Objektnummer
B06710
English designations
Fragment
Pendant Plaque
Categories
Ceremonial Regalia
Location
Bahnhofspl. 13, 28195 Bremen, Germany
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Iconographies

3 annotations
Udahae
Beaded forehead band

The Udahae is a forehead band made from coral beads and worn by chiefs. Sometimes a white Igan (feather) from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) is tucked into the left side of the Udahae. According to Benin oral tradition, the Udahae was introduced by Ọba Ezoti, the first son of Ọba Ewuare I. During his coronation, Ezoti was shot in the forehead with a poisoned arrow. To stop the bleeding, a band of red beads was wrapped around his forehead while he made public appearances. Fourteen days later, he died from his wound. Since then, Benin chiefs have worn the red-beaded Udahae around their foreheads to commemorate the cap used by Ezoti to stop the bleeding (Egharevba 1968, p. 21).

1 annotation
Udahae
Oro
Headdress/crown with single projection

Figures wearing a headdress with a single protrusion from the crown of the head, known as the Oro, are found only among the Ọba and a select category of palace dignitaries whose ancestors originated in ancient Ile Ife ( ; Ọbazee 2025, p. 407). Only the Osa and Osuan, custodians of the Uwen and Ora deities, as well as members of the Emuru, who are responsible for the care of Iru vessels, may wear a headdress with the Oro. The identification of different figures is therefore interpreted based on the combination of the Oro with other items of regalia. Artists in the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn and Igbesamwan depicted figures with the Oro on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) and Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks), respectively. The Oro would either be made of coral beads as part of the crown or headdress, or be woven from itoto fibre ( ).

1 annotation
Oro
Colar Bead
Odigba
Coral beaded collar

Odigba (coral-beaded collar) is a rigid neck collar made of coral beads, worn as part of ceremonial attire only by senior princes who have been made Enigie (Inneh 2007, p. 107). Although Ibafe (2007, p. 43) argued that the Odigba was introduced during the Ogiso period (c. 900–c. 1170 AD) by Ogiso Ere, along with other symbolically important Emwin Arhe, such as the Ada (ceremonial sword) and the Ẹbẹn (ceremonial sword), this seems unlikely, as coral was only introduced in the late 15th century through trade with Portuguese merchants.

1 annotation
Odigba

Provenance

4 events
Production
unknown to February 22, 1897 (day approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn guild in Benin City.
Looted
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (year approximate)
The object was looted by February 1897 Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin from Benin Kingdom.
Unknown
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to March 30, 1908
The object is known to have come into contact with Carl Heinrich Becker.
Purchase
March 8, 1908
The object was purchased by the Übersee-Museum Bremen from Carl Heinrich Becker with its destination in Bremen.

Related archival documents

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Institution data

Übersee-Museum Bremen
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2021-06-01
Language: german
Institution fieldValue
Objektnummer
object id
B06710
Objektname
designation
object type
Anhänger Figur männlich Fragment
Beschreibung
description
Dreidimensionale Figur, nur Oberkörper und Kopf vorhanden, Beine vermutlich abgebrochen. Kopfbedeckung mit phallusartigem Aufsatz, Hals überdeckt, ein Arm ist abgewinkelt und scheint etwas zu halten.
Material
material
Messing
Maße
dimensions
Allgemein: 3,5 × 4,5 × 11 cm
Datierung
date made
before 1908
Ort
production place
Staat
production place
Nigeria
Geber
prior source
provenance
Carl Heinr. Becker
Sammler
prior source
provenance
Vorbesitzer
prior source
provenance
Kultur/Ethnie
ethnic attribution
Benin
Sammlung
department and institution
E00776
Erwerbsdatum
accession date
1908-03-30
Erwerbsart
accession method
Kauf
Sensitive Content

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