Tracing Idembia’s Lost Ofo and Eza Through a 1902 Colonial Archive

I am researching the history of Nnu Eye, the salt pond in Idembia, Ezza South, Ebonyi State. Family elders say a shrine near the pond once held an Ofo staff and an Eza yam emblem. They believe these items left the community during the colonial period around 1902–1903. After months of searching, I found a possible reference in the Church Missionary Society papers for Onitsha District held by the Cadbury Research Library in the United Kingdom. The catalogue mentions Ezza country and salt making, but the full file is currently restricted. I have contacted the library and other archival centres, and I am still seeking permission to view or obtain a digitised copy. My reconstruction draws on oral history of women who guarded the salt pond, traditional salt production, nearby iron slag, and the possible connection between Idembia and Ntezi salt lake. I am particularly seeking oral accounts from Ezza South and Ntezi elders, as well as advice from anyone who has accessed Church Missionary Society records for the Onitsha District. Has anyone heard traditions linking Idembia’s Nnu Eye to Ntezi, or knows how descendants can request access to colonial-era archive files?

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