Origin of the Name “Ishiagu”

A lot of speculation has been going on as to how Ishiagu first derived its name. The term is applied to the land where the people who inhabit the land live. Four or five schools of thought are in existence concerning the origin of the word “Ishiagu.”

The first school of thought believes that the name signifies the head of tiger in recognition of the bravery of the ancestors in maintaining dominance over their enemies which enabled them to acquire and maintain large arable lands. This school of thought accepts the tiger head as both a symbol of unity and identity in the people’s official documents. The same school of thought suggests that the word can also mean leader or chief in the sense that tiger is reputed to be the chief of other animals or that it is the head or leader of other animals. In each case the act of bravery is implied.

In any case how the word came about had been the subject of conjectures and speculations. However, there is a general belief that the ancestors who first assumed this name did so in remembrance of their brave deeds during their encounters with opponents in the process of their migration and eventual settlement. This explanation seems to be more plausible since tiger is always regarded as a brave and dreadful animal amongst animals and mammals.

The second school of thought maintains that the name was derived from the fact that the first settlers came and found the land very rich and fertile. On account of this they termed the land “Ishiegu” – meaning the headquarters or centre of farmland “Egu” or “Oru.” This theory probably was formulated because a playground at the edge of farmlands in each village, lying between the village hamlet and the farmland, was called “Obu egu,” meaning the heart of the farmland or the spirit of the farmland. This theory however does not explain why there are other places in some Igbo speaking areas known by that name. This theory is not very popular or supportable.

The third school of thought holds the view that Ishiagu people had always maintained that they did not want a ruler over them. They did not want a chief, a king or a tyrant to rule them. This theory refers to a mythical or legendary story of leadership tussle that was taken to an oracle for settlement. In the presence of the oracle the alleged claimants to the chieftaincy stool started to quarrel bitterly. Then the oracle asked them whether they did not want a king to reign over them, and then they replied that they did not want. Then the oracle replied, here are the people who do not want a king to reign over them, or “nde-isi-agu.” It was alleged that it was from the words of the oracle –“nde isi agu” that the people of Ishiagu started to call their land “Isi agu.”

The fourth school of thought maintains that the name was first developed by one of the founders of Ishiagu community, Ezoka, who noticed that the land where he settled was always found to be with several foot prints of tigers, and he told his wife that the land was the headquarters of tigers or it was the tiger land – or where many tigers were found, hence the word Ishiagu. This name was later applied to the confederation of village communities that make up Ishiagu clan-community. In other words it was alleged that the first person who gave the name Ishiagu, was Ezoka, regarded as one of the founding fathers of Ishiagu community.

The fifth school of thought believes that there might have been an earlier settlement elsewhere known by the name Ishiagu land from where emigrated as a band to settle in a new location which they then gave the name of their original home or settlement. Considering that in the pre-historical era, there was a lot of movement of bands of people in search of settlements for safety or to start sedentary agriculture, it would be easy for one group of settlers to split and go their separate ways while retaining the original name of the group.

In support of this view is the fact that Ishiagu people were known to have a close relationship with another Ishiagu community in Awka (present Anambra State) and that the women of these two communities make pots. There are other communities that go by that name also. The migratory routes that entered Ishiagu in the pre-historical period seemed to have come from the northwest and the other from south-east; but one thing is definitely certain, and that is: these migratory bands entered Ishiagu at different periods of time, each choosing particular areas for starting sedentary subsistence agriculture. Sometimes marriage alliances might lead to having the same name being adopted by different communities. This is not to rule out coincidences in name.

When we examine the second concept that the first settlers in the land found the land very fertile for crop production and named it Isi-egu, which was subsequently called Isiagu we can easily conclude that this is a mere figment of imagination to explain away the origin of the name, Ishiagu.

The third concept is not popular either. This maintains that Ishiagu people had quarreled before the oracle, and refused to acknowledge an overlord. Perhaps this was another way to explain the ultra individualistic nature of the people of Ishiagu. This concept did not tell us what the land was called before the consultation was made to the oracle.

The fourth school of thought which holds that the name was first applied by one of the earlier Ngwogwo settlers, Ezoka, when he noticed the foot prints of tigers around his shelters, has some plausible explanation and seems to catch the fancy of many people.

The first concept may have some slight connection with the fifth in that the act of bravery is implied in both cases. This act of bravery might have been carried out in the long distant past, before the group split, with each splinter group retaining the original name. This might explain why there are so many communities bearing that name. It might also mean that the band that arrived at the land now called Ishiagu had displayed some acts of bravery in settling down to farming in the land, but the occurrence of the name elsewhere are mere coincidences. It also could result from the inter-group marriages between friendly bands, with the descendants of one group choosing to retain the name of the original or maiden homes of their mothers.

The schools of thought outlined above are mere speculations for now. We may be lucky one day to get definite information about the source from which the name Ishiagu was derived. At the moment the theory deriving the name from Ezoka is seen as the leading theory for the origin of “Ishiagu” – a name applied to the union of the villages that came to be united after the discovery of the mythical giant mushrooms.