08/10/2023
๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ ๐๐ก
โ Ohafia women with long braids fashionable in Ohafia at the time. Photographed by Rev. William T. Weir. From The Women's Missionary Magazine of the United Free Church of Scotland, 1904. Google digitisation.
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โ A number of women warriors, ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฎฬ๐บแปฬ are recorded in the history and folktales of Ohafia. A version of one particular story tells of Nne Mgbaafo who, in war gear, risked her life looking for her husband who she thought was killed by enemies in Ibibio territory and was able to rescue him through her bravery.
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Another story tells of Inyan Olugu whose husband, Itenta Ogbulopia, hadnโt taken heads during battle. To secure the honour of her house, Inyan Olugu took her husband into the forests of the Nkalu and shot five Nnong Ibibie men dead and took their heads. As warriors hailed her husband, Inyan Olugu told the revellers to also sing praises of Inyan Olugu who brought heads and gave the honour to her husband.
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In the 20th century, by the instruction of the divinity Kalu Akanu through a woman in the compound of his priesthood, Nne Uko Uma Awa of Akanu Ohafia, with other girls during their age-grade's coming-of-age ceremony, carried out a ritual hunt usually done by boys. The girls were led by Nne Uko who dressed in attire usually worn by male warriors including an รฒkpu agแปฅ, the leopard cap. Nne Uko continued to dress in a typically male style.
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โ Nne Uko was admitted into the Ekpรจ society, danced the male style of the ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ต๐ฎ dance of Ohafia warriors, and married two wives who had children through Nne Uko's brother. Nne Uko had yam titles as a successful farmer with the assistance of the wives and children and became the custodian of the maternal lineage shrine. In later years, Nne Uko wore more conventionally female attire. In Nne Uko's words, โ.โ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ""But as it happened, when coming into this world I