Eni

Compared to the Ẹkpẹn (leopard), the Eni (elephant) is not as prominent in the visual language of the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures). It is found on two elephant-head pendant masks and as a full figure, with a chief standing on top of it, on some staffs, but more recurrently only as a trunk, either curved or straight, sometimes terminating in a human fist clenching a bunch of leaves. For example, in her PhD thesis, Barbara Blackmun ( ) identified eight different kinds of ‘trunk hand’ motifs on the Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks) alone.

When a chief or important man passes away, it is said in Edo that ‘an elephant has fallen out of society’. Eni are also said to be the ogie (lord) of the animals, and together these associations have led to the interpretation of Eni as symbols of chiefs, possibly even rebel chiefs, in Benin iconography ( ). Based on the qualities of the animals themselves, representations of Eni on the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures) are believed to represent “physical power, leadership, wisdom, and longevity” ( ).