shrine of the ruler’s first wife, stands several feet tall. Some scholars
have interpreted the bird at the top as symbolizing the first wife’s an-
cestors, but most think it refers to the King or his ancestors. (Ancestral
spirits among the present-day Shona-speaking peoples of the area
take the form of birds, especially eagles, believed to communicate be-
tween the sky and the earth.) The crocodile on the front of the mono-
lith may represent the wife’s elder male ancestors. The circles beneath
the bird are called the “eyes of the crocodile” in Shona and may sym-
bolically represent elder female ancestors. The double- and single-
chevron motifs may represent young male and young female ances-
tors, respectively. The bird perhaps signifies some form of bird of
prey, such as an eagle, although this and other bird sculptures from
the site have feet with five humanlike toes rather than an eagle’s three-
toed talons. In fact, experts cannot identify the species of the birds.
Some researchers have speculated that the bird and crocodile symbol-
ize previous rulers who would have acted as messengers between the
living and the dead, as well as between the sky and the earth.Benin
The Benin kingdom (not to be confused with the modern Republic
of Benin; see MAP15-1) was established before 1400, most likely in
the 13th century, just west of the lower reaches of the Niger River in
what is today Nigeria. According to oral tradition, the first king of
the new dynasty was the grandson of a Yoruba king of Ile-Ife. Benin
reached its greatest power and geographical extent in the 16th cen-
tury. The kingdom’s vicissitudes and slow decline thereafter culmi-
nated in 1897, when the British burned and sacked the Benin palace
and city. Benin City thrives today, however, and the palace, where the
Benin king continues to live, has been partially rebuilt. Benin artists
have produced many complex, finely cast copper-alloy sculptures, as
well as artworks in ivory, wood, ceramic, and wrought iron. The
hereditary oba,or sacred king, and his court still use and dispense
art objects as royal favors to title holders and other chiefs (see “Art
and Leadership,” page 397).QUEEN MOTHER IVORY One of the masterworks of Benin
ivory carving is a woman’s head (FIG. 15-12) in the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, which a Benin king almost certainly wore at his
waist. A nearly identical pendant, fashioned from the same piece of
ivory, is in the British Museum. Oba Esigie (r. ca. 1504–1550), under
whom, with the help of the Portuguese, the Benin kingdom flour-
ished and expanded, probably commissioned the pair. Esigie’s
mother, Idia, helped him in warfare, and in return he created for her
the title of Queen Mother, Iy’oba, and built her a separate palace and
court. The pendant, remarkable for its sensitive naturalism, most
likely represents Idia. On its crown are alternating Portuguese heads
and mudfish, symbolic allusions, respectively, to Benin’s trade and
diplomatic relationships with the Portuguese and to Olokun, god of
the sea, wealth, and creativity. Another series of Portuguese heads
also adorns the lower part of the carving. In the late 15th and 16th
centuries, Benin people probably associated the Portuguese, with
their large ships from across the sea, their powerful weapons, and
their wealth in metals, cloth, and other goods, with Olokun, the deity
they deemed responsible for abundance and prosperity.ALTAR TO THE HAND AND ARM The centrality of the
sacred oba in Benin culture is well demonstrated by his depiction
twice on a cast-brass royal shrine called an ikegobo (FIG. 15-13).
It features symmetrical hierarchical compositions centered on
the dominant king, probably Oba Eresonyen (r. 1735–1750). At thetop, flanking and supporting the king, are smaller, lesser members of
the court, usually identified as priests, and in front, a pair of leop-
ards, animals the sacred king sacrificed and symbolic of his power
over all creatures. Similar compositions are common in Benin arts,
as exemplified by the royal plaque (FIG. I-15) discussed in the Intro-
duction. Notably, too, the artist distorted the king’s proportions to
emphasize his head, the seat of his will and power. Benin men cele-
brate a festival of the head called Igue. One of the king’s praise402 Chapter 15 AFRICA BEFORE 180015-12Waist pendant of a Queen Mother, from Benin, Nigeria,
ca. 1520. Ivory and iron, 9^3 – 8 high. Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York (Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, gift of
Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972).
This ivory head probably portrays Idia, mother of Oba Esigie, who
wore it on his waist. Above Idia’s head are Portuguese heads and
mudfish, symbols, respectively, of trade and of Olokun, god of the sea.15-12AHead of 1 in.
a Benin Queen
Mother, ca.
1520–1550.