I came across these amazing works, after visiting the British Museum this week. And in as much as majority of them were stolen, and the UK makes a decent amount of money off the exhibition of these wonderful works - it's amazing that the handlers at the British museum have been able to keep everything intact.

Arts and crafts represent civilisation and the consciousness of the people at a point in history - just to show how evolved they were. And most of these works were made without contacts with other races - pure indigenous genius and creativity. Evidently, from that perspective - it shows people in present day Nigeria were just as civilised as the rest of the world.

Brass helmet mask for the Ododua ritual

Edo peoples, 18th century AD
From Benin, Nigeria

In addition to his executive powers and duties, the Oba (king) of Benin also performed a number of rituals throughout the year. Guilds of specialists such as drummers, shield-bearers, carvers, brass-casters and weavers provided regalia and ritual objects. The cycle of ceremonies coincides with the agricultural cycle, but they are also concerned with the strengthening of the kingdom.

The first festival of the year is the Ikhurhe which is performed to purify the land in preparation for planting. This is followed by the Bead Festival, Ugie Ivie, in remembrance of ancestral warrior kings. The two most important rituals are the Ugie Erha Oba, in honour of the king's deceased father, and the Igue which strengthens the king's mystical powers. Igue includes the presentation of gifts by the Oba to his chiefs, dances in ceremonial costumes, animal sacrifices to the king, and the application of magical substances onto his body. On the last day children carry torches to drive away evil spirits from the town and gather ewere leaves or 'leaves of joy' on the outskirts of the town which are then taken home as symbols of hope and happiness.

This brass helmet is used in the Ododua ritual, in honour of the father of Oranmiyan, the legendary founder of the ruling dynasty. The dance is performed by seven masqueraders who wear brass helmets and carry ceremonial swords to signify their high status. They dance back and forth before the Oba seven times as a sign of their commitment and loyalty.

P. Girshick Ben-Amos, The art of Benin (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

Brass head for use in the worship of Osun

Edo peoples, 18th century AD
From Benin, Nigeria

Osun is one of a number of deities worshipped in Benin. His power lies in plants of the forests. Magical specialists, or ebo, use herbs and plants to create magical or medicinal potions.

In the eighteenth century, the Obas (kings) of Benin developed a new form of representing their magical and mystical powers through brass heads such as these. This example has snakes issuing from the eyes and nostrils, and a crown of birds, both creatures being closely associated with Osun. Birds were often sited on the top of palaces and have prophetic and protective powers. The stone axes on the forehead are associated with lightning and its destructive powers.

P. Girshick Ben-Amos, The art of Benin (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

A bronze huntsman

From: Lower Niger, Nigeria
Date: 16th - 18th century AD

This brave hunter has his dog beside him and a dead antelope slung over his shoulders.

The statue was made using the 'lost wax' method. First, a rough clay figure was made. Next the clay was covered in beeswax, which was modelled into the shape of the hunter. More layers of clay were added round the outside. It was then fired in an oven. This made the wax melt, leaving a gap between the two layers of clay ('losing' the wax). Next, very hot liquid (molten) metal was poured into the gap left by the wax. When the object had cooled, the outside clay was broken off, showing the bronze huntsman inside. Some statues are still made like this today.

Carved wooden figure (okega)

Igala, probably early 20th century AD
From Nigeria

Horned carving with figures

These horned carvings usually depict one or more figures, often with a sword or machete in the right hand; similar figures known as ikenga are made by the neighbouring Igbo people. They act as personal Altars of the Hand for Igala and Igbo men and represent their owners' manual prowess and achievement in various pursuits such as warfare, hunting, fishing and farming. Sacrifices are made to these figures before important actions are undertaken, though after the owner dies they are often split and discarded. Personal achievement in the fields of warfare and hunting are no longer so important, though the figures retain the imagery relating to these activities.

Carved wooden figure (ivwri)

Urhobo, 19th century AD
From Nigeria

This sculpture combines attributes of bird, wild animal and human within a single figure. It would originally have formed merely one element of a complex shrine.

The ivwri figure is associated with human aggression against attackers and focuses on individual hostility against external provocation. According to Urhobo oral history ivwri are considered to be the foundation of a new village. In earlier centuries success was measured in terms of the accumulation or loss of people through dangerous activities such as the slave trade. Ivwri are usually associated with a bold, male ancestor engaged in such activities, and offer protection for the whole community and his descedants.

T. Phillips (ed.), Arts of Africa (London, Royal Academy, 1997)

Brass plaque showing the Oba of Benin with attendants

Edo peoples, 16th century AD
From Benin, Nigeria

Stories of royalty in brass

There are over nine hundred plaques of this type in various museums in England, Europe and America. Many of the plaques now in The British Museum were collected during the British Punitive Expedition in 1897. They are thought to have been made in matching pairs and fixed to pillars in the Oba's palace in Benin City.

The plaques show aspects of Benin court life in the sixteenth century, shortly after Europe's first contact with West Africa. Benin society was highly structured with a King (Oba) who was believed to be a direct descendant of Oranmiyan, the legendary founder of the dynasty. The Oba was also the head of government, collecting taxes, controlling trade and was the owner of all land in the country. He had two classes of chiefs, Palace and Town Chiefs who were responsible for the administration of the kingdom. The Palace Chiefs were from rich families and belonged to three associations: Iwebo, who looked after the Oba's regalia, organized the guilds of craftsmen, and conducted negotiations with Europeans; Ibiwe, who were responsible for the Oba's family, and Iweguae, who provided the domestic staff of officials and servants for the palace.

This plaque shows an Oba surrounded by his attendants, two of whom are depicted holding up their shields in a formal protective stance. Only the Oba was allowed to be shaded in this way within the city.

P. Girshick Ben-Amos, The art of Benin (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

Ife head: Brass head of a ruler

Wunmonije Compound, Ife, Nigeria, probably 1300s – early 1400s

This head is one of the most famous objects in the British Museum's ethnographic collections.

In January 1938 workmen were digging foundations for a new house in Wunmonije Compound in the city of Ife, in what is now south-western Nigeria. While clearing away the topsoil they struck metal and further digging revealed a group of cast heads.

This accidental find led to the eventual discovery of 17 heads in brass and copper and the broken top half of a king figure.

This magnificent head was one of those discovered in Wunmonije Compound. It was purchased in Ife by Mr Bates, then editor of the Nigerian Daily Times and was subsequently acquired by Sir (later Lord) Kenneth Clark, Director of the National Gallery, acting on behalf of the National Art Collections Fund for the British Museum.

This head clearly portrays a person of status and authority. The elaborate headdress probably represents a crown. It has a central band which appears to include numerous glass or stone beads of different shapes and sizes. A fringe of feathers is indicated along the crown’s peaked front. The back of the neck is hidden by a beaded and plaited cover.

Most striking perhaps is the plaited crest rising from the front of the crown with a beaded conical boss at its base. Traces of red and black paint are evident throughout.

The finds from Wunmonije Compound were published in 1938-9 and created a sensation in the western world. It was initially assumed that these beautiful sculptures could not have been made in Africa by African artists. The naturalism of the works gave them a portrait-like appearance and comparisons were immediately made with masterpieces from European traditions.

The sculptures from Ife are now rightly seen as one of the highest achievements of African art and culture.

Bronze figure of a hornblower

Edo peoples, late 16th - early 17th century AD
From Benin, Nigeria

This figure depicts one of the retinue of the Oba (king) of Benin sounding a side-blown horn. It is typical of those objects which might have been found on altars in the Benin royal court of the late sixteenth / early seventeenth century which were dedicated to the Oba's ancestors. Early European accounts, such as Olfert Dapper's Description de l'Afrique (Amsterdam, 1686), illustrate musicians of this type.

P. Girshick Ben-Amos, The art of Benin (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

Ceramic altar for the new yam harvest festival

Igbo, probably late 19th century AD
From Nigeria

Around the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Igbo people of southern Nigeria made clay altars or shrines with a number of figures. The main crop of the Igbo was yam, and these altars were used at the new yam harvest festival to help produce good harvests and to emphasize the importance of the family in Igbo society.

This example consists of a central male chief holding a drinking-horn in his left hand and a fan in his right, both signs of his status. Either side of him are two pregnant women, probably his wives, with elaborate hairstyles and scarification, and holding fans. Seated in front is a servant or child with a fowl, possibly a sacrifice for the yam deity, Ifejioku.

In this region, as in most of sub-Saharan Africa, the potters are women. Normally only men are permitted to make representational and naturalistic figures. However, the creator of this piece was probably a post-menopausal woman who was perceived by society as having relinquished her female status.

T. Phillips (ed.), Africa, the art of a continent (London, Royal Academy, 1995)

Gelede mask of a European

Yoruba people, Nigeria
19th century AD

Gelede is one of the Yoruba's three major masking traditions. This mask, made of wood, wool and raw cotton, is of a European; outsiders are often used in masquerade as a symbol of external powers. They are depicted as caricatures and their mannerisms are often skilfully ridiculed as a way of affirming local values and identity. Headdresses portraying Europeans may have been used during the colonial period to criticise the policies of the colonial administration.

The Gelede tradition aims to appease aje or 'the mothers' who control fertility, life, and the death of children through dance, mask, costume and poetry. It is said that a woman, Yewejabe, first danced Gelede, although only men do so today. Gelede usually takes place between March and May and the masks are danced in pairs during ceremonies to promote social harmony and well-being in the community.

Pair of door panels and a lintel

Yoruba people, Nigeria
About AD 1910-14

These door panels and lintel were carved for the royal palace at Ikere in Nigeria. They seem to commemorate the Ogoga (king) receiving the British administrator, Captain Ambrose, for the first time in 1901.

Ambrose is shown seated in a hammock on the right panel. Around him are soldiers, shackled prisoners and porters carrying boxes of cowrie shells, collected as taxes. A second British official, depicted on horseback above Captain Ambrose, has been identified as Major Reeve-Tucker, appointed first travelling commissioner for Ondo province at the turn of the nineteenth century. The dignified figure of the Ogoga sits on a European-style chair on the left panel. His senior wife stands directly behind him; other wives and children, palace officials and slaves are shown above and below. The lintel shows birds attacking the eyes of human faces. This human sacrifice was thought to be essential in the worship of certain gods.

The panel was carved by Olowe of Ise (about 1875-1938), a celebrated artist who created sculptures for royal patrons. He was locally renowned at the time and today is regarded by many as one of the most significant Yoruba artists of the twentieth century. He introduced innovative techniques that emphasized texture and movement: his figures were invariably carved in extremely high relief, with long angular bodies and a bold use of colour. Heads are often turned towards the viewer while legs are carved to suggest movement.

The door panels and lintel were chosen for display in 1924 at the British Empire exhibition at Wembley, London. The Ogoga refused to sell them to the British Museum but agreed to exchange them for a British carved throne. Olowe was subsequently commissioned to carve a replacement door for the Ogoga's palace.

R. A. Walker, Olowe of Ise: a Yoruba sculpto (Washington D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998)

Carving of Queen Victoria

This figure of Queen Victoria was made by a Yoruba carver. She is shown standing and with her head enlarged in relation to her body. Her face is youthful, and beneath her dress the artist has imaginatively carved a pair of shoes.

During the nineteenth century Africans faced colonisation as European armies fought to establish their own empires, and Nigeria came under British rule. Official and unofficial photographs of Queen Victoria were widely reproduced across Nigeria and other countries in the British empire. These were probably used for reference by skilled Yoruba carvers. The resulting three-dimensional figures of the Queen, of which this is one, included European details of dress and posture created within existing Yoruba carving conventions.

Height: 37.000 cm
Width: 12.000 cm
Depth: 14.000 cm

Donated by H.V.A. Lambert

AOA 1988.Af12.1

The Oba of Benin

From: Benin, Nigeria
Date: 19th century AD

The king of Benin (the Oba) is believed to be appointed by the gods to rule the earth, in the same way as the god Olokun rules the waters. It is said that, around 600 years ago, an Oba went to the sea and brought back coral from Olokun. Ever since, coral beads have been a sign of royalty in Benin, and only the Oba and the most powerful people of his kingdom are allowed to wear them. This brass head shows the Oba wearing a huge necklace made of coral.

Wooden mask

From: Nigeria (Yoruba)
Date: early 20th century AD

This is a huge wooden mask, worn by the Yoruba people during a festival called the Epa masquerade. Performers leap and dance around wearing these heavy masks to show the strength of their bodies and minds. At one point they jump to the top of a mound and if they stumble and fall it means bad luck will come to the community.

The two faces on the bottom of the mask look at two worlds - the world around them and the world of spirits. The main figure on the mask is riding a horse, and is probably a hunter or warrior.

Funeral screen

From: Nigeria, collected in 1916 (Tribe unknown but most like Igala or Igbo)
Date: 19th century AD

This screen shows a king called Amachree I. It was made after he died to stand in his clan's headquarters, so that everyone would remember him. Offerings were made to it every week, in the hope that his spirit would be happy and so bring his people good luck.

The king is in the middle, wearing the headpiece from a masquerade dance he used to perform. His headpiece is in the shape of a European trading ship. This is because Amachree had become wealthy by trading with Europeans,

Beaded crown (ade ileke)

Yoruba, 19th century AD
From Nigeria

Beaded and veiled crowns, ade ileke, are traditionally worn by those kings who could trace their ancestry to Ododua, the mythic founder and first king of the Yoruba people. The crown is called an orisha, a deity, and is placed upon the king's head by his female attendant. Powerful medicines are placed at the top of the crown to protect the king's head and thus his future. The veil that covers the king's face hides his individuality and increases attention on the crown itself, the real centre of power. The birds decorating the crown represent the royal bird, okin.

Among the Yoruba, beads are associated not only with royalty, but also with priesthood. Beaded caps, pouches, fly whisks and staffs form part of the priest's outfit during ceremonies. Beaded satchels, laba shango, feature in the shrines of the god of thunder, Shango, and are worn in the Egungun and Gelede masquerades.

U. Beier, Yoruba beaded crowns: sacred r (London, Ethnographica, in association with the National Museum, Lagos, 1982)

Brass anklet (ogba)

Igbo, 20th century AD
From Nigeria

In parts of West Africa, anklets made from brass, or solid ivory cut from the cross-section of a tusk, formed part of a woman's dowry and were symbols of high status.

These heavy and cumbersome brass anklets, ogba, were worn in pairs by Igbo women of wealthy families. They were hammered into shape and then fitted by specialist itinerant smiths. The anklets were considered prestigious on account of the costly material from which they were made, and because women who wore them were unable to undertake normal domestic duties. A woman wearing ogba increased her own social status and that of her husband and father.

A. Fisher, Africa adorned (London, Collins, 1984)

J. Perani and F.T. Smith, The visual arts of Africa: gen (Prentic Hall, New Jersey, 1998)

Carved wooden headdress decorated with seeds

Afo, 20th century AD
From northern Nigeria

This dance crest is made of backened wood with the red seeds Abrus precatorius inlaid in beeswax. It represents, in stylized form, a chameleon balanced on a cockscomb.

In museums, African masks and headdresses are displayed as objects, and considered as examples of African aesthetics and creativity. Although written about in exhibition text and books, it remains difficult for people to appreciate how masks are worn and used in their various ceremonies, for the mask is only one element, along with the costume, music and dance, of the masquerader's performance.

When carving a headdress or mask, the carver does not attempt to recreate the features of an individual, but to reproduce an idea of the qualities or character of the mask.

This enables the addition of other features, often animals, which are not actual representations, but stylized forms intended to convey the spirit of the animal in relation to the spirit of the mask.

Certain groups request selected masks familiar to them for particular occasions, thus certain forms have been passed on from generation to generation. Although new masks are regarded as individual carvings they share some similarities with older masks, which helps retain the style of the masquerade.

The carver's requirement to work to particular aesthetic conventions does allow for creative innovation. Many changes have occurred in African societies and the carver is able to respond to change while retaining a continuity of tradition.

H.M. Cole (ed.), I am not myself: the art of ma, Los Angeles monograph series, no. 26 (Museum of Cultural History, University of California, 1985)

W.B. Fagg, Nigerian images (London, Lund Humphries, 1990)

Carved wooden mask of the Epa masquerade

Opin (Yoruba), probably late 19th century AD
From Nigeria

Possibly carved by Bamgose of Osi-Ilorin

The Epa masquerade of the Yoruba peoples promotes the health and well-being of communities. Processions of masqueraders perform energetic dances which suggest higher powers of existence and, since they carry heavy masks, the strengthening of the body. The performers jump to the top of a mound, the result of which is an omen for the community. It is therefore important that the masquerader maintains his balance as he lands to avoid misfortune.

In Opin such masks were known as aguru and were used in the post-burial rites of titled men whose status was based on personal achievment rather than lineage. The image of the mounted warrior appears regularly on Epas masks. In addition to being an image of energy and authority, it embodies memories of at least three centuries of cavalry warfare in north-central Yoruba.

H.M. Cole (ed.), I am not myself: the art of ma, Los Angeles monograph series, no. 26 (Museum of Cultural History, University of California, 1985)

T. Phillips (ed.), Africa, the art of a continent (London, Royal Academy, 1995)

Ivory armlet

Edo peoples, 15th-16th century AD
From Benin, Nigeria

This ivory armlet is worn by the Oba (king) of Benin in ceremonies in which he wears a coral costume, dances with a ceremonial sword and carries a gong. The armlet helps to prevent the coral beads from becoming entangled during the Oba's dance.

Ivory formed an important part of the accessories worn at ritual ceremonies by the Oba. One of the series of annual rituals is the Bead Festival (Ugie Ivie) created by Oba Esigie, a great warrior-king of the sixteenth century, in remembrance of his military successes. The Bead Festival commemorates the struggle between Oba Esigie and his brother, Arhuaran of Udo, over the possession of the royal coral beads, used in a ceremony to announce the capital city of the kingdom. During the ceremony all the beads of the king, his wives and chiefs are placed upon the altar of Oba Ewuare, who first brought coral beads into Benin, and over them are poured the blood of a cow. The sacrificial blood imbues the beads with the mystical powers required for the remaining ceremonies.

The Oba is represented on the armlet with mudfish legs and his hands raised to the sky, thus linking him with the great god Olokun, ruler of the sea. The mudfish has symbolic significance among the Edo people as it can live on land and sea. Similarly, the Oba is invested with divine powers from the spiritual world above and the secular world below.

P. Girshick Ben-Amos, The art of Benin (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

Wooden complex

Igbo, 20th century AD
From Nigeria

This carved, wooden complex consists of many images of power, such as horsemen, imported goods, military insignia, Europeans, rifles, wild beasts and masqueraders painted in white with black markings on the face. Such structures act as rallying points for public displays of dancing by different social groups. The images are carved separately and then pieced together on a central wooden armature.

The Igbo people also produce community shrines to honour and respect spirits which are represented by carved, standing figures of up to five feet high. Frequent offerings are made to ensure goodwill and the figures are decorated for annual festivals. The figures are placed in a public place with a roof to protect them.

The Igbo peoples are the largest ethnic group in south-eastern Nigeria. They set great store by personal success and achievement. Their villages and towns are headed by chiefs whose authority is organised via clans, local councils, men's societies, age-grades and associations who confer titles to designate social prestige and status. One institution, Ozo, utilise various objects to symbolize wealth, generosity, strength, intellect and moral integrity. The compound of a member of the Ozo institution has decorated doorways to indicate his membership and an obi, a shrine devoted to the ancestors of the head of the compound. Images carved into the portals include the Ozo staff, kola nut tray, knife and python and abstract motifs such as a lozenge and star. The lozenge represents the kola nut bowl, a symbol of hospitality and the star represents the head of the kola nut, a symbol of the ritual and social value of the kola.

H.M. Cole, Icons: ideals and power in the (Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989)

J. Perani and F.T. Smith, The visual arts of Africa: gen (Prentic Hall, New Jersey, 1998

Wooden mask for Gelede masquerade

Yoruba, probably late 19th century AD
From Nigeria

The Yoruba of Nigeria produce a wide variety of art forms in different materials for royalty, domestic and ritual purposes. Ancestors and gods are worshipped and honoured by annual ceremonies and by regular worship at shrines. There are four Yoruba deities, or orisha, which require masks, staffs, bowls and carved figures: Ifa (divination), Eshu/Elegba (trickster), Ogun (iron and war) and Shango (lightning and thunder).

They also have three major masking traditions, of which Gelede is one. Gelede is about appeasing aje or 'the mothers' who control fertility, life, and the death of children through dance, mask, costume and poetry. It is said that a woman, Yewejabe, first danced Gelede, although only men do so today. Gelede usually takes place between March and May and is danced in pairs. Costumes are bulky, emphasizing breasts and buttocks with the masks worn slanting over the top of the head. There are four groups of masks: those for role recognition, hierarchy, commemoration and satire. This mask is typical of those representing hierarchy, with three figural elements arranged one on top of another.

H.M. Cole (ed.), I am not myself: the art of ma, Los Angeles monograph series, no. 26 (Museum of Cultural History, University of California, 1985)

Carving of a European official, by Bamgboye

Yoruba people, Nigeria
20th century AD

This carving depicts Kenneth Robertson, an Education Officer in Nigeria in the 1930s. It was made by Bamgboye (late 1890s-1978), a well-known Yoruba sculptor from Odo-Owa in the Ilorin province of northern Nigeria. Bamgboye's artistry was recognised by the British administration and he was appointed Instructor in Carving at the government school at Omu. His work suffered, however, because the job demanded a focus on technique rather than allowing him to develop his own creativity.

Europeans established colonies in Africa that required a range of European officials: educators, administrators, traders and policemen, often with their wives and children. Yoruba artists represented these powerful 'outsiders' by focusing on their most characteristic features and by including emblems of hierarchy and status.

Wow, nice.
The Benin kings must have had very long necks.

The epa masquerade tho


BTW, Its about time they return it. Will they ever?

Stealing is a crime.

Shymm3x:


Brass head for use in the worship of Osun

Edo peoples, 18th century AD
From Benin, Nigeria

Osun is one of a number of deities worshipped in Benin. His power lies in plants of the forests. Magical specialists, or ebo, use herbs and plants to create magical or medicinal potions.

In the eighteenth century, the Obas (kings) of Benin developed a new form of representing their magical and mystical powers through brass heads such as these. This example has snakes issuing from the eyes and nostrils, and a crown of birds, both creatures being closely associated with Osun. Birds were often sited on the top of palaces and have prophetic and protective powers. The stone axes on the forehead are associated with lightning and its destructive powers.

P. Girshick Ben-Amos, The art of Benin (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

This mask is epic and came across it in a documentary on West Africa on youtube and the presenter actually visited Benin City in the series.Apparently Edo people still practice the art where a guy actually showed how they produce them.

I think Nigeria should ask the UK to return those pieces as the ones they have in Benin the guy said they were replicas as the British stole the originals.

quimicababes:

This mask is epic and came across it in a documentary on West Africa on youtube and the presenter actually visited Benin City in the series.Apparently Edo people still practice the art where a guy actually showed how they produce them.

I think Nigeria should ask the UK to return those pieces as the ones they have in Benin the guy said they were replicas as the British stole the originals.

Yes, it's epic. I'm a big fan of the finesse of Bini arts and crafts. The Binis definitely had the best arts and crafts from present day Nigeria, due to the supreme finesse involved in the works of those practitioners. Then I'd go for Owo after Bini. Though Ife birthed the two places - Ife arts were more realism than finesse, apart from the supremely marvellous Ife head (ori olokun), which is over 700 years old, and definitely the greatest masterpiece out of present day Nigeria. But the Binis killed the game - props to them.

Err, I'm sure you're conversant with Yoruba religion - what do you think about the elaborate representation of Yoruba gods (Osun, Olokun, Ogun, and Oduduwa) in Bini arts?

Lmao @ returning them to Nigeria. That would be disastrous. Most Nigerians are too sucked into Abrahamic religions and they won't appreciate the greatness of these artworks. Then you have got educated illiterates who still think the white man brought civilisation to Africa, due to the fact that they don't understand what civilisation entails. Also, even if they were to return them, where would they keep them and maximise the utilisation of these great works, in a country where nothing works and all the infrastructures are dilapidated with zero maintenance culture? Nigeria isn't Egypt and the people don't understand anything - apart from white Jesus and Allah. Anything else is of the notorious devil/satan/lucifer.

Shymm3x:


Yes, it's epic. I'm a big fan of the finesse of Bini arts and crafts. The Binis definitely had the best arts and crafts from present day Nigeria, due to the supreme finesse involved in the works of those practitioners. Then I'd go for Owo after Bini. Though Ife birthed the two places - Ife arts were more realism than finesse, apart from the supremely marvellous Ife head (ori olokun), which is over 700 years old, and definitely the greatest masterpiece out of present day Nigeria. But the Binis killed the game - props to them.

Err, I'm sure you're conversant with Yoruba religion - what do you think about the elaborate representation of Yoruba gods (Osun, Olokun, Ogun, and Oduduwa) in Bini arts?

Lmao @ returning them to Nigeria. That would be disastrous. Most Nigerians are too sucked into Abrahamic religions and they won't appreciate the greatness of these artworks. Then you have got educated illiterates who still think the white man brought civilisation to Africa, due to the fact that they don't understand what civilisation entails. Also, even if they were to return them, where would they keep them and maximise the utilisation of these great works, in a country where nothing works and all the infrastructures are dilapidated with zero maintenance culture? Nigeria isn't Egypt and the people don't understand anything - apart from white Jesus and Allah. Anything else is of the notorious devil/satan/lucifer.

Never heard of the Owo but the Binis are definitely epic with regards to their arts.The only stuff I would put above them are the Ife heads.The Ife heads are out of this world and are extremely beautiful.I like them alot .Bini folks seem to be quite artistic... I even like their wedding regalia..the coral beads and intricacy is dope.

I know a little about Ifa but I actually don't follow it though I know folks who follow it.I got invited to attend Shango Day which is being held here on 7th of June but I am not religious at all.I still have mad appreciation for African religious systems however.

It is interesting to see Yoruba gods in Bini arts though on nairaland Edo and Yoruba folks seem to have a supremacy battle to see who birthed who lol.I stumbled across a Ghanaian who said they are the same but Europeans decided to classify them as diffeent folks...so I don't know.What can't be denied is that they are indeed related however.That's something I need to research more.

I get your point on not returning them to Naija but I dunno...I still don't think it should be in the UK.It is sad that Naija folks don't appreciate their indigenous culture but I would say Yoruba and Bini folks are putting up a good fight towards holding onto their indigenous cultures though more needs to be done.That's black man for you...he calls his own culture evil.Indians don't apologize for Hinduism and actively practice it.

I actually like the idea of developing Osun state for tourism with regards to culture/heritage.So yea they should try to get the Ife heads and put it there.Nika is doing a good job in trying to keep the art of adire alive also.

quimicababes:

Never heard of the Owo but the Binis are definitely epic with regards to their arts.The only stuff I would put above them are the Ife heads.The Ife heads are out of this world and are extremely beautiful.I like them alot .Bini folks seem to be quite artistic... I even like their wedding regalia..the coral beads and intricacy is dope.

I know a little about Ifa but I actually don't follow it though I know folks who follow it.I got invited to attend Shango Day which is being held here on 7th of June but I am not religious at all.I still have mad appreciation for African religious systems however.

It is interesting to see Yoruba gods in Bini arts though on nairaland Edo and Yoruba folks seem to have a supremacy battle to see who birthed who lol.I stumbled across a Ghanaian who said they are the same but Europeans decided to classify them as diffeent folks...so I don't know.What can't be denied is that they are indeed related however.That's something I need to research more.

I get your point on not returning them to Naija but I dunno...I still don't think it should be in the UK.It is sad that Naija folks don't appreciate their indigenous culture but I would say Yoruba and Bini folks are putting up a good fight towards holding onto their indigenous cultures though more needs to be done.That's black man for you...he calls his own culture evil.Indians don't apologize for Hinduism and actively practice it.

I actually like the idea of developing Osun state for tourism with regards to culture/heritage.So yea they should try to get the Ife heads and put it there.Nika is doing a good job in trying to keep the art of adire alive also.

Owo is a Yoruba town in present day Ondo state, and at the height of Bini empire - it was a Bini vassal state. Owo arts are somewhat similar to Bini arts in terms of finesse and artistic look, and also to Ijebu arts. I believe Bini did borrow a few things (especially Ivory and brass) from Owo arts and vice versa. Their arts are also extremely beautiful and gracious, with finesse. However, Bini tops them all.

I just think most folks on here dwell on the most frivolous things, just to spite one another, while obfuscating what the crux of the matter should actually be. Also, they also don't understand how important timeline is when it comes to history - ditto why the degree of influences is very important when comparing two cultures. And you can't really make a head-way in historical scholarship without putting these things into consideration. In as much as I believe the people who make up today's Edo and Yoruba people are most likely different - or perhaps migrated to the present day Nigeria via different migration waves (there's no archaeological proof/evidence that West Africa is the cradle of mankind - apart from the Bantus before the expansion and the 8,000-year old boat from Northern Nigeria, which could've been owned by anyone. I'll stick with the hypothesis that the groups in present day Nigeria migrated from the Nile Valley civilisation and from present day Middle East) - you can't deny the fact that the Kingship of both groups came from the same source (who most likely migrated from a different place and met the people from the two ethnic groups there before lording over them).

Then when you examine the fact that the Bini had an Oduduwa mask they were still worshipping in the 18th century and compare it to the Bini legend about the banished Ekaladerhan - it basically doesn't add up. Who worships a banished prince that has been ostracised/detribalised? Ditto the attention Bini arts gave to exalting Yoruba gods like Ogun, Olokun, Osun (I never knew they worshipped Osun till I saw the mask on this thread), etc.. Furthermore, the Yoruba legend about Oduduwa dropping from the sky (pure bollocks) also doesn't add up - hence the need for the two groups to drop the supremacy battle, to get where this mysterious Oduduwa came from. Who is/was he/she? And where exactly did he and his followers come from? Regardless, both groups will always be Ife and the custodians of Ife ought to do more, with the excavation of different sites, where things happened in the past.

In as much as they ought to be returned since they were stolen (the African pride in me and heart agree with this), but of what use would they be to folks who don't really know their worth and with a terrible maintenance culture? If not for the British museum, we wouldn't know about all these great works (and the British museum is yet to display the thousands of great artworks they stole from Nigeria - the ones on display are basically a small segment of what they have in their possession). Yes, our history is on display somewhere else, but it tells the world a story about our past - something we wouldn't be able to do, if they were with us - blessing in disguise.

Even in present day Nigeria, there are still loads of historical treasures under the ground that will tell us stories about our past, and help people connect the dots. However, what are the people doing to unravel these things? How many sites are Nigerians excavating? What's the tourism industry in Nigeria like? Osun state, where Ife is located, is a classic example: that place ought to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to the history of the place, and because it birthed two of the biggest empires in West Africa - Bini and Oyo. However, due to how messed up Nigeria is, they don't care about these things. So, why waste those wonderful arts, by sending them to those who will most likely destroy them?

@Shymm3x

These are all works stolen from Africa!. There's none among them that wasn't stolen. The United Kingdom wasn't the only country involved in the epic theft, there're stockpiles of African artefacts in France, Germany, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Portugal. The Germans even collected human skulls from Namibia or Zambia (not skulls of dead people but skulls harvested by willfully killing the locals and cooking their heads off fresh for the purpose of showcasing their skulls back in Europe as a trophy).

Not only was pre-slavery Africa as par Europe, we were actually ahead of Europe in arts. The British for example saw the works of art from Bini kingdom and they became envious and killed the king, destroyed the community and stole the arts in broad day light. Watch the videos on this link for prove www.africason.com/2015/05/elite-brainwashing-last-stage-of-mental.html

And, I have this unreleased song called "African artefacts" where I wrote about this. Unfortunately, music is so dead in Nigeria now that many think of my kind of music as being intellectual. Should you have link to record label over there interested in Bob Marley's style of music let them get in touch with me.

Naija rich in culture and rich in history but we don't know how to tap them use them in pur advantage we can't even upgrade them.