Accession Number: (Registration Details)/Accession Details/Accession Number/Accession No.: (Accession Details)

0.8593

Institution

Manchester Museum

Edo designations

Akohẹn/Oko

English designations

Horn or Flute

Iconographies

1 annotations

Ẹghughu

Crocodile

See Ẹghughu page

In the riverine area surrounding Benin City, there are two types of crocodile. The Ẹghughu, known in English as the dwarf or bush crocodile, is believed to be more docile ( ; Ọbazee 2025, p. 133). The second type is the Àgbákà, the aggressive Nile crocodile ( ; Ọbazee 2025, p. 11).

Crocodiles are one of the important animals represented in the historical Emwin Arhe, and they are known as Olokun’s guards or the “policemen” of the waters. The powerful and ferocious qualities of these animals might explain why warrior figures are often depicted wearing Uhunmwu-Ẹkuẹ (pendant masks) in the shape of crocodile heads on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) ( ). Olokun devotees use crocodiles as sacrificial animals in offerings during the worship of Olokun.

1 annotation

Provenance

4 events

Production

unknown to February 22, 1897 (day approximate)

The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igbesamwan guild in Benin City.

Looted

February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (year approximate)

The object was looted from February 1897 Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin from Benin Kingdom.

Unknown

February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to 1936

The object is known to have come into contact with Henry Solomon Wellcome, London Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine and the Wellcome Collection, later in London.

Donation

1953

The object was donated by the Wellcome Collection to the Manchester Museum from London to Manchester.

Institution data

Manchester Museum

The data was transferred directly by the institution.

Last updated: 2022-06-24

Language: english

Institution field	Value
Accession Number: (Registration Details)/Accession Details/Accession Number/Accession No.: (Accession Details) object id	0.8593
Physical Description designation description	The tip of an elephants tusk, hollowed and pierved to form the end of a trumpet. It is carved on one side with a human face and a crocodile, and on the other side with a ridge of narrow perforations, probably for attaching tassels.
Object Name/Object Name: (Classification) object type	Trumpet Elephant tusk Animal Remains
Place: (Production Details) production place	Africa, Benin
Accession Lot: (Collection Details)/Accession Lot: (Accession Details) prior source	[0.8502 - 0.8642] Wellcome Historical Medical Museum (Donation, 1953)
Origin provenance	Nigeria, Benin. Donated by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum to Manchester Museum in 1953.
Current Location/Current Location: (Current Location) display status	[CP1/B56/102/D/Shelf] Manchester Museum - Coupland 1 - Basement - B.56 - Ethnology Store - Cupboard 102 - Shelf D - On Shelf
Copyright license	© The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester Images (.tiff): © The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, photography by Michael Pollard
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