The ‘ADA’ (See Frame-1):
The claim nowadays by Binis (Edos) that this royal emblem originated with them is exposed as a falsehood by linguistics and archaeology.
.
.
As per the linguistic evidence, the verb ‘dá’ (in ‘àdá’) is “to split”, as well as “to judge” as can be seen in the Yoruba dictionary. See Frame-2
Though these two meanings appear different, they actually both have semantic connection.
At the very center of ‘judging’ is the concept of ‘separating’ the truth from untruths, the wheat from the chaff, (the head from the body), etc.
Thus, ‘àdá’ literally signifies “the splitter”. The royal significance of this is therefore that:
The possession of this emblem by a royal does confer on them certain authority to pronounce judgements — including that of life and death.
This Àdá has, for this reason, been translated by some as “Sword of Justice”. See Frame-3.
It is only in Yoruba language that ‘àdá’ finds its literal and etymological derivation which also aligns with the royal significance of the object.
The archaeological evidence of the Ifẹ̀ roots of the royal Àdá consist of a classical-era carving of a royal Àdá on a living-rock at Agídí site, Ifẹ̀.
Refer to Frame-4 for a photograph of the Àdá petroglyph. (From: Frank Willett, 2004:S145).
This is the earliest hard evidence of this object from anywhere within Nigeria. This fact as well as the etymological roots do reaffirm Ifẹ̀ as the origin and source of the royal Àdá emblem.
Peoplesmind
