Obong N. J. Ekpo in front of the atang eko fence in his compound at Owok Ayakuk, Essene

Traditional symbolism in Nigeria is not as spectacular as the walls of Great Zimbabwe or as massive as the granite Egyptian pyramids; words like akwa, ibom, eka, signifying great, grand and ancient, often refer to inconspicuous but culturally important symbols, which arrest the respect and attention of any black African and evoke an awed, though they might arouse just a patronising sneer from a casual observer.

A small shrub with an upturned old pot underneath has a deep spiritual meaning, having been planted on that very spot at the ancient village square, years and years ago, by the founding fathers of that particular community as an altar for the worship of their ancestors and gods. The old cracked pot was once carefully tended by the traditional shrine keeper, who had the responsibility of maintaining the communication link with the ancestors. They, in turn, protected and guided the existence of their kindred and interceded with the deities on their behalf. The break of that link meant an unimaginable collapse of the well-established order of things, the loss of spiritual guardianship, chaos and calamity, lashed out by angry spirits, and these were to be avoided at all costs.

Communal social life was centred in the vicinity of such small shrines, located on judicial and coronation grounds and surrounded and protected by living compounds. In the past, witnesses say, huge trees of thick, dark foliage and tough, durable fibre, refuge of wild animals - leopards, pythons and eagles (legendary guardians by land, water and air) -enclosed and protected the sacred groves of the most powerful traditional societies (Ekpo, Ekong, Ebre).

Eyobren shrine on the village square of Owok Ayakuk, Essene, sheltered by the community hallNow, small clumps of leafy trees with low-bending overgrown branches, draped in overhanging climbers (in sharp contrast to the cleared, open under-spaces of the other compound trees), are the last remains of the thick forests, hiding the sacred meeting places, playgrounds and shrines. No person, other than a society member, dares penetrate there, and even though the forests have disappeared, the groves are still jealously guarded, as an oil-prospecting team discovered recently while trying to force its way in. When the Ekpo drum boomed out heavy, alarming beats, summoning all its members, and able-bodied Ete men, armed with matchets, rushed in from all directions, the arrogant intruders found out, at their own expense (for a heavy fine had to be paid for the trespass), how dear tradition still holds, and how drastically its potency could suddenly change the peaceful and seemingly lonely countryside.

Sacred spots, marked by thick overgrowth, or by eyei (the symbolic palm frond) and hung up with plaited mats, abound around every settlement and are shrouded in secrecy, ancient rituals and awesome tales. The eyei marks important sites or routes to ceremonial gatherings, disputed land, burial or public processions, and notifies passers-by of an unusual happening (Ekandem, 1995).

Grotesque and fearful Ekpo masks represented the vengeful ancestral spirits, who came out on their annual visit among their kindred to dispense justice, punish offenders and purify the farmlands for a prolific new harvest.

The sacred Ekpo grove at EteThe Ekpo Nyoho masquerades, daubed with purifying white ndom (kaolin) and spiritual yellow nsei (ochre or camwood powder), and blackened from head to toe as indication of leir other-world affinity, performed ancient law-enforcement functions, ensuring a total compliance with the societal laws and codes of behaviour, as laid down by the ancestors d approved by the deities.

In traditional culture death is viewed as a continuation of life and the spirits of the dead itinued to participate actively in the daily affairs of their kinsmen. Both the living, the . ad, and the yet unborn, in whom the ancestral spirits were to be reincarnated, were . garded as members of the human community and a chain in the universal unity of Man -Nature - God, which was to be preserved and protected in the interest of the continued rvival of the universe.

Beautiful masks connoted to youth, fertility and joyfulness.

Eggs were regarded as symbols of fertility and unity in the universe and were used mainly in rituals and on the prescription of the traditional priests, abia Idiong, who interpreted the signs, wishes and answers of the ancestors (ekpo), deities (ndem), and God Almighty (Abasi Ibom). They also saw to the fulfilment of all proscribed rituals and traditions and the upkeep of a network of sacred shrines and altars.

Serine objects: 1. waisted brass bells; 2. Idiong gong, ekere; 3. metal spear headEach family head (obong ekpuk) had the responsibility of personally attending to the ancestral shrine (iso ekpo), where, on a raised clay platform, stood the representations of the deified ancestors - specially carved wooden staffs, ending in a carving of the ancestral head (in the distant past, each bore the skull of that particular ancestor). To this altar were daily supplications made, family problems and news brought, and new family members - brides, babies or sworn allies introduced. Here, as at many other shrines, dedicated to various deities, inspiration, protection and advice were sought, propitiation for transgressions made and prayers for favour, guardianship and prosperity offered, accompanied by appropriate offerings of a libation drink and a special sacrifice (a human one, in the distant past, and an animal, nowadays). Brass bells and ancient manilla of different sizes and shapes, native pigments and pieces of colourful cloth, a small clay bowl of water (usan mmoong), symbol of the earth deity (ndem isong), metal blades, and, at times, beautiful ancient figurines cast in brass - each item having its special meaning and purpose, were among the shrine paraphernalia. Every new item, which gained an importance in the life of the people (metal, mirrors, tobacco, gin, coins, plastics, etc.), usually found its way to the shrine collection, to be replaced by a new one of equal importance, as times and requirements changed.