Eweka I

Eweka I was the first ('king') of the Kingdom of Benin and the first ruler of the Eweka dynasty, the royal line that followed the era associated in Benin historical tradition with the monarchs and the later administrations of Evian and Ogiamien.

Eweka was born to Oranmiyan and the Edo woman Erinmwinde at Ego town and was brought up at Use town, both settlements near the Benin capital. His chronology remains uncertain: historian Jacob Egharevba placed his birth around 1171, his coronation around 1200 and the accession of his son Uwakhuahen around 1230, while other reconstructions place the beginning of the dynasty in the early fourteenth century or around 1320. Traditions about Eweka's childhood connect the origin of his name with the game of , during which he was said to have pronounced , glossed by Egharevba as "I have succeeded", after previously being unable to speak. His coronation took place at Usama, the residence associated with Oranmiyan, and tradition holds that royal regalia were sent from Ife for the ceremony. Accounts of his reign also associate Eweka with the beginning of the title in Benin, the organisation or expansion of the body later called the , and the appointment of royal princes over settlements beyond the immediate capital.

Not all reconstructions portray Eweka as exercising uncontested authority throughout the Benin capital and surrounding territory. Historian Osarhieme Osadolor describes Eweka and his first two successors as remaining at Usama while the faction associated with Ogiamien continued to exercise considerable authority in the capital, with more extensive royal control developing under the fourth , Ewedo. Eweka was followed by Uwakhuahen and later by another son, Ehenmihen, while separate traditions associate his sons Idu and Omorodion with political centres established outside the immediate royal seat.

Dynastic background and parentage

Benin traditions place Eweka's birth within the unsettled transition that followed the end of the dynasty and the disputed administrations of Evian and Ogiamien. In historian Jacob Egharevba's account, Benin elders sought a prince from the ruler of Ife, and Oranmiyan was eventually dispatched to Benin after Odudua had died and Obalufon carried out the earlier instruction. Oranmiyan settled at Usama and married Erinmwinde, the daughter of Osanego, whom Egharevba identifies as the ninth ('duke') of Ego. In Egharevba's later chronological reconstruction, Oranmiyan's meeting with Osanego and his marriage to Erinmwinde are placed around 1170. Anthropologist Robert Elwyn Bradbury gives the foundation story in broader terms, stating that Oranmiyan fathered a child by the daughter of an Edo village chief and then left followers behind to foster and educate the boy. Bradbury argues that the central symbolic feature of the tradition lies in combining kingship derived from outside Benin with a first ruler who was himself Edo-born. In his interpretation, Oranmiyan appears as an outsider, whereas Eweka is presented as a ruler born within Edo society and therefore expected to govern through Edo customs and institutions.

Recorded traditions differ over the identity and social standing of Eweka's mother. Egharevba describes Erinmwinde as a daughter of Osanego, the of Ego, while an Ihogbe version collected by historian Gabriel Akindele Akinola in 1973 portrays Erinwinde as a woman of slave status whom Oranmiyan encountered at Ego. Historian Dmitri Bondarenko also identifies Eweka's mother Erinmwinde as a Bini woman and the daughter of the ruler of Egor, northwest of the Benin capital. Historian Isaac Imue Irabor likewise states that Oranmiyan married a daughter of the Bini chief Osanego and that both she and their son remained in Benin after Oranmiyan departed. The broader genealogy attributed to Eweka through Oranmiyan remains disputed in scholarship on the dynasty. The received tradition presented by Egharevba identifies Oranmiyan as a son of Odudua of Ife, whereas later Benin-centred narratives identify Ekaladerhan, the exiled son of the last Owodo, either as Odudua himself or as an ancestor of Oranmiyan.

Birth, upbringing and name Egharevba states that Eweka was born at Ego and raised at Use, settlements located outside the Benin capital along the Siluko road. His chronological summary published in 1973 assigns the birth to approximately 1171. Egharevba records a tradition that the young prince initially could not speak and that Oranmiyan, after learning of the problem from Ife, sent seven charmed seeds or marbles through a messenger named Ehendiwo. The later chronology places Ehendiwo's mission around 1196. According to the tradition, Eweka first spoke while playing with the objects sent from Ife. After winning, he reportedly exclaimed , translated by Egharevba as "I have succeeded". The expression was subsequently transformed into the name "Eweka". Egharevba adds that the people of Use were astonished that a child born in Benin first spoke in Yoruba, which he identifies as the language of Eweka's father. Bondarenko likewise records a tradition in which Eweka was born in Benin but raised under the influence of followers from Ife, initially spoke Yoruba and acquired the name Eweka from the utterance associated with his victory in the game.

Use later became incorporated into Benin coronation practice. Egharevba states that subsequent s were required to visit Use before coronation and choose a regnal title at the place associated with Eweka's victory in and his first spoken words. Akinola records that chief R. A. Edigin of Use showed him a locally identified site where Eweka was said to have been raised, together with a shrine commemorating ancestors from Ife whose rites and songs continued to be observed.

Accession and chronology Egharevba states that Eweka was crowned at Usama in accordance with instructions left by Oranmiyan. The ceremony took place at the residence associated with Oranmiyan and, in the traditional account, was accompanied by public celebration. Royal insignia and regalia were said to have been sent from Ife by Oranmiyan for the coronation. Bondarenko similarly records that royal insignia arrived from Ife and that regents were appointed to support the young Oba, who was traditionally believed to have been about fifteen years old when he came to the throne. The absolute chronology remains uncertain, although Egharevba dates Eweka's coronation to around 1200 and Uwakhuahen's succession to around 1230. Bondarenko likewise gives an accession date of approximately 1200 when summarising the official Benin tradition.

Bradbury cautions that early Benin chronology was preserved primarily through sequences of dynastic succession rather than through an independent calendar and notes that scholars including Egharevba supplied approximate AD dates to reigns whose absolute chronology could not be securely established. Historian Isaac Irabor instead places the beginning of the Eweka dynasty in the early fourteenth century. Historian Peter M. Roese compares competing chronological schemes and argues that an accession around 1320 produces a more plausible average length of reign than dates around 1200 or 1220. Historian Stefan Eisenhofer likewise cautions that early Benin regnal dates should not be treated as securely fixed because the surviving king lists cannot be independently verified for the period concerned.

Reign Guardianship and court The traditional account of Eweka's early reign places emphasis on his youth at accession. Egharevba states that Oranmiyan placed the young under the care of the of Ego, Ogiefa, Ihama, Oloton and other guardians, who were expected to raise him and administer the country until he reached adulthood. Eweka's maternal grandfather, the of Ego, became his chief adviser and protector and acquired considerable influence, wealth and reputation.

Egharevba also records a court narrative in which other elders became envious of the of Ego and manipulated the young ruler into issuing an order whose meaning he did not understand. Eweka was advised to command his grandfather to appear in full ceremonial dress and to . Eweka understood the expression as referring to an item of clothing called , whereas the interpreted it as an instruction to hang himself. The accordingly committed suicide, and after Eweka learned what had occurred he ordered a state funeral. Egharevba connects the story with the later ceremonial use of the , a small waist cloth worn by the and chiefs during specified rites.

Royal title and the Several modern accounts associate Eweka's reign with the first use of the title by the monarchs of Benin. Historian Osemwegie Ebohon states that Benin kings began using the title during Eweka's reign, although he regards its etymology as uncertain. Historian Flora Edouwaye Kaplan likewise places adoption of the title at the beginning of the second dynasty. Osadolor also states directly that the title first came into use for the Benin monarch under Eweka. Traditions about Eweka's role in forming the differ in their details. Egharevba credits him with creating the state councillors or kingmakers later called the and lists Oliha, Edohen, Ezomo, Ero, Eholo n'Ire and Oloton as the original members. He states that Eweka made the offices hereditary and directed that future s be crowned by Oliha because the group had been responsible for the appeal to Ife that resulted in Oranmiyan's arrival. In his later discussion of Benin titles, Egharevba again attributes the rank to Eweka, describes succession to the offices as passing from father to senior son and identifies Oliha as leader of the body. Egharevba further states that the later Ewuare added the , or crown prince, increasing the group to seven members.

Osadolor gives a different institutional history, stating that an older council known as the was expanded to six members through the addition of Oloton, an adviser and guardian of Eweka who had arrived from Ife, and that the body later became known as the . Irabor similarly states that the council consisted of five members at the beginning of Eweka's reign and that Eweka enlarged it to six. Roese instead describes Eweka as reviving the kingmakers' association and rejects the claim that all six senior chiefs had accompanied Oranmiyan from Ife, identifying Oloton as the member associated with that migration. Irabor characterises Eweka's relationship with the as one of divided authority and describes the early as a primus inter pares, or first among equals, rather than as a dominant monarch. Osadolor similarly states that the remained powerful territorial lords who maintained palaces and retainers comparable to those of the and exercised substantial influence over the succession.

Political position and territorial authority Osadolor portrays the opening phase of the Eweka dynasty as a period of rivalry with the political establishment associated with Ogiamien. In his reconstruction, Ogiamien and his followers retained effective power in the Benin capital while Eweka and the following two s remained at Usama with the . He further states that much of the population along the Ikpoba River did not recognise the authority of the during this early phase. More extensive royal control over the capital and nearby territory is placed under Ewedo, the fourth , following his defeat of the rival faction at Ekiokpagha.

Eweka also placed members of the royal household in positions beyond the immediate political centre. Egharevba states that disputes among Eweka's many children led him to send some away as , or chiefs, of separate villages. Irabor similarly writes that Eweka installed sons as and made them rulers of outlying Benin communities. Roese interprets the traditions surrounding Eweka's sons as evidence for an early policy of establishing princes of the royal house in settlements around the edges of the developing state.

Children and succession Egharevba describes Eweka as having many children and names Idu, the of Umoghunmwun; Olomuza or Omonuza of Use; Omorodion or Odion of Uwokha in Afenmai; and the of Ebue among his sons. He also preserves a tradition accusing Omonuza of having "polluted" his father's bed. Elsewhere, Egharevba identifies Omorodion, commonly called Odion at Uwokha, as one of Eweka's older sons and ranks him immediately after Omonuza in seniority. Uwakhuahen, one of Eweka's older sons, succeeded him and was in turn followed by his brother Ehenmihen. Egharevba states that tradition remembered both Uwakhuahen's and Ehenmihen's reigns as peaceful and marked by the influence of chiefs, and that each ruler continued to reside at the palace in Usama. Egharevba's 1973 chronology places Uwakhuahen's accession around 1230 and identifies Ehenmihen as Eweka's second son.

Osadolor records a different succession narrative in which Prince Idu was Eweka's eldest son but was excluded from the throne by the , who supported the younger Uwakhuahen. According to this account, the elders instructed Idu to obtain a cow carrying a bird's nest for Eweka's funeral rites and sent him to his mother's settlement at Umoghunmwun, while another cow was prepared within Benin and presented by Uwakhuahen. The elders proclaimed Uwakhuahen successor before Idu returned. Idu threatened war and gained support from his mother's community and elders in Iyekorhionmwon, after which the southeastern section of the kingdom was ceded to him and became the kingdom of Ugu. Egharevba preserves a separate post-succession narrative concerning Omorodion. He states that Omorodion was passed over for the throne after Eweka died and subsequently left the Benin capital with his family and followers to found Uwokha in Ivbiosakon. Egharevba derives the settlement's name from a statement attributed to Omorodion that he preferred to seek a home in the bush rather than remain a prince in Benin.

Death and burial Egharevba states that before his death Eweka instructed that his remains should be taken to Ife for burial among his fathers. According to the tradition, the instruction was carried out, and thereafter the remains of a Benin were taken to Ife every third reign. Bondarenko notes that Egharevba traced the origin of this burial custom to Eweka and records the associated claim that the head of a deceased ruler was sent to Ife after every third reign. Bondarenko also observes that excavations at ('Heaven of King Ado') produced neither human remains nor artefacts identifiable as Benin material, leading scholars to treat the burial tradition as historical-ethnographic evidence requiring interpretation rather than as archaeologically confirmed practice. Roese likewise discusses the tradition that royal remains were sent to Ife beginning with Eweka while noting that the archaeological evidence available to him did not substantiate the account.