LANGUAGE AND CULTURE AS A TOOL OF IDENTIFYING PEOPLES TRIBE/ETHNIC GROUP IN NIGERIA

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE AS A TOOL OF IDENTIFYING PEOPLES TRIBE/ETHNIC GROUP IN NIGERIA

CHAPITRE ONE

INTRODUCTION

Preamble

This chapter serves as a broad introduction to the work, presenting the study’s background as well as the classification of the Anaan Language. This chapter will investigate and cover the study’s limitations as well as the research methods.

The research is forced on a reconstruction of proto forms in Ibibios, Efik, and Anaan. This work will explore and illustrate areas of similarity and difference between the proto forms in Ibibio, Efik, and Anaan by first undertaking a comparative reconstruction of the cognate forms of Ibibio, Efik, and Anaan Languages, and then undertaking a lexicostatistical analysis of the language to arrive at a percentage of cognacy rate that will reveal whether they are the same forms, similar forms, or different forms. This will allow the study to reach a conclusion regarding the historical and linguistic connections between these three speech types (Ibibio, Efik, and Anaan).

1.2. The Study’s Background

The geopolitical ethnic groups found in the south eastern region of Nigeria in the old Cross River State and presently in Akwa Ibom State are referred to as Anaan in this article, The reconstruction of proto forms in Ibibio Efik and Anaan.

According to Udo (1983: (4)), Anaan is a subgroup of one Ibibio because to cultural and dialectal acceptability. The name Anaan is derived from their characteristic conduct, which is intolerant, violent, and spiteful at the slightest provocation. They are often aggressive. Esseien (1983, p. 1) The tribe has a northern boundary with the Ngwa and Ndoke (igbos) of Abia State. They are bordered by the Isuogbu igbo to the east and the Eastern Ibibio to the south.

Anaan arose many years ago along the boundary of the Cameroon highlands along the eastern section of Cross River and the eastern half of the Niger Delta. Sir, Harry Johnson wrote in his essay, “The Anaan have no tradition of legend of migration that they have always been where they are” in another postulation on the Anaan’s origin. However, he admits that they first settled in Eket for many years prior to the visit of the early Navigators in 4500 BC and the visit of the King of Egypt. They migrated upwards, dissatisfied with their land allocation, until they reached their current land of abode. Essien (1983:14) indicated that the Anaan forefathers were hunting for their own location in order to distinguish themselves from being labeled Ibibios. This was because they regarded themselves a unique tribe in Nigeria, with their own language and customs. Identifying Individuals

Farming and crafting are the primary occupations of the Anaan people. The terrain is amusingly wealthy. This allows the tribe’s people to engage in active peasant cultivation. The Anaan people grow cocoyam, maize, cassava, plantain, beans fluted pumpkin, and other crops. Identifying Individuals

According to Essien (1983:19), the Anaan were “the first ethnic group to settle down to cultivate farms and the first to discover yam tuber as a food.” Identifying Individuals

Apart from subsistence farming, the residents of Anaan engage in commercial farming, which involves selling farm products to nearby towns in the state. The Anaan people are said to be blessed with a variety of privately owned garri processing enterprises, as well as palm oil processing industries, raffia, and kola nut.

A huge number of households near pigs engage in livestock husbandry and fishing as part of their business. Dogs and goats. The Anaan are also mentioned in crafts, carving, and other artistic vocations. The Anaan tribe’s principal local government areas include Ikot EKpene, Abak, Ukanafu, Etim Ekpo Ekpe Atia, Ikono, and others. In a month, Anaan has eight market days. These are Editaha, Etim, Ofionetuk, or Ekpenyong, Edere Obo, Urua Obom, Urua Ekpe, and Edet. These names were given by the Anaan ancestor and were derived from different semi gods or commonly known as “D Ndem.” Identifying Individuals

Anaan is a term that refers to both the people and their language. As a result, Anaan, like most tribes in Akwa Ibom State, is called for the language spoken by the Anaan people. The language is a dialect of the lower Cross dialect. Identifying Individuals

GreenBerge (1963) classified the language as belonging to the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo languages family. Williamson (1982) classified Anaan as a lower cross of the Benue-Congo subgroup of the Niger-Congo with a single alternation. The language shares many similarities with the structures of the Ibibio and Efik languages, yet the structure of the Anaan language may be more challenging in some cases due to pronunciation and storytelling. According to Udo (1983), Anaan is a dialect of Ibibio. “The Anaan are Ibibio people speaking an Ibibio dialect,” he says. The dialect was spoken by their ancestors many thousands of years ago along the Cross River, according to Udo (1983:49). The language, like most other indigenous languages, has been influenced by the Eastern educational system, although verbal arts are still very much intrinsic. Identifying Individuals

1.3. Problem Description

The primary goal of this project is to recreate the proto forms of the Ibibio, Efik, and Anaan languages. The objective is not unrelated to the fact that no work has been done on this topic in regard to Anaan. The issues of so-called minority languages, such as Anaan, are multifaceted.