Forest farmers and hunters of the Oban hills and the lower and upper Cross River on both sides of the later Nigeria-Cameroon border, with the Qua and Efut round the Calabar estuary and the Banyang towards Mamfe.
Ejagham tradition claims the leopard society (Ekpe), later the government of Old Calabar, as its own; its age is not known. The carved stone pillars (akwanshi) of the Bakor Ejagham near Ikom are undated.
Who holds it
- Title
- Village heads and the leopard society (Ekpe) where it already exists
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
How things stand that morning
Self-governing.
Customs
Ekpe (leopard) society; village elders.
Assemblies
Village councils.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1200No dated event.Depends on: Not applicable Stopped by: Not applicable
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Tradition, ethnography, undated monuments.
On the map: A people's country drawn as a dashed outline; borders are approximate.
Sources and studies
- From the researcher's knowledge of the ethnography and oral traditions (Alagoa, Afigbo, Isichei, Forde and Jones, Bradbury); used only as a guide to who lived where
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.