My Creative Writing: Mbopo And Ndong Akpan In Uruan Land

Greetings beautiful people of Steemit Platform. Hope you all are doing pretty good and I hope you had an excellent day. Today, I'll be sharing a very interesting tradition in Uruan Land known as "Mbopo And Ndong Akpan". Please, stay glued and read through it with love from @uyaiuyo.

In Uruan Land, there's a tradition called 'mbopo' and there's the one called 'ndong akpan'.

Although the two looks similar but the only difference is that one is done when a woman is still single or before getting married (Mbopo). Here, she'll be put in a fattening room for 14 days, well fed, body massage and water are her best friends. Let's stop here for now.

While the other is done after a married woman puts to birth (Ndong Akpan) and it is done only after the arrival of the first fruit (first child) into the family.

In this publication, I'll be sharing the process of 'ndong akpan' in Uruan Land with succinct explanations from the beginning to the end.

Firstly, when a married woman gives birth to her first child, it is a tradition in Uruan Land and some tribes like Ibibio Land in Akwa Ibom State for the mother of the bride to take the bride and her grandchild home. She'll now take care of the mother and child for two or three (2 or 3) months before the husband will come to take his wife and child home for christening.

The husband while coming to pick his family home has some rites to perform before taking them home. And before his arrival day, a list of items to be brought on that day was also given to him.

Some of the things on the list includes;

→ a bag of rice
→ tubers of Yam
→ a bag of salt
→ 20 litres of palm oil
→ 20 litres of groundnut oil
→ 20 litres of kerosene
→ tubers of water Yam
→ a basin of cocoyam
→ a basin of crayfish
→ a basin of pepper
→ a knife
→ a cutter
→ a turner
→ a stick of ibad fish
→ a stick of inagha fish
→ a packet of seasoning cube
→ a chair (woman sitdon talk or plastic chair)
→ a bundle of Afang leaf
→ a bundle of atama leaf
→ a bundle of mmeme leaf
→ a bunch of plantain
→ a bunch of banana
→ wrappers
→ laces
→ head gear
→ assorted drinks
→ a big basin

A woman will be asked to inspect all the items if they're worth receiving. Any item that doesn't worth what was given on the list the husband will decorate it with money and the bag of salt is usually shared among the village women.

After the inspection, the woman will bring out the woman sitdon talk (chair) out and it will be decorated with money while inviting the latest grandmother to come out and sit on it.

The latest grandmother will walk majestically to sit on it and she will be adorned with the wrappers, laces and head gear her son in-law brought. It's always a very beautiful sight to behold.

The bride (baby's mother) will be invited over to come and greet hers guests and she'll appear as a fattening woman well fed and palm oil rubbed all over her body. She'll appear with a plate of oil and a plate of powder.

Cultural songs will be changed which she'll dance to the rhythm going around with the oil and powder. Anyone who doesn't appreciates her beauty with cash gift will go home full of oil stains..... Lol but anyone who appreciates her must rubbed the powder of the new born baby.... Smiles.

After this stage is accomplished, they'll now prepared what we called "Ukang ibad". Here, one of the fishes brought (ibad precisely) will be shared into two equal parts and one part will be pieces into the tray and garnished with salt, seasoning cube, pepper (grinded or fresh) onions and palm oil. It will be mixed thoroughly for everything to incorporate.

The newest mother in town will now pick the fish tray and of course another cultural songs were changed while she dance to the rhythm of the song sharing the fish to all her guests.

While she's going round the rules of the fish remains that one must pick the particular fish one touches. You do not touch and leave for the next person. It's what you ordered versus what you got and cabbage in cabbage out...... Smiles.

After the fish ritual, the newest mother will now go in to have a wash so as to remove all the oil from her body. While she's away, soft entertainment took place. Grandma entertained her in-laws and all her guests with food and drinks.

I hope you had a great time reading through this publication and I hope you've learnt something new.

N/B All images are my property and was shot with my Infinix Smart 9 HD