Ọkha, Ikhinmwin and Iroko: Intersections Between Beliefs in the Spirituality of Trees and in Witchcraft in Benin Thought: Realities, Questions, Prospects 2

[Oluwatoyin Adepoju]

                 

                                                                                        

                                                           

                                                               Ọkha, Ikhinmwin and Iroko 

                  Intersections Between Beliefs in the  Spirituality  of Trees and in  Witchcraft in Benin Thought

                                                             Realities, Questions, Prospects

                                                                                        2

                                                                         Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju

                                                                                   Compcros

                                                        Comparative Cognitive Processes and Systems

                                        ''Exploring Every Corner of the Cosmos in Search of Knowledge''

                                                             Abstract

A first-hand account of relationships between beliefs in the spirituality of trees and in witchcraft in the traditional thought of the people of Benin-City, Nigeria, in conjunction with questions about these ideas and the creative possibilities they may suggest,  presented through accounts of my encounters with various trees and culture bearers in Benin-City, correlated with other examples of ecosystemic spirituality.

The visual force of trees, specifically the ọkha, ikhinmwin and iroko, among the most significant arboreal forms in traditional Benin spirituality, is projected through  pictures taken and  edited by myself at times suggesting their aesthetic power, their  atmosphere shaping  character and evocative potencies, images aligned with commentary describing their cultural significance and my responses to their inspirational force. The pictures were taken using an iPhone 6s and edited on an HP laptop.

I could not use all the images I would have liked to employ for this essay on account of the limitations of Google Mail, my primary template for essay composition. The essay is also complemented by videos I made and by many other pictures I took, which, ideally, should be referenced in the essay, linking to the online locations of these video and image libraries, a comprehensive mapping of my discoveries which I intend to present with time.

 

Contents

Encountering Fabled Iroko 

Image and Text:  A Nexus of Dimensions on a Busy Modern Street?

Image and Text: Close Up of Iroko Tree in Front of the Compound of the Ezomo of Benin 

Encountering Fabled Iroko

I would later be  introduced to various iroko trees, playing strategic roles in different shrines in diverse parts of Benin, a carefully nurtured arboreal form related to, along with the ikhinmwin, the ultimate among trees, as one view holds,  as one of the premier vegetative forms of existence, priceless for spiritual exploration and action. The iroko is understood as the privileged meeting point of the azen, strategic for engagement with the Powers of the Night, the occult forces the azen represent.

                                                                                                                                              

                                         

                                                 A Nexus of Dimensions on a Busy Modern Street?

 

Iroko, outlined majestically against the sky, in front of the compound of the Ezomo of Benin, on Ekenwan Road, at its junction with Plymouth Road. 

The tree defines the skyline, as human and vehicular traffic move past it, a tableau above which run wires conducting electricity. 

Ancientness and modernity, spirituality and technology,  in the context of the conception of iroko trees, in Benin thought, as privileged points of convergence of material and spiritual realms, intersect in the picture of this iroko facing the street in which it is located.

Earth, air, water and fire, the primordial elements, are unified through the tree's nurturing by soil and water, sun and air, and are further evoked through the vehicles representing technological creativity empowered by fire.

                                                                                               

            

                             

            Close Up of Iroko Tree in Front of the Compound of the Ezomo of Benin 

The tree is tied with the white cloth of purity, white and red being two principal colours of Benin spirituality,  the white cloth stained here with the liquids of sacrifices, evidenced by ritual pots in which sacrifices are placed at the base of the tree.