Duke Town, originally known as Atakpa, is an Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southern Nigeria.

[1] They had become a power on the coast of the Bight of Biafra by the early 18th century, by which time the Duke and Eyamba families were their leaders.

They were settled in large, fortified villages along the waterways, in a loose federation with no paramount ruler, living by fishing and farming.

One tradition says that Abasi's wife Atai persuaded him to let two of their children, a daughter and son, settle on the earth.

[3] The religion places importance on paying tribute to the village ancestors, particularly those who achieved high rank, since they can affect the fortunes of the living for good or bad.

The earth deity Ala is appeased through the Ogbom ceremony, which makes children plentiful and increases the harvest.

They made detailed wood carvings, masks, and accouterments that are considered complex works of art.

[8] Dukes Town is believed to have been founded in about 1650 according to historians Ekei Essien Oku and Efiong U.

[11] From 1725 until 1750, roughly 17,000 enslaved Africans were sold from Calabar to European slave traders; from 1772 to 1775, the number soared to over 62,000.

The British said they would treat the people of Calabar favorably if they would give up their practice of human sacrifice.