Ẹgogo
Ẹgogo (gongs) hold significant importance in Benin art and ritual, serving as powerful instruments with both practical and symbolic roles. Ivory gongs, especially “double-bell” types, were highly prized and reserved for the royal court, particularly those made entirely of ivory, which were used exclusively by the Ọba. The whiteness of ivory Ẹgogo symbolises purity and peace and is linked to sacred Orhue (white kaolin chalk) and the deity Olokun (Blackmun 2007, cat. no. 60, p. 315).
When depicted in the imagery of the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures), Ẹgogo are usually held by figures such as the Ọba or high-ranking chiefs, illustrating their historical and ongoing use as idiophones during ceremonies and festivals. The Ọba dances with an ornately carved ivory Ẹgogo during the Emobo festival, which takes place three days after the Iguẹ festival (Ben-Amos 1995, p. 108).
Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here