The Ibibio people are a coastal people in southern Nigeria.[2] They are mostly found in Akwa Ibom and Cross River. They are related to the Annang, Igbo and Efik peoples. During the colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation (Noah, 1988). The Annang, Efik, Ekid, Oron and Ibeno share personal names, culture, and traditions with the Ibibio, and speak closely related varieties (dialects) of Ibibio which are more or less mutually intelligible.[3] The Ekpo/Ekpe society is a significant part of the Ibibio political system. They use a variety of masks to execute social control. Body art plays a major role in Ibibio art. The Ibibio people are reputed to be the earliest inhabitants of the south southern Nigeria. It is estimated that they arrived at their present home around 7000 B.C. In spite of the historical account, it is not clear when the Ibibio arrived at state. According to some scholars, they might have come from the central Benue valley, particularly, the Jukun influence in the old Calabar at some historical time period. Another pointer is the wide-spread use of the manila, a popular currency used by the Jukuns.[citation needed] Coupled with this is the Jukun southern drive to the coast which appears to have been recently compared with the formation of Akwa Ibom settlements in their present location.[4] The most acceptable version of Ibibio history described that the Cameroon will offer a more concise explanation of the Ibibio migration story. This was corroborated by oral testimonies by field workers who say that the core Ibibio people were of the Afaha lineage whose original home was Usak Edet in the Cameroon. This was premised on the fact that among the Ibibio people, Usak Edet is popularly known as Edit Afaha (Afaha’s Creek) which reflects the fact that Ibibio people originated from Usak Edet.[5] After the first bulk of the people arrived in what later became Nigeria, they settled first at Ibom meanwhile, It is believed that the Ibibios had been the original aborigines of Ibom settlement founded by their forefathers “IBOM” whom they name the village Ibom now in Arochukwu where they settled for a very long time and worshipped the God of the Sky called “Abasi Ibom enyon[disambiguation needed]”. They also worshipped “Ibritam”. As a result of clashes with the Igbo people who were moving southwardly, culminating in the famous ‘Ibibio War’, which took place about 1630 and 1720 A.D. Aro-Ibibio Wars, they left Ibom Kingdom and moved to the present day Ibibio land meanwhile some village settlement has already been established in their current location alongside Ibom.[6] Following the Aro-Igbo-Ibibio war of 1550AD, the Ibibio’s moved southwardly and found a virgin and empty land, their present place of aborigine. The Ibibios first settled in Ikono where they first migrated or dispersed to various places of aborigines that make up the present Ibibio land.It is at this junction that Ikono Ibom moved to Ikot Oku Ikono village now in Uyo Local Government Area, which is referred to as Ikono Ibom Uyo, a clan carved out of the main Ikono Ibom.[7] Iman Ibom moved to Ekom Iman, now in Etinan Local Government Area and Nsit Ibom moved to Afia Nsit now in Nsit Ibom. The three regards themselves as blood brothers and children of “IBOM”.[8] The three children of IBOM upon their final aboriginal settlement, Etefia who is the principal actor in Ikono Ibom Uyo clan, settled in Ikot Oku Ikono and founded the Ikono Anyaan and Ikot Ekpeyak Ikono are stock and children of Ikono Ibom, they have shared and similar social, traditional and cultural Milieu. Ekom Iman is a place which Iman Ibom settled and planted the Ekom tree (coula edulis) from which the name of the settlement is derived, Ekom (coula edulis) planted by Iman one of e sons of Ibom. Iman had children and some of them migrated to expand the Iman Ibom clan such villages like Ikot Obioinyang, Afagha Effiate and the entire Iman Ibom clan. Upon the death of Iman Ibom, his spirit metamorphose into the Iman Ibom clan deity “The Itina Iman deity” and oyot is the clan deity – totem hence it is a taboo to kill or eat such mythical beast and Ebre is the totem of Ikono Ibom clan, they forbid the killing or maiming of this mythical animal. Nsit Ibom moved to Afia Nsit where there was water and settled there, and his children spread to Mbak Nsit and other places of that clan. The Nsit Ibom totem is Iyak Anyan – the Anyan Nsit deity. They all have shared an similar characteristics of social, traditional as well as cultural Milieu and formed the centre of this study.[9] The brothers settled close to each other and formed pact and ally or a affinity with each other and had children and device a through – going mechanism for self rule, maintenance of law and order and effective political organization. Using some elements of culture and socio-religious organizations such as Ekpo, Ekpe, Ebre, Ibaan Isong, Akata, Nnabo, Ekong

• published: 08 Aug 2021
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