For many centuries, the Efik people have lived near the Cross River, in what is today Nigeria, which is located in West Africa, on the west coast. The Efik people worshipped the god Abassi as the creator of all. Worship and ritual were personal and part of family life; there were no priests or churches. Their creation story is a tale of humans defying the gods in order to become wiser and more powerful.

Abassi, God of the Universe

Before Abassi, there was nothing. Abassi was god of the Universe and giver of life, death, and justice. He was so powerful that he could create life, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. Some say that Abassi was the Sun, and they worshipped it as it rose and set every day. Abassi lived in the sky with his wife, Atai, who was a wise goddess, who often gave Abassi good advice.

Abassi created the stars, the Earth, and all the wildlife upon it, and he also created two humans, a man and a woman. These humans lived with Abassi and Atai in the sky. They were very innocent and had little knowledge. Abassi and Atai looked after them, protected them, and even fed them, because they did not know how to feed themselves. One day, the humans were looking down from the sky at the Earth, and they decided they wanted to live there. But when they asked Abassi if they could leave the sky and live on the Earth, he forbade it. The Earth was a place with many secrets, and where many things could be learned, and Abassi feared the humans’ wisdom would one day match his own, or even surpass it.

Atai proposed a compromise: The humans could live on Earth, but they had to return to the sky every day to have their meals, and they were forbidden to learn to hunt or farm. They were also forbidden to marry and have children, because a large nation of people might one day challenge the power of Abassi.

For a while, this plan worked. The humans returned to the sky every day to take their meals. However, one day, the woman decided she was sick of being fed like a helpless child, so she went out into the fields and began to farm. When the time came for dinner, she defiantly refused to return to the sky with the man.

The next day, the man visited the woman in the fields and saw she was growing her own food. He decided to help her. Before long, the man and woman fell in love, and they did not return to the sky again. Many years went by, and they had many children. When those children were old enough, they joined their parents working in the field. They all continued to learn the secrets of the Earth and teach them to each other.

The humans tried to hide their children from Abassi, but the god saw them, and he grew very angry. He blamed his wife, Atai, because she had convinced him to let the humans live on Earth. As Abassi had feared, the humans were gaining wisdom and growing in number.

But Atai had a plan: In order to prevent the humans from growing too powerful, she sent evil into the world in the form of death and discord. The evil was so strong that the man and woman immediately died. Since then, humanity has suffered the ills of the world and argued among themselves. But because their mother and father defied the gods, the humans have continued to learn the secrets of the Earth.