Ouidah's market sells grotesque ritualistic accoutrements used in ceremonies. While we spoke, local television showed a wild-eyed man carrying a slaughtered goat's head in his mouth by its severed neck ligaments. There are 10+ professionals named "Spiritual Healer", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. 1504; the son of Ewuare) and Esigie (early to mid-16th century; the son of Ozolua), who enjoyed good relations with the Portuguese and sent ambassadors to their king. Died at Auchi. It is quite small at 9.6 inches high, 4.9 inches wide, and 2.4 inches deep (24.5 cm H, 12.5 cm W, and 6 cm D). During the expedition, Benin was decimated and burned to the ground. Very early in the movement, however, sances featuring more spectacular physical phenomena were conducted, and mediums arose who specialized in such displays. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Approaching the coast, sea breezes rustled coconut groves while crabs gnashed their claws amid mangroves. Fr McCawille visited all three searching for any information about the whereabouts of the grave of the late Brian McCormack Snr. He hails from Obrumudu-Oghara Ethiope West Local . The belief that the dead communicate with the living, as through a medium. IGHODARO AYELALA SPIRITUAL TEMPLE was incorporated in BENIN-CITY, Nigeria with Registration Number 89089. I would like to say thanks once again. As reported by Black Past, little, if anything, remains of the legendary Kingdom of Benin. As reported by The Guardian, the walls were largely destroyed during the Benin Punitive Expedition of 1897, and no known trace of the walls remain in the modern Benin City. Communion with the spiritual world is both possible and desirable, and spiritual healing is the natural result of such communication. However, today's Benin City remains one of Nigeria's most prosperous centers of trade. The spiritual world of Benin peoples is densely populated with spirits and ancestors. Beneath an archway on the shoreline, designed to symbolise 'The Gates of No Return', I watched the pummelling Atlantic surf churn grey with sediment and contemplated the terrified thoughts of captured Africans being paddled out to waiting slave galleons bobbing on the horizon. As he told me about Voodoo's living dead we consumed Johnny Walker whisky. See more information about the objects on Learning Lab. Contrary to the British troops' description of the Benin Kingdom, other visitors described the city as civilized and clean. And, hurrah, Voodoo-dolls were tucked into their sarongs, each representing the number of deities they individually worshipped. A dancer at Benin Voodoo Festival (Shutterstock). He established a hereditary succession to the throne and vastly expanded the territory of the Benin kingdom, which by the mid-16th century extended from the Niger River delta in the east to what is now Lagos in the west. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. The population of Benin is approximately 10.8 million people with their official dialect being French. I met an English-speaking teacher called Yvette who took me to see a local Fa reader. conditions - usually through a medium. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Benin-historical-kingdom-West-Africa, Art and Life in Africa - University of Iowa Museum of Art - Benin Kingdom, World History Encyclopedia - Kingdom of Benin, The British Museum - Benin: an African kingdom, Humanities LibreTexts - Kingdom of Benin (1180 CE 1897 CE), kingdom of Benin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Benin is bathed in simplistic beauty yet possesses a thrilling, mystical underbelly. Water, quartz and cowry shells were also heaped on the cast beads. Spiritual healing is not concerned with religion or belief but instead focuses on compatibility. Two brothers, Joe and Ger, and a sister, Eileen Irwin, still reside in Castlebar. The Benin Empire was ultimately destroyed during the Benin Punitive Expedition of 1897. In The Slave Trade, Depopulation and Human Sacrifice in Benin History, author James D. Graham recounts Commander Bacon's impression of Benin City. His twosons, Paul, born in December 1951 and his younger brother, Brian, born in November 1953, just after his father had gone to Nigeria, were not old enough to fully understand the circumstances surrounding their dads death at the age of 37. Interestingly, the side streets were built with strips of turf in the middle to provide somewhere for animals to graze. However, they also took great pride in their city. For those who have lost their faith in traditional Christianity, spiritualists have offered a new religion based not on an ancient tradition but on facts that apparently can be observed by anyone. Synonyms for SPIRITUALIST: psychic, spiritist, medium, channeler, clairvoyant, telepath, channel, mentalist, mind reader, sensitive Communion with the spiritual world is both possible and desirable, and spiritual healing is the . Handcrafted voodoo statues for sale at the Benin Voodoo festival, near Ouidah (Shutterstock). Many divination practices are connected to religious traditions, but they are also used to glean insight into all aspects of daily life. It is unclear how common human sacrifice was in Benin City, and as reported by Vanguard, current Obas have denied it was ever part of the culture. Diviner Aboubacar Otunba Taiwo gives an Ifa consultation in Porto Novo, Benin. The main room of the house, which was in the center, was the husband's quarters, the wives' quarters were to the left of the main quarters, and the young men's quarters were on the right. The term has been applied to traditional African religions.. I raised my camera but several men with panic-stricken expressions warned me not to. Vodun is the center of the religious life and has female priesthood which can be hereditary being passed down from mother to daughter. Spiritual healing occurs largely among practitioners who do not see traditional religious faith as a prerequisite for effecting cures. Society of African Missions - Designed and Developed by, A miraculous spiritual adventure to Benin City. Soon, 20 other women were doing the same; a lot of flesh for a modest Englishman. People come to diviners for a medley of reasons, ranging from physical ailments to social or spiritual troubles. Christianity first entered Benin around the year 1680 and gained momentum during the 19th century. There are three major public cemeteries in Benin City. He explained that diviners can save lives by solving both spiritual and physical problems. Nearby, the hefty wooden doors of a curious-looking building shaped like an enormous haystack the lodge of the god Zangbeto were closed too. Authority and power are affirmed through observing ancestral veneration rituals. The messages that mediums claimed to receive were examined in order to build theoretical constructs for explaining how spirit contact could occur. In an attempt to bring her husband peace, and secure his position as Oba, Queen Iden offered herself to be sacrificed. "If your wish comes true," reminded Pascal, the Voodoo attendant, "you must return to sacrifice two chickens to Dankoli.". Initially, spiritualist gatherings were concerned with demonstrating and investigating mental phenomena such as clairvoyance, telepathy, and the reception of messages from spirits. Again, the du signs are recorded and named, referring to the relevant verses from the Odu Ifa. I walked around late every evening hoping to witness them, but I never did. Read about our approach to external linking. And then fate eventually smiled upon me. Averting my eyes, it brushed its horsehair flywhisk across my face. Tradition asserts that the Edo people became dissatisfied with the rule of a dynasty of semimythical kings, the ogisos, and in the 13th century they invited Prince Oranmiyan of Ife to rule them. - Greater sense of connection to the Universe, - Stress-relief, such as lightening burdens. Define spiritualist. The figure disappeared into the night. It is so well governed that theft is unknown and the people live in such security that they have no doors to their houses.". They also sometimes ask for offerings, such as a chicken or a sheep, which is then sacrificed to the divinity, or some alcohol is poured onto the floor. Top 10 Alcohol Consuming Countries In The World, Protestantism and Other Forms of Non-Catholic Christianity, West African Folk Religions and Traditional Beliefs other than Vodun, Eckankar, Baha'i Faith, and Other Beliefs. It also profited greatly from the slave trade. A persons condition after death is directly related to the moral quality of his human existence. Rituals, related to the Benin cosmic view form an intrinsic part of life. The practice of human sacrifice was stamped out only after the burning of Benin City in 1897 by the British, after which the depopulated and debilitated kingdom was incorporated into British Nigeria. When Mami Wata'sVoodoosis(followers) filed in, predominately women in white robes, I was very excited. 5.6K views 2 years ago The GeoEx trip, "Mystical West Africa" visits Ouidah, in Benin, considered the spiritual capital of African voodoo. Progress was slow and largely unproductive. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. "The power of Mawa-Lissa (Voodoo's Supreme Being) sent Fa to earth as a medium to answer questions about the future," Yvette told me, also describing how the medium casts his beads into one of 256 positions that he then interprets as the word of his god. The Voodoo spiritual world consists of Mahou, the supreme being and about 100 divinities - or Voodoos - who represent different phenomena, such as war and blacksmiths (Gou), illness, healing and earth (Sakpata), storms, lightning and justice (Heviosso) or water (Mami Wata). Instead, the main altar (bereft of human skulls) was a dribbling accumulation of wax and oil that reminded me of a cheesy table-decoration in an Italian restaurant. Edited from a report sent by Fr Peter McCawille SMA, Society of African Missions Megan Grabill is a research intern at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and an anthropology and comparative studies major at Oberlin College. This can happen when asking for help or when you wish has been granted. Religious leaders suggested a human sacrifice would help restore order to the kingdom. In a cupboard-sized room, crammed with potions, the medium Casmin Fabiyi fingered his Fa beads (threads of eight wooden disks) like a rosary. Omissions? His son Eweka is regarded as the first oba, or king, of Benin, though authority would remain for many years with a hereditary order of local chiefs. Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Although rumors suggest a portion of one of the walls remains intact, hidden in the Nigerian bush, it is unlikely as there was no effort to preserve or restore any of the remnants left standing following the Punitive Expedition. The walls around the perimeter of the kingdom were also surrounded by deep moats, which provided Benin with another degree of protection, The Guardian reports Benin's walls were "four times longer than the Great Wall of China, and consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops," and reportedly took the Edo people an "estimated 150 million hours" to complete. 13th-19th century). Later my hotel proprietor explained it to be Gounko, a Nigerian-Yoruba Voodoo figure that chased away evil spirits. Vodun majorly concentrates on spirits and divine elements that rule the earth, deities which govern human society and natural forces as well as spirits of individual trees, streams and rocks and defenders of a certain nation, clan or tribe. In addition to being the fourth-largest city in Nigeria, Benin is the largest city in Edo state. Across Africa, the practice of divination is a way of knowing that is widely used and widely varied. Historically, spiritualism was organized in small groups that conducted sances, or meetings for spirit communication. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. They regularly gathered together to create artwork, visit galleries, and have lively debates. Tel: 0044 2079 939 017. Those for whom materialistic ways of thinking have precluded belief in a life after death have been given a new hope of immortality. Beginning in the 1100s, the Edo people were led by a series of Obas, which remain an important part of Benin City's leadership to this day. In the inner sanctum of the Djeho Temple, built by Glele for his father Ghezo, the mortar is forged from the blood of 41 slaves. Benin, one of the principal historic kingdoms of the western African forest region (fl. Just five months into his contract on 20th March, 1954 he died from natural causes while inspecting a rice plantation project near Agenebode, a 2-hour drive from Benin City where he lived. Benin: A Country Armed With Powerful Spirituality Fundraiser TRACKS - Travel Documentaries 564K subscribers 979K views 11 months ago In human cultures in general, and perhaps particularly in. - Every human soul survives the death of the body and enters a spirit-world that surrounds The Guardian reports one home, which is called Chief Enogie Aikoriogie's house, is believed to be the only known structure to survive the Punitive Expedition. Blood is a nourishing force, one that builds community as it is shared between and among humans and spirits. Ikhuiwu is an African Canadian. Protestantism and other Non-Catholic Christians in Benin account for 16% of the population. "I'd thoroughly recommend the Route des Esclaves (The Slave Route). Read about our approach to external linking. Spiritualist belief developed during the early decades of the movement. Some Voodoo priests use herbs to cure the sick - and possibly to poison enemies. Animals are often sacrificed in order to bring good luck. Benin City, also called Edo, capital and largest city of Edo state, southern Nigeria. People seek help on a variety of issues - to be cured of a disease, find a job, complete a business deal, find a spouse or have a child. I'd fallen completely under her spell.

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