Some " Nsibidi " Signs
On Plate H are shown some Nsibidi signs (1-41), and a story (a-n) written in Nsibidi, collected by me recently in Southern Nigeria.
The following is an explanation of the signs :

1, Fighting stick.

2, Woman.

3, Pillow.

4, Man.

5, Man and woman, pillow in middle ; the man has had a quarrel with his wife because she has fallen in love with another man.

6, The young men's club, to which the lover belongs, sitting on the ekfrat stick.

7, The sword which the man will take to fight the boy, or man. with whom his wife fell in love.

8, Poor man's money, always four rods, given to the wife going to market.

9, Young rich man's money, always eight rods.

10, Rich chief's money, always sixteen rods.

11, The peacock, " Egbo palaver"; when a man is wronged he sends this sign, .which means that he is going to take action in the Egbo society.

12, Mbudualkpe, sent to notify people that the " Egbo "f is out.

13, Ekara 'Nkanda ; a man always runs before the* " Egbo " with this in his hand ; it is made of cane.

14, Akpahata constant fighters ; one will not let the other go. This sign is sent by a strong fighter to another man whom he wishes to fight, and means that he will fight to a finish and not run away.

15, The "Egbo" fighting club. When the " Egbo " is out, if a man is caught who does not belong to the society, he is tied up to this cross, which is fixed in the ground, and then flogged by the " Egbos " with whips made of manatee hide.

16, A comb; or give me a comb.

17, Looking glass.

18. A native umbrella, made of grass, nkanya iboto.

19, Big and small stars, the sign of night.

20, Firebrand or torch.

21, Woman, on left, sleeping with man, on right ; pillows at head and foot.

22, Woman, on left, sleeping with man, on right ; she is a walking woman, akparu ; pillows at head and foot.

23, A man with a whip in his hand. When a boy does wrong this sign is sent to his father to show that he has been caught and will be flogged, so that the father can pay compensation to the man wronged.

24, A slave messenger, who always watches his master's wife.

25, A stick and a man, who was caught by the watcher and was tied to the post and flogged by the husband. When the signs 23, 24, and 25 are sent to a man it means that the husband's " watcher " has caught the son doing wrong, that the boy is tied up and is going to be flogged. If the wrong done is stealing yams, the sign of a farm and yams is included ; if the boy was caught with the husband's wife, the sign of a man and wife is inserted.


26, A man dressed ready for a wrestling bout. This sign was sent by one young men's company to another, when they wished to challenge them to wrestle.

27, Pots (native), washing pots. The round black pot holds ashes to take away the oil from the hands, &c.

28, Cap (native) made of grass.

29, Asan Inan, four-square bottle, the sign for rum or request for rum.

30, Glass-stand and glass (native).

31, Palaver house Efe Ekpe.

32, A dead body tied up in a mat ; sign for the death of a relative of father, mother, sister, &c.

33, Sign for the death of a friend or of a member of the house.

34, Gun (cross-bow).

35. Matchet or sword.

36, A man and a murderer who murdered someone with the above weapons (34, 3o) and escaped and was ordered to be caught. The murderer stands on the right, and the man who caught him on the left.


37, Ebuka old-time fetters.

38, Esit Ima Obutong Obutong's love. It means that the husband will be inconstant and will go about getting different wives in many towns.

39, Eti Esit Ima good steady heart of love. This means a constant lover.

40, Etak Ntana Nsibidi Nsibidi's bunch of plan- tains. When the head of the house wants plantains he sends this sign to the head boy on the farm.


41, Affe Nsibidi the Hall of Nsibidi ; the round house where the young boys meet to learn the Nsibidi writing. (a) The young boys were sitting in the Nsibidi house, (b) There were two young women who sold their favours for money, (c) They had two boys whom they used to send out to get the men to come to them or to get money from them,
(d) One of the two boys took (e) a chewing stick, (f) a bottle of tombo, and (g) a native glass (h) to the young men sitting on the ekfrat stick,
(i) These young men sent their boy to bring (j) a bag containing rods. (k~) The boy got the bag of rods and took it to the two boys, who took the rods to the women.
(Z) The young men sent their boy with the sign of the comet to meet them that night,
(m) One of the young men met one of the women in an open place, et cum inclinata colvit.

() The next day the young man found the woman with a different man and knew she was
E. Dayrell, District Commissioner, Southern Nigeria
MAN -

a monthly record of Anthropological Science
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland

Published 1910

Wow!... How come they don't teach this beautiful script in our schools?

Well, our leaders should answers that

nice NSIBIDI

Efik shall rise again

Some " Nsibidi " Signs
On Plate H are shown some Nsibidi signs (1-41), and a story (a-n) written in Nsibidi, collected by me recently in Southern Nigeria.
The following is an explanation of the signs :

1, Fighting stick.

2, Woman.

3, Pillow.

4, Man.

5, Man and woman, pillow in middle ; the man has had a quarrel with his wife because she has fallen in love with another man.

6, The young men's club, to which the lover belongs, sitting on the ekfrat stick.

7, The sword which the man will take to fight the boy, or man. with whom his wife fell in love.

8, Poor man's money, always four rods, given to the wife going to market.

9, Young rich man's money, always eight rods.

10, Rich chief's money, always sixteen rods.

11, The peacock, " Egbo palaver"; when a man is wronged he sends this sign, .which means that he is going to take action in the Egbo society.

12, Mbudualkpe, sent to notify people that the " Egbo "f is out.

13, Ekara 'Nkanda ; a man always runs before the* " Egbo " with this in his hand ; it is made of cane.

14, Akpahata constant fighters ; one will not let the other go. This sign is sent by a strong fighter to another man whom he wishes to fight, and means that he will fight to a finish and not run away.

15, The "Egbo" fighting club. When the " Egbo " is out, if a man is caught who does not belong to the society, he is tied up to this cross, which is fixed in the ground, and then flogged by the " Egbos " with whips made of manatee hide.

16, A comb; or give me a comb.

17, Looking glass.

18. A native umbrella, made of grass, nkanya iboto.

19, Big and small stars, the sign of night.

20, Firebrand or torch.

21, Woman, on left, sleeping with man, on right ; pillows at head and foot.

22, Woman, on left, sleeping with man, on right ; she is a walking woman, akparu ; pillows at head and foot.

23, A man with a whip in his hand. When a boy does wrong this sign is sent to his father to show that he has been caught and will be flogged, so that the father can pay compensation to the man wronged.

24, A slave messenger, who always watches his master's wife.

25, A stick and a man, who was caught by the watcher and was tied to the post and flogged by the husband. When the signs 23, 24, and 25 are sent to a man it means that the husband's " watcher " has caught the son doing wrong, that the boy is tied up and is going to be flogged. If the wrong done is stealing yams, the sign of a farm and yams is included ; if the boy was caught with the husband's wife, the sign of a man and wife is inserted.


26, A man dressed ready for a wrestling bout. This sign was sent by one young men's company to another, when they wished to challenge them to wrestle.

27, Pots (native), washing pots. The round black pot holds ashes to take away the oil from the hands, &c.

28, Cap (native) made of grass.

29, Asan Inan, four-square bottle, the sign for rum or request for rum.

30, Glass-stand and glass (native).

31, Palaver house Efe Ekpe.

32, A dead body tied up in a mat ; sign for the death of a relative of father, mother, sister, &c.

33, Sign for the death of a friend or of a member of the house.

34, Gun (cross-bow).

35. Matchet or sword.

36, A man and a murderer who murdered someone with the above weapons (34, 3o) and escaped and was ordered to be caught. The murderer stands on the right, and the man who caught him on the left.


37, Ebuka old-time fetters.

38, Esit Ima Obutong Obutong's love. It means that the husband will be inconstant and will go about getting different wives in many towns.

39, Eti Esit Ima good steady heart of love. This means a constant lover.

40, Etak Ntana Nsibidi Nsibidi's bunch of plan- tains. When the head of the house wants plantains he sends this sign to the head boy on the farm.


41, Affe Nsibidi the Hall of Nsibidi ; the round house where the young boys meet to learn the Nsibidi writing. (a) The young boys were sitting in the Nsibidi house, (b) There were two young women who sold their favours for money, (c) They had two boys whom they used to send out to get the men to come to them or to get money from them,
(d) One of the two boys took (e) a chewing stick, (f) a bottle of tombo, and (g) a native glass (h) to the young men sitting on the ekfrat stick,
(i) These young men sent their boy to bring (j) a bag containing rods. (k~) The boy got the bag of rods and took it to the two boys, who took the rods to the women.
(Z) The young men sent their boy with the sign of the comet to meet them that night,
(m) One of the young men met one of the women in an open place, et cum inclinata colvit.

() The next day the young man found the woman with a different man and knew she was
E. Dayrell, District Commissioner, Southern Nigeria
MAN -

a monthly record of Anthropological Science
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland

Published 1910