Ancestral shrines, House of the Oba, Benin City, Nigeria

Object Details

Local Numbers: EENG-II-13, 20.
General: Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
Local Note: Typed index card reads, "I 2 Bnn. Benin. Nigeria. Ancestor shrine of Oba: Altars to Ovonramwen, Eweka II and Adolo. 5/1970. EE. neg.no. II-13, 20." The card was written in 1977-79 by Archives staff using source provided by photographer.

Topic: Works of art in situ; Shrines; Ivory; Cultural landscapes; Edo-speaking cultures

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Nigeria

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Type: Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); Black-and-white negatives; Negatives

Collection Citation: Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection Rights: Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Scope and Contents: "From the early eighteenth century to the present day, foreign visitors to Benin City have observed finely cast heads, some supporting carved tusks, on ancestral altars in the royal palace. The altar groupings were destroyed in 1897 when many objects were removed by the British military and a fire swept the palace. With the restoration of the Benin monarchy in 1914, the new Oba, Eweka II (d. 1933), commissioned heads and other objects for an altar dedicated to his father, Oba Ovonramwen (reigned 1888-97; d.1914)." [Freyer Br., 1987: Royal Benin Art. Smithsonian Institution Press]. "Benin City and the palace of the Oba are marked out by shrines which articulate the role and traditions of the Oba and his predecessors as rulers of the city and the kingdom. Throughout the city there are also domestic shrines, found in many households despite the active proselytizing of Christianity in all its forms during this century." [Gore Ch., 1998: Ritual, Performance and Media in Urban Contemporary Shrine Configurations in Benin City, Nigeria; Ritual, Performance, Media. pp.66-84. Routledge]. The photograph depicts the altars dedicated to the Oba Ovonramwen (reigned 1888-1914), Eweka II (reigned 1914-1933), and Adolo (reigned 1848-1888). This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.