Ohafia Women with Traditional Long Braids

Image Fashion

A photograph depicting two Ohafia women from behind with braids extending down their backs.

Ohafia women with long braids. From Rev. William T. Weir, The Women's Missionary Magazine of the United Free Church of Scotland, 1904.

A photograph depicting two Ohafia women from a posterior perspective, showing traditional long braids that extend from the head down the spinal column. The subjects have bare upper torsos and wear light-colored fabric wraps around the hips. The image originates from The Women's Missionary Magazine of the United Free Church of Scotland, 1904. This cultural practice is associated with Ohafia, where historical records and folktales mention women warriors known as dike nwaàmị̀.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

May 12, 2026

In early 20th-century Ohafia, the long braids extending down the back seen in this photograph were a distinctive and fashionable style. The society's structure is characterized by the traditional passing of farmland rights through the maternal line. While the Ekpè society was typically exclusive to men, historical records indicate that some women were occasionally admitted.

Onyeka Nwokike

May 12, 2026

Ohafia folklore and history record the existence of women warriors known as dike nwaàmị̀ who played roles in restoring family honor. As detailed in Dike Nwaàmị̀ Ọ̀hafị̄ā, Nne Mgbaafo is a legendary figure who ventured into Ibibio territory in war gear to rescue her kidnapped husband. Another figure, Inyan Olugu, secured her household's status by killing five enemies with her husband's gun after he was mocked as an onye ụjọ (coward) for failing to take heads in battle. She presented these heads to the ikòrò, an ancestral slit drum used for sacrifices.

Onyeka Nwokike

May 12, 2026

Nne Uko Uma Awa of Akanu Ohafia is a notable figure who led girls in a ritual hunt normally reserved for boys following divine instruction. She adopted male warrior attire, including the òkpu agụ (leopard cap), performed the iri agha (war dance), and was admitted into the Ekpè society.