The Eket are a people who live in Akwa Ibom State, south-east Nigeria, Africa. They number around one million, and form a sub-group of the Ibibio people. Eket is also the name of the main sub-language that they speak, a form of the widespread Bantu language. Eket is also the name of their main town. Akwa Ibom is a state in Nigeria. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... The Ibibio people are a tribe in the south-south-east of Nigeria. ... Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (dull yellow) vs. ...

The Eket have a form of caste or class society, with the "Amama" being the highest caste, and these are notable for undertaking traditional potlach-like feasts in which the poorer people are fed en masse. In addition to the Amama, groups of "Ekpo Ndem Isong" class rule individual villages and towns, and their will is enforced by the "Ikan" class (traditional masked police) to which entry is by merit rather than birth. A caste system is a rigid system of social stratification, which divides members of a society into different castes and sub-castes or Varnas and jatis. ... Social class describes the relationships between people in hierarchical societies or cultures. ... A potlatch is a ceremony among certain Native American/First Nations peoples on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia such as the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakiutl (Kwakwakawakw). ...

The local religion is one of ancestor-worship, worship of Ala the "earth deity", and seasonal agricultural festivals. Water is abundant in the Niger delta, and the vegetation luxurious. However, over-farming and poor farming practices are depleting soil nutrients on many farms and plots. Some fishing is engaged in.

In the 1990s western environmentalists were concerned over the activities of oil exploration companies in and around Eket, such as Shell and Mobil. The area is now newly "oil-rich" and Eket town is the thriving hub of a new oil and gas business, with more than 250 companies providing support services such as catering, flights, and exports. But this success has caused problems: in terms of a demand for brothels, a rise in the general cost of living in Eket town, and a reluctance by local young men to engage in traditional work such as fishing. There are vocal local campaigns to increase the percentage of oil revenue that is given to the local community - with a portion specifically set aside for women - as compensation for oil activities. Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ...

External links

• Eket wood sculpture
• Eket masks