Inventarisnummer
TM-3323-99
Edo designations
English designations
Commemorative Head
Categories
Altar & Shrine Objects
Heads
Location
Willemskade 25, 3016 DM Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Iconographies

4 annotations
Udahae
Beaded forehead band

The Udahae is a forehead band made from coral beads and worn by chiefs. Sometimes a white Igan (feather) from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) is tucked into the left side of the Udahae. According to Benin oral tradition, the Udahae was introduced by Ọba Ezoti, the first son of Ọba Ewuare I. During his coronation, Ezoti was shot in the forehead with a poisoned arrow. To stop the bleeding, a band of red beads was wrapped around his forehead while he made public appearances. Fourteen days later, he died from his wound. Since then, Benin chiefs have worn the red-beaded Udahae around their foreheads to commemorate the cap used by Ezoti to stop the bleeding (Egharevba 1968, p. 21).

1 annotation
Udahae
Igan
Feather

Igan (feathers) are commonly depicted tucked into the headdresses and hats of chiefs represented on Emwin Arre (royal treasures). These feathers are from the Oɛɣohɔ (vulturine fish eagle) and symbolise respected old age and proper chieftaincy ( ).

1 annotation
Igan
Ikharo
Forehead markings

Ikharo are linear keloid markings depicted on the forehead of Uhunmwu-Elao (commemorative heads) in groups of three or four above each eye. The exact meaning of Ikharo is debated; some have argued that they relate to the gender or tribal identification of the person on whom they are depicted. For example, has argued that they were worn only by men; however, their use in depictions is not consistent with this, and the Iy’Ọba are also shown wearing them. argued that they are instead a stylistic feature employed by artists that varied over time.

The naming of these markings differs between publications. For example, describe these markings as “agbaguda n'ehae”, which they write translates literally as “blades of the forehead”. However, later went on to call these “ikharo”, as used here. referred to these forehead markings as ikharo, meaning “tribal mark [of eye]”.

1 annotation
Ikharo
Colar Bead
Odigba
Coral beaded collar

Odigba (coral-beaded collar) is a rigid neck collar made of coral beads, worn as part of ceremonial attire only by senior princes who have been made Enigie (Inneh 2007, p. 107). Although Ibafe (2007, p. 43) argued that the Odigba was introduced during the Ogiso period (c. 900–c. 1170 AD) by Ogiso Ere, along with other symbolically important Emwin Arhe, such as the Ada (ceremonial sword) and the Ẹbẹn (ceremonial sword), this seems unlikely, as coral was only introduced in the late 15th century through trade with Portuguese merchants.

1 annotation
Odigba

Provenance

3 events
Production
1910s to 1920s
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igbesamwan guild and Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn guild in Benin City.
Unknown
1958 (approximate) to November 3, 1962
The object is known to have come into contact with Louis Noë, in Nigeria.
Purchase
1963
The object was purchased by the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen and Wereldmuseum from Louis Noë with its destination in Amsterdam.

Institution data

Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen and Wereldmuseum
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2022-07-19
Language: dutch
Institution fieldValue
Inventarisnummer
object id
TM-3323-99
Objectnaam
designation
object type
Beeld / hoofd
Titel
designation
object type
Gedenkhoofd met koperbeslag
Associatie/beschrijving (online getoond)
description
Dit gedenkhoofd werd geplaatst op een voorouderaltaar.
Materiaal en techniek (NB: ook thesaurustermen aanpassen!)
material
Afmetingenlabel (H x B x D)
dimensions
58 × 29 × 23cm
Datering
date made
voor 1963
Verzamelgeschiedenis (toelichting)
provenance
Zoals de documentatie in de bijlagen van TM-3323-1 aangeeft, is een deel van de serie gekocht door de Nederlandse ambassadeur voor Nigeria, Louis Noë (1898-1977), voor het Tropenmuseum in 1962-1963. Hij bood dit aan in een brief van 3 november 1962 en na een positief antwoord benaderde Noë de conservator van het Museum of Antiquities in Lagos, John Picton, voor advies over de samen te stellen collectie. Echter, uit correspondentie is gebleken dat Noë twee verschillende collecties aan het museum heeft geschonken. De ene collectie kwam direct uit Nigeria maar de andere collectie was zijn privécollectie die stond opgeslagen in Den Haag en die hij heeft aangeboden voor 500 GBP, wat het museum accepteerde. De verwervingsdata voor deze objecten worden niet genoemd maar de suggestie wordt gewekt dat de de privécollectie al een aantal jaar in dozen ingepakt stond. (NL-HaNA-KIT-4418_188 and NL-HaNA-KIT-7501_77). Noë werkte vanaf 1958 in West Afrika, waar hij mogelijkheid zijn collectie vergaarde. (RSH, 12-11-2020).
Cultuur (NB: ook thesaurusterm aanpassen!)
ethnic attribution
Bini
Deelcollectie
department and institution
Materiële cultuurcollectie
Verwervingsdatum
accession date
1963-01-01
Wijze van verwerving
accession method
Aankoop
Literatuur
bibliography
Publicaties over het object
bibliography
For more information about the provenance, see <a href="https://issuu.com/tropenmuseum/docs/2021_provenance_2__benin__e-book" target="_blank"> Provenance #2 – the Benin collections at the National Museum of World Cultures </a> (NB: Issuu uses cookies).
Objectstatus
legal status
Eigendom
Met dank aan (online getoond)
Periode (NB: ook thesaurusterm aanpassen!)
Verkorte naam
AFRIK
Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here