04 72 Volume Dr Nwankwo T. Nwaezeigwe is Senior Research Fellow/ Lecturer at the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. kvarter akademisk academic quarter Volume 04. Spring 2012 • on the web The Hammock and the Colonial Journey of Conquest Reminiscences of British Colonialism among the West Niger-Igbo of Nigeria The Beginning Igboland, particularly east of the River Niger has quite a few navi- gable rivers, of which the Niger forms the major artery of commu- nication. The others include the Anambra, which is a tributary of the Niger, the Ezu, which connects to the Anambra; the Ebonyi, which fows into the Cross River; and the Imo which drains into the Bonny Creek of the Niger Delta. The same could be said of the Ig- boland lying west of the Niger, except that the few navigable rivers that fow from the hinterland not only lie within the Niger Delta basin, but cover short courses before gravitating into the Niger. These include the Adof, Umomi, Oboshi, Ubu, and Iyioji. Most of these rivers, apart from running through the geo-periph- ery of Igboland form part of the web of tributaries of the Niger, thereby eventually draining into the Atlantic Ocean. Thus the great- er part of Igbo land are left without the utility of river transport. In other words, the bulk of the numerous over-land travel networks connecting the various communities of independent petty village group states were undertaken by foot and head-porterage, since the use of such beasts of burden as horses and donkeys were unknown among the people. This is not, however, to say that the use of these animals as means of transportation was entirely unknown to the Igbo. The fact is that