The Court of the King of Iddah
This engraving shows the Attah of the kingdom of Igala, Amocheje Om Itodo (1835-1856) sitting under an umbrella surrounded by an entourage of people in the town of Idah. There is also a depiction of a slit-gong drum in lower left. Allen described how "the king is seen on a throne, formed of a bamboo frame, covered with mats and carpets . . . He was almost smothered by his garments, and surrounded by attendants, who were fanning him vehemently. . . The principal courtiers were seated close round the throne, with their backs towards it, excepting a large party [of Muslims]. . . these sat facing the king" (p. 293-94 and 318). Idah was the capital of Igala and a port on the Niger river, south of the Niger-Benue confluence. It was a major trading area for slaves taken to the Niger Delta and the Bight of Biafra. William Allen (1792–1864) was an English naval officer and explorer. Thomas Richard Heywood Thomson (1813–1876) was an English explorer and naturalist. They took part in the Niger expedition to map the course of the river.
Image Title
The Court of the King of Iddah
RegID
SI-OB-852
Date
1848
Title
The Court of the King of Iddah
Source
William Allen and Thomas Richard Heywood Thomson, A Narrative of the Expedition sent by Her Majesty's Government to the River Niger, in 1841, vol. 1 (London: R. Bentley, 1848), p. 293.
Language
English
Item sets
Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Eastern Bight--Idah
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
10-Feb-17; 27-Aug-19
Identifier
Allen03