A Nigerian Ibibio African tribal carved wooden mask

The Ibibio have lived in the Cross River area of modern day Nigeria for several hundred years, and while written information about them only exists in colonial records from the late 1800s on, oral traditions have them in the region much earlier than this. The Ibibio actively resisted colonial invasions, and it was not until after the end of World War I that the British were able to gain a strong foothold in the region. Even at this time, however, the British found it necessary to make use of Ibibio Ekpo society traditions in order to impose indirect rule in the region.