Benin Kingdom artist, Nigeria, King of Benin. Photo by Barbara W. Blackmun.
The decentralization of Lega peoples can be contrasted with the centralized and highly differentiated sociopolitical system of the Benin Kingdom in Nigeria, which flourished from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries, and continues today. As Fraser and Cole explain (1972), the Oba, or sacred king, is at the apex of an elaborate state organization, including a ranked court with specialized hereditary and appointed titles as well as craft and military guilds. Prior to the advent of colonialism, territorial rule and the collection of tribute were administered by titled appointees of the Oba, who had control over the lives of his people in such widely disparate realms as land tenure and spiritual observances. Away from the capital city, however, the complexity of administration decreased; local chiefdoms and villages had less differentiated, but still hieratic structures.
