Flag of the Benin Empire
Encyclopedia
The putative flag of the Benin Empire is a distinctive late 19th-century West African flag, frequently but probably erroneously described as the flag of the Empire of Benin
Benin Empire
The Benin Empire was a pre-colonial African state in what is now modern Nigeria. It is not to be confused with the modern-day country called Benin, formerly called Dahomey.-Origin:...
. It is one of four currently held at the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
near London. The Museum however describes this flag as follows:
West African flag probably ItsekriItsekiriThe Itsekiri are an ethnic group of Nigeria's Niger Delta area, Delta State. The Itsekiri presently number between 800,000–1,000,000 people and live mainly in the Warri South, Warri North and Warri South West local government districts of Delta State on the Atlantic Coast of Nigeria...
(sic). A red wool bunting flag with a linen hoist, machine sewn with a rope halyard attached. The design is applied in white fabric with painted details, representing a naked man decapitating another with a sword. The flag was said to have been brought back by Admiral F. W. Kennedy from the 1897 Benin expedition. 'Kennedy' is inscribed on a paper label attached to the rope. The Itsekri people acted as middle men between the Edo peopleEdo peopleEdo is the name for the place, people and language of an ethnic group in Nigeria. Other Edo-speaking ethnic groups include the Esan and the Afemai...
of Benin in the interior and the Europeans on the coast – the Edo would not cross or travel on waterways.
The Benin expedition was launched in reprisal against an attack on a British mission in the service of Niger Coast Protectorate by forces of the Oba of Benin. It was a combined naval and military operation under the command of Rear-Admiral Harry Holdsworth Rawson C.B. with local troops and carriers. The towns of Guato and Sapobar were attacked by detached forces while the main part of the expedition marched on Benin. The town was captured and accidentally burnt. ObaOBAOba or OBA may refer to:* Oba , an African ruler or king* Oba , in Yoruba mythology* Oba, an island in the North Maluku province of Indonesia* Oba-Igbomina, a town in Nigeria...
OveramiOvonramwenOvonramwen Nogbaisi , also called Overami, was the last Oba of the Kingdom of Benin, which was dissolved following his rule.-Biography:Ovonramwen Nogbaisi came to be the Oba of Benin in 1888....
was exiled to CalabarCalabarCalabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
where he died in 1914. The famous Benin bronzesBenin BronzesThe Benin Bronzes are a collection of more than 3000 brass plaques from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin . They were seized by a British force in the Punitive Expedition of 1897 and given to the British Foreign Office...
were removed as reparations by the British.
There is therefore some uncertainty about the exact origin of the flag, and whether it came from Benin itself or was used by the forces of its Itsekiri allies. The name 'Kennedy' on the paper label attached seems to indicate it was brought back by Admiral F.W. Kennedy from the 1897 expedition against Benin, and so is of Benin origin. The flag however is extremely similar to three other West African flags the Museum holds, which originated not in Benin itself but with the neighbouring Itsekiri people. These flags were designed for use on boats by forces loyal to the Itsekiri leader Nana Olomu
Nana Olomu
Nana Olomu was an Itsekiri chief and merchant from the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria. He was the fourth Itsekiri chief to hold the position of Governor of Benin River.-Background to conflict with the British:...
(1852–1916). Admiral Kennedy was not present on the British expedition against Nana Olomu, carried out three years earlier: but he is however associated with one of these flags (catalogue number AAA0455) which is appliquéd with the name 'NANNA ALLUMA'S SON', and so is definitely Itsekiri. An Itsekiri origin would argue against the above flag ever having been the accepted emblem of Benin.