Colonial Domination of Nigerian Indigenous Peoples

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Questions and Answers

What was King Jaja refusing to allow the British to do in 1885?

Establish a British embassy

Build a hospital in his kingdom

Invade his territory's hinterlands (correct)

Trade with his people

What was the outcome of the British invasion of the Igbo hinterland in 1901?

They established a trade agreement with the Igbo people

They were defeated by the Igbo people

They burned down the Ibinukpabi Oracle of Arochukwu and executed its priests (correct)

They set up a new government

What was the main pretext under which European colonization of Africa operated?

Humanitarian aid

Trade (correct)

Religious conversion

Education

What was the name of the company under which the British conducted colonial trade in Nigeria?

Royal Niger Company Signup and view all the answers

What was the outcome of the Berlin conference in 1885?

The partitioning of Africa into colonies Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the ways in which colonial trade was conducted in Nigeria?

Through usurpation of lands and forced labor Signup and view all the answers

What was the consequence of the British invasion of the Nupe Kingdom in 1898?

The Nupe Kingdom was annexed into a British colony Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of the year 1903 in the history of the Sultanate of Sokoto?

The empire of Othman dan Fodio was terminated Signup and view all the answers

Who were the first Europeans to arrive in Nigeria?

Portuguese Signup and view all the answers

What was the main purpose of the British assault on the indigenous Nigerian peoples?

To effect British legitimate commerce Signup and view all the answers

What was the outcome of the British military campaign on the indigenous Nigerian peoples?

They were assaulted and conquered Signup and view all the answers

How many indigenous peoples were there in Nigeria, according to the text?

Nearly 300 Signup and view all the answers

What was the result of the military campaign on African nations like Nigeria?

They were the product of European military and cultural assault Signup and view all the answers

What was the year of the Opium War, according to the text?

1839-1842 Signup and view all the answers

What was the purpose of the US assault on Japan in 1853, according to the text?

To compel Japan to open up to western trade Signup and view all the answers

What were the basic strategies of the colonial project, according to the text?

Trade, education, social welfare, religion, and military might Signup and view all the answers

What was the main purpose of commercial farms established by the British?

To produce raw materials for factory production in Europe Signup and view all the answers

How did the British enforce their economic interests in the colonies?

Through the use of warrant chiefs and indirect rule Signup and view all the answers

What was the role of emirs and chiefs in the colonial system?

To cooperate with colonial authorities to deploy necessary measures Signup and view all the answers

What was the difference between colonial slavery and the slavery of previous centuries?

The location of the farms Signup and view all the answers

What was the purpose of encouraging natives to cultivate cash crops?

To generate revenue for the colonial administration Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary goal of the colonial economy?

To extract resources for the benefit of the colonial powers Signup and view all the answers

How did the British determine the value of the cash crops produced by the natives?

Unilaterally, without consulting the native farmers Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between colonialism and imperialism?

Colonialism involves physical occupation, while imperialism does not Signup and view all the answers

Why did European powers adopt colonialism in the 19th century?

As an alternative to slave trade Signup and view all the answers

What were the consequences for those who couldn't afford to pay taxes?

They had to learn anticultural behaviors such as tax evasion or stealing Signup and view all the answers

What was the strategy used by the British to maintain control over the colonies?

Indirect rule and divide and rule Signup and view all the answers

What is the meaning of the Latin word 'colonus'?

To settle or cultivate Signup and view all the answers

Who were the governor-general, provincial commissioners, divisional and district officers?

British colonial personnel Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of social welfare structures in the colonial project?

To serve the interests of the colonial project Signup and view all the answers

Who defined colonization as a practice of domination?

The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between education and politics according to McLaughlin?

Education is inextricable from politics Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of colonial education according to Kelly and Altbach?

To extend foreign domination and economic exploitation of the colony Signup and view all the answers

What is the ultimate goal of colonial education?

To control the mindset of the colonized and reduce them to a state of cultural hybridity Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of schools in colonial education according to Louis Althusser?

An ideological state apparatus Signup and view all the answers

What is the idea behind cultural assimilation in colonial education?

To force the colonized to conform to the cultures and traditions of the colonizers Signup and view all the answers

What do colonizing governments realize about gaining strength?

They gain strength through mental control Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of colonial education on indigenous learning structures?

It strips the colonized people away from their indigenous learning structures Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of education in facilitating the assimilation process according to colonizers?

Education is important in facilitating the assimilation process Signup and view all the answers

What does Gauri Viswanathan mean by 'cultural assimilation is...the most effective form of political action'?

Cultural assimilation works by consent and often precedes conquest by force Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Basic Strategies of Colonial Domination

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Nigeria through the Bini Kingdom in the 15th century.
The British assault on Nigerian indigenous peoples in the 19th century led to the birth of the Nigerian nation.
Nigerian peoples were independent indigenous peoples, including the Hausa, Kanem-Borno, Nupe, Igala, Jukun, Tiv, Yoruba, Bini, Urhobo/Edo, Igbo, Ogoja, Ijaw, Kalabari, Ogoni, Efik/Ibibio, and 300 other "minorities".

Military Assault

Military campaign was a major strategy of launching the era of legitimate commerce.
The natives were not colonized by agreement; they were assaulted and conquered.
The assault was global, including the Opium War (1839-1842) and the US assault on Japan in 1853.
Modern African nations like Nigeria were the product of European military and cultural assault on African indigenous peoples.

Examples of Military Assault

King Jaja of Opobo was tricked, arrested, and exiled to St Vincent in the West Indies in 1885 for refusing to allow the British to invade his territory and control trading activities.
The British invaded and subdued the Igbo hinterland, setting the Ibinukpabi Oracle of Arochukwu on fire and executing its priests in 1901 to break down Igbo resistance.
The British also invaded and subdued the Nupe Kingdom (1898), the thousand-year-old trans-Saharan trade city-state of Kano (1903), the Kanem-Borno Empire, and the Sultanate of Sokoto.

Colonial Trade

Trade was the general pretext under which European colonization of Africa and other parts of the world operated.
The British settled for "legitimate commerce" under the title of the Royal Niger Company.
Colonial trade involved usurpation of lands, commercial agriculture, enforcement of forced labor, policies of taxation, and was enforced by colonial rule.
Natives were used as slaves to provide labor for commercial farms producing raw materials shipped to Europe for factory production.

Colonial rule was a semi-feudal civil administration through indirect rule, using warrant chiefs to enforce British economic interests.
Colonialism was slavery at home, with farms established on native land and natives consigned to servitude.
Natives were encouraged to cultivate cash crops and pay taxes on proceeds, with the British controlling the cash crop market and determining the value of products.
Those who couldn't afford foreign currencies to pay taxes had to resort to anticultural behaviors like tax evasion, stealing, or robbery.

Colonial Education

Colonization involves the subjugation of one people to another, and colonial education is an instrument of colonization.
The colonizing nation implements its own form of schooling within its colonies, aiming to assist in the consolidation of foreign rule.
Assimilation involves the colonized being forced to conform to the cultures and traditions of the colonizers.
Cultural assimilation is an effective form of political action, allowing cultural domination to work by consent and often preceding conquest by force.

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Description

Learn about the early European arrivals in Nigeria, specifically the Portuguese, and their impact on the indigenous peoples. Covers the 15th century encounters and the British assault.