| Native Name: | Akpakip Oro |
| Conventional Long Name: | Oron Nation |
| Common Name: | Oro |
| Government Type: | Selective monarchy |
| Year Start: | 1200 CE |
| Year End: | 1909 CE |
| Event End: | Surrender to Britain |
| Event Post: | Socio-political revival |
| Date Post: | 1925 |
| P1: | Ekpu Oro |
| S1: | Niger Coast Protectorate |
| Flag S1: | Flag of the Niger Coast Protectorate (1893–1899).svg |
| Image Map Caption: | Map of Calabar River drawn by the Portuguese, showing Akpakip Oro as Tom Shotts in the SW, Bakassi as Backassey in the SE (which is part of Akpakip Oro) and the Efik Akwa Akpa Kingdom above. |
| Capital: | Akana Obio Oro[1] |
| National Motto: | Ãfãŋ kí |
| Common Languages: | Nsíŋ Oro |
| Religion: | Oron Traditional Religion |
| Title Leader: | Tribal chiefs |
| Leader1: | Abang |
| Title Deputy: | Ahta Oro |
| Currency: | Okuk |
The Oron Nation (Akpakip Oro) was a sovereign and egalitarian society from until 1914 when it was forcibly incorporated into Nigeria. The Oron people share a strong ancestral lineage with the Efik people in Cross River State, Nigeria. Related indigenous groups include the Uruan, Ibeno, and Andoni people (the Obolo), located in both in Akwa Ibom State and in Rivers State, along with the Balondo-ba-Konja. The Oron people are a major ethnic group still present in Akwa Ibom.
By 1200, the Oron people, consisting of six ethnic tribal groups, had settled on the mouth of the Cross River basin, and had become a society ruled by tribal chiefs.
The Oron Nation elevated its first king to power in the late 1200s, when a legendary hunter from the Oron Nation known as Ahta aya-Arah went out on a safari and failed to return. The following day, the people from the Nation set up a search party to find him, but were unsuccessful.
Ahta was declared dead but, two months after his disappearance, he reappeared with a species of sweet yams known in Oro as . When asked where he was, he said that "because of hunger in the land, I went to God to collect this yam for mankind." This is how Oro ended up with the axiom that "Ahta aya-Arah brought sweet yams from God to Oro." This feat earned Ahta the Oro kingship in the late 1200s, such that the Royal Stool was crafted for Ahta. This stool remains the oldest surviving artifact of Oro and in the Lower Cross River Basin.[2]
Ahta aya-Arah brought the six tribes that made up the Oron Nation together by introducing this yam to the different clans, which visited him daily, with his influence reaching Cameroon. Some of the tribes included the:
To this day, the people there still consider themselves part of the Oron Nation.
The Oron Nation prospered as an independent community with a rotatory system of kingship among the different tribal leaders.
In the late 1800s, Portuguese traders named the Oron region the Tom Shotts Town, the Mbo region as the Tom Shotts Port, and the island in Ibaka as Tom Shotts Island, as seen in several Portuguese maps.
In the late 1800s, Portuguese raiders pushed several Oron clans into the hinterland. This brought about the first shed known as ('an unforgettable spot'). At that unforgettable spot, it was therefore agreed that "Oro clans will rise in alliance to defend their own when attacked by non-Oro clans."[2] Migration from the region subsequently led to the establishment of several villages within Oro.
The kingdom functioned as a free sovereign and egalitarian society until from the late 1800s until 1909,[3] when the British invaded the region and forcibly absorbed it into the Southern Nigeria Protectorate.[4] In early 1925, the Oron Nation had a political revival, with the reestablishment of the Oron Union and Ahtaship in the region.
The most important secret societies of the Oron people are the and, as well as the women's societies,, and .[5]
The ancient Oron original way of ruling the villages, before the advent of Ekpe, was through Isong. In Oron, every society was involved in governing, but by far the most important was the Ekpe. It is important to note that, despite the proximity of Oron to the Ibibio people, Ekpo was not known in Oron until the establishment of colonial rule.
There is considerable controversy as of how different Oron groups acquired the Ekpe. The Ukpabang groups claimed to have acquired their Ekpe from Usakadit in Cameroon and brought it with them as they dispersed, while the Iduas claimed to be the first to be in contact with the Ekpe. The Ekpe was originally owned by the Efut and Usakadit, when one day a man named Nta Nya who was on a fishing expedition met some Efut men at Ube Osukpong in Akpa Edok playing Ekpe. They went into negotiation to acquire Ekpe.[6] The Okobo acknowledge they acquired their Ekpe from the Efiks of Old Calabar.
Ekpe became the legislative, executive, and police system of Oron as every high chief and title owner had to be a member of the Ekpe society, which is made up of seven grades in Oron:, and . Apart from the, there are two other types of Ekpe in Oron: and . The supreme head of the Ekpe was known as (Chief of Ekpe), whose authority could not be challenged by any other member.
The Ekung is a male society society whose members were distinguished from the Ekpe members by wearing the, a red woolen cap, which was a mark of great honor and distinction in Oron. The society originally celebrated the martial prowess of its members in their old age. All village chiefs and elders were formally members of the Ekung society to enforce law and order in the society through the imposition of fines on those who broke community law.
Awan-idit, or Ekpri-Akata was a male society intimately concerned with morals. They were regarded as "spirits," ubiquitous and capable of knowing every scandal committed in the community. The main function of Akata was to detect antisocial behavior, publicize crimes, and ridicule of culprits into correction. Akata members were famed for their ability to concoct songs to spotlight offenses like immoral association between the sexes, pregnancy without a husband, stealing, witchcraft, and other crimes supposedly committed in the dark. The Akata was a mouthpiece to inform the public of secret happenings in the village.
Iban-Isong is a female society that played an important role in maintaining law and order. The women's organization, also known as and led by their chief, exercised unquestionable authority over the affairs of women in each village. The society had the primary goal of protecting womanhood both in the home and in public. In the Abang dances, an entertainment occasionally performed in the villages, women of different age groups displayed their dance styles, fostering togetherness. In other, male, societies, the men made dry gin to appease the women.
See main article: Oron Cosmology.
The Oron People had an ancient educational system where individuals were grouped into age groups known as, in which the older children taught the younger ones using folklore, oral teaching, ancient cravings, and through the Nsibidi.[7]
In Oron, every person in the community both male and female, except very young children, was expected to belong to an Nka. This society was set to enforce the village norms on members, carried out by community members who were the same age. This institution socialized members in the norms, laws, and order and contributed to community development. In Oron, members often referred to themselves as and . The Nka punished any members that disobeyed the society's norms and traditiona. The Nka were charged in a corresponding role to maintain public the public water supply and street markets, as well as guard the village.
See main article: Ekpu Oro.