Efik

infobox ethnic group
group=Efik


image_caption=A wax figure Of musician Shirley Bassey. Bassey's father is of Efik descent
popplace= Nigeria, Cameroon
rels= Christianity, traditional
langs= Efik, English
related-c= Ibibio, Ijaw, Annang, Ejagham, Igbo

The Efik people are a branch of the Ibibio, who in the early 1600s migrated down the Cross River from Cameroon and founded numerous settlements in the Creek Town-Duke Town and surrounding areas in coastal southeastern Nigeria in present Cross River State of Nigeria. This area of Nigeria along with present-day Akwa Ibom State are usually referred to as the Calabar area (and Calabar people accordingly) after the old Calabar Kingdom. Calabar is not to be confused with Kalabari in the Rivers State, 160 kilometres to the west (see Calabar and Kalabari).

The Efik and Their History

Although their economy was originally based on fishing, the area quickly developed into a major trading centre and remained so well into the early 1900s. Incoming European goods were traded for slaves, palm oil and other palm products. The Efik kings collected a trading tax called comey from docking ships until the British replaced it with 'comey subsidies'. [http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=03/05/2006&qrTitle=Legendary%20legacies%20of%20Dappa-Biriye&qrColumn=POLITICS Fubara, Dagogo M.J. (5 March 2006) "Legendary legacies of Dappa-Biriye" "The Tide" Rivers State Newspaper Corp., Port Harcourt, Nigeria] ;]

The Efik were the middle men between the white traders on the coast and the inland tribes of the Cross river and Calabar district. Christian missions were at work among the Efiks beginning in the middle of the 19th century. Even by 1900, many of the natives were well educated, professed Christianity and dressed in European fashion.

The Efik are related to the, Oron, Eket and Ikom people by common ancestors. Their ancestors were Egyptian Jews from mixed marriage of Israelites and Egyptians who migrated from Egypts through Ethiopia and Sudan into their land in Nigeria via Cameroon. Anothers say their land was the original Garden of Eden (see African Jews, and Calabar Kingdom).

A powerful bond of union among the Efik, and one that gives them considerable influence over other tribes, is the secret society known as the Ekpe, the inventor of the Nsibidi, an ancient African Writing.

In 1884 the Efik kings and the chiefs of the Efik placed themselves under British protection. These treaties and attendant territorial economic rights, are documented in CAP 23 of Laws of Eastern Nigeria, captioned 'Comey subsidies law'. The Efik king also known as Obong of Calabar still (as of 2006) is a political power among the Efik.> [http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrTitle=Efik%20monarch%20withholds%20blessing%20for%20South-South&qrDate=6/2/2006&qrColumn=NIGER%20DELTA Nwagbara, Friday (2 June 2006) "Efik monarch withholds blessing for South-South" "The Tide" Rivers State Newspaper Corp., Port Harcourt, Nigeria] ;]

Notes

References

* Waddell (1846) "Efik or Old Calabar" Waddell, Old Calabar;
*"This article incorporates text from the Calabar article in the" Encyclopædia Britannica "Eleventh Edition", "a publication now in the public domain".

External links

* [http://www.afrocubaweb.com/efik.htm Efik National Association, Inc.]

ee also

*Efik mythology
*Annang
*Ibibio
*Eket
*Opobo
*Bakassi
*Ikom
*Akamkpa
*Ekpe
*Nsibidi
*Calabar Kingdom