Im giving my own light on the origin of edo. (Bini)

it is said that the Benin monarchy dates back to Ogiso Igodo who reputed to have Begun his Reign in the year 900AD. It is not quite certain if 900AD is the appropriate year one can really say that Ogiso Igodo reigned. This is so because Edo civilisation is well over 6,000 year old. According to R.G Armstrong in his book of west Africa languages the glotto Chronological period of separation between edo. Yoruba and ibo has been put between 3,000 and 6,000 years ago. It is no wonder therefore that prof. A.F.C Ryder aptly wrote about Edo, that "linguistic evidence suggests that they have occupied this region for some thousands of years". P amary Talbot confirm that "about the seventh millennium BC, a further wave of sudanic people began to pour in, first the Edo(BENIN). Ewe (POPO) and then the ibo, followed maybe about the second millennium BC by the earliest Yoruba."
these suggestions give strong indication that Benin civilisation has existed over a period of 6,000 years if not more.
Many writers has postulated that Edo people came from Egypt while others thought they originated from IFe. Such and eminent writes as chief Dr J.Ü Eghareva even suggested that the people migrated from Egypt, made a short halt in Sudan, then at Ife, and finally came to this land where they met an aboriginal people. The most interesting point about this theory is that no one has paused to ask where the Egyptians migrated from. No one is really certain about of the Edo people which appears to have been lost in myths and legends of the distant past. In the absence of any archeological evidence, one is forced to have second thoughts on the issue of migration from Egypt. Science tells us that living things grow around fertile areas of the world. As matter of facts, civilisation has always thrived in areas of fertile land which sustain life and tha of Edo people cannot be an exception to this rule. Let us examine the belief of these Edo people. Their mythical story of creation says that Edo is the cradle of the world (Edo Ore Isi Agbon). They also say that when God almighty was creating the world, he also created the Kings who were to rule the various parts of the world. There kings before descending from Heaven to earth, were asked to make their choice of whatever gifts they wanted God to endow the with. While others chose wealth, wisdom and magical powers, the king of Benin had nothing left other than a dirty snail shell containing sand.
The story says that when the kind of Benin got to the world which was waterlogged then, he poured the sand on a point (now known as Benin) which immediately became dry land. The other kings who had been over hovering around without dry land to settle upon had to ask the king for land. This is the orgin of the saying that "Oba Yan Oto Se Evbo Ebo" meaning that "Oba owns the land up to the European country". Whichever way one looks at the orgin of edo both historically or mythically,, one come to the conclusion that alot of research still needs to be Carried out on it. The Edo people themselves believe that they were the original people of their land even though it cannot be ruled out that other people might migrated to join them here. Modern Archeological findings show that the oldest human skull was found in Africa. Here in Nigeria, the Nok Civilisation has thrown new light on the actual age of Africa civilisation. Who knows if the Nok civilisation itself is not a spillover of the early Edo people especially as the regions occupied by both the edo and the Nok are within the same land mass.
Thanks for reading. Jah bless.

Cc lalasticlala

Edorodion