Ceejay Ojong|10 September 2017
For all intents and purposes the name 'Atam' is actually a non-sequitur!
I grew up and schooled in Calabar through my formative years when we were still one with Akwa Ibom State. I heard several discussions and historical accounts from elderly and knowledgeable people from all sides. I was even privileged to have in that number my grandfather of blessed memory. He was in Hope Waddell Training Institute in about 1905 at which time it was mainly a trades school. He later owned trading boats that plied the Cross River to and fro Calabar, and also bought and sold produce from the hinterlands to Calabar.
Truth is the 'Atam' thing is simply hubris and really non-existent even though it pleases some people to make such a reference and naming just to deride.
The history of it is simple:
There were two routes to get to Calabar from the upper Cross River area with the main one being along the course of the Cross River itself.
The second was dense forests paths and marshlands that connected the Etung Area of old Ikom to Oban and then Calabar: Mkpot-Okoroba-Ekang-Nnyaje- Oban-Mfamosing-Aninngeje-Akansoko-Calabar: this route was rarely taken.
Now, Calabar happened to be the British trading and administrative hub at the time. People from upper Cross River brought palm produce, yams and other items to sell in Calabar by the river. Bought other items including clothing and guns from Calabar for their return journeys.
A common place of settlement or camping on the travels was Ofunatam on the bank of the Cross River in present Ikom LGA. It had missionary presence and became a trading post in its own right. So when the traders arrive Calabar the usual question would be: 'where are you coming from? And they will say Ofunatam'.
The ofunatam was shortened to atam and later used even somewhat derisively to refer to all peoples from the current Northern and Central Cross River State and even some parts of now Southern Cross River State including those that never participated in the trade.
Indeed the relics evidencing the evolution of the trade route on the upper Cross River up to Mamfe in the Cameroons is still existent in places like Ikom Town my home place. The British Companies UAC (United Africa Trading Company) and John Holt have their long abandoned warehouses still existent at the lower and upper ends of the banks of the Cross River at Ikom Town. John Holt Warehouse is built and still exists close to the beach of my main ancestral unit or Village in Ikom Town – Enoghi whereas UAC is at Etayip unit or village beach.
And of course the 'atam' area was densely forested – the same forests that CRS and indeed the world is so proud of now. Hence some started adding the insulting words of: 'Atam ke esit ikot' literally meaning 'Atam in the forests' but actually intended to insult them as 'bush people'.
Then again the people were mainly farmers and supplied food crops including especially yams, plantains and much later Garri to those at or close to the coastal areas who were mainly fishermen. So, other derisive terms connected to the atam misconception emerged like: ''bia atam'' – atam yam, ''Ikom ukom'' – Ikom plaintain, ''meh otor inwang'' – farmers, ''adia-atoror'' – eats and shits (heavily), ''usung ke atam efere ke Calabar'' – pounded yams (foo-foo) in atam and soup in Calabar, and ''a dey ko okoya (Ogoja) ko buy kayi (Garri)'' – Ibibio Pidgin English accent of I am going to Ogoja to buy Garri, etc.
Now, within the context of the Ibibios of especially the old Uyo extraction use of the word, atam for them was used to refer to a woman of easy virtues – 'atamanwan' and it suited them to mischievously incorporate this into the atam name that had wrongly come to be.
Some say it was also because commercial sex thrived among travellers at the Ofunatam outpost as was common in isolate places with high commercial activities that is why it suited or correlated the atam of the Ibibios conception.
When I got to know the real history and meaning of 'Atam' at quite a young age in Calabar I started laughing at whoever was using the word with the intent to offend because of their ignorance.
Then with the creation of State some muted the idea of converting the derisive term to political advantage by galvanising the peoples who had several different languages into the Atams political identity especially as promoted by the Atam Congress in the not too distant past.
However, the strength of the coalition became watered down due to contending and conflicting political interests among high-ranking members, as well as the creation of the 3 Senatorial districts structure that somewhat became the rallying points for group political interests within the State.
I hope this enlightens many. Shalom!
Ceejay Ojong
Writes from Abuja, Nigeria
