The Kalabari are a sub-group of the

Ijaw people The Izon people or Izon Otu, otherwise known as the Ijaw people due to the historic mispronunciation of the name ''Izon'', are an ethnic group majorly found in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, with significant population clusters in Bayelsa, in Delta ...

living in the eastern

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

region of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Originally, they were known as the Awome. The name Kalabari was derived from their ancestor Perebo Kalabari who was a son of Mein Owei. Their original settlement was spelt as

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...

by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

which was pronounced Kalabari. This settlement (town) was abandoned as the people moved to other fishing settlements. Portuguese settlers continued to maintain the name Calabari which became surrounded by the Efik people of

Duke town Duke Town, originally known as Atakpa is an Efik people, Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southern Nigeria. The City State extended from now Calabar to Bakassi in the east and Oron (state), Oron to the west. Altho ...

. When the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

came the word Calabari was pronounced as Calabar (Kalaba) instead of Kalabari. At this time the original Ijoid Kalabaris had moved to a new location which became the new Calabar territory since the old Calabar is occupied by different people. Old Calabar became an Efik town with time which has the name Calabar. Elem Kalabari became a large kingdom that has about 35 settlements including Bakana, Abonnema, Buguma, Tombia and others. The present Monarch is King Amachree XI (Professor Theophilus Princewill CF

along with his Chiefs, most of whom are royal princes. Together, they form the royal court.

History

The Kalabari people are Ijaw languages, Ijaw speaking settlers who came from the lineage of a man called Mein Owei. The people were originally fishermen before the coming of the Portuguese to the West African coastline. The Kalabari, like most Nigerian coastline tribes, were wealthy as a result of their interactions with the Europeans. There are some Ijaw who consider the Kalabari as a different ethnic group and vice versa. Historically Kalabari settlements have always been close to a river, this is because they believed their powers came from deities in the water.

Food

There are a variety of traditional dishes (or native food) of the Kalabari, the three popular dishes are Onunu (pounded yam, ripe plantain and palm oil), Tominafulo (fresh

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten. The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature' ...

s, periwinkle and oil star and other local ingredients), Odo’fulo (aka Native Soup made with fresh

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...

and other local ingredients). Marriage Kalabari people have one of the cheapest forms of legal marriage in the south-south region of Nigeria, their marriage is cheap compared to the neighbouring cites such as the Ikwerre,

Okrika Okrika is an island in Rivers State, Nigeria, capital of the Local Government Area of the same name. The town is situated on an island south of Port Harcourt, making it a suburb of the much larger city. The average elevation of Okrika is 45 ...

Ahoada Ahoada (Ahuda, Ehuda) is a city in Orashi Region of Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region ...

Ogoni The Ogonis are a people in the Rivers South East senatorial district of Rivers State, in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria. They number just over 2 million and live in a homeland which they also refer to as Ogoniland. They share common ...

, Bonny , and

Opobo Opobo is a community in Rivers State, in the South South region of Nigeria. The kingdom was founded in 1870 by Jubo Jubogha, popularly known as JaJa, an Igbo man who owned slaves. The native language of Opobo is the Ibani language that is spoken ...

. The cheapest form of marriage which is recognized in Kalabari is called "Ari Ibara emi" (meaning she is with me). As the name implies, her parents should not look for her elsewhere, for she is with me. Kalabari tribe has about three types of marriages, the ''Iya'', ''Igwa'', and ''Waribiobesime''. The ''Iya marriage'' is said to be the highest and most expensive form of marriage in the Kalabari culture. The Iya is the most expensive form of marriage in Kalabari land. The special thing about this type of marriage ceremony is that, at first, there are some catchy traditions that may seem weird for other cultures or tribes, but all of them are respected and they must be honored in the ceremony. For instance, the marriage cannot be complete until the ceremony of BIBIFE (buying the mouth) is being done. BIBIFE signifies that the potential wife can not eat any food until her “mouth is bought”. There must be a rite in order to “buy her mouth” and only after that, she is able to eat in her husband's house. This BIBIFE signifies the responsibility and role of the man towards his wife that shows his willingness to care and feed her for the rest of her life.

List of towns, villages and fishing settlement in Kalabari

Abonnema Abonnema, originally known as Nyemoni (which means "covet your own" in the Kalabari dialect of the Ijaw language), is a large town in the Kalabari Kingdom that was founded in 1882. Its territory was discovered by an expedition of four independent c ...

Abalama Abalama, Nigeria is a settlement 15 km southwest of Port Harcourt. It was established in 1880 by members of Elem Abalama. The settlement has grown to become a middle town of the Kalabari people in Rivers State Rivers State, also known as River ...

, Abisse, Angulama, Aleleama, Atuka, Angalabio, Adumama, Amosama,

Buguma Buguma City is a larger town in Rivers State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Asari-Toru Local Government Area and base of the Kalabari Kingdom, a Nigerian traditional state There are many traditional states in Nigeria. A partial li ...

, Bukuma, Bakana, Bakana (old), Captain kiri, Cawthrone Channel, Dialafiari ama, Elem Tombia, Elem Kalabari, Elem Ido, Elem Ifoko, Elem Bekinama, Elem Abalama, Horsefall ama, Harrison ama, Ido,

Idama The Idama (E'dama) clan of the Ijaw people lives in central Rivers State, Rivers state, Nigeria. This small clan is sometimes classified as a Kalabari tribe clan rather than as its own clan. Location Idama is an island located in the mangrove f ...

, Ilelema, Ifoko, Ipokuma, Kula, krakrama, ke, Kien ama, Minama, Mbiakafiama, Ngeribarama, Oporoama, Obonoma, Okpo, Owoko, Obuama, Omekweama, Omekwetariama, Ogo ama, Opubenibo ama, Soku, Sama, Sangama, Tema, Tombia, Udekema, Usokun - Degema.

History

Food

List of towns, villages and fishing settlement in Kalabari

References

Further reading