Duke Town, originally known as Atakpa is an
Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southern
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. The City State extended from now
Calabar
Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...
to
Bakassi in the east and
Oron
Oron may refer to:
"Light" or someone that is "being able" or "capable" of doing anything posible or impossible.
*Oron people a multi ethnic group of people living In the lower Cross River basin.
*Oron Nation, one of the major states in the old Ca ...
to the west. Although it is now absorbed into Nigeria, traditional rulers of the state are still recognized. The state occupied what is now the modern city of
Calabar
Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...
.
Origins and society
![British Museum Room 25 Mask Ekoi people 17022019 5015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/British_Museum_Room_25_Mask_Ekoi_people_17022019_5015.jpg)
The Efik speak a language in the
Obolo subgroup of the
Niger–Congo language group.
They had become a power on the coast of the
Bight of Biafra 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. In the 19th century, the British renamed these as 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 version says that Abasi created two people, and did not allow them to breed. When they disobeyed this order, in punishment Abasi 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 affect the fortunes of the living for good or bad. The earth deity Ala is appeased through the Ogbom ceremony, which makes children plentiful and increases the harvest.
Some Efik belong to the
Ekpe
Ekpe, also known as Mgbe/Egbo (Ekoi language: ''leopard''; derived from the Ibibio term for the same), is a West African secret society in Nigeria and Cameroon flourishing chiefly among the Efiks. It is also found among a number of other ethn ...
secret society. They made detailed wood carvings, masks, and accouterments that are considered complex works of art. Efik sacred ceremonies include drumming and music as important elements.
Slave trade
The coast in this region was named "Calabar" by the Portuguese explorer
Diogo Cao.
[
His 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
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 .
The Calabar ...
, 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. They soon became the most powerful people in the region.[ Dukes Town is believed to have been founded in about 1650 according to historians Ekei Essien Oku and Efiong U. Aye. Akwa Akpa, also known as Duke Town to the British, became a center of the Atlantic slave trade, where slaves were exchanged for European goods.][
Igbo people formed the majority of enslaved Africans which were sold as slaves from Calabar, despite forming a minority among the ethnic groups in the region.][ From 1725 until 1750, roughly 17,000 enslaved Africans were sold from Calabar to European slave traders; from 1772 to 1775, the number soared to over 62,000.][ In 1767, six British ]slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...
s arrived in Calabar during a period when Duke Town and Old Town were in the midst of a feud. The leaders of Duke Town made a secret arrangement with the slave traders whereby the leaders of Old Town would be invited onboard their ships to settle the dispute; guarantees of their safety were made. When the leaders of Old Town came aboard the ships, they were seized, with some being kept as slaves while others were handed over to the leaders of Duke Town, who ordered their execution.[
]
Later history
The British outlawed their involvement in the slave trade in 1807, though slave traders from other European nations, such as Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, continued to buy slaves at Calabar until 1841. In that year, King Eyamba V
Eyamba V (Edem Ekpenyong Offiong Okoho Efiom Ekpo Efiom Ekpo) popularly known as Johnny Young by his Liverpool friends and known to the Efik people as Eyamba V, was the Obong of Akwa Akpa, Old Calabar and the fifth Iyamba of Leopard society, Ek ...
of Duke Town and King Eyo
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of Creek Town signed a treaty agreeing to stop their involvement in the slave trade.[ 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 Rev. ]Hope Masterton Waddell
Reverend Hope Masterton Waddell (14 November 1804 – 18 April 1895) was an Irish medical missionary in Jamaica and Calabar, Nigeria. The Hope Waddell Training Institution is named after him.
Early life and training
Waddell was born in Monagh ...
with support from 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 Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...
, received in 1848, was that it was not necessary or advisable to grant the request. The British said they 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 upon his death.[
On the death of King Eyamba in 1847, it was proposed that King Eyo become sole ruler, which the British favored. However, Duke Town's 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
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
III of Calabar Kingdom was crowned in 1878 with a regalia sent directly by Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
of United Kingdom.[
From 1884 until 1906 Old Calabar was the headquarters of the ]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 1884 and confirmed at the Berlin Conference the following year. It was renamed on 12 ...
, 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)
* Efio-Okoho Asibong Ekpo (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-Odo Eyamba IX (1880–1896)
Later Obongs
In 1903 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 1901 - July 1906)
* Obong Adam Ephraim Duke X
* 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 (1982–1986)
* 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 Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu (2008 - till date)
]
See also
*Efik people
The Efik are an ethnic group located primarily in southern Nigeria, and western Cameroon. Within Nigeria, the Efik can be found in the present-day Cross River State and Akwa Ibom state. The Efik speak the Efik language which is a member of the Be ...
*Efik mythology
Efik mythology consists of a collection of myths narrated, sung or written down by the Efik people and passed down from generation to generation. Sources of Efik mythology include bardic poetry, art, songs, oral tradition and proverbs. Aye, Old ...
*Ekpe
Ekpe, also known as Mgbe/Egbo (Ekoi language: ''leopard''; derived from the Ibibio term for the same), is a West African secret society in Nigeria and Cameroon flourishing chiefly among the Efiks. It is also found among a number of other ethn ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
{{Nigerian traditional states
Populated places in Cross River State
19th century in Africa
Nigerian traditional states