KALABARI, KULA, KE, TOMBIA AND RELATED COMMUNITIES - IBE

KALABARI, KULA, KE, TOMBIA AND RELATED COMMUNITIES - IBE: The Kalabari Ibe took their name from Kalabari or Perebo-Kalakebari the original name, the grandson of Mein.  But before we go into Kalabari proper we will deal with the foundation of Keni (i.e. Ke) and other towns such as Kula, which are very ancient towns, but were incorporated into the Kalabari during its later city state phase.

KULA was founded by ancient proto-Ijos or Orus, and its foundation is deep past when ancestors of the Adumu lodge left the central delta to the eastern delta coast. The names of the persons who actually established Kula have been lost to time, but as a coastal community it was founded along with others such as Bille as a community dedicated to the cultivation of the mask water spirits (metaphysical intelligences). As such the proto-Ijos who settled to found Kula and Bille, were a community of people dedicated to spiritual realisation culture. Kula was in existence when Onyomabiri was existing prior to the foundation of the Nembe City State. Tradition names the Kula as responsbible for the destruction of Onyomabiri. Kula was a town or large village by the time the Portuguese arrived along the coast in the 15th century. Therefore the beginnings of Kula are prior to 1000 AD.

The Beginnings of KE: Keni traditions maintain that the town was founded in phases by seven ancestors of whom the first descended from the sky, meaning that the ancestors were dedicated to spiritual realisation. They were said to have been sent to the eastern delta by either Pere Ujo himself or Adumu as the tradition maintains.  Archaeological samples indicated that Ke was founded by at least 800 AD.

The first phase was led by Keni-Ala or Keni Opu Ala (i.e. Keni the big Lord or Keni the Great Lord), priest of the Adumu lodge who gave his name to the town. Keni-Ala was said to have been sent by Adumu himself to that part of the delta, and that the lodge of the Adumu Spiritual initiation system was first based at Ke, before it spread to the other areas of the eastern delta.  After giving the people suitable laws to live by, the priest Keni-Ala died, and was deified as the ancestor deity Keni Opu Ala. Following him came other priests such as Keni-Opusuo, Opu-Ogbu, Ombiyi, Opu-Jaja, Ogbokiye, Opupiri and Opusiri, making them the seven founding ancestors descending from the sky. It was during a period of time after the reign of Keni-Ala or Keni-Opusuo, that the monarchy was founded. As narrated by the town historian Madam Kala-Dokku, and published by  Talbot in 1932, the first crowned ruler or Amayanabo of Ke was Omonie (i.e. Omoniye), who was followed by a succession of 61 rulers at the time of writing.

Talbot maintains that each was the son of his father. This may not be true as a number of them seem to be daughters, as the prefix BA, tells us e.g., Omoni Odu-ba (baw in the Talbot document) would mean "Omoni Odu's daughter" ,likewise Anga-Sei Kineba would mean "Anga-Sei Kine's daughter" , and Kala-Pokku Gbainba, would mean "Kala-Pokku Gbain's daughter". The title AMAYANABO means "owner of the town" and could be assumed by either male or females. If it was a strictly male institution we would have the title AMANANAWI, with the parallel female institution of the AMANANARA.

Keni became a very populous town along with Kula, well before the 15th century AD. According to tradition, Keni was depopulated in several ways. a. by making war on what tradition calls strange sea beings (probably European seafarers who came hunting for slave captives) , many people lost their lives or were carried away by the sea on that occasion. b. some died in a natural disaster of which a big silk cotton tree fell on them. c. some died of a serious pestilence, while others fled the disease to other areas of Ijo, e.g. Ekeni in Koluama area,  Abame in Okrika area, Okpoma in Nembe area, and Kalaibiama in Ibani area. Likewise the other towns such as Kula and Bille were founded by ancient proto-Ijo ancestors who belonged to the Adumu Spiritual Initiation lodge.

TOMBIA: Tombia of the eastern Niger delta was founded sometime prior to the 13th Century AD when a number of ancestors emigrated from Ekpetiama-Tombia in the central Niger delta. The ancestors were under the leadership of Okpo. They settled at a site, which they called Nyankpo along the Atlantic coast. It was whilst they were settled at Nyankpo that the ancestors of the Ibani came and settled in their present region. Thus the Tombia ancestors preceded the Ibani ancestors in the eastern Niger delta. Due to being eroded away by the Atlantic ocean the Tombia people moved first to Elo-Tombi in the Andoni area, then to Bregede, where some went and founded Finima, then to Elem-Tombia and finaly to Ekule-Kiri-Tombia , which is present day Tombia. The foundation of modern Tombia was due to the Kalabari civil war between 1879-1881.

KALABARI: The proto-Ijo ancestors who came together to establish a new community based on mutual interests and cultural affinity are symbolised under the personage of Perebo-Kalakebari, the son of Uge  (Ugo) the son of Mein founder of the Mein Clan. The Kalabari took their name from the ancestor PEREBO-KALAKEBARI, the grandson of MEIN, who left Ogobiri sometime prior to the 15th century AD. Prebokekalakibari (Perebo-Kalakebari) whose name was contracted to Kalabari was the eldest son of Uge (Ogo) and a grandson of Mein, founder and ancestor of the Mein Clan. Perebo-Kalakebari or Kalabari forged ahead in life and became prosperous. He married a woman named Mukoko from Itimi in Isoko-land. This woman was suspected of witchery by his other brothers who plotted at once to kill her. Knowing that plot, Kalabari fled with his wife to Okogba Idu and settled. There also fortune smiled on him. He found a dead elephant there, and from the tusks he extracted from that animal, he acquired a considerable amount of wealth. The people of Okogba Idu (a proto-Ijo settlement) became jealous of Kalabari and observing such traits in them, he left for Amafa and there founded his own settlement which was named after him (Kalabari-Polo). After many years Kalabari died. Ende his first son finding that settlement insecure owing to attacks by the Amafa Ibos, migrated to the present site of Iwo-Kalabari (same as New Calabar) which is now known as Ebein-Ama or Old Shipping. Inewoakemebigha was the second son of Perebo-Kalakebari and his children are supposed to have been absorbed into those of his more influential brother Ende. At the time living in prior settlement was the Kengema founded by proto-Ijos from Ke and other ancient towns.

The ancestors of the Ke led by the Adumu priest Keni-Opu-Ala were the first proto-Ijo ancestors to arrive in the eastern delta region, possibly by at least 800 AD. As members of the Great Supreme Intelligence lodge known in Ijo as Adumu (Odum), they were sent by the ancestors living in the central delta, to the eastern delta to guard it and establish a community of spiritual initiates. Out of this migration towns such as Ke, Kula, Adumu-ama, Angulama and Ilelema (Loloama) founded about 12 century AD from Ijo migrants from Benin and Warri region.

Prior to the migration of the ancestor Ende and his family/retinue, these towns had become quite large and many of their inhabitants went and founded smaller settlements in the vicinity. These were the cultural foundation of the later Ijo migrants into the area and have been referred to as the gods, heroes and water people the children of the mask spirits (Owu-ame). They were the ancestral Ijos or Orus. It was from these people that the Kengema of tradition was founded.

The first to arrive this Kengema were the ancestors of the Amabi-ame, followed by the ancestors led by Ende (the Endeme), then joined by the ancestors led by Opokoroye (Korome) a 3rd generation ancestor from the proto-Ijos of the eastern delta region (Andoni?) and others directly from Western Ijo and Benin-Ijo.

The children of Perebo-Kalakebari and their relatives, plus the prior settler, and the Opukoroye family, were later joined by more Ijo settlers who went there to trade. Their settlement soon became thickly populated and marked out in seven different sections namely, 1 Endeme, 2 Akialene, 3 Aturuame, 4 Korome, 5 Miene, 6 Igodome and 7 Amabiame. A place known as Okpomatebebiri in Bukuma was founded by Warisuo who hailed from Kaiama.

It was because of the fact that some of the Ijos and mixed Bantu who became part of Kalabari-Ibe formerly lived in the Calabar region, that the former region was mistakenly named Old Calabar (Old Kalabari), while the new settlement was called New Calabar by the European visitors. Whereas the actual site of the Old Kalabari was the site of Obu-Amafa Kalabari-Polo).

As stated previously, through the process of time, these settlers founded the following quarters (Idumu) (1) Ende-me, (2)Akialeme, (3)Aturua-me, (4)Kro-me, (5)Miene, (6)Igodo-me and (7)Amabia-me. Endeme hailed from Ogobiri and were part of the Mein migration from Benin. Igodome came from Benin and were the descendants of the first Ogiso Igodo, younger brother to Prince-Ujo. The Igodome & Ogiame migrated through Oporoza in Gbamaratu-Ijo, to the eastern delta. Ogisome (Ogiame) came from Benin, and were the family of the Ogisos or children of the Ogiso (Ogiame). Aki-Alame were the children of Beyegbolo, younger brother to Perebo-Kalakebari, migrated from Ogobiri-Mein, Iturume, Amabime and Bukome were likewise descendants of proto-Ijos. The Krome section was founded by one Opu-Koroye a proto-Ijo who had migrated from the eastern Andoni-Ijo territories.

The aboriginal community was joined by the priestess of Zibara known as Awome-Kala-So (Awome-Kaso), also remembered as Akaso. She married into an existing priestly tradition that was based on the lodge of Adumu which had its headquarters in Ke She is said to have married the chief priest. This chief priest would have been the head of the aboriginal Ijo people who have been referred to as the water-people (Beni-Otu) or spirit people (Owu-ame), and who intermarried with the later Ijo settlers. The priestess Awome-Kala-So extended her influence and rule within the aboriginal community. The Korome lineage inherited the priestly functions of the goddess Zibara in the form of the ancestress-goddess Awome-Kaso after her earthly transition. At her death she was deified as the goddess Awome-Kaso or Akaso. On account of her husband being the chief priest, the So-Alabo of the aboriginal community referred to as Owu-ame, he is also referred to as the first ruler.

The next ruler was Mgbe a grandson or descendant of Ende (Endeme lineage).  The next ruler was Owei-ere-Yai-Daba, commonly known as Owerri-Daba. He was of the Korome lineage. This was about 1500 AD. Owei-ereyai-Daba was the son of Opukoroye.  He was followed by Igbessa I of the Endeme lineage in about 1620 AD. He was followed by Berembo (Brenbo) alias Akeamaoloye, shorterned to Kamaolo and remembered by this name. He seems to be the King Robert of the European records. He was of the Endeme lineage. Now Ende was the father of Berembo (Brenbo) alias Kamaolo (Kamalo). It was during the time of Berembo known as Kamalo and also as King Robert that the community became known as Kalabari by formal agreement of all the sections. The next ruler was Mangi the son of Owei-ere-yai-Daba of the Korome lineage, who was succeeded by Suku (Mangi-yai-Suku) the son of Suku of the Korome lineage. Suku was succeeded by Igonibo the son of Berembo, of the Endeme lineage in about 1720 AD. This was followed by his brothers Igbessa II (Ngbessa) of the Endeme, Omuye (Endeme), Wariboko (Bokoye) (Endeme) and Daba (alias Egwe) the last son of Berembo (alias Kamalo) of the Endeme lineage.

While Wariboko (Bokoye) was ruling at Iwo-Kalabari community. Daba left Iwo-Kalabari for Amakalakala and Ke to trade. He also married Oku-Kokuma (Okuma) with whom he begat Kalagba (Kalagbea). When Wariboko died Kalagba succeeded him as the head of Endeme section of Kalabari Pelei of Iwo-Kalabari, and on the death of Bokoye (Wariboko) the ruler of the whole Iwo-Kalabari community in about 1760. Kalagba (Kala-agbea) was the father of Ogborigbo and Awo. Ogborigbo and Awo did not become traditional rulers of the Kalabari community.

Amakiri I (Amakoromo) originally from Amakalakala in Ogbia, was the adopted son of Daba (alias Egwe) of the Endeme lineage of Iwo-Kalabari. Amakiri I attained to the rulership of Iwo-Kalabari in the name of the Endeme lineage, after the death of Kalagba. Because of his European contacts and access to guns he gains strength in warfare and expanded the territories of the City-state. He also got advice from the Amayanabo of Ke Omoniye who advises him to concentrate the rulership within his own bloodline.  The time of Amakiri I is about 1770 AD. The descendants of Amakiri I ruled Elem-Kalabari from that time. European records refer to the rulers as kings, but the traditional title is Amayanabo.

By the Middle 17th century (1650) Elem Kalabari had grown into a very large town. It and other towns because of their trade came to the notice of the European slave traders. During Amakiri’s time (1770 AD) Elem Kalabari became heavily involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in captives with its associated brutalities and violent wars with neighbouring city-states to control trade routes. It also extended its influence over neighbouring towns and villages. With the influx of neighbouring peoples mainly the Ibo, as free traders, and captives bought in the hinterland markets, Elem Kalabari became fairly populated with an Ibo speaking element. This modified the original Ijo language that the Kalabari spoke giving birth to the Kalabari dialect of today.

The Kalabari civil war between 1879-1881 led to the break up of the City State Elem-Kalabari and the formation of various towns and villages. These include the founding of Bakana (Oba-ama) in 1881, Abonnema (Nyemoni) 1882 and Buguma (Asari) and Obuama in 1884.

Although the ancestors who became the founders of the Kalabari city State arrived in the area about the 14/15th century AD, various ancient Ijo settlers or proto-Ijos, referred to as gods in the traditions had arrived much earlier, founding ancient towns such as Kengema, Keni or Ke, Kula and Bille (800 – 1000 AD), the populations, which were later on (17th/18th century) absorbed into the new Kalabari City State. It was through the process of formal integration under the leadership of Berembo (alias Kamalo) of the Kalabari-Endeme-Polo, that the seven wards agreed amongst themselves to the formal leadership of the Endeme and Kurome wards adopting the name of the Endeme ancestor Kalabari as the name of the new trading community that developed into the Kalabari Kingdom and Clan.