Benin City was specially beautified for the coronation of Oba Erediauwa. Buntings, decorative flags and banners were strung across the streets in the City centre. The decorative flags bore the Oba’s insignia. There were billboards of bronze and gold-coloured paper Mache replicas of classic Benin bronze art and replicas of the famous carved ivory mask of a Benin Queen; that had been taken away by the British and, was used as the official symbol of the World Black Arts Festival FESTAC ’77, hosted by Nigeria. At the King’s Square, the ceremonial dance parade troupe, Ekasa, with their twirling multi-imaged banners and placards, weaved in and out of the waiting mammoth crowd, in processions. The platforms for the Oba and royal entourage were decorated with paintings of the royal symbols, whilst those for the government officials, dignitaries and VIPs, were garlanded with rows of cut-out ebens.
King’s Square, situated by the old Benin City Town Hall, with its tower-clock and, adjacent to the Benin City Council headquarters, is opposite the Benin National Museum of Antiquities; all less than half a mile from the Oba’s Palace. Amongst those present, to honour the new Oba Erediauwa and share in the celebration of his unique achievement; were other eminent traditional Kings from across Nigeria, foreign dignitaries, the diplomatic community and the elite of the public and private sectors.
The civic reception was a formal and more elaborate official outing for the new Oba, as against his earlier rather Spartan outing for the Isekherhe ‘bridge’ ceremony. Oba Erediauwa, was accompanied by his full royal court and breath-taking display of the Oba’s immense wealth of corals and ivory; including two, huge and carved whole tusks of ivory held aloft behind the Oba, dressed entirely in coral beads and, shaded from the sun by a large tasselled umbrella.
As is the Benin tradition on such civil occasions, Chiefs, Princes, the Oba’s blood relations, brothers and sons, and title holders, lined the route to honour the new Oba and publicly demonstrate their allegiance, as he made his way to his high seat.
Most appropriately, his first civic outing on his coronation day, provided the ideal opportunity for the new Oba Erediauwa to publicly articulate and present to the Benin, national and international communities, his gratitude to his father and long list of ancestor Obas, his vision for the Benin Monarchy; its mission and place in the lives of all Edo people, his view and policy thrusts towards the Nigerian polity, allegiance to the Federal Government, and his message of good neighbourliness, friendship and peace.
For the first time during the coronation ceremonies and celebrations, Oba Erediauwa’s wives (iloi) were seen in public. They and their younger children and other members of the palace household were seated on a specially adorned platform. The main feature of the iloi’s ceremonial dress, were their wigs of human hair, which had been built up on a high frame and, decorated with coral beads. They also wore coral necklaces, which together with coral decorated wigs, can only be worn by the select women of status in Benin traditional society.
Oba Esegie (1504 A.D.) made his mother Idia, Queen, and sent her to reside in Eguae-Iyoba (Queen Mother’s Court) at Lower Uselu, which is also referred to as Uselu n’evbo Iyoba ( Uselu the land of Queen Mothers). Ever since, every Oba of Benin has given his mother, the title Iyoba of Uselu.
King’s Square, situated by the old Benin City Town Hall, with its tower-clock and, adjacent to the Benin City Council headquarters, is opposite the Benin National Museum of Antiquities; all less than half a mile from the Oba’s Palace. Amongst those present, to honour the new Oba Erediauwa and share in the celebration of his unique achievement; were other eminent traditional Kings from across Nigeria, foreign dignitaries, the diplomatic community and the elite of the public and private sectors.
The civic reception was a formal and more elaborate official outing for the new Oba, as against his earlier rather Spartan outing for the Isekherhe ‘bridge’ ceremony. Oba Erediauwa, was accompanied by his full royal court and breath-taking display of the Oba’s immense wealth of corals and ivory; including two, huge and carved whole tusks of ivory held aloft behind the Oba, dressed entirely in coral beads and, shaded from the sun by a large tasselled umbrella.
As is the Benin tradition on such civil occasions, Chiefs, Princes, the Oba’s blood relations, brothers and sons, and title holders, lined the route to honour the new Oba and publicly demonstrate their allegiance, as he made his way to his high seat.
Most appropriately, his first civic outing on his coronation day, provided the ideal opportunity for the new Oba Erediauwa to publicly articulate and present to the Benin, national and international communities, his gratitude to his father and long list of ancestor Obas, his vision for the Benin Monarchy; its mission and place in the lives of all Edo people, his view and policy thrusts towards the Nigerian polity, allegiance to the Federal Government, and his message of good neighbourliness, friendship and peace.
For the first time during the coronation ceremonies and celebrations, Oba Erediauwa’s wives (iloi) were seen in public. They and their younger children and other members of the palace household were seated on a specially adorned platform. The main feature of the iloi’s ceremonial dress, were their wigs of human hair, which had been built up on a high frame and, decorated with coral beads. They also wore coral necklaces, which together with coral decorated wigs, can only be worn by the select women of status in Benin traditional society.
Oba Esegie (1504 A.D.) made his mother Idia, Queen, and sent her to reside in Eguae-Iyoba (Queen Mother’s Court) at Lower Uselu, which is also referred to as Uselu n’evbo Iyoba ( Uselu the land of Queen Mothers). Ever since, every Oba of Benin has given his mother, the title Iyoba of Uselu.
