Kalabari

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (October 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The Kalabari are a minority ethnic group located in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Kalabari means new Calabar (Calibar was an ancient and renowned city of South Nigeria). The Kalabari people are a combination of settlers from the Arochukwu region of the major Igbo tribe and other smaller groups known collectively as the Ijo people. The people were originally fishermen before the coming of the Portuguese to the West African coastline who opened up trade relations and later carried on the slave trade. The Kalabari, like most Nigerian coastline tribes, were wealthy as a result of their interactions with the Europeans. The wealthiest of the large families had access to early western education and culture and stood out in early Nigeria. However, they had little influence in Nigeria's political structure until recently.