Igodomighodo, such a mouthful, right? Believe it or not, Benin was once upon a time called Igodomighodo and this is the story of how that changed, thank goodness.
Ogiso Era and Igodomighodo
So, the outrageous mouthful of a name was given to the land by Igodo, the first Ogiso. Ogiso means ruler of the sky or king. Anyway, Igodo basically started a generation of kings known as the Ogiso Dynasty, which ruled from 40 BCE to 1100 CE.
There were about 31 of them, with some likely women. The last of them was Ogiso Owodo, who was not liked at all by the Igodomighodoans(?) and basically put an end to the whole Dynasty. Hmm, imagine being that guy.
The Igodomighodo Era ended as a result of the bad leadership of Ogiso Owodo. At some point during the reign of these Ogisos, many fled Igodomighodo to create new tribes and communities. Does that remind you of anything?
Oba Era
The Ogiso Era was replaced by the Oba Era. The name was swiftly changed by the first Oba, Oba Eweka. But for real, imagine being such an awful leader that the next person after you had to change the name of his office and the name of the city, wow!
From Oba Eweka, the Benin Kingdom, with its capital in Edo, grew and developed. It expanded its territory and was a hub for architecture and art.
Would you have liked it if Benin was called Igodomighodo today? Share your thoughts below.
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