Akwa Akpa
Encyclopedia
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.
The state occupied what is now the modern city of Calabar
.
The Efik are a subgroup of the Ibibio people
.
They speak a language in the Obolo subgroup of the Niger–Congo language group.
Some claim that Efik originally came from the Sudan, since their burial practices resemble those of ancient Egypt
.
Most consider that they are of Bantu origin.
They had become a power on the coast of the Bight of Benin
by the early 18th century, by which time the Duke and Eyamba families were their leaders.
They were settled in large, fortified villages along the waterways, in a loose federation with no paramount ruler, living by fishing and farming. The largest settlements were Ikot Itunko, Obutong and Iboku Atapka, which the British renamed in the 19th century to Creek Town, Old Town and Duke Town.
The religion places importance on paying tribute to the village ancestors, particularly those who achieved high rank, since they can effect the fortunes of the living for good or bad. The earth deity Ala is appeased through Ogbom ceremony, which makes children plentiful and increases the harvest.
Some Ekips belong to the Ekpe secret society.
The detailed wood carvings, masks and accouterments of this society are complex works of art.
Ekip ceremonies include drumming and music as important elements.
.
The reason for choosing this name is unknown, since it was not used by the Efik people.
The city of Akwa Akpa was founded by Efik families who had left Creek Town, further up the Calabar river
, settling on the east bank in a position where they were able to dominate the slave trade with European vessels that anchored in the river, and soon becoming the most powerful in the region.
Akwa Akpa, also known as Duke Town to the British, became a center of the slave trade, where slaves were exchanged for European goods.
The main ethnic group taken out of Calabar as slaves were the Igbo
, although they were not the main ethnicity in the area.
Most slave ships that transported slaves from Calabar were English
, around 85% of these ships being from Bristol
and Liverpool
merchants.
Conditions were brutal.
In 1767, six British slaving vessels were lying in the Calabar river at a time when the people of Duke Town and Old Town were feuding. By prearrangement with the leaders of Duke Town, the leaders of Old Town were invited on board for a conference to settle the dispute, with guarantees of their safety. They were seized, with some kept as slaves and a few handed over to Duke Town where they were executed.
In that year, King Eyamba V of Duke Town and King Eyo of Creek Town signed a treaty agreeing to stop trading slaves.
With the suppression of the slave trade, palm oil and palm kernels became the main exports.
In 1846 a Christian mission was established by the United Presbyterian Church between Duke Town and Henshaw town, with the support of King Eyo.
The mission was headed by Hugh Goldie, who wrote an account of Calabar in his 1890 book Calabar and its Mission.
That year the chiefs requested British protection for Calabar, but the reply from Lord Palmerston, received in 1848, was that it was not necessary or advisable to grant the request.
However, the British would treat the people of Calabar favorably if they would give up their practice of human sacrifice.
At the time, it was common for wives and slaves of an important man to be sacrificed on his death.
On the death of King Eyamba in 1847, it was proposed that King Eyo become sole ruler, which the British favored. However, the Duke Town leaders did not agree, and selected Archibong Duke as the new king. In 1850, both kings agreed to suppress human sacrifice.
British influence continued to grow, as did acceptance of Christianity.
The chiefs of Akwa Akpa placed themselves under British protection in 1884.
King Archibong III of Calabar Kingdom was crowned in 1878 with a regalia sent directly by Queen Victoria of United Kingdom.
From 1884 until 1906 Old Calabar was the headquarters of the Niger Coast Protectorate
, after which Lagos became the main center.
Now called Calabar, the city remained an important port shipping ivory, timber, beeswax, and palm produce until 1916, when the railway terminus was opened at Port Harcourt, 145 km to the west.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Although absorbed into Nigeria, traditional rulers of the state are still recognized.
The state occupied what is now the modern city of Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
.
Origins and society
Ibibio people
The Ibibio are a people of southeastern Nigeria. They are related to the Anaang and the Efik peoples. During colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation . The Annang, Efik, Ekid, Oron and Ibeno share personal names, culture, and traditions...
.
They speak a language in the Obolo subgroup of the Niger–Congo language group.
Some claim that Efik originally came from the Sudan, since their burial practices resemble those of ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
.
Most consider that they are of Bantu origin.
They had become a power on the coast of the Bight of Benin
Bight of Benin
The Bight of Benin is a bight on the western African coast that extends eastward for about 400 miles from Cape St. Paul to the Nun outlet of the Niger River. To the east it is continued by the Bight of Bonny . The bight is part of the Gulf of Guinea...
by the early 18th century, by which time the Duke and Eyamba families were their leaders.
They were settled in large, fortified villages along the waterways, in a loose federation with no paramount ruler, living by fishing and farming. The largest settlements were Ikot Itunko, Obutong and Iboku Atapka, which the British renamed in the 19th century to Creek Town, Old Town and Duke Town.
Religion
The traditional Efik religion considers that Abasi created the universe. One tradition says that Abasi's wife Atai persuaded him to let two of their children, a daughter and son, settle on the earth. They were not allowed to breed, but disobeyed this injunction and became the ancestors of the Efik people. Another says that Abasi created two people, but again did not allow them to breed. Again, they disobeyed this order, and in punishment Anasi let loose death on the earth.The religion places importance on paying tribute to the village ancestors, particularly those who achieved high rank, since they can effect the fortunes of the living for good or bad. The earth deity Ala is appeased through Ogbom ceremony, which makes children plentiful and increases the harvest.
Some Ekips belong to the Ekpe secret society.
The detailed wood carvings, masks and accouterments of this society are complex works of art.
Ekip ceremonies include drumming and music as important elements.
Slave trade
The coast in this region was named "Calabar" by the Portuguese explorer Diogo CaoDiogo Cão
Diogo Cão was a Portuguese explorer and one of the most remarkable navigators of the Age of Discovery, who made two voyages sailing along the west coast of Africa to Namibia in the 1480s.-Early life and family:...
.
The reason for choosing this name is unknown, since it was not used by the Efik people.
The city of Akwa Akpa was founded by Efik families who had left Creek Town, further up the Calabar river
Calabar River
The Calabar River in Cross River State, Nigeria flows from the north past the city of Calabar, joining the larger Cross River about to the south. The river at Calabar forms a natural harbor deep enough for vessels with a draft of ....
, settling on the east bank in a position where they were able to dominate the slave trade with European vessels that anchored in the river, and soon becoming the most powerful in the region.
Akwa Akpa, also known as Duke Town to the British, became a center of the slave trade, where slaves were exchanged for European goods.
The main ethnic group taken out of Calabar as slaves were the Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
, although they were not the main ethnicity in the area.
Most slave ships that transported slaves from Calabar were English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, around 85% of these ships being from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
merchants.
Conditions were brutal.
In 1767, six British slaving vessels were lying in the Calabar river at a time when the people of Duke Town and Old Town were feuding. By prearrangement with the leaders of Duke Town, the leaders of Old Town were invited on board for a conference to settle the dispute, with guarantees of their safety. They were seized, with some kept as slaves and a few handed over to Duke Town where they were executed.
Later history
The slave trade was banned by a British decree of 1808, and slavery was banned in all British territories in 1833, although traders from other nations continued to buy slaves at Calabar until 1842.In that year, King Eyamba V of Duke Town and King Eyo of Creek Town signed a treaty agreeing to stop trading slaves.
With the suppression of the slave trade, palm oil and palm kernels became the main exports.
In 1846 a Christian mission was established by the United Presbyterian Church between Duke Town and Henshaw town, with the support of King Eyo.
The mission was headed by Hugh Goldie, who wrote an account of Calabar in his 1890 book Calabar and its Mission.
That year the chiefs requested British protection for Calabar, but the reply from Lord Palmerston, received in 1848, was that it was not necessary or advisable to grant the request.
However, the British would treat the people of Calabar favorably if they would give up their practice of human sacrifice.
At the time, it was common for wives and slaves of an important man to be sacrificed on his death.
On the death of King Eyamba in 1847, it was proposed that King Eyo become sole ruler, which the British favored. However, the Duke Town leaders did not agree, and selected Archibong Duke as the new king. In 1850, both kings agreed to suppress human sacrifice.
British influence continued to grow, as did acceptance of Christianity.
The chiefs of Akwa Akpa placed themselves under British protection in 1884.
King Archibong III of Calabar Kingdom was crowned in 1878 with a regalia sent directly by Queen Victoria of United Kingdom.
From 1884 until 1906 Old Calabar was the headquarters of the Niger Coast Protectorate
Niger Coast Protectorate
The Niger Coast Protectorate was a British protectorate in the Oil Rivers area of present-day Nigeria, originally established as the Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1891 and confirmed at the Berlin Conference the following year, renamed on 12 May 1893, and merged with the chartered territories of the...
, after which Lagos became the main center.
Now called Calabar, the city remained an important port shipping ivory, timber, beeswax, and palm produce until 1916, when the railway terminus was opened at Port Harcourt, 145 km to the west.
Independent rulers
Rulers of the city state, and successors in the traditional state, were:- Ekpenyong Offiong Okoho (1786–1805)
- Ekpenyong Effiom Okoho Eyamba III (1805–1814)
- Effiom Edem Ekpo Effiom I Eyamba IV (1814–1834)
- Edem Ekpenyong Offiong Okoho Eyamba V (1834–1847)
- Effiom Okoho Asibong I Ekpo Minika (May 1849 - February 1852)
- Ededem Effiom II (April 1852 - August 1858)
- Eyo Asibong II (March 1859 - August 1872)
- Edem Asibong III Eyamba VIII (1872 - May 1879)
- Orok Edem Eyamba IX (1880–1896)
Later Obongs
In 1908 the British made an agreement with the Efik Kings that they would no longer use title of King (Edidem), but instead as titular rulers would have the title Obong of Calabar.- Obong Edem Effiom Edem (January 1903 - 1906)
- Obong Asibong IV
- Obong Asibong V (1956 -)
Efik rulers
In December 1970 it was agreed that a single ruler should represent the Efik people, rather than two (one for Creek Town and one for Duke Town), with the ruler alternated between the two communities.- Edidem David James Henshaw V (1970–1973)
- Edidem Esien Ekpe Oku V (1973–1980)
- Edidem Bassey Eyo Ephraim Adam III (1980–1987)
- Edidem Otu Ekpenyong Effa IX (1987–1989)
- Edidem Boco Ene Mkpang Cobham V (1989–1999)
- (vacant 1999 - 2001)
- Edidem Nta Elijah Henshaw (2001–2004)
- Edidem Bassey Ekpo Bassey IIBassey Ekpo BasseyObong Bassey Ekpo Bassey II is a Nigerian journalist and politician who was crowned as the Obong or traditional ruler of the Efik people of the Akwa Akpa kingdom on 6 April 2008.-Early career:...
(2008 -)