The ethnic group to which most of the characters belong is the __________________people. Ikpaya is now worn by an Obong-elect during the traditional coronation ceremony. [67] As of 1877, Alexander Ross reported that thirteen towns in the Cameroon region speak Efik and had an aggregate population of about 22,000. The destruction of Obutong occurred in 1854. Covering, concealing, and protecting their bodies, it functions as a physical metaphor for the ideological secrecy that the Ekpe society carefully constructs and guards. The group believes that when they eat human flesh, they gain the ability to transform into a crocodile. The Ekpe is a men's society found in Abiriba, Aro-chukwu, Ohafia and many other Bende communities in Igbo land, it is a variation of the important Egbo Ejagham ( Ekoi) in the Upper Cross-River as well as the Efik Ekpe Society of Calabar. . As Sidney Kasfir has pointed to (in reference to the Ekpe society in southeastern Nigeria and adjoining Cameroon), material, performative, and ritual structures in masking are not fused together but can be used to different ends and can travel different paths ( Kasfir 2019: 15). [37] A captured invader confessed that they were set to retrieve royal emblems which they believed the Efik had taken with them when they left Uruan. Photo by Eli Bentor. Among the earliest proponents of the Ibibio origin theory are Consul Hutchinson who stated, "The present inhabitants of Duke town, Old town and Creek town are descendants of the Egbo shary or Ibibio tribe up the Cross River. In the culture we have discussed, the term fadenya refers to: the relationship between father and child, and half siblings - requiring self-assertion, independence, innovation, and competition. The doomsday cult is a sinister transnational cult that has paved its way from the west and Asian world into some African countries including Uganda and South Africa. [52] The Captains wrote the acting consul who was stationed at Fernando Po. Historians recognize the advent and rapid rise of Ekpe as a direct result of a need for a new and effective mechanism of sociopolitical control in the complex economic environment created by the Atlantic slave trade. The earliest list of Efik traders is provided in Jean Barbot's manuscript which was later printed in 1732. Modern Efik society is a melting pot of people of diverse origin. Unblock notifications in browser settings. The Efik in Nigeria have Nkanda as the basic Ekpe whereas, in Cameroon we have Ekpe as the starting point in Ekpe. While some explorers describe the Efik as travellers who past through the Ibibio country, others assert that the Efik are of Ibibio stock. Jeffreys states that a disruption among the Okobo around the town of Ekeya in the Eket district led to the founding of Obutong. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Simple theme. [33][35] The Efik came to her defence and the dispute escalataed[34] Legend has it that this was the last straw that led to the Uruan-Efik war (known in Efik as Ek Abasi-Anwan) which led to the exit of the Efik from the Uruan country. [44][52] Aye uses Adiaha Etim Anwa's ballad as one of the basis for his hypothesis. The presentation, by Ekpe members from Cameroon, Nigeria and Cuba was arranged by Chief Dr. Ivor Miller and coordinated by Sessekous Ojong-Orock, Joseph Mbu and Mbe Tazi. The history of the Efik is one of the most documented in subsaharan Africa. http://Ekpesociety.blogspot.com; www.ekpe.org; http://Ekpesocietyusa.blogspot.com; http://ndiboyevengo.blogspot.com, Ekpe Society 1st Conclave from Sept 16 to 17 2009, Ekpe DC Sessekou relaxing during the conclave, Ekpe Society members with Justice Hilman Egbe at a MECA DC meeting, Ekpe Chief Maurice Enoh's funeral in Dallas on January 27th and 28th 2012, Maurice Enoh: The 1st Manyu Ekpe USA Sessekou to die in USA, Maurice Enoh returning from his crowning ceremony as Ekpe Chief in Kepelle Village, Ekpe-USA received at the Smithsonian Museum. Ekpe Efik was used as a government instrument in Bakassi in exercising authority for more than 200 years ago (E.O.Efiong-Fuller, 1996). The Efik language was also spoken in several communities in Western Cameroon. cherryblossom wrote on WARRIOR's profile. [43] Stephen D. Behrendt and Eric J. Graham revealed in a 2003 publication that by the time the first documented European sailing vessel arrived in 1625, the Efik had already settled at Creek Town and Old Town. Each grade has a chieftain or an Obong. Ekpe, also known as Mgbe/Egbo (Ekoi language: leopard; derived from the Ibibio term for the same), is a West African secret society in Nigeria and Cameroon flourishing chiefly among the Efiks. Omissions? The Ogboni is a fraternity indigenous to Nigeria, Benin and Togo. [45] What is most certain is that the Efik arrived Creek Town led by Edidem Eyo Ema Atai together with Oku Atai Atai Ema Atai, Ukpong Atai Atai Ema Atai, Adim Atai Atai Ema Atai, Efiom Ekpo Efiom Ekpo and several others. These Ngolo created the Ekpe society and invented the Nsibidi writing system in Usakadet (Isangele). In part because of their appropriation, exclusive use, and understanding of nsibidi, Ekpe members in the pre-colonial past were thought to have access to the spiritual realm and were, therefore, empowered to make and enforce societal rules and norms. [57] The diary of Antera Duke, an Efik, is the only surviving record from an African slave-trading house. The cloth is then dipped in indigo dye and hung to dry. [77] The fibre of the leaf-stalk of a palm was made into a thread and woven to make clothes and bags. [47] On the founding of Obutong, Colonial anthropologist M.D.W. [13] Throughout the centuries, Efik traders traded with the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French. Prior to Akak, the theory were proposed at the Hart's enquiry by Chief Offiong Abasi Ntiero Effiwatt and Etubom Ededem Ekpenyong Oku.[25][26]. Among these secret societies were Ekpe, Obon and Nsibidi. Archaeological evidence found that the group was extremely advanced in education for its time, and headed the construction of the Valley of the Kings. The cloth is traditionally used as either a wrapper, worn by high- ranking members of Ekpe group who often . [32] At night when everyone had gone to sleep, the men from Uruan rose up and began to slaughter their hosts. The Efik people occupy the basins of the Lower Cross River, down to southwestern Cameroon including Bakassi, the Calabar River and down to its streams - the Kwa River, Akpayafe (Akpa Ikang) and the Eniong Creek. In the culture we have discussed, the term nyama refers to: the power which exists in all things, which can be controlled only by special persons. Jeffreys also stated, "There is reason to believe that a considerable portion of a small Ibibio clan called Ebrutu or Eburutu was the earliest stock of the Efik; for, when the missionaries settled in 1846 at Old Calabar amongst these people for the first time, it was found that they called themselves not Efik but Ebrutu or Ebrutu Efik. I hope Queen Victoria and young prince will live long time and we get good friend. [32] Another theory states that there was a disagreement between an Efik woman known as Abasi and an Uruan woman. [59] Ekpe is first mentioned in the historical literature of Old Calabar in the 1770s. Gelede Egbe: Yoruba Women's Sacred Society. Written March 01, 2015 by Web Services Editor, Guarini School of Graduate & Advanced Studies, Copyright 2023 Trustees of Dartmouth College. These they handcuffed, brought down to the canoes, and so proceeded up the river, till they got to the amount of 45, with whom they returned to New town, where sending to the captains of the shipping, they divided them among the ships.[56]. Among these missionaries were Rev. Hood Quarterly, spring 2015 This exhibition examines the ukara cloth of the Ekpe secret society, a multi-ethnic all-male association in southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, exploring both the longstanding cultural practice the cloth represents and the artistic process involved in its creation. Efik populations are found in the following regions: Secret societies aided in the maintaining of law and order at Old Calabar. The Efik speak the Efik language which is a member of the Benue -Congo subfamily of the Niger - Congo language group. Many families sent their children to European captains to teach them English and the processes involved in the international trade. Lawino says that her husband's house is a "dark forest of _______________________". Although used exclusively by members of Ekpe, ukara is produced by a sub-group in a village of the Ezillo community in present-day Ebonyi State in the Igbo area in southeastern Nigeria. To cast light on African perspectives, and on the point of view of enslaved men and women, this group of top Africanist scholars has examined both conventional historical sources (e.g., European. Efik society consists of various clans which were originally known as "Esien Efik itiaba" (English: Seven clans of Efik) and later known in the 21st century as "Esien Efik Duopeba" (English: Twelve clans of Efik). With the inception of the transatlantic slave trade, a number of foreign clothes were introduced into Efik society. [33] Abasi's husband insisted that the problem should be resolved by the chiefs. . Aye and Eyo Okon Akak. Copyright Dr. Ivor L. Miller. Oge ruru ka laja nyefee lasha r ya ma gaa rwa r e nyere ya ebe z. "[35] Simmons assertion which was made in his 1958 dissertation is similarly reiterated at the Hart's enquiry in 1964 by chiefs such as Chief Efiom Obo Effanga of Obutong. That it was through the Qua [an Ejagham or Ekoi stock], that the secret of Ekpe cult diffused to Calabar. Ndibo Yevengo- Abakua & Ekpe events; Cuba-Calabar Radio . Wake Keeping, Viewing and service in Dallas, Texas. Upon leaving the Cameroon territory, the Ibibio arrived at their present location following two major directions. He views the Cuban initiation system known as Abaku, which was based on kp society, as a collective way for African descendants to maintain their historical memory. [39] At Ndodoghi, the Efik priest-king Ema Atai Ema Atai died and was succeeded by his son Eyo Ema Atai Ema Atai Iboku. This exhibition examines the ukara cloth of the Ekpe secret society, a multi-ethnic all-male association in southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, exploring both the longstanding cultural practice the cloth represents and the artistic process involved in its creation. "[21] Jeffreys assertion regarding Eburutu being a single Ibibio clan is proven false by earlier definitions of Eburutu by Rev. La communaut cubaine Abakudescendante des communauts fik Ekp et Ejagham gb du Sud Est du Nigria et du Sud Ouest du Camerouna t fonde la Havane dans les annes 1830 par des leaders capturs des villages de Cross River. The tentative program is as follows: January 27th and 28th, 2012. In a Somali tale, the main character, Eghal Shillet, is: a braggart and coward who finds every possible excuse to avoid going into battle. [26] At Uruan, they were ruled by a number of priest-kings Ndidem. [49] The Enwang are believed to have ruled Atakpa for a number of years. [8] The bulk of the Efik can be found in Calabar. [32] Oku adds that the Uruan were adverse to the Efik custom of burying strangers with their dead and did not share in the practice carried out by the Efik. Additional Touches [34] When the Uruan woman realised that Abasi had broken her axe, she insisted that the axe should be repaired. 4. Ethnographic - (Mask, Elephant, Cape, Chicken Feather); Elephant Mask with Chicken Feather Cape, Bekom People, Cameroon. Ekpe members request nsibidi designs of personal or communal significance. Write the meaning in the blank. a Mande tradition based on orally transmitted history. the Ekpe society. [61] Due to the fall in global demand for slaves and several other factors, the kings and chiefs of Old Calabar wrote to the British requesting that they send teachers and missionaries to Old Calabar to establish industries and introduce the religion of the white man to them. On behalf of Ekpe-USA Leadership, I hereby remind every member of Ngbe who has taken the aoth that our fathers and great grand fathers took to uphold those sacred traditions and beliefs, to immediately start preparations to do what they must do to send our brother to join our ancestors. [11] Ibonda (an Efut clan) has sometimes been appended to Adiabo as one of the seven Efik clans. The design is left to the discretion of the Ezillo creators, who are not Ekpe members and do not know the meanings of nsibidi. One of Thompson's pupils, Ivor Miller, has now produced a noteworthy study, concentrating specifically on one particular secret society, Ekpe, of the Cross River region of southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon; its transfiguration on Cuban soil into the Abakua society; and the ensuing effect of Abakua in shaping all aspects of the . One of such accounts was given at a court case by Prince Bassey Duke in 1917 where he stated, "The Efiks were originally Ibo descendants. [17] Some oral accounts by early Efik men also support the Igbo origin of the Efik.

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