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A Short History Of Benin
''A Short History of Benin'' is a non-fiction book by Jacob Egharevba, first published in 1934 by the Church Mission Society Press in Lagos. The book offers a historical perspective on the Benin Empire, a pre-colonial African state now part of Nigeria. The book is an English version of the author's earlier work in Edo language, Edo, ''Ekhere Vb' Itan Edo'', which was published in 1933. The book explores the beginnings, culture, and political structure of the Kingdom of Benin, Benin Empire, as well as the events leading to its Benin Expedition of 1897, invasion by Britain and Ovonramwen's exile in 1897. It also includes a chronology of the Oba of Benin, Obas (kings) of Benin from the 13th to the 20th century. The book is considered one of the earliest works of indigenous African historiography, as it was written by a native of Benin who had access to oral traditions and written sources from both the local and European perspectives. The book is appreciated for its simplicity, clar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacob Egharevba
Chief Jacob Uwadiae Egharevba (1893–1981) was a Bini historian and traditional chief whose writings specialized in the history of Benin Kingdom. Life Early life Egharevba was born in Idanre, Ondo State, His father was related to Ohenmwen, Iyase of Benin and his mother, Okunzuwa was the granddaughter of Ogie Ezomo I. His father was a trader but died in 1902. Egharevba spent part of his early childhood at the residence of his aunt in Idanre. His education was brief and irregular, he spent a year at St James' CMS School, Ibadan in 1899 and then an interval where he was out of school. He returned to studies at St David's School, Akure in 1911 before moving to St. Mathews, Benin. As a young boy, he worked part-time as a helper on canoes ferrying goods for sale between Benin Division and nearby cities. After finishing studies, Egharevba held a few low paying jobs. He worked as a water rate clerk in Benin but left the job in 1917 to work for the Public Works Department. In 1922, he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Itsekiri People
The Itsekiri (also called the Isekiri, ''iJekri'', ''Itsekri'', ''Ishekiri'', or Itsekhiri) are an ethnic group who mainly inhabit Nigeria's Niger Delta area. They speak a Yoruboid language and can be found in Ondo, Edo and Delta State. The Itsekiri population exceeds 1 million people, who live mainly in parts of Ondo, Edo and majorly in the Warri South, Warri North and Warri South West local government districts of Delta State on the Atlantic coast of Nigeria. Large Itsekiri indigenous communities and population can also be found in 7 other local government areas of delta state Okpe Local Government, Uvwie Local Government, Udu Local Government, Sapele Local Government, Ethiope West Local Government, Ethiope East Local Government, Burutu Local Government Areas in Delta Central senatorial district, and Delta South senatorial district of Delta State Nigeria. Other significant communities of Itsekiris can be found in parts of Edo and Ondo states and in various oth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ogiso Monarchy
The were the earliest known ruling monarchy of the Edo kingdom of Igodomigodo, founded by Igodo, the first Ogiso. The monarchy began around 900 AD and lasted until the early 12th century when it was succeeded by the Oba monarchy. The Ogiso monarchy influenced the early sociopolitical structure of the region by introducing centralised governance and laying the foundations for the Benin Empire. Throughout its existence, the Ogiso monarchy had thirty-one rulers and notable among them were Ogiso Igodo, the first ruler, and Ogiso Ere, who implemented several administrative and cultural reforms. This era saw the establishment of settlements, the integration of various chiefdoms, and the growth of proto-urban centers, with Udo and Benin City being prominent examples. The decline of the Ogiso monarchy began with the rule of the last Ogiso, Owodo, whose reign was marked by internal conflict and public dissatisfaction. This led to his banishment and a period of interregnum, during wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Fage
John Donnelly Fage (3 June 1921–6 August 2002) was a British historian who was among the first academics to specialise in African history, especially of the History of Africa#Medieval and Early Modern (6th to 18th centuries), pre-colonial period, in the United Kingdom and West Africa. He published a number of influential studies on West African history including ''Introduction to the History of West Africa'' (1955). He subsequently co-founded the ''Journal of African History'', the first specialist academic journal in the field, with Roland Oliver in 1960. Career Early life John Fage was born in Teddington in Middlesex, England on 3 June 1921. He was educated at Tonbridge School and Magdalene College, Cambridge from 1939 where he studied history but his studies were interrupted by World War II. Fage was conscripted into the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1942 and was posted to Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, Commonw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Igue Festival
Igue festival (also known as King's Festival) is a celebration with its origin in the Benin Kingdom of Edo State, southern Nigeria. One tradition states that the festival date coincided with the marriage of Ewuare Ewuare (also known as Ewuare the Great or Ewuare I), originally known as Prince Ogun, was the twelfth Oba of the Benin Empire from 1440 until 1473. Ewuare became king in a violent coup against his brother Uwaifiokun which destroyed much of Benin ... to a wife named Ewere. Celebrated between Christmas and New Year, the festival includes the Oba's blessing of the land and his people.The Igue festival also honors the memory of former Obas and spans a period of seven days. During the Igue ritual season, the Oba is prohibited from being in the presence of any non-native person. History The Igue Festival was initiated in the 14th century during the reign of Oba Ewuare I, who reigned in Benin between 1440 and 1473. Following Oba Ewuare I's experience whilst fighting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oba Eweka I
Eweka I (reigned 1200 AD – 1235 AD) was the first Oba of Benin and presided over the kingdom's shift from the Ogiso monarchy to the establishment of the Obaship. His 35-year reign had a notable impact on the political, cultural, and traditional aspects of the kingdom. Before Eweka I's rule, the Benin Kingdom faced uncertainty due to the banishment of Owodo, the last Ogiso, for misrule. Oduduwa, who was the father of Oromiyan had been exiled to Uhe (Ife), which eventually set the stage for Eweka I's ascension to power. The turning point occurred when Oduduwa sent his son, Oromiyan, to Benin as an emissary. Oromiyan's arrival was met with resistance, leading to his settlement in Usama, on the outskirts of Benin City. To gauge the loyalty of the Benin people, Oromiyan challenged them to care for a common louse for three years, symbolising their commitment to their potential king. Oromiyan resided in a palace constructed for him within the city of Benin. During his time there, he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oba Ewedo
Ewedo (born Efabo) was the fourth Oba of the Kingdom of Benin who reigned from . He was the only son and successor of Ehenmihen. He is credited with moving the seat of his government from Usama to the present palace site, introducing various gods and laws, and changing the name of the country from Ile or Ile-Ibinu to Ubini (Benin). He also reformed the political and administrative system of the kingdom, established a palace bureaucracy, and expanded the territory and influence of Benin. Background The Kingdom of Benin was one of the oldest and most influential states in West Africa. According to oral tradition, it was founded by the Ogiso (meaning "kings of the sky" or "rulers of heaven") who ruled from a mythical city called Igodomigodo. The Ogiso dynasty lasted for about 31 generations until the last Ogiso, Owodo, was deposed by a group of elders led by Chief Odion. The elders then sent an emissary to Ife, a Yoruba city-state, to ask for a king who would be related to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Obas Of Benin
The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Dahomey) has continued to be mostly populated by the Edo (also known as Benin ethnic group). The dynasty is sometimes called the "Eweka dynasty", after its first ruler, Eweka I, and was preceded by the Ogiso monarchy. In 1897, a British military force of approximately 1,200 men under the command of Sir Harry Rawson mounted the Benin punitive Expedition. The force was dispatched in retaliation to the ambush of a British party, at Ugbine village near Gwato on 4 January 1897 by a group of Benin soldiers who were acting without orders from the Oba; the ambush had led to the deaths of all but two of the British party. The British force captured the capital of the Kingdom of Benin, sacking and burning the city while forcing the Oba of Benin, Ovon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edo People
The Edo people, also referred to as the Benin City, Benin people, are an Edoid languages, Edoid-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group. They are prominently native to seven Edo South Senatorial District, southern Local government areas of Nigeria, local government areas of Edo State, Nigeria. They are speakers of the Edo language and are the descendants of the founders of the Benin Empire, Benin Kingdom, Ogiso Igodo. They are closely related to other Edoid languages, Edoid ethnic groups, such as the Esan people, Esan, the Etsakọ people, Etsakọ, the Isoko language, Isoko and Owan, Urhobo as well as other southern ethnic groups. The names ''Benin City, Benin'' and ''Bini'' are Portuguese people, Portuguese corruptions, ultimately from the word ''Ubini'', which came into use during the reign of Oba of Benin, Oba (ruler) Ewuare, c. 1440. ''Ubini'' is an Edo State, Edo word meaning 'livable', used by Pa Idu, the progenitor of the Edo state people, to describe the area found as a livable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eweka II
Aiguobasinwin Ovonramwen, Eweka II (died February 1933) was the thirty-sixth Oba of Benin, reigning from 1914 to 1933. He was the son of Ovonramwen (ruled 1888–1897), who was deposed by the British and exiled to Calabar following the British punitive expedition in Benin City in 1897. Aiguobasin Ovonramwen worked with the colonial government as a chief from 1902 onwards. Ovonramwen died in January 1914, and Aiguobasinwin Ovonramwen was enthroned as the Oba of Benin on 24 July 1914. He took the name Eweka II after the 13th-century founder of the dynasty and the first Oba of Benin, Eweka I. Eweka II rebuilt the royal palace, which had been destroyed and looted by the British in 1897. He also reestablished the traditional structure of the kingdom. The royal coral regalia of Ovonramwen Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, also called Overami, was the thirty-fifth Oba of Benin, Ọba of the Kingdom of Benin reigning from , up until the British Benin Expedition of 1897, punitive expediti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eweka I
Eweka I (reigned 1200 AD – 1235 AD) was the first Oba of Benin and presided over the kingdom's shift from the Ogiso monarchy to the establishment of the Obaship. His 35-year reign had a notable impact on the political, cultural, and traditional aspects of the kingdom. Before Eweka I's rule, the Benin Kingdom faced uncertainty due to the banishment of Owodo, the last Ogiso, for misrule. Oduduwa, who was the father of Oromiyan had been exiled to Uhe (Ife), which eventually set the stage for Eweka I's ascension to power. The turning point occurred when Oduduwa sent his son, Oromiyan, to Benin as an emissary. Oromiyan's arrival was met with resistance, leading to his settlement in Usama, on the outskirts of Benin City. To gauge the loyalty of the Benin people, Oromiyan challenged them to care for a common louse for three years, symbolising their commitment to their potential king. Oromiyan resided in a palace constructed for him within the city of Benin. During his time there, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagos State
Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest in terms of land mass. Bounded to the south by the Bight of Benin and to the west by the Benin–Nigeria border, international border with Benin for 10 km, Lagos State borders Ogun State to the north for about 283 km, making it the only Nigerian state to border only one other state. Named for the city of Lagos—the List of urban areas in Africa by population, most populous city in Africa—the state was formed from the Western Region, Nigeria, Western Region and the former Federal Capital Territory on 27 May 1967. Geographically, Lagos State is dominated by bodies of water with nearly a quarter of the state's area covered with bodies of water. The largest of these bodies are the Lagos Lagoon, Lagos and Lekki Lagoon, Lekki lagoo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
