Ekoi people, also known as Ejagham, are an ethnic group in southeastern Nigeria and extending eastward into the southwest region of Cameroon. They speak the Ejagham language. Other Ekoi languages are spoken by related groups, including the Etung, some groups in Ikom (such as Ofutop, Akparabong and Nde), some groups in Ogoja (Ishibori and Bansarra), Ufia, and Yakö. The Ekoi have lived closely with the nearby Efik, Annang, Ibibio, and Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. The Ekoi are best known for their Ekpe headdresses and the Nsibidi script.[1] The Ejagham likely are the creators of the Nsibidi ideograms and still use them as a part of tradition.[2][3][4][5]
The Ekoi in Nigeria are found in Cross River State. The Ekoid languages are spoken around this area, although English (the national language) is also spoken. The Ejaham are spread out living in multiple villages called etek. Seeing a number of coconut trees or a mboma tree at the entrance or center of a village is an indication that you have entered Ejaham territory. In order to have easy access to a reliable source of water, all villages are built by a river or stream.[6]:11 It was convenient for people to live in the Cross River area, as they were used as main roads and journeys for trade routes.[7]
The Ekoi language is one of the Ekoid languages, a Bantoid language in the Niger–Congo dialect cluster. The Ekoi are the likely creators of the Nsibidi script, a script which can be seen in many surviving artifacts found in the areas inhabited by the Ekoi/Ejagham people, and which roughly translates into "cruel letters". It is an entirely African script, with virtually no Western influence. According to Ekoi folklore, the script was taught to them by mermaids.[4]
Nsibidi ideograms convey countless concepts. There are over 12 different symbols for love, 7 different symbols for hatred, 7 different symbols for speech, 8 different symbols for mirror, 14 different symbols for a set table, and 6 different symbols for journeys. Symbols that are shaded in usually mean danger or bad fortune, and include ideas of a dead body or the death of a friend. The nsibidi script is used in the Ekoi languages and is understandable in reading and writing. The script's importance is emphasized through its beauty and artistic aesthetics rather than its ability to shape cohesive sentences.[4]
Ntufam Ndifon Attah explains that "Ejagham" is derived from the combination of three words: ekub (a whole or parcel), ejag (split or broken), haam (going on infinitely or without end). Put together then, Ejagham stands for that unified whole or parcel that was originally one but is now broken into pieces and is forging for reunification. This refers to the first break away of the other tribes (in Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, South Africa etc.) that migrated from the historical Bantu. It further refers to the reunification of the Ejagham speaking communities in Ikom LGA, Etung LGA, Quas of the present Calabar and it environs, Ishibor in Ogoja and Southern Cameroons among others. The Ejagham are one of the oldest Bantu groups and were an integral part of the Bantu expansion.
By 200 AD, the Ejagham civilization had developed to such an advanced level that gave inspiration to the creation of ingenious forms as exemplified by the Ikom monoliths[11] and Nsibidi script. There was a large and centralized Ejagham kingdom with a capacity for mobilizing its citizenry for its various needs. A strong economy supported by a secure agro-technological base was established. Fishing was practiced by those at the coastal areas and hunting by those residing in the hinterland. Domestication of animals like sheep, goats, and fowls was common while the knowledge of iron workings provided the tools through which most of these activities were carried out.
Before Igbo arrival to the Arochukwu region, a group of proto Ibibio migrated to the area and established the Ibom Kingdom. This proto Ibibio group originally came from Usak Edet (Isanguele), a segment of the Ejagham in present-day Southern Cameroon. Eventually, groups of Igbo settlers moved into the area. Tensions between the Igbo settlers and the majority of the indigenous Ibibio led to the Aro-Ibibio Wars. The Efik were originally from the Ibom Kingdom and might have left before or during the Aro-Ibibio Wars. The Igbo settlers invited Ejagham (Akpa) mercenaries led by Osim and Akuma Nnubi. The allied Igbo settlers, Ibibio rebels, and Akpa mercenaries won the war. The Arochukwu kingdom was founded by Akuma Nnubi.
Atlantic Slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade was at its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries after previous encounters with the Portuguese. Old Calabar, a city state in southeastern Nigeria, was a major center for the Slave Trade as well as trading palm oil. During this time the indigenous culture was completely destroyed and manhunts along with human sacrifice were at an all time high.[7]:5–6
Ekoi people taken into slavery across the Atlantic were notable in Cuba, where their art, seen in the forms of drums and headdresses, survives to this day.[4]
Colonialism
The Ekoi people, while all speaking the same language, have not tended to live in complete unison. Living in what is now Southeast Nigeria and Southwest Cameroon, the people were physically divided by British and German colonial holdings in Africa. When a German captain named Von Weiss was killed, the European power took measures to combat the native Ekoi people (1899-1904 German-Ekoi War). However, the response was not uniform; not only were there no pitched battles, but some villages fled instead of fighting back.[12] Moreover, Ekoi people in British-controlled Nigeria did not act to help their ethnic compatriots.[12]
Ekoi Society
The Ejagham, an East Nigerian ethnic group, was the first to make skin covered masks and dance in them. The Nigerian and Cameroon regions share similar tribal organizations and traditional masks. Nkwa-mbuk, a mask-wearing society of the Ekoi, performed rituals such as human sacrifices and head hunting. Once a battle was won, the skin of the enemies were taken and made into a mask to proclaim victory. The head and heart are the most significant parts of the body. The head is the home of the spirit, therefore, to come back with the head of an outsider showed you were a strong man. Men were expected to engage in combat in order to be accepted in a male power society and have the opportunity to get married.[7]:5–6
The Ekoi believe that the heirs of the first settlers of their present settlement own the land. Though newcomers are not allowed to buy land, they are able to purchase rights of settlement. Ekoi men have traditionally hunted, while women have engaged in fishing, agriculture, raising yams, plantains, and corn (maize). Both men and women participate in weaving.[4][12]
The people of Ejagham treat the earth with the utmost respect. The land provides the crops that grow in the fields, water to drink and bath in from the river, and animals to hunt in the forest. The man who chooses the place of settlement becomes the chief of the village. The current chief of the village along with all the previous chiefs before him are honored until the end of time. Each time the village is met with a blessing the people present offerings to the ancestors.[6]:17
Mgbe and Nnimm
The Mgbe and Nnimm societies were for males and females, respectively, in the Ekoi community. The Ekpe(Leopard) Society believed in the story of an old king named Tanze. When he died, he became a fish that was caught by a woman. A man killed the woman, created the Leopard Society, and Tanze became the body of a female drum.[4] This tale raised the symbols of the roaring fish and the leopard as signs from God and so they would be referred to in every Ekoi court.[4]
Initiates of Nnimm would be unmarried young girls.[4] They would wear cursive body-painting and material dresses of calabash and shells, as well as leather necklaces. Bones of monkeys were matched with feather headdresses (the single feather at the back of the head was most important, as it was the Nnimm feather) and finished off with a cowrie-fringed wrapper.[4] Nnimm plumes would become very important to Africans in Cuba.[4]
Head priest of Nimms
Nimm neophytes
Arts
The Ekoi culture is known for mastering the art of sculpture. The complexity of its art is a hint to the complexity of the Ekoi people's organization. Their masks are unique because unlike most traditional African masks, the Ekoi masks are fairly realistic. In the Ekoi's approach to make 2-sided masks, the darker side represented the male force, and the whiter side the female force.[13] The wooden masks were often covered with strips of animal skin or human skin. The realism aspect is further pushed with shiny eyes and sometimes including human hair. The teeth can be carved with wood like the rest of the sculpture or different materials like wood or cane are used.[14]:5
Body-painting and poetry are also critical to men, as they are seen simultaneously as warriors and artists. Though war has been largely uncommon in Ekoi history, except for the German-Ekoi War between 1899-1904.[4][12]
Long-corned statue, Coleção Museu Afro Brasil (São Paulo)
The Ekoi have a large number of spoken stories. One creation tale tells of God creating the first man and woman and allowing them to live in a hut. God tells the man to impregnate the woman and leaves before the child is born. When the child is born, God instructs the man and woman to care for their new child. At the end of the tale it is revealed that all people are descendants of this man and woman.[15]
Another tale that explains the natural world tells of Eagle and Ox playing hide-and-seek. Eagle finds Ox immediately and then hides on Ox's horns where Ox cannot see him. Ox goes to every animal and asks if they had seen Eagle, but Eagle tells them all not to say anything. Finally, Fowl tells Ox that Eagle is on his horns. Enraged, Eagle seizes Fowl and swears that he will take his children for this offense. It is said that because of this, eagles eat younger fowls.[15]
Folklore
The Ekoi believe in the deities named Obassi Nsi and Obassi Osaw. Though both powerful, Obassi Nsi is seen as the loving and caring deity who ripens the food that the Ekoi people plant in the ground. Once you die, your body will be buried in the ground along with your important belonging from earth. The soul then leaves the body and takes on this new form as you live on under the earth with Obassi Nsi. Now, Obassi Osaw is seen as cruel and dangerous as he terrifies the people of Ekoi and is responsible for leading them to death. He does not accept offerings, though the people will still attempt to do so by throwing objects in the air only for them to come back down. In order to protect the people from the fallen objects, Obassi Nsi will draw them down into the earth which shows that Obassi Nsi is more powerful than Obassi Osaw. These deities are friends, they split offerings and eat together. The Ekoi community refers to Obassi Nsi as their mother due to her kind spirit (Ma Obassi as known as Lady Obassi), while Obassi Osaw (Nta Obassi as known as Lord Obassi) is their father.[16]:255–256
Leopards
Leopards especially would be seen as important in Ekoi society. In times of ntuis (chiefs), the appointed ntui would leave his house and make a series of sacrifices. This included those of skull-caps with leopard's teeth, a staff bound with leopard's skin, and a necklace of leopard's teeth.[17] Also, when a ntui died, his people would enter the jungle to bring back the ngbe as the ntui's spirit returns to God. If they were not wary, it is believed a real leopard would attack them.[17]
1 2 3 4 Anene, J.C. (December 1961). "THE NIGERIA—SOUTHERN CAMEROONS BOUNDARY (An Ethno-Political Analysis)". Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria. 2: 186–195 – via JSTOR.
1 2 Jeffreys, M. D. W. (1939). "Some Notes on the Ekoi". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 69 (1): 95–108. doi:10.2307/2844232. ISSN0307-3114. JSTOR2844232.
The Igbo people are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. Ethnic Igbo populations are found in Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, as migrants as well as outside Africa. There has been much speculation about the origins of the Igbo people, which are largely unknown. The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa.
The Ibibio people are a coastal people in Southern Nigeria. They are mostly found in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and the Eastern part of Abia State. During the colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation.
Anaang is an ethnic group in Southern Nigeria, whose land is primarily within 8 of the present 31 Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State: Abak, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk Anam, Ukanafun in Akwa Ibom State. The Anaang are the second largest ethnic group after the Ibibios in Akwa Ibom state.
Cross River State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, and was formed from the eastern part of the Eastern Region on 27 May 1967. Its capital is Calabar, which borders to the north through Benue state, to the west through Ebonyi state and Abia state, and to the southwest through Akwa Ibom state, while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon. Originally known as the South-Eastern State before being renamed in 1976, Cross River state formerly included the area that is now Akwa Ibom state, which became a distinct state in 1987.
Central Ibibio is the major dialect cluster of the Cross River branch of Benue–Congo. Efik proper has national status in Nigeria and was erroneously made the literary standard of the Ibibio language, though Ibibio proper has more native speakers.
The Efik are an ethnic group located primarily in southern Nigeria, and western Cameroon. Within Nigeria, the Efik can be found in the present-day Cross River State and Akwa Ibom state. The Efik speak the Efik language which is a member of the Benue–Congo subfamily of the Niger-Congo language group. The Efik refer to themselves as Efik Eburutu, Ifa Ibom, Eburutu and Iboku.
The Aro-Ibibio Wars were a series of conflicts between the Aro people and the Obong Okon Ita clan in present-day Southeastern Nigeria in the Ibom Kingdom from 1630 to 1902. These wars led to the foundation of the Arochukwu kingdom.
The Aro people or Aros are an Igbo group that originated from the Arochukwu kingdom in present-day Abia state, Nigeria. The Aros can also be found in about 250 other settlements mostly in the Southeastern Nigeria and adjacent areas. The Aros today are classified as Eastern or Cross River Igbos because of their location, mixed origins, culture, and dialect. Their god, Chukwu Abiama, was a key factor in establishing the Aro Confederacy as a regional power in the Niger Delta and Southeastern Nigeria during the 18th and 19th centuries.
There are over 525 native languages spoken in Nigeria. The official language and most widely spoken lingua franca is English, which was the language of Colonial Nigeria. Nigerian Pidgin – an English-based creole – is spoken by over 60 million people.
Aro History starts from Ibibio migration to the present Arochukwu area.
Nsibidi is a system of symbols or proto-writing developed by the Ekpe secret society that traversed the southeastern part of Nigeria. They are classified as pictograms, though there have been suggestions that some are logograms or syllabograms.
The Ekoid languages are a dialect cluster of Southern Bantoid languages spoken principally in southeastern Nigeria and in adjacent regions of Cameroon. They have long been associated with the Bantu languages, without their status being precisely defined. Crabb (1969) remains the major monograph on these languages, although regrettably, Part II, which was to contain grammatical analyses, was never published. Crabb also reviews the literature on Ekoid up to the date of publication.
"Ekoi" or "Ejagham" may refer to:
Ekoi mythology is the belief system of the Ekoi People, an ethnic group primarily found in southeastern Nigeria and parts of Cameroon.
Manyu is a division of the Southwest Region in Cameroon. The division covers an area of 9,565 km2 and as of 2005 had a total population of 181,039. The capital of the division is Mamfe.
Cross River is the main river in southeastern Nigeria and gives its name to Cross River State. It originates in Cameroon, where it takes the name of the Manyu River. Although not long by African standards its catchment has high rainfall and it becomes very wide. Over its last 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the sea it flows through swampy rainforest with numerous creeks and forms an inland delta near its confluence with the Calabar River, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) wide and 50 kilometres (31 mi) long between the cities of Oron on the west bank and Calabar, on the east bank, more than 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the open sea. The delta empties into a broad estuary which it shares with a few smaller rivers. At its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean, the estuary is 24 kilometres (15 mi) wide. The eastern side of the estuary is in the neighboring country of Cameroon.
Ibibio is the native language of the Ibibio people of Nigeria, belonging to the Ibibio-Efik dialect cluster of the Cross River languages. The name Ibibio is sometimes used for the entire dialect cluster. In pre-colonial times, it was written with Nsibidi ideograms, similar to Igbo, Efik, Anaang, and Ejagham. Ibibio has also had influences on Afro-American diasporic languages such as AAVE words like buckra which come from the Ibibio word mbakara and in the Afro-Cuban tradition of abakua.
The Jagham language, Ejagham, also known as Ekoi, is an Ekoid language of Nigeria and Cameroon spoken by the Ekoi people. The E- in Ejagham represents the class prefix for "language", analogous to the Bantu ki- in KiSwahili
The Oroko are an ethnic group in Cameroon. They belong to the coastal Bantu group, widely known as Sawa, and primarily occupy the Ndian and Meme divisions of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The people predominantly speak Oroko, English, and Cameroon Pidgin English. The Oroko are related to several ethnic groups in Cameroon's coastal areas, with whom they share a common traditional origin, and similar histories and cultures. These include the Bakweri (Kwe), Bakole, Duala, Ewodi, the Bodiman, the Pongo, the Bamboko, the Isubu, the Limba, the Mungo, and the Wovea.
The Ibadan National Museum of Unity is an ethnographic museum in Aleshinloye Ibadan, Nigeria. The museum is dedicated to the culture of the different ethnic groups of Nigeria.
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