Water fern

Ebe Amẹ

Water Fern
Description

Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria ( ). Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days ( ).

Objects with Ebe Amẹ

637 objects
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Relief Plaque
Institution
Buffalo Museum of Sciences
OBJECTID
C15745
Edo designations
Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn
Relief Plaque
Institution
de Young museum
Accession Number
1980.31
Edo designations
Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn
Relief Plaque
Institution
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Accession Number
1989.845
Edo designations
Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn
Relief Plaque
Institution
Newark Museum of Art
Object Number
24.535
Edo designations
Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn
Relief Plaque
Institution
American Museum of Natural History
Ref. #
EB55
Edo designations
Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn
Relief Plaque
Institution
American Museum of Natural History
Ref. #
EB57
Edo designations
Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn

Oral histories related to Ebe Amẹ

2 interviews
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Sensitive Content

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