Many cultures in Nigeria were civilisations and great kingdoms who practised ancient craftmanship and transferred the education down generations.
Though civilisation and education mean a
certain thing now, there is more than enough proof that certain parts of
Nigeria had working structures and showed advanced technological skills
even before the colonial masters arrived.
For example, the Bini Empire has been
recognised as one of the oldest and most highly developed states in West
Africa, until it was annexed by the British Empire in 1897. There was
also the great Sokoto Caliphate which was a strong confederation of
emirates in West Africa.
Our oral traditions and historical
sites, some of which have faded over time, tell a story of creativity,
ingenuity and technological prowess.
Here's a part of that story.
1. Benin Kingdom
UNESCO world heritage site, the Benin Iya/Moat
shows a thinking people with a knack for stellar defense techniques.
The moat, still present till today, was finished in 1460 and was built
at 1,200 kilometers with walls as high as 18 metres as a defensive
fortification around Benin City. It was one of the world’s largest
archaeological structure.
The streets of the city were also very
structured — laid out in a grid and intersected at right angles and are
said to even have had street lights powered by palm oil in the earlier
16th and 17th century. Lourenco Pinto, the captain of a ship that
carried missionaries to Warri in 1619, confirmed this by describing
Benin kingdom as "larger than Lisbon. All the streets run straight and
as far as the eyes can see…." Benin is also where the famous Benin
bronzes which showed great iron smelting skills.
2. Sokoto
Sokoto is the home of Surame, an ancient city
created in the 16th Century by Muhammadu Kanta Sarkin Kebbi and
abandoned in the 1700s. It consistes of two-story buildings with
constructions glazed with tsoluwa (laterite gravel) and 10 mile
circumference city walls, going as high as 20 feet. A sophisticated
city, Sokoto was also once a world centre of silver minting and red
leather supplying. UNESCO describes Surame as “one of the wonders of
human history, creativity and ingenuity.
3. Igbos
Igbo Ukwu is known as the ancient centre of
iron and bronze smiting with its famous archaeological sites.
Radiocarbon dating has dated the sites back up to to 850 AD, which would
make the Igbo-Ukwu culture the earliest-known example of bronze casting
in the region. Igbo-Ukwu craft are intricate bronze metal-works that
indicate invention and high technological culture that made use of
various metals not common in the area.
Igbos were also largely known for their decorative artworks on their bodies, houses and clothing materials, using uli and chalk.
They were also very artistic and over-the-top
with their hairstyles and tribal marks, such as Ichi, used on the faces
of titled men.
4. Kano
The ancient Kano city walls were once regarded
as West African’s most impressive monument. They feature the Emir’s
Palace, Kurmi Market and the famous Dala Hills that span a 14km radius,
constructed to define defence, political space, management and security
system.
In 1904, Lord Lugard described Kano as a
"commercial emporium of the western Sudan," and estimated that there
were 170 walled towns still in existence in Kano province of northern
Nigeria. Speaking on its walls, he said, "I have never seen, nor even
imagined, anything like it in Africa."
5. Yoruba kingdom
Between the 12th-15th centuries, Ile-Ife, the
birthplace of Yoruba people, flourished in bronze and iron arts.
According to The Nation Online, beautiful natural terracotta and copper
alloy sculptures made during the early periods were found at Ife. Queen
Luwo, the twenty-first Ooni and only female monarch of Ife, was said to
have paved the streets of Ile-Ife with quartz pebbles and broken
pottery.
Similar to the Benin Iya, Sungbo's Eredo, a
100 mile system of defensive walls and trenches up to 70 ft, was built
in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state, in honour of the Ijebu
noblewoman Oloye Bilikisu Sungbo.
6. Yobe
The 8500-year-old Dufuna canoe was discovered
by a Fulani herdsman in 1987 in Dufuna village, Fune LGA and is the
oldest discovered boat in Africa, and 3rd oldest on the world.
7. Kebbi
Nigeria’s Sorko Sea lords of Kebbi state
constructed ships which were used for far away expeditions, including
the 1311 AD, 2000-year-old ship used for the famous voyage of Songhai
Empire’s Mansa Abubakari II to the America’s, decades before Columbus.
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