Ogboni
Ogboni(also known asOsugboinIjèbú) is afraternal institutionindigenous to theYoruba-speaking polities ofNigeria,Republic of BéninandTogo,as well as among theEdo people.The society performs a range of political and religious functions, including exercising a profound influence onmonarchsand serving ashigh courtsofjurisprudenceincapital offenses.[1][2]
Its members are generally considered to constitute thenobilityof the variousYorubakingdoms ofWest Africa.[3]
The Iwarefa
[edit]Each Ogboni lodge is led by a group of six principal officers that are collectively known as theIwarefa,a contraction ofIware Mefa( lit. "The Six Wise Elders" ). These individuals are the most powerful figures in thepolitythat the lodge serves and are the inner council of advisors to itskingorviceroyalchieftain.[4]
Influence
[edit]Though versions of this fraternal group are found among the various types ofYorubastates – from highly centralizedkingdomsandempireslikeOyo(where they were expected tocheckthe authority of theOyo Mesi), to the independent towns and villages of theÈgbáand theÈkiti– the Ogboni are recognizable for their veneration of the personified earth (Ilè or Oduduwa) and their emphasis on both gerontocratic authority and benevolent service to the community. While membership in the Ogboni generally signified a high level of power and prestige, the society held pre-eminent political authority among decentralized groups like the Ègbá, where they were intimately involved in the selection of rulers that served as little other than figureheads in practice. In contemporaryYorubaland,Ogboni members still command great power and influence in the affairs of their societies, although this is largely due to the history of their respectivechieftainciesand not to any official authority.
Ogboni lodges were one of the main commissioners of brassjewelryand sculpture in pre-colonial Yorubaland, using the metal'srust-resistant qualities as an aptmetaphorfor theimmortalfunctions and beliefs of Ogboni adepts. The most recognizable of these symbols was a pair of Ogboni initiates, one male and one female, attached by a chain and worn around the neck. The pair are thought to symbolize the attachment of the sexes in procreation and balanced society. Generally, one or both figures will hold a thumb in the grip of the opposite hand, demonstrating the paramount Ogbonihandsigndenoting initiation and membership.[5]
Legacy
[edit]A number of fraternities in Nigeria have incorporated references and insignia from the original Ogboni, including theReformed Ogboni Fraternityand the Aborigine Ogboni Fraternity. Similar traditional institutions combining political, judicial, and sacred duties exist among the various ethnic nationalities of southernNigeria,includingNze na OzoinIgbo-speaking southeast Nigeria andEkpe/Ngbe/Ugbein theCross Riverregion of southeastern Nigeria and southwesternCameroon.Initiatorysecret societiesare a common feature of pre-colonial government across much ofWestandCentral Africa.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Arewa, O., & Stroup, K. (1977). The Ogboni Cult Group (Nigeria): Analysis and Interpretation of the Communicative Events Which Constitute the Behavior of Its Members. Anthropos, 72(1/2), 274–287.http://www.jstor.org/stable/40459084
- ^"Nigeria: Ogboni society, including its history, structure, rituals and ceremonies; information on membership and the consequences of refusing to join".refworld.org.RetrievedJuly 20,2023.
- ^"Here are 8 prominent cults and secret societies in Africa".africa.businessinsider.com.RetrievedJuly 20,2023.
- ^Atanda, J. A. (1973). THE YORUBA OGBONI CULT: DID IT EXIST IN OLD ỌYỌ? Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, 6(4), 365–372.http://www.jstor.org/stable/41856969
- ^Sotunde, F.I. (2002), "Egba Chieftaincy Institution", Chapter One.
- ^F.W. Butt-Thompson."West African Secret Societies: Their Organizations, Officials and Teaching (PDF)".RetrievedJuly 20,2023.
