Okhua'ẹ

Okhua'ẹ

Description

Okhua’ẹ (baskets) are traditionally made from natural materials such as reeds, raffia or grass which is either woven or coiled together with twine. Okhua’ẹ were used for storage or to carry objects from one place to another, and may have been used in domestic and commercial contexts.

In 1910, the British anthropologist and government official Northcote Whitridge Thomas wrote that ‘[n]umerous types of Okhua’ẹ are made in various parts of the country … they are used for carrying food products home, or to the market, for storing things such as beans, or for fish traps’. (p.22 ). Despite how ubiquitous baskets are reported to be, today few are part of institutional collections from Benin Kingdom.

Objects defined as Okhua'ẹ

9 objects
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Institution
Edo designations
Institution
Edo designations
Restituted
Institution
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Restituted
Institution
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Institution
Edo designations
Institution
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