The Edo people, also referred to as the

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

people, are an Edoid-speaking

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

. They are prominently native to seven southern

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The ph ...

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. They are speakers of the

Edo language Edo (; English: , West African English: Help:IPA, /ˈedo/), also known as Bini, is the language spoken by the Edo people in Edo State, Nigeria. It was the primary language of the Benin Empire and its predecessor, Igodomigodo for thousands of y ...

and are the descendants of the founders of the

Benin Kingdom The Kingdom of Benin, also known as Great Benin, is a traditional kingdom in southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's c ...

, Ogiso Igodo. They are closely related to other Edoid ethnic groups, such as the Esan, the Etsakọ, the Isoko and Urhobo as well as other southern ethnic groups. The names ''

'' and ''Bini'' are Portuguese corruptions, ultimately from the word ''Ubini'', which came into use during the reign of Oba (ruler) Ewuare, c. 1440. ''Ubini'' is an Edo word meaning 'livable', used by Pa Idu, the

progenitor In genealogy, a progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; or ''Ahnherr'') is the founder (sometimes one that is legendary) of a family, line of descent, gens, clan, tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines Geschlec ...

of the

Edo state Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

people, to describe the area found as a livable locale during their sojourn from

lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ') is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, the Nile River split into sev ...

. ''Ubini'' was later corrupted to ''Bini'' by the mixed ethnicities living together at the centre; and further corrupted to ''

'' around 1485, when the Portuguese began trade relations with Oba Ewuare giving them coral beads, which the Edo people call 'Ivie'.

History

Administrative region

Edo people can be found in Nigeria's

, which got its name from the primary inhabitants of the region's most notable historical conglomeration,

Benin City Benin City serves as the Capital city, capital and largest Metropolitan area, metropolitan centre of Edo State, situated in Nigeria, southern Nigeria. It ranks as the List of Nigerian cities by population, fourth-most populous city in Niger ...

, which is also the central capital homeland of the Edo people. Edo people also have many related groups in their immediate surroundings also encompassed by the political and administrative borders of

. Most of these groups have traced their history back to the historical city center of the

people,

. Examples of such adjacent groups include various Afemai sub-groups, the Esan people of

and the Akoko Edo people situated on the state's northern borders. Edo state was formerly part of the old

Bendel state The Mid-Western Region was a division of Nigeria from 1963 to 1991, from 1976 being known as the Bendel state. It was formed in June 1963 from Benin and Delta provinces of the Western Region, and its capital was Benin City. It was renamed a pro ...

of early post-colonial Nigeria, also known as the Mid-Western Region, Nigeria. This region's influence and culture reflect those of the Edo, Urhobo, Esan and other Edo related peoples. There are also 18 local government areas in Edo. These are: Akoko Edo, Egor, Esan central,

Esan west Esan people, Esan West is a Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ekpoma. It has an area of 502 km and Esan West (Ekpoma) has an estimated population of over 1 ...

, Esan south-east, Esan north-east, Igueben, Ikpoba oka, Estako east, Estako west, Estako central, Oredo, Owan East, Owan west, Ovia north-east, Ovia south-west, uhunmwode, Orhionmwon Nigeria-karte-politisch-edo

Fashion

The Edo people have a very rich and flamboyant traditional fashion style. This is usually prominent during ceremonies such as weddings, coronation and the like. When it comes to cultural attire, the Edo people maintain a unique way of dressing. Coral bead accessories are a true passion for Edo women and men. Common attire includes coral beads, anklets,

raffia Raffia palms are members of the genus ''Raphia''. The Malagasy language, Malagasy name is derived from ' "to squeeze #Raffia wine, juice". The genus contains about twenty species of Arecaceae, palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and esp ...

work and so on. The men usually wear a white T-shirt or shirt and above it, a multicolored striped fabric. There are options with other patterns. The choice of

headdress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, decoration, or fo ...

depends on the preferences of a man. Some men even prefer to wear black

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

s as part of their traditional attire. It is also popular to choose a carved

walking stick A walking stick (also known as a walking cane, cane, walking staff, or staff) is a device used primarily to aid walking, provide postural stability or support, or assist in maintaining a good posture. Some designs also serve as a fashion acces ...

that makes a groom look like a true gentleman. Wearing a wrapper around the waist is also a tradition for many men. The cultural attire is usually accompanied by a cap or hat. The caps are often called headdress and are made either of a mesh of coral beads or of fabric. The women tie beautiful wrappers made from a variety of fabrics including

Velvet Velvet is a type of woven fabric with a dense, even pile (textile), pile that gives it a distinctive soft feel. Historically, velvet was typically made from silk. Modern velvet can be made from silk, linen, cotton, wool, synthetic fibers, silk ...

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

and george. They also wear the Ewu-ivie, a beaded cape or blouse. Women adorn their necks with coral beads known as Ivie-uru and wear the Ivie-obo on their hands and beaded earrings. Their handbag is made out of coral beads as well the Ekpa-ivie.

Traditional beliefs

In the traditional religion of the Edo, there exists, besides the human world, an invisible world of supernatural beings acting as interceders for the human world. Offerings are made to them in their respective shrines. Osanobua is the creator and Supreme God. His son/daughter Olokun is ruler of all bodies of water and is responsible for the prosperity and fertility of his/her human followers. Another son Ogun, is the patron god of metalworkers. The

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

'' Osanobua Noghodua'' means ''God Almighty''. The word ''Osanobua'' encompasses a large number of divine principles - including the divine state of being merciful, timeless, goodness, justice, sublimity, and supreme. In the Edo belief system, Osanobua has the divine attributes of

omnipresence Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present anywhere and everywhere. The term omnipresence is most often used in a religious context as an attribute of a deity or supreme being, while the term ubiquity is generally used to describ ...

(),

omniscience Omniscience is the property of possessing maximal knowledge. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, it is often attributed to a divine being or an all-knowing spirit, entity or person. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any ...

(), and

omnipotence Omnipotence is the property of possessing maximal power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as ...

(). The Supreme Deity is believed to be present everywhere and at all times.

Art and architecture

Traditional Edo art consists of widely identifiable sculptures, plaques and masks which reflect various spiritual and historical aspects of their cultural traditions. Some of the notable Edo art pieces include the mask of the Queen Mother Idia and a vast collection of historical Edo art pieces called the Benin Bronzes which can be found not only in Nigeria but further dispersed around the world, including in museums such as New York's

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Notable Edo people

* Ewuare II, the 40th Oba of Benin Kingdom from 2016–present. *Esther Erediauwa, the first wife of the 39th Oba of Benin kingdom, Oba Erediauwa. * Victor Uwaifo,

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

, writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor. * Peter Odemwingie, professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. * Charles Novia,

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, producer, screenwriter,

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and social commentator.african l * Osayuki Godwin Oshodin, former Vice-chancellor of University of Benin. * Benson Idahosa, evangelist, and founder of the Church of God Mission International. * Samuel Ogbemudia, politician and former military Governor of the Mid-West State * John Odigie Oyegun, politician and first national chairman of

All Progressives Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, t ...

(APC) in Nigeria * Victor Ikpeba, professional footballer. * Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state (2015 to 2019 under APC, and from 2019 under PDP) and businessman * Gabriel Igbinedion, Nigeria business man and esama of Benin kingdom. * Erhabor Emokpae, artists, director * Mercy Aigbe, is a Nigerian actress and filmmaker * Guosa Alex Guosa Igbineweka, Guosa Language Evolutionist, Creator: a Nigerian and ECOWAS indigenous zonal lingua-franca * Abel Guobadia, former Chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission * Jane Igharo, Nigerian-Canadian writer *Professor Osasere Orumwense, Vice-Chancellor of University of Benin * Suyi Davies Okungbowa, African fantasy and speculative fiction author * Archbishop John Edokpolo, Honourable Minister of Trade and Founder of Edokpolor Grammar School *Chief Jacob U. Egharevba, a Bini historian and traditional chief *

Kamaru Usman Kamarudeen Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler, and graduated folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championsh ...

, Nigerian mixed martial artist *Gbadamasi Agbonjor Jonathan ( MC Edo Pikin), Nigerian comedian * Rema, music artist * Johnny Drille, music artist * Shallipopi, music artist * Boy Spyce, music artist * Zerrydl, music artist * Ayo Edebiri, American actress and comedian

References

External links

Cultural Wars and National Identity - The Saga of the Yoruba and the Bini-Edo

Royal Art of Benin: The Perls Collection
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on the Edo people {{Authority control Ethnic groups in Nigeria