Social Order
THE KINGDOM OF BENIN
Welcome to Benin Kingdom!
We have studied…
Benin Kingdom
＊Position
＊Epoch
＊Art
＊Animals
＊Religion
＊People
Social Order
Map of Benin
Social order
Queen Mother
Town Chiefs
Palace Chiefs
OBA
Oba
 Dominated political, religious, and social
aspects of life
 Had a mysterious aura around him
 Was accepted through his divine birth right
(being ancestor of the divine Ife king and
because of approval by the Uzama)
The First Oba
 Prince Oranmiyan of Ife
removed the Ogisos from
power
 His son, Eweka I, became the
first Oba
Oba Akenzua
Aesthetic Propaganda
 The Oba had sole control over the making of
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artifacts.
Craftsmen were regarded highly by the Oba.
They were given wealth and gifts when they
depicted him as he wished.
They lived within the inner wall of the city.
The Edo associated brass, which resists
corrosion, with the permanence and
continuity of kingship
Oba’ s Commemorative Head
Brass Heads
 Altar pieces which
supported carved
ivory tusks.
 Commissioned by
new Obas to
commemorate the
former one.
 Altar Tableaus
 Depicted the Oba and his attendants
 The Palace (as described by Dapper)
 As big as a city
 Had wooden pillars covered in cast copper
(engraved pictures of war and battle exploits)
 Benin city was a military fortress
Ceremony
 The Oba showed
himself once a year
 300 to 400
noblemen used to
be present
 Accompanied by
musicians, leopards,
dwarves and the
deaf
Uzama
The Uzama
Most ancient and the highest ranking order of Chiefs
 Early stages of the Kingdom
Shared control with the Oba
 13th Century
Oba Ewedo made the power move into his hands
 15th Century
The Oba became singularly in control
Oba Ewuare introduced hereditary succession
The power of the Uzama was diluted by naming more
categories of chiefs (palace and town chiefs)
The seat of power was moved to within the inner walls.
 There were 7 Uzama, each with their own unique role
 Each position was hereditary
 All enjoyed a large degree of independence in his domain
 All lived outside the inner wall
1. Oliha Senior Uzama, responsible for crowning the king
2. Edohen Senior war chief, wealthiest and most influential
3. Ezomo
4. Ero Guardian of one of the gates. Had responsibility for Edaiken
5.
6.
7.
and the Queen Mother since they lived in his domain
Eholo-nire
Oloton Keeper of the shrine were sacrifices were made during
special rituals
Edaiken Oba’s eldest son, heir to the title
Queen Mother
Queen Mother
・The mother of the king was given
the title of Queen Mother (Iyoba)
and was set up in her own palace
in the village of Uselu, which is
outside the city.
・The Queen Mother
had an
unique position in the Benin
Kingdom Hierarchy.
・She functioned as a titled chief,
with control over her own district,
Iyekuselu, and the right to grant
titles in her own court.
・She was the origin of
divine and political
power (Oba).
・She had an
uninterrupted contact
with Oba, but not
directly, through
Messengers.
Queen Mother and assistants
・The Queen mother had the privileges of the
town chiefs.
・Every year was kept a ceremony of a private
pure character by Oba in the mother queen
name.
・Her representative symbol was the tall cap
・After her death, a commemorative altar was
made in her name.
Chiefs
Chiefs
The titled chiefs constituted the
political elite of the kingdom.
 The highest ranking among the
chiefs were the Uzama
n'Ihinron, Seven Uzama, who
were considered to be the
descendants of the very elders
of Benin.
 Responsibility:
Installation of new kings
Annual worship of the departed
ones.
The Other Titled Chiefs
The other titled chiefs were divided
into 2 kinds…
*Palace Chiefs
*Town Chiefs
Palace Chiefs &
*Palace chiefs were the members of well-established
urban families
Responsibility:
The administration of the palace
belonged to one of the three important palace associations.
1.Iwebo: care for the Oba's regalia, supervised his craftsmen and
conducted negotiations with European traders visiting Benin.
2.Ibiwe: caring for the Oba's wife and children.
3.Iweguae: Oba's domestic staff of officials, cooks, servants and pages.
Town Chiefs
*Town Chiefs
men who rose to their power by their own efforts
Responsibility:
The administration of the various
territories of the kingdom.
・collection of tribute
・conscription of soldiers
・mediation between royal
and village interests.
Court Officials
 In the same area as the
Town Chiefs lived・・・
・palace officials
・chiefly retainers
・members of guilds(40-50
members)
 Each guild was located in a
special ward and had a
specific service to perform
for the king.
e.g. Leopard hunters,
Drummers, Astrologers,
and Land purifiers
Other people who worked
under Oba…
Dwarfs
・At late 14th-15th century.
・The first dwarf was 23inches high and
weighed 37 KG.
・They were without hats and simply
clothed.
・The presence of dwarfs at the royal
court was confirmed by Dapper.
 They were a means of enjoyment to
the Oba
 Others had a philosophical function
(they helped the Oba)
・Round relatively large head,
short beard, and short curly hair.
・The upper part of the body is
relatively long.
・A wide , quite plain skirt covers its
lower torso.
・ They were made of brass and are
one of the high points of Benin art,
capturing the essential aspects of
body by comportment and spiritual
expressions.
Craftsmen ~‘Servants of Oba’~
 Craftsmen were the people
who made・・・
・brass
・ ivory
・ wood sculpture
・cloths
・leather fans
for the Oba
They were considered…
'Servants of Oba'.
Wealthy and powerful Obas
became the patrons of artists
and craftspeople.
2 walls in Benin Kingdom…
Why 2 walls??
Oba Ewuare is credited in Benin
tradition with having built a
monumental system of walls and
moats around Benin City.
He divided Benin City into two
wards, one for the palace and the
other for guilds of artists and
craft workers.
Under Oba Esigie, the artists of
Benin produced their most famous
work.
Conclusion…
Social Order of Benin
Oba
Uzama
Palace chiefs
Town Chiefs
Court Officials
Craftsmen Dwarfs Brass casters Blacksmiths
Woodcarvers Doctors Seers Leatherworkers
Deaf people Musicians Public Executors
Servants Drummers
Common people
Slaves
Queen
Mother
ANY QUESTIONS??