The Epie-Atissa people are an indigenous ethnic group in Nigeria, primarily residing in the area that is now home to Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State. They are often referred to collectively as Epie-Atissa, though they are considered two distinct but closely related nations.

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Location and Origin

• Location: The Epie and Atissa people live along the Epie Creek in the Niger Delta region. Their communities make up the indigenous population of the modern-day Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
• Key Settlements: The Epie settlements include towns like Igbogene, Akenfa, Agudama Epie, Edepie, Opolo, and Amarata. The Atissa communities include Onopa, Ovom, Yenagoa, Swali, and Agbura.
• Ancestral Links: Oral traditions suggest that the Epie-Atissa people have a common descent from the Old Benin Kingdom. Their ancestors are believed to have migrated through Isoko land and then drifted to their present location, having connections with the Engenni people (an Edoid group) to the north. They also share cultural similarities with the neighboring Ijaw people.

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Language

• Language Name: The people speak the Epie language (or Epie-Atịsa).
• Classification: Epie is part of the Delta Edoid branch of the Edoid languages, which is part of the larger Niger-Congo language family. This linguistic classification links them to other Edoid groups like the Engenni.
• Structure: Epie uses a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) sentence structure, which is a key difference from the neighboring Izon (Ijaw) language, which uses Subject-Object-Verb (SOV).
• Current Status: Due to urbanization, migration, and the cosmopolitan nature of Yenagoa (the state capital), the use of the Epie language is in decline, a trend similar to many other smaller ethnic languages globally.

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Culture and Economy

Traditional Economy

The Epie-Atissa historically rely on the natural resources of the Niger Delta environment. Their traditional occupations include:

• Farming: Cultivation of crops like cassava, sugarcane, yam, and various vegetables in the fertile soil, which is naturally rejuvenated by annual floods.
• Fishing: Sustenance is heavily supplemented by fishing in the creeks and rivers.

Festivals

The community celebrates several important cultural events:

• Obunem Epie Festival: A significant festival for the Epie kingdom, promoted as an avenue to unite the people and pass on their culture and heritage to younger generations.
• Uge Adiafaa: This festival of the Atissa clan is an age-old cultural celebration, often described as a semblance of the New Yam Festival. It is held to pray for a bumper harvest and is a rallying point to foster brotherhood among the twelve Atissa communities.

Social and Traditional Rites

• Burial Rites (Ikpese wulemu uzi): Death is seen as a transition from visible to invisible existence. A “good death” (dying old and achieving much) qualifies the deceased for ancestral bliss. Rituals include washing and dressing the body, a wake-keep (edekoruemu), and the firing of a cannon (okurusi) to announce the death. Divination (aganaga puluemi) may be performed to ascertain if the deceased was a witch or sorcerer.
• Child Adoption: Child adoption is a long-standing tradition and a tenable practice within the Epie culture.
• Masquerade: The tradition of masquerade in Epie land, such as in Igbogene, was historically significant, often being learned and synthesized from neighboring groups like the Kalabari and Igbo. It was often connected to the traditional male secret cult known as Igbele, which conferred social rights and privileges to its initiates.