Ukwa Tee · Plate XX · Clan of the Palm Frond · Pre-Order (Ships ASAP)

Ukwa is an Efik clan of the palm country. The plate draws a single palm frond as a surveyor's specimen.

Navy shirt carries ivory and gold ink; white shirt carries navy. Full-front print.

History

Ukwa held the palm country, and in the Calabar world the oil palm was destiny. When the Atlantic trade turned from people to produce in the 19th century, palm oil became the wealth of the coast — the "legitimate trade" that filled the casks bound for Liverpool — and clans of the palm belt like Ukwa supplied the harvest that kept Old Calabar rich. The frond on this plate is drawn as a specimen because that is what it was: the single most valuable plant in the country, and the emblem of peace besides.