Miniature Ceremonial Sword Ada
Edo, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria
Brass
19th century
According to the oral history of the Edo people, the indigenous inhabitants of Benin, a type of ceremonial sword known as ada has always held a position of utmost importance among the items of regalia essential to conveying the concept of the king as both secular and religious leader of the state. The early rulers of Benin were known as ‘Osigo’ or ‘rulers of the sky,’ and tradition has it that during this period the ada represented the royal ancestors’ power over the destiny of the kingdom, drawing upon the Edo concept of ase, a property inherent in iron which imparts the power of prophecy. After Oranmiyan became the Oba (king) of Benin in the 14th century, the ada took on another symbolic role, for it was now carried before the Oba on public appearances, representing his ability to control events in the lives of men in the same way as the ancestors were reputed to be able to do in traditional Edo mythology. To this day, an omada or swordbearer carries an ada before the Oba whenever the Oba appears in public (Spring, African Arms and Armor, 1993).
According to Wolf-Dieter Miersch via Dr. James Francis Gordon (a former lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London), this miniature ada sword would have been given by the Oba to an outstanding warrior chief.
There is a fragment of a miniature iron ada sword in the collection of the British Museum with the same piercing, registration number Af1954,23.1603.
14.25 in :: 36.5 cm
InventoryID #13-2343
Price on Request
