Ethnonyms: Afemai, Afenmai, Etsako, Etsakor, Iyekhee/Yekhee, Ivbiosakon/Ivbiesakon.
Total population: 952,063
Ethnolinguistic classification: Niger-Congo β Atlantic-Congo β Volta-Niger β Edoid β North-Central Edoid
Homeland: Edo North
Regions with significant populations: the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Edo, Auchi, Etsako Central, Agenebode, Afuze, Owan West, Igarra
Languages and dialects: Atte, Enwan, Etsako, Ikhin, Uneme, Etsako/Afemai, Auchi, Avainwu/Fugar, Aviele, Ekperi, Ivhiadaobi, South Ibie, Uwepa-Uwano/Weppa Wanno, Uzanu, Anegbette, Udochi, Imiava, Uzairue, Agbede, Avhianwu, Jagbe, Ivbiaro, Warrake, North-Ibie, Okpella/Okpekpe.
Religion: Christianity, Islam, and African traditional religions
The Afemai, also spelled Afenmai, are an umbrella ethnocultural group in northern Edo State, Nigeria, concentrated in what is commonly called Edo North and organized across six local government areas: Etsako West, Etsako Central, Etsako East, Owan East, Owan West, and Akoko Edo. They are not a single village or a single homogeneous clan, but a cluster of related kingdoms and communities with closely connected speech varieties and shared traditions, including Etsako, Owan, Ora, Uzairue, Weppa-Wanno, Uneme, Ekperi, North Ibie, South Ibie, and Okpella-related communities. Historical accounts commonly trace their ancestry to migrations from Benin during the reign of Oba Ewuare, and that Benin connection remains important in how Afemai identity is remembered and narrated. Their culture is strongly grounded in agriculture and local subsistence life, especially farming, fishing, and hunting, while public life is marked by ritual practice, traditional worship, music, dance, and festivals; the Edo State Government specifically describes Afemai culture as diverse and shaped by long interaction with neighboring peoples. One of the most distinctive expressions of Afemai performance culture is the ancestral masquerade tradition: Britannica notes that Afemai masqueraders use richly colored, close-fitting costumes, face masks, and elaborate embroidered headpieces, producing a dance style that becomes increasingly rapid and forceful as it reaches its climax.
