Awka-Etiti
| Awka-Etiti | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Village road in Awka-Etiti
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 Awka-Etiti
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| Coordinates (NG): 6°2′9″N 6°58′57″E / 6.03583°N 6.98250°ECoordinates: 6°2′9″N 6°58′57″E / 6.03583°N 6.98250°E | |
| Country |
 Nigeria
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| State | Anambra State |
| LGA | Idemili South |
| Founded by | Diedo |
| Government | |
| • Type | Traditional |
| • H.R.H. The Obi | Eze-Igwe Micheal Chidozie Ezeudenma |
| • Governing Body | Awka-Etiti Improvement Union (AIU), Igwe-In-Council, |
| • Traditional Ruler | Obi of Awak-Etiti HRH Igwe Micheal Chidozie Ezeudenma |
| Population | |
| • Ethnicity | Igbo |
| • Religion | Christianity, Omenala |
| Time zone | WAT (UTC+1) |
Awka-Etiti, historically known as Awka-Diedo (Igbo: Ọka Diedo); later mentioned as Awka-Nkakwu (Okankaku) by colonial authors, is a village-group and town comprising seven villages in Idemili South local government area of Anambra state, Nigeria. The seven villages of Awka-Etiti in order of age established include Nkolofia, Umunocha, Ejighinandu, Iruowelle, Umudunu, Nnaba and Ogunzele.
The indigenous population of Awka-Etiti belong to the Igbo ethnic group and the town is situated within the Igbo cultural area 24 km from the river Niger, north-east of Onitsha, 16 km from Nri and 2 km from Igbo-Ukwu. Awka-Etiti shares boundaries with village-group/towns Ichida, Azigbo, Nnokwa, Nnewi, Nnobi and Amichi. The main language spoken in Awka-Etiti is the Idemili variant of the Igbo language.
The current population of Awka-Etiti is unknown. The last estimate in 2005 placed the population at 35,000 citizens. There is also a large Awka-Etiti diaspora that contributes to the towns economy.
The history of Awka-Etiti before 1900 is not recorded in writing but rather rooted in oral tradition and mythology. Based on the discovery and archaeological excavation of sites dated to the first millennium AD in Igbo-Ukwu just 2 km from Awka-Etiti, it is certain that the area has been populated by the Igbo earlier than the ninth century. There existed a flourishing metallurgical industry (see Archaeology of Igbo-Ukwu) as well as an ancient and extensive trade, social and cultural contact between the area and ancient Egypt as revealed by the vast amounts of glass and cornelian beads excavated at the sites, some of which were manufactured in Old Cairo at the workshops of Fustat.
In local oral history, there are several versions of the origins of Awka- Etiti, which link the town to a common genealogy with other ancient towns in the area. Uke, Ojoto, Nnobi and Nnewi are mentioned as sharing common ancestry with Awka-Etiti.
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Wikipedia