Facts about the Calabar People of Nigeria, West Africa ..

Calabar People can be found in Nigeria , They are Efik ethnic group located in the cross river Southsouthern part of Present day Nigeria and they are part of the Niger- Congo family.  

 According to the Oral history the word ” Calabar ” derived from the word Akwa Akpa from the Efik language it is said there was a town called Akwa Akpa, the British Colonists who came to Calabarland or Kalabarland referred them as Calabar which was mispelled, the neighbouring town of Ataba took over the name, they have town such as Akim, Ikot, Ansa, Ishie, Kasuk , Duke town, Henshaw town, Ikot omin, Obutong, Bakassi, Biase and AkamKpa which was their Original name until the arrival of Europeans they became known as Calabar.  

 During Atlantic Slavery they were captured as slaves by British and Spanish by the 18th Century they were transported to USA, Jamaica, Cuba, U.K. , Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, Spain, Trindad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad, some parts of Mexico, Bolivia and other parts of the Americas shipping them first started during the 16th Century then throughout the 18th Century.

 British owned ships such as Bristol, Liverpool merchant ship and it is said the main ethnic group taking out were Igbo from Igboland it is believed there was a small community of multi- racial which the British missionaries had links to them.   

According to Calabar Anthropologist, They migrated from the hinterlands and settled in the Ibibio, Igbo and Cameroon territories the British missionaries and traders was believed to have arrived in Present day Cross river around the 1400s, Calabar migrated down the Cross river to seek refuge in the 1600s they slipt in groups and some migrated to Mbiaboa and others migrated further to the Creek town, Duke town and Henshaw town.   

Calabar leader and his people from his village of Obutong were captured by Europeans and sold to Cuba in Cuba there is a Calabar community called Abakua in Havana the capital of Cuba it was formed by freed Calabars to raise awareness among Afro- Cubans of Calabar Ancestry, Afro- Cubans Calabar songs and places formed by their community originated from Present day Nigeria.

 The Ancinet concept of the Calabar Nsibidi numbers dates back to around 4, 000 B. C. – 5, 000 B.C. it is said to be the form secret of ancient writing it is actually Ekpe symbolism some of the this was used to translate the Bible translated from English to Efik languages both the Old and new testament it can be found also in some dictionary of the Calabar.

 The term Ekpe is the name of masquerabe the same term is used for leopard the Nsibidi have characters and signs for animals such as Leopard, Snake, Turtle and Birds. 

  According to Beeboi, It is claimed they originated from Isangele in Present day Cameroon before they migrated and settled as far as 8, 00 AD in Present day Nigeria, The Creator is known as Abassi it is believed the twins disgraced the creator and did abomination things, so it was though to be evil for a woman to give birth to twins, twins were taken and left dead in some forest according to a myth, the members were considered to be the peaceful mesengers of the Ancestors they make laws and punish both evil doers and offenders, It is believed Efik was one of the earliest Nigerian language and According to Prof. Onoyom Ukpong the Efik are an ethnic group settling along the Cross river estuary and the banks of Calabar river of Modern day Nigeria the history of their own origins and settlements dates back to the 14th Century AD their migration from Uruan in the 13th Century AD.  

 Efik aboriginals have migrated from Present day Palestine following the Roman conquest in 63 BC and revolted against the conquest of the Romans in the 2nd Century AD they drifted through Present day Egypt and the Nile into Nubia passed throughout Present day Sudan into Present day Nigeria in the 10th Century AD and established the Old Calabar in the Southsouthern part of Nigeria.

They were 12 original clans sojourned at Ibom in Aro- Chukwu and later settled or residency in places such as Enwang, Eniony, Ito, Ukwa, Agwagune and Aro- Chukwu however, those who kept themselves together covering areas such as Uruan, Ikpaene, Creek town and Calabar left constituted themselves into “Esien Efik Itibaa ” ( 7 Efik Clans), excluding Enwang, Eiong, Ito, Ukwa and Eki.  

They Celebrate annual cultural festival displaying their rich culture and rich heritage which is the Calabar Carnival this include music, drama, dressing and performance of creative musicians, The Carnival have some connections to the South Americas Carnival, the traditional ruler known as Obong he and his people participated in the Carnival it is actually schedule every year but for 2017 it take place from 1st December- 31st December it is organized by the Cross river State Organizers.

   They also celebrate annual dance festival held from the end of November to the end of December the bride and groom have their own clothing as couples followed by the Ekombi traditional dance it show the beauty of the women and feminity, there was a King called Duke IX who ruled the Old Calabar around the 1895 and they carved masks , sculptures along with cultivating crops such as Yam, Cassava, Cocoyam , Maize and other crops. According to Ms. Marlyn Womi the capital of cross river state is calabar and it is used to be Nigeria ‘ s first capital city before they moved the capital to lagos then to what is now Abuja, Nigeria.