The Ugep New Yam festival - What you need to know about it

UGEP New Yam festival (LEBOKU New Yam Festival) is held every year in the month of August, to honour the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the land. Nobody eats new yam until same had first been offered to these powers. New yam festival celebration differs in name and structure from one community to another. It takes the coloration of the very community it is celebrated at any given time. It is not surprising neither is it out of place because Cross River is a melting pot of culture and languages. This, merely lends credence to the fact that many communities in the state speak different dialects, hence the diverse culture.

“Umor Otutu” Ugep, with an approximate landmass of 141/2 square kilometers, accommodating a sizeable, number of 148 villages and a population of about 205,823, before the 21 century. ‘Umor Otutu” christened Ugep by the early demographers and anthropologists like G.I. Jones Pitchard among others, is the largest native town east of the Niger and one of the premier towns in the African continent. Yakurr people immigrated from Umor Otutu before scattering all over the villages that make up the present Yakurr local government area. The people have a high fascination for hard work and industry. A man is born accordingly to the whims of the gods and dies when he commits an unpardonable crime or offence. And as yam is the acknowledged king of all crops and the cherished food of the traditional aristocrats as well as the yard-stick for measuring the worth, dignity and social standing of a man in Ugep society then, motivates young men to take seriousness in cultivation of agricultural produce, whereas a chain of degrees and certificates represents well-being and importance in the eye of modern society in Ugep. The certificates are important to the extent that the possessor can earn a salary and wear a white man’s suit to the office even if he cannot feed well or donate or contribute fat-sum of money for community development projects in Ugep.

The Ugep people observe the main phases of agricultural cycles by collective ceremonies. This annual and sacred festival called ‘Leboku”, is as old as Ugep cradle. A community of civilized people with a robust cultural and traditional history which over the decades has remained largely misconstrued by many people in the country. The mystery and controversy surrounding this intriguing cultural heritage remains the tonic of its beauty and the popularity of the Ugeps.

These seasonal ceremonies are expressions of the values attached to the importance of successive labour in cultivation and of the appreciation of the reward that comes from farming activities. In other words, it is an appreciation of the reward for food after harrowing pangs of hunger that follows the harvest of mature yams, “Lijofi”. For instance, like the Dioysian festival of Ancient Greece, it is a recognition of hope in life that is lived for now and its hope for its continuity. It however takes the form of ancestral invocations in fertility shrines, sacrifices and gifts for rains, sun and performances of various traditional dances and also an opportunity for affection to be tested between pubescent girls and their suitors.

The erroneous impression created by some religious organizations was that the New Yam festival is the repository of an excuse for evil practices and behaviors against social justice and especially acts of cannibalism. This distorted information has continued year-in and year out to scare a lot of friends and well wishers who would have loved to participate in the Ugep New Yam Festival. It reminds me of an English anthropologist, E.B. Taylor, who defined or sees culture as a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. Whether or not any misrepresentation of this culture conveys any psychological effect in the society is a matter of human assessment, belief and imagination which is dominated by the consciousness of good or evil.

“Leboku” is a thanks-giving ceremony for the gods who have pains-takingly and artistically moulded into full forms pieces of yam buried in mounds earth for their care and protection. It is an annual ritual during which the dead are remembered and their spirits are petitioned to for intervention especially for a moral order which forms the source of ‘ekeledi” songs.

From the religious point of view, New Yam festival ties up with the religions practice of annual thanks- giving services often held in some churches, during yam harvest at the end of every year. For instance, in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 23 verse I6, Annual Feast-the feast of harvest, the first fruit of man’s labour which man have sown in the field or farm.

In Ugep, the New Yam Festival organization is based in the office and influence within the authorities of the council of priests. Binas, (political administration)the authority of members of the council also varies according to social context and particular fields of competence with particular regards to specific functions or rituals. Hence, the festival has a period of 32 days festivities. The actual day and date for the general participation and celebrations normally arrived from answers received by the Binas, after series of consultations from the earth - goddess and ancestral spirits of the land.

Obligatory collection of palm wine from palm wine tapers at the various doorsteps of the farm routes, who return from tapping. This exercise usually last for six local market days. Eti-kekomi Donation of palm wines.

Announcement:- Leboku-Kepili - ceremonial announcement of Leboku rituals is usually preceded by invocations and sacrifices at the Leboku shrines. Maidens begin to wear spiral brass on legs - Liman. And decorate their bodies. They don two full stretch ostrich feathers on top of well designed and plaited hair in line with pride, beauty and strength of an ostrich. This is usually an indication that the maiden is fully “ripe’ for a -would - be husband and subsequent nuptial knot. The black indigo patterns drawn into beautiful designs represents the people’s artistic and aesthetic value and decorative skills. It shows the importance of sign language in the people’s daily living and communication. The one-yard loin tied around the waist and the ornamental beads worn by some of Nzigiza by others, tell the story of the anti-nudity campaigns of the 1951 -52 and till date, and the attendant social revolution of some elites and others representing the thinking of the era. And the manilla-rods shaped into oval bearings and worn on the legs and moved easily about with by the maidens are meant to demonstrate the extent of a maiden’s strength and perseverance. This shows the length of time the maiden is able to go about with them to the farms carrying farm produce as head loads and at the same time engaging in domestic chores.

Eboku-pom-members of Leboku council of Priests take part in this ceremony. Non-participants or villagers are expected to keep away from a reasonable distance. Persons who violate these orders are later fined certain fees to be determined by members of Leboku Council of Priests.

Mblemi - This is the day set aside for special make-up by young maidens with liquid from black indigo called Eblemi. The midnight of it brings the fire lighting flame ceremony called Okondel, nobody is expected to see the burning flame, even the Obol Lopon,the paramount ruler or chief who hands over the burning brand of fire has his eyes shut. The lighting ceremony can be said to have the significance and symbolism of the torches often lit during Olympic fiesta. The mid-night ceremony is done to offer prayers to the gods of the land, asking or soliciting to bless the people of Ugep all over the world and to wipe away any evil influence. This ceremony accompanied by the specifying sounds, believed to be produced by life wolves.

The actual New Yam Festival celebration day is called Ledem-boku. Ekoi drums are beaten from mid-night. Sporadic firing of gun shots to herald the joy of Leboku. It is the period of supplication for many specially the barren women to Ojokobi and Ase deities, the gods of fertility which have not been fair to them while others celebrates their blessings and fortunes.

Etanglata masquerade parades round the town as early as 6 am. Exchange of gifts, free for all feeding and drinking of wine takes place. By mid-day. Ekoi danced by fair selected male dancers representing the major communities that make up Ugep-nation begins to display. Procession of young beautiful maidens round the town, moving in pairs with spiral brass on the legs matches with the rythmn from the spiral brass.

As the people of Umor Otutu, Ugep will continue to preserve their rich culture bequeathed to it by the ancestors, having regard to the fact that one of the important legacies that any generation can bequeath to its posterity by bringing it cultural heritage to modernism and the outside world.

Source : Wikipedia