CULTURAL HERITAGE OF ITAM PEOPLE, AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA.

          Culture according to Sule Bello, can be viewed as the totality of a peoples way of life which is qualified by the fact that it comprises various activities which are that it: Originated and is sustained by man’s endless capacity to create and recreate in the face of new challenges and on the basis of inherited acquired experiences.        Is perpetuated and modified through a continuous process of selection and transmission.

To Paddington, the culture of a people is: “Defined as the sum total of the material and intellectual equipment whereby they satisfy their biological and social needs and adapt them to their environment”.

Over the year’s Itam people used their culture, which in any case was part of the larger Ibibio culture to whom they belong, to adapt themselves to their environment and to further the course of inter group relations. They did this through the following mechanisms: (1) marriage (2) reception of a new born (3) funeral ceremonies (4) traditional games (ikara, wrestling, oyo etc)

Marriage

Marriage is a legal union of a man and a woman as husband and wife. It is a complex affair with economic social and religious aspects which often overlap so firmly that they cannot be separated from one another. They purpose of marriage was to accentuate the establishment of fairly life which is universal and very important, and takes care of completely universal human requirements. Indeed marriage is the only economical and workable way of controlling and satisfying the most fundamental needs of human beings. Marriage could be polygamous or monogamous. A monogamous marriage is “the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others”. On the other hand a polygamous marriage may be viewed as a voluntary union for life of one man with one of several wives. It is essential characteristic, according to E.I. Nwogugu, is the capacity of a man to take as many wives as he pleases.

The people of Itam practice two types of marriage. Until the advent of Christianity in the sixteenth century, the people used to practice polygamy as a rule. The practice was influenced by the imperatives of having large families for farm labour as an insurance against childlessness, which might have been caused by death occasioned by the prevalence of common but untamed sickness such as malaria and tetanus.

In Itam one was due for marriage when one attain the age of puberty and has undergone some initiation rites. Girls could then be given to marriage after the different rituals. Also in Itam, marriage was arranged by the elders of both families. The family of the man and that of the woman through a process known as ‘mbub’ which was an occasion for the actual confirmation of the agreement which the boy and the girl might have had between themselves before their parents were informed. It was customary that the bride price was not to be made public by the elders of both families. In this case the parents of the bridegroom had to go in the night proceeding the actual marriage day and pay the bride price so that in the morning only items like drinks and clothing were given and made known to the public. After paying the bride price they would be son in-law had to go back with his parents that night. In the morning of the actual ceremony, he was expected to send a key of palm wine to the parents of the bride. This was known as ukot ibenge and it confirmed to the parent of the girl that the ceremony would still take place.

In Ibibioland no person could give his daughter in marriage alone. The daughter is literally the gift of the whole village. Even though marriage ceremonies involved the families of the brides and the grooms mainly, after the marriage had been consummated there was a bond of relationship between the village of the bride and the groom. They were now in-laws and under no circumstances would the people of the two villages harm themselves knowingly. Therefore in Itam marriage acted as an instrument of peace security and inter group relations because apart from marriage ceremonies in which people from many village especially those of the brides and grooms were involved external inter group relations were created by the institutions of in laws.

Throughout Ibibio land special breed of children were known as ayeyin. They were entitled to certain rights over agricultural and indeed, estates in their mother’s village and could lay claims to certain categories of resources, especially in the families of their mothers. In the case of in-laws, their opinions on a number of issues were accepted especially in matters of disputes, conflicts and conflict resolution.

Reception of the New Born 

The desire to have offspring was the motivating factor of marriage in Itam. The people were interested in getting those who would inherit the compound on their death, as well as those they would give out of marriage. The Itam people like other Ibibio groups, feel that the new born in the family does not belong to the family alone but to the entire village. Therefore the birth of a child is celebrated by everybody in the village. Children are generally seen as gifts of nature and mark of resourcefulness of the parents. The critical aspect of the importance of children is that they would help in farm labour, the parents would readily have successors and those to bury them when they die. Also the desire to avoid a state of loneliness was the motive for getting children.

Therefore for days the new born would be celebrated. During this periods palm wine and dry gin would be available in the house of the parents for villagers to drink and appreciate both parents and God. In most households native chalks ‘ndoom’ would be available for women to make marks on their faces and body as sign of appreciation. In contemporary times women make marks on themselves with powder.         

On the birth of the child certain rites had to be performed with both the placenta and the umbilical cord but it was to maintain its hair uncut until he can walk. All these were rituals associated with traditions. The placenta and naval string were carefully disposed of. The mother must guard it carefully and after three days to a year from a time of birth, must bury it in the ground and plant a young tree usually palm wine tree or banana, over the spot which henceforth become the property of the child and is called ‘Naval string tree’ (ukot ebout eyen)

In Itam names given to the child reflected the family condition of the time and day of his birth. A male child born on fiongaran (days of a particular market day) for instance was called Effiong while the female was named Affiong. Similarly Okon and Akon was the name of male and female children born at night¹¹.

Funeral Ceremonies

Funeral is religious ceremony for burying a dead person. It is always a solemn event and there is perhaps are event in Itam that requires cooperation of   family members and villagers than funeral ceremonies. As elsewhere in Ibibioland, when a child dies, there is no celebration. The strong belief in life after death and reincarnation was instrumental to the lavish burials which were often, accorded those who die at old age. Death of children and young people were mournful and as such no much merriment. As elsewhere in Ibibioland when a child dies, there is no celebration. The child is buried at the boundary of any land and in most cases few family members are part of the burial rituals. When a young adult is death the village would be thrown into a pensive mood until the person is buried. This would be reflected in the attitude and number of sympathizers that would normally visit the bereaved family to express their condolences. But when an elderly or an accomplished person dies there is always a celebration.

Funerals ceremonies for elderly people are celebrated as the entire village adjoining ones are involved. In traditional Itam society, if the dead was a member of the secret society, especially Obon, Idiong and Ekpe or was elite of the Ekoong fraternity, he was given special burial rites. But as a rule all villages in Itam would be involved. It is the same with the burial ceremonies that involve Obong Ikpaisong, clan head or the paramount ruler of the local government to which Itam belongs.  During the funeral period, livestock such as cows and goats are slaughtered for festivities. Apart from the villagers and leaders who are involved, in-laws and grand children of the bereaved are equally involved. The funeral ceremonies, especially for those who died in old age and have accomplishments in life, were always celebrated. The immediate neighbors of Itam participate in the burial, and through this means inter group relations is fostered.

Political System

It is common knowledge that in any society there must be a need for an organized way of administration. Itam clan like any other segmentary society did not posses any centralized political units. In this case therefore age was the determinant factor in the government of those days. This means that the elders were those entrusted naturally with the dispensation of justice in the clan. Rules which were generally unwritten were known to have been embedded in the breast of the citizenry, so that any defaulter was punished according to the gravity of the crimes.

Itam clan as started earlier is an example of decentralized society with segmentary political system. The authority of any ruler affected only a small and confined area.

Robin Horton testified to this when he said:

Such authority roles as exist affected a rather limited sector of the lives of those subject to them. The wielding of authority as a specialized full time occupation is virtually unknown. The unit within which people feel an obligation to settle their differences and disputes according to agreed rules and without resort to force tends to be relatively small.¹³

From the above one discovers that in the clan and relative to the entire Ibibioland the village unit is small in the context of the above, the authority role affect a rather limited sector of the ethnic group as instanced by the village. Village rulers were not full time politicians in the sense that they never abandoned their usual residence to occupy a royal palace where an elaborate court is maintained. But the unit within which people felt an obligation to settle their dispute was never small as suggested by Horton, for most of the judicial bodies transcend village boundaries, for one cases which originated at village level could be heard and decided in the clan ‘court’ or the ‘court’ instituted by members of the Idiong cult whose membership embraced the whole clan for another dispute involving murder was decided by the OKUKU the ruler of the whole clan, made up of a number of villages.

          The government was of many levels, starting from the house or the compound, the family, the village and the clan. The house UFOK, which consisted of the man, his wife (wives) and children, had the man as the head. He dictated for the members of his household and wielded great influences over them. The different houses constituted the compound the compound OTUNG with the oldest male member of the enclosed family enclosed family as the head.

          The political structure of Itam people did not differ substantially from those of other groups in Ibibioland. Politically, the people operated a republican form of government. But on account of lack of complex centralized system in the mould of the Yoruba Empire of south west of Nigeria, British and African anthropologist classify the area as a stateless society. Such reference is wrong .on the surface it means that the paraphernalia of the state system were lacking in Ibibio society.   

          Like all Ibibio clans, the political organization in Itam was based on social organization. Five administrative divisions were observable since the pre colonial period and they are still practiced till today. These are: Idip Ete, Ufok, Ekpuk, Idung and Ikpaisong. The structure and functions of each of the administrative units shall be examined in turn.

Idip Ete was the first foundation of political unit of Itam, like all Ibibioland. In this unit, the father who also doubled as the husband was the head. He superintended over an ad hoc political unit made up of his wife and eldest wife, his eldest son, his senior half brothers and a few other member of his Otung; that is hamlets. All cases which occurred among members of the Idip (family) were tied and decisions were taken. In some cases, the culprits were sentenced in accordance with the general tradition norms of the Ibibio people. Idip Ete is still in existence today and it is used to govern the society. Fines are still imposed on erring members. The only exception to general rule is that the guilty are not exile nor sold into slavery.

Ufok is a collection of families which trace their origins to one father; it is a sub division if extended family. Politically, the oldest member of Ufok was statutorily the head of the Ufok and his title was Obong Ufok; that is the family council. Other members of the council included senior members of the unit. The council used to meet periodically in the compound of the Obong Ufok. On the general function of the council, Edet Udo writes

Their judicial functions were mainly settlements of dispute between members of the family (Ufok) and hearing of appeals from members of different Idip that made up the Ufok. Here again their judicial functions were limited to civil matters. Their decisions were however, obeyed promptly because of the cooperate nature of the unit¹⁶.

Even though, Christianity, western education and western legal system have reduced considerably the influence of the Esop Ufok as they were practiced in the pre colonial period, the Esop Ufok is still acknowledged as one of the administrative unit in the traditional governance of the Itam people.

Ekpuk is a collection of Ufok which traced their origins to one father. All members of each Ekpuk traced their descent to one man who was the founder of Ekpuk. From the very beginning in Itam, there were fewer Ekpuk, but on account of population explosion, a number of families broke away and established different Ekpuks. Like in the case of the village administration, the oldest man in the Ekpuk was made the head of the Ekpuk. His title was and still is Obong Ekpuk. With obong ufok; that is the head of the various families, Esop Ekpuk (Ekpuks council) was constituted. At times, intelligent and successful men and women in the various families were made ex-officio members of Esop Ekpuk.

The council had a number of roles to play in the administration of the Ekpuk. These were political, social economic and religious roles. Politically, the council was an instrument of conflict resolution, especially between members of the Ekpuk. Matters such as murder, theft, adultery and willful destruction of the member’s property were treated by the council. All forms of dispute were first treated within Ekpuk through its council, before they were taken to the village council. Therefore, “the Ekpuk council remains a vital instrument for maintaining peace and order within the ekpuk”.

The Ekpuk council also had an economic duty to perform chief of which was the annual sharing of farm lands to adult males of the Ekpuk. The religious functions of the council were wide, and they included coordinating the sacrifice to each ancestor who was an initiate of the Ekong secret society. Besides, the council enforced the building of nwommo for ancestors.

Idung symbolizes the village and it was another political division in Itam. Idung was a collection of Ekpuk. In some villages in Itam, Idung is also called Obio. However, since the pre colonial period, the office of village head rotates among Ekpuk that make up the village.

Obong Obio is the traditional ruler of a village and the insignia of his office are:

Ntinya (closely fitting raffia cap)

Esang Ubong (staff office)

Ndo ubong (brass necklace)mme ubong (brass bangle)

Nnuk enin (elephant tusk)

Ekporikpu ubong (throne)

Ofong ubong (royal robe)

Ukak ubong (royal drinking cup)

Ekuriku ubong (mace)

Akangkang/ ekere

Ikwa iso-ukpong (double edged sword)

It should be noted that only individuals from royal families are made village heads in Itam and not just anybody, regardless of his wealth and intelligence. Normally, village meetings are held in the village square or the compound of the village head and in these meetings, any matured member of the village who has anything to say is given the opportunity to talk. In such meetings, village democracy is practiced. The Obong Idung does not take executive decisions on any matter before him. Rather he consults a lot in order to give justice to all.

Ikpaisong is the last and highest political and administrative division in Itam since the pre colonial period. Ikpaisong denotes a clan, and a clan in turn symbolizes a group of villages that trace their descent to one ancestor where members, in the assertion of Edet Udo, “claimed common ancestries, worshipped common deities, organized defense against external aggressors and were mutually independent, acknowledging common political, social, economic, and religious codes of ethics”.¹⁸  As discussed earlier Itam people trace their descent to Itam and as would be seen in the next chapter, they worship the same deity and have the same totem. Therefore they come from the same clan, Itam. This oneness qualified them to have Ikpaisong as the highest administrative unit. The Itam clan is made up of all the villages in Itam.

The pioneer clan head of Itam was his Royal Highness Obong Thompson Udo Nsuk from Ikot Obio Atai Itam. He was crowned at Obong Itam primary school in 1952. The second clan head of Itam was his Royal Highness, Edidem Ekpe Obong Atakpa, who was also the paramount ruler of Itu Local Government Area. Paramount ruler ship as an aspect of the paraphernalia of grassroots governance in Nigeria was introduced in 1978. The third clan head of Itam is his Royal Highness Etebom Donald Uboh. He was elected clan head in 2007 and was crowned in 2009.

The role of secret societies in political affairs of a society that lacked any centralized political authority and when the art of government was not a full time occupation of the elders could not be over emphasized, such secret societies that are useful in this respect were the Idiong ‘Ekpri Akata’ and principality the ‘EKPO’ and its female counter parts the ‘EBRE’ societies.

 What was lacking in the political system of the people of Itam, was an executive staff able to carry out the orders and decisions of the senior members of the clan, or the village councils. This was provided by the Ekpe society operating through agents who either are recognized members of the society (officer of the society ‘Mbong Ekpo) or disguised as Ekpo spirits (Ekpo runner of the society carried out the orders of the society or of its senior members of the society behind them, these agent could be resisted or mobisted by an individual or group only at their own perils.

Ekpo was the supreme judicial authority while its agents acted as a police force to enforce Ekpo laws and carry out orders of its court. It should be noted that the part played by the Ekpo society in the political administration of the community was supplement by the activities of other secret society like Idiong Ebre Ekpri Akata that were also useful in this respect.

The role of the ancestors in the political setup of the people of Itam was so pronounced that nothing was done without their consent being fully sough. Ancestors were believed to posses certain tributes which the mortals could not comprehend; defaulters and to compensate the just. This is to foster the believed that the ancestors control the whole world. Ancestors maintained, it was believed and nurtured certain political and economic institutions in the pre colonial era.

First in importance is the traditional policies setup of the Ibibios in general and Itam in particular was the concept of practical community, this was not just an association of fellow citizens who have agreed to promote social welfare. The Itam have until recently, been an in depended political unit whose internal cohesion was, in most extremely weak. Not only did the clan in pre colonial days lack the institution of chieftaincy, but groups which still claim descent from a common ancestors and also culturally considered themselves as one people.

Summing up therefore, one would be obvious saying that it was the duty of the ancestors to act as the official guardian of the social and moral order of the people especially in the stateless society like Itam clan whose socio-political rules were almost entirely governed by a descent system based on the genealogical framework.²⁴ In these societies, ancestors became as noted earlier the focus of religious and political activities.

Social Tradition

The people of Itam had a robust social organization since the first settled in their present location. The patterns of the social organization of the people have always followed the general pattern of the social organization of the Ibibio people to which Itam is a part.

Basically there were many problems that associated with the way Itam society was organized but it has to be emphasizes here that like a typical African society the social issues were not distinctively separated from the political and economic issues. Put differently the social organization of the people was highly intertwined with the political and economic organizations. Examples were the Ekpe Ekpo and the Idiong secret societies which were discussed earlier. Therefore discussions on the social organization of Itam people shall be limited to education festivals and selected ceremonies.

Education

This is the process which provides the young with the knowledge skills and values which a society believes are necessary. For centuries various forms of traditional education have existed in Africa. Traditional education is usually informal. In this process he child learns from his parents and from elders the importance of traditional religion and customary law. He learns the tradition and history of his people. He imitates the habits and customs of his parents and elders. In some communities when the child grows up he has a short period of formal education in a initiation school and may perform some sort of initiation ceremony before he is accepted as an adult member of the community.

Before the advent of the Europeans in Itam clan parents and elders taught children many traditional roles that they needed to know and be skillful in. Through the informal setting boys were brought up as warrior’s, diviners, seers, hunters, farmers, traders and fishermen. The process of education was such that the civilization of the people as inherited from their forebears was sustained. Women in Itam were also taught roles that were expected of them. They were taught by their mothers and such roles were personal hygiene sanitation farming especially weeding and harvesting of crops, cooking and the expectation of womanhood.They were also taught dancing in events and ceremonies.

In the nineteenth century formal education methods were introduced by the Europeans and it took place in schools colleges and universities. This teaches young people the skills and knowledge that will be useful in getting a job and facing the challenges in contemporary period. Essentially the introduction of western education in Nigeria could be dated to the 1840s. In Itam the Church of Scotland mission now the Presbyterian African church, Quo Iboe and Methodist churches held sway and endeavored as well to provide schools for the people. In the 20^th century there was hardly a village or ward in Itam without a primary school.

Regards to the secondary school, the initiative came from the senior citizens of Itam who wanted advancement in educational pursuits to be the lot of Itam and positively impacted on the people. After independence, two years later Itam secondary school was established with A.J. Gordon a British as its first principal. Itam secondary school was a product of the foresight of Itam development union which had branches in different parts of the country with achievements who fertile minds led to the established of schools who among were prominent people in Itam such as Chief Effiong Udo Okon, Elder Edet Akpan Akwaisua, Chief John George Ituh, chief Edet Akpanudo, Ambassador Mbom Jimmy Etuk, Elder Asuquo Etim Akpan Eniang (Samgrace) etc. In point of fact Chief Effiong Udo Okon with two other Chiefs in Itam namely Chief Elder Nyong Akpan Akwaisua and Chief Edet Akpan Afia went to Enugu where the ministry of education is located to solicit for a secondary school in Itam. The ministry required that the school should be under the missionary that is why the Presbyterian Church was chosen to oversee its establishment and administration.

Religion

Religion includes beliefs from all parts of the world about god. There are two types of religion which are Islam and Christianity which teaches that there is only one god. African traditional religion is equally monotheistic. Before Europeans understood anything about traditional African religious belief, they often called them ‘fetishism’. This was because Europeans believed that the Africans were worshipping carving objects which are in fact only symbols of the gods. The gods are believed to control good weather rich harvest success in war and hunting and health and happiness of the people. Gods may also send misfortune such as disease death bad weather as punishment to their people.

Men cannot command good things from the gods they can only ask for them and try to attract them by doing what they believed the gods want. If men break the rules of the gods they must ask to be forgiven and hope that they will not be punished. In many religions worship is in form of rituals in which there is formal pattern of events with set words which are often memorized. The ritual is usually led by a priest who has the power of special contact with the gods. Rituals are generally done in the shrines, which are places dedicated to the gods and are treated as sacred meaning that it must be respected. The rituals may be held on regular occasions to make sacrifices to the gods, in order to keep their goodwill and favor. The gods may be asked to help in special rituals in times of danger and difficulty. Also rituals are also made to give thanks for birth, good harvest and at the beginning of a rainy season.

Also in important events such as birth marriage death or the crowning of a king or ruler are also made sacred to these events with gives religious force.

In Itam there is no village without a deity or deities through the people used to reach their gods. Some of these deities are ude afriyo asibok and uyot, but the pan Itam deity was Awaitam with the monkey as a totem animal. This totem is popularly known in Itam as Adiaha Awaitam. By tradition, it is an abomination for any Itam person to eat monkey since it is a taboo for the people. The shrine of Awaitam is located at Mbiatok Itam. The deity is usually attended by a priest called Oku Awaitam while the messenger is called Isu Awaitam. Customarily Isu was supposed to be slave³⁰. Whenever Isu becomes sick or old to carry out his functions, he had to be killed and replaced by a new slave. He was not to die a natural death³¹. In the past the deity had a great influenced on the life of the people. Itam as a whole always sought for help and blessing from the god in any matter of significance. In most cases, the priest of Awaitam would announced the day for new yam festival Usoro Awaitam which always took place every June of the year.

The political tradition /organization of Itam people have been examined and it’s demonstrated that the administration structure followed the general pattern of Ibibio wide style. The different administrative units started from the family through Ufok Ekpuk and Obio to Ikpaisong which symbolizes Itam.

Each of these units had heads and council which performed the day to day administration of the units. To enforce their law, powerful agents to secret societies were used to execute the laws. These include Obon Eko Ekong and Ekpe especially in riverine communities and villages.     

          Since independence, a number of changes have been observable in these administrative units. The most affected is the village council where each village now has a chairman of the village council unlike what used to take place in the past where the village head was the sole head of the council or the office of the Okuku.

          In social tradition of Itam people it is documented that it was simple and complex at the same time but it was arranged in such a way that it was served the needs of these people. From the traditional education of the people to their religion, it is observed that the people were highly organized and there was no activity that was not affected by religion.

Kinship

According to history itself, tradition has it that the earliest founding fathers of itam Atta (king) Asurua Bini Ibritam and his wife Queentin of the Aphakah Bini kingdom of Israel developed the institution of leadership and installed Prince Aartata Bini akpan aphakah as the Oku Oone Awaitam the second, the head of the Atta institution. The Oku Oone Awaitam was\ is the overall Atta (king) of the whole Essien Itam (Itam tribe) which was made up of ekid itam akpan obong, afaha idut ubong oyo and ibiaku ekpat ukpa. The Oku Oone Awaitam, the traditional chief high priest governs Itam people in accordance with its tradition customs and usage ³².

To the people of Itam the Oku Oone Awaitam was\ is the king personality of the Itam ancestors, a companion of Itam deity customs and traditions. Indeed, the Oku Oone Awaitam was the fountain of traditional authority in Itam clan.

Itam tradition from time immemorial confirmed that Oku Oone Awaitam was the administrative leader of all the Essien Itam Ita (three tribes of Itam). Thus, the oku oone awaitam was recognized by the entire Itam clan as the supreme traditional head of Awaitam people. In Itam tradition, a king is born and not made and before a king dies, a new king is born with rights of a royal descent. The royal line of succession on the stool of Oku Oone Awaitam, the head of Itam clan, is allowed to pass along the make line of descents and in the absences; any member of a royal descendants who is qualified by tradition can take up the stool.

Tradition holds that the custodian of Oku Oone Awaitam, the clan head of itam, Is done by the ‘nkukuk-ekpuk’ (heads) Awaitam and the kings markers vested with traditional authority, by 12 noon of the obo market day and the successor to the throne is made to pass through all the secret conventions of Itam traditional and customary Awaitam rites on land and in sea. As a temporary measure, a king representative is selected to were the regalia of the past ancestral Atta (king) and he shall hold on it until oku oone awaitam the clan head is selected on tradition.

At an appropriate period set aside by the nkuku awaitam epkuks’ and kings makers, his successors is guided by the kingmakers to the holy forest of kings (iso awaitam) with regalia in order to align the new clan head with the rock of ages mounted by other royal descendants in Itam clan. Within the holy forest is the Garden of Eden called mmonmmong uwem awawa ibritam that links up with the river Jordan and the heavenly kingdom called nkana anyon abasi inan.

From there the new clan head moves in procession to his palace where the new tower of kingship (adaha ubong or afe asabo) will be built signifying supremacy in the traditional government in Itam clan in line with its tradition, customs and usages. The new clan head will be subjected to oath taking as the head of Atta court in Itam in holiness for execution of god’s sacred functions and he shall uphold the culture of Itam clam.

Subsequently, the three tribes of Itam clan, ekid itam, afaha and ibiaku have specific symbols of mounting on the ekpuk kingship stools in Itam clan. These kingship symbols are:

Obong unen

Obong ndok isong

Obong ukot

Obong edong

Obong ebot

Obong enang

Obong urua

Obong ukpa eto

Obong ekpo

It is through this authority that the Oku Oone Awaitam is traditionally crowned the akwang of ntinya” at the “ido awaitam” holy of holiness rock of kings.

The final stage of the kings ascension and purification people are not allow to witness the great sacred oceanic and heavenly process except those vested to make such selection and capable of a king. Representatives or officials to the Itam clan traditional council of chiefs are appointed solely in application of principles of traditional rules, customs and usages of Itam people. Above all, the traditional institution in Itam is a sacred institution with absolute powers.

Distribution of the Chieftaincy Title

There two types of chieftaincy as record in the history of Itam people the traditional and the ceremonial or conventional. The traditional one is attained through acquisition of ancient royal stool called Ekpurikpo Ubong with royal antiquities.

In the case of the ceremonial or conventional chieftaincy a man or woman is celebrated for good deeds or outstanding social services to his\ her community and humanity. After due assessment made by the nkuku council of chiefs, he or she can then be recommended to the Atta (king) for blessings in line with the traditional principles on chieftaincy honors.

Chieftaincy award is a distinguished honor conferred on outstanding personalities with tracks records in human management, probity and socio economic and political development of his\ her community. However the highest ancient honorary chieftaincy title in Ibibioland is obio ekong owo” usually awarded to community activities who risk their lives for the emancipation of their race. Others are ada obobom eto-nwed, unwana, emem, ifiok, ekikere, eduek, uko, uforo, idem and obonganwan. While pioneer of peace is a rare honors for a peace advocate is usually awarded to industrious daughters with outstanding record  in conflict resolution

In other case the chief of Obong in Itam is generally not expected to put his hands into anything that is dirty (that he \ she must stay clear of despicable alts). Specifically, he or she is not expected to steal.

This traditional principle in chieftaincy practice is aimed at checking the above and proliferation of chieftaincy honors in Itam and Itu local government area at large. This from the then eastern regional government to the present day in Itu L.G.A and at the occasions of Awaitam day festivals, 74^th birthday celebration, silver or golden jubilee anniversaries (1974-2004) respectively, late Edidem Atakpa had formally conferred honorary chieftaincy titles on distinguished Nigerians as contained in the certified royal awards.

Occupation of the People

          The occupation of Itam people includes farming as a result of their rich and fertile soil. They have been blessed with fishing which is as result of where they are situated (in the riverine areas) trading and small scale business.

They are oil deposits at Ntiat Itam Eritam Akppanobong Mkpeti Itam Mbiatok Itam etc. clay and other economic minerals have also been found in Odiok Afaha Itam Ikot Ayan Itam and waterfall in Ikot Andem Itam along with some rich agricultural lands for the production of food and cash crops.

          In the ancient days, they were also involved in slave trade business which then was very common among different tribes but was abolishes due to their advent of civilization.

In Itam, the heavy rainfall experienced in the area determined the kind of occupation to be followed during the two periods of the year (dry and rainy seasons). According to Edet Udo, the former was the period of intense farm work while the later was the resting period. During the rainy period indoor occupations such as mat making pottery and the making of masquerade headgear, among others became the major occupation of the seasons. In turn all these activities were determined by land.

          According to Marshall “by land is meant… material and forces which nature gives freely for mans aid in land water air light and heat”³⁵. The sum total is that land is a stock of free gifts of nature. In the first place, like all groups in pre colonial Ibibioland, Itam people depended solely on land for survival and sustenance.

          Historically speaking, Itam people like the rest of Ibibio people have had four evolutionary periods associated with the land tenure system. “First the period when the land was owned communally by the entire village, secondly when ownership passed to the Ekpuk (lineages) of the villages, third the period of transition from to Ufok ownership and finally to individual ownership”.

          From time immemorial, there were five classes of land in Itam and their classification was based on their location. The first was Akai (forest). There was no village in Itam clan in the pre colonial and colonial periods that did not have forest(s). These lands traditionally were not meant for cultivation and therefore were not cleared at all.

          Second classes of lands in Itam were farmlands (Ekpene). In most cases, Ekpene were located in far flung areas away from the residential areas. They were meant for farming and cultivation. The third classes of lands in Itam were the residential areas (Ndoon). These lands were given to the male adult who needed to build house for residential purposes. The fourth classes of lands in tam were those located in the frontage of buildings. They were called Ikot Essien. The fifth classes of lands in Itam were those located in the backyard of houses. They were called Ikot Eko.

Farming (Agriculture)

          Agriculture was the main occupation of Itam people. Agriculture is the cultivation and breeding of animal, plants and fungi for food, fiber bio fuel medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. The people of Itam cultivated a wide range of crops and vegetables.

          Farming provides the main sources of livelihood which was not carried out on large scale for any commercial purposes. The important feature of the planting was that the immediate and disgrace to any family.

          Before contact with the Europeans especially the Portuguese in the fifteenth century Itam people used to cultivate indigenous crops only but before the formal colonization the Portuguese had introduced a number of new crops into Ibibioland and Itam people also planted them. Agricultural crops and fruits introduced by the Portuguese were sugarcane, orange, melon, avocado, pears, cassava, cocoa etc.

Of the crops that the Itam people either planted or found in the wild form in their area two, which were of the palm family, were highly prized and revered. These were oil palm and raffia.

Oil palm trees are Indigenous to Ibibioland of which Itam is a part. Writing about the importance of oil palm to Ibibio, Edet Udo documents

                   Like the raffia palm it had many uses: the fond (ubak) was used for buildings fences (oko) and the racks for the storage of farm crops: the trunk (ekpat eyop) was used as timber for building houses the rib for making brooms and the oil from both fruit and the kernel as food and medicine respectively. Because of its many uses the oil palm in Ekpene was owned communally by lineages as was the land itself. 

          In Itam there are six leading systems of cultivation. These were shifting cultivation, rotational bush fallow, rotational plant fallow, mixed farming permanent cultivation and tree cultivation.

According to A. J. Hopkins, shifting cultivation involves the periodic movement of settlement. Shifting cultivation was the principal system of agriculture in Itam right from the pre historic days.

Among the implements used for agricultural purposes were machetes hoes and knives which were either manufactured locally or imported from the neighboring ethnic groups or the Europeans at the coastal towns like Calabar and Itu. 

The dominant method of farming that was quite prevalent during the pre colonial period was rotational bush fallow which was most suitable for growing cereals and roots.

Rotational planted fallow is a distinct but comparatively unimportant system which differs from rotational bush fallow in that the fallow cover, is selected and deliberately planted.

Mixed farming involves combination of crops and animal husbandry where the people of Itam kept goats, sheep and cattle. Very few villages in Itam relied on perennial cultivation for greater part of their supplies of food. Tree cultivation, like perennial cultivation was found in conjunction with other systems especially rotational bush fallow.

Fishing

          Fishing was a specialized activity which equally needed skill and concentration. Fishing was practiced along the coast, particularly in the regions of Itu, Cross and Itam rivers and also in many inland creeks of Uruan outside the clan, the four main rivers of cross Enyong Creek, Itu and Itam traverse the heart land of Itam clan. Canoes were the man craft in use and harpoons nets lines and traps remained the principal means of catching fish.

          Some traditional instruments used in catching fishes in Itam were uwaam, nsiim, ndidua and itoong.

It should be noted that though important rivers passed through Itam many individuals and fishermen from some Itam communities used to go to other areas outside Itam that had rivers to fish. As a result some had founded new settlements along the banks of river cross. It is worthy of note that there were professional fishermen in Itam whose fishes were smoked for preservation and taken to major river ports which were Opobo, Ibuno, Jamestown, Ebughu, Oron, Calabar, Itu, Nwaniba, Ikpa Ifianyong And Ishiet.

Hunting

          Hunting was a specialized activity that required a greater degree of skill and dexterity. Hunting was especially important in the forest area of Itam and it reached a seasonal peak during the dry season when the demand for farm labour was at its lowest. It is important to note that hunting was not done for money or commercial purposes but for prestige or unique status in the society. Hunters were revered in Itam for good marksmanship, good sportsmanship and as capable of using their skills and energies to defend the people in times of wars.

The most valuable possession of the hunter was the dog. A hunter without a dog was like a woman who goes to the farm without a hoe. These dogs were trained to pick up the scant and follow the trail of the animal, giving chase if the animals broke cover. Hunting was a dangerous occupation full of hazards but it was man’s job challenging exciting and rewarding.

          Religion which covered all aspects of life in Itam also had its influence on hunting. Hunters were great animists on the sight of a usual healthy stag for instance especially if it was tall and noble with great branching Anflers and a hide like velvet, they would suspect that it carried the ukpong, (soul) of an important man and would refrain from haring it.

They proceed from the hunting expedition were shared among members of the extended family. The main motive was not to derive cash reward but to get meat for cooking and for social interaction with others hunters.

Craftwork/ Manufacture

          The people of Itam since the pre historic period had been engaging themselves in weaving and pottery. Since its location was partly in the maritime zone of the cross river bank where screw pine grew, the people had to exploit the opportunity to engage in mat making. These mats were used domestically for sleeping purpose. They also use a special plant called “Aya” to make more durable and costly sleeping mat. Equally, the banks of the river afforded the special species of raffia called “Iya” which were used for making roofing mats. These mats were used to build houses with durable roofs and the surplus were sold in the markets as well as supplied to members of the community that contracted the services of those who made these mats.

Itam people were involved in pottery industries. The natural resource for pottery making was clay which is found in at least two villages in Itam; Ikot-Ebom and Ikot-Ekwere. Various pots of varied sizes, shapes and designs were made by those who worked in these industries and majority of the worked were women. Their products were sold throughout the cross river region which is made up of at least four states in today’s Nigeria. Few of these products found their ways into Ikwere and Ijaw lands in today’s Rivers and Bayelsa states respectively and still some were exported to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Islands of Sao Tome and Principe. Other types of craft works which are still practiced by the people of Itam today are; rope making, cane making especially by the people of Ikot-Andem and Ekim-Itam, and canoe making by the people of Itiat-Itam.

Advent of Civilization

The advent of civilization into the body tradition of the people by Rev Mary Slessor of the United Kingdom has significantly watered down ancestral beliefs of Itam and the entire Ibibio tribe. History has it that this great Scottish missionary migrated across cross river coastal basin the east through the akwa obio ukwa settlement (big country of Aro Igbo), comprising of nkanga, amasu, chukwu, asang and akwa. she then further migrated through akwa obio enyong-ukwa settlement (big country of Enyong) in the south, comprising of Itam “Itu”, odoro ikpe okpo, okopedi, use, ikot offiong, ikot obong and finally through the western cross river coastal basin to akwa obio ekoi-ukwa settlement (big country of ikom), comprising of ikorona, umon, odot, ifako and ekenge. These were all settlements at the akwa obio ukwa ibritam ibom ancient colony of the then colonial administration.

The Itam people took advantage of these tribal settlements to embrace the preaching of evangelist Rev Mary Slessor and accepted civilization devoid of some of its orthodox traditional beliefs and practices. Rev Mary Slessor was a great teacher who brought a change into the body tradition of Itam people through developments of schools and hospitals for the well being of our people. There are numerous of her schools and hospitals such as the Mary Slessor general hospital in Itu local government area among others in the then Enyong colonial administrative division.

The creation of this colonial administration made Itam people to gain independence of their traditional political social and economic structures known as “essien itam ita” which were constituted into a clan by then British colonial administration. From 1903 to 1968, both the colonial and post independent administrations in Nigeria grouped Itam people with Calabar province later in Itu- Itam country council and now Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria.

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