Eweka I

First Oba of the Eweka dynasty of Benin. Founder of the Benin Empire that ruled the Niger Delta region until British conquest in 1897. Through his Yoruba father Oranmiyan and Edo mother Erinmwinde he is the structural bridge between the two great West African dynastic traditions. Cross-listed in Yoruba. Half blood Yoruba (via Oranmiyan), half Edo — the registry's prototype multi-tradition figure.

Parentage

• paternal: Oranmiyan
• maternal: Erinmwinde

Powers

• kingship edo foundation
• kingship yoruba foundation

Sources

• existence: Egharevba, A Short History of Benin (1968) (secondary); Bradbury, The Benin Kingdom and the Edo-speaking Peoples (1957) (secondary); Edo Benin oral tradition (primary)
• parentage: Egharevba (secondary)