A Palaver
This engraving shows a palaver likely at Idah, which is defined as “an improvised conference between two groups, typically those without a shared language or culture.” Allen describes the palaver illustration whereby he "grouped together all the principal characters of whom I had individual sketches. . . I witnessed such a scene. . . when the king of Attah sent a deputation to assure us [the British] of his friendly intentions. . . the figure in the center of the group is from a sketch of Abokko, the brother of the king of Attah” (p. 174). Idah was the capital of the Igala kingdom in the Bight of Biafra hinterland. 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
A Palaver
RegID
SI-OB-853
Date
1848
Title
A Palaver
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. 2 (London: R. Bentley, 1848), facing title page.
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
Allen04