List of Efik deities

Last updated

The following is a list of gods and goddesses from Efik mythology.

Contents

Supreme being

The Supreme God is known as Abasi. He is regarded as the father of all things. In some narratives, he is regarded as a member of a trinity which consists of Ibom Enọ, Abasi Ibom and Inyañ Ibom. [1]

Ndem

National deities

Communal deities

Communal deities are deities worshipped by a number of Efik families and houses. These deities have no affiliation with specific families but are guardians of the individual towns of Old Calabar.

Family deities

Some deities were the guardians of specific families and houses in Old Calabar.

Other marine deities

Pre-Ndem era deities

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Efik mythology</span> Body of myths and legends of the Efik people

Efik mythology consists of a collection of myths narrated, sung or written down by the Efik people and passed down from generation to generation. Sources of Efik mythology include bardic poetry, art, songs, oral tradition and proverbs. Stories concerning Efik myths include creation myths, supernatural beings, mythical creatures, and warriors. Efik myths were initially told by Efik people and narrated under the moonlight. Myths, legends and historical stories are known in Efik as Mbụk while moonlight plays in Efik are known as Mbre Ọffiọñ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibibio people</span> Ethnic group in southern Nigeria

The Ibibio people are a coastal people in southern Nigeria. They are mostly found in Akwa Ibom, Cross River State and the Eastern part of Abia State. They are related to the Efik people. During the colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calabar</span> Capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria

Calabar is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and creeks of the Cross River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Efik people</span> Ethnic group in West Africa

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oron people</span> Ethnic group in West Africa

The Oron people are ethnic or tribal grouping of sub communities that make up the Oron Ethnic Nationality or Oron Nation. The Oron are located primarily in southern Nigeria in the riverine area of Akwa Ibom and the Cross River States and in Cameroon. Akpakip Oro are regarded as an ancient warrior people, speaking the Oron language which is in the Cross River language family of the Benue–Congo languages. They are ancestrally related to the Efik people of the Cross River State, the Ibeno and Eastern Obolo( ie Adoni East) in Akwa Ibom, the Andoni people in Rivers State ,Ohafia in Abia State and the Balondo-ba-Konja in the Congo.

Mbo is located in the South Eastern part of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State. Following the local government creation exercise of the federal government in 1989 Mbo Local Government Area was carved out of Oron Division same year.

Uruan is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, south of Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Town</span> Town in Cross River, Nigeria

Duke Town, originally known as Atakpa, is an Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southern Nigeria. The City State extended from now Calabar to Bakassi in the east and Oron to the west. Although it is now absorbed into Nigeria, traditional rulers of the state are still recognized. The state occupied what is now the modern city of Calabar.

Efik is the indigenous language of the Efik people, who are situated in the present-day Cross River state and Akwa Ibom state of Nigeria, as well as in the North-West of Cameroon. The Efik language is mutually intelligible with other lower Cross River languages such as Ibibio, Annang, Oro and Ekid but the degree of intelligibility in the case of Oro and Ekid is unidirectional; in other words, speakers of these languages speak and understand Efik but not vice versa. The Efik vocabulary has been enriched and influenced by external contact with the British, Portuguese and other surrounding communities such as Balondo, Oron, Efut, Okoyong, Efiat and Ekoi (Qua).

Adadia is a town with five villages in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Adadia is inhabited by the Ibibio12people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orok Edem-Odo</span> Obong of Calabar

Orok Edem-Odo also known as Eyamba IX or King Duke IX was the Obong of Calabar from 17 April 1880 to 21 November 1896. His father Edem-Odo Edem Ekpo was the Obong of Calabar from 1854 to 1858. His mother was Ekanem Ama from the Eta Odionka family of Efut Abua, Calabar.

Eyamba V popularly known as Johnny Young by his Liverpool friends and known to the Efik people as Eyamba V, was the Obong of Old Calabar and the fifth Iyamba of Ekpe Efik Iboku. His father was Ekpenyong Offiong Okoho also known as Eyamba III. His mother was Edim Ekpenyong Ekpe Oku, a daughter of Ekpenyong Ekpe Oku also known as Eyamba II.

Abassi is the supreme creator god of the Efik, Ibibio, and Annang people of Nigeria. The depiction of Abassi in Efik and Annang traditions is influenced by Ibibio mythology since the two groups used to be part of the Ibibio before they migrated to different parts of southeast Nigeria and formed their own societies.

The Efik religion is based on the traditional beliefs of the Efik people of southern Nigeria. The traditional religious beliefs of the Efik are not systemised into a logical orthodoxy but consists of diverse conceptions such as worship of the supreme God, ancestral veneration, cleansing rituals and funeral rites.

Efik names are names borne by the Efik people of Southern Nigeria and Western Cameroon. The naming system of the Efik is unique and differs from contemporary African names in several ways. The word for name in Efik is Enyiñ and the act of assigning a name to a child is Usio enyiñ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oro Religion</span> Traditional Belief of the Oron people

The Oron people religio-cultural heritage was handed down from generation to generation through oral tradition and sacred institutions. The religion emphasized belief in ancestral spirits, life after death, good moral values, superhuman (transcendental) powers, divinities and a belief in a Supreme Being known as Abazi Oro.

Efik literature is literature spoken or written in the Efik language, particularly by Efik people or speakers of the Efik language. Traditional Efik literature can be classified as follows; Ase, Uto, Mbụk, Ñke and Ikwọ. Other aspects of Efik literature include prose and drama (Mbre).

The Efik calendar is the traditional calendar system of the Efik people located in present-day Nigeria. The calendar consisted of 8 days in a week (urua). Each day was dedicated to a god or goddess greatly revered in the Efik religion. It also consisted of festivals many of which were indefinite. Definite festivals were assigned on specific periods during the year while indefinite festivals or ceremonies occurred due to certain social or political circumstances.

The Obong of Calabar is the traditional ruler and custodian of the culture of the Efik people of Western Africa. The Obong is referred to as a natural ruler, treaty King, grand patriarch of the Efik Kingdom and later bestowed with the additional title of defender of the Christian faith by a British monarch owing to the Obong's documented efforts in helping the spread of christianity in his domain. The Efik people are dispersed and settled in many parts of south eastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroun but are mostly Centred in Calabar, capital of Cross River State. Calabar which was named by the Portuguese was locally known as Ata Akpa in local Efik language.

Creek Town also known as Obio Oko is a town located in the present-day Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River state of Nigeria. Creek Town is known for its historical and cultural significance in the region. It is situated about 8 miles (13km) Northeast from Duke Town. Creek Town was one of the city-states that made up the Old Calabar region prior to the August 1, 1904 declaration which annulled the use of the name "Old Calabar" and changed the regional name to simply "Calabar".

References

  1. Goldie 1862 , p. 114
  2. Savage 1985 , p. 277
  3. Akak 1982 , p. 301
  4. Waddell 1863 , p. 328
  5. 1 2 Savage 1985 , p. 276
  6. Etifit 1979 , p. 15
  7. Akoda & Akoda 2021 , p. 176
  8. Okon 1985 , p. 125
  9. Essien 1993 , p. 82
  10. Aye 1967 , p. 201
  11. Simmons 1958 , p. 347
  12. Savage 1985 , p. 277
  13. Scheub 2000 , p. 4

Bibliography