RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF BENIN ARTS AND SYMBOLS

Abstract

The Benin kingdom is one of the ancient dynasties in Africa. The kingdom is so significant that it's prestige transcended beyond the shore of Africa. Until the great obnoxious invasion and onslaught carried out against the kingdom in 1897 by the British colonial government, the kingdom remained the only traditional monarchy that resisted the British colonial subjugation. The Benin kingdom amasses highly esteemed cultural heritage that made her a talked-about empire in West Africa. One of the most significant aspects of the culture is the sophisticated artworks and symbols. Arts and symbols represent larger element of the Benin kingdom. These artworks have captivated several scholars especially the anthropologists, sociologists and historians to write heavily on the history of the Benin kingdom and it's civilization. Although, literature works on the Benin kingdom abounds, scholars have paid limited or no scrutiny to the religious significance of the Benin arts and symbols which is the most vital aspect of the culture. Hence, this work is concerned with examining the place of the traditional religion institution and it's significance to the arts and symbols. This work relied majorly on the primary sources of information. This work also examine the taboos associated with these religious art and symbol.