Ndarake The Slit Drummer Of The Gods
It was the early hours of the day, in Nung Ikpong (Ikpọọñ) Village, which is present-day Mberibit Itam. A young boy was born with two unusual items clutched in his hands: a silver-colored drumstick and another carved with ancestral symbols. His father, a woodcarver named Okokon Dara Ikpong, was filled with elation. The date was September 3, 1964, a time when Akwa Ibom and Cross River States were not yet separate entities. This region was known as the Calabar Province, under the Eastern Region of Nigeria.
Though Nigeria had only recently gained independence from the British, and the nation was gripped by serious political turmoil, none of it seemed to touch Mr. Okokon. He was completely engrossed in the sheer happiness of celebrating the birth of his first and only child. As the midwife, Mma Iquo, lifted the newborn to him, Okokon, beaming with joy, noticed that the child appeared shy, as if hiding a secret. The baby's hands were tucked tightly between his thighs. When Okokon tried to pull them out, as tradition demanded, to present the child to the celebrating villagers, the hands remained stuck.
Confused and surprised, Okokon mounted his white horse bicycle and rode hastily to the shrine of Ikanganyong ("Fires of the sky"), the village's chief priest. He intended to recount the strange event to the man often called Ete ifiọk ("father of wisdom").
As Okokon reached the entrance of the shrine, located in the Akai Ekpo (Forest of the masquerade), he bent down to remove his shoes. At that very moment, Ikanganyong began to speak, his voice filled with ancient Ibibio proverbs.
"O Ikpong! Mkpọ iba unam fien akañ keed. Idara ye mfʌghọ." Translated: "Oh Ikpong, two things have happened to you all at once. Joy and sorrow."
"The first is," he continued, "mkpufiopufiop adisọrọ ke flawa mfo. A-awọttọ uwem." Translated: "A butterfly has perched on your flower, signifying life."
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