Leboku

Leboku is the annual New Yam Festival of the Yakurr people, which comprises Ugep, Idomi, Ekori, Mkpani, Nko, Nyima, Agoi and Asiga communities. The Leboku New Yam festival is peculiar to the core Yakạạ speaking communities of Idomi, Ugep, Ekori, Mkpani and Nko and the international version is unanimously celebrated in Ugep once in a year. This is celebrated to honor the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the land in Ugep, one of the five settlements of Yakurr. The three-week festival is the culmination of many events: the beginning of the yam harvest, a time to appease the gods and ancestors, a public parade of engaged maidens, a commemoration of events that led to the migration from the Yakurr ancestral home to the present site, and a period of holiday in the Yakurr traditional calendar (mid-August through mid-September). The Yakurr calendar runs from August to July. During the Leboku, people keep away from intense farming activities and exchange visits with their families. The Leboku is also meant to usher in peace, good health and prosperity.