Human world

Southeast Nigeria

Ngwomo post

Follow the links in the navigation panel to see some of the Southeast Nigeria collection.

Many different peoples live in the diverse environments of Southeast Nigeria including:

• the Ijo and Ogoni in the mangrove swamps of the Niger Delta
• the Igbo - the largest group - the Annang and the Ibibio in the palmbelt area north and east of the Delta
• the Ejagham in the rain forest bordering the Cross River

Trade Routes

Trade routes have linked these peoples for centuries. During the 18th and 19th centuries the trade with Europeans in slaves and then palm oil enabled Ijo and other Delta peoples to found the ‘city states’ of Brass, Nembe, New Calabar and Bonny.

Leadership and secret societies

In pre-colonial times, political power in Southeast Nigeria was exercised in a variety of different ways, often across cultural boundaries. For example:

• in the Delta, canoes were not only used for fishing and trade, but also for fighting rival communities, and canoe leaders held the highest authority
• in many palmbelt villages a council of elders ran the affairs of the community, often led by an appointed chief, who was also a leading member of the ‘secret societies’

‘Secret societies’ commissioned and maintained wooden sculptures in sacred shrines in honour of the spirits. They also performed periodic masquerades to invoke powerful spirits for the benefit of the community and to maintain law and order