The Identification of the "Bird of Prophecy" in Benin Kingdom Art

The identity of the bird of prophecy depicted on Benin ideophones is enigmatic. The iconic brass castings of this bird serve as a reminder of the Benin-Idah War of ca. 1515–1517 and offer one of the visual props of that event among the Ẹdo (Bini) who inhabit what is now Ẹdo State in southern Nigeria. As a commemorative icon the bird of prophecy ideophone is used at Ugie Ọrọ (Festival of the Bird of Prophecy). Senior chiefs clack a brass casting of the bird to commemorate the war and honor the Ọba of Benin. The Uzama chiefs clack an ivory horseback figure that could be the Atah of Idah, as I wrote in one essay (Nevadomsky 1986) or the Ẹdo (Bini) king as I wrote in another (Nevadomsky 1993). This ceremony occurs over a period of several weeks just before the rainy season.

The oral traditions of the Benin-Idah War offer several memorable markers. The exquisite Idia ivory hip mask is distinctive, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of two almost identical masks, with its more sublime counterpart in the British Museum in London. The Met pendant, part of the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, is modeled with an openwork tiara and collar of Portuguese mercenaries and mudfish, the latter representing the mediators between land and water, an apt artistic way to depict the visiting Portuguese from abroad. Another distinctive marker is the Queen Mother cult that acknowledges her historical importance, and there are the Ekasa funerary activities that derived originally from Igala prisoners of war, brought to Benin and settled in a designated neighborhood that still exists and provides Ekasa dancers. Ekasa later honored the queen mother and now gives due respect for a deceased king, linking palace funerary rituals and the new king's coronation.

The story about the Bird of Prophecy goes something like this. In the early sixteenth century the rival kingdom of Idah, northeast of Benin and on the eastern side of the Niger River, marched on Benin and almost conquered it. A strong defense on the outskirts of Benin City repulsed them and the retreating Igala army was hotly pursued by Benin warriors led by Ọba Ẹsigie, assisted by his mother, Queen Idia, whose agnomen "The only woman who went to war" suggests her power, actual or mystical. A bird of prophecy was heard to cry "Oya-o, Oya-o!" that Benin would be defeated, but Ẹsigie replied, "Whomever wishes to succeed in life must not heed the bird that cries disaster" and had the bird killed by visiting Portuguese mercenaries. He went on to victory. Ever since, the bird of prophecy is testimony to the power of the king to surmount destiny. The defeat of Idah gave Benin greater control over the Niger River and for a time the Atah became a vassal of Benin.

Jacob Egharevba (1968: 27–28) gives some attention to this conflict. There is also Alfred Osadolor's (2001) unpublished dissertation on the military system, an account based on published source materials. Other than these and briefs by Alan Ryder (1969: 13–15) and Robert Bradbury (1973: 35–36) the only reasonable commentary on the war is the essay by Peter Roese (1997) and my unpublished translation of Ikponmwosa Osemwegie's epic poem called Ọrọ: An Ẹdo Epic of War (Nevadomsky n.d.). The poem includes ancillary documentation about the war, the army, and military maneuvers, Idia at war, and present-day cast art and commemorations of the war at the king's palace, material that is largely absent from published information. (The poem was published in Benin City as Ọrọ: Okuo sigie Kevbe Ata [Osemwegie 2008] but neither the appended materials nor a translation with extensive notes are included.)

Commemorative staffs are reminders of the bird of prophecy. The Met has more than half a dozen. The most stunning in their visual accuracy and superb casting are two from the Perls collection. One is shown as if in flight (Fig. 1; Ezra 1992: 202); another as if perched on a branch (Fig. 2; Ezra 1992: 196) with a seed...