Obas of Benin

The Benin Empire was a pre-colonial empire situated in the western Africa country known as Nigeria in the forest region. Nigeria is located along the south west of Africa, surrounding countries are Niger, Benin, and Cameroon. This empire was located near the south west of Nigeria close to the coast. In summary the Benin Empire can be dated back to 1180-1897 C.E. the fall of the Empire is the result of the British Empire coming in and burning down the empire after the King of the empire grew…

In the 16th century, the Queen Mother Pendant Mask (pictured on the cover page) was created in the Kingdom of Benin to honor the Oba (King) Esigie’s mother, Idia, the first “Queen Mother” (or “iyoba”) of Benin.*************** (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum) The people who created this were known as the Edo people, also called “Bini”, who are located in today’s southern Nigeria and speak a Volta-Niger language, which is one of the branches of the Niger-Congo language family.…

providing for his family and seeing them through times of trouble is often described as being "on his head." Each new king or “Oba” of the Nigerian kingdom of Benin memorialized his father with a portrait cast in brass, made by craftsmen of the brass fraternity. The oba is often called a "Great Head," accentuating the head of the living leader as having the responsibility over the Benin kingdom. This head may have been made for the funeral of the king Ozolua or his son Esigye himself in 1551.The…

Let take a closer look at the spiritual life of African with the art of ritual masks. Africa is the country of masks and wooden statues. Men were the ones who used masks during ritual dances. The masks’ images were sublime. The majority of African masks were highly stylized - completely change the shape of face and body. The images were simplified; the sizes of the balance were changed. This unique feature was completely unfamiliar with the art of the Renaissance which held a high respect to…

Nearly 30% of the world’s gold comes from Africa, though a lot of it was mined and traded by ancient African kingdoms. Both the kingdom of Benin and the Swahili Coast rose to power due to inter-continental trading, they both declined and then eventually collapsed with decreased trading and conquering by Europeans. The kingdom of Benin started in the 900s CE when the Edo people settled in the West African rainforests. By 1400, the kingdom had gained a lot of wealth and power through trade with…

The Kingdom of Benin Kingdom of Benin, was an independent country located in West Africa, in the fifteenth century, it was the major power of the West Africa, which is the south west of Nigeria currently. It was first discovered by the Portuguese, when the Portuguese traders built some business relationship with the merchants of Benin, and this was the first cultural encounter between Benin and Europe, but how exactly did this cultural encounter influence on the people of Benin? And How Did it…

The two African Kingdom I will be comparing are the kingdom of Benin and the kingdom of Mali. I will be demonstrating the rise of each kingdom and the decline of kingdoms and the collapse on both kingdoms. The kingdom of Benin rose to power by trading goods. Benin Declined when a civil war erupted. It finally collapses when its territorial extent shrank rapidly. The kingdom of Mali rose to power because it was rich in gold. It began to decline when its political and military strength was…

difficult to date and decipher meaning, although some of the best work comes from the Benin Kingdom. Assumed to be established in the 13th century, most of its power rose along the 16th century. The kingship was considered sacred and presented artworks dedicated to honor oba,his family, and his ancestors. As represented with works such as the cast-brass royal shrine depicting oba twice as the head of the Benin culture, the figures suggested they were portable hand altars to celebrate achievement…

Queen Idia was a prominent figure in the Edo State of Nigeria who played an important role in Oba Esigie’s rise to power. Esigie had brass sculptures of her head made in order to recognize her military influence and achievements, and placed these heads in her alter after her death. In 1897, during the period in which Africa was under colonial rule by the British, British men “ransacked the Benin Empire” and forcefully took the heads away to display them as a representation of their imperial…

journey through the transitional abyss to the world of the ancestors, by committing willing suicide in a ritualistic manner. According to the traditional beliefs, contingent upon the proper performance of this ritual suicide by the king’s horseman Elesin Oba is the maintenance of the cosmic harmony and survival of the Yoruba world. However, for both lack of willpower and colonial intervention, the Elesin fails to commit ritual suicide. The consequence is disastrous: “The world is set adrift and…