Introduction
" On the extreme south-south of Nigeria are the Ibibio speaking people who are located in Akwa Ibom State. Akwa Ibom State is made up of thirty one local government areas and seventeen out of these are identified as Ibibio speaking areas (Wikipedia).
The Ibibio ethnic group in contemporary times has been mired in controversy, fragmentation and counter claims on their tradition of origin, their human configuration and common beliefs by many writers and commentators. Against this background it is pertinent to define what an ethnic group is in other to situate Ibibio within such paradigm.
Talbot as cited by Etuk (2009) describes an ethnic group as speaking the same language with approximately the same customs, religion and a state of civilization claiming a common de[s]cent. He further asserts that kinship is the essential element in the concept of an ethnic group rather than by geographical location. Social anthropologist have studied kinship system carefully in their quest to unravel the complexities of human relationship and by extension that of Ibibio society.
Accordingly, it has been found that kinship in such societies constitutes the hub of political, social, economic and religious relationship. Consequent upon this, Peil (1977) gives an insight into kinship as follows: Kinship implies ties of blood, socio-religious belief and people who descend from a common ancestor are referred to as cognates. In addition, Andah (1988) in Kinship studies observed that, the gamut of a people’s culture are considered to determine the degree of affinity and otherwise in a study area. Consequent upon these arguments, the Ibibio has been identified and justified to be called an ethic group.
Central to the Ibibio religious belief is the relationship between the living and the death [sick] as occasioned by its ancestral venerated traditions and artistic expression. The belief in life after death is endemic, and largely seen as a manifestation of all religious traditions. However, this is not peculiar to the Ibibio alone; for instance, Nigeria including ancient Egypt, Rome and all other human societies throughout history, there have been evidences of beliefs about religious traditions as having relationship with human destiny.
Fiero (1995) noted that since the beginning of life on earth, human beings have tried to ensure their own survival by achieving harmony with nature and have come to terms with the inevitable realities of disease, and death....
Funeral Art Forms
According to Wikipedia, funeral art is any work of art forming, or placed in a repository for the remains of the death. The term also includes cenotaphs, which do not contain human remains. In Ibibio land funerals and the subsequent memorial festivities for the ancestors are occasions that concern not only the family, but larger social units, these are not only reflected in the cult performances and mortuary rites, but are also enacted in visual terms through art forms placed as repository for the remains of the dead.
Among the Ibibio deities, the Ibibio regarded his ancestors as the greatest, and they also believed that they were surrounded on all sides by the spirits of his ancestors. Udo (1983) maintains that the Ibibio had a firm belief in life after death and regarded his ancestors as the invisible part of his lineage.
As a result of the belief in ancestral worship, the Ibibio developed a robust tradition of making funeral art forms as repository for the death ancestor. Consequently, funeral art forms become more complex, just as funerals and burial practices become more complicated in Ibibio land.
The preponderance of these art forms affirmed in plastics terms as cement tomb sculpture, architecture, paintings, installation and masking activities makes this study imperative and desirable. It is also a modest attempt to re-examine the contributions of the art forms to the Ibibio artistic heritage, where artist of the present and the future will undoubtedly continue to draw inspiration.
By Uwem E. Umoanwan Anselem A. Nyah (Ph.D)
* Ibibio nwomo (shrine cloth) - Textile Research Center trcleiden.nl/trc/index.php/en/blog/1244-funeral-shrines-nwomo-from-nigeria.
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