Concept of an African personality using Queen Idia and

Queen Ohonmi of Benin kingdom as a case study

Written by: Ibeh Benard Emmanuel

INTRODUCTION

There is no doubt that study of African personalities

gives us the student a clear understanding of the personalities

of great and prominent men and women from African origin

who have impacted and contributed greatly to the growth,

development and evolution of their various kingdom and

states.

The contribution of these great men and women have indeed

stood the taste of time in different aspect of the lives of an

African man and woman. Their fearlessness, courage and

strength is second to none, with the insight of this course, we

have come to know and understand the contribution of

notable personality like queen Nzinga of Angola, ruler of

Ndongo and matamba kingdoms, one who also happen to be

one of the greatest warrior queen of Africa, she was a

formidable force that reckon and resisted the Portuguese in

the 17th century.

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 Moreso, with the help of the course we understand how

Queen Amina of Zaria, due to her shrewdness and diplomacy

became the first woman to become the saraumiya (queen) in a

male dominated society. She expanded the territory of the

Hausa people of Africa to its largest borders in history and

rose to become one of the greatest warrior queen in Africa.

Furthermore, its gives us indepth knowledge about to

great Queen Iden, the sacrificial lamb for the unity of Benin,

one whose love and sacrifice kept the people of Benin kingdom

together.

Furthermore, we also studied the personalities of notable

queens and kings of African origin like, Oba Ovaranmwen,

Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Nana of Itsekiri, Queen Moremi of

ife, Jaja of Opobo, Bayaro of Kano to mention but a few, which

brings us to our main focus, a comparative analysis of Queen

idia and Queen Ohomi wives of Oba Ozolua of Benin kingdom,

who ruled benin in the fifteen century.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This study is to highlight and create awareness on the

original status of an African person, and how they have been

viewed AND discredited in the world just because of their skin

color and most at times gender limitations within the African

society, in African society the female child is greatly limited by

the laws and the customs of her land. With all these

limitations, these great women were still able to make great

impact in the lives of their sons and the society at large. This

study reveals the Influence and impacts of these great women

in the evolution and development of the Political culture in

pre-colonial Benin.

SCOPE OF STUDY

The study focuses on the activities of the lives queen Idia

the great and queen Ohomi mother of the giant prince, wives

of oba ozolua of benin. They lived from about 1400 to 1500. It

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looks at the role of these women in the lives of their son,

evolution and development of socio- political culture in Benin.

It focuses on these heroines of Benin kingdom and how they

have helped to build and develop the kingdom.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In order to achieve a comprehensive and interesting

study, a descriptive and analytical method is employed; in the

study, both primary and secondary sources are used, but

more primary sources like oral tradition, archival documents,

books written by prominent authors constitute our main

sources of information. Oral interviews' are also conducted

with some Benin chief and some scholars of Benin history to

furnish us with detailed information on the role of these

women in the development of Benin socio-political culture.

Some important photographs and art works serve as sources

for this study.

LITERATURE REVIEW

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 The history of the great kingdom of Benin In the pre-

colonial, colonial and Post-colonial has been well documented

by several author~., the place of women especially queen

ohomi has not received detailed attention, but with the good

work and research written and publish by Mrs Iziengbe pat

Omoregie author of the epochal book titled heroines in

the pre colonial Benin, their lives and transformation. This

book however, gave us a detailed and accurate analysis of the

lives and transformation of these two great women of Benin.

Nevertheless, some Benin historians, traditionalists and other

authors from the different parts of the world have taken time

to study different aspects of the lives of at least a single

prominent benin woman. Many of these work have been

published inform of novel, drama, journals articles and books.

The various books reviewed below have analyzed some pre-

colonial heroines in Benin kingdom.

The first book on our review list is J.U Egharevba, (4 th Edition,

1968) A Short History of Benin". This book is one of the most

important Benin literature, which dealt with every aspect of

Benin history. The literature gave the origin of Benin, the list

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of its first rulers in the Ogiso period of Benin history among

which some were women. Emose and Orhorho Were powerful

women who ruled Benin City, which was originally known as

Igodomigodo. Egharevba, however, failed to give a detailed

account of the reign of these women. Moreso, Egharevba also

made mention of some other women like Idai as well as some

other important women in Benin history

A very significant literature to this study is Osewengie

Ebohon (1996), The Life of an African Women; The Benin

Woman a Focus.

Ebohon was able to give a clear analysis of what has

been revealed of an African Women. He narrowed down his

analysis to focus on the Benin woman. From this work, we are

able to view the life and personality of a Benin woman.

Nkiru Nzegwu (2005) in her contribution titled 'Iyoba

Idia: Mother of the Nation and the Hidden Oba of Benin, in O.

Ebohon and B.M' Bow edited Benin: A Kingdom of Bronze

examined the life and different dimensions of the personality

of Queen Idia in relation to her political influence in Benin.

The work took time to explain the powers of Idia by explaining

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how ldia found her way to the palace and the mysteries behind

her marriage to Oba Ozolua. She took time to analyze the

power politics in the palace over the throne of the Oba by his

two sons with their mother struggling to make sure her Son

become the next Oba". It was the survival of the fittest for Idia

and Ohonmi, but the victory of Esigie proved how powerful

Idia was. Nzegwu took a critical look on the spiritual prowess

of Idia, by explaining the powers of her war dress and how she

maneuvered her son's way to the throne. It was clear in the

work that ldia was not an ordinary woman, her influence on

the throne and the state cannot be overemphasized. Nkiru's

analysis on Idia are quite informative to this study.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND THE PEOPLE OF BENIN

The ancient city of Benin kingdom which was one of the

earliest formed state in Africa south of the Sahara is located in

6° 12 'North latitude and 5° 45East longitude, about seventy

three mile Inland from the mouth of the foremost of Benin

rivers, which extended into the Gulf of Guinea". The capital

city of the ancient kingdom lies in Western part of Nigeria on a

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low-lying plain which is drained by small stream and rivers

flowing southern to the flank of the Niger Delta. The Kingdom

is of high tropical forest with tidal swamps penetrating deeply

into the riverine swampland to the South and West. It is

instructive to note that the present day Benin City, is the

capital of Edo State which is located in the South-South

geopolitical zone of Nigeria.

THE CONCEPT OF AFRICAN PERSONALITY

The concept of African personality generally refers to

manifestation of cultural uniqueness among Africans as

reflected in their behavior, social norms, customs, values,

beliefs, religious zeal, attitude, explanations of the cosmos and

the supernatural, social and political systems historically or in

contemporary times.

The concept of the African personality has been addressed by

many past and contemporary Africans and Afro-Americans. It

has been defined differently when used to designate all the

black people with an African heritage; mainly those of the

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Caribbean island and the United states of America. Let us

examine a few of these definitions. Some of which do not

precisely define the African personality but merely seek to

describe and explain the personality and cultural uniqueness

of Africans.

Possible “psychology is not the appropriate word, but I do

believe that there is distinctively African way to looking at

things of problem solving and indeed of thinking we have our

own logic system which makes sense to us, however confusing

it might be to the westerner. If we were from my own

observation to try to summarize the difference between African

and western psychology and I would say that the westerner

has a problem solving mind whilst the African has a situation

experiencing mind.

In the words of D. Chisiza

There is a tendency in the west, whether the westerners

themselves know it or not, for people to assume that man lives

to work. We believe that man works to live. This view of life

give rise to our high preference for leisure. With us, life has

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always meant the pursuit of happiness rather than the pursuit

of beauty or truth. We pursue happiness by rejecting

isolationism, individualism negative emotions, and tension on

the one hand; and by encouraging positing emotions and

habitual relaxation and by restraining our desire on the other.

The argument about the “African personality” arises mainly

from two schools of though. One is the western and western –

oriented scholars who express the view that the African does

not exhibit western traits of though and culture because he is

not yet civilized. Therefore, they believe what is needed is to

provide him with western knowledge and culture so that

eventually he will become like the westerner.

The other school of though maintains the African

behaves, thinks and lives as he does because he is unique. It

hold that western education and culture should be used to

enhance further his uniqueness.

THE CONCEPT OF NEGRITUTE

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 Negritude, French Negritude, literary movement of the

1930s, 40s and 50s that began among French – speaking

African and Caribbean writers living in paris as a protest

against French colonial rule and the policy of assimilation. Its

leading figure was Leopold Sedar Senghor (elected first

president of the republic of Senegal in 1960), who, along with

Aime Cesaire from Martinique and Leon Damas from French

Guiana, began to examine western values critically and to

reassess African culture.

Novelist and poet) in the United States. In New York city,

during the 1920s. the group was determined to throw off the

masking (to use the word of critic Houston a. Baker, Jr. and

indirection that had necessarily attended black expression in a

hostile society. The Harlem Renaissance is associated with

such writer as poet Langston Hughes, but it was Claude

Mckay, a somewhat lesser- known figure, who caught the

attention of Senghor. The Jamaican – born poet and novelist

was one of the Harlem group’s most prominent spokesmen. He

believed that a writer should deal with important political

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subjects and he himself had much to say about

institutionalized racism.

Mckay spent a good deal of time in france, where he got to

known a west Indian family who held an informal salon

attended by writers, musicians and intellectuals, including

visiting Americans. Members of the group that attended the

salon began to publish Revue du Monde Noir (“Review of the

Black world)in 1931. Poetry by McKay and Hughes appeared

in the in the review, where senghor, an occasional visitor to

the salon, probably saw their work. Possibly by that time, he

had already read McKay’s Banjo, a picaresque novel that

affected him deeply; translated into French in 1929, it centres

on black seamen in Marseilles and is notable in part for its

portrayal of French treatment of black colonials. In any case,

senghor called Mckay “the true inventor of (the value of)

negritude. Cesaire said of Banjo that in it blacks were

described for the first time “truthfully, without inhibition or

prejudice”. The word “negritude,” however was coined by

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Cesaire himself, in his 1939 poem “Cahier d’ un retour au

pays natal (“Notebook of a return to my native land”).

The assertion of black pride by members of the negritude

movement was attended by a cry against assim9latino. They

felt that although it was theoretically based on a belief in

universal equality. It still assumed the superiority of European

culture and civilization over that of African (or assumed that

Africa had no history or culture). They were also disturbed by

the world wars, in which they saw tier countrymen not only

dying for a cause that was not theirs but being treated as

inferior on the battlefield. They became increasingly aware

through their study of history of the suffering and humiliation

of black people – first under the bondage of slavery and then

under colonial rule. These views inspired many of the basic

ideas behind negritude: that the mystic warmth of African life,

gaining strength from its closeness to nature and its constant

contact with ancestors, should be continually placed in proper

perspective against the soullessness and materialism of

western culture; that Africans must look to their own cultural

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heritage to determine the values and traditions that are most

useful in the modern world; that committed writers should use

African subject matter and poetic traditions and should excite

a desire for political freedom; that negritude itself

encompasses the whole of African cultural, economic social

and political values; and that, above all, the value and dignity

of African traditions and peoples must be asserted.

QUEEN (IYOBA) IDIA: THE WORLD RENOWED WARRIOR

QUEEN, SKILLED ADMINISTRATOR, MYSTICAL WOMAN

AND THE FIRST QUEEN OF ANCIENT BENIN KINGDOM IN

NIGERIA

The place and role of women during the period under

study has been obviously analysed by different scholars , Be

that as it may, some women played very crucial role in the

development of the socio-political culture of ancient Benin

kingdom. The most powerful and prominent woman that ever

lived in Benin was Queen Idia, the conqueror. She was said to

have embarked on several military expeditions in expanding

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the kingdom. Idia's life and prominence was interwoven with

the lives of some other heroines in the sixteen century Benin;

Queen Ohonmi, Imaguero lived in the same period with ldia

and her relevance and place is equally discussed in this work.

The kingdom of Benin has indeed experienced so many

reforms and development at different periods of its history.

These reforms were not solely carried out by men but there

were some outstanding women who made great impact in

Benin. These 'great women who made immense contributions

to the rich cultural heritage of the land of Benin cannot be

overlooked in the study of the kingdom; most prominent

among them was Queen Idia the first female warrior that ever

lived in Benin kingdom. Idia was Said to have been a very

beautiful and strong willed woman who had unusual super

natural powers. She is described by Mrs P.I. Omoregie as an

extraordinarily powerful personality who continues to

loom large in Benin cultural imaginations. She changed the

status quo and made remarkable developments both in the

political, cultural and social spheres of the empire, She is

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credited for being knowledgeable in esoteric and was also very

strong in the use of Real power'!

Queen Idia is very prominent in Benin history as her life

has altered many of the traditions of the people. She is very

popular due to her supernatural prowess and domineering

personality, the impact and roles she played in the

development of the monarch cannot be ignored. Her life

depicts that of a courageous and wise woman who stood out in

the mist of gender limitations. Idia was beauty personified and

her other appellations were bravery and intelligence. Her story

is that of a common citizen rising to the place of importance

and prominence in the society. Idia was said to have hailed

from Ugieghudu community in Egua area of Isi, there is no

specific date to when she was born, but she was the mother of

Oba who reigned from 1504-1550. She was alive during the

Idah war, which took place about 1516.

According to traditions, ldia became one of the

Illoi(Queen or Oba wives) after she caught the fancy of Oba

Ozuola during one of the dance performances at the capital.

Once the Oba initiated his interest in her, her parent began to

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seek for means to avert this unpleasant destiny for their

daughter. To be married to the Oba was the greatest honour

that could be bestowed on any Bini woman at that period. On

the contrary, it was also the greatest bondage any woman

could find herself. At the Oba harem, there were a great

number of women wrestling for the Oba's attention. According

to Mrs P. I. Omoregie in her book, In some instance the

women were as much as five hundred (500) waiting attend to

an Oba"·. Some did not even go close to his bed chambers for

more than onetime a whole year and once a woman is married

to the Oba, the tradition does not permit her to divorce him

whether the situation favours her Or not, And if she decides to

leave him after her own free will, she is not allowed to re-

marry in the community. Also, when a woman is married to

the Oba, she is totally lost to her family. She may never set her

eyes on her immediate family again. The only period the Ilois

are allowed to be seen in public is during the Igue festival, the

royal wives of the Oba lived a very seclusive or solitary life.

These and many more considerations were what forced

Idia's parents to seek for spiritual help from the strong hand of

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the Oba over their daughters' life. According to traditions,

Idia's parents did not wish their daughter to become one of the

numerous wives of Oba Ozuola and in those days no one could

deny the Oba of any maiden he had interest in. This is due to

the tradition which makes all subjects of the Oba his servant.

Po:; asserted earlier, all freeborn of Benin kingdom regarded

themselves as slaves to the Oba (evien Qba)". Who is a slave to

question the authority of his master?

For ldia's parents the only solution was to consult a

higher authority in the place of the gods. The oracle advised

them to mar her beauty to make her ugly before the Oba, this

resulted to the two parallel vertical mark running down her

four bead (the mark is on Iyoba ldia's ivory mask). The incision

did not only marred her face, but to make it more potent or

effective, they also contained medicinal portion which the

diviner bad assured them would repel Oba Ozolua, The plan

was to make Ozolua to develop immediate hatred for Idia at

first sight and thereby rejecting her as his queen.

These efforts to stop ldia from becoming a queen were,

however, futile. The story is that Oba Ozolua sensed there was

18
something wrong before he even set his eyes on Idia and be

quickly neutralised the effects of the medicine. Idia eventually

became one of his queens. With the sequence of events that

transpired in the life of Idia as one of the Illois in the palace

and bow she handled them, it only proves that she was ready

for the battle at the harem. Knowing the personality of the Oba

and that he was a living god on earth, Idia's parents' knew it

was under probability for their charm to work on him. Thus it

could be inferred that they too must have also prepared their

daughter for the politics and life in the harem should the

charm foil to work as they have planned. This analysis of Idia's

entrance to the palace is quite important, as she later became

0 remarkable personality in the 16" century Benin politics.

Idia became relevant in Benin Kingdom as she

substantially altered the tradition place of women in the

kingdom. In traditional societies, women had no place as they

were only meant to serve their husband, take care of their

children and manage other domestic issues. This role,

however, changed as Idia became a pace setter for the women.

First, the way and manner she maneuvered her son's way to

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the throne is still something many historians are unable to

fathom. She actually transformed the Benin dynastic history

and paved way for a new line to begin. Although the principle

of primogeniture was not yet officially constitutionalized, the

Oba’s first sons were always made heir to the throne. Idia is

said to have been the spiritual eye of her son, 0sawe, who was

later crowned with the title Esigie. She was a very strong

occult and was very powerful in the art of black magic, which

she used to seize the throne of Benin for her son. Nkiru

Nzegwu contends that, if not for her shrewdness, it would

have been doubtful if Esigie would have succeeded his father

as Oba. The yearly Orhu festival is very significant to the

people as it signifies the sacrificial food offering she made to

help Esigie become Oba, Also, the ceremonial rites of Ugie Iye

oba assert that she drew on her estoric knowledge to treat her

son during a fit of madness.

The circumstances or occurrences, Vb;ch brought-igie to

the throne were complicated. Most importantly, Esigie was

named the second son at birth even though he was supposed

to have been declared the third son. Some scholars are of the

20
view that she must have bad loyalty among the palace officials

who tried to favour her by announcing the birth of her son

before that of Aruanran, son of Oloi Ohonrni who was

delivered earlier in the day before Esigie. Oral tradition has it

that Aruanran did not cry on time after his birth and during

the process of waiting for him to cry Idia also had Esigie. Be

that as it may, Esigie was said to have cried immediately at

birth and his birth was Officially announced to the Oba before

that of Aruanran enabling him to claim the second place. The

situation that also moved Esigie, to the first place was very

much intriguing. Esigie moved to the first place in line after

the first son Ogidigbo, lost his Obaship right due to his

physical disability. It happened that he had fractured his leg

in a competition with his two younger brothers, Aruanran and

Esigie, and became a cripple. From the ordinary perspective,

this Ogidigbo misfortune can be represented as an ill-fated

accident which robs him of his destiny and could equally

happen to anyone. To the people at that time, it was believed

that Idia was behind the incident; In Benin , traditional

society, it is believed that the spiritual controls the physical;

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the people believed she had used her supernatural powers to

cripple the first son and bestowed power on her own Son to

become the heir to the throne. This represent Idia mode of

fighting in two planes (spiritual and physical) and this also

signified her double edge sword that could create or wreak

havoc.

The fact that Esigie became an Oba earned Idia the

accolade, “The womb of orhue" (Bini native white chalk, which

represent honour and celebration) Nkiru Nzegwu, explains

that she got this tribute because she was the mother who gave

birth to an Oba.mrs P.I. Omoregie opines that, The point is,

she was a “womb of orhue" because she gave birth to a son

who, although was chronologically the third in line,

dramatically ended up becoming the Oba. She further

explained that this womb created her pathway to ultimate

power. Here lies the peculiarity of her womb. It was a womb

that broke new ground and defied all odds.

The fact that Esigie was crowned Oba did not bring to an

end the succession crisis in Benin. Esigie was greatly

disturbed and attacked by his brother, Aruanran, who claimed

22
to have been the true heir to the throne. Arunaran, the enogie

(duke) of Udo was a man of giant statue who had fought and

won many banles'". He was a very great warrior who fought

alongside his father, Oba Ozuola, while Esigie was sent to the

missionary school. On a normal ground, Aruanran would have

defeated Esigie without any stress if not for Idia who steped in

again to rescue her son. It is recorded that they fought many

battles; at the last one Aruanran was defeated. The victory of

Esigie over his brother was as a result of Idia's magical

prowess and supernatural powers. It is believed that she did

not only "cook" her son for battles ahead, but fought alongside

Esigie at different occasions.

Queen Idia broke the impasse when she became the first

Woman ever in the Benin Kingdom to be honoured with the

title of lyoba. She became the first among women to be ranked

as a senior chief (Eghaevbo n'ore) who took pan in the

administration of the kingdom. This was a serious

achievement for a woman at that time ill (he ancient kingdom

of Benin. According to Osewngie Ebohon,

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 Before Oba Esigie came to the throne in the 16'" century it

was forbidden for any oba of Benin 10 have a mother.

The reason was that an Iyoba (Queen mother,) would

command the same power and authority, and the Benins

were not ready to serve two obas. Therefore before the

Son’s coronation, she would be killed. When Esigie came

to the throne, because of the problems he went through

and various wars he fought and the part and role the

mother, queen Idia played, he decreed against fire

traditional killings of the Iyoba. He built a place for the

Iyoba at Uselu to where the mother resided. All Iyoba has

resided there, except Eghaghe the mother of Eweka II.

The whitemen (British) did not allow him to take her to

Uselu.

It is, however critical and important to note from the

above analysis that ldia again had altered another traditional

practice of the people and paved way for the development of an

important political institution like that of the lyoba to be

established. This was a landmark achievement for a woman. It

was almost impossibility for Oba Esigie to obey such traditions

24
which demanded him to kill his mother who has been of

immense him, cured him from madness and helped him to

defeat his brother, Arhuaran. Most importantly, the institution

of Iyoba did not only accord power to royal mothers in the

running of the kingdom, it also gave opportunity to wives, who

were non royals to participate in the running of tile

government which was against the long standing protocol that

allowed only daughter who were of the royal blood 10 partake

in the daily administration of the kingdoms. This position that

Esigie took not to execute his mother was not accepted by

some of the senior chief, Oliha for example was fully against it.

This might be related to the personality of ldia which most

people dreaded in the kingdom. Esigie still went ahead to

spare his mother's life notwithstanding the opposition from

some quarters. By the actions of Esigie, Idia became the first

woman to be bestowed with a first class chieftaincy title in the

Benin kingdom. Since. then, other Iyobas have also been

confined with the same title and sent to the Iyoba palace at

Uselu.

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The table below gives names of the Iyobas and as well as the

Obas

(their sons) who confined on them the title.

IYOBA'S(QUEEN MOTHER'S) NAMES OF THE OBA

S/N IYOBA’S (QUEEN NAMES OF OBA

MOTHER’S) NAMES

1. Idia Oba Esigie (1504 – 1550)

2. Elaba Oba Orhogbua (1550-1578)

3. Umelu Oba Ehengbuda (1578-1606)

4. Eson Oba Ahenzae (1641-1661)

5. Efeseke Oba Akenzae (1661-1669)

6. Enahen Oba Akengboi (1669-1675)

7. Edia Oba Akenkpaye (1675-1684)

8. Ohogha 1 Oba Akengbedo (1684-1689)

9. Imarhiaede Oba Oroghene (1689-1700)

10. Ewebonoza Oba Ewuakpe (1700-1712)

11. Ihe(Ehasogie) Oba Akenzua (1713-1735)

26
12. Ede Oba Erosoyen (1735-1750)

13. Ohogha 11 Oba Akengbuda (1750-1804)

14. Ose Oba Obanosa (1804-1816)

15. Omozogie Oba Osewende (1816-1848)

16. Ugiomo Oba Adolo (1848-1888)

17. Iheya (Iha II) Oba Ovonramwen (1888-1914)

18. Eghaghe Oba Eweka 11 (1914-1933)

19. Ariwa Oba Akenzua II (1933-1978)

20. Aghahowa Oba Eredauwa 1979-2016

21. Oba ewuare II 2016-to this day

Queen Idia, warrior and conqueror, distinguished herself in

the ancient kingdom of Benin when she led her own troop to

the Benin-Idah war. She is said to have fought gallantly and

the victory of Benin in the war is ascribed to her extraordinary

bravery, wisdom and magical prowess. Her participation in the

war brought her fame and made her prominent that she now

became a very strong political personality in the kingdom. She,

made history and completely changed the status quo of the

ordinary Bine woman. She however became the role model and

27
heroine to the people. No wonder she is very significant in the

cultural heritage and the people took to her worship at her

demise. The Benin Idah war was very significant to the

kingdom of Benin, and her victory was also strategic in both

economic and political politics of the people.

The Benin-Idah war (1515-1516) broke out as a result of

the rebellion of one of Oba Esigie's most senior chief. The

leader of the Uzama grades of chiefs was said to have been

behind this war which became a strategic event for Idia to

display her supernatural prowess. According to tradition,

Chief Oliha was said to have rebelled against the monarch

because he felt he was humiliated by the actions of Esigie.

Ebobon opines that Oba Esigie was a very stubborn king and

stepped on many toes because he had a powerful mother like

Idia. The issue that led to the rebellion which culminated into

the Idah war concerned Oliha's wife Immaguero. The arrogant

Oliha was said to have continually praised his wife at the

palace and claimed she was the most faithful woman in the

kingdom. The conflict between him and the palace arose as

the Oba embarked on a plan to prove him wrong about his

28
wife. After all said and done, Immguero fell into the plot of the

Oba and chief Oliha felt humiliated and decided 1.0 pay the

Oba back by joining forces with another kingdom to bring

down Benin.

Be that as it may, the aggrieved and humiliated Oliha

went home and murder his most senior wife, Princess

Amighen, who was also the eldest daughter of Oba Esigie just

to spite him. This incident is very significant as it proves the

relevance or value of women in pre-colonial Benin. The point

is, for diplomatic purposes, the tradition demands the ruling

Oba to give out his first daughter to his most senior chief in

order to ensure peace among the Oba and his chiefs. This

tradition has, however led to the death of many Princesses.

Whenever any Oba has quarrel with any of these chiefs his

daughter was married to, the princess would be the one to

suffer from such crisis. Oliha did not stop there, in order to

bring disaster to Benin, he went further to the Attah (king) of

ldah kingdom and lied to him that Benin was planning to

invade his territory and that it would be better he attacked

Benin first, News also got to Benin that Idah was planning to

29
invade Benin. With all these chaos and conflicts, the stage was

already set for the Benin-Idah war.

It was in such a chaotic situation that Idia stepped in to

rescue her son and his kingdom from collapse. It is pertinent

to note that the immediate factor that led to this war was

caused by a woman and the solution or victory in the war was

also ascribed to a woman. This again proves the relevance or

place of women in the kingdom. There is a popular song in

Bini dialect, which describes ldia's actions: "Okbou ma ghi ye

okho de so khue ldia wen ne iye Fsigie" (No woman has ever

been to war before except Idia, mother of Oba Esigic). During

the war Queen Idia's troop was captained by her head slave

while Idia was the war general. Oba Esigie also had his own

troop and was accompanied by the Portuguese missionaries;

there was a clear difference between the two troops. Aiko

Obobaifo contends that while the conventional army depended

on fire arms, the command under ldia depended more on

surprise attack fueled by divination and charms. They

performed sacrifice to make their enemies look stupid; they

depended more on supernatural powers and black magic for

30
their warfare too. Her strategy was that dummies were cast to

look like real Benin soldiers. These dummies were positions on

the path the ldah soldiers were likely to take to Benin. When

the ldah soldiers eventually came, on seeing the dummies they

opened fire. The dummies did not fall. The soldier panicked

and retreated. A heavier Colum of the Idah warriors came

again and repeated their actions and as they were about to

retreat before the Edo army in an ambush released fire on

them and they were utterly defeated. This was after ldia had

succeeded in killing the chief native doctor of Idah kingdom

who was earlier sent to spy on Benin. This and many more

events are why the victory at Idah is ascribed to the valiant or

fearless character of Idia.

It is almost an impossibility to analyze the life of Idia

without taking out time to explain the significance of her

mysterious or supernatural powers which had been her

distinguishing factor both at the palace and in the battle field.

Below is the image of Idia on her full war regalia which

symbolizes different realms of her powers and involvement in

black magic.

31
 The description of Idia war dress indicates how much she

depended on spiritual powers, this was highly displayed

during the ldah war and many other battle she fought.

According to a prominent Chief of Benin kingdom, Idia fought

gallantly in the war and made captives the people of Idah

kingdom. He further stressed that Idia also seized their war

weapons and brought them to Benin. The victory over ldah not

only eliminated idah as a potential threat, but it also enabled

Benin to gain and consolidate its imperial advantage in the

north-south Niger river trade route that stretched all the way

to commercial centres of Songhai empire and to the Atlantic

ocean. Idia was quite an outstanding woman. No wonder, she

became more popular even after her demise.

Looking at the old Benin kingdom, 'a society suffused

with strong male ethos', in which women did not command

any power; Queen Idia, a Strong willed woman rose lip to

become a formidable force to be reckoned with. She was so

powerful that she is referred to as the "hidden Oba" of Benin.

Before Esigie gained control of the imperial administration and

even after, she was the power behind the throne, Though Oba

32
Esigie also had his own command ill the Benin-Idah war, the

victory of the war has been ascribed to Queen ldia's command.

Queen Idia's reforms were not only in the political and military

scene but, she also carried out numerous social reforms. In

the social and cultural arena, she is said to have invented

Ekassa dance for royal obsequies and the creation ofukpe

okhueor parrot beak's Iyoba cap', have been recorded by

Egharevba.

Queen ldia, however, became more famous decades after

her demise. As recorded by tradition, Oba Esigie

commissioned the Iguneromwon (brass easier guild) and

Igbesawan (ivory carvers guild) to produce Ivory mask in

memorial of his mother and these masks were used to

decorate the spiritual altar he built for her. These Ivory Masks

are part of the collections of pendant plaque that the Obas

wear around the waist during Igue festival to strengthen the

Oba during the Emobo ceremony that commemorate Esigie's

defeat of his brother, Aruanran.

Today, iyoba Idia’s face is the most widely known face of

an African royal woman after the Egyptian Queen Nefertari of

33
Nefertity. Her Ivory mask face is ~t countless museum

pedestals all over the world; it has been widely produced and

represents several logos in different pan~ of the World. Idia's

face was immortalised in the sixteenth century ivory mask

presently at the British museum. II became famous when the

Nigeria government chose it as the emblem for the Second

Black Festival of Arts and culture, known as FESTAC’77 that

Nigerian hosted in 1977. The mask became more famous

when the British Museum refused to release it on loan to

Nigeria even after demanding two million pounds which the

Nigerian government put up. The late Oba Akenzua, however,

broke the impasse when he commissioned the Igbesawan

ivory carvers to produce two replicas of the ldia mask that had

been looted by the British soldier of the 1897 unjust British

punitive expedition.

It is pertinent to comprehend at this juncture that the

developments and reforms of Queen ldia are too numerous to

be mentioned in this study. Be that as it may. Idia’s place in

the development of Benin's unique social political culture

cannot be undermined. She gave the Benin woman a new

34
place of relevance in the society. Through her, one of the most

powerful political institutions was established for royal

mothers in the kingdom. After Idia, other women began to

accompany their husband to the battle field (Elaba wife of

Esigie also went with Esigie to the battle field) and powerful

sorceress also began to emerge in the kingdom. Idia is said to

be the most powerful Queen that ever ruled Benin Kingdom.

She was as powerful as an Oba. It has also been inferred that

during Esigie's madness, she was in control of the kingdom

and kept faithful servant round him in order to keep Ole

secret from leaking out. Idia distinguished herself as a woman

of substance and a powerful personality in ancient Benin

Kingdom when she when she also became the woman to lead

her troop to warfront. Queen ldia was part of the development

of both the social and political reforms of the Benin Kingdom.

Her reforms are still very much relevant today in the Benin

and this is why she has remained the most popular woman in

Benin. No African woman is rated as powerful as Idia; both

physical and spiritual might characterized Idia's personality.

This is why her place in Benin history must be told.

35
Some of the Notable Accomplishment of Queen Idia

1. Queen idia was the first woman to earn a title from the

Benin Empire as “IYOBA” also represented as “The

Queen mother”

2. First woman commander (mother of the king) to ha led

soldiers/warrior to fight and win a war in defense of her

nation.

3. First woman to have produced one of most enlightened

prince relating with the European in their early

encounter/

4. First woman to have witnessed one of the highest

diplomatic ties between Black Africa and European in her

time.

5. The first woman to have taken up the mantle of

leadership in terms of socio-economic development of the

old Benin empire, that was later invaded and burnt down

36
 by the British military on the Benin punitive expedition

1897 to finally exile Oba Ovonranmwen to Calabar. A

time when some of the finest bronze of Benin were made

and expected to Europe.

6. First woman to have introduced the gladiator’s spirit and

high virtue of feminism in the history of black African

civilization.

7. First black African woman to have earned such world

recognition, respect and dignity in the west African sub –

region a great work of art whose presence (sculpture and

art work) continue to show in every media and

publications far and near. The popular ivory mask, the

face of African culture and pride of the black race.

QUEEN OHONMI: MOTHER OF THE GIANT PRINCE

The life of a Benin woman was determined by the

traditions and custom of the land, she struggles for survival

from the firm grips of religious laws and the men who have

continued to 'lord' it over her. To survive with so many other

37
women in the harem of one man and with the contest for

superiority or importance, most women went to seek for

supernatural powers, At the harem of the Oba, the tussle for

power was indeed very fierce and serious; as most royal wives

struggle to promote the candidacy of their son by eliminating

potential competitors. It Was in such scenario that Queens

Ohonmi and Idia found themselves at the erie of Oba Ozoula,

For these two women it was the survival of the fittest, Both

women were spiritually endowed and their cannot be

undermined.

Queen Ohonmi was another powerful woman that lived

in the late 15th and early 16th century Benin; she was also one

of the iloi(wives) of Ozolua. Very little work has been done on

her, thanks to the book titled heroines in pre colonial

benin by P. I. Omoregie, which was of great help to us.

Ohonmi story was quite tragic due to the struggle she went

through in the harem of Oba Ozuola. Ohonmi was another

brave and beautiful woman that stood and fought for her Son.

From when he was in the womb she fought to give him life and

after his birth she also fought to keep him alive and make him

38
the king he was born to be though fate played trick on him. It

is, however, not clear if Oloi Ohonmi was the first wife of Oba

Ozuola because the mother of Ogidogbo who was the first son

of Ozoula was also there.

The politics and power tussle at the palace in the

sixteenth century was quite spiritual and many strange things

began to transpire, According to Benin traditions, Queen

Ohonmi Was pregnant for fourty months that was quite

abnormal Many saw this incident as the superstitious altering

of physical realities from a supra physical level. This delay of

birth is seen as Idia's or the other women in the harem

strategy to stop or prevent Ohonmi from having a son that

could become the next heir to the throne. Although Ohonmi

was going through a lot she still had to stay at the palace with

her husband as she finds lasting solution to the situation of

her delayed child bearing. It took many ritual activities for

Ohonmi to bring forth her child. She is remembered for being

able to carry a pregnancy meant for about nine months for

almost four years. She did not give up although she knew the

situation was beyond her. Ohonmi sought for spiritual

39
sanctifications and at the end of fourty months she eventually

put to birth and this was only the beginning Ohonmi tragic

story.

After many months of waiting for the child to come forth,

now the child is born yet he refused to cry. This became

another burden, when a child refuse to cry, he is assumed as

dead, but in Ohonmi's case, the child was breathing to prove

that he was alive but still did not cry forces that kept him from

being born also prevented him from crying. As a result of this

strange occurrence, the palace chiefs (Uwangue, Osodin and

others) refused to announce the birth officially to the Oba. It

was common in those days for six or even more women to be

pregnant at the same period in the palace harem. And in Some

cases, some of the women also put to birth the same day. The

seniority of the child is determined by the one that was born

first, This also became the situation in Ohonmi's story, she

gave birth to a son in the morning but the child refused to cry,

while Queen ldia also delivered her son in the evening who

cried immediately after birth and his birth was officially

announced to the monarch making him the second Son of the

40
Oba. At last, Ohonmi's son cried but because Esigie was

already announced as the second son it was impossible to

change positions and this was the beginning of the longest

succession crisis that almost tore the kingdom apart.

Aruharan, Son of Queen Ohonmi, was not on ordinary boy, he

was the first Bini giant in the kingdom. He was born with four

fingers and four toes on each hand and foot. At the age of

fourteen he was nine feet tall. He is fondly remembered for

pulling palm tree to sweep his father palace. As a young man,

Aruhanan was told of the circumstances surrounding his birth

and was made to understand by his mother that he was senior

to Esigie; and was the next heir to the throne since their elder

brother was disqualified due his crippled legs. Aruahanna

grew up with such orientation and bitterness against his

brother, Esigie, and was ready to eliminate him as a potential

threat to his dream of becoming an Oba.

As a very powerful giant, he fought alongside his father

and the Benin soldiers at several expansion expeditions.

Although he was loved by his father, Oba Ozolua knew he

could not succeed him because he was very powerful, but

41
lacked wisdom or good sense of reasoning. Oba Ozoloua felt

that if he allowed Aruhana succeed him, the kingdom would

collapse in his hand because he was senseless. In order to

save the situation, and appease Aruahanan, he sent him to

Udo, another large province of the Empire and made him

Duke or Enogie.

The offer was accepted by Aruahanan but he did not give

up on his dream of becoming an Oba, and with his mother,

Ohonmi, by his side, he was ready to take his rightful

mandate. He patiently waited for his father to die and at the

demise of his father, he demanded that he be made oba or he

will make Udo the capital of the kingdom and destroy Benin

City. The elders knowing he was very powerful and could

disturb the peace of the kingdom leaving it in a damage state;

they decided to bring a lasting solution to the crisis. The

Uzoma (king makers) demanded that whosoever buried their

father among Esigie and Aruhanan will be made Oba. If they

had brought wrestling contest, they knew Aruhanan would

have defeated Osawe without any stress, they decided to make

it an intelligence or brain contest. Some scholars are of the

42
view that the elders were on the side of Esigie because of his

mother, Idia, although Aruhanan also had his own funs or

sympathizers, Osawe had more chances of becoming the

King.

Traditions have it that, two coffins were placed before the

two sons to choose from, the first coffin was well decorated

with large funeral dance group and people, while the second

One was shabbily made with few people following Atuhanan

chased after the beautiful coffin and claimed it, one of his

advisers told him to go for the dirty coffin that he perceived

the king will likely be in that one. But Aruhanan refused,

insulting him that how can his father, the king, be in such a

low profile coffin and funeral group. He celebrated back to Udo

that he has claimed his father and was ready to bury him.

When he eventually opened the coffin, he saw that he has

been fooled; the coffin was loaded with stones and some

rubbish. Osawe on the other hand got his father's corpse and

buried him before his brother came to Benin and was

therefore made the Oba before Aruhanan could get to Benin.

43
 This was very insulting and painful to Aruhanan who felt

he has been humiliated by the elders. Queen Ohonmi again

stirred him up that he is born to be Oba and should Dot allow

his younger brother who would have been years younger to

him if not for the circumstances of his birth take what was his

right. After being stirred up by his mother, Aruhanan made

Countless assassination attempts at Esigie but could not

succeed due to ldia's skills in magical arts and he knew she

was a formidable opponent he had to overcome. Realizing he

had to acquire supernatural power if he wanted to take on ldia

who was the spiritual protector of her son, Oral tradition

recount that Aruhanan retreated to Uroho village to learn the

art of black magic from an old sorceress, Iyenuroho. That he

chose a woman as his teacher shows that be recognized that

woman was his opponent and that he had to learn the way of

women's mystical powers to be assured victory. This was the

beginning of another form of succession tussle between two

brothers and two wives.

Aruhanan refusing to accept his defeat retreated to Udo,

his kingdom, fifteen miles from Benin, from where he attacked

44
the capital with his army and deployed his newly acquired

magical prowess against Esigie. This is reflected in the rite of

Emobo ceremony, Aruhanan placed spell on the coronation

beads which drove Esigie mad, causing him to sing irrationally

and loudly, and to play a double bell once he wore them, but

for his astute mother’s followers and slaves, Oba Esigie

insanity would have nullified his candidacy. When two

elephants fight, the ground suffers; indeed the ground is the

one that suffers the most. This is a cear explanation of the

succession crisis between Arhuanan and Esigie.

From the above analysis. It is clear that the crisis or

tussle between two brothers was not actually battle between

men but women. Osawe might have allowed Aruhanan to be

king if not for his mother pressure and manipulations, while

Aruhanan on the other hand would have also accepted his fare

as Enogie at Udo if not for his mother, who must have

constantly reminded him that he was born to be king. These

two women were the source of the longest succession crisis in

the history of Benin kingdom. Until the rail of one of the

elephants, there was no peace in the kingdom. this again

45
proves the relevance of women in the kingdom, they could

manipulate their way to bring about their desire.

Tradition has it that at the last battle between two

brothers, Arhuanan was losing ground and his men were

retreating from the battlefield back to Udo, He was said to

have also lost his only son during the course of the war. His

mother, Ohonmi, after awaiting Aruhanan's return for a long

period, but did not see him went and drowned herself at

Odighi stream because she felt he was dead. Aruhanan who

finally retreated at the death of his one and only child got to

Udo to be told his mother had entered into Odighi stream. He

also decided join her as life was meaningless without his

mother and son. Mother and son became a great mystics, it

has been said that their presence is still felt by inhabitants

and visitors to the village to this day and there is also a

tradition that Aruhanan still comes out of the river after the

playing of aparticular spiritual guitar during one of the

people's festival to this very day. The demise of Queen Ohonmi

brought to an end the longest succession crisis in the Benin

kingdom, although Arhuanan successor, one of his war

46
generals, continued the fight against Benin even after the exit

of his master until he too was finally subdued.

The relevance of women in Benin kingdom is very evident

in the life of Queen Ohonmi. She cannot be forgotten because

of her bravery and patience which brought forth the greatest

royal giant that ever lived in pre-colonial Benin. he was very

powerful, but lacked good reasoning; Aruhanan was the pride

of the kingdom as his might and strength scared invaders

away from Benin, Although Ohonmi never became Iyoba, her

personality cannot he forgotten as she was the only woman

recorded in Benin history to have carried a pregnancy for good

fourty months and succeeded in given birth to the child. This

mystery behind Ohonmi's life cannot be forgotten in a haste.

The presence of Ohonmi and her son at Udo brought lots of

developments to the community that it almost became as

developed as Benin. Udo had always refused to recognise

Benin as her lord, but after the defeat of Aruhanan and his

immediate successor, Udo now finally submitted to the

lordship of Benin. This succession crisis between these two

women helped to correct the political imbalance in Benin

47
kingdom and set the Oba's feet again as the lord of the whole

empire.

CONCLUSION

Both Queen Idia and Queen Ohonmi were great woman

who stood and supported their sons claim to the throne of

Benin.

Iyoba Idia popularly known as “Idia ne Iye Esigie” was

renowned warrior-queen, skilled administrator and the first

Iyoba (Queen Mother) of the Kingdom of Bini (Benin) in the

present day Nigeria. Iyoba Idia’s visage is the most widely

known face of an African royal woman after the Egyptian

Queen, Ahmose –Nefertari or Nefertiti. Her face has gazed on

us from countless museum pedestals the world over. It has

been widely reproduced on commemorative trays, cups and on

textiles, specifically George materials of the Intorica and

Indian Madras labels, wax design cotton prints, and tee-

shirts, Idia was first an olori (royal wife) of Oba Ozolua as well

a military stragetist cum mystical warrior before becoming an

Iyoba as well as the mother of Esigie (1504-1550 CE), who was

48
the first king of Benin to ascend the throne with the title

Esigie in about 1504.

However, Queen Ohonmi also stood by her son through

tick and thin, she appeared to be relentless, resilient and

tough, though she did not become the Iyoba of Benin

Kingdom, she was the only woman in Benin history to have

carried a baby for about fourthly month and gave birth to a

giant son whose great personality continued to loom large in

the Benin people Cultural imagination.

49
 REFERENCES

 Heroines in pre-colonial Benin, their lives and

transformation. P. I. Omoregie. Lecturer, Department of

History, University of Benin.

 A short history of benin ,by j.u .eghareva (4 th

edition1968)

 Nkiru nzegwu (2005), iyoba idia the hidden of benin

 Women Leaders in African History Idia, First Queen

Mother of Benin / Essay / Heilbrunn ….
https://ww.metmuseum.org>pwm_3
 The Mystical Side of Iyoba Idia – ASIRI Magazine
Asirimagazine.com > the-mystical-side-of….

 A Brief History of Queen Idia – The First Queen Mother of

Benin Kingdom –Woman.NG Woman.ng > 2017/05 >a
brief – history-of…

 Queen Idia- Great Benin City

Greatbenincity.com>info>heroes-legends

 Queen Idia- Edoworld.net Edoworld.net>Queen Idia_1

50
 Queen Idia. Role Model Warrior. Prominent Nigerian,
Nigeria Personality Profiles.
https://www.nigeriagalleria.com >Nigeria

 QUEEN(IYOBA) IDIA: THE WORLD RENOWNED

WARRIOR-QUEEN, SKILLED…
https://kwedutee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com>...
 Queen Mother Idia-Kingdom of Benin
https://www.kingdomofbenin.com>quee...

Queen nzinga African feminist forum.com

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