The Benin kingdom remains one of the greatest custodians of culture and tradition in Nigeria. The Oba remains sacred and supreme.
Below are 7 things that must never be done in the palace of Oba of Benin:
1 Don’t blow whistles
If you whistle, you will be opening a channel of communication between the living and the dead. You do not want to wake certain spirits that are vengeful.
2 Do not take sand from the palace
On no account should you take sand from the palace, the sand is sacred and holds great ties that cannot exist outside the Oba’s palace.
3 No umbrella’s when the Oba is out
The Oba does not just come out, hence when the king eventually comes out on festivals, you cannot put up an umbrella regardless the weather.
4 Dogs are not allowed in the palace
The punishment for any dog within the Oba’s palace is death, either by natural cause or to be killed out-rightly.
5 Black clothes won’t fit
Black symbolizes mourning, and because the Oba must never mourn, anyone wearing black cannot enter the palace.
6 Don’t point fingers if you do not want them cut-off
Pointing of fingers by anybody is frowned at, even the Oba. If fingers are pointed at the Oba and members of his cabinet, it attracts fines.
7 No banga (palm fruit) in the palace
It is a taboo to carry palm oil fruits on the head in or around the palace, this is because it signals doom in the sense that banga heralds a thirst for blood. So by bringing banga within a certain radius of the palace, you might be signifying that the land needs blood.
