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<\/p>\nIfe, an ancient African city, is famous today for the beautiful metal and bronze sculptures its artists made back in the day. Ife was the capital and main religious centre of the Yoruba kingdom of Ife. It was established in 500 CE by the Yorubas in southwestern Nigeria and Benin. The Ife culture has some connections with the Igbo-Ukwu culture which peaked in the 9th Century CE on the other end of the River Niger. In this article, the significance of Ife culture in Nigerian history will be looked into extensively.<\/p>\n
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The significance of Ife culture in Nigerian history will be discussed below:<\/p>\n
In Yoruba land, Ife is considered the place of creation. It is said that it was at Ife that the gods descended from heaven and created the world. This creation was done by Oduduwa who descended with a cockrel, which is believed to have separated the water from the earth by scattering sand. Oduduwa also landed with a palm nut that he planted. His children were then sent to rule over twelve communities and then became their first kings and queens. The descendants of these kings became the subsequent rulers. Even the first Oni of Ife was among the children of Oduduwa.<\/p>\n
The Brass heads of Ife art are said to symbolize gods and rulers and have been used on religious bases. The King, Oni was the head of the Ife religion. This religion is a mixture of fetish and ancestor worship. Sacrifices were made to the gods. In Yoruba\u00a0land, it is a common belief that the inner power and energy of a person, ”ase”, is present in all things divine and innate. It was also common\u00a0knowledge that the energy of the person is within the person’s head. This is why the Ife art concentrates on head sculptures. Also, since the energy of chiefs can be hazardous, their mouths or their full face needed to be covered with a veil. This particular veil is another characteristic represented in the ancient art of Ife.<\/p>\n
The Ife people were strongly involved in Iron-smelting technology. They produced various iron tools such as farming tools and weapons. They used the\u00a0tools they produced for farming and the harvest of food such as palm oil and yams. They were also fishermen. The Ife people traded these food items in exchange for pepper, ivory and gold from the northern kingdoms. Ife was also connected to the slave trade. They transported slaves to the north en route to cross the Sahara desert.<\/p>\n
Different goods obtained from these foreign exchange for the Ife elite includes perfumes, salt, swords, brass, copper, horses, and jewelry. This historical information has proven that Nigerians have passed through various stages. They went from the food-gathering stage to the iron-producing stage. They made their iron tools and weapons as far as 500 BC. It has also been proven that the ancient Nigerians at the early stage of their lives engaged in different forms of trades and farming.<\/p>\n
Ife culture is known today for its metal human head sculptures and antiques that are skillfully crafted to be masterpieces. These heads were made between the 11th and 15th centuries CE using the lost-wax process. Twelve heads were found in a royal compound in Ife in 1938 CE. Also, others have been discovered ever since, including\u00a0a pure copper mask. These head antiques were cast in brass and were sometimes made from pottery.<\/p>\n
As earlier stated, they represent rulers, gods, and ancestors. Many of these heads have lines down their faces and these lines represent the ritual scars that mark a person’s path from childhood to adulthood. The heads also have a series of punched holes around the lips and jawlines. These could be the attachment of beards or veils of glass beads. It is common knowledge that these veils are still worn in the Ife region today during special festivities.<\/p>\n
Another outstanding art piece of Ife sculpture beside\u00a0the head is a bronze figure of a standing chief who is wearing a garment and many necklaces. There is also another bronze figure of a chief with a bow and a beaded hat with elaborate insignia and anklets. This particular\u00a0figure is also holding a buffalo’s horn in one hand, and a short staff in the other hand.<\/p>\n
Other artworks produced by the Ife people include\u00a0several pottery sculptures of animals and human figures. Also, ceremonial stools made from blocks of quartz were used by them. They were also well known for the production of glass beads. Ife had grown to become a large walled city with several large stone buildings which included a palace, shrines and workshops, at the beginning of the 11th century CE.<\/p>\n
These artworks have given Nigeria a name in the International market and have also shed more light on Nigeria’s cultural heritage. These artworks in bronze and brass produced by the artists show\u00a0that Nigerians then were very skillful artists.<\/p>\n
The sculptures of Ife influenced those produced in the Benin Kingdom between the 12th and 15th centuries. Due to unknown circumstances, the kingdom of Ife ceased to exist in the late 15th century CE, but Ife still exists today as a small community that continues to be held in high regard to the position of religious importance as a site of shrines and sacred groves and the home of various societies of believers who still worship traditional gods. Dating to the 14th century CE, the Ife bronze figures reside in the archaeological museum of Lagos, Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Ife, Ile-Ife as it is known today in present-day Nigeria, is known as\u00a0the home of many prominent Nigerians as well as the home of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, formally called the University of Ife. This institution houses many Ife arts in the museum present on the campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ife, an ancient African city, is famous today for the beautiful metal and bronze sculptures its artists made back in … <\/p>\n