Igodomigodo is the original name 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 ...

used by its own inhabitants (nowadays known as the

Edo people The Edo or Benin people are an Edoid ethnic group primarily found in Edo State, Southern part of Nigeria. They speak the Edo language and are the descendants of the founders of the Benin Empire. They are closely related to other ethnic group ...

of Nigeria). According to Edo oral history, Igodomigodo was the name given to the kingdom by Igodo, the first ''

ogiso This is a list of the independent Ogisos (Kings) of Igodomigodo, which was to become the Benin Empire, from 40 BCE to 1100 CE. The dating is based on the recollection made by Daryl Peavy of the oral traditions of the Edo people. The Ogiso were as ...

'' (King), who founded the first dynasty of what would later be known as the

(which existed from around 1180 until 1897 in the area of the present-day Federal Republic of Nigeria (and not in the area of the unrelated, current

Republic of Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Republic of Dahomey, Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burki ...

)). The ''ogiso'' era was replaced by the ''oba'' era, and the name of the kingdom was changed from Igodomigodo to Edo by Oba Eweka I). Replacing the era of the ''ogiso'', the ''oba'' dynasty was founded by Eweka I, the first Oba (and child of Oranmiyan). Eweka I renamed his empire Edo, and since then its people have been called

(or ''ovbi-ẹdo'', "child enof Edo"). The current Oba,

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 ...

, is the 40th Oba and 89th ruler of the dynasty started by Igodo of Igodomigodo.

References

{{Reflist * http://www.dawodu.net/igodo.htm Edo history

See also

References