Iyoba Idia popularly known as “Idia ne Iye Esigie” was a renowned warrior-queen, skilled administrator, powerful priestess and the first Iyoba (Queen Mother) of the ancient Kingdom of Bini (Benin) in present-day Nigeria.
Iyoba Idia’s visage is the most widely known face of an African royal woman after the Egyptian Queen, Ahmose-Nefertari or Nefertiti.
Her face has gazed on us from countless museum pedestals the world over.
It has been widely reproduced on commemorative trays, cups and plates, jewelry, ebony and brass plaques, and on textiles, specifically george materials of the Intorica and Indian Madras labels, wax design cotton prints, and tee-shirts.
Idia was first an olori (royal wife) of Oba Ozolua as well a military strategist cum mystical warrior before becoming an Iyoba as well as the mother of Oba Esigie (1484 – 1540 CE), who was the first King of Benin to ascend the throne with the title Esigie in about 1504 and was the first Leader in the West-African Sub-Region to establish diplomatic relationship with a European Country.
She played a very significant role in the rise and reign of her son.
She was a strong warrior who fought relentlessly before and during her son’s reign as the Oba (king) of the Edo people.
The ensuing civil war severely compromised Benin’s status as a regional power and undermined Benin City’s place at the political and cultural center of the kingdom.
Exploiting this weakness, the neighboring Igala peoples sent warriors across the Benue River to wrest control of Benin’s northern territories.
Esigie ultimately defeated his brother and conquered the Igala, re-establishing the unity and military strength of the kingdom.
His mother Idia received much of the credit for these victories as her political counsel, together with her mystical powers and medicinal knowledge, were viewed as critical elements of Esigie’s success on the battlefield.
To reward and honor her, Esigie created a new position within the court called the iyoba, or “Queen Mother,” which gave her significant political privileges, including a separate residence with its own staff.
Queen Mothers were viewed as instrumental to the protection and well-being of the oba and, by extension, the kingdom.
Idia’s face was immortalized in the sixteenth century ivory mask presently in the British Museum.
It became famous when the Nigerian military government chose it as the emblem for the Second Black Festival of Arts and Culture, known as FESTAC ’77, that Nigerian hosted in 1977.
The visibility of the mask increased when the British Museum refused to release it on loan to Nigeria even after demanding two million pounds, which the Nigerian government put up.
The late Oba Akenzua II, then reigning Oba of Benin, broke the impasse by commissioning the Igbesamwan (ivory carvers guild) to produce two replicas of the Idia mask that had been looted by British soldiers of the 1897 punitive expeditionary force.
The fine workmanship of the replicas established that modern Benin ivory carvers are consummate artists as were their forebears, and like the latter, responded with pride and reverence to the royal commission.
Queen of Mysticism!
The exact date of birth and death of the great Iyoba Idia, the mother of Esigie, the Oba who reigned approximately 1484 – 1540 is not known.
However, she was alive during the Idah war in which her army and war general secured a resounding victory for Benin (Oronsaye 1995, 61; Ebohon 1979, 60; Egharevba 1968, 28).
She was a proper Edo woman from Bini (Benin) Kingdom.
She was born in Ugieghudu, in the Eguae area of Isi (Oronsaye 35, 61 Egharevba 28).
The young Idia, we do know that she was “a beautiful and strong willed woman”(Oronsaye 1995, 61) whose biographical sketch reveals that she had been medicinally fortified before her marriage to the constantly warring and constantly absent Oba Ozolua.
Two vertical bars of inlaid iron between the eyes allude to medicine-filled incisions that were one source of Idia’s metaphysical power.
She was very clever lady who possessed skills which few people had.
She matured very quickly just like other girls in that historical period were prepared early in life for their future role as wives.
Idia entered the royal household after she caught the fancy of Oba Ozolua during a dance performance in the capital (Oronsaye 61).
Once the Oba initiated the marriage process, her parents knew she would become an Oba’s wife and eventually took the precaution of medicinally seasoning and “cooking” their daughter for her future life.
This preparation (spiritual fortification) strengthened her to cope with whatever vicissitudes palace life would throw at her.
The “strong willed” Idia and her parents would have surmised that life as an Oba’s wife may be tumultuous, but was indeed an excellent route to power and wealth.
It would have made sense for them to take advantage of all the excellent opportunities it offered to advance their Ugieghudu family and Idia’s own personal line.
The Birth of The Boys!
Oloi Idia gave birth to her first son, Osawe (Oba Esigie) to Oba Ozolua.
Prince Osawe was the third born son of Ozolua.
The first son of Oba Ozolua was Ogidogbo and the second son was Aruanran (sometimes spelled Arhuanran), the son of Oloi Ohonmi who was born earlier in the day before Esigie.
Yet, Esigie’s birth was officially announced to the Oba before Ohonmi’s (rival of Idia) son enabling him to claim second place.
According to Edo oral history “because Idubor did not immediately cry at birth, Osawe who did, was reported first to the king, according to tradition.
By the time Idubor cried, to enable the mother report his birth, the king had performed the proclamation rites of Osawe as first son.”
Despite this glaring fact, some critics of Iyoba Idia suspect she had a hand in her son Esigie’s path to power by using witchcraft to manipulate his path to the throne.
“To switch the order of births (via witchcraft manipulation) in the royal palace in order to bring herself closer to power was no mean feat.
It required political savvy, extensive political connections, phenomenal co-ordinations, and deep collusion with a network of critical actors—women ritual specialists in the palace, the Okaerie who trains the new iloi (royal wives’ residence), the Eson or first wife whose duty is to manage the erie (palace), titled wives, the Ibiwe and other key palace chiefs such as the Uwangue and Osodin who looked after royal wives and their children, and cared for them when they were pregnant.”
When Oba Ozolua died in 1504 the ancient Benin Kingdom was unleashed with a vicious struggle for power between his two eldest sons, the warrior giant Aruanran and the Portuguese-baptized Osawe—Esigie’s personal name (Egharevba 26).
The ancient Benin culture states that if an Oba is crowned, his mother must be eliminated as they were considered a threat to the future Oba and throne.
This was the dilemma Idia found herself after the death of Oba Ozolua.
Her grave had been dug and her time to visit the land of her ancestors was closing in.
Idia powerful in her own right as the Oba’s wife and the queen mother of the next Oba made moves physically and spiritually to have Esigie as the Oba.
The fight ensued between Osawe and Aruanran only because the first son of Oba Ozolua, Ogidogbo, lost his obaship rights.
He had fractured his leg in a competition with his two younger brothers, Aruanran and Esigie, and became a cripple (Egharevba 25).
Although this tragedy was represented as an unfortunate mishap, a case of children competing against each other, many at the time saw Idia’s hand behind it.
For them, this surreptitious mode of altering physical reality from a supra physical level represents Idia’s mode of fighting on two planes.
It also signified her double-edged sword that could both create or wreak havoc.
Idia’s role in the nullification of the first son Ogidogbo was not lost on Aruanran whose enmity towards his brother (Esigie) intensified that he tried to assassinate him.
A noted warrior and conqueror of the fierce town of Okhumwu, Aruanran was bigger and stronger, and could easily have obliterated the weaker Esigie, whom Oba Ozolua had sent to attend the Portuguese mission school after his baptism (Ryder 1969, 50).
Aruanran’s assassination attempts could have succeeded were it not for Idia who was reputedly skilled in magical arts and whom he knew was a formidable opponent he had to overcome.
The Great Supernatural Tussle Between Aruanran and Iyoba Idia
Realizing he had to acquire supernatural powers if he wanted to take on Idia who was her son’s spiritual protector, oral tradition recounts that Aruanran retreated to Uroho village to learn the art of black magic from an old powerful sorceress, Iyenuroho (Okpewho 1997, 21; Egharevba 25).
Esigie’s possible lack of combat experience was the result of having to attend the school of Portugese missionaries, rather that join his father in fighting wars, that explains why Idia had to lead an army to war to ensure that Benin soldiers fought valiantly against the Idah army.
Refusing to accept defeat, who was also the Duke (Enogie) of Udo, Idubor Aruanran refused to accept subordinate role to his brother, Oba Esigie, and at first tried to make Udo the capital of Benin kingdom with himself as king.
It did not take too long before the two brothers went to war.
The war was difficult, bitter, and long drawn out but it was not until the third campaign that Udo was defeated.
The third campaign was timed to coincide with the planting season when Udo citizen-soldiers, who were mainly farmers, would be busy on their farms.
The Enogie´s only son, Oni-Oni, died in the battles.
Even after that defeat, Udo´s Iyase and commander of their troops, returned to the offensive and after his defeat, the people of Udo escaped to found Ondo town deep in Yoruba territory.
With the help of Idia who mobilised an army around Esigie, he defeated Arhuaran and Esigie became the 16th king of Benin.
Arhuaran would go on to rule Udo, about 20miles away from Benin.
After Esigie became Oba, the cultural death warrant was still valid on his mother.
He asked for the help of Omoregie Ero the 17th Ero of Benin.
It was him that helped Esigie preserve Idia, the Oba’s mother, in 1504.
Omoregie Ero had a secret groove at Idumwum-Oro at Uselu and called it Aro-Osun- the Shrine of the god of herbs- which no one, except those initiated could enter the place.
For a long time, he kept Idia the mother of Esigie there while Oba Esigie also fought to eradicate the bad custom of eliminating the Oba’s mother.
After the barbaric tradition of killing the Kings mother was successfully abolished by Esigie, his mother was restored back to the Palace and there he crowned her the Eguae-Iyoba (Palace of the Queen Mother) making her the first Iyoba.
The King’s mother was saved but at the cost of the King promising never to have direct contact with his mother again for life.
That is why the Queen Mother in Benin cultures cannot come into direct contact with her son once he becomes king.
In gratitude for his mother’s efforts on his behalf, King Esigie created a new office – that of Iyoba – for her to occupy.
Iyoba Idia was allowed to rule at Uselu as a ruler- the hidden Oba of Benin.
As time went on, Esigie became a very powerful Oba with his mother right by his side, protecting and advising her son on what steps and measures to take to develop and improve the great Benin Kingdom.
As a patron of arts, Iyoba Idia was responsible for many innovations that still hold strong in Benin’s cultural history till date.
The famous Idah battle of 1515 couldn’t have been won if not that Iyoba Idia dressed as a man marched alongside her son and won the war for him.
Not forgetting countless assassination attempts she thwarted to save her son.
In 1550, Iyoba Idia died and left Esigie devastated but not without the support of Elaba, Esigie favourite’s wife whom she had specially groomed to fill her space.
Esigie would later commission the royal carvers at the palace to carve a figure in the honour of the woman who was not just a mother but a war general, a priestess, his advisor and a patron of arts and culture.
The mask of the Iyoba (queen mother) was made of ivory, unlike the other works that are of bronze.
But in choosing to make the most famous artworks of his mother with ivory, Esigie chose whiteness to represent purity.
Whiteness was associated with Olokun, god of the sea, waters and wealth.
A careful inspection of the Idia masks shows bearded faces of Portuguese men.
It is understood that the Edo di believe these foreigners who had come from beyond the Atlantic Ocean were at least, people who had the knowledge and gifts of Olokun.
Now ranking equal to the senior chiefs of the royal court, the Iyoba was also built her own palace in the town of Uselu, which was thereafter attached to her title as a perpetual fief.
She was the first woman in the history of Benin to have such power!!!
During her reign in ancient Benin Kingdom, Iyoba Idia was said to have invented the royal Ekassa dance for royal funerals and she also created the ukpe okhue or parrot beak shaped cap.
Also, as a spiritual figure, Iyoba Idia supervises the Orhu festival.
