Benin Kingdom Archives ~ Ozi Ikòrò

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The Migration of Prince Ginuwa: The 15th-century Exodus from the Benin Kingdom and the Founding of the Warri Kingdom

A historic map illustrating the location and territorial extent of the Warri (Iwere) Kingdom not long after its founding is useful for contextualizing the migration and settlement patterns following Ginuwa’s…

07

Jan 2026

Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory Historical Studies

Royal Arsenals: The Role of the Igun Eronmwon Blacksmiths in Arming the Benin Resistance Against the 1897 British Punitive Expedition

The fall of the Benin Kingdom in 1897 followed one of the most organized indigenous military defenses in West Africa. Central to this resistance were the Igun Eronmwon, the royal…

15

Dec 2025

Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory Folklores Historical Studies

Life in the Royal Court of the Benin Kingdom

A seventeenth-century representation of a royal procession at Benin City, Nigeria. Note the spired structures in the foreground (representing the king's palace) as well as city walls in both the…

15

Dec 2025

Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory

The Igue Festival: History, Rituals, and Meaning in the Benin Kingdom

Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II. Photo credit; thenationonlineng. The Igue Festival is the most important traditional and royal celebration of the Benin Kingdom. Observed annually in Benin City (Edo State,…

15

Dec 2025

Ethnohistory Folklores Historical Studies

Ọfọe: The Edo Mystical Messenger of Death

Among the Edo (Benin) people of Southern Nigeria, spiritual belief and cosmology form a richly layered system of meanings that shape how life, death, and destiny are understood. Within this…

03

Dec 2025

Anthropology and Ethnography Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory Historical Studies

The Divergent Daughters: Comparing the Cultures of Igboid Subgroups

Photo credit; Wikiwand The word “Igbo” often brings to mind a single ethnic identity, but anyone who has studied the region knows this isn’t the full picture. The Igbo cultural zone…

08

Nov 2025

Anthropology and Ethnography Biography Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory Folklores Historical Studies

Queen Idia: Warrior Mother and the Iconic Ivory Mask.

08

Nov 2025

Anthropology and Ethnography Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory Folklores Historical Studies

Benin’s Great Walls: Africa’s Forgotten Architectural Marvel

The image is an illustration of the Walls of Benin, also known as the Benin Moat. The image is a drawing from the 1975 book “The Archaeology of Benin City…

20

Oct 2025

Anthropology and Ethnography Ethnohistory Historical Studies

Dick Azundah Hekerem Emejuru: The Man Who Struck the Chord of Division Between the South-South and South-East Igbo People

By Ogwe Chibuzor & Edited by Idenze Ezeme In the contested terrain of southern Nigeria’s ethnic historiography, few individuals have influenced the identity discourse of the South-South Igbo People as…

19

Oct 2025

Anthropology and Ethnography Ethnohistory

Akalaka: The Progenitor of the Ogba, Ekpeye, and Ikwerre People

A dancer Ogbukele festival, Ekpafia Igbo. Photographed by G.I. Jones The figure of Akalaka occupies a central position in the collective memory of the Igbo people of Ogba,…