Ọkha, Ikhinmwin and Iroko: Intersections Between Beliefs in the Spirituality of Trees and in Witchcraft in Benin Thought: Realities, Questions, Prospects 3

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Oluwatoyin Adepoju

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Dec 1, 2022, 4:11:57 PM12/1/22

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Ọkha, Ikhinmwin and Iroko

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

Realities, Questions, Prospects

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: Chief Dr.Ebengho's Iroko in Front of his Shrine, for Supplication to Osanodoze,

the Creator of the Cosmos

Image and Text: Iroko, Engaged for Supplicating the Powers of the Night, in Chief Ebengho's Shrine

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.

As stated by Chief Dr.( herbal and traditional doctor) D. O. Ebengho, the Oyenmwensoba of Benin, the iroko is also very useful for supplication to Osanodoze, the creator of the universe.

The iroko tree in front of his shrine, he stated, is for relating with Osanodoze, and that at the back of the shrine, for engaging with the Powers of the Night.

Chief Dr.Ebengho's Iroko in Front of his Shrine, for Supplication to Osanodoze, the Creator of the

Cosmos. Among the ritual items at the foot of the tree are soft drinks, since the ultimate creator

does not accept hot or alcoholic drinks, as Ebengho states.

Iroko, Engaged for Supplicating the Powers of the Night, in Chief Ebengho's Shrine. The Benin sacred colours of red and white define the cloth draping the tree, indicating its spiritual significance.

The white of the cloth is stained with the blood of animal sacrifices, as ritual pots, used in carrying sacrifices, sit at the base of the tree.

The more dramatic presence of this tree, employed for supplicating the Powers of the Night, contrasts with the milder character of the iroko in front of the shrine, dedicated to engagement with the creator of the cosmos.

The stronger visual presence of the iroko at the back of the shrine is generated by the starkly contrastive primary colours of the cloth with which the tree is covered, colours highlighted by the red of blood vividly colouring the pure white of the cloth in stark contrast.

The richer animation of character of this tree may perhaps suggest a greater immediacy of action in relation to the vicissitudes of human existence represented by the Powers of the Night in contrast to the cosmic breadth of the identity and activity of Osanodoze, the creator of the universe.

Ebengho's shrine, therefore, is fronted by an evocation of ultimate possibility, an iroko tree dedicated to the creator and sustainer of the cosmos, a tree complemented by the one at the back, expressing the dynamism of the Powers of the Night, occult potencies vital for the raveling and unravelling of the details of life's challenges and opportunities.

Both trees, in the symbolism of their locations, in relation to the different but complementary uses to which they are put, may therefore suggest Ebengho's shrine as a microcosm of cosmic, terrestrial and human possibilities.

The iroko in front, in its dedication to supplication of the creator of the universe, may symbolise the generation of the multitudinous possibilities constituting the cosmos, possibilities dramatized by the individualities and synergistic unity represented by the various deities served by the meticulously constructed shrines constituting Ebengho's multi-roomed shrine complex, a wonderful assemblage most powerful in its visual force and aesthetic power, its union of selectivity of materials and arcane presence, an artistic installation of global quality, on a nondescript street in Benin-City, Second Cemetry Road, off Ehaekpen Street.

The Powers of the Night, as Ebengho described them, are people like myself and himself, grounded in space and time, constituted by the empowerments and limitations of human biology, but with unique power to see and act beyond the barriers of distance, their forces being particularly constellated at night, hence the night is greater than the day, he concluded.