Mothers: Queen Idia

Episode Summary

The podcast episode focuses on Queen Idia, a mother and queen in the ancient Kingdom of Benin in West Africa. Idia lived in the late 15th century when Benin was a prosperous kingdom known for its wealth, warriors, and control of regional trade. Idia was the second wife of Oba Ozoluwa and gave birth to a son named Esigie shortly after one of Ozoluwa's other wives gave birth to a son named Arhuan. Although Arhuan was the firstborn son, Idia was able to inform the Oba of Esigie's birth first, making him the heir to the throne. Idia raised and nurtured Esigie to prepare him to become the next Oba. When Oba Ozoluwa died, there was a dispute over who should take the throne between Esigie and Arhuan. This threatened to destabilize the Kingdom of Benin. Idia raised an army with Esigie to fight off the neighboring Igala people who tried to take advantage of the instability to attack. After defeating the Igalas, Esigie became the 16th Oba with Idia's help. Normally the Oba's mother would be killed after he took the throne, but Esigie broke this tradition and instead gave his mother Idia an honored position as Iyoba, or Queen Mother. As Iyoba, Idia ruled alongside her son, advising him and overseeing her own villages. She was given the right to bear a sword and wear royal beads, privileges previously only for men. Idia devoted her life to protecting her son and the throne. After she died, Esigie commissioned an ivory mask in her likeness that was venerated for generations as a symbol of her power and influence as mother of the Oba. In modern Nigeria, Idia's mask remains an important emblem of female authority and strength.

Episode Show Notes

Queen Idia (c. 1500s) rewrote the rulebook on mothering in ancient Benin. She fought for her son’s life and place on the throne – and made herself a queen in the process.

Episode Transcript

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To listen back to any of these bonus episodes, please head to the show notes. SPEAKER_05: Hi everyone. From Wonder Media Network, I am Anamalika Tubbs, the author of The Three Mothers, How the Mothers of MLK Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation. My work focuses on motherhood through the lens of feminism, intersectionality, and inclusivity. Be your guest host for this month of Womanica. This month, we're talking about mothers, women who ushered forth new generations and new futures through their care, work, and imagination. Today, we're talking about a woman who rewrote the rule book on mothering in ancient Benin. She fought for her son's life and place on the throne and made herself a queen in the process. Let's talk about Queen Idia. In the late 15th century, a prosperous kingdom flourished in West Africa, the Kingdom of Benin. Its tropical forests teemed with wildlife, leopards, pythons, pangolins. The waterfront saw trade with civilizations near and far. Benin's oba, or king, were a tunic of red coral beads brought to the kingdom's shore from as far away as the Mediterranean. But the kingdom was also fiercely independent, powerful in both its economic influence and its wealth of warriors. Its position between societies further inland and Europeans on the coast allowed the kingdom to control commerce in the area. Benin was a trade capital, a hub for gold, ivory, and pepper, as well as the West African slave trade. This is the Benin Idia was born into, and the kingdom's potential collapse spurred her into history. SPEAKER_05: Idia was the second wife of Oba Ozoluwa. Idia and one of her co-wives gave birth just a few hours apart, and technically Idia's son, Esige, was not the firstborn. Legend says that while he was born just after his brother, Arhuang, Idia was able to inform the oba of Esige's birth first. This fast action meant that Esige could become heir, despite the fact that Arhuang was the true firstborn son. All the same, Idia nurtured her son and raised him to ascend to the throne. She knew that their best chance at survival and her best chance at gaining any power lay in Esige taking the crown. As the two sons grew up, they led two important cities. Arhuang was based in Uro, about 20 miles away. Esige and Idia lived in Benin City. That distance gave Idia the leeway she needed to prepare. She used her knowledge as a priestess to school Esige in prayer and medicine, and together they raised an army to prepare for impending war. At the end of the 15th century, Oba Ozulwa died. The dispute for the throne was immediate. It rattled the kingdom of Benin, nearly shaking its foundation as a political and cultural center. The neighboring Igala peoples saw the opportunity to stage their own attack on Benin's northern territories. Idia's army, including Idia herself, fought them back. In Benin oral tradition, Idia stands as the only woman to have gone to war. When the war came to its conclusion, Esige became the 16th Oba of the Benin Empire. But even after the war, with her son's position protected, Idia was in danger. Tradition stated that once an Oba was crowned, his mother must be eliminated to rid the throne of future threats. But Idia had been instrumental to Esige's success. He hid her away in a secret shrine while he worked to get rid of the custom. Once he succeeded, Idia returned to Benin as a venerated leader in her own right. He created a new title for her, Iyoba, or the Queen Mother. As Iyoba, Idia was given her own residence with villages, chiefs, and servants to oversee. She gained the right to bear a sword of office and to wear the red coral beads of the Oba, rights previously assigned only to the closest male followers of the Oba. Idia ruled alongside her son, counseling him on his own kingly duties. And even after Idia's rule, the Iyoba remained an important role. The Queen Mother had no other children and devoted her life to protecting the Oba. Obas even wore carved ivory masks representing the Iyoba during important ceremonies. After Idia died in 1550, Esige commissioned a carved ivory mask of her likeness. Two vertical bars of inlaid iron between her eyes symbolized small incisions filled with medicine, one source of her metaphysical power. The mask was placed on ancestral altars throughout the history of the Benin Kingdom and into modern times. In modern day Nigeria, Idia's mask is also revered. In 1977, it was selected as the official emblem of the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture. All month, we're talking about mothers. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanaka Podcast. Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan for having me as a guest host. Talk to you tomorrow. 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