Anaang people
Anaang also known as Oku Ibom, is an ethnic group in Southern Nigeria, whose land is primarily within 8 of the present 31 Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State: Abak, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk Anam, Ukanafun in Akwa Ibom State. The Anaang are the second largest ethnic group after the Ibibios in Akwa Ibom state.
Ancient origin
The predominant paternal haplogroup among the Anaang is E1b1a1-M2. The ancestors of the Anaang originally came from Northeast Africa and moved around the Green Sahara. The gradual movement of the Proto Anaang to the Cross River Region may have been associated with the expansion of Sahel agriculture in the African Neolithic period, following the desiccation of the Sahara in c. 3500 BCE.
Oral history
According to oral tradition, the Abiakpo came to the northern range of Anaang from Eka Abiakpo. They were quickly followed by the Ukana clan, the Utu, Ekpu, Ebom and Nyama (the British lumped these groups together and gave them the name Otoro), and other Anaang clans. The Anaang and the entire people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states of Nigeria (AkwaCross people) have occupied their land in coastal Southeastern Nigeria for thousands of years. The Anaang are related to the Ibibio and Efik communities. It is believed that the Anaang people originated from Egypt and began their migration from Egypt before settling in present-day Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria. Before their current settlement, they lived among the Akan of Ghana, where the name Anaang means "fourth son".
Written history
Very little was written about the Anaang people before the mid-19th century. Early European traders who arrived in the Cross River territories referred to groups who lived outside of the coastal areas as residents of Egbo-Sharry Country. The first written mention of the Anaangs is in Sigismund Koelle's account of liberated slaves in Sierra Leone. He mentioned a liberated slave named Ebengo who hailed from Nkwot in Abak. Ebengo was captured and sold to the Portuguese but was subsequently freed by a British warship and later settled in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. The British soldiers listed the languages spoken by the slaves in that captured ship as "Anaang". The second mention is a description of what is known as the Ikot Udo Obong Wars. The British described the killings of the Anaangs by King Jaja of Opobo as a punishment for defying his orders and trading in palm oil directly with the British merchants instead of going through him as a middleman. In the war that ensued, the British intervened and with the help of the Anaangs, they captured King Jaja and exiled him to the West Indies. The British established a military post at Ikot Ekpene in 1904.[page needed]
The Anaang people homeland is located in Akwa Ibom State , Southern Nigeria. The Annangs have lived in the Southeastern, coastal parts of Nigeria for centuries before the arrival of the Europeans. The political capital of the Anaang people is Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area.
A brother/sister from the same Ilip, literally translated as "womb" means that they can trace their origin to the same mother or father. Those who can so trace their ancestry to the same parents form Ufok (literally a house or compound). Several ufoks make up Ekpuks or extended family and several Ekpuks (extended families) make up "Ilung" (meaning village) and several villages make up the "abie" or clan. This is in many ways similar to the system used by other south-eastern Nigerian peoples but more centralized. Although leadership at the family, village, or clan level remains the prerogative of the men, lineage ties extends to women even after marriage. This is because the Anaang society was originally semi-matrilineal, just like a few other societies in Eastern Nigeria such as The Abiriba, Afikpo, and Ugep. There are many societies and associations (Ulim also called "udim") for men and women which are very important in traditional village life. Individuals are measured by both the number and types of memberships in Ulim and by the achievements of one or more Ulims. Governance is done by elderly males who act as the legislative arm called Afe Ichong, directed by the Abong Ichong (Village Chief and Clan Chief) who is the head and the chief executive but without the authority beyond what the Afe Ichong gives. A chief can be appointed by the Afe or can be an inherited office.
Fattening room
The fattening room is traditionally where virgin adolescent girls were fattened up in preparation for marriage. A fattening room girl is known as a mbobo. This was an occasion for a major village celebration. As part of her preparation for marriage the girl was also instructed on how to be a wife. She would spend her time in the room naked so that her fattening could be observed, and would sleep on a bamboo bed which was thought to fatten her up. It was also meant to make it more possible for her to conceive easily. This use for fertility purposes was also used at time for infertile wives and as a prerequisite for entrance into secret societies.
The Annang language is also mutually intelligible to speakers of Ibibio, Efik, Oron, Eket (also known as Ekid) of the Akwa Akpa (Old Calabar Kingdom). Though the Anaang speech pattern was not written down, linguists have now produced an orthography of the language which makes it possible to produce written materials in the language (Idem & Udondata, 2001).
The Annang people have different delicacies such as Afang Soup, Alitan Soup, Okro Soup (Afere nkolo), Abak Atama, White Soup (Affia Efere), Asa Iwa, Ekpang Nkwukwor and many other delicacies which one can enjoy during vacation.
