Edo History Edo Empire & Civilization Edo
Mysteries The Aruosa Edo Ethos & Social
Engineering
The Ogiso Dynasty After the Ogiso Dynasty
Oba of Benin Dynasty Oduduwa's
Controversy Oba's Coronation Palace
Societies Uselu Uzama
Many centuries ago, at the time when
Benin was called Igodomingodo, that
geographical area now known as Benin,
was the hob of a conglomeration of little
towns that developed or spread into most
of the areas of modern Bendel State.
Throughout that period, lgodomingodo
made steady progress especially in the
areas of spiritual, philosophical and
administrative development. Its efforts
were largely concentrated on the
arrangement of human order so that by
the time Europeans made contact with
the people of Benin in the 15th century,
they had already established an
administrative system which, till this
day, baffled the Europeans and earned
for the Capital of this "far flung" African
country, the appellation "City". The
nucleus of this great civilization was the
monarchy which the Binis perfected
around the 18th century when, after a
series of experimentation with the Ogiso,
and some of the past-Ogiso Obas, they
introduced a monarchical system that is
based on the principle of primogeniture,
beginning with Ewuakpe, about 1712 A.
D.
From the days of Owodo until now, the
system of direct ascension has endured
making the Benin Royal family one of
the oldest families in Africa. It's history
spans more than 800 years. Benin City
remains today as conservative as it ever
was. Shifting slowly, sometimes uneasily,
under the pressures or demands of
modernity, Benin recognizes that all
living organisms (including states and
cities) change. That change has reduced
to mere historical fact the political
influence Benin exercised over places
such as Eko (Lagos) which she founded at
the time of Oba Orhogbua (about 1550
A.D.) Ghana, Dahomey, both across the
borders of modern Nigeria; Onitsha on
the Niger and many other places such as
Asaba, Agbor, lssele-Uku, Warri, ldah
etc. Many of these towns actually owe
their corporate existence to Benin. Since
inter-action between African kingdoms
began around the 14th century, Benin
found herself in a unique geographic
position by occupying mid -way between
what the early Europeans referred to as
the "Yoruba country" and the "lbo
country". This proximity to the two areas
no doubt broadened the outlook of the
Binis in later years.
The Political & Spiritual Purpose of the Holy Land
Quite tolerant and receptive of other
ideas and norms, it is no wonder that
today both the Eastern and 'Western
neighbors of Benin have exercised a
considerable influence on her socio-
political life. The influence of the Yoruba
is more felt. This is so because after
about 800 years of intercourse both
cultures had to rub off on each other.
Thus, while the Binis have accepted
many Yoruba gods, the Yoruba on the
other hand accepted several of the socio-
political reforms introduced by the Binis.
Contact with the Yoruba was made quite
accidentally by Ekaladerhan, the son of
the last Ogiso, who was banished in the
12th century. After wandering in the
jungles for several years, he showed up
in a town. Hitherto, neither
Ekaladerhan, nor the people on whom he
stumbled were aware of the existence of
other people on earth than those that
belonged to their immediate
environment. To the people therefore,
Ekaladerhan must be a god, a forest god;
especially as they discovered him in the
jungle. He was adept in hunting and he
understood the habits of animals to an
astonishing degree. These facts, no doubt
put mystique on his being and his
personality. By a twist of Fate,
Ekaladerhan who was banished by his
own
people had been accepted by a people
who stumbled on him in the forest. He
was brought into town where he married
one of them and lived to a ripe old age.
When his father Owodo was himself
banished for ordering the execution of a
pregnant woman, Evian was appointed
administrator. But he sought to appoint
Ogiamien his son as his successor. The
move was resisted by the Bini and that
gave rise to political strife and anarchy.
A search party was then sent to look for
the long-banished Prince and the trail
inevitably ended at Uhe where
Ekaladerhan had established. Alas, He
was a very old man. So, even if he
wished to grant the delegation's plea to
return home, he was not physically
capable of undertaking such a hazardous
journey. But he allowed his son
Oronmiyan, who had volunteered, to go
with the delegation. Oronmiyan arrived
around 1200 A.D. He fathered Eweka the
first. Oba Erediauwa, is the 38th king of
the Edo by this direct line of succession
from Eweka the first.
The history of Benin Monarchy dates
back to the Ogiso era which has been
traced to about the 10th century.
Although it is not possible in this brief
note to give a full account of all the
Ogisos, it is believed that there were
thirty-one of them before the arrival of
Prince Oromiyan from Ife (called Uhe by
the Binis). The first Ogiso was Obagodo
who handed in an effective system of
administration. The last Ogiso, Owodo,
was said to have been banished from the
Kingdom for misadministration.
At the time of his banishment, Owodo
had no successor because his only son
and heir-apparent, Ekaladerhan, had
earlier left for an unknown destination
after having been secretly granted
freedom by those sent by his father,
Owodo, to execute him as sacrifice to the
gods to enable him have male children.
Record has it that Ekaladerhan founded
Ughoton which was, in fact, called
IGUEKALADERHAN (the land of
Ekaladerhan). It is believed that
Ekaladerhan first settled at a place now
called Ughoton after several months of
wandering in the jungles. Hunters from
Benin stumbled on him in the forest and
after their return to Benin, he packed up
his tent and left because he was afraid
that the hunters would tell of his
existence and his father would give fresh
order for his arrest and execution. As he
feared, the hunters reported their
discovery whereupon his father sent
soldiers along with them to go and arrest
him. But by the time they arrived,
Ekaladerhan had gone! Afraid that
Owodo would not believe that they did
not meet him (after all was Owodo not
once deceived that Ekaladerhan was
executed when, in fact, his life was
secretly spared?), soldiers and hunters
stayed put. It was they who, in fact,
founded Ughoton and named it after
Ekaladerhan. His chance arrival at Uhe
changed his fortunes. His adopted name,
Izoduwa (later corrupted, but meaning
literally in the Edo language "I have
chosen the path to prosperity) is
symbolic and has obvious reference to
the story of his life just in the same way
as Oronmiyan, the name of his eldest
son.
It was the search for Ekaladerhan that
took the Binis to Uhe; when he was
located and his identity became known
to the search party, Izoduwa refused to
return with them because of his old-age.
But after testing the sincerity of their
intention, he sent one of his sons,
Oronmiyan to accompany them to
Benin. Perhaps the nearest account of
the antecedent of Oduduwa to the Bini
oral tradition narrated here is the
version written by T. A. Osae and S. N.
Nwabara in "A Short History of West
Africa A.D. 1000 to 1800" that "the name
of the much revered legendary ancestral
hero of the Yoruba is Oduduwa.. He is
portrayed in several variants of the
legend as an eastern Prince who, driven
out of his kingdom in the east, finally
entered Nigeria after a long march with
his followers." When it is realized that
Benin is to the east of lfe, the version of
the Benin oral tradition is further
strengthened by that account.
Irrespective of the divergence of the
versions of the account of how
Oronmiyan came to Benin, there are
certain common facts; namely, that
Oronmiyan was the son of lzoduwa
(Oduduwa) and the father of Eweka 1.
Ekaladerhan is said to be a tall
handsome Prince, endowed with great
physical strength and an adept
swordsman. His sudden appearance
among the Yoruba people of Uhe may
well be an explanation for the mysticism
surrounding the personality of Oduduwa
of lfe. Oronmiyan's son, Eweka 1,
became the Oba of Benin In about 1200
A.D. According to the Benin version,
Eweka I therefore established no new
dynasty. He was the great-grand-son of
the Benin Monarch Ogiso Owodo. From
Eweka I who ruled up to the middle half
of the thirteenth century to Oba Akenzua
II, who reigned from 1933 to 1978, a
total of thirty-seven Obas have ruled in
Benin. In most cases, the period of each
Oba witnessed self sacrifice, effective
administration, innovation in the
cultural pattern of the environment,
territorial expansion, and socioeconomic
development of the kingdom.