Abstract:
The centrality of land to the identity and livelihood of a people is unquestionable. Land has been
used from time immemorial to promote economic growth, human development and spiritual
development of a people. This paper is historical, library based and reviews the Jewish and Ibibio African Traditional perspectives on Land and its resources. It was discovered that all land belongs to
God, the community/nation, and that the rights to land were conveyed through oral history/ancestors
and not formally documented. It seems to me there has always been a very close link between
people's faith and their status or relationship to the land. One does not have to look far for an
example of this relationship. The Bible itself, particularly in the books that make up Deuteronomistic
History, starts with a story of a people, of a community in transit, a community in search of a
Promised Land, a community in motion on a journey that has been prompted by a promise, a
community with a goal, a goal that has taken precedence over everything else in their lives: the
search for land they could call their own, a piece of land they could call home. These people's
journey is not merely a product of their intellectual genius or innovation. It is a process in which God
is involved, a process in which the role and presence of God is paramount. Thus, the journey in
which these people are involved is not just physical but also spiritual. It is a spiritual process
undertaken in obedience to God's calling. It is an exercise undertaken in trust in the promise that
God has made. The spirituality that motivates drives and even propels this people is, therefore, at
least primarily, a spirituality of possessing their own land. A piece of land in their own name, a piece
of land to which their identity as a people is linked or a piece of land from which their identity can be
traced. It seems to me as if these people were unable to think of someone being human if they did not
have a piece of land that they could call their own. This link between spirituality and the land seems
to apply not only to ancient Israel. Rather, it seems to be a common denominator in the life and faith
of all traditional religious communities, including the Ibibio of Akwa Ibom State. An abstract
spirituality that does not spring from the people's daily live, work and experiences seems to be alien
and inconsistent with the biblical tradition. Spirituality seems to be always socially, culturally and
even economically conditioned, determined and shaped. In Ibibioland, the umbilical cord of a
new born baby is buried in the land. When a boy is circumcised, the foreskin and blood is also
buried in the land. The sacredness of Land in Africa is further linked to the fact that the dead are
buried in it. The belief that land is a gift from God and the ancestors has not left any indigenous
people. The Jews and the Ibibio continue to see themselves as stewards of God's resources,
especially of communally owned land. This review recommends that all resources should continue to
belong to the community/nation, but that opportunities should be given to individuals and groups that
belong to the community.
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