Interesting Facts you probably didn’t know about the Efik People

The Efik is an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria, in the southern part of Cross River state. They make up a significant number of the Calabar people, they generally speak the Efik language and their signature soup is ‘Edikang Ikong’.

The Efik people have an interesting culture that unfortunately most people don’t know about.

Below are some interesting facts about the Efik people.

Descendants of Israel

You probably wouldn’t have guessed this, but the Efik people are believed to be of Hebrew origin. Although, there are some accounts that suggest that they are of Bantu origin, they are generally believed to have originated from the Orient, precisely from Palestine.

Language

Efik was one of the earliest Nigerian languages with its original orthography devised in 1812 by King Eyo Nsa Honesty. It was one of the first three Nigerian languages to be codified with its own orthography and grammar. It was also one of the first Nigerian languages used in translating the Holy Bible.

The Ekombi Dance

The Efik might be a minority tribe, but there’s definitely nothing minor about their rich cultural heritage. One of the ways this rich cultural heritage manifests is through the Ekombi dance, a colourful dance that is beautiful, precise and said to be a rhythmic adaptation of the movement of sea waves.

 

The Fattening Room (Nkuho)

The famous Fattening Room practice is another interesting cultural feature associated with the Efik people. Here, virgins were overfed, massaged and made to sleep for hours to become the perfect robust bride. It’s an all-round training and beauty therapy carried out over a period of time to prepare the lady for marriage and womanhood. A modified version of this is still practiced today considering today’s ‘fit fam’ frenzy.

In the Fattening Room the girl goes through domestic training of home economics (like cooking and housekeeping), childcare and how to respect and make her husband to be and his family happy. The older women give advice about their experience in marriage to ensure a successful one.

Another important parts of Efik cultural training are the cultural dances (Ekombi), folklore, folktales, songs and other forms of entertainment. Skills in artistic designs on Calabash and other materials are taught as well. All this to prepare her for marriage and womanhood.

At the end of the seclusion period, people all over are invited to witness the graduation ceremony to honor her success in passing through this ordeal.

This ceremony is celebrated with traditional Efik dances (Ekombi) and other forms of entertainment. This big feast and merriment continues through out the whole day and night as families, friends and well wishers express their joy and happiness with gifts and donations to the bride.

Finally she and her future husband embraces and dances welcoming everybody that have come to join the celebration. Everybody cheers the happy couple.

The Love of Edikang Ikong

The Edikang Ikong is a mouth-watering nutritious vegetable soup that originated among the Efik-Ibibio people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River state in southeastern Nigeria. It’s considered a delicacy among many Nigerians and widely eaten all over Nigeria. It’s rather expensive to prepare however, and it’s described as a soup mostly eaten by the rich people in Nigeria.

FACE & BODY PAINTING

The face and body painting with Ndom among the Efik people symbolizes purity and love. In the old days it was a form of self-expression where personal identities or pattern were developed and recorded. These patterns came from various families and have developed into family identities.

In some occasions the painting of face or body with Ndom is an expression of joy of birth of a child or any other good news the family might receive. The painted face is also an indication that the bearer has been initiated into all women society. The Abang dancers wear face painting for personal expression of beauty, femininity and love.

Masquerades

Masquerades are one of the oldest traditional and cultural events through out Africa . It is accompanied with chant, songs and dances. This important occasion is very popular among the Efik people in Cross River State as its’ roots are deep in the traditional religion.

There are different kinds of Masquerades for various events like the coronation of the Obong (king of Calabar), burial, Chieftency and other seasonal celebrations and ceremonies.

The most distinguished and highest of all other masquerades is the Ekpe Masquerade. Its’ members are only men and is played on special occasions.