a
gallery of the art of Africans
Circa 17th /18th
Century
A ceremonial sword (ada) reserved strictly for use at the Ighue festival in Benin. The Ighue festival is the most important cultural and traditional festival in Benin. It is a festival that celebrates and reinforces the Oba’s status as a divine ruler. One of the central rites of the Ighue festival is sacrificing a leopard to the Oba’s head. The leopard is regarded in Benin context as the king of the jungle and the Oba is regarded as the leopard’s counterpart outside the realm of the jungle. The leopard’s strength, ferociousness, grace and fluid quickness all serve as potent metaphors for royal power. This probably explains its’ prominence in the artistic and ceremonial contexts of Benin. This odionmwan is held in the left hand and a stone axe (umomo) is held in the right hand. Height: 29 inches long.
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