Olu Ginuwa was given a coral beaded crown by his father, Oba Oluwa. This was the ancient Crown of the Benin kingdom before he left Benin. Ginuwa, being next in line and the heir to the throne, wasn’t liked or supported by the chiefs of Benin. So, his father gave him the crown, his Royal regalia and hailed him as a king, which elevated his pride, and called him Ódìhí N’amẹ! Hence, the name Ogiame (King of the river region).
According Lieutenant John King, R.N. who visited the Warri Kingdom capital sometimes between 1815 and 1820 has the following to say about the actual crown (i.e. the primary/initial crown) of the Warri kingdom.
“At Warri “the actual crown of the sovereign is a sort of large cap in the shape of a cone three feet high, covered with coral beads and with a couple of birds’ heads on top” (King).”.
~ John King, c.1817, cited in H. L. Roth, Great Benin: Its Customs, Arts, and Horrors, (1903), p.27, note 1.
This would have been called an Ade Nla or Ade-La in Southeastern Yoruboid dialects, meaning “The Big Crown”. The smaller ones were called Akoro (Coronets) which is what the itsekiri call their crowns now (Ekoro), and we are glad that a clear picture of what Ade’la looks like before the coming of the portuguese European inspired crowns has finally become unveiled in keeping with their ife ancestral heritage. The neck collar is called Odigba ilẹkẹ in Yoruba.
Btw: The Ade’la (Ade lila) often had beaded tassel fringes hanging from the front as well to envelop the sacredness of the Oba, but not always. Itsekiri dede mo ki ẹnẹ fẹnẹfẹnẹ. Oye olu alẹ iwere (Oba omi to ju oba oke) e ni bajẹ gbegbe sigbe, Iṣẹ!
Peoplesmind
