13 Interesting Facts About the People of Kalabari Ethnic Group in Nigeria

September 15, 2023

The people of Kalabari have lots of interesting facts as an ethnic group and here, you can get to learn some facts about them such as their marriage ceremony, source of livelihood, worship and so much more. So, all you have to do is to effectively read through this write-up.

13 Interesting Facts About the Great People of the Kalabari Ethnic Group

1. Location

The Kalabari are an ethnic group that can mainly be found in two countries in the world, Ghana and Nigeria. Furthermore, in Nigeria, they reside in the Niger Delta region specifically in Rivers State.

2. Religion

In terms of religion, the Kalabari people are into three main religions which are Christianity, Islam, and their ethnic religion. However, Christianity is the most prominent of the three likely due to the influence of the British.

3. Politics is on the List of Interesting Facts About the People of Kalabari Ethnic Group

The ruler of the Kalabaris is a king. Also, the chiefs also take part and act as advisors for the king, together they make a royal court. Moreover, the current king is Professor Theophilus Princewill.

4. Name

Originally, this ethnic group was called Awesome. However, the word Kalabari is believed to have come from their ancestor Perebo Kalabari who was a son of Mein Owei.

5. Use of Water

Water is a resource that you could say surrounds the lifestyle of the Kalabaris. And, it is for fishing, a source of worship, and household activities. Also, check for other interesting facts about the kalabari ethnic group.

6. Settlements is Also Among the Interesting Facts About the People of Kalabari Ethnic Group

The Kalabari have a high number of settlements at 35, this is likely due to them switching locations for fishing purposes. In addition, here are some of the Kalabari settlements: Abonnema, Buguma, Tombia Ilelema, Ifoko, Ipokuma, Kula, krakrama, ke and Kien ama.

7. Population

Based on information from the last Nigerian census, which took place in 2006. We can approximate that there are 448,000 Kalabari people in Nigeria. However, this information has likely changed due to factors such as death and migration.

8. Belief

The Kalabari people were known for settling near water, not just because they were fishermen. Another reason they did this is they believed their power came from deities in the water.

9. Language: Interesting Facts About the People of Kalabari Ethnic Group

Unsurprisingly, the Kalabari people speak the Kalabari language. This language has three main dialects: Kalabari, Ibani, and Kirike. Although, Kalabari is the most spoken of the three dialects.

10. Related Ethnic Groups

Under the related ethnic group category, we determine whether an ethnic group is related based on criteria such as language, location, or food. So, the following are the related ethnic groups: Ijaw and Bille

11. Marriage

They have three types of marriage ceremonies, the difference being how expensive one is over the other. So, the three ceremonies are Iya, Igwa, and Waribiobesime with Iya being the most expensive of the three. The Iya marriage is incomplete without the Bibife(buying of the mouth). The bride does not eat in the husband’s house until this is complete, it signifies he will take care of her forever.

12. Food is One of the Interesting Facts About the People of Kalabari Ethnic Group

Under this header, you will get to see meals prepared by the Kalabari people, the resources used in the preparation of these meals are locally sourced.

Onunu (pounded yam, ripe plantain, and palm oil)
Tominafulo (fresh fish, prawns, periwinkle and oil star, and other local ingredients)

13. Livelihood

The Kalabari people were fishermen and some still even practice this till now. However, modernization has created many new job opportunities which the Kalabari people take part in.

Conclusion

We hope after reading this article, you have been able to learn some important and interesting facts about the Kalabari ethnic group in Nigeria and Ghana. Also, there have a good relationship with visitors and receives them well.

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