Annang
Encyclopedia
The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria (also known as Southeastern Nigeria
or former Southeastern State of Nigeria). At present, the Annangs have eight local government areas of the present thirty-one local government areas in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria (Akwa Ibom State Local Government Areas), namely Abak
, Essien Udim
, Etim Ekpo, Ika
, Ikot Ekpene
, Obot Akara, Oruk Anam
and Ukanafun
in the Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. They were formerly located in the former Abak
and Ikot Ekpene
Divisions of the Annang Province, in the former Eastern Region of Nigeria.
is practised in the society, those who can so trace their ancestry to the same parents form Ufok (literally a house or compound). Several ufoks make up Ekpuks or extended family
and several Ekpuks (extended families) make up "Idung" (meaning village) and several villages make up the "abie" or clan.
Leadership at the family, lineage, village, or clan level remains the prerogative of the men, and lineage ties extends to women even after marriage. There are many societies and associations (Nka) for men and women which are very important in traditional village life. Individuals are measured by both the number and types of memberships in Nka's and by the achievements of one or more Nkas. Governance is done by elderly males who act as the legislative arm called Afe Isong, directed by the Obong or Obong Isong (Village Chief and Clan Chief) who is the head and the chief executive but without the authority beyond what the Afe Isong gives. A chief can be appointed by the Afe or can be an inherited office. The strength of any individual, family (or group for that matter) is typically based upon a consensus of the village or clan through this complex social system. In all this, Annang women are not completely subordinate to men. Instead Annang women are partners and leaders in many aspects of Annang tradition, including serving as female chief priests "Abia Idiong" in the Idiong cult or as healers in the healing cults. The first-born female known as Adiaha is important and commands respect in the family and lineage. Some traditions hold that a woman's first birth should take place in her mothers compound. Women organizations such as "abi-de" and "Nyaama", and "Isong Iban" play important roles in giving the women voice and status in society. There are no traditional or cultural barriers that prevent women from attaining high offices or positions. Indeed, traditionally Annang women have a great deal of economic independence from men.
Annangs value the ability to speak well and oratory ability using proverb
s is highly desirable, especially among the leaders. The American anthropologist, Peter Farb
, stated that the name "Annang" among this group means 'they who speak well' An individual who has the gift of eloquent speech is often complimented as Akwo Annang meaning the singer of Annang.
The Annangs are known for the efficacy of their charms, prowess in trading, and their renown art. This extends to mural paintings, raffia, masks, cement sculptures, markets, ceremonies and exceptional food. Above all, Annang people possess unparallel academic and scientific knowledge.
However, it should be noted that the fattening period among the Annang was a period of education. The young bride was taught house keeping, child care, history, and how to be a wife and citizen of the community. The Annang society was semi-matriarchal before the Christian missionaries destroyed it. Children bore the names of their mothers. Such female names as Ukpong, Essiet, Essien were androgenized and became names for men because of the new practice brought by the British that made children to bear the names of their fathers (Ette, 2007). It became important therefore, for the women to be taught good citizenship in the fattening period. The fattening room was more than an exercise in primitivity; it was a period to educate and to socialize the young into the values of the society.
. It is believed that the group have their origins in Egypt
and settled in Ghana
before arriving in the present area. The name Annang in Twi
in Ghana means fourth son. It is believed that Annangs started their migration from Egypt
around 7500 BC. The Abiakpo came to the northern range of Annang from Eka Abiakpo. They were quickly followed by the Ukana clan, the Utu, Ekpu, Ebom and Nyama (The British would lumped these together and gave the name Otoro), and other Annang clans.
Oral tradition has it that the Annang and the entire people of akwa Ibom and Cross River States of Nigeria (AKwaCross people) have occupied their land in the coastal Southeastern Nigeria thousands of years before the birth of Christ.
The same oral tradition has it that their ancestors were Israelites (Jews) of the Northern Kingdom who left Israel to Egypt before the Babylonian captivity and that the ancestors of the Annangs and other people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States (the Efik, the Ibibio, etc) of Nigeria were the products of marriages of the people of Israel and Egyptians who migrated from Egypt to their coastal southeastern land in Nigeria via Ethiopia and Sudan.
The group is related to the Efiks and the Ibibios. It is believed that they all originated in ancient Egypt and through various wars and conquests were pushed south into the Sahara Desert. They moved across the desert and some settled in the upper West African region about 7500BC. Remnants of their language according to Waddell can be found among the Egyptians. (Waddell, 1893) Another evidence of their Egyptian origin is found in the burial customs and veneration of the dead. Migration brought the groups to live among the Twi of Ghana where the name Annang means fourth son. From Ghana, the group moved eastward into present day Cameroon. It was in the Cameroon highlands that the group broke off but later arrived at same territory in the Coastal Southeastern Nigeria . It is believed that upon their arrival at the virgin coastal southeastern Nigeria the groups took an oath of solidarity to be together and bonded to fight whatever was seen as a common enemy. Lineages were recognized and the groups organized themselves into clans based on old family origins known as Iman, a simialr structure extends into the land of their northern neighbors, the Igbo. (Ette, 2008)
The following are some of Iman Annangs and their food taboos. Eka Abiakpo clans do not eat turtle. The Afaha people forbade its members from eating the (Nserise) squirrel. They identified with the quickness and intelligence of the animal. Other examples of clan groups and their food taboo are: Ukana python (Asabo); (Ibom); Ekpenyong (albino Python); Ikpe Uruk- Ikot (snake); Utu, Ebom, Midim (birds); Nto Osung (African black bird). Other Annang clans chose vegetables as their food taboo. Thus Ika has sweet yam (anem) as taboo, and Nto Edino has the river reed (Nyama). The food taboo was so important to the Annang that it was used as a distinguishing characteristic to locate the origin of an individual and to separate one Iman from another. Children learnt as part of the socialization process that a particular Iman are people living in a particular geographical area with a given food taboo. Ekanem (2002) reported that those from Midim preferred to starve rather than violate their food taboo during the Nigerian civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970.
(Koelle, 1854). He mentioned a liberated slave named Ebengo who hailed from Nkwot in Abak. Ebengo was captured and sold to the Portuguese
but was subsequently freed by a British warship and later settled in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. The British soldiers listed the languages spoken by the slaves in that captured ship as "Annang" (Koelle, 1854). The second mention is in the description of what is known as the Ikot Udo Obong Wars. The British described the killings of the Annangs by King Jaja of Opobo as a punishment for the Annangs defying his orders and trading in palm oil directly with the British merchants instead of going through him as a middle man. In the war that ensued, the British intervened and with the help of the Annangs, they captured (King Jaja) and exiled him to the West Indies. The British established a military post at Ikot Ekpene in 1904 and then in Abak.
Following British colonialism and with changes and ban in ancient hunting practices, the Annang witnessed attacks by wild animals. As the men went to fight in World War II these attacks intensified. The British authorities called the attacks murder and blamed it on "the barbarism of the Africans". The indigenes were accused of belonging to a secret society called Ekpeowo (The Human Leopards Society). It has been argued that killings borne out of insurgency against the British elsewhere in Africa led to the branding of leopard attacks as murders by the British authorities among the Annang. Between 1945 and 1948 about 196 people were killed in Ikot Okoro
community in the present day Oruk Anam LGA. It is pertinent to note that the Ikot Okoro
Police station was set up because of this reason. The British convicted 96 people and executed 77 innocent people (Pratten, 2007). The Annang religion called Idiong was banned and the priests arrested. Articles and worship materials were publicly burnt and those who did not join Christianity automatically became suspects (Ette, 2007).
The Annangs have a history and reputation for their fearlessness and the ability of villages and clans to bind together to fight a common enemy. This is perhaps why they were able to thrive living so close to the Aro Confederacy
's center, Arochukwu
with its famed Ibini Ukpabi
oracle. A particular interesting war group was the famous Oko- warriors. This war group was highly functional in the 1950s. The American anthropologist (messenger 1951:41) called them the "warrior Cult". These warriors were considered invulnerable to penetration of knives, spears and arrows. In various instances sharp machetes were tested on the body parts of members.
The Annangs suffered genocide
in the Nigerian Civil War. The war lasted for three years (1967 - 1970) and the Annang lost a significant number of its people. The effect of the war and the resulting neglect of the Annang is now a serious political issue and a source of unrest in the area. The Annangs have been overlooked in the current state structure in the Nigerian system through which the country's oil wealth is shared. Repeated demands for the creation of a state for the Annang area have been ignored by the Nigerian authorities, while other areas that do not produce oil have been made states and therefore set up as a unit to receive the oil money. Like other minority groups in the volatile Niger Delta in Nigeria, history and culture are taking a back seat to issues of politics and justice but the Annangs continue to fight for their rights.
, Ibibio
, Oron
, Ekit (also known as Ekid) of the Old Calabar Kingdom
. Though the Annang speech pattern was not written down, linguists have now produced an orthography of the language which makes it possible to produce written materials in the language (Idem-Agozino & Udondata, 2001; Ette (2009).
Southeastern Nigeria
Southeastern Nigeria consists of present Abia State, Akwa Ibom State, Anambra State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State, Imo State, and Rivers State of Nigeria.-"Precolonial" era:...
or former Southeastern State of Nigeria). At present, the Annangs have eight local government areas of the present thirty-one local government areas in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria (Akwa Ibom State Local Government Areas), namely Abak
Abak
Abak is a town and Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The LGA was created on September 1987 and it was previously part of Cross River State. It was later sub divided into other local government areas such as Oruk Anam, Etim Ekpo, Ukanafun and Ika...
, Essien Udim
Essien Udim
Essien Udim is one of the Annang speaking Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It was created out of the former Ikot Ekpene division and included the following clans in Annang land: Ukana, Adiasim, Ikpe, Okon, Nsasak, Ekpenyong Atai and ,Ukana Ikot Ntuen,Odoro Ikot, AFaha...
, Etim Ekpo, Ika
Ika, Nigeria
Ika is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The headquarters of the Ika local government area is Urua Inyang.Ika is one of the eight Annang local government areas of the present thirty-one local government areas in Akwa Ibom State...
, Ikot Ekpene
Ikot Ekpene
Ikot Ekpene, known throughout Nigeria as " The Raffia City", or locally simply as "IK," is a historic town in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, and is in the densely populated state of Akwa Ibom. It is the political and cultural capital of the Annang ethnic group in Nigeria...
, Obot Akara, Oruk Anam
Oruk Anam
Oruk Anam is a Local Government Area located in the South Western part of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It is one of the eight Annang speaking local government areas. It was created from the former Abak Division....
and Ukanafun
Ukanafun
Ukanafun is located in the south east of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.Ukanafun was carved out from Abak and Opobo divisions of Cross River State...
in the Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. They were formerly located in the former Abak
Abak
Abak is a town and Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The LGA was created on September 1987 and it was previously part of Cross River State. It was later sub divided into other local government areas such as Oruk Anam, Etim Ekpo, Ukanafun and Ika...
and Ikot Ekpene
Ikot Ekpene
Ikot Ekpene, known throughout Nigeria as " The Raffia City", or locally simply as "IK," is a historic town in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, and is in the densely populated state of Akwa Ibom. It is the political and cultural capital of the Annang ethnic group in Nigeria...
Divisions of the Annang Province, in the former Eastern Region of Nigeria.
Culture
Annang society is patriarchal. Individuals locate their place in the social world from the Idip, literally translated as, womb. Thus a brother/sister from the same Idip means that they can trace their origin to the same mother or father. Since polygamyPolygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
is practised in the society, those who can so trace their ancestry to the same parents form Ufok (literally a house or compound). Several ufoks make up Ekpuks or extended family
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
and several Ekpuks (extended families) make up "Idung" (meaning village) and several villages make up the "abie" or clan.
Leadership at the family, lineage, village, or clan level remains the prerogative of the men, and lineage ties extends to women even after marriage. There are many societies and associations (Nka) for men and women which are very important in traditional village life. Individuals are measured by both the number and types of memberships in Nka's and by the achievements of one or more Nkas. Governance is done by elderly males who act as the legislative arm called Afe Isong, directed by the Obong or Obong Isong (Village Chief and Clan Chief) who is the head and the chief executive but without the authority beyond what the Afe Isong gives. A chief can be appointed by the Afe or can be an inherited office. The strength of any individual, family (or group for that matter) is typically based upon a consensus of the village or clan through this complex social system. In all this, Annang women are not completely subordinate to men. Instead Annang women are partners and leaders in many aspects of Annang tradition, including serving as female chief priests "Abia Idiong" in the Idiong cult or as healers in the healing cults. The first-born female known as Adiaha is important and commands respect in the family and lineage. Some traditions hold that a woman's first birth should take place in her mothers compound. Women organizations such as "abi-de" and "Nyaama", and "Isong Iban" play important roles in giving the women voice and status in society. There are no traditional or cultural barriers that prevent women from attaining high offices or positions. Indeed, traditionally Annang women have a great deal of economic independence from men.
Annangs value the ability to speak well and oratory ability using proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s is highly desirable, especially among the leaders. The American anthropologist, Peter Farb
Peter Farb
Peter Farb was an American author, anthropologist, linguist, ecologist, naturalist, and spokesman for conservation.-Biography:Farb was born July 25, 1929, in New York, NY to Solomon and Cecelia Farb. In 1950, he graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University. He attended Columbia University...
, stated that the name "Annang" among this group means 'they who speak well' An individual who has the gift of eloquent speech is often complimented as Akwo Annang meaning the singer of Annang.
The Annangs are known for the efficacy of their charms, prowess in trading, and their renown art. This extends to mural paintings, raffia, masks, cement sculptures, markets, ceremonies and exceptional food. Above all, Annang people possess unparallel academic and scientific knowledge.
The Fattening Room
Much has been written about the fattening room among the Annang, and the interest of the academic community in this subject has increased since Professor Brink's introduction and field work in Annang ( Brink, 1989). The Annang Heritage Preservation Society, a socio-cultural organization dedicated to the preservation and archiving of the Annang culture is in the process of documenting these practices. The fattening of the bride in Annang land, though seen mostly from the point of view of aesthetics, is more than a demonstration of what the culture regards as "beautiful". To the Annangs, plump women were seen as beautiful. It meant that the woman came from a home where the parents were well-to do and it also meant that the husband was also well-to-do. Some western social scientists have theorized that individuals from societies where the food supply was lean and famines frequent were likely to regard being fat as a desirable body structure and to see being fat as beautiful. We in Annang are not surprised by such theories because western scientists who derive their worldview from evolutionary perspectives have always seen Africa and Africans from Darwinian lenses. As Gloria Steinem observed, the characteristics of the powerful have always been seen as the ideal while those seen as without power have historically been relegated to the background and often seen as pathological. The destitute-likes-fat explanation disregards the very definition of what a culture is and looks at the world primarily from an ethnocentric perspective. Thus, what is western is ideal and how the other lives becomes primitive. Augustus Comte had divided the cultures of the world into two camps namely: the primitive and the civilized. Under the Comtean classification the European culture was the civilized one and all the others were primitive. Yet according to him, all cultures began at the same time but the development of the primitive cultures was arrested and the western culture advanced and reached a civilized stage (Ette, 2010). Today, this Comtean model has been used to describe the fattening of the Annang brides (Ette, 2007).However, it should be noted that the fattening period among the Annang was a period of education. The young bride was taught house keeping, child care, history, and how to be a wife and citizen of the community. The Annang society was semi-matriarchal before the Christian missionaries destroyed it. Children bore the names of their mothers. Such female names as Ukpong, Essiet, Essien were androgenized and became names for men because of the new practice brought by the British that made children to bear the names of their fathers (Ette, 2007). It became important therefore, for the women to be taught good citizenship in the fattening period. The fattening room was more than an exercise in primitivity; it was a period to educate and to socialize the young into the values of the society.
Oral History
The Annangs have a rich oral traditionOral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
. It is believed that the group have their origins in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and settled in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
before arriving in the present area. The name Annang in Twi
Twi
Asante, or Ashanti, is one of three literary dialects of the Akan language of southern Ghana, and the prestige dialect of that language. It is spoken in and around Kumasi, the capital of the former Ashanti Empire and current subnational Asante Kingdom within Ghana.Along with the Akuapem dialect,...
in Ghana means fourth son. It is believed that Annangs started their migration from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
around 7500 BC. The Abiakpo came to the northern range of Annang from Eka Abiakpo. They were quickly followed by the Ukana clan, the Utu, Ekpu, Ebom and Nyama (The British would lumped these together and gave the name Otoro), and other Annang clans.
Oral tradition has it that the Annang and the entire people of akwa Ibom and Cross River States of Nigeria (AKwaCross people) have occupied their land in the coastal Southeastern Nigeria thousands of years before the birth of Christ.
The same oral tradition has it that their ancestors were Israelites (Jews) of the Northern Kingdom who left Israel to Egypt before the Babylonian captivity and that the ancestors of the Annangs and other people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States (the Efik, the Ibibio, etc) of Nigeria were the products of marriages of the people of Israel and Egyptians who migrated from Egypt to their coastal southeastern land in Nigeria via Ethiopia and Sudan.
The group is related to the Efiks and the Ibibios. It is believed that they all originated in ancient Egypt and through various wars and conquests were pushed south into the Sahara Desert. They moved across the desert and some settled in the upper West African region about 7500BC. Remnants of their language according to Waddell can be found among the Egyptians. (Waddell, 1893) Another evidence of their Egyptian origin is found in the burial customs and veneration of the dead. Migration brought the groups to live among the Twi of Ghana where the name Annang means fourth son. From Ghana, the group moved eastward into present day Cameroon. It was in the Cameroon highlands that the group broke off but later arrived at same territory in the Coastal Southeastern Nigeria . It is believed that upon their arrival at the virgin coastal southeastern Nigeria the groups took an oath of solidarity to be together and bonded to fight whatever was seen as a common enemy. Lineages were recognized and the groups organized themselves into clans based on old family origins known as Iman, a simialr structure extends into the land of their northern neighbors, the Igbo. (Ette, 2008)
The following are some of Iman Annangs and their food taboos. Eka Abiakpo clans do not eat turtle. The Afaha people forbade its members from eating the (Nserise) squirrel. They identified with the quickness and intelligence of the animal. Other examples of clan groups and their food taboo are: Ukana python (Asabo); (Ibom); Ekpenyong (albino Python); Ikpe Uruk- Ikot (snake); Utu, Ebom, Midim (birds); Nto Osung (African black bird). Other Annang clans chose vegetables as their food taboo. Thus Ika has sweet yam (anem) as taboo, and Nto Edino has the river reed (Nyama). The food taboo was so important to the Annang that it was used as a distinguishing characteristic to locate the origin of an individual and to separate one Iman from another. Children learnt as part of the socialization process that a particular Iman are people living in a particular geographical area with a given food taboo. Ekanem (2002) reported that those from Midim preferred to starve rather than violate their food taboo during the Nigerian civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970.
Written history
Very little was written in the European papers about the Annang people before the middle of the nineteenth century. Early European traders who arrived in the cross river territories referred to groups who lived outside of the coastal areas as residents of Egbo-Sharry Country.(Derived from the derogatory name of Ekpo Iseri used by the Efiks for those who were poor but proud. (Ette, 2007). Rumors of cannibalism and fear tactics were used as tools by the Efiks to keep the European traders away from trading directly with groups outside the coast. This tactic worked, for it prevented the traders from going outside of the Calabar middle men until the Christian missionaries arrived in the middle of the nineteenth century Ette, 2001). The first written mention of the Annangs is in Wilhelm Koelle's account of liberated slaves in Sierra LeoneSierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
(Koelle, 1854). He mentioned a liberated slave named Ebengo who hailed from Nkwot in Abak. Ebengo was captured and sold to the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
but was subsequently freed by a British warship and later settled in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. The British soldiers listed the languages spoken by the slaves in that captured ship as "Annang" (Koelle, 1854). The second mention is in the description of what is known as the Ikot Udo Obong Wars. The British described the killings of the Annangs by King Jaja of Opobo as a punishment for the Annangs defying his orders and trading in palm oil directly with the British merchants instead of going through him as a middle man. In the war that ensued, the British intervened and with the help of the Annangs, they captured (King Jaja) and exiled him to the West Indies. The British established a military post at Ikot Ekpene in 1904 and then in Abak.
Following British colonialism and with changes and ban in ancient hunting practices, the Annang witnessed attacks by wild animals. As the men went to fight in World War II these attacks intensified. The British authorities called the attacks murder and blamed it on "the barbarism of the Africans". The indigenes were accused of belonging to a secret society called Ekpeowo (The Human Leopards Society). It has been argued that killings borne out of insurgency against the British elsewhere in Africa led to the branding of leopard attacks as murders by the British authorities among the Annang. Between 1945 and 1948 about 196 people were killed in Ikot Okoro
Ikot Okoro
Ikot Okoro is a rural settlement of Akwa Ibom State and was one of the larger population concentrations in the now defunct South Eastern Nigeria. Now smaller, it is about 15 km southwest of the regional center of Abak. The people of Ikot Okoro have been clamoring for the creation of a local...
community in the present day Oruk Anam LGA. It is pertinent to note that the Ikot Okoro
Ikot Okoro
Ikot Okoro is a rural settlement of Akwa Ibom State and was one of the larger population concentrations in the now defunct South Eastern Nigeria. Now smaller, it is about 15 km southwest of the regional center of Abak. The people of Ikot Okoro have been clamoring for the creation of a local...
Police station was set up because of this reason. The British convicted 96 people and executed 77 innocent people (Pratten, 2007). The Annang religion called Idiong was banned and the priests arrested. Articles and worship materials were publicly burnt and those who did not join Christianity automatically became suspects (Ette, 2007).
The Annangs have a history and reputation for their fearlessness and the ability of villages and clans to bind together to fight a common enemy. This is perhaps why they were able to thrive living so close to the Aro Confederacy
Aro Confederacy
The Aro Confederacy was a political union orchestrated by the Igbo subgroup, the Aro people, centered in Arochukwu in present day Southeastern Nigeria. Their influence and presence was across Eastern Nigeria into parts of the Niger Delta and Southern Igala during the 18th and 19th centuries...
's center, Arochukwu
Arochukwu
Arochukwu, sometimes referred to as Arochuku, or Aro-Okigbo, is the third largest city in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people....
with its famed Ibini Ukpabi
Ibini Ukpabi
The Ibini Ukpabi was an oracle of the Aro Confederacy of what is now south eastern Nigeria. It was known among the British as the Long Ju-ju. Ibini Ukpabi was used to settle cases, particularly does of murder, witchcraft, poisoning and family disputes...
oracle. A particular interesting war group was the famous Oko- warriors. This war group was highly functional in the 1950s. The American anthropologist (messenger 1951:41) called them the "warrior Cult". These warriors were considered invulnerable to penetration of knives, spears and arrows. In various instances sharp machetes were tested on the body parts of members.
The Annangs suffered genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in the Nigerian Civil War. The war lasted for three years (1967 - 1970) and the Annang lost a significant number of its people. The effect of the war and the resulting neglect of the Annang is now a serious political issue and a source of unrest in the area. The Annangs have been overlooked in the current state structure in the Nigerian system through which the country's oil wealth is shared. Repeated demands for the creation of a state for the Annang area have been ignored by the Nigerian authorities, while other areas that do not produce oil have been made states and therefore set up as a unit to receive the oil money. Like other minority groups in the volatile Niger Delta in Nigeria, history and culture are taking a back seat to issues of politics and justice but the Annangs continue to fight for their rights.
Written Language
Parts of the language of the Annang people may be intelligible to speakers of EfikEfik language
Efik , also known as Riverain Ibibio, is the native language of the Efik people of Nigeria, where it is a national language. It is the official language of the Cross River State in Nigeria.The name Efik is also used for Ibibio-Efik....
, Ibibio
Ibibio language
Ibibio-Efik, also known as Ibibio and Efik, is the major dialect cluster of the Benue–Congo language family called Cross River. Efik proper has national status in Nigeria and is the literary standard of the Efik languages, though Ibibio proper has more native speakers.-Varieties:Efik is a dialect...
, Oron
Oron
Oron may refer to:*Oron , one of the major states in the old Calabar Kingdom*Oron , Switzerland*Oron-la-Ville, Switzerland*Oron-le-Châtel, Switzerland*Oron, Moselle, France*Oron, Nigeria, a city and local government area in Akwa Ibom State...
, Ekit (also known as Ekid) of the Old Calabar Kingdom
Akwa Akpa
Akwa Akpa, known to colonialists as Old Calabar or Duke Town was an Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southeastern Nigeria.Although absorbed into Nigeria, traditional rulers of the state are still recognized....
. Though the Annang speech pattern was not written down, linguists have now produced an orthography of the language which makes it possible to produce written materials in the language (Idem-Agozino & Udondata, 2001; Ette (2009).
Annang Nationalism
Some educated Annangs join the Ibibio State Union to fight against European colonialism.See also
- Ikot EkpeneIkot EkpeneIkot Ekpene, known throughout Nigeria as " The Raffia City", or locally simply as "IK," is a historic town in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, and is in the densely populated state of Akwa Ibom. It is the political and cultural capital of the Annang ethnic group in Nigeria...
, a town also known as Rafia City - Efik people
- OronOronOron may refer to:*Oron , one of the major states in the old Calabar Kingdom*Oron , Switzerland*Oron-la-Ville, Switzerland*Oron-le-Châtel, Switzerland*Oron, Moselle, France*Oron, Nigeria, a city and local government area in Akwa Ibom State...
- EketEketEket is the second largest city in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The name also refers to the indigenous ethnic group of the region and to their language...
- Akwa AkpaAkwa AkpaAkwa Akpa, known to colonialists as Old Calabar or Duke Town was an Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southeastern Nigeria.Although absorbed into Nigeria, traditional rulers of the state are still recognized....
- IkaIka, NigeriaIka is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The headquarters of the Ika local government area is Urua Inyang.Ika is one of the eight Annang local government areas of the present thirty-one local government areas in Akwa Ibom State...
- IkomIkomIkom is a Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ikom in the east of the area on the Cross River and the A4 highway at.It has an area of 1,961 km² and a population of 162,383 at the 2006 census....
- AkamkpaAkamkpaAkamkpa is a Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Akamkpa.It has an area of 5,003 km² and a population of 151,125 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 542....
- BakassiBakassiBakassi is the peninsular extension of the African territory of Calabar into the Atlantic Ocean. It is currently ruled by Cameroon following the transfer of sovereignty from neighbouring Nigeria as a result of a judgment by the International Court of Justice...
- EkoiEkoi"Ekoi" or "Ejagham" may refer to:* Ekoi people, a group of people found in south-eastern Nigeria, also known as Ejagham* Ekoid languages, the language spoken by the Ekoi people of south-eastern Nigeria* Ekoi mythology...
- Ejagham
- Ekpe
- NsibidiNsibidiNsibidi is a system of symbols indigenous to what is now southeastern Nigeria that is apparently ideographic, though there have been suggestions that it includes logographic elements...
- ManillasManillasManillas are penannular armlets, mostly in bronze or copper, very rarely gold, which served as a form of money or barter coinage and to a degree, ornamentation, amongst certain West African peoples...
- Niger DeltaNiger DeltaThe Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
- Southeastern NigeriaSoutheastern NigeriaSoutheastern Nigeria consists of present Abia State, Akwa Ibom State, Anambra State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State, Imo State, and Rivers State of Nigeria.-"Precolonial" era:...
- Niger DeltaNiger DeltaThe Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
- African JewsAfrican JewsSome Jewish communities in Africa are among the oldest in the world, dating back more than 2700 years. African Jews have ethnic and religious diversity and richness. African Jewish communities include:...