The Edo or Benin people are an Edoid ethnic group primarily found in

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

, Southern part of Nigeria. They speak the

Edo language Edo (with diacritics, ), colloquially called Bini (Benin), is a language spoken in Edo State, Nigeria. It is the native language of the Edo people and was the primary language of the Benin Empire and its predecessor, Igodomigodo. Distribution ...

and are the descendants of the founders of the

Benin Empire The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th c ...

. They are closely related to other ethnic groups that speak

Edoid languages The Edoid languages are a few dozen languages spoken in Southern Nigeria, predominantly in the former Bendel State. The name ''Edoid'' derives from its most widely spoken member, Edo, the language of Benin City, which has 25 million native and se ...

, such as the Esan, the Afemai, the Isoko, and the Urhobo. The name "Benin" (and "Bini") is a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

corruption, ultimately from the word "Ubini", which came into use during the reign of Oba (ruler)

Ewuare Ewuare (also Ewuare the Great or Ewuare I) was the Oba (king) of the Benin Empire from 1440 until 1473. Ewuare became king in a violent coup against his brother Uwaifiokun which destroyed much of Benin City. After the war, Ewuare rebuilt much o ...

the Great, c. 1440. "Ubini", a word meaning Vexation, used by Prince Oranmiyan, son of the wealthy ruler of Uhe (Ife) to describe the frustration he encountered after he was invited to rule benin. ''Ubini'' was later corrupted to ''Bini'' by the mixed ethnicities living together at the centre; and further corrupted to ''Benin'' around 1485 when the

began trade relations with Oba Ewuare giving them coral beads.

History

Administrative region

Edo people can be found in Nigeria's

which got its name from the primary inhabitants of the region's most notable historical conglomeration,

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

, which is also the central capital homeland of the Edo people. Edo people also have many related groups in their immediate surroundings also encompassed by the political and administrative borders of Edo state. Most of these groups have traced their history back to the historical city center off the Benin people,

. Examples of such adjacent groups include various Afemai sub-groups, the Esan people of Edo state and the

Akoko Edo Akoko Edo is a Local Government Area in Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Igarra. It has an area of 1,371 km and a population of 262,110 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 312. As of 2016, its populatio ...

people situated on the state's northern borders. Edo state was formerly part of the

old Bendel state Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, ...

of early post-colonial Nigeria, also known as the

Mid-Western Region, Nigeria The Mid-Western Region was a division of Nigeria from 1963 to 1991, from 1976 being known as the Bendel state. It was formed in June 1963 from Benin and Delta provinces of the Western Region, and its capital was Benin City. It was renamed a pr ...

. This region's influence and culture reflects that of the Edo, Urhobo, Esan and other Edo related peoples. Nigeria-karte-politisch-edo

Dressing

Edo people have fashion accessories typically includes red

beads A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...

, anklets, raffia work and so on.

Traditional beliefs

In the

traditional religion In religious studies, an ethnic religion is a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam, in which gaining converts is a prima ...

of the Edo, there exists, besides the human world, an invisible world of supernatural beings acting as interceders for the human world. Offerings are made to them in their respective shrines.

Osanobua Osanobua or Osalobua ( Esan: Osenobula, Osenebra) is the name for God in the Edo language.Ezeh, Mary Dorothy, ''Human Trafficking and Prostitution Among Women and Girls of Edo State, Nigeria Possibility of Rehabilitation Through Education and Preve ...

is the creator and Supreme God. His son/daughter

Olokun Olokun (Yoruba: Olókun) is an orisha spirit in Yoruba religion. Olokun is believed to be the parent of Aje, the orisha of great wealth and of the bottom of the ocean. Olokun is revered as the ruler of all bodies of water and for the authority ov ...

is ruler of all bodies of water and is responsible for the prosperity and fertility of his/her human followers. Another son

Ogun Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who ...

, is the patron god of

metalworkers Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...

. The

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

''Osanobua Noghodua'' mean ''God Almighty''. The word ''Osanobua'' encompasses a large number of divine principles - including the divine state of being merciful, timeless, goodness, justice, sublimity, and supreme. In the Edo belief system, Osanobua has the divine attributes of omnipresence (),

omniscience Omniscience () is the capacity to know everything. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, this is an God#General conceptions, attribute of God. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any individual can eventually attain. In B ...

(), and

omnipotence Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one o ...

(). The Supreme Deity is believed to be present everywhere and at all times. Met Queen Mother Mask (cropped)

Art and architecture

Traditional Edo art consists of widely identifiable sculptures, plaques and masks which reflect various spiritual and historical aspects of their cultural traditions. Some of the notable Edo art pieces include the mask of the Queen Mother

Idia Idia was the mother of Esigie, who reigned as Oba (king) of the Edo people from 1504 to 1550 Historians do know that Idia was alive during the Idah war (1515-1516) because she played a role that led to a great Benin victory. It has been arg ...

and a vast collection of historical Edo art pieces called the

Benin Bronzes The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Edo State, Nigeria. Collectively, the objects form the best examples of Benin art and were cre ...

which can be found not only in Nigeria but further dispersed around the world.

Notable Benins in Nigeria

Ewuare II Ewuare II (born 20 October 1953) was crowned the Oba of Benin on 20 October 2016. He is the 40th Oba, a title created for the Head of State (Emperor) of the Benin Empire at some time between 1180 and 1300. Education Eheneden Erediauwa, as he was ...

, the 40th Oba of Benin Kingdom from 2016–present. *Esther

Erediauwa Erediauwa (22 June 1923 – April 2016) was the 39th Oba of Benin, traditional ruler of the Edo people in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Formerly known as Prince Solomon Akenzua, Oba Erediauwa's full title was ''His Royal Majesty Omo n'Oba n ...

, the first wife of the 39th Oba of Benin kingdom, Oba Erediauwa. *

Victor Uwaifo Victor Efosa Uwaifo (1 March 1941 – 28 August 2021) was a Nigerian musician, writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor, university lecturer, music legend, and the first Honorable Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Nigeria. ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

, writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor. *

Peter Odemwingie Peter Osaze Odemwingie (born 15 July 1981) is a retired Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward and winger. Odemwingie grew up in Uzbekistan and Russia and began his career with Bendel Insurance in the Nigeria Premier League. ...

, professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. *

Charles Novia Charles Osa Igbinovia (born 20 November 1971), commonly known as Charles Novia, is a Nigerian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, social commentator and essayist. Born and raised in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, Novia is known ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

, producer, screenwriter,

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and social commentator.african l *

Osayuki Godwin Oshodin Osayuki Godwin Oshodin (9 August 1950 – 29 May 2022) was a vice-chancellor of University of Benin (Nigeria), University of Benin. He was professor of health education and published several journals and books concerning health and education. Os ...

, former Vice-chancellor of University of Benin. * Benson Idahosa, evangelist, and founder of the Church of God Mission International. *

Samuel Ogbemudia Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia (17 September 1932 – 9 March 2017) was a Nigerian army officer and politician. He was military Governor (1967–1975) of the Mid-Western Region, Nigeria, Mid-West State, later renamed Bendel State, part of which in ...

, politician and former military Governor of the Mid-West State *

John Odigie Oyegun John Odigie Oyegun (born 12 August 1939) is a Nigerian politician who served as the first national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nigeria. He was also the Executive Governor of Edo State between 1992 and 1993, during the aborte ...

, politician and first national chairman of

All Progressives Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, the ...

(APC) in Nigeria *

Victor Ikpeba Victor Ikpeba Nosa (born 12 June 1973) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward for both club and country. Ikpeba played 31 international matches and scored seven goals for Nigeria. He was a member of Super Eagles tea ...

, professional footballer. * Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state (2015 to 2019 under APC, and from 2019 under PDP) and business man * Gabriel Igbinedion, Nigeria business man and esama of Benin kingdom. *

Erhabor Emokpae Erhabor Ogieva Emokpae, OON, (9 May 1934 – 16 February 1984) was a renowned Nigerian sculptor, muralist, graphic artist and painter who is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern arts in Nigeria. Some of his notable works include the a br ...

, artists, director *

Mercy Aigbe Mercy Aigbe Hajiya Meena (born 1 January 1978) is a Nigerian actress, director, fashionista and businesswoman. She is best known for her Yoruba indigenous movies. Early life Mercy Aigbe was born on 1 January 1978 in Edo State. to Pa Aigbe a ...

, is a Nigerian actress and filmmaker * Guosa Alex Guosa Igbineweka, Guosa Language Evolutionist, Creator: a Nigerian and ECOWAS indigenous zonal lingua-franca *

Abel Guobadia Sir Abel Guobadia OFR (28 June 1932 – 4 February 2011) was an educator, administrator, diplomat and retired public servant. Education Abel Guobadia was born on 28 June 1932, in Benin City, Nigeria. He attended C.M.S. Primary Schools in Benin ...

, former Chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission * Jane Igharo, Nigerian-Canadian writer *Professor Osasere Orumwense, Vice-Chancellor of University of Benin * Suyi Davies Okungbowa, African fantasy and speculative fiction author * Archbishop John Edokpolo, Honourable Minister of Trade and Founder of Edokpolor Grammar School *Chief Jacob U. Egharevba, a Bini historian and traditional chief * Rema, music artist *

Kamaru Usman Kamarudeen Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian and American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and retired folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champions ...

, Nigerian mixed martial artist

Icons

References

External links

Cultural Wars and National Identity - The Saga of the Yoruba and the Bini-EdoRoyal Art of Benin: The Perls Collection
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on the Edo people {{Authority control Ethnic groups in Nigeria