5 taboos you should note if you're visiting Akwa-Ibom state

Back in the days, villages came up with some prohibited actions instituted by the leaders and more commonly known as taboos.

Taboos differ from place to place and if you are visiting Akwa-Ibom state, here are five taboos you should know;

1) Women cheating on their husbands

In some places in Akwa-Ibom it is a taboo for women to cheat on their husbands. This is actually so serious that the punishment for cheating is the death of the husband. It is said that when a woman commits adultery, she invokes the wrath of Ekpo Nka-Owo, an Ibibio ancestral spirit.

2) Fetching water on Ared market day

As was common in some villages years ago, there are specific days set aside to go to the market. In Annang, Akwa-Ibom state, it is a taboo for women to fetch water from the community stream on one of its market days - Ared market day. 

3) Killing and eating monkeys

In Itam, a clan in Akwa-Ibom state, it is a taboo to kill and eat monkeys. Ikot Uso Akpan Itam, a village in this clan has a waterfall that empties into a stream and there are trees that serve as an habitat for monkeys. It is however forbidden to kill and eat any of these monkeys.

4) Eating squirrels

For people who are from Afaha, another clan in Akwa-Ibom, it is said that they are not allowed to eat squirrels. Some sources say this is forbidden because the people of Afaha identify with the intelligence and quickness of squirrels.

5) Offending some family members

In Annang, the people also say it is a taboo to offend your grandchildren, grandparents and your in-laws. I guess this means any conflict that happens has to be resolved as soon as possible.