Ikpin (snake figures) featured on the roof of Ọba Palace. In the Kingdom of Benin, the crocodile and the boa constrictor are considered the guardians of Olokun, the god of the great waters or the ocean, of wealth, prosperity and fertility. When the palace was burnt down during the 1897 British expedition, the Ikpin were stolen, and they do not feature on the roof of the current palace.

A number of large cast snake heads and a single body segment are held in institutional collections. These snakes would have adorned the roof of Ọba Palace in Benin City, and did so until 1897, as photographs taken during the expedition attest. There is no consensus on the kind of snake represented, but it may be a python (Ben-Amos, 1976

) or a viper of some kind (for overview of the discussion, see Plankensteiner 2010, p.25

). During research for Digital Benin, the snakes were identified as boa constrictors.

Art historians have identified two different stylistic groups of snakes. The first features a smooth surface, recessed almond-shaped eyes, and motifs of circles with smaller inner circles that adorn the face. The second type has a scaly surface, decorated with either stylised plant or snake motifs, and convex almond-shaped eyes. According to Plankensteiner (2010, p.25

), the first, less ornate type is older, possibly from the seventeenth century, while the more ornate snakes are possibly from the eighteenth century.

Ikpin

The roofs of the palace buildings in Benin City are believed to have been adorned with ornamental figures depicting humans and the ‘bird of prophecy’. Objects within the corpus of Benin art, such as cast brass boxes, depict these palace buildings and offer an important insight into the historical architecture of the palace. European accounts which include descriptions and even drawings of the city, such as Olfert Dapper’s well-known panorama, also attest to the dramatic and imposing nature of the palace. Barbara Blackmun (in Plankensteiner 2007, p.287

) has argued that the warped nature of the figures was a result of their forcible removal from the roofs in the mid-1600s at a time of political upheaval for the kings, when their power and authority was diminished.

Roof Figure

A number of large cast snake heads and a single body segment are held in museum collections. These snakes would have adorned the roof of Ọba Palace in Benin City, and did so until 1897, as photographs taken during the expedition attest. There is no consensus on the kind of snake represented, but it may be a python (Ben-Amos, 1976

Snake Figure

Russian Federation

Website

Online Catalogue

Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera)

Public Data (eng)

Public Data (rus)

Image of serpent's head (SD)

Wikidata Link

Meyer, Hans

Anthropologist

Suggestion: The word juju in itself is not harmful in as much as it refers to the belief system. It can be used in a harmful or derogatory way and is context dependent. Please assess the context of this word as a user of the platform.

 more about the background of this statement here.

juju 

Suggestion: Replace with, “a person of short stature,” “little person” or "someone with dwarfism". (See 

Read more about the background of this statement here.

dwarf

Suggestion: Replace with First Nations, First people, or particular community name. (See 

aboriginal

Suggestion: Replace with the name of the particular community and delete where it is used to reference an already identified group, e.g Igbo ~~tribe.~~

tribe

This word was redacted from the catalogue as a derogatory racialised word.

DB_redacted_word

Suggestion: Be as specific as possible in terms of country, population etc. (See 

non-western

western-art

western museum

tribal

hofzwerg

For more information on this term and its violent and inherently harmful context to indigenous communities, see 

British Colonial Military Campaign on Benin, February 1897

expedition

exotic

negro

Suggestion: Replace with the word Africa.

Black Africa

Warning: This word is used in a historic context of a title for a book, exhibition, institution name or book description etc. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities.

Read more about the background of this statement here

primitive

Suggestion: Replace with traditional healer, spiritual healer, or specific name that particular communities use to define this role. (See 

medicine man

Suggestion: Replace in cases where it used to describe human beings, with the term indigenous communities, first people or particular community name.