CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
This research sets out to investigate, describe, and analyze the problems and influence of Enwang mother tongue on Enwang Secondary School children attempting to learn English as a foreign and target language. This chapter is concerned with introductory matters such as the preamble to the study, background to the study, statement of problem, research questions, purpose of the study, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study. In fact, it is under this introductory chapter that we are going to state the problems and situations which triggered off this research.
It is under this sub-section of chapter one that we are going to explain the background of the people and children whom this study is specifically concerned, which are Ebughu people, and children in secondary school, specifically.
According to Uya (1984:21), the Enwang, one of the group that inhabit the Mbo littoral called Effiat Mbo, today live principally in the villages of Eyukut, Ejejai, Ubotuong, Ukoakpan, Ekiebongs, Eyudombo, Uba, Ibete, Ibot Ikot and Udingi. Except for Ibot Ikot and Udingi, the other villages are contiguous, and generally referred to as “Atai Enwang” (real Enwang) was estimated at about 25,000 making Enwang the largest group in the Effiat Mbo area. Initially grouped in the Effiat Clan, Enwang is now grouped with villages of Afaha Okpo, and there have been intermittent moves to have Enwang carved out as a separate clan.
There are basically two competing traditions on the origin and migrations of the Enwang to their present location (Uya, 1984:22). The first of this two traditions associates Enwang with the alleged movements of the Oron Ukpabang from “Usiak utin” (the East) to the Cameroons area. From there, along with the Ukpabang, the emigrants entered Nigeria in the Andoni region where they stayed for a while. Subsequent migration from Andoni brought the Enwang and the Oron to the present areas they occupy. This tradition thus associates Enwang with the Oron group, especially the Okpo group/clan and this explains the recent inclusion of Enwang in the Okpo clan. One informant, Chief Okwong Otioro aged 65 years claims that Enwang was the grandson of Okpo, founder of the Okpo clan in Oron. He said that his parents told him that Enwang people came to settle at Calabar after they had lived at Ibom near Arochukwu.
The second tradition links the Enwang people with the Efik of Old Calabar. Indeed, there has been the tendency to see the Enwang as one of the original Eburutu clans that dispersed from Ibom to Uruan. According to this tradition, the four Eburutu clans that arrived Uruan from Ibom were Abayen, Usuk Akpan, Enwang and Iboku. It is further claimed that the Enwang, along with Abayen and usuk-Akpa actually left Uruan before the final exit of the Iboku to Creek Town area. The Enwang are unanimous in linking their ancestory to that of the Efik. One of our informants declared:
Enwang was one of the Efik clans before the Europeans came to their area. We have always been known as Enwang. The father of the Efiks and Enwangs was Eburutu. We all settled at Igboland and Uruan before we left and settled at Calabar because of trouble and war. (Chief Okwong Otioro from Enwang Uda)