3D AFRICAN MASKS

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The Benin Kingdom of Present day Nigeria was plunged into a state of turmoil by the tail end of the 15th century. During that time, the Oba which means King, by name Ozolua had died and left two powerful sons who got into a dispute of the next successor. The first son called Esigie ruled over Benin City, while the other son, Arhuaran, managed another important city Udo almost 20 miles away from Benin City. The ensuing civil war severely compromised Benin’s status as a regional power and undermined Benin City’s place at the political and cultural center of the kingdom. The Igala people who were neighbors to Benin People, sent warriors across the Benue River to try to take control of Benin’s northern territories. Esigie had already defeated his brother, thus he had enough time and power to conquer Igala people, eventually reestablishing the unity and military strength of the kingdom. Interestingly, Esigie’s mother Idia received much of the credit for the victories. Because of her political counsel, mystical powers and medicinal knowledge, which she contributed to her sons vitory and thus were viewed as critical elements of Esigie’s success on the battlefield. To reward and honor her, Esigie created a new position within the court called the Iyoba, or Queen Mother, which gave her significant political privileges, including a separate residence with its own staff. As mother of the king, Idia and later Iyobas wielded considerable power. Queen mothers were therefore viewed as instrumental to the protection and well-being of the Oba and, by extension, the kingdom. Indeed, Obas wore carved ivory pendant masks representing the Iyoba during ceremonies designed to rid the kingdom of malevolent spiritual forces. An especially fine example of such masks is this one modeled after a sculpture of the Queen from the sixteenth century and is believed to depict Idia herself.