Bini Culture and Lifestyle- Edo State, Nigeria.

in #esteem7 years ago (edited)

Bini Kingdom has been known to have very significant traditional role for the Coral beads. They have mainly two kinds of Coral beads; 'Ivie' and Ekan'. They are both members of the Coral beads family. Corals are mined from Coral stones in oceans and polished to jewelries. 'Ivie' is a specie of Coral beads, an important type of jewelry worn by Edo Chiefs. 'Ekan' looks like a stone and is grayish in color.

image coral display source

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Renowned for its Brass casting, Bini Kingdom is the home of art and craft in Nigeria. Bini art cuts across different media such as Bronze, Brass, Terracotta, Ebony wood, and Ivory. The Bini Bronze mainly depict a variety of scenes including animal, fish, humans, and scenes of court life. They are usually cast in matching pairs. It is thought that they are originally nailed to the walls and pillars in the palace as decoration, some possibly offering instinctive scenes of protocol.

image Bening bronze

A rich tradition and festivals of Masquerades is one of the compulsory practices of the Bini tradition. The people use this to appease the various gods and goddesses, initiate men and women into age-grades, or as a traditional get-together. The most prominent is the 'Igue' Festival celebrated in December by the Oba to usher into the new year as a thanksgiving for the outgoing one. It even attracts tourists from Nigeria and abroad due to its flamboyant and lively nature.

image The oba of benin
The Oba of Benin or Omo N' Oba, is the traditional ruler of the Edo/Bini people and head of the historic Eweka dynasty of the Benin Kingdom. The title 'Oba' was created by the Oba Eweka 1 , the Kingdom's first Oba. The Benin homeland (not to be confused with the modern-day Republic Of Benin, which was formerly known as Dahomey), has been, and continues to be mostly populated by the Edo (also known as Bini or Benin ethnic group).

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