bokohalal: And after mulling over the story of Oba Ewukpe and Oloi Iden,I do not understand why she offered herself as sacrifice to save the king.

OMG another stupid talk coming from an animal, is there now internet in the bush?

One of my favourite stories is the childhood battles between Arhuaran and Osawe,who became Oba Esigie.And Oloi Idia's role is more a delineation of the Iyobaship than anything else.

I do not know if anyone knows the spiritual battle between Ebomisi and Obo n'Eyaen.Interesting story. The Binis have a proverb today because of those two gentlemen. Something to the effect that you cannot have it all.

ACM10:

Anyone close to this man should please convey him to Yaba mental home. He's still in the early stages of his insanity and could still be salvaged with concerted effort.

in the midst of happiness there is a brutal danger, chief dey sweat, na agabada cover am, monkey dey jump, na tree near tree make monkey dey jump, i pause i play, i rewind again, thereby fire prayemutus in Omon Noba Laguaga where Oba of Benin, Uku Akpolokpolor, Oba Erediawa, is still made the No1 traditional ruler of that placeap, that today go tomorrow come, Ugha gbeho

How about Imaguero? A woman of unparalled chastity.

There is the colonial one of Ekuase,who married a white woman and ignored his Black wives and to his detriment.

Most people do not know that Oba Ewuare actually wanted to live forever.He got his finger burnt,literally, for harbouring such wish. It is one of the appellations of the Omo n'Oba,till this day

Oba Orhogbua is reputed to have been the most handsome king ever in Benin. Is it possible he was of mixed race? Remember now that he was also said to have very fair skin and he schooled in Portugal and he reigned during the period of portuguese voyages to the Guinea coast.

How many Nigerians know that the word 'Guinea 'is a Bini word? And 'fetish' entered European lexicon after encountering the Binis?

Commoners have also played their part in the survival of the kingdom.Some became so powerful that they challenged the king to duel. Like throughout Benin history,the King always triumphed. Ise n'Utekon,Iken n'Uselu,Enekighidi n'Ogbelaka. Lesson for those living today. Usiobaifo.Obobaifo.

Done my bit. Will be back to wrap anyone in ancient Benin History and ways. If.......

Wa obe itota.

Dede1: It is funny some Nigerians are piling too much weight to the position of certain traditional rulers in Nigeria.

How are people "piling too much weight to the position of certain traditional rulers"?

You're an authority on the weight that should be attached to certain traditional rulers by their people?

The doubt people have about the position of Alaafin of Oyo was brought by the western regional government led by Awolowo.

Awolowo deposed multiple kings in the Western region for various reasons.

The Alaafin of Oyo deposition business had to with the death of Bode Thomas.

In the same stance, the western regional government reduced the position of Oba of Benin to mere name recognition.

How?

I guess the same gods that informed the Oba of Benin to embark on lavish sacrifices, including humans, to avert the wrath of British Empire in 1897. Yet the Oba died as an inconsequential prisoner in a faraway land.

The British claimed the sacrifices were due to their invasion, but some of those people were just criminals or destitute people who weren't afforded proper burials and were left by the road to rot as can be seen from some of the descriptions. We know there were sacrifices, but I'm not sure how they would know there was some big increase in the sacrifices being carried out.

The Oba died peacefully in Calabar in 1914 after living with some of his family members there. The man who organized the entire Benin invasion, Sir Ralph Moor, committed suicide and died in 1909 from poison taken while temporarily insane. I think I know which of these two ways I'd prefer as a cause of death.

bokohalal: Oba Orhogbua is reputed to have been the most handsome king ever in Benin. Is it possible he was of mixed race? Remember now that he was also said to have very fair skin and he schooled in Portugal and he reigned during the period of portuguese voyages to the Guinea coast.

So being mixed race amounts to being more handsome?

Oba Orhogbua's mother was the Iyoba Elaba, Oba Esigie's favorite wife. Oba Orhogbua was not mixed.

PhysicsQED:

So being mixed race amounts to being more handsome?

Oba Orhogbua's mother was the Iyoba Elaba, Oba Esigie's favorite wife. Oba Orhogbua was not mixed.

More often than not.

bokohalal: How many Nigerians know that the word 'Guinea 'is a Bini word? And 'fetish' entered European lexicon after encountering the Binis?

How do you know fetish came about specifically from encountering the Binis? They weren't the only people practicing their religious beliefs in West Africa when the Portuguese got there.

On guinea, since the origin of the word is not really known (although there's a Tuareg word which is claimed here: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=guinea but Tuaregs are very far from the coast and that wouldn't really make sense) I would be interested in seeing the Bini etymology.

bokohalal:
More often than not.

When people have an exotic, different or unique look rarely seen, that look might stand out more and get disproportionate attention, but it doesn't amount to automatically being more handsome. I disagree with the idea that mixed people are usually more handsome than others.

una wen say why gods notfit stop armrober and bokoharam and power plant. i know say una be igbo and iyoroba.una not dey let person hear word. na una stupidity una take spoil nigeria

'Oghene'was first corrupted to 'Ogane' before it became 'Guinea'with passage of time and other Europeans getting on board.

'Fetishicos'=Charms or amulets. Not its present definition.

PhysicsQED:

When people have an exotic, different or unique look rarely seen, that look might stand out more and get disproportionate attention, but it doesn't amount to automatically being more handsome. I disagree with the idea that mixed people are [b]usually [/b]more handsome than others.

Okay. We have our different opinion on that.Mind you,I do not have mixed children.

PhysicsQED:

How are people "piling too much weight to the position of certain traditional rulers"?

You're an authority on the weight that should be attached to certain traditional rulers by their people?



Awolowo deposed multiple kings in the Western region for various reasons.

The Alaafin of Oyo deposition business had to with the death of Bode Thomas.



How?



The British claimed the sacrifices were due to their invasion, but some of those people were just criminals or destitute people who weren't afforded proper burials and were left by the road to rot as can be seen from some of the descriptions. We know there were sacrifices, but I'm not sure how they would know there was some big increase in the sacrifices being carried out.

The Oba died peacefully in Calabar in 1914 after living with some of his family members there. The man who organized the entire Benin invasion, Sir Ralph Moor, committed suicide and died in 1909 from poison taken while temporarily insane. I think I know which of these two ways I'd prefer as a cause of death.

Oba of Benin was told in no uncertain language to sit quietly in Benin City and avoid certain human endeavors by the western regional governemnt under Awo. I guess you remembered the famous political quote that made rounds in the old western region of Nigeria. The little authority of Oba of Benin wielded prior to the British invasion ended in 1897.

Of course, you would argue the dead bodies and in some cases headless ones were those of criminals and destitute people who never had a proper burial as if Benin Empire was jungle. Anyway, Benin Empire was what it was, village. The statement from you about British claim or lack thereof is plain laughable.

It is noted in history books that Oba dying in Calabar was not as result of the power wielded by Oba. What different does it make if Oba died happily or crazily?

Dede1:
Oba of Benin was told in no uncertain language to sit quietly in Benin City and avoid certain human endeavors by the western regional governemnt under Awo.

Way to dodge my question. I asked you how he was reduced in position and you tell some story about "Awo said". What does what Awo said have to do with the fact that there was no change in his actual position. Or was making him a minister without portfolio in the western region government the supposed reduction in position, or what?

I guess you remembered the famous political quote that made rounds in the old western region of Nigeria. The little authority of Oba of Benin wielded prior to the British invasion ended in 1897.

That "little authority" extended pretty far in Nigeria according to a whole slew of sources. I'm not concerned with the Western region of Nigeria's politics. I'm asking how his position was reduced.

Of course, you would argue the dead bodies and some cases headless ones were those of criminals and destitute people who never had a proper burial as if Benin Empire was jungle.

How were totally destitute people that died buried everywhere else in the world at that time? Burying homeless people is mostly a modern thing.

Crucifixion on trees was the method of execution for criminals, and they described people who had been crucified on trees. Now employ a little reasoning and common sense and reach the appropriate conclusion. We know that there are others that would have been executed besides criminals, but a significant amount would have been criminals.

Anyway, Benin Empire was what it was, village.

So much of a village that maps from the past designated almost half of southern Nigeria as Benin. So much of a village that there's a bight named after it, and the president of another country went to Benin to ask if he could rename his country after it.

The statement from you about British claim or lack thereof is plain laughable.

Because the British understood everything that was going in places they weren't familiar with, right? I could put up some of the British precolonial claims about and descriptions of some other parts of Nigeria but there's no point sinking to that level.

It is noted in history books that Oba dying in Calabar was not as result of the power wielded by Oba. What different does it make if Oba died happily or crazily?

Well the Oba can be seen sitting peacefully in some pictures.

He can be seen with some family members.

Where's the pic of Ralph Moor looking peaceful in 1909? I saw a pic of the newspaper announcing his suicide though.

bokohalal: How many Nigerians know that the word 'Guinea 'is a Bini word? And 'fetish' entered European lexicon after encountering the Binis?

If Guinea is a bini word, guinea bissau and guinea conakry will be bini territories right ?

bokohalal: 'Oghene'was first corrupted to 'Ogane' before it became 'Guinea'with passage of time and other Europeans getting on board

That would make sense since there were European maps designating a place in Nigeria as 'Ogane' and other variations of that term. I'm not 100% sure this is right, but it does make logical sense.

PhysicsQED:

That would make sense since there were European maps designating a place in Nigeria as 'Ogane' and other variations of that term. I'm not 100% sure this is right, but it does make logical sense.

How e no go make sense ancient man. . .Did the title of ''oba'' also originate from bini too ?

PhysicsQED:

That would make sense since there were European maps designating a place in Nigeria as 'Ogane' and other variations of that term. I'm not 100% sure this is right, but it does make logical sense.

I did not make it up.I am sure you will find it in the book by Thomas hodgkins' Nigerian perspective;a Historical Anthology.

Read it long ago(in my teens). Want it badly now and cannot find it anywhere here in Toronto.

~Bluetooth:


How e no go make sense ancient man. . .Did the title of ''oba'' also originate from bini too ?

There are actually European maps designating a place as the kingdom of Ogane (based on a misunderstanding of a claim of the Benin informants about a ruler in southern Nigeria who held the title of Oghene, which was also spelled Ogane by the Portuguese) or variations on that term. Ogane is even closer to guinea than "aginaw" (the supposed Tuareg origin of the word) and southern Nigeria is actually at the coast ( the "Guinea coast" ), unlike the Tuareg people. I didn't say I was 100% certain that it was true, just that the claim makes sense.

bokohalal:
I am sure you will find it in the book by Thomas hodgkins' Nigerian perspective;a Historical Anthology.

Ah, I must have forgotten that (I read that book a long time ago too).

@PhysicsQED

Good to know that the so-called Benin Empire was filled to the brink with criminals and destitute people. I guess British did not visit other kingdoms before Benin and there were no criminals and destitute people in those other kingdoms too.

PhysicsQED:

There are actually European maps designating a place as the kingdom of Ogane (based on a misunderstanding of a claim of the Benin informants about a ruler in southern Nigeria who held the title of Oghene, which was also spelled Ogane by the Portuguese) or variations on that term. Ogane is even closer to guinea than "aginaw" (the supposed Tuareg origin of the word) and southern Nigeria is actually at the coast ( the "Guinea coast" ), unlike the Tuareg people. I didn't say I was 100% certain of that it was true, just that the claim makes sense.

So where did ''oba'' title originate from ? Britain or portugal ?

Dede1: @PhysicsQED
Good to know that the so-called Benin Empire was filled to the brink with criminals and destitute people. I guess British did not visit other kingdoms before Benin and there were no criminals and destitute people in those other kingdoms too.

lmao "filled to the brink"?

Who told you those people comprised even a significant fraction of the populace of the capital? Do you just make this stuff up as you go along?

I'm not going to post some of the negative things British wrote about some of the other places they visited in Nigeria because like I said I don't want to sink that level again and it's a waste of time, since your mind is set.

Dede1: @PhysicsQED

Good to know that the so-called Benin Empire was filled to the brink with criminals and destitute people. I guess British did not visit other kingdoms before Benin and there were no criminals and destitute people in those other kingdoms too.

Ibos dont have a kingdom but small villages which I'm sure had very hardened criminals at that time.

~Bluetooth:


So where did ''oba'' title originate from ? Britain or portugal ?

Oba is a Yoruba word, as far as I can tell.

What does that have to do with anything that was posted?

Those boys on Benin must have really done a number on you when you were in school. Go get counseling and you'll get over it.

PhysicsQED:

Oba is a Yoruba word,[s] as far as I can tell.

What does that have to do with anything that was posted?

Those boys on Benin must have really done a number on you when you were in school. Go get counseling and you'll get over it[/s].

One day,all of you will go back to your ancestral home of ile-ife.