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Bird

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According to oral tradition, a bird prophesied the defeat of Benin's army to King Esigie (early 16th century) during the war against the Igala. Esigie shot the bird, defeated the Igala army and captured their king, Attah of Idah, who became a vassal of Benin. As a reminder of this false prophecy and of Benin's victory over the Igala, Esigie ordered the casting of bars with bird figures, which are sounded at the annual Ugie Oro ceremony. The bird of divination can also be found on relief panels or as a small ivory carving, and the species of bird cannot be precisely determined; it could be an ibis, an osprey or a cattle egret.

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Object type
Plastic
Dimensions
Weight: 0,7 kg
Height: 14,5 cm
Width: 10 cm
Depth: 7 cm
Material/Technique
Brass
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 10926

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    where
    Benin [kingdom]
  • Production
    when
    18th century-19th century.
    where
    Nigeria
    Benin
  • Collecting
    who
    Siegfried Jaffé - Collectors
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    Commissioned by the brass foundry guild Igun Eronmwon in the Kingdom of Benin in the 18th or 19th century; ownership before 1897 currently unknown; probably looted in connection with the British conquest of Benin, 1897; in unknown possession after Feb. 1897; acquired by the Museum für Völkerkunde from Siegfried Jaffé, 1900.
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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