Echoes of Ancient Ehugbo: A Glimpse into Afikpo’s Ancestral Heritage (1920s)

Echoes of Ancient Ehugbo: A Glimpse into Afikpo’s Ancestral Heritage (1920s)

Echoes of Ancient Ehugbo: A Glimpse into Afikpo’s Ancestral Heritage (1920s)

This rare photograph from the 1920s captures the people of Ehugbo, present-day Afikpo in Ebonyi State , an ancient Igbo town whose roots stretch back to the Neolithic Age (3000 BC). Oral traditions, preserved by chroniclers and elders, trace Afikpo’s origins to two early settler groups, Nkalu and Ego (Indiego), with the latter credited as the cultural torchbearers.

Led by Anuma Ugwu, the Ego clan established the first settlement at Ezi Ukaka, Amaha Amaizu. Over time, inter-group conflicts saw Afikpo warriors defeat Ego settlers, integrating them into their expanding community.

Archaeological studies, notably by Prof. D.D. Talbot at the Ezi Ukwu rockshelter, date human habitation here as far back as 5000 BC. Strategically positioned, Afikpo thrived as a trade link between Cross River communities and the Igbo hinterland. Its famed Eke Ukwu market, meeting on the traditional Igbo four-day week, drew traders from Edda, Ohafia, Ikomoro, and Enna Ohia, exchanging pottery, fish, salt, and palm produce.

Afikpo women, renowned for their pottery skills, sustained a craft tradition believed to have spread to Ishiagu, Okigwe, Awgu, and Igbo-Ukwu. According to Ottenberg (1968), Afikpo traders ferried yams, pottery, and European goods along river routes, cementing the town’s place as a vital commercial and artistic hub.

Source: Historylovers