|
Tribe Snapshots Benin Kingdom |
| Location: |
South central Nigeria |
| Population: |
n/a |
| Language: |
Edo (Kwa) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Nupe, Yoruba, Igbo, Igala |
| Types
of Art: |
n/a |
| History: |
The Benin Kingdom situated in southcentral Nigeria
dates to approximately 900 A.D. The first, or
Ogiso, dynasty lasted until 1170, at which time
Yoruba rule was imposed from the city of Ife.
Oranmiyan, the son of the Oni of Ife, was sent
to Benin City where he wed a Benin woman. She
bore him a son, Eweka I, who became the first
Benin Oba. Sometime during the 13th century, Iguegha,
a caster, was brought from Ife to craft memorial
heads of the Obas. Terracotta heads in collections
have been dated to the late 15th or 16th century
and were used by the Ogiso rulers on altars to
their paternal ancestors. Benin art became well
known to the West in 1897, after the British Punitive
Expedition sacked the city of Benin and brought
thousands of objects back to Europe as war booty.
See also the related entry for modern-day Yoruba
people.
See also the essay on African
States by Professor James Giblin. |
| Economy: |
n/a |
| Political
Systems: |
See the essay on African
States by Professor James Giblin. |
| Religion: |
n/a |
|
|
