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

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The amount of time I’ve read „before pulling me or the world into darkness“. We need to find some new phrases or find another way to end / transition scenes because it was getting repetitive. The amount of times they fainted or got sedated was ridiculous lol. 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. 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 kingdom was a haven for all those who had been rejected in their communities and also a place where slaves were set free from their bondage. Nri expanded through converts gaining neighboring communities' allegiance, not by force.

So this book was so much better than the previous. However there were several chapters where the author would just skip over events and leave missing puzzle pieces of the story where I felt there should've been more explanations. This is not debatable and to clarify this, Obi has 3 different meanings in Igboland and Igbo languages depending on how you pronounce it; òbi means the first born of every family thus the eldest in the family. õbi is a thatched hut which every wealthy man built to receive visitors. In Igbo land a man will build his hut and a hut or huts for his wife or wives. The hut is where Igbo men received their peers who come to visit and to talk about farming and trade. Lasty, obi means heart and none of these has any reference or anything to do with the oba of the Edo Benin Kingdom. Nri's royal founder, Eri, is said to be a 'sky being' that came down to earth and then established civilization. One of the better-known remnants of the Nri civilization is manifested in the Igbo ukwu artifacts. Griswold, Wendy (2000). Bearing Witness: Readers, Writers, and the Novel in Nigeria. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-05829-6. This was a fantasy book heavily set in a version of Eastern Nigeria (mostly in 944 AD, and some years before then). Our protagonists, twin sisters separated very early in their lives - Naala and Sinai - are two very powerful and loveable heroines. I enjoyed reading about each girl on her journey towards the resurrection of the Earth Mother. One of my favorite things about this book is that the sisters weren't just dumped together and expected to work/figure things out together. We were able to see each sister as an individual, in separate situations and with different people. It was impossible not to root for these girls, and the writing was also very amazing.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 ]

I didn't really like book 1, but I decided to give book 2 a try because sometimes you just have to trust an author's process. However, I still was not interested at all. I wanted to love it because I thought the premise of the book was so interesting, but I just don't feel like the execution was really for me. Fasi, Muhammad; Hrbek, Ivan (1988). Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0-435-94809-1. I think this might even be more of a problem with the editor, because I think if I read this as a manuscript in maybe its fourth draft, I'd think it was great. I genuinely had to just keep telling the editing side of my brain to shut up and let me enjoy the story, but it just felt rough around the edges. What I wouldn't give to go at this book with an editing pen! That isn't to say there weren't plenty of scenes that were great, but then I felt like I was noticing the fact that it was a good scene instead of just experiencing the story.Religious beliefs were central to the Kingdom of Nri. [20] Nri oral tradition states that a bounty of yams and cocoyams could be given to the eze Nri, while blessings were given in return. [2] It was believed that Nri's influence and bountiful amount of food was a reward for the ruler's blessings. [2] Above all, Nri was a holy land for those Igbo who followed its edicts. It served as a place where sins and taboos could be absolved just by entering it. Even Igbo living far from the center of power would send abnormal children to Nri for ritual cleansing rather than having them killed, as was sometimes the case for dwarfs or children who cut their top teeth before their lower teeth. [21] About a century before these two were torn asunder, the long-lived Eze of Nri encountered an oracle, who predicted the coming of the Earth Mother’s twins. She foresaw that they would be born in the kingdom he ruled and would bring about his end, just as he once brought about the end of the Earth Mother and the old gods who once roamed the land. After that, the Eze decreed that all twins born in Nri be put to death. Characters - I feel that this is the same as book 1. It's a very character-centric book, but I don't feel like there was any character development. Book 1 was fairly short and mostly focused on 2 characters, but then book 2 was only slightly longer and had far more characters. I just feel that the book was too short to handle the character capacity it had so we only got a surface level view of them all. Nri had a network of internal and external trade, which its economy was partly based on. Other aspects of Nri's economy were hunting and agriculture. [16] Eri, the sky being, was the first to 'count' the days by their names, eke, oye, afor and nkwo, which were the names of their four governing spirits. Eri revealed the opportunity of time to the Igbo, who would use the days for exchanging goods and knowledge. [17] Culture [ edit ] Art [ edit ] 9th-century bronze vessel in form of a snail shell excavated in Igbo-Ukwu, in Nigerian National Museum ( Lagos) Ugh I feel like this is one of those times where I’m speechless about a book. Like it just astounded and entertained me completely. I don’t even know how to describe it. I loved this story, I think it was beautifully done, and if you’re a fan of strong female-led fantasy rich in culture and history, this one's for you. It’s a dream.

The kingdom appears to have passed its peak in the 18th century, encroached upon by the rise of the Benin and Igala kingdom, and later the Atlantic slave trade, but it appears to have maintained its authority well into the 16th century, remnants of the eze hierarchy persisted until the establishment of Colonial Nigeria in 1911, and it continues to exist as one of the traditional states within modern Nigeria. 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! I really like the way the Author writes characters and dialog but I don’t like the way they write action scenes, it’s was a bit convoluted.Nri tradition was based on the concept of peace, truth and harmony. [23] It spread this ideology through the ritualistic Ozo traders who maintained Nri influence by traveling and spreading Nri practices such as the " Ikenga" to other communities. These men were identified through the ritual facial scarifications they had undergone. Nri believed in cleansing and purifying the earth (a supernatural force to Nri called Ana and Ajana) [23] of human abominations and crimes. [2] Year counting ceremony [ edit ]