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The Ibibio
The
Kalabari
Eyo
Festival
The Urhobo
The Village Mart
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The Ibibio - Rhythm and Dialects
The Ibibio (in excess of 5million population)
have lived in the Akwa-Ibom/Cross River area of modern day Nigeria for several
hundred years, and while written information about them only exists in colonial
records from the late 1800s on, oral traditions have them in the region much
earlier than this. Anthropologically they speak dialects of Efik-Ibibio, a
language of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family. They comprise the
following major divisions: Southern (Oron), Delta (Ibeno, Ikot-Abasi, Eket),
Annang-Western (Ikot-Ekpene, Ukanafun), and Eastern and Central (Uyo, Ikono).
Right up till the Second World War era all these ethnic groups regarded
themselves and were seen as one. As an ethnic entity, they were the first to
create the consciousness of statehood with the formation of the Ibibio State
Union which gave scholarship opportunites to deserving sons prominent among whom
was the distinguished late Justice Udo Udoma. However the increased political
conciousness created by the Second World War brought about the schism which
created five new distinct ethnic nationalities for political expediency.
The British found it necessary to make use of
the Ekpo society traditions in order to impose indirect rule in the region.
Individual villages are ruled by a group of village elders (Ekpo Ndem Isong) and
the heads of extended families. Their decisions are enforced by members of the
Ekpo society who act as messengers of the ancestors (ikan). Ekpo members are
always masked when performing their policing duties, and although their
identities are almost always known, fear of retribution from the ancestors
prevents most people from accusing those members who overstep their social
boundaries, effectively committing police brutality. Membership is open to all
Ibibio males, but one must have access to wealth to move into the politically
influential grades. Ibibio religion is based on paying tribute to the village
ancestors. Failing to appease these ancestors will result in the wrath of the
Ekpo society. The most important ancestors are those who achieved high rank
while living, usually the house heads. They may control the fortunes of the
descendants and are free to afflict those who fail to make the proper offering
or those who fail to observe kinship norms. Their villages consist of compounds
of rectangular buildings, each with several rooms, arranged around a courtyard.
Villages, numbering about 500 persons, are divided into wards and sometimes into
physically distinct hamlets, occupied by separate patrilineages. Wards are
governed internally by a council consisting of heads of households and the
secular head of the ward. The lineage head is a moral authority who has ritual
duties and serves as guardian for ancestral shrines; he may also be the secular
leader. Groups of villages form larger territorial units united by traditions of
descent from a single parent village or village group and by the possession of a
common tutelary spirit and a common totem.
Secret societies, both male and female, are
prominent in Ibibio village organization. Membership in the Ekpo society, for
example, available to wealthy men who can meet the expense involved, confers
high social status and political authority; these men participate in ceremonies
concerned with ancestral spirits and are believed to protect the community
through magic and religious ritual. Ala is the earth deity and is appeased
through Ogbom ceremony, which is believed to make children plentiful and to
increase the harvest. It is performed in the middle of the year, every eighth
day for eight weeks by each section of the village in turn.The masks and
accouterments of the Ekpo society make up the greatest works of art in Ibibio
society. Drumming and music are also important elements in Ekpo ceremonies. The
wooden sculpture from this area is also very detailed, and artists are just as
likely to capture beauty as they are the hideous forms of evil spirits.
The main economic staple in the region is the palm tree, the oil of which is
extracted and sold to external markets. Among the Ibibio, those of the highest
rank in the Ekpo society, Amama, often control the majority of the community
wealth. The Amama often appropriate hundreds of acres of palm tree for their own
use and ensure with the profits they earn that their sons achieve comparable
rank, effectively limiting access to economic gain for most members of the
community. The Ekpo society requires that its initiates sponsor feasts for the
town, which fosters the appearance of the redistribution of wealth by providing
the poor with food and drink. In effect, this allows the disparity in wealth to
be perpetuated in Ibibio society. If the Ibibio were once one ethnic group what
were the similarities? The similarities exist mainly in the way of life and the
language. Take the language for instance, the word "one"
Ibibio Central- kiet'
Delta- kiang'
The phrase "that thing"
Ibibio Central- 'mkpoh do'
Annang- 'mpo deh'
Amongst the Ibibio, the most commonly used dialects by all 4 divisions is
Central Ibibio which over time has been used as the literary language of the
group and which is largely used for everyday communication. Ibibio Central is by
far the largest in terms of population hence the predominace of their language
amongst their fellow Ibibio kin. By nature the Annang Ibibio are the most
temperemental and warlike of the Ibibio people.
The Ibibio are are famous not just for their culinary skills but also for the
palately delicious and nutritionally rich cusine which comes from the kitchen of
the Ibibio. Edikang-ikong , afia efere (white soup) and Afang soups have
attained international and national prominence. Ekpang nkukwo (cocoyam porridge)
are widely acknowledged as delicacies worthy of savouring.
The place of the women folk in the Ibibio society is unique. The prospective
bride in Ibibioland must undergo a fattening ceremony before she is received by
her husband. This implies that the Ibibio revere robust women. The fame of the
Ibibio woman as a woman who can satisfy her spouse perfectly is an open secret.
The Ibibio man has been refered to on many an occasion as a womaniser , that
opinion is quite personal . What holds is that the Ibibio's as a people have
contributed in no small measure to the development of Nigeria.
Oct 2002 |
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