Eket

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Eket are a people who live in Akwa Ibom State, south-east Nigeria, Africa. They number around one million, and form a sub-group of the Ibibio people. Eket is also the name of the main sub-language that they speak, a Benue-Congo language. Eket is also the name of their main town.

The Eket have a form of caste or class society, with the "Amama" being the highest caste, and these are notable for undertaking traditional potlach-like feasts in which the poorer people are fed en masse. In addition to the Amama, groups of "Ekpo Ndem Isong" class rule individual villages and towns, and their will is enforced by the "Ikan" class (traditional masked police) to which entry is by merit rather than birth.

The local religion is one of ancestor-worship, worship of Ala the "earth deity", and seasonal agricultural festivals. Water is abundant in the Niger delta, and the vegetation luxurious. However, over-farming and poor farming practices are depleting soil nutrients on many farms and plots. Some fishing is engaged in.

In the 1990s western environmentalists were concerned over the activities of oil exploration companies in and around Eket, such as Shell and Mobil. The area is now newly "oil-rich" and Eket town is the thriving hub of a new oil and gas business, with more than 250 companies providing support services such as catering, flights, and exports. But this success has caused problems: in terms of a demand for brothels, a rise in the general cost of living in Eket town, and a reluctance by local young men to engage in traditional work such as fishing. There are vocal local campaigns to increase the percentage of oil revenue that is given to the local community.

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