Object number
AE:L.1934.4
Edo designations
English designations
Male Figure
Categories
Figures
Location
Kildare St, Dublin 2, Ireland
Loading...
Male Figure
Male Figure
Male Figure

Iconographies

4 annotations
Iconography image
Udahae
Beaded forehead band

The Udahae is a forehead band made from coral beads and worn by chiefs. Sometimes a white Igan (feather) from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) is tucked into the left side of the Udahae. According to Benin oral tradition, the Udahae was introduced by Ọba Ezoti, the first son of Ọba Ewuare I. During his coronation, Ezoti was shot in the forehead with a poisoned arrow. To stop the bleeding, a band of red beads was wrapped around his forehead while he made public appearances. Fourteen days later, he died from his wound. Since then, Benin chiefs have worn the red-beaded Udahae around their foreheads to commemorate the cap used by Ezoti to stop the bleeding (Egharevba 1968, p. 21).

1 annotation
Udahae
Colar Bead
Odigba
Coral beaded collar

Odigba (coral-beaded collar) is a rigid neck collar made of coral beads, worn as part of ceremonial attire only by senior princes who have been made Enigie. Although Ibafe (2007, p. 43) argued that the Odigba was introduced during the Ogiso period (c. 900–c. 1170 AD) by Ogiso Ere, along with other symbolically important Emwin Arhe, such as the Ada (ceremonial sword) and the Ẹbẹn (ceremonial sword), this seems unlikely, as coral was only introduced in the late 15th century through trade with Portuguese merchants.

1 annotation
Odigba
Iconography image
Ẹgogo
Gong

Ẹgogo (gongs) hold significant importance in Benin art and ritual, serving as powerful instruments with both practical and symbolic roles. Ivory gongs, especially “double-bell” types, were highly prized and reserved for the royal court, particularly those made entirely of ivory, which were used exclusively by the Ọba. The whiteness of ivory Ẹgogo symbolises purity and peace and is linked to sacred Orhue (white kaolin chalk) and the deity Olokun (Blackmun 2007, cat. no. 60, p. 315).

When depicted in the imagery of the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures), Ẹgogo are usually held by figures such as the Ọba or high-ranking chiefs, illustrating their historical and ongoing use as idiophones during ceremonies and festivals. The Ọba dances with an ornately carved ivory Ẹgogo during the Emobo festival, which takes place three days after the Iguẹ festival (Ben-Amos 1995, p. 108).

1 annotation
Ẹgogo
Iconography image
Ukpan obọ eva
Crossed Beaded Baldrics

The Ukpan obọ eva (coral-bead crossed baldrics) were worn as part of the ehaingbehia, the full ceremonial regalia, by only high-ranking members of the palace, including the Ọba himself, the Iy’Ọba, the Edaiken, and the Ezọmọ (Ben-Amos 1999, pp. 68, 141; Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 70, pp. 322–323).

1 annotation
Ukpan obọ eva

Provenance

3 events
Production
unknown to 1934
The object was produced in Benin City.
Unknown
unknown to 1934
The object is known to have come into contact with W. A. Lumley, in Nigeria.
Unknown
1934
The object is known to have come into contact with W. A. Lumley and the National Museum of Ireland, later in Dublin.

Institution data

National Museum of Ireland
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2022-07-13
Language: english
Institution fieldValue
Object number
object id
AE:L.1934.4
Object name
designation
object type
figure
Description
description
Wooden carved figure. Benin, Nigeria.
Production place
production place
Benin City, Nigeria, West Africa, Africa
Acquisition source
prior source
Lumley, W.A. (Reverend)
Notes
notes
Images
images
License
license
"This image is reproduced with the kind permission of the National Museum of Ireland, in whom the copyright vests. The image may not be copied in any form or medium, nor made available by any means without the consent of the copyright owner."
Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here