Hannah played the "Benin Degrees of Separation" game and challenged me to connect Benin to the moon (join the challenge and send your demands!). Well, there are several possibilities...some Edo names refer to it, like Osayuki ("God created the moon").In crescent form, it appears on the corners of some plaques, and also appears as one of many wrapper motifs on bronze objects. Today it is most commonly seen in thing brass forms on high-ranking chiefs' palace attire, along with triangular-rayed sun disks. Together the sun and the moon are a protective charm, especially for warriors or anyone embarking on a dangerous enterprise. Both faithfully reappear, unharmed, each night or day. So will the intrepid safely return from their battles.
More requests, please!
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3 comments:
Impressive! I especially like the part about the constancy of the moon's rising and setting, and how this means that it works as a symbol for making the future like the past.
-Hannah "the anthropologist" :)
My name is Osayuki I find this blog ( and post) very interesting, I'd like to know more about the name and it's connection to Benin tradition... I had no idea the moon was such an integral part of our culture, it seems to be an important symbol.. so i'm eager to hear more on this post on how the two are linked!!!
Osayuki! I'm so glad someone with your name saw the post and enjoyed it. Of course, I will expand further, to the best of my ability--it is a beautiful name!
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