Bakossi names, naming culture and identity

Names form part of the culturally inherited values under threat in Bakossi. The impact of change, as seen in Bakossi naming practice, leads to the questioning of Bakossi identity. This paper examines the role of names in constructing identity and especially how this is achieved following the historical and cultural background of the Bakossi naming practice. The paper demonstrates how this age-old naming practice has undergone some deviation. What Bakossi names stand for is a scenario of uninterrupted succession of family, society, natural environment (animal, plants, fields, hills), and historical events which form a relationship between culture and power.