fstranger1:

^^^

Thank you for goggling the answer for Ileke-Idi


Hope you get something back in return.

dem_people:

@Ileke-IdI,

Na wa 4 u oo. Why u come invite only your man to comment here. Abi u no like us again? We too, get something to add here nah.

PhysicsMHD:

I have to confess, I'm not an expert in this particular area. I had asked my mom earlier and she didn't tell me anything that would shed light on where it comes from. It just seems like fashion that somebody thought up.


I googled around a bit and this is what I found:

http://www.edofolks.com/html/osahon_ethos_social.htm <------ one part of this article talks about the beads but I find this article kind of full of unsupported claims about Egypt

http://quazen.com/arts/visual-arts/the-art-of-the-edo/  <---- one part talks about the beads but is rather brief

http://books.google.com/books?id=GUs5zzIHm-MC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=benin+bead+hairstyle&source=bl&ots=kuwuXWVDmP&sig=osNsgLRpMPS-U_loLVNJwrDZ1qQ&hl=en&ei=2wIuTY6QDoSdlgedh93zCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

^^^^^

On this last link, if you go up a bit, you'll see it talks about how Yoruba women also used to wear beads and other trinkets as decorations for weddings but it doesn't say whether or not they put it in their hair or had a particular hairstyle decoration.

However the part where it seems it would have talked about Benin (p. 121-122), have been omitted from the preview. Maybe you could find that book in a library and look through that section if you really want to know. This book was really detailed and specific about origins and uses of beads for different groups in that general region from the little bit of it that I read, so it would probably answer your question, but the relevant part seems to have been omitted.

oludashmi:

@Ileke
I have an elderly edo woman (Urhomu) here, seeing all the beautiful pix including the ones on the traditional wedding thread.
She said the heavily beading of hair and the weaved bead across the chest, started not more than 15 years ago cos as at their own time even when she got married about 23 years ago, beads were only worn on the neck, across the hair, the arm and around the waist.

But she said she wouldnt know if it was a lost heritage that is being re-introduced or just modernization. . .just like the Yorubas, who didnt have buba initially.

uplawal:

Ondo people too dress like that,not only benin

uplawal:

Theres nothing like influence of bini culture of ondo people,though they are neighbours,does not mean the ondo were influenced by bini culture,each has its own culture though similar,Ondo been wearing beads from time memorial and never was bead wearing influenced by bini people.

rabzy:

In the link below there is a carving of the Kings mother and we can easily see the beads depicted on her chest, in real life it might have been more elaborate than that and she could have had others with more bead works.

There is also a carving of the queen's maids which also have such bead work on the head and chest. I think it has now become popular culture because of fashion and modernization, so i see it as a revival and popularization of culture.

In the last picture we see a King of Owo in Ondo state having a regalia very similar to the one worn in Bini, and he also had on very elaborate bead work. This is an indication of the influence of the Bini culture on its surrounding neighbors.

http://quazen.com/arts/visual-arts/the-art-of-the-edo/

http://morecoolpictures..com/2009/04/african-kings.html?zx=219f2cfc8a7fdc13

uplawal:

Theres nothing like influence of bini culture of ondo people,though they are neighbours,does not mean the ondo were influenced by bini culture,each has its own culture though similar,Ondo been wearing beads from time memorial and never was bead wearing influenced by bini people.

rabzy:

Hey,
i don't think it started 15 years ago, the Binis have always been wearing beads for long, uromi where the Woman comes from is in Esan and we don't wear as much beads as the Binis. Also such heavy beads are often worn by the nobility, the King, chiefs and the King's wives,

such wearing of the beads as a vest might have been restricted to the royalty, but the advent of modernization and popular fashion has made it very common.

If you check out pictures of Bini Kings and also several carvings, you would notice heavy beads on them, so it wont be surprising if their wives also have such elaborate beads made for them.

PhysicsMHD:
I might have an answer to Ileke Idi's original question. The only thing is that in this image, only one of the women seems too possibly have coral beads on their head.








^^^^^
The woman on the right of the Iyoba, holding up one of the two fans, seems to have beads in her hair.


"Altar Tableau: Queen Mother and Attendants, 18th century
Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin
Brass

H. 13 1/2 in. (34.29 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991 (1991.17.111)

This cast brass tableau, or urhoto, was originally displayed on an ancestral altar dedicated to the mother of a ruler of the Benin kingdom. The queen mother, or iyoba, occupies an important place within the political hierarchy of the Benin court. By protecting the health and well-being of her son, she helps to safeguard the security and prosperity of the entire kingdom. In light of her position, she is entitled to certain prerogatives enjoyed by high-ranking male titleholders, such as a luxurious palace, a coterie of attendants, and the right to commission sculpture in ivory and brass. After her death, a large altar dedicated to her memory is constructed within the palace and decorated with an assemblage of sculptures that celebrate her achievements and facilitate communication with her spirit in the afterlife.

This urhoto is composed of nine figures upon a rectangular base with a square opening at the center. Motifs referring to her strength and achievements such as mudfish and elephant trunks with hands holding leaves, and those of sacrificial offerings in the form of goat and ram heads, appear on the sides of the base superimposed over an interlace pattern. Above, the iyoba is shown surrounded by a group of eight female servants. Similar to other examples of royal art from Benin, the iyoba's superior rank is communicated through her greater scale and the detailed depiction of coral bead regalia. She wears the peaked crown traditionally associated with her position, as well as a cylindrical collar, netted shirt, and crossed bandoliers worn by high-ranking chiefs. The female attendants who surround the iyoba carry insignia of the iyoba's importance, including circular fans and a sword and staff of authority. Two young women stand on either side of the queen mother to support her arms, an arrangement also assumed by the king when appearing in state. Behind her, a pair of attendants hold shields above her head to protect her from the sun.

The unique crested hairstyle and abundant coral ornaments found on the attendants mark them as women destined for marriage to the king or other major political figures. Raised in the palace by the iyoba herself, their sophistication and education make them valuable partners for powerful courtiers.

Source: Altar Tableau: Queen Mother and Attendants [Nigeria; Edo peoples, court of Benin] (1991.17.111) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art"