of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu 's Ahiara Declaration during the Nigerian Civil War . It is the location of the Catholic diocese in Mbaise. The first recorded Ahiara contact with the Europeans was around 1905 when the British Aro expedition got mixed up in inter-village war which eventually had Dr. Steward

106-570: A given year. There is, however, a short time frame that is characterised by aridity. The predominant climate in this area falls under the Köppen-Geiger classification and is designated as Am. According to the information available, the average annual temperature in Mbaise is 25.9 °C (78.6 °F). Here, there is roughly 2412 mm (95.0 inches) of precipitation per year. Women%27s War Ikonnia Nwannedia Nwugo The Aba Women's Riots of 1929 ( Igbo : Ogu Umunwanyi ; Ibibio : Ekong Iban ) were

159-455: A man and wearing traditional ritual wear. While the men in the community understood what those techniques and tactics meant, the British did not because they were outsiders. As such, the event appeared to be "crazy acts by hysterical women," thus calling the events riots. Scholars have argued that calling the event "Aba Riots" de-politicizes the "feminist impetus" as well as frame the events through

212-413: A man" was a long-held tradition used as the women's main weapon when faced with injustices in their society. Scholars like Green (1964), Judith Van Allen (1976), and Monday Effiong Noah (1985) have noted that some methods used by Aba women were: surrounding the home of the man in question, insulting his manhood, and destroying anything that he would characterize as a prized possession. Women would gather at

265-526: A market toll that was imposed by the colonial authorities. In Southwestern Nigeria, there were other female organizations such as the Lagos Market Women's Association , Nigerian Women's Party , and Abeokuta Women's Union . There was also an "elaborate system of women's market networks" which the Igbo and Ibibio women used to communicate information to organize and coordinate during the revolt. In actuality,

318-524: A moral order throughout the colony. The women became increasingly dissatisfied with colonial rule because of increased school fees, corruption by native officers, and forced labor. The event that ultimately led to the war was the introduction of direct taxation. In April 1927, the colonial government in Nigeria took measures to enforce the Native Revenue (Amendment) Ordinance. A colonial resident, W. E. Hunt,

371-602: A period of unrest in colonial Nigeria in November 1929. The protests broke out when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District , Umuahia and other places in southeastern Nigeria traveled to the town of Oloko to protest against the Warrant Chiefs , whom they accused of restricting the role of women in the government. The protest encompassed women from six ethnic groups (Igbo, Ibibio, Andoni, Ogoni, Efik, and Ijaw). It

424-513: A trial. The leaders of the protest in Oloko are known as the Oloko Trio: Ikonnia, Nwannedia and Nwugo. The three were known for their persuasion, intelligence and passion. When protests became tense, it was often these three who were able to deescalate the situation, preventing violence. However, after two women were killed while blocking roads as a form of protest, the trio was not able to calm

477-456: A victim, as a consequence the Ahiara people were severely punished by the British forces with an invasion which forced many citizens to flee and never return. The Ahiara Slogan is Decent Dexterity . Ahiara was founded by a man of that name. He was the son of Anunu, popularly called Odo ji Anunu . His sibling Avuvu became a part of Ikeduru . Etymologically, the name Ahiara is a type of plant among

530-454: A wrong turn on his bicycle, was captured and killed in a case of mistaken identity. The 1906 Ahiara Punitive Expedition, led by Captains Brian Douglas and Harold Hastings, began reprisals in the region. In 1927, the colonial government introduced taxation. Taxes were increased in 1929, and the Women's War began to protest social and economic oppression. The native court at Nkwogwu was destroyed and

583-568: Is performed for childbirth, and alija and ogbongelenge are performed for marriage. Eseike , esse , ekwerikwe mgba and nkwa Ike are performed at funerals of men, and uko and Ekereavu for funerals of women. D. I. Nwoga, who brought an abigbo group to the United States during the 1980s, wrote that the musicians and dancers philosophize, criticize, admonish and praise with their performances. Tropical weather prevails in Mbaise. The region has notable precipitation levels for most months in

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636-488: Is served with raffia wine . Mbaise women are celebrated for their fertility. To be an eghu ukwu , a woman must bear at least 10 children; some women have given birth to as many as 15. Mbaise culture is rich in music and Igbo dance. Music is played on the wood xylophone, hand piano, long short and slit drums, pots, gongs, bamboo horn and calabash . There are dances for childbirth, marriage, funerals, communal labor, and other social occasions. The agbacha ekurunwa dance

689-737: The Anglo-Aro War , when the British Aro Expeditionary Force subdued the Aro Confederacy in Owerri and Mbaise. By 1906, at the conclusion of the operation, present-day Mbaise was united under British control with some local autonomy. To supervise the clans, a native court was established in Obohia in 1907 and transferred to Nguru in 1909. In 1929, the Nguru court was destroyed as a result of

742-613: The Igbo people. The leaves of this plant signify peace. The great Ezes of Igbo used to travel with Ahiara leaves to guarantee peaceful journeys across several territories. Before Christianity, which 89 percent of the people practice, traditional religion held sway. Ahiara does not practise a centralized system of government. The ten chief priests and chief priestess were the symbol of authority and they occasionally met to deliberate and pass motions which eventually became tradition and laws. They also conferred titles to deserving citizens. Among those

795-451: The Ngwa Women's Association and working for the rest of her life to support women's rights in Nigeria. A major tactic in the protests was what is known as "sitting". Scholars like Glover have noted that men who did not value women, risked the possibility of being shunned and sat on by those who felt normalcy had to be restored within their society. " Sitting on a man " or "making war on

848-682: The Anglican Mission School in Umuocham Aba in 1929 when the women's revolt broke out. Although she did not participate in the revolt, she was very sympathetic to the women's cause. She was the only woman who submitted a memo of grievance to the Aba Commission of Inquiry (sent in 1930). Today, the major primary source for studying the revolt is the Report of the Aba Commission of Inquiry. After the revolt, Madam Okezie emerged as founder and leader of

901-544: The Igbo Women's War . Regional courts were opened in Obohia, Itu , Ife and Enyiogogu in response to the home rule movement of the 1930s. The region was united as a political and administrative unit in 1941. Councils were formed by 1945, loosely based on autonomous communities. It was from councils that the three local Governments were created from. Ahiazu Mbaise was a merger of the Ahiara and Ekwerazu councils, and Aboh Mbaise

954-751: The Native Court system. These reforms were built upon by the African women and have been seen as a prelude to the emergence of mass African nationalism . There was a long history of collective action by women in Nigeria prior to the revolt. In the 1910s, women in Agbaja stayed away from their homes for a month in protest due to suspicions among them that some men had been secretly killing pregnant women. Their collective absence pushed village elders to take action to address their concerns. In 1924, 3000 women in Calabar protested

1007-706: The Tax Protests of 1938, the Oil Mill Protests of the 1940s in Owerri and Calabar Provinces and the Tax Revolt in Aba and Onitsha in 1956. On two occasions district officers were called and local military and paramilitary forces ordered to break up the protests. During these occasions, at least 50 women were shot dead and 50 more wounded. The women themselves never seriously injured anybody against whom they were protesting, nor any of

1060-462: The colonial troops. The last soldiers left Owerri on the 27 December 1929, and the last patrol in Abak Division withdrew on 9 January 1930. By 10 January 1930, the revolt was regarded as successfully suppressed. Throughout late December 1929 and early January 1930, more than thirty collective punishment inquiries were carried out. It is generally believed, according to Nina Mba, that this event marked

1113-456: The compound of the man in question and sing and dance while detailing the women's grievances against him. The women would often bang on his hut, demolish it, or plaster it with mud. Actions like mistreating his wife or violating women's market rules were punishable by being "sit on." If necessary, these practices were continued until he repented and changed his ways. During the March of Grand-Bassam

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1166-626: The elites the opportunity to engage in social actions. As a result of the protests, the position of women in society was greatly improved. In some areas, women were able to replace the Warrant Chiefs. Women were also appointed to serve on the Native Courts. After the Women's war, women's movements were very strong in Ngwaland, many events in the 1930s, 40s and 50s were inspired by the Women's War, including

1219-490: The emergence of the Aba Women's War was long in the making. Colonial rule in Nigeria altered the position of various Nigerian women in their societies. Women had been traditionally allowed to participate in the governance of the local region and held a major role in the marketplace as well. Men and women also worked collaboratively in the domestic sphere and were recognized both to have important individual roles. Women also had

1272-433: The end of December 1929, when colonial troops restored order, ten native courts were destroyed, a number of others were damaged, houses of native court personnel were attacked, and European factories at Imo River , Aba , Mbawsi, and Amata were looted. Women attacked prisons and released prisoners. But the response of the colonial authority was also decisive. By the time order was restored, about fifty-five women were killed by

1325-527: The end of the women's activities because the new administration under Governor Donald Cameron took into account some of the women's recommendations in revising the structure of the Native Administration. Thus, the Women's War is seen as the historical dividing point in British colonial administration in Nigeria with far reaching implications. The Women's War was also instrumental in marking the rise of gender ideology, offering women who were not married to

1378-543: The enumeration of men, women, and livestock by the acting district officer. This event at Oloko was to spread to most parts of the Eastern Region within the next four weeks in the Ogu Umunwanyi or Women's War of 1929. From November to December, women from Owerri to Calabar looted factories and destroyed Native Court buildings and properties along with the property of members of the Native Court. The Aba Women's War

1431-430: The forces who broke up those protests. The event goes by many different names, including (but not limited to) Aba Women's Riots of 1929, Aba Women's War, and The Women's Market Rebellion of 1929. It is usually referred to as the "Aba Women's Riots of 1929" because that was how it was named in British records. The women utilized protest techniques that were traditional and specific to their communities, such as sitting on

1484-510: The governor's residence was sacked. Courts were established in Itu (for Ezinihitte); Afor Enyiogugu (for Agbaja); Obohia (for Ekwerazu); Orie-Ahiara (for Ahiara); and Uvuru (for Oke-Uvuru). On June 12, 1941, Mbaise became a federation of five clans: the Agbaja (Nguru, Okwuato, Enyiogugu, Obiangwu, and Umuohiagu), Ekwerazu, Ahiara, Ezinihitte, and Oke-Uvuru. A treasury was opened in Enyiogugu in 1942, and

1537-739: The heart of Igboland , the region includes several towns and cities. The population is composed of indigenous clans, connected by intermarriage. With a population density of over 1,000 people per square kilometer, Mbaise is West Africa 's most densely-populated area; its 2006 population was 611,204. The name "Mbaise" was derived from five clans: Agbaja , Ahiara , Ekwereazu , Ezi na Ihite and Oke Uvuru . The three local government areas of Mbaise cover about 404 km (156 sq mi); Aboh Mbaise covers 185 km (71 sq mi), Ahiazu Mbaise covers 111 km (43 sq mi), and Ezinihitte Mbaise covers 108 km (42 sq mi). Mbaise came under British rule in 1902 during

1590-463: The late 1920s. The financial crash of 1929 impeded women's ability to trade and produce so they sought assurance from the colonial government that they would not to be required to pay taxes. Faced with a halt in their political demands, the women settled that they would not pay taxes nor have their property appraised. On the morning of November 18, Emereuwa arrived at Nwanyereuwa's house and approached her, since her husband Ojim had already died. He told

1643-489: The malfeasance. When it came to the Warrant Chiefs, along with singing and dancing around the houses and offices, the women would follow their every move, invading their space and forcing the men to pay attention. The wives of the Warrant Chiefs were often disturbed, and they too put pressure on the Warrants to listen to the demands of the women. This tactic of "sitting on the Warrants," i.e. following them everywhere and anywhere,

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1696-422: The method of sitting on a man was also used when a man got his girlfriend arrested after she put his RDA card into her underwear. Women then invaded the courts and when threatened by police began to dance and take their clothes off: a method used as a powerful form of resistance. The nakedness of women in many African and Sahelian communities was considered a taboo that indicated the force of power women had to stop

1749-526: The nominal roll. This exercise brought the colonial authorities into direct conflict with women in Eastern Nigeria and was the catalyst for fundamental change in the local administration. The announcement of Cook's intention to revise the nominal roll was made to a few chiefs in Oloko Native Court and the counting began about October 14, 1929. The women of Oloko suspected that the enumeration exercise

1802-564: The preceding twelve months. In September 1929, Captain J. Cook, an assistant District Officer , was sent to take over the Bende division temporarily from the serving district officer, a Mr. Weir, until the return of Captain Hill from leave in November. Upon taking over, Cook found the original nominal rolls for taxation purposes inadequate because they did not include details of the number of wives, children, and livestock in each household. He set about revising

1855-541: The privilege of participating in political movements due to the fact that they were married to elites. The colonial authorities saw these practices as "a manifestation of chaos and disorder", and they attempted to create political institutions which commanded authority and monopolized force. While they considered the political institutions headed by Igbo men, they ignored those of the women, effectively shutting them out from political power. The colonial authorities believed that this patriarchal and masculine order would establish

1908-428: The protests. Under her advice, the women protested in song and dance, "sitting" on the Warrant Chiefs until they surrendered their insignia of office and resigned. As the revolt spread, other groups followed this pattern, making the women's protest a peaceful one. Other groups came to Nwanyeruwa to get in writing the inspirational results of the protests, which, as Nwanyeruwa saw them, were that "women will not pay tax till

1961-560: The remainder. Some cultural and traditional ceremonies have survived Western influence. The eight-day Ahianjoku festival honored the yam deity; since 1946, the annual August 15 new-yam festival has been a Christian version of the Ahianjoku festival. Oji Ezinihitte celebrates the Ezinihitte on January 1 each year. Itu Aka, before the farming season, encourages the people to weather the environment, modernity, and new challenges. A local salad, ugba ,

2014-519: The revolt or why they could not stop the women. The women were able to transform "traditional methods for networking and expressing disapproval" into powerful mechanisms that successfully challenged and disrupted the local colonial administration. The women's protests were carried out on a scale that the colonial authorities had never witnessed in any part of Africa. The rebellion extended over six thousand square miles containing all of Owerri and Calabar Provinces, home to roughly two million people. Until

2067-442: The situation there, the police and army were sent to the town. Due to her contribution to the Women's War, Madame Nwanyeruwa is and still remains the name that comes up when bringing up the history of militancy of women in Nigeria and has been said to be linked to the history of the emergence of African nationalism. Nwanyereuwa played a major role in keeping the protests non-violent. She was advanced in age compared to many who led

2120-589: The ten fingers of the human hands. This signifies an evolved dexterity and is why the Ahiara Slogan is Decent Dexterity . The Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral in Ahiara is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ahiara . This Imo State , Nigeria location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mbaise Mbaise is a region in Imo State in southeastern Nigeria . In

2173-530: The town square to discuss the incident with other women who happened to be holding a meeting to discuss the issue of taxing women. Believing they would be taxed, based on Nwanyeruwa's account, the Oloko women invited other women (by sending leaves of palm-oil trees) from other areas in the Bende District, as well as from Umuahia and Ngwa . They gathered nearly 10,000 women who protested at the office of Warrant Chief Okugo, demanding his resignation and calling for

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2226-399: The widow to "count her goats, sheep and people." Since Nwanyereuwa understood this to mean, "How many of these things do you have so we can tax you based on them", she was angry. She replied by saying "Was your widowed mother counted?," meaning "that women don't pay tax in traditional Igbo society." The two exchanged angry words, and Emeruwa grabbed Nwanyeruwa by the throat. Nwanyeruwa went to

2279-414: The world ends [and] Chiefs were not to exist any more." Women of Oloko and elsewhere brought money contributions to Madam Nwanyeruwa for helping them avoid paying taxes. Unfortunately, many women rioted and attacked Chiefs, destroying their homes and causing the revolt to be seen as violent. Madam Mary Okezie (1906–1999) was the first woman from her Igbo clan to gain a Western education and was teaching at

2332-543: Was Hon Nze.H.C. O Uhegbu who was conferred with the title of Nze Onugotu of Ahiara as at the time he was the first man in Ahiara to represent the clan in the state legislature. Ahiara city is historically called Ahiara Ofo Iri , which means Ahiara of the Ten Scepters . Each scepter represents each of the ten villages that make up the city. The ten villages of Ahiara are: Ahiara is divided into two sections: Ihite and Ikenga. These ten villages are symbolically explained as

2385-555: Was a merger of the Oke-Ovoro and Agbaja councils. Ezinihitte Mbaise remained by itself except for Isu Obiangwu and Umuohiagu, two small villages which joined the Ngor-Okpala from the Agbaja region. Until Europeans arrived in Nigeria, Mbaise economy was based on subsistence agriculture . In Igboland, government was based on kinship and customs. The village group (a weekly gathering of men)

2438-452: Was a prelude to the extension of direct taxation, which had been imposed on the men the previous year. Women were already burdened with supporting their families and helping men pay their taxes. Because the women did not have political power within the patriarchal system under colonial rule, they utilized collective action to communicate their dissatisfaction. On December 2, 1929, more than ten thousand women demonstrated at Oloko, Bende, against

2491-451: Was commissioned by the lieutenant governor of Nigeria to explain the provisions and objects of the new ordinance to the people throughout the five provinces in the Eastern Region. This was to prepare the ground for the introduction of direct taxation due to take effect in April 1928. Direct taxation on men was introduced in 1928 without major incidents, thanks to the carefully planned actions during

2544-424: Was met with little success. The second inquiry, called the Aba commission, met in March 1930. The commission held public sittings for thirty-eight days at various locations in the Owerri and Calabar Provinces and interviewed 485 witnesses. Of this total number of witnesses, only about 103 were women. The rest consisted of local men and British administrative officials who were either called to explain their role in

2597-487: Was organised and led by the rural women of Owerri and Calabar provinces. The modus operandi of the protests involved ' sit-in ' by the women. During the events, many Warrant Chiefs were forced to resign, and 16 Native Courts were attacked, most of which were destroyed. It was the first major revolt by women in West Africa . In 1930 the colonial government abolished the system of warrant chieftains, and appointed women to

2650-475: Was sparked by a dispute between a woman named Nwanyeruwa and a man, Mark Emereuwa , who was helping to make a census of the people living in the town controlled by the Warrant, Okugo. Nwanyeruwa was of Ngwa ancestry and had been married in the town of Oloko . In Oloko, the census was related to taxation, and women in the area were worried about who would tax them, especially during the period of hyperinflation in

2703-494: Was the highest level of organization, with the amala in power. The aladimma currently exercises power. Chinua Achebe described pre-colonial life in his novel, Things Fall Apart . When the British colonial administration was introduced in the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria, the government established a native court at Nkwogwu Nguru in 1905 and built a residence for the British there. Dr. Rogers Stewart, who took

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2756-616: Was transferred to Aboh in 1948. Obiangwu and Umuohiagu, which had been parts of Agbaja, joined Ngor Okpala in 1957. Mbaise now had three local governments: Ahiazu, Aboh-Mbaise, and Ezinihitte. Between 1955 and 1958, the Mbaise County Council began two landmark development projects: Mbaise Secondary School and Mbaise Joint Hospital (now General Hospital), both in Aboh . The people are predominantly Igbo. About 55 percent are Catholics , 35 percent are Protestants , and other religions make up

2809-447: Was very popular with the women in Nigeria, and used to great effect. Through the choice of clothing, the use of body language and choice of song, drew attention to the role and status of women in Nigeria, particularly in protecting the good of the land. Other men in the village rarely came to their rescue and would say that they brought the wrath of women onto themselves. The first commission of enquiry occurred in early January 1930, but

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