Benin Ivory Mask

 

HENI Talks, "Benin ivory mask (Edo peoples)," in Smarthistory, June 17, 2018, accessed February 26, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/ivory-mask-benin/. 

This mask was made in honor of the Mother Queen of Benin, Idia. She worked extremely hard to ensure that her son would be the heir to the Benin throne instead of his half brother. The mask itself also wasn't meant to be worn on the face but rather as an adornment on someone's hip. On the mask you can see figures shown as the knots on the crown, which are meant to be Portuguese merchants and was meant to represent the alliance between the Edu state and the Portuguese. This was a very strategic maneuver on behalf of the Benin people to create an alliance with a European nation. The trade of cloth for brass between the Edu and the Portuguese created a new tradition of Brass work for the Edu people. They created Brass plaques showing their battles with enemies and they became very important pieces for the people of Benin. As for the Ivory that was used to create the mask, it is almost lifelike and shines almost as if it was alive. Ivory showed the regality and the power one held and it was most likely also had bits of gold or coral due to the two lines in the middle of the mask. This showed how much the Queen mother was revered and how much respect the people of Benin had for her. Family was very important to the people of Benin and how much family can do for you, the Queen mother ensured the role of king for her son and the future of the Benin royal family. The people of Benin were later taken over by the British, even though they did not want to be a part of any of the European nations who were splitting up Africa between themselves. The British found the Brass plaques that showed the history of the Benin people as well as the mask of Idia. They split up the Brass plaques and the majority of them ended up in the British National Museum along with the mask.