CULTURAL HERITAGE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE UGEP PEOPLE OF YAKURR, CROSS RIVER STATE, 1960-2010

ABSTRACT This study examines the cultural heritage and social structure of the Ugep people of Yakurr, Cross River State, between 1960 and 2010, a period marked by accelerated social change. It explores how core institutions age-grade associations, kinship and lineage systems, the authority of the Obol Lopon and council of elders, festivals (notably Leboku), indigenous religious practices, and the Lokaa language have been preserved, adapted, or displaced under the pressures of schooling, Christianity, urban migration, market integration, and mass media. The research employs a qualitative, historical approach, with primary data generated through oral interviews with elders, traditional office holders, artisans, farmers, traders, and youth; field observation during community events and festival preparations; and a short questionnaire on language use, festival participation, and attitudes toward traditional institutions. These were complemented by archival materials, including local government files, festival records, and church registers, as well as secondary sources such as books, articles, and theses. Data were analyzed thematically, triangulating oral, archival, and documentary evidence to establish continuity and change across the period. The study finds strong institutional resilience in age-grades, chieftaincy, and communal dispute-resolution, alongside selective change such as increasing religious syncretism, declining everyday use of Lokaa among urban youth, and shifting gender and generational roles. A form of hybrid governance emerged, with elected local authorities coexisting with traditional leadership. Modern schooling and migration widened opportunities but also reduced participation in certain custodial roles, including ritual specialists and oral historians. The study concludes that safeguarding Ugep heritage requires documentation of rituals and oral histories, language revitalization initiatives, integration of cultural content in schools, support for community festivals, and structured collaboration between traditional councils, local government, churches, and youth groups.