Abasi

Abasi refers to the Supreme Creator God in the language of the Efik people of Nigeria and Cameroon. The Efik people are a branch of the Ibibio, who are often called Calabar. The Efik have devised an elaborate narrative about the existence and function of the Almighty God, Abasi. Although there are variations to the account as given by the elders and priests of the people, the general contours of the account are the same.

According to the belief of the Efiks, the wife of Abasi, whose name was Atai, convinced him to allow their adult children, one man and one woman, to settle on the Earth, but to prohibit them from reproducing or working the land. The idea, according to Efik understanding, was that the ...