Skip to main content

The Ancient Nine Gates Of Benin Culture


Benin City, the ancient Edo Capital of Great Benin Kingdom is still surrounded by a huge mound of earth known as inner wall, as high and as wide as a two storey building six miles long, surrounding the most
important part of Benin. Outside this wall is a ditch as deep and as wide as the wall. Both the wall and the ditch were still quite new when the Portuguese first came in 1472 A.D. A massive fortified earthwork entrance gate guarded travelers way in. it was supported by timber and watched by soldiers with swords slung under their left armpits. A heavy wooden door built to specification closed the gate.

Normally, a traveler bringing goods into the city would have to pay a toll before the gate was opened. Ahead of the travelers as far as they could see, ran a long street, forty yards wide, full of people, and among them the occasional goats or hen, domestic animals. About a mile ahead, they noticed a huge tree standing by itself, and beyond that
the road still ran into distance.

There were high earthen walls, dull red colour, carefully smoothed into a series of horizontal ripples. The tops of these walls were roofed to prevent them being washed away by the rain. A great thatched
gate could be seen guarded by more soldiers and beyond this gate was a glimpse of steeply sloping roofs and pointed towers. At the top of each of these towers, the evening sunlight gleamed on bronze eagles.

From the main highway ran a number of broad streets, dividing the city into quarters or wards. The streets were clean and free from rubbish. The ward Chiefs were responsible for the cleanliness. Each householder was expected to keep his section of the street clean, and the red mud surface of the house walls neat and polished, till, as one European was to say “it shone like a looking glass”.

The Benin-Ughoton road was a gate way for oversea trades, leading over many centuries of the prosperity and enlightenment which go with trades, had the main gate leading to Benin City on Oroghotodin Road (i) at the inner moat before Uzebu. Another gate was situated at the moat near Oguola Avenue in the G.R.A. (ii) a trade route of those from ikpokpan Ugbor and the Iyokeogba districts. Then the Idunmwu- Ivbioto gateway (iii) of the trades from Nana and Warri districts .

The Utantan gate way (iv) controlled the routes from Ugu Iyekeorhionmwon districts, and the Ogiso Oke-Edo gate way (v) of the trade routes from Ugo n’eki, Ika, Urhonigbe, Ukwani and Aniocha. The
Okhoro trade routes (vi) controlled all trades from Eyaen, Ehor and Esan districts, while the Ifon gate way (vii) Controlled the trades from Ifon, Ora, Ivbiosakon and Etsako districts and also from Lagos
and Ibadan.

The Urubi gateway (viii) controlled all trades from Uselu, Ekiadolo, Igbogor, Usen districts. The Oloton gate way (ix) controlled the trades from Isiuloko, Ogbese and other riverine areas as fro- as from
itigiere, Atigiere.

Iron rods came from Europe through Ughoton port to Benin. The four blacksmith Guilds of the City, the Igun Nekhua, the Eyaen-Nugie, the Igun n’ Iwegie and the Igun n’ Ugboha had endured a permanent state of metal hunger, subsisting on the trickles of Iron Ore which came down from Uneme and Agbede Lands, but with plentiful supplies of the purified metal arriving as rods from the foundries of Europe through Ughoton gateway, the Edo City guilds went into un-relenting and accelerated production of agricultural, domestic and martial implements, which were used to sustain the wealth and the security of
the Olden days Benin.

The currency in which the Benin overseas trade was conducted broughtblessings to the land. The metal type of currency, the manilla, enabled the technology of brass-casting to be developed to its fullest
extent. The sea-shell type of currency, the cowries, enhanced the liquidity of the economy of Great Benin.

Guns, gun powder, cannon and lead, arrived through Ughoton gate way, facilitated the extension and maintenance of the Great Benin Empire.

Foreign ideas, enriching society came through the Ughoton gate way.Christianity arrived through the Oroghotodin, making Benin the first place where Christianity was preached and made a state religion.

Despite the internal tributes passing through the nine gateways into Benin City, the arrival of the Portuguese coincided with a period of great political and artistic development. Their coming acted as a
catalyst in this process. Their impact was many sided; military,economic, cultural, artistic and even linguistic.

Traders supplied the important Luxury items Benin so desired; coral beads, cloth for ceremonial attire and great quantities of brass manilas which could be melted down for casting.

In return for these goods, Benin provided the Portuguese with pepper, cloth, Ivory and Bronze casting. Benin craftsmen were busy carving Ivory objects ranging from spoons with handles, carved animals or
birds, sold at modest prices to sailors, and merchants from far and near. Hence Edorisiuwa, Edorisiagbon, Edo Centre of excellence, earth bound and Edo ne-evbo ahirhe, where one prays to belong.

The Benin-Portuguese Ivories are a blending of status imagery from two cultures; from Europe, there are Portuguese coats of arms, armillar spheres and scenes of the nobility and from Benin, the Guild designs
reserved for royalty and views of nobles on horseback accompanied by retainers and equipped with swords, elaborate costumes, feathers and other Benin marks of rank and wealth. All these attracted the European Communities, the Spanish, the Dutch, German and the English to trade
with Great Benin.

The nine gates of the beautiful ancient Benin Culture reminded of the security quotation from captain Lorenzo pinto “The people of Great Benin live in such security that they have no doors to their houses”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The origin Of Agbor

Agbor is one of the oldest vibrant towns in Nigeria, but may have been disadvantaged and eclipsed over the years by the world famous city of Benin, which is only 40 miles away and Asaba, two major towns in between which it is located, as they served as terminuses for east-bound ferry travellers. So much was not recorded about Agbor. The History of Agbor Kingdom like those of other African ancient kingdoms, empires and peoples, is based largely on oral tradition. Various oral accounts on the origin of Agbor and Ika people exist but the most credible being that “Ogunagbon” and his followers, who founded Agbor, came from Benin and first settled in “Ominije”, presently located in today’s Agbor-Nta. Following what can best be described as personal crisis between two princes in Benin and subsequent settlement of this dispute as agreed to by the chiefs and elders of Benin determined by casting of lot, led to one of the princes settling in what became known as ...

Origin and meaning of Edo words

Ewuare the first Bini warrior king, was himself forced into exile as a young prince and nearly would not have ascended the Benin throne.  With death penalty hanging on his head as a result of some misdemeanor, he fled into the woods although regularly, secretly visiting the city of Benin at night. The elders (Edionisen) heard about his secret visits and set a trap to capture and kill him.  Just as he was about to be caught, he escaped to the home of Ogieva Nomuekpo, who hid him in a well covered on top with leaves.  Ogieva then went to invite the elders to come and arrest Prince Ogun as he was called then. While Ogieva was on his way to call the elders, Edo, the head servant of Ogieva's household alerted Prince Ogun about his master's diabolical plan and helped the prince to escape.  Ogieva returned with the elders to find that he had been betrayed and he severely punished Edo for this. After several years in the bush, Prince Ogun began to grow weary of his vaga...

Benin kingdom/Edo state Festivals

Edo state has a very rich tradition of festivals and masquerades through which the people either appease the various gods and goddesses, purification of both the land and individual celebrant,initiate men or women into age-grades or as a traditional get-together. More than one hundred major festivals are celebrated in the state between September and March every year. Those celebrations offer opportunities for re-unions of members of the family and friends, it also offers opportunities to visitors to see and feel the rich cultural heritage of the state. More than one hundred major festivals are celebrated in the state between January and December every year Some of the festival celebrated in Benin/Edo State: •Igue and Ewere Festivals (Benins Clan) •Eho Festival (Benins Clan) •Eho Festival Of Benin Culture (Benins Clan) •Ebomisi Festival (Benins Clan) •Ohonomoimen Festival Of Iuleha (Owans/Oras clan) •Adu Ikukun Festival (Afemais/ Ivbiosakon Cla...