THE MILITARY SYSTEM OF BENIN KINGDOM, c.1440 - 1897

inhabitants in several wards and areas in Benin City, there are no traditions of their ancestorsmigrating from anywhere else. They claim that they are the original inhabitants of their land.Igbafe’s evaluation and interpretation of the data concerning the social structure of the Beninsupports the idea that Benin City may well be a product of the collection of juxtaposedvillages with their own village rulers over whom later powerful monarchs came to exercisecontrol and thus create a larger political entity or kingdom. 43 The question still remainsunanswered: where did the Binis come from?This problem of tracing the origin of Benin is connected with the interpretations of thelink between Benin and Ife, and has further complicated the understanding of the historicaldetails between the origin of Benin and the origin of the Eweka dynasty. This is becauseEgharevba mentioned in his Short History of Benin that the Binis on their way from Egyptstayed shortly at Ile-Ife. While the historical explanations of the Benin - Ife relationship arestill capable of being upset by new information, the understanding of the evidence andarguments so far only explains the origin of the Eweka dynasty and not of the people. 44 Rydercautions that some of the information recorded by European visitors to Benin since thefifteenth century is not easily reconcilable with the conflicting traditions in Benin-Iferelationship. 45 He suggests that “the Nupe-Igala area straddling the confluence of the Nigerand Benue emerges as the key area in such a reconstruction of Benin dynastic difficulties,”adding that “the Yoruba states would seem to be related to the same general complex.” 46There is no doubt that the institution of kingship in Benin is older than that of Ile-Ife or otherYoruba states, and the chronology of events in the histories of Benin and Ife favours Ile-Ifeorigin of the Eweka dynasty and not of the Ogiso dynasty or of the Benin people.While much work is still to be carried out in the early history of Benin, StefanEisenhofer seem to have introduced some problems in the search for historical knowledge.The problems are encapsulated in his view that “in the past few decades much research hasappeared on the early history of this kingdom, the origin of its kingship, and the time of theearly Ogiso kings, who are considered by many historians as the autochthonous founders ofBenin kingship around 900.” 47 This view is not in agreement with the opinion of Alan Ryderwho pointed out in 1992 that the momentum and enthusiasm which carried Benin studies43 Igbafe, 1981, “Benin in,” p.3.44 For details, see A. F. C. Ryder, 1965, “A Reconsideration of the Ife-Benin Relationship” Journal of AfricanHistory vol. 6 no. 1 pp.25-37; G. A. Akinola, 1976, “The Origin of the Eweka Dynasty of Benin: A Study in theUse and Abuse of Oral Traditions”, Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria. Vol. 8 no. 3, December.45 Ryder, 1965, “A Reconsideration,” p.37.46 Ibid.47 Stefan Eisenhofer, 1995, “The Origins of the Benin Kingship in the Works of Jacob Egharevba,” History inAfrica, 22, p.141.14