Ukpọn

Ukpọn (clothing) can be made from many kinds of textiles, from woollen aprons to cotton cloth. In the past, only a few colours were used in the production and dying of textiles, which may explain why only red, blue and white are seen in the clothing grouped together here. Blue would have been made from indigo, whereas red would have been from ume or camwood.

Archaeological excavations in the royal palace carried out by team led by Graham Connah in the 1960s revealed fragments of finely made cloth (possibly lace, satin or sateen) dating back to the mid-thirteenth century (Greeves, 1975, pp.236-237 ). The humid tropic climate of West Africa does not lend itself well to the preservation of organic materials, especially cloth, and these finds provide a fascinating snapshot into the long history of cloth and clothing in Benin City.

The Iwebo Palace society is dedicated to the production and maintenance of the royal court’s wardrobe and ceremonial regalia. The Owina is situated within this. The formalisation of weaving and weavers into the Owina palace guild has been attributed to Ọba Ohen (c. 1334–70) (Egharevba 1968, pp.12-13 ).

Textiles played an important role in trade between Benin Kingdom and the various European countries it interacted with from the fifteenth century onwards. In addition to the import of textiles such as the red flannel Ododo, Benin Kingdom also exported cotton and was known for its cotton plantations (Ben-Amos, 1978, p.50 ).