Daughters Of Nri (The Return Of The Earth Mother): 1

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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. [5] Nearly all communities in Igboland were organized according to a title system. Igbo west of the Niger River and on its east bank developed kingship, governing states such as Aboh, Onitsha and Oguta, their title Obi, [11] 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 or Edo)

Both the Ndi Nri priests and mbùríchi nobility 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. [2] Economy [ edit ] As ongoing turmoil spreads throughout the kingdom, the daughters of Nri must unmask the true face of their enemy, as they discover that their unique blood has marked them with magic strong enough to restore true peace to the world - a task only they can complete. Sinaikuku (called Sinai in the book) is a different kind of character who likes to take her time and think more before rushing headlong into action. She felt a little harder for me to connect to and I did find her plot to be a bit slower and lower stakes at first. To be entirely honest, I think a lot of the issues I had with this book mostly resulted from the fact that I'm currently editing a project of my own, so I've been coming at a lot of my recent reads with a very critical eye. That means that there were just a lot of odd choices I noticed that really took me out of the story and prevented me from being fully taken in. A lot of the dialogue feels a little clunky, and there were some scenes that I wasn't quite sure had to be there. I enjoyed reading about both sisters, but I found Sinai’s chapters particularly compelling because of her relationships with Meekulu, the wise palace chef, and Ina (to my surprise). Meekulu is kind but also tells it like it is, and I rather liked the development of the “mentor giving the mentee a task” subplot since it went in an unexpected but welcome direction. That’s also what I loved so much about Ina’s progression: at first, this seems like the usual tale of a cruel girl hating a sweet girl because of a man, but it doesn’t follow the typical trajectory when Sinai makes a choice that changes everything. Ina actually ended up being my favorite character after the two main protagonists.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. [6] 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. [10] 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. [10] Government [ edit ] A tender palm frond was a symbol of Nri Fasi, Muhammad; Hrbek, Ivan (1988). Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0-435-94809-1. Nri people believed that the sun was the dwelling place of Anyanwu (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 (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. [22] Tradition [ edit ] I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has elements I liked from the first one, with richly described characters and colorful worldbuilding. I liked the pace as well, the tension is kept throughout and I think this is largely attributed to the short chapter style which makes it fly by fast. More books should do that.

Mrs Caroline Corsham, wife of Captain Harry Corsham (the protagonist of Blood & Sugar), has a dangerous secret of her own. An Italian countess of her acquaintance offers to help, but on the night of their clandestine meeting in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, Caro finds her friend murdered. It doesn’t take long to discover that the dead woman was no countess but a prostitute named Lucy Loveless, a favourite of powerful men. When it appears that the magistrate and the Bow Street runners have more interest in covering up the crime than solving it, Caro hires a private thief-taker, Peregrine Child, to find Lucy’s killer, entangling herself with people who will go to any lengths to protect their secrets. Today I’m sharing my review for the brilliant second instalment in The Return of the Earth Mother series, which needs to go straight on your TBR if you love fantasy but maybe hadn’t heard of this before like me! Omg so so beautiful. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Weruche Opia and I loved it so much. Her pronunciation of the words and the names were so good, and the Nigerian accent she did was also very amazing. She performed the story in a way that really carried the listener I long. Garlake, Peter S. (2002). Early art and architecture of Africa. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-284261-7. The setting is incredibly engrossing, and since I'm not very familiar with the part of history the world was based on (medieval Nigeria I believe), it was fascinating to learn about. The god system hasn't been heavily developed in this first book, but it's interesting and unique so far- I always love mythology in fantasy. I think the world was by far the best aspect of this book. World-building isn't always the most important element to me personally, but when you do the research and put effort into your world, it shows.Strong-willed Naala grows up seeking adventure in her quiet and small village. While the more reserved Sinai resides in the cold and political palace of Nri. Though miles apart, both girls share an indestructible bond: they share the same blood, the same face, and possess the same unspoken magic, thought to have vanished with the lost gods. The Nri Kingdom, Igbo Ancient Civilisation". Dakingsman.com. 26 September 2020 . Retrieved 26 September 2020. 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. [14] The scarification's were Nri's way of honoring the sun that they worshiped and was a form of ritual purification. [27]