My Neighborhood Watch #64 - Reporting Events Around us

Complement of the order of the day to you all. It's another week to report events around us and today happens to be our New Yam Festival

Tell us about those life events/Activities happening in your neighborhood.

IKOM NEW YAM FESTIVAL

Many tribes celebrate what they want as this does not just begin now but originated from the time of old by our forefathers.

The new yam festival didn't start today in Ikom land but years back! Then, the celebration was just in a minor form. Today as the world keeps advancing, a lot has been discovered and brought to light in the Bachebeja Festival display.

Ikom festival is always held on 1ST Saturday of September each year and this day is always unique in the land of Ikom. For example, there is no year's festival that rain won't fall! This is interpreted as God's acceptance of the festival.

However, in times past during festivals, someone must die and this has come to the notice of the entire community that those persons have been used for sacrifices to apiece the gods.

It's based on this note that the entire Ekpache-Nkome land had always declared fasting and prayers a week before their new yam festivals. This has been a major help to the entire community for over four years no one has died during the festival.

Display of different Cultural Dance

The great Gorilla walk

This is the first of its kind that a Gorilla play was displayed at the festival. It's not just ordinary that a Gorilla should come out but something must be behind.

It's a recent tradition that a treasure hunt must be set for each year's festival and whoever finds the treasure becomes the next great hunter of the land.

The above image was the one who won the 2023 great hunter and for this year 2024, another person found the treasure hunt in the forest and that is why the sword has to be handed over to the newly emerged Hunter for the year through the President General.

The New Hunter 2024

For you to become the hunter of the land, you must fund the treasure pot in the forest! It's a thing of days in the forest looking for the pot. Anyone who finds the pot becomes the hunter of the land. Here, the new hunter was taken to the clan head for his blessings. You can see the picture below.

The hunter of the year receiving clan head blessings

At the point of receiving the blessings, the great Gorilla came out and laid flat on the group. This signifies greater strength to the new hunter of the Land.

The Obam Dance

The Obam dance is one of the oldest dances in the land of Ikom. This dance can't fade away because this is what they really like most! No young man of the soil has not passed through this dance except he's not based here.

Even the time has been far spent, since this Ekpo had not displayed, no one moved but all were waiting for the Ekpo to display. As soon as he started dancing, so many were glade. This is really a tradition of our time.

Obam dance display

There were lots more of what was displayed. However, I will be showcasing all other dances including the Ekpe dance which is the number one dance of the Ikom people as far as tradition is concerned.

Gifts were equally presented and this makes the festival very unique.
I'm inviting @josepha and @chisom77 to equally look into this festival of this year.