The King Gives Judgement at the Gate of His Palace
This engraving shows the ruler of the kingdom of "Fandah," which refers to Panda (Opanda) in the Bight of Biafra region. The king is declaring the guilt of accused robbers in front of the village community. One morning, Allen "saw the king seated at the gate of his palace, surrounded by his great men, administering justice. At a little distance, on the grass, were two men and two women, who were charged with robbery. The evidence had already been gone through, before my arrival. The king was the principal speaker, and when he paused, the whole court murmured approbation. The younger woman made a long defence, and quite astonished me by her volubility, variety of intonation, and graceful action. The appeal, however, seemed to be in vain; for when she had finished, the king, who had listened with great patience passed sentence in a speech of considerable length, delivered with great fluency and emphasis" (Allen, p. 15). William Allen (1792–1864) was an English naval officer and explorer. He took part in the Niger expedition to map the course of the river.
Image Title
The King Gives Judgement at the Gate of His Palace
RegID
SI-OB-860
Date
1832-1833
Title
The King Gives Judgement at the Gate of His Palace
Source
William Allen, Picturesque views on the river Niger, sketched during Lander's last visit in 1832-33 (London: John Murray, 1840), facing p. 15.
Language
English
Item sets
Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Eastern Bight--Opanda
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
10-Feb-17; 27-Aug-19
Identifier
Allen11