Nigeria

Ife Commemorative Bronze Head of Dignitary Cirça 16th century Bronze 12 x 6 x 9 in 30 x 15 x 23 cm Yoruba people; Southwestern Nigeria, West Africa This is a commemorative bronze head from the medi Ife kingdom that probably represents an important dignitary who was a powerful monarch during the early 16th century at the Ile Ife, court Osun State Nigeria. The lost-wax casting process is a technique used by Ife sculptors to form the shape of the effigy head in a heat-resistant clay-core. This core is then covered with a layer of wax, in which the sculptor models, carves, and incises an image. Secondly, a thin layer of finely ground liquid clay is painted over the wax model then covered with increasingly thicker layers of clay. When the clay is completely dry, the assembly is heated to melt out the wax leaving an empty image or mold of the sculpted image of the head; for the hot molten metal to be filled in where the wax was and hot metal is poured into the mold. The sculptor must turn the complete assembly upside down to pour the hot molten metal, which is generally a mixture of copper alloys or brass. When the molten metal has cooled, the outer clay casing and inner clay core are broken to remove the casted sculpture or head. Provenance: This artifact is an extremely rare and important archeological find from the Ife civilization. The époque of the Ife civilization is presumed to be from the classic period to between the 13th–16th centuries. The results of thermoluminescence testing (report number 18R030519) conducted by the Kotalla Laboratory research facilities in Germany reports that sampling taken from the core of the cast and on the inside of the nose and mouth shows that this artifact was last fired into its present construction approximately 510 years ago, with an actual date reported as 1531 AD, which is consistent with the suggested period of the Ife civilization. and later purchased by Maxwell Price Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie The British trader and empire builder Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie (1846-1925) created the Royal Niger Company, which secured British claims to the lower Niger and Northern Nigeria. The son of the Speaker of the Manx Parliament, George Goldie was born on the Isle of Man. His family were influential landowners on the island. The family name was Taubman, but Goldie adopted his mother's family name when he was knighted in 1887. In the 1860s Goldie trained as a royal engineer at Woolwich but afterward used a legacy to visit Egypt, where he took an Arab mistress. He went to the Sudan, living an idyllic and isolated life for 3 years, learning Arabic and reading extensively in African travel literature. He also met Hausa pilgrims from Nigeria and began studying that country. Returning to England, Goldie ran away to Paris with the family governess, Mathilda Elliot, and they were caught in the Prussian siege of 1870 and were married in July 1871. Goldie's escapades and an avowed atheism cut him off from an official career and the highest circles of Victorian society. In 1875 the Taubman family purchased a near-bankrupt firm which traded on the Niger River. Goldie was given the task of putting its affairs in order and visited the Niger for the first time. He concluded that over competition was ruining all the British firms on the river, and he set out to create a single monopolistic organization. By 1879 he had succeeded in amalgamating the British firms into the United African Company but thereafter had to face competition from the Africans and French. Goldie then decided to secure administrative rights by treaty from Africans to establish his company as a government which could exclude competitors by administrative measures. In 1882 he formed the National African Company for this purpose and began treaty making. By 1884 Goldie had ruined the French competition, and at the Berlin Conference (1884-1885) Britain was given the task of administering the lower Niger. The British government was unwilling to spend money for such a purpose and in 1886 gave a royal charter to Goldie's company, which was renamed the Royal Niger Company. By 1892 the company had established a complete monopoly of trade. The British government ignored the opposition this provoked because the company was expanding and establishing British territorial claims in Nigeria at no cost to the taxpayer. In 1895, however, a commission of inquiry investigated the company, and Joseph Chamberlain, the new colonial secretary, determined to take over Goldie's administration. This was delayed by struggles with the French on Northern Nigeria's frontiers, but eventually in 1900 the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria took over the company's administrative functions. Thereafter Goldie played little part in public life, rejecting various offers of colonial governorships and turning down an offer to take control of the British South Africa Company after Cecil Rhodes's death. He died in London on Aug. 25, 1925. Ooni Adelekan Olubuse I was the 46th Ooni of Ife, a paramount traditional ruler of Ile Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorubas. He succeeded Ooni Derin Ologbenla and was succeeded by. Ooni Adekola. Osalobua is the name for God in the Edo language. It is often abbreviated as Osa, which is commonly integrated into modern Edo names, such as Esosa, which means God's goodness or gift; Eghosa, God's time; and Efosa, God's blessings, or wealth. The epithet Osalobua Noghodua means God Almighty. According to legend the first rulers of Benin descended from the sky. These godlike beings were the sons of Osanobua – the Almighty and were asked to bring forth a great land out of sand in a cowrie shell. The story goes that when they came down to earth and poured the sand onto the waters that covered the earth, dry land emerged, beautiful red and fertile soil, tall lush green palm trees, warm air soft as warm blankets… so soft that you could forever sink into it as it wrapped you in its humid embrace. This beautiful land became Edo. And the youngest son of Osanobua founded the Ogiso dynasty that reigned there till the 1300s. But then the dynasty faltered. Oranmiyan, who was the Ooni – ruler – of Ile Ife, and also a descendant of Osanobua, was sent to rule at Benin city. His rule was resisted ferociously by the Edo chiefs. So, Oranmiyan left Edo land in anger, calling the place Ile Ibinu – land of anger. And so, Bini got its name when the people of Edo corrupted Ibinu into Bini. When Oranmiyan departed Bini, he left his son, a child at the time, to rule in his place. His son was called Owomika (I can oversee this) by the Yoruba. Owomika became Oba Eweka I of the Edos. And thereafter, the rulers of Benin lived at the palace at Benin city and were called Obas. The Obas of Benin have many titles, e.g., Omo N’Oba N’Edo – “A child who shines for the Edo people.” A constant reminder and reference to Oba Eweka I who was a child and a symbol of redemption of the dying Ogiso dynasty. They are also called Uku Akpolokpolo – “The mighty one who rules.” The Oba of Benin was and still is revered as a divine leader. He is a god. And so, the people of Bini hail their king. OBA GHA TO KPE RE!! and the people’s response is ISE!! O king may you live forever, it is so. The Benin Empire became one of the oldest and most advanced states in the world. The walls of Benin City and its surrounding kingdom were the world’s largest earthworks conducted prior to the mechanical era. Benin City’s walls were at one point “four times longer than the Great Wall of China and consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Khufu” Beyond the city walls, numerous further walls were erected that separated the surroundings of the capital into around five hundred distinct villages. The walls of Benin are said to be the largest single archaeological phenomenon on the planet. Benin City was also one of the first cities in the world to have a semblance of street lighting; Benin city had streetlamps fueled by palm oil. (Edo, Igbo/Benin) Osanobua (Osa) is the creator of all beings both in the world in which humans live (called Agbo) and the other world, the world that cannot be seen, a world (called Erivi) of gods and spirits. Osanobua is like a divine king; his children are also divinities, the initial rulers of places on the earth, places like Benin and Ife. There are other gods: Ogu is the god of iron, Osu of medicine. Ogiuwu is the king of death. And Oloku, the senior son of Osanobua, identified with water, the seas, and the rivers, is also identified with fertility: he is the originator of children. The land of the earth has water on all sides, and if one is to move to Erivi, one must cross these waters. Humans typically make two journeys across these waters, once at birth and once at death. Oloku is therefore a significant figure in the religious beliefs of the people. When a person is about to make the journey to Agbo, the earth, he first stands before Osanobua (or Oloku), and informs him of his plans for his life. At the same time, he asks the creator for the wherewithal to achieve what it is he is setting out to do. Every person has a spiritual shadow, who lives in the other world, Erivi. That spiritual shadow at times mediates between the human and Osanobua. Yet another personal spirit has to do with a person's fortune. A myth tells of a young man who is being created by Osanobua, about to be born, about to make the journey to Agbo, and as he is being created, he sees a beautiful woman and that makes him even more anxious to be born. But God is taking his time, and the young man impatiently hurries to his new world but with a body that is not complete. God has not yet created his penis. And so, he moves to Agbo, and his parents, when they discover that his body is not whole, are saddened. Then the parents die, and an old woman brings the boy up. As he moves to adulthood, it becomes evident that he is musically inclined. And when a princess hears his music, she informs her disinclined father that she wants to marry him. But a palm wine tapper sees from the upper reaches of the tree that he is tapping that the young man has no penis, and he tells the king, swearing on his life that what he reports is true. Now the king, who was not happy about the marriage from the start, makes a proclamation that all men must remove their clothing at a place designated in front of the palace. When the young man nervously tells the old woman of his situation, she casts a spell on him and he is transported back to Osanobua, his creator. He is angry as he moves back to the spiritual world because of his incompleteness, and he aggressively moves to fight even with Osanobua. God then provides him with a penis, and the youth returns to earth. And the day when all men must strip arrives. The youth reveals his body, and the king kills the palm wine tapper. HISTORY : OBA AKENZUA II (1933-1978) "THE SCHOLAR/BUILDER KING OF THE GREAT BENIN KINGDOM" . Prince Godfrey Edokpa- Orhogbuyunmwun Aiguobasinmwin Eweka was born in 1899 at Irhirhi village in late Orhumwense’s house. Prince Godfrey was heir presumptive to the crown prince (heir Apparent) to the throne of Benin, at a time when the soul of the Edos was haunted. That was the very period their King, his grand-father, Ovonramwen had already been deposed and deported to Calabar on 13th September 1897 following the Benin Massacre and Benin Invasion. He was the only child of his mother, Queen Ariowa. Then, the Benin custom did not permit a second birth by the mother of a would-be King hence the adage “Omo Kpa r’ Ekpen bie.” His mother hailed from Evbodobian village in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State. Sadly, she did not live to see her son enthroned in 1933, as she passed away in 1926, but her body was embalmed at Evborubu village, according to custom. She was officially buried after the coronation of her son as Oba of Benin in on the 5th of April 1933. Queen Ariowa was thereafter proclaimed “IYOBA” (Oba’s Mother). Her son, the king, built a house and raised a monument in her memory at the entrance to Eguae-Iyoba. He also built a house in her village to immortalize her name. . BACKGROUND… Oba Akenzua’s father, AIguobasinmwin Ovonrawen (Eweka II) was born by Queen Eghaghe who hailed from Uvbe village in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo state. She was of Egbede family. Her mother was the daughter of Chief Evbuomwan, the Enogie of Abavo. Her father was Osenugbe of Isi. She passed away peacefully on 18th February 1933. She died after the demise of her son, Oba Eweka II. She was buried by her grand-son, Oba Akenzua II. Oba Akenzua's, father, Oba Eweka II was a bold and courageous man and this earned him the appellation of Ovbiudu. He rebuilt the present palace after the ruins of the old palace following the Benin Expedition war of 1897, hence the appellation of “ Eweka N’ Ologbe”. The term was appropriate because it was Oba Eweka I who started the second dynasty after the deposition of the last Ogiso and the emergence of Oronmiyan, a grand-son of Ogiso Owodo from Ife, where his father lived while on exile after he got expelled from Benin through the evil machinations of Esagho, the wife of Ogiso Owodo. It was Oba Eweka I who built the first palace. After the deportation of Oba Ovonramwen, his son, Eweka II, retired to his mother’s sister, Ediagbonya’s house in Ekhor. While there, he took to farming until he was called back to Benin by the British consul and appointed District Head. He took up residence at his grandmother’s house in Ogbe quarters. On the demise of his father in exile in 1914, Eweka II’s ascension was challenged and became a matter of debate. But for the wise judgment of the British Officials, based on solid evidence provided by some Benin Chiefs, the tables would have turned in favor of Chief Agho Ogbedeoyo, the Obaseki of Benin, who had acted for the Oba during the Interregnum of 1897-1914. If this were not the case, Oba Eweka II and his first son, Oba Akenzua II, would have missed the crown. . EARLY YEARS/ACADEMIC PURSUITS… In his youthful days, Oba Akenzua II was placed under the tutelage of his father’s close associate, Chief Ajayi, the Ovienrioba of Benin. He was groomed in the deposition and comportment required of an Oba. In 1907 while living with Chief Ajayi, Akenzua was sent to the Benin Government School. His headmaster was Mr. Okai, a Ghanaian. He passed the then Standard Six in 1915. In 1918 he proceeded to king’s College, Lagos, where he studied and passed the then Junior Cambridge examination in 1921. That was the highest class attainable then at the college. Among his classmates at king’s College, were the late Bishop A.W. Howells, Justice R. Ade Doherty, and Dr. Samuel Manuwa. His tutors included Mr. Earnest Ikoli and Mr. Charles James Smart, who became a popular letter-writer in Benin City before his death in 1966. Oba Akenzua II distinguished himself as a brilliant scholar. He was a very keen sportsman; he was exceptionally good at cricket and football. Apart from Western Education, Oba Akenzua was very vast in the knowledge of Benin tradition, customs, and culture. On his return from the college, he was appointed a transport clerk in the Benin Native Administration. He was later transferred to his father’s palace as the Oba’s confidential secretary. In the various positions held, he gained leadership knowledge. In 1925, he was sent to Abeokuta to study Native Administration system under Sir Ademola II, the late Alake of Abeokuta. When he returned to Benin, he was appointed the District Head of Eguaedaiken, although he had not been initiated into the Palace Society or installed the Ediaken. He was virtually in change of the area of Iyeke-Uselu, covering Uselu up to the Benin divisional boundary with Ondo State. Oba Akenzua II performed his duties creditably and judiciously without blemish. He earned the respect of the Colonial Administrative Officers. He depicted all the qualities of a born ruler. He was, in fact, well prepared to assume the throne of his fathers at the time he was called upon to put on the mantle of his forebears. . ASCENSION TO THE THRONE Upon the demise of his father Oba Eweka II, after a brief illness, Akenzua was initiated into the Iwebo palace Society. According to tradition, he had to perform the right of Odafen-Vbonoreguae, the Ukonniwebo, Edaiken and Iyanehien respectively before he was officially informed of the passing away of his father. After the announcement, he performed the rites of the burial ceremonies for fourteen days. Before his installation, he faced a dramatic challenge. His didn’t come from the chiefs or his brothers, as in the case of his father and grand-father, but his elder half-sister, princess Ighiwiyisi! Her reason was on the grounds that she was the first born of their father and therefore revolved to succeed their father as the Oba of Benin. After a protracted debate, the Colonial Officers and Benin Chiefs, vehemently protested against her claim that there was no precedence of a woman becoming the king of Benin. In spite of that, she argued that if not permitted to reign as Oba, she should be granted the prerogative to nominate a substitute among her brothers. Her new tactic was equally rebuffed because there was no precedence in the annals of Benin history to support her quest, although she cited several examples, such as that of princess Ayubini, the eldest daughter of Oba Osemwende and elder sister to Oba Adolo. Finally, The Government upheld the points raised by the Edaiken, Prince Godfrey Edokparhogbuyunmwun Eweka to succeed his father as the Oba of Benin. After going through the various stages of the installation, he was crowned Oba Akenzua II, Oba of Benin on the 5th April, 1933, amidst unprecedented jubilation. He was presented the staff of office by His Honour Lt. Governor Buchanam Smith. . OBA AKENZUA II’s REIGN During his first year as king, Oba Akenzua concentrated on acquainting himself with the practical role of an Oba and the intricacies of Benin traditional law and customs. He rehabilitated the palace to meet modern trends. This was considered very brave of the king as the palace instilled awe and fear in the minds of people. He also created a special reception room for August visitors. The walls abounding the large, enclosed courts gave way to a large expanse of an open courtyard. The king also erected a fence in order to mark the extent of the Palace. The king took great delight in playing billiard. He had a billiard table in his palace which he played most evenings with some Chiefs. Two years after he became Oba, he installed three of his immediate younger brothers as Enogie; Uwaifiokun Eweka became the Enogie of Obagie. Ogiesoba Eweka, Enogie of Aideyannoba. Iyi Eweka became the Enogie of Oghada. A few years later, he created other hereditary titles, like that of Obarayi-Edo on Chief Ogiemudia Obaseki. Chief Johnson Francis .O. Akpata, the Aihie-Oba of Benin. Arala of Benin on Chief Sunmola Omo Lawal Osula. He also made the Osula of Benin and Obaseki Titles hereditary. . OBA AKENZUA’S HISTORIC TRIP TO ENGLAND IN 1950 On the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II, Oba Akenzua II, visited England with his wife, Queen Idada, the Ohan of the harem on October 5, 1950. The royal couple was accompanied by their daughter. During that visit, his first son, Late Oba Erediauwa, who was in England at the time, toured the country with his father. On the 5th of February, 1956, Queen Elizabeth II of England visited Nigeria and made a stopover at the Benin Airport where she was received by Oba Akenzua II, the residents and other dignitaries from the entire kingdom. . MORE LEGECIES… - In Oba Akenzua’s relentless effort to regain the lost glory of the great kingdom, some of his late grand- father, Oba Ovonramwen’s coral regalia were returned by the British Museum. He had the courage, ability and patience to surmount all trials and intrigues of his reign. He worked tirelessly to find solutions between the British rule and culture of his people. He was also forceful and dynamic in the advancement of Nigeria. For his many victories, he was awarded Companion of the order of Saint Michael and Saint George (C.M.G) by the British Queen. The Oba conferred with the Doctorate Degree LL.D (Causa) on the 19th May 1966 by Ahmadu Bello Zaria. For his role in Nigeria’s independence, Oba Akenzua was awarded the Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (C.F.R.N). Oba Akenzua II was also a Minister of State in the then Western House in 1955 and a member of the Western House of Chiefs from 1959 to 1963, before the creation of Midwestern Region. In order to perpetually protect the heritage of his people, the Oba initiated the establishment of the Benin Museum, with Chief Jacob U.Egharevba as curator. The king generously contributed several antiquities. Inspired by this act, subjects also donated to the vastness of the Museum. A befitting building in the heart of the City was created to house the museum, officially opened to the public on August 10, 1973. *The Federal Government has since taken over the management of the museum, appointing qualified curators from the Department of Antiquities.* - Oba Akenzua II initiated the campaign for the creation of Mid-Western Region which materialized in 1962. . EMOTAN STATUE... With the fall of the tree at Emotan shrine in 1951, there were speculations that the fall was due to the evil machinations of the enemies of progress and peace in the realm. An expatriate working for the French Company known as M. Gualia, used an equipment on the tree a few days before it was brought down by a storm. (The tree was at the burial site of Emotan, a lady who gave cover to Prince Ogun to enable him to gain the crown from his brother, Uwaifiokun. Ogun later reigned as Oba Ewuare. Upon her death, the Oba immortalized Emotan and ordered that on all celebrations, homage must be paid to her grave site where the tree stood.) To restore her memory and keep the tradition going, Oba Akenzua II commissioned a statue of Emotan to replace the tree on the site. A sculptor in England got the contract for the job. The Emotan statue was unveiled by the Oba on the 11th of March 1954. . EDUCATIONAL LEGACIES… The Oba’s interest in Education was why he sponsored the establishment of Edo College, Benin City in 1935. He provided land for the project. The College was opened in 1936 with Mr. B.D. Coker, a Ghanaian and former headmaster of the Benin Government School, as principal. (The original site in Iyaro, is now occupied by Idia College, while Edo College moved to a larger site on Murtala Muhammed Way, Benin City.) Because of the great premium he placed on Western Education, he saw to it that his children got maximum training in modern education as much as their intellect and ability could carry. Years later, the Roman Catholic Fathers approached the Oba for land for the establishment of a secondary school, which the Oba gladly gave. Immaculate Conception College was then established and opened in 1943. - The Roman Catholic Mission was also granted land and permission to establish and run Saint Philomena Catholic Hospital for the welfare of mothers in 1944. . THE MAN, THE KING... Oba Akenzua II was soft spoken. He exhibited dignity and exerted authority over his subjects. He worked relentlessly for the peace, love, unity, and progress of the kingdom. Oba Akenzua II was referred to as Iso N’ Orho and Osanobua N’ Agbon. He was a promoter of the Nigerian culture. As a personified god on earth, he was an embodiment of peace, tranquility endurance. He settled disputes with utmost dispatch, Justice fair play and impartiality. He was unruffled even in face of disloyalty by some unruly elements in his domain. He was very calm and somber even when angered. His words were law to his people, and they all revered him. He welcomed administrative reforms and identified himself with the policies and aspirations of the government for the unification of the entire nation. He participated actively in Nigeria’s constitutional development. DEATH… When Oba Akenzua II passed away in 1978, the entire world mourned him The Edos will forever remember him as a great king, father, scholar, and builder. Oba Ghato Okpere Historical Provenance of Acquisition for the two bronzes We have obtained from Ooni or Chief Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi of Ifè a certified letter stating the historical provenance of the two artifacts. This documented certified and stamped letter gives the complete ownership history from the time it was first offered by Ooni Adelekan Olubuse I to the Oba Osanobua Ovonramwen, of Benin, in 1890. This was prior to the occurrence, to the British punitive expedition that entered Benin, city on the 18th of January 1897. This was prior to the exile or deportation of to the Oba Osanobua Ovonramwen, imposed by the British. It was during the reign of the grandson of Oba Osanobua Ovonramwen, Oba Osanobua Akenzua II in 1921 that the Benin Commemorative Bronze Plaque and the Ifè Commemorative Bronze Head of a Dignitary; was offered to Dr. George Goldie, for services rendered loyally to the Benin, population. It was on the death of Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie, 1925 that the two bronzes one Benin Royal Commemorative Plaque and one Ifè Commemorative head of a Dignitary were sold to Mr. Alaji Inoua, an expert in Benin and Ifè artifacts, and in 1990 Prince Mamouda Mfondouop, purchased the two artifacts, which was later acquired by Maxwell Price.