The History Of Opkoho - Ancient Igbo Money

The Okpoho is an ancient money invented by the Igbos and used extensively in the 16th century AD across West Africa as a medium of monetary exchange in trade between the Europeans and indigenous west Africans.

Made of bronze or copper, the Okpoho was usually formed into a ring-shaped object that looked like a bracelet with each end of the ring flattened out. Because it looked like a bracelet (and in fact, was sometimes worn around the wrists, neck or ankles as bracelets by women of wealthy husbands), the Spanish called it 'manilla', meaning bracelets.

The Okpoho originated in Enugu igbo land, Okpoho is the name of Igbo blacksmith town in modern day Ezeagu LGA Enugu State where Manilla was traditionally minted and circulated all over Igboland and beyond. However was wrongly accredited to ancient Calabar City, Efik country, and its use was documented in the 16th AD as a medium of monetary exchange where one Okpoho bought one elephant tooth, and one slave could be bought for 8 to 10 Okpohos during the slave trade era.

The Okpoho is also featured at the back of the Nigerian 🇳🇬 N100 currency note, and also in the Akwa Ibom State seal, and in many other places.

Table of summary:

Name: Okpoho

Function: money

Origin: Calabar, Efik country.

Region used: West Africa

Material: Bronze, copper, or brass.

Invented: around 16th century AD

Declined: April 1, 1949.

Replaced by: British Pound

Yet if you go to Wikipedia page, you see that they listed Calabar as the origin of Manilla.

This is because the colonials first saw Manilla at Calabar slave ports being used by Aros and Efiks for exchange of slaves .

And in error, they accredited Calabar with the money.

Even When Efiks are not known as blacksmiths, they have no iron ore minning sites in Efik land, so how could they have invented Manilla.

Moreover even in Efik, Manilla is called Okpoho.

Guess what? Okpoho is the name of Igbo blacksmith town in modern day Ezeagu LGA Enugu State where Manilla was traditionally minted and circulated all over Igboland and beyond.

Okpoho people were like the CBN of Ancient Igboland, minting Okpoho aka "Ego-Igwe".

Manilla is so Ancient to Igboland that it was even found among the materials buried in Igbo ukwu.

Okpogho Manilla were found in Igbo Ukwu excavation that is dated 9th and 10th AD.

The Nri identified all the objects found there including Okpogho.

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