Many of these Okhuo represent young unmarried women, which we know as they are naked except for a girdle of 

 around their waist or hips. They would mostly likely have been maidens serving in the royal court of the Ọba or that of the 

Okhuo

Many of these Okhuo represent young unmarried women, which we know as they are naked except for a girdle of Ekan or Ivie around their waist or hips. They would mostly likely have been maidens serving in the royal court of the Ọba or that of the Iy’Ọba.

Female Figure

Nigeria

The library of the National Museum in Benin City holds newspaper clippings along with other relevant documents and publications relating to the institution.

Of relevance to those studying the history of the National Museum, Benin, are the following newspaper clippings:

Daily Times, 1 July 1973, ‘Benin Arts and Craft’ by Air Iyare

Daily Times, 2 June 1973, p. 5; ‘Why Stolen Art Works May Still Remain Abroad’, editorial

Daily Times, 2 June 1973, ‘16th Century Effigies Stolen in Benin’

Daily Times, 1 June 1973, ‘Retrieve Our Culture’

Daily Times, 11 August 1973, ‘National Museum Opened in Benin: Culture as a Unifying Factor Stressed’

Nigeria Observer, 1 June 1973, ‘Retrieve Our Culture’ by Peter Agbebaku

Nigeria Observer, 25 April 1973, Staff of Office

Nigeria Observer, 20 August 1973, p. 8, ‘Cultural Revival: Eyo Lauds M’West’ by Thomas Chukwu

Nigeria Observer,16 June 1973, ‘Opening of Benin Museum Put Off’

Nigeria Observer, 3 September 1973, ‘Nigeria Army Paid a Visit to National Museum Benin City’

Nigeria Observer, 20 February 1973, ‘Our Antiquities Abroad’

Nigeria Observer, 14 December 1972, ‘£30,000 Museums of Unity Planned for 3 Towns’

Daily Times, 14 August 1973, ‘Museum Opened’

Daily Times, 15 August 1973, ‘Let’s Preserve Our Antiquities’

These items are not digitised. They can be accessed onsite at the National Museum, Benin.

National Museum, Benin

Internal data V (eng)

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.