1690 in Politics - States and Territories Established in 1690, Spanish Texas, Bahawalpur, Aro Confederacy (Paperback)

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: item Omu Aro Aro Confederacy item Flag item Capital: Arochukwu item Language(s): Igbo, Ibibio, Ekoi, Ijaw, Urhobo, Isoko, Itsekiri, etc. item Government: Republic item President: Eze Aro item Historical era: Atlantic slave trade item - Established: 1690 item - Disestablished: 1902 item Population item - 1900 est.: 3,000,000 item Currency: Manillas, Cowry shells and Slaves The Aro Confederacy (1690-1902) was a political union orchestrated by the Igbo subgroup, the Aro people, centered in Arochukwu in present day Southeastern Nigeria . Their influence and presence was distributed across Eastern Nigeria into parts of the Niger Delta and Southern Igala during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is claimed that their influence extended through parts of present-day Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea . The Arochukwu Kingdom was an economical, political, and an oracular center as it was home of the powerful Ibini Ukpabi oracle, High Priests, the Aro King Eze Aro, and Chiefs.The Rise The mid-18th century saw the start of mass migrations of several Aro business families to the Igbo hinterland and adjacent areas as a result of the rise of the palm oil and slave businesses. This migration, influence of their god Ibini Ukpabi through priests, alliance with several related neighboring Igbo and eastern Cross River militarized states (particularly Ohafia, Abam, Abiriba, Afikpo, Ekoi, and etc), and use of firearms quickly established the Aro Confederacy as a regional economic power.The Confederacy Era Aro activities helped coastal Niger Delta city-states become important centers for the export of palm oil and slaves. Such city-states included Opobo, Bonny, Brass, Calabar, as well as other slave trading city-states controlled by the Ijaw, Efik, and Igbo. The Aros formed a stro...