MY CULTURE, MY TRADITION... (UKELLE)

I hail from a unique part of the world, which i would like to share about my culture with you all.
Ukelle People also known as Kukelle, Kelle or Kele people are found in Nigeria, they are related to the Tula, Calabar, Sukur, Verre people of Nigeria and they are considered to be part of the Niger-Congo family branch.

Ukelle make up half of the population of Yala local government area in cross river state, Nigeria, also they can be found in Nigeria’s States of Ebonyi including Effiom, Ntezi and Okpoto who are also known as Effiom or Uffiom, and the state of benue Utonkon who are also known as Uffia people and the language of Ukelle is known as Kukelle. The Ukelle major groups among them are Wanihem, Wanibolor, Wanikade, Uzenyi, Wanokom, Otikili, Uzekwe, Okom, all in the North Ukelle, and Uzilagar, Ijiraga, Uzikatom, Uzokom or Ujokom, Otiligom in the south, Ukelle there are also Effiom, Uffiom and Uffia in Ebonyi and benue states of Nigeria.

According to the history of the Ukelle people of Nigeria, It is believed their ancestors moved downwards from benue state, others contend that the ancestors may have moved from the Igboland or Igbo region, Ukelle share similarities with their neighbouring Igede and Yala people of cross river state and Ukelle region is bounded in the north by Igede people of Benue state, In the south by Izzi a subgroup of the Igbo in the Ebonyi state and in the east by Yala and Yatche people of cross river and Ukelle grow crops such as beans, yams, cassava, millet, sorghum, rice and other crops. In their Culture, the village assembly known as Ojilla is made up of Kings, Chiefs and youths until any settlement of Ukelle makes an Ojilla, they are considered an appendage of the nearest cross river state, Ojilla is used Interchangeably to refer to the village, its square or village assembly.

The burial of an Ukelle man or women is the responsibility of the deceased family and the village, a group of villages make up a clan known as essam such as Ogumogoum, Otuka and Opuolom each village are adjudicated by the assembly.