CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Ibibio is the core ethnic group in what is now known as Akwa Ibom State. The Ibibio are believed to be of the Bantu stock. Their language is Ibibio. They have two main seasons in a year: the dry season and rainy season. Their traditional occupations include farming, hunting, carving raffia works, local art and craft as well as other in door games.
The Ibibio are long religious. They worship the Supreme Being (Abasi Ibom) and they believe in life after death (reincarnation) and spiritism. Their minor deities are Ekpo, Ndem, Ibok, etc. They rely on numerous traditional ceremonies like new yam festival, traditional marriage (Usọrọ Ndọ), harvest festival (usọrọ Idọk) and so on, for spiritual rejuvenation. They also believe in superstition, divination, rituals, myths, oracles, and a lot more.
The Ibibio have one of the most ancient writings “Nsibidi”. The Ibibio, according to Ukpong (2001),“generally have a low lying topography with a few hills around Itu in the North and Oban in the East, Ukpong also states that Ibibio is the largest ethnic group in Nigeria after Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo.
The Ibibio are governed by traditional institutions like Ekpe, Idiong, Akata, etc. These groups use music as one of their media of communication, and historical store house. Ibibio songs serve as historical documents and as a means of communication (Udo, 1983). This simply explains that Akwa Ibom State is a state with abundant cultural heritage.
In Akwa Ibom State, there are many cultural groups. There are about two or more of such groups in each of the local government areas. Some of these groups are gender-related; that is, some of them are purely male cultural groups and some are purely for women only. Among the male dominated groups include Akata cultural group or society. It is a secret society, and one way of identifying it is through its masquerade play, in which all the initiate members participate.
Akata is perhaps one of the widely accepted Ibibio cultural groups in Akwa Ibom State. It could be best described as a socio-cultural organisation whose functions are to perform songs of social control mostly at night and reported social misbehaviours with a view to sanitising the society, among others. Traditional Akata is performed only at night by members who are all male as being practised in Adadia in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
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