Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild / possibly 1800s
Idiophone/Staff (ahianmwẹn-ọrọ)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Idiophone/Staff (ahianmwẹn-ọrọ) as sculpture (Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples, members of the Igun Eronmwon (royal brasscasters) guild · possibly 1800s).
An image of the ahianmwẹn-ọrọ (bird of prophecy) once sat atop the roof of the palace in the Benin Kingdom.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as Copper alloy.
The museum's collection notes: Courtiers, priests, and senior chiefs strike instruments like this during the Ugie Ọrọ festival. The long-legged metal bird refers to the 16th-century ruler Ọba Ẹsigie. Wings outstretched with long, textured feathers, it is the ahianmwẹn-ọrọ (bird of prophecy). It stares outward, a likely magical substance clenched in its beak. Such a bird prophesied Ẹsigie’s defeat and death during the Idah War (about 1515–17), leading his people to resist fighting for him. When Ẹsigie triumphed, bronze bird effigies were beaten for days on end throughout the year. This punished the false avian prophet and shamed the cowardly men.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtIdiophone/Staff (ahianmwẹn-ọrọ)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.