EDO STATE CULTURE AND TRADITION

King Phrost

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EDO STATE CULTURE AND TRADITION

We arrived at the village. The day has turned dark and grey. The journey was punctuated. We go to meet the Omotomoto, a sort of consort of the gods. A retinue forms behind us.

Who Are Edo People, Briefly?

Edo State is a diverse state that is predominantly inhabited by the Edoid people, including the Edo (or Bini), Esan, Ora, Akoko-Edo, Owan and Afemai people among others. The most common Edoid language spoken is the Edo language, which is commonly spoken in Benin City. Christianity is the dominant religion in Edo State. Edo people (also known as Bini) now occupy vast areas in the south of Nigeria. There are about one million and a half Bini people living in the Edo State and neighboring areas. Many centuries ago, these people created the Benin Kingdom. At that time, this kingdom was called Igodmingodo. The kingdom looked like a cluster of small towns scattered over vast territories of what was then called Bendel State.

Religions In Edo State

In the traditional religion of the Edo, there exists, besides the human world, an invisible world of supernatural beings acting as interceders for the human world. Offerings are made to them in their respective shrines. Osanobua is the creator and Supreme God. His son/daughter Olokun is ruler of all bodies of water and is responsible for the prosperity and fertility of his/her human followers. Another son Ogun, is the patron god of metalworkers. The epithet Osanobua Noghodua mean God Almighty. This religion has nothing to do with the Bible or the Quran like Christianity or Islam. Instead, it has its own holy writing known as “Binis’ teaching and saying”. It’s as ancient as one can imagine. However, the entire worship ceremonies and the religion itself seems to have taken something from Judaism and traditional African beliefs. There are no images of the God in the cathedral and when the believers pray, they look at the sky. All their collective prayers are finished with a traditional “Amen” chorus.

Edo people honor their ancestors with precise rituals. For instance, before people eat or drink, they offer a part to those who are long gone. This is a rule, which works for everyone, male or female. It’s a blasphemy if somebody violates the rule and shows disrespect to the ancestors. There are several sacred places where Edo people pray and worship, and honor their late family members. In families, they have their own altars where the eldest son of the surviving ones serves the spirits of the ancestors. In the palace of the ruler, the Oba, there’s a separate altar where the Oba honors the late preceding Obas. Finally, there’s a public altar where the entire community gathers and worships the late ones through the oldest man in the community who leads the worship. Edo people consider the head of a human something more than a body part. It’s an entity of a spiritual or divine type that leads a person to every success this person achieves. That is, there’s a special spirit, called Ehi, which undertakes the responsibility of guiding a person through the life and working as a compass in the person’s head However, at the same time, they believe that there’s no chance to basically change what’s predestined for a person. In simpler words, he who’s not meant to be a king cannot become one and he who’s reached success in his life has a good spiritual compass.

The Royal Palace of Benin City

Whether the king is at home or not, the Royal Palace can be seen. Although the visit consists of a conversation with the Royal Librarian and a short stroll through the outer courtyard, it is still a curious entry into Edo history.

As soon as we arrive, we are warned not to wear completely black clothes. Either we wear another garment of a different colour over it, or we must leave the enclosure (a scarf is enough). On the other hand, the Royal Librarian forces us to stay together and, in addition to the explanations, tells us what we can photograph. There is no doubt that he sets the tone and exercises his authority, although he always does so with a smile on his face.

The present palace is a rather new building and stands on the grounds of the traditional palace. This was once a complex of several adobe buildings with defensive walls and moat, of which only one building remains at the bottom of the garden. It looks a bit nondescript to our eyes, and we are not allowed to get too close, but as I understood it is the place where ceremonial sacrifices were and still are performed.

Once we were done with the walk, he took us to the palace library, which is a room full of cabinets of books, some statues that coexist with old-fashioned air conditioners, and many photographs of both the current Oba and previous kings. There is also a lot of dust. In fact, as you walked in, the enclosed atmosphere hits you in the face. It has the atmosphere of a slightly decrepit historical place, and is certainly the perfect setting for learning about the Edo monarchy and Benin City.

Marriage traditions in Edo State

First of all, an Edo wedding begins with preliminary visits to the future in-laws. These visits are necessary to arrange everything in a proper way in advance. To be everything, young people usually get to know all the requirements that should be known before such visits. For instance, there’s no use visiting the bride’s parents for the first time without a gift. It’s quite funny that even still it’s necessary to pay a certain bride’s price during the negotiations between the bride’s family and the groom’s one. Of course, these are formalities because the future spouses already know each other and agree to get married to each other. Still, money is paid even today. Another funny ceremony is identifying the bride among other girls and women chosen by older ladies of the bride’s family.

The groom is expected to choose the bride over and over again among other females, paying money again, and finally pick her out. Since that time, she’s given to the groom’s family for good. These are more or less general requirements. In certain separate communities, these demands can differ quite significantly. However, there is one tradition that’s accepted by all Edo people everywhere: in addition to an exquisite traditional dressing, brides decorate their hair, head, neck, and shoulders with elaborate beadwork made out of coral. Quite often, such decorative elements are worn over complicated hairstyles.

A Fragment Of Animism In The Edo Kingdom: How The Dead Are Honoured

Despite the presence and influence of all kinds of Christian and Muslim sects, animism is still very present in the daily life of the Edo kingdom. They speak of the Edo religion, whose gods evoke nature: the god of wind, the god of fire, etc., and has strong similarities with the voodoo religion of the neighbouring states of Benin and Togo.

In addition to the gods there are the masks, which are kept by secret societies and are representations of the spirits of the ancestors. They are not easy to see. Especially not in Benin City. The king is the one who authorises them to go out on the streets because they can be dangerous. After all, they are spirits. If they touch you, they can put a curse on you, which in a city with thousands of people can be quite dramatic.

In other places such regulation is not so strict and is left to local decision-makers. That is why we moved a few kilometres north of Benin City, to the region where, incidentally, the minerals needed to make Edo art were mined.

Ritual Of Funeral In Edo State

The ritual of funeral over a deceased member of the community. The funeral events take place during seven whole days in case the deceased one was a regular person and fourteen days in case a chief or even a king. Every day separate rites are held.

Day one: the body is washed and embalmed

Day two: all those present are offered food and other treats. The guests sing burial songs till the morning

Day three: a cow or a goat is given as an offering by the eldest surviving child of the deceased to honor the spirit

Day four is dedicated to the preparation for the day five

Day five: the children of the deceased walk through the town carrying a red box. This procession symbolizes the prosperity of the deceased one’s spirit

Day six: a person is dressed to represent the spirit of the deceased one. This person should by no means sleep till the dawn of the next day unless he or she might die soon

Day seven: the body of the deceased is taken to the burial ground where the person who represents the deceased one is standing like a statue. Another goat is chosen as a sacrifice

What Are Edo Known For?

The Edo people are internationally recognized for their art. Ivory masks dating back to the Benin Empire are perhaps one of the Kingdom's most memorable legacies. Brass works are also a cornerstone of Edo art and culture. The state is inhabited largely by the Edo (Bini) people, who are linked to the historic kingdom of Benin. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Yams, cassava (manioc), oil palm produce, rice, and corn (maize) are the major subsistence crops, while rubber, timber, and palm oil and kernels are cash crops.

Edo Traditional Food

Edo traditional food consists of dishes or food items common among the people of Edo. Traditional food found among these people usually involves soup and swallow. 'swallow' is a term for Nigerian meals that are taken with soup and ingested without chewing (Although there are few people who are actually chew before swallowing)

Bini owo soup:This is one simple soup eaten by the Edos. The soup is quite different in content from the owo (or Owho) of Urhobo people in southern Nigeria. It is prepare with palm oil, smoked fish and potash (Okawu or kan). The Potash is meant to give it a thick texture. It is usually served with yam, cocoyam or unripe plantain.

Groundnut soup: This is another popular cousine among the Etsakor and owan people of Edo State. The groundnut soup is locally called Omisagwe in Estakor. it involves a blend of ground nut (peanuts), tomatoes, onions and a variety of meats such as chicken, beef or chevron. The soup is usually served with fufu, pounded yam, garri (Eba) or starch.

Corn soup: Corn soup is a native soup of Afemai people in Edo State. This cuisine is locally called omi ukpoka. It a blend of corn with smoked fish and green leaf. It is usually served with swallow such as; fufu, eba or pounded yam.

Black soup: This is particularly common among the Ishan (Esan) and Owan people. In Esan and Owan, the name for this nutritious soup is 'Omoebe (leave) soup'. The soup is a blend of bitter leaf and other vegetable including scent leaf (Ebaumokho in Edo language or Effirin in Yoruba language). The mixture of these vegetables gives the soup a dark colour. it is usually served with semo, pounded yam, eba and fufu.

Edo State Arts And Craft

Edo State has produced some of the best crop of outstanding contemporary artist in Nigeria.

The Royal Arts Of Benin: The royal arts of the Benin Kingdom of southern region Nigeria affirm the centrality of the Oba, or divine king, portraying his divine nature. While recording the kingdom's significant historical events and the Oba's involvement with them, they also initiate the Oba's interactions with the supernatural and honor his deified ancestors, forging a continuity that is vital to the kingdom's well-being

Ancestral Altars: A newly installed Oba is responsible for creating an altar dedicated to his father, commissioning the appropriate objects to adorn it and activating it on a regular basis with sacrifices of food or animal blood. The Oba does the same for his mother if she attained the title of iyoba, or queenmother. While bells and rattle staffs are placed on all ancestral altars, ivory tusks and commemorative brass heads are made specifically for royal altars.

Art Related To Rituals At Court: Private and public ceremonies mark many of the important moments in Benin's yearly calendar. In the past, an elaborate series of rites were performed throughout the year to secure otherworldly support for the kingdom's well-being and to celebrate decisive events in its history.

Leopard Imagery In The Arts Of Benin: The Oba is referred to metaphorically as “the leopard of the house,” and images of the beautiful, cunning, and immensely dangerous cat appear frequently in Benin's royal arts. Before the British invasion in 1897, domesticated leopards were kept in the palace to demonstrate the Oba's mastery over the wilderness. Leopard imagery is also frequently linked to the Oba's military might

The Oba's Regalia: The Oba's divine right to rule is reiterated in his regalia. His coral crowns, shirts, aprons, necklaces, and accessories refer to those that Oba Ewuare is said to have stolen from Olokun, the god of the waters and prosperity. Coral and red stones such as jasper and agate are also filled with supernatural energy, or ase, as are elephant ivory and brass, two other valuable materials that the Oba has historically controlled

Brass Casting: The origins of brass casting in Benin are debated. One popular story credits Oba Oguola (enthroned c. 1280) with sending for a master brass caster from Ile Ife, the capital city of the ancient Ife Kingdom to the northwest, and with later establishing a royal brass-casting guild.Others suggest brass casting developed independently in Benin and may have mutually benefited from exchange with Ile Ife

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