Jacob U. Egharevba
Encyclopedia
Jacob U. Egharevba was a Bini
historian
and traditional chief
. After witnessing the 1914 crowning of Prince Aiguobasinmwin as the Oba of Benin
, Egharevba realized how many of his people's traditions would be lost without a written record to complement the oral tradition
, and determined to document his culture as thoroughly as possible. Egharevba set about interviewing older men who had survived from the 19th century in order to record the oldest form of the tales and traditions as possible. In 1944, he was made the first curator of the Benin Museum in Benin City
, Nigeria
.
Bini
Bini may refer to:* Bini people, a cultural group in Nigeria* A slang term for the BMW MINI car* Bini, Burkina Faso, a village in Burkina Faso-People:*Aldo Bini , an Italian road bicycle racer...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and traditional chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
. After witnessing the 1914 crowning of Prince Aiguobasinmwin as the Oba of Benin
Oba of Benin
The Oba of Benin, or Omo N'Oba, is both the oba of the Edo people and the pretender to the defunct title of the king of the Benin Kingdom...
, Egharevba realized how many of his people's traditions would be lost without a written record to complement the oral tradition
Oral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
, and determined to document his culture as thoroughly as possible. Egharevba set about interviewing older men who had survived from the 19th century in order to record the oldest form of the tales and traditions as possible. In 1944, he was made the first curator of the Benin Museum in Benin City
Benin City
Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.