TRIBE OF THE DAY!!: oron tribe
The Oron people or 'Oro people is a multi-ethnic tribe located primarily in southern Nigeria and Cameroon, in the riverine area of Akwa Ibom and the Cross River State. Akpakip Oro are regards as an ancient warrior clan, speaking the Oro language which is in the Cross River family of the Benue–Congo languages. They are ancestrally related to the Efik people of the Cross River State, the Ibeno and Eastern Obolo in Akwa Ibom, the Andoni people in Rivers State and the Balondo-ba-Konja in the Congo.
The Oron Nation, popularly called Oro Ukpabang, Akpakip Oro or Oro Ukpabang Okpo by its members derived from their ancestral father Abang Okpo, are made up of nine clans known as Afaha. These are: Afaha Ukwong, Ebughu, Afaha Ibighi, Effiat, Etta, Afaha Oki-uso, and Afaha Idua (Iluhe) and Afaha Ubuoho which was later divided into two namely Afaha Okpo and Afaha Ubodung in 1959.
The geopolitical restructuring of states and local government within Nigeria has seen the egalitarian society of the Oron Nation being fragmented politically in the Niger Delta . They have been divided across two separate Nigerian states, the Cross River State and Akwa Ibom state, and then into five Oron local government areas (LGAs) within the Akwa Ibom state, namely: Urue-Offong/Oruko Oron West, Oron, Akwa Ibom Oron Central, Mbo, Akwa Ibom Oron South, Udung Uko Oron East, and Okobo, Akwa Ibom Oron North. Bakassi Oron Peninsula is the sole Oron LGA in the Cross River State with the Stubs and Widenham creeks/forest now in Ibeno.
Ancient Oron people were governed by each Family head who settles every family issues among the family. And this family head in turns represent each family in the Village traditional court, and in turns a Village Head (Offong) is being chosen which is rotatory in the Village Court to represent their Village in the community setting.
Today Traditionally, the Oron people have one king that rules over the land. He is known as the Ahta Oro.
Ahtaship owes its origin to a legendary hunter, AHTA AYA-ARAH. He was a great hunter native to Eweme, the ancestral home of Oro Ukpabang. During a perilous time of hunger in the middle ages, AHTA AYA-ARAH, went out on his usual safari, but failed to return home same day as should have been. The following day, the community met and set up a search party for a rescue, but all to no avail. One day led to one week, one month passed by, AHTA AYA-ARAH, remained unfound.
Thereafter, a burial was done, believing that AHTA was dead, but surprisingly, two months after his missing, AHTA AYA-ARAH reappeared with species of sweet yams known in Oro today, as NYIN-ENI.
This feat, earned AHTA AYA-ARAH, the Oro kingship about over 500 years ago, such that the Royal Stool, the contemporary AHTA-ORO sits today, is the same Stool AHTA AYA-ARAH sat in the medieval age. This well calved wooden Stool, remains the oldest surviving artifact of Oro and in the Lower Cross River Basin.
The Ahta has all the Ofong (Ivong or Ifong) afaha and the paramount rulers as members of his traditional rulers council. Some high chiefs (for example, Ikpoto, Akpaha and Okete Okete) are also recognized by the Ahta's council, the Ahta is chosen among the Oldest of all the paramount rulers members of Council of Oro Traditional Ruler (COTR). The President-General of the Oron Union worldwide is regarded as the administrative head of the Oron nation and second-in-command at the Ahta's traditional rulers council.
this was really fun to research the information is from 101lasttribes but I do recommend looking on YouTube for their performances but
LETS CELEBRATE THE ORON PEOPLE
