Amamaisim: Ancient Pygmies of Nigeria’s Lower Cross River

Image caption: Figure of a Pygymy Dance Leader


The mysterious Amamaisim have long been the subject of fascination for the people of the lower Cross River region. These ancient pygmies, with their distinctive tails, are described in the various folktales and literature of the area as being intelligent and skilled in farming, hunting, and trading. It is said that they used the bow and arrow as their hunting equipment, and were known to have existed in a number of lower Cross River communities, including the Efik, Eniong, Eki, Ibibio, and Oron.

According to legend, the Amamaisim were first sighted in Akpabuyo by the Efik, though there is no evidence to suggest that they were encountered in other areas such as Ikpa ene, Ndodoghi, Uruan, or the Calabar coast. In the 1930s, colonial anthropologist Jeffreys recorded accounts of Amamaisim sightings from the Efik and the Eniong, and attempts were made in the 1970s to document these stories. Many Ibibio communities also claim that these pygmies were the earliest inhabitants of present-day Akwa Ibom.

Oron folktales tell of a war between the pygmies that scattered many communities, referred to in the Oron language as “Ekung Amamaisim-isim asuan ofid oduobot” (The war of the pygmies has scattered the whole world). The Eniong, meanwhile, believe that the Amamaisim were the earliest inhabitants of Akani Obio Eniong, and that their ancestors fought and drove these beings into the Cross River.

In some myths, the Amamaisim are incorporated into the pantheon of Ndem, or marine spirits. For example, in E.E.E. Okon’s Nkukuñpọyọriyọ, it is written that “All the clans of Eki worship Ndem Eki- Husband and Wife like Zeus and Hera. Husband and Wife are amamaisim; they inhabit the waters. In the water, they are people; they climb up the hill, they turn into Ekpọ itiaba (A demon that is seven times more diabolical i.e A Hydra).”

References to the Amamaisim can also be found in the incantations of Ndem priests and priestesses, such as the saying “Ebe itip itip Nwan Itip Itip, itipitip idiaha nkpọ utañ enyọñ” (A stunted husband, A stunted wife, the stunted couple cannot eat of that which is on a high rack). Some legends in Cameroon also mention pygmies, though it is unclear if these pygmies had tails like those described in the tales of the lower Cross River.

Given the limited research that has been conducted on the archaeology of the lower Cross River region, it is difficult to determine the reality of the Amamaisim. They may be purely mythical, or they may be a real people whose history has been lost to time. It is even possible that they are the product of old wife’s tales, a mystery that may never be fully understood. Despite these uncertainties, it is suggested that there may be a link between the Efik royal play Ayan isim and these mythological inhabitants of the lower Cross River.

Bibliography

Okon, Esien-Ekpe E. (1985), N̄kukun̄kpọyọriyọ, Ibadan: Evans bros.

Jeffreys, M.D.W. (1935), Old Calabar and notes on the Ibibio Language, Calabar: H.W.T.I. press

Nick, Ibibio Origin, Migration and settlement. Accessed July 29, 2021 <https://alscon.net/.../page,1,3,35-origin-migration-and...>

Personal record of Etubom Ukorebi Ukorebi Asuquo.

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