Efik people
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 bulk of the Efiks can be found in Calabar and the southern part of Cross River State. Prior to 1905, Old Calabar was a term used to describe the Efik settlements of Duke Town, Creek Town, Old town, Cobham town, Henshaw town, Adiabo and Mbiabo. The Efik have also been referred to as "Calabar people" in historical literature. The term "Calabar people" was particularly popular prior to the nineteenth century and was synonymous with the Efik.
Efik society consists of various clans which were originally known as "Esien Efik itiaba" and later known in the 21st century as "Esien Efik Duopeba". The original seven clans are scattered between Cross River state and consist of Iboku, Obutong,Ito, Adiabo, Mbiabo, Enwang, Usukakpa and Abayen. The last three clans had greatly dwindled in number and many of their members are believed to have been miscegenated into other Efik clans. Ibonda has sometimes been appended to Adiabo as one of the seven Efik clans. Other clans such as Biakpan, Utuma and Umon communities in Biase have shared Efik ancestry although they have not been historically part of the Efik Eburutu and therefore do not take part in the Esien Efik itiaba. Biakpan is also appended to the Obutong clan. The bulk of the Enwang and Usukakpa are located in the present-day Akwa Ibom state.
Modern Efik society is a melting pot of people of diverse origin. Due to the rise of Calabar as a commercial centre since the 18th century, Efik settlements experienced a high rate of inward migration consisting of Sierra Leoneans, Lebanese, Cameroonians, Jamaicans and several other communities. Children of Efik maternal descent are still regarded as Efik and have contributed to the development of the Efik society. Due to the volume of cultural exchange, many other ethnic groups have often been regarded as being one with the Efik such as Kiong and Efut.
The Efik were noted for their involvement in the slave trade where they acted as slave traders and middlemen between the inland slave traders and the Europeans. After the decline of the slave trade, the Efik transitioned into the business of exporting palm oil from the Cross river. Other trading items sold by the Efik included rubber, ivory, barwood and redwood. Throughout the centuries, Efik traders traded with the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French.
Etymology
The name "Efik" translates to "Oppressors" and is derived from the Efik verb root "Fik". The first letter of the word is correctly written as "Ẹ" and denotes plurality. Several theories have been propounded on the origin of the word. One theory propounded by Okon and Nkpanam Ekereke asserts that the term "Efuk" was a word of defiance and an expression used by the Ibibio man when in a fit of rage. Ekereke and Ekereke further assert that the word was later changed to "Efik". This theory appears to be isolated as other Ibibio writers do not narrate that such terms were used by the Ibibio. Another theory which is narrated by Forde and Jones states that the name "Efik" translates to "Tyrants" or "He who oppresses" and was the name of which the Efik called themselves after they had settled at Creek town.Origin
Ancient origin
The predominant paternal haplogroup among the Efik is E1b1a1-M2. The ancestors of the Efik originally came from Northeast Africa and moved around the Green Sahara. The gradual movement of the Proto Efik to the Cross River Region may have been associated with the expansion of Sahel agriculture in the African Neolithic period, following the desiccation of the Sahara in c. 3500 BCE.Igbo origin theory
The earliest proponent of the Igbo origin was William Baikie who stated in his 1856 publication, "All the coast dialects from One to Old Kalabar, are, either directly or indirectly, connected with Igbo, which later Dr Latham informs me is certainly related to the Kafir class". Baikie said Ibibio are traced to the Igbo. James Beale Horton made a similar assertion in 1868 where he asserted that all the communities of the Niger-delta are traced to the Igbo. Some oral accounts by early Efik men also support the Igbo origin of the Efik. 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. They came from Mbiak Creek in Ibibio country." References to the Igbo origin of the Efik were also made at the Hart's enquiry into the Obongship dispute where Etubom Efiom Obo Effanga asserted that the term "Iboku" meant quarrelsome Igbos.Ibibio origin theory
The Ibibio origin of the Efik is one of the most popular among scholars. Proponents of this theory range from missionaries, explorers, colonial anthropologists and later historians. While some explorers describe the Efik as travellers who passed through the Ibibio country, others assert that the Efik are of Ibibio stock. Among the earliest proponents of the Ibibio origin theory was Consul Hutchinson who stated in 1858, "The present inhabitants of Duke town, Old town and Creek town are descendants of the Egbo shary or Ibibio tribe up the Cross River."Colonial anthropologist M.D.W. Jeffreys said, "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 Eburutu Efik." Jeffreys's assertion regarding Eburutu being a single Ibibio clan is proven false by earlier definitions of Eburutu by Rev. Hugh Goldie. Goldie describes Eburutu as a country that consists of various ethnic groups. This is further proven by Talbot who proves that other ethnicities appended the name "Eburutu" or "Oburutu" to their ethnic names.
Oriental origin theory
The Oriental original is most popular among indigenous Efik historians such as E.U. Aye and Eyo Okon Akak. This theory asserts that the Efik migrated from Palestine or somewhere close to Palestine. The main proponents of what is described as "Palestinean origin" is Eyo Okon Akak who wrote the book, "The Palestine origin of the Efik". Prior to Akak, the theory was proposed at the Hart's enquiry by Chief Offiong Abasi Ntiero Effiwatt and Etubom Ededem Ekpenyong Oku.History
Pre-Trans Atlantic slave trade era
Prior to the inception of the transatlantic slave trade, the Efik had undertaken a series of migrations before they reached the coasts of Old Calabar. Several oral accounts have been narrated on the Efik earlier migrations. The earliest accounts are narrated in the second half of the 19th century by explorers and missionaries. The most popular migration account within the Nigerian space asserts that the Efik people lived at Ibom in present-day Arochukwu and migrated from Ibom to Uruan.Uruan
Oral tradition has it that the Efik arrived in Uruan in four groups i.e. Iboku, Enwang, Usukakpa and Abayen. At Uruan, they were ruled by a number of priest-kings Ndidem. Aye provides the following names among these priest-kings, including Ema Atai Iboku, Ekpe Atai Iboku, Ukpong Atai Iboku.There are various theories as to why the Efik left Uruan. One was that the two peoples had separate religious customs and the Efik refused to worship the Uruan deity Atakpor Uruan Inyang. Etubom Ededem Ekpenyong Oku narrated this theory at the Hart's enquiry but it has been criticised by Uruan writers such as Dominic Essien.
Essien notes that Atakpor Uruan Inyang is one of the Efik
deities. He also says that the Uruan had a saying, "Ke Ndem Efik Iboku, Atakpor ke Ekuk", which can be interpreted as "Where there is the Efik deity, there is also Atakpor Uruan to share with it." He says further that in some Efik trado-religious songs, Atakpor Uruan is greatly extolled. Etubom Ededem Ekpenyong Oku asserts that the Uruan accused the Efik of wizardry and of being responsible for the frequent seizure of their children by crocodiles. Oku adds that the Uruan were averse to the Efik custom of burying strangers with their dead and did not share in this practice carried out by the Efik.
Another theory says that an Efik woman known as Abasi and an Uruan woman disagreed, leading their people in separate ways. Abasi is said to have borrowed an axe from an Uruan woman and had broken the axe. When the Uruan woman realised the damage, she insisted that the axe should be repaired. When the husband of the Uruan woman learnt of the issue, he wanted to fight the Efik. Abasi's husband insisted that the problem should be resolved by the chiefs. Abasi was angered by the Uruan woman and cursed the Uruan people, who started to punish her for her insubordination. The Efik came to her defence and the dispute escalated. Legend has it that this was the last straw that led to the Uruan-Efik war. The Efik subsequently left the Uruan country.
Ikpa Ene and Ndodoghi
On leaving the Uruan country, the Efik migrated to Ikpa Ene. It is nicknamed Akani Obio Efik. Ikpa Ene was a virgin island on the banks of the Cross river. The island is believed to be named after a fisherman from Mbiabo known as Ene Ankot.According to Aye, "Ikpa Ene could not carry the bulk of Iboku population;, Ndodoghi had to accommodate what spilt over, and the two settlements, still under one rule, were separated by the left branch of the river which became their "inland sea".
After the Efik had settled at Ikpa Ene, a party of men from Uruan arrived there. The men were wet and complained of hunger and fatigue. Having pity on these men, the Efik gave them food and showed them hospitality. At night when everyone had gone to sleep, the men from Uruan rose up and began to slaughter their hosts. When the Efik realised what was going on, they rose and fought back.
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. The items believed to have been taken include Ikpaya, Akata and Ayang. Oku attests that it was the attack on the Efik that made them decide to leave Ikpa Ene, as they realised they were still too close to their enemies. Aye argues that the Efik could not have taken the royal emblem of the Uruan people as they would have already had their own royal emblem.
The Uruan invasion at Ikpa Ene is believed to be the origin of the Efik saying, "Ama okut Ibibio, ku nọ enye ikañ, Idem amasat Ibibio eyewot owo". When many of the Efik had left for Ndodoghi, a series of unfortunate events occurred. The Efik bard Adiaha Etim Anua recites in her 1910 ballad that "Mkpana Ndodoghi Edik. Ema Atai Ema Atai, Edidem, Biop sai.".
At Ndodoghi, the Efik priest-king Ema Atai Ema Atai died and was succeeded by his son Eyo Ema Atai Ema Atai Iboku. It is believed that many of the Abayen clan had died from crocodile attacks at Ndodoghi. Talbot asserts that a great cotton tree had fallen down on many of the Abayen and in their pride of numbers, they believed they could hold the cotton tree. The outcome of the fall of the tree led to several deaths in their clan.
Due to the number of unfortunate incidents at Ikpa Ene and Ndodoghi, the Efik sought to leave these islands.
There are said to have been at least three mass migration from Ndodoghi. One account narrates that the Mbiabo group left first, settling in their present location while the Iboku, Enwang and other clans were still at Ndodoghi. The Adiabo group is believed to have left to their present location after the Mbiabo exodus. The largest group moved to Creek town from Ndodoghi, led by the priest-king Eyo Ema Atai.