Chief’s Regalia in Benin Kingdom

Mr Aiko Obobaifo said that Benin fabric was one of the articles sought by the early Europeans who engaged in trade with the Benin Kingdom. This was because the fabric was needed to clothe slaves and used as twine to rig their boats. The fabric was one of the goods bought from Benin and sold at Coasta de Elmina in Ghana. In Benin, different styles of clothes were worn by elders, young men and women. The different categories of chiefs have various types of dress for different occasions. The occasion determines the garment worn. The types of chief’s apparel are Uhunmwun-ogho, Avbokho, Eyon and Iyerhuan. When chiefs come before the Ọba, they wear Ebuluku and Ewu, the cape-like style and Ehan-Egbehia. The priestly robe with or without a cape was designed by Chief Ajayi during the reign of Ọba Akẹnzua II. The Ehan-Egbehia is the overall dress for the chiefs and is mostly worn on important occasions like the annual festival. It includes the headgear of Iyewu made of cloth and the neck bead (colar bead), which is Ike-Odigba (usually with a white cloth or handkerchief folded in). The Ehan-Egbe is made in the pangolin (Ẹrokhi) design. There is also the cross bead, a gong tied around the neck at chest level, the Abuwa with little Ada and Ẹben and a mini mask of ivory or bronze, and the Ikoro, the bracelet on both the wrist and the ankles worn above the shoes. Members of the three palace societies can be identified by specific aspects of their attire. The headgear of the twin chiefs of Osa and Osuan distinguishes them from the other chiefs. They stand beside the Ọba and hold his hands during certain state festivals. Every chief is expected to have gone through a period of tutelage, and no mistake is made when dressing for different festivals. The chiefs’ regalia is usually in white and red cloth.