Oba

Yoruba word for "king" — divine ruler, often subject of beaded statues and bronze plaques.

Yoruba title for the divine king. The oba is a sacred ruler — descendant of Oduduwa, intermediary between his people and the orisha (Yoruba gods). His regalia (beaded crown, fly-whisk, staff) carries metaphysical weight, and the bronzes of the Benin kingdom (a Yoruba-influenced state) most often depict him.

In the archive, Yoruba and Edo royal-portrait objects centre on the oba — recognise him by the beaded conical crown (adé), the disproportionately large head reflecting the philosophical concept of Ori (inner self), and the symmetrical frontal pose of hiératisme.

Back to glossary