Ibibio

The Ibibio people are a 1,000,0000+ population that live in an area between the Delta and the Cross River. Their main resource is farming maize and iguame. They live in villages led by a chief elected from the most honorable heads of the important families. Their social life is regulated by three secret societies which incorporate masks into their annual ceremonies. The most important of these socieities is the Ekpo, which is responsible for the the cult of the ancestors, who are in turn responsible for the welfare of the tribe. In Ibibio ceremonies, two main types of mask appear. The first, known as Mfon, has an articulated jaw and represents a 'beautiful' spirit who has attained eternal bliss. The second mask, called Idiok, is thought to represent a hell-dwelling spirit and is carved with a typical emaciated face, possibly alluding to ill-health.

The Ibibio have lived in the Cross River area of modern day Nigeria for several hundred years, and while written information about them only exists in colonial records from the late 1800s on, oral traditions have them in the region much earlier than this. The Ibibio actively resisted colonial invasions, and it was not until after the end of World War I that the British were able to gain a strong foothold in the region. Even at this time, however, the British found it necessary to make use of Ibibio Ekpo society traditions in order to impose indirect rule in the region.