THE TRUE ORIGIN OF THE YAKURR NEW YAM FESTIVAL LEBOKU (EKOI)

Ekoi or Leboku new yam festival is a priceless cultural event celebrated annually to mark the growth of farm products especially the new yam by the yakurr nation in Cross River State, Nigeria.

The period is synonymous with exchange of gifts and visitation amongst families and friends including those who are aliens to the culture.
How the yakurr festival began
As the people of Nko moved out of “AKPA” during the exodus, and in what can be likened to as the “GREAT TREK”, certain cultural artifacts and believe were carried along too. The first settlers as a matter of fact, came in groups of maternal family units or lineages. One among these family units is the “ ASSANGHA” maternal family.

This family like others came and settle as an already organized people with cultural bonds; notable amongst is “EKOI LEBOKU” a fetish god of fertility acquired in order to procreate and fruitful the wombs of the family members of ASSANGHA.

The foregoing, buttresses the fact that before now, in the yaw, it was a celebration held among the “ASSANGHA” maternal family members on a yearly bases. The people of Nko, then as a unity of various maternal family groups, saw the need to acquire and consequently adopt this shrine worship of the “ASSANGHA” family as a unifying force. The celebration has now become a community affairs for the appeasement of the gods of fertility during harvest.

The festival marks the beginning of the traditional year of harvest. It's a celebration centered around certain ancestral deity, notably, the god of fertility and purification. Religiously, it is a period of thanksgiving to the gods (yabasse) for a bounteous harvest. It is also a period of alms giving as it create euphoria of socialization among friends, relations and visitors alike.
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Great post. Shoutout to my Ekoi/Ejagham people.