Bondarenko Dmitri M. Homoarchy

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only. Contrary to a number of other precolonial African polities (for example,
Bamum, Kuba, Swazi, Oyo) in which kingmakers councils really chose and in
some cases could depose the supreme ruler (e.g., Palau Marti 1960: 190–192;
Bradbury 1964: 154–155; Tardits 1988: 703), in Benin only the oral historical
tradition and myths (see Butcher 1937: 349–352) kept the memory of the
Uzama’s former role. After Ewedo the man who was to become the next Oba
was actually chosen by the royal kin members themselves or by palace chiefs,
and the “kingmakers” only confirmed their decision what was not an act of
political struggle but merely a ritual not dangerous for the dynasty. As for the
right to dispose the supreme ruler, it looks like the Uzamas have never had it at
all.
Besides their common obligation to enthrones a new supreme ruler,
almost each of the Uzamas performed some individual duties: the Oliha was a
priest (of the united cult of all the Uzama members’ ancestors in particular
[Bradbury 1957: 36; Eweka, E. B. 1992: 38]), the Ezomo was a general, the Ero
was the keeper of the main, north-western city gate and a priest (later he was
also responsible for the Queen Mother and Crown Prince – Edaiken), Eholo
N’Ire was a priest, the Oloton was in charge of one of the most important all-
Benin altars and together with the Edaiken, made important announcements and
distributed the Uzamas’ income (Talbot 1926: II, 308; Bradbury 1957: 36;
Palau Marti 1960: 82–83; Sidahome 1964: 127; Roese 1988: 52–55;
Eweka, E. B. 1992: 37–38).
Non-hereditary title-holders were considered as “appointed by the
Oba” and fell into two major groups, besides some other, secondary by their
significance in the administrative mechanism. The first of those two categories
was called Eghaevbo N’Ogbe (“palace chiefs”). This institution was
established by the fourth supreme ruler, Ewedo within the framework of his
anti-Uzama actions in the mid-13 th century characterized by Alan Ryder (1969:
5) as “coup d’йtat”. Initially the institution of palace chiefs was destined to
counterbalance the kingmakers in the sovereign’s favor. It was formed by
heads of noble families (probably, of the city first settlers), but those families
were not so noble as the clans of the Uzama members, all of which had already
been involved into administrative activities by the accession of the Second
dynasty. However, among twenty-nine palace chiefs’ titles were not only
newly established but also several ones that had already existed by that moment
(Bradbury 1957: 36; Egharevba 1960: 11; Palau Marti 1964: 76–79). The head
of the palace chiefs was invested with the title of Uwangue.
The Eghaevbo N’ogbe members were kept by their extensive
agricultural households (Bradbury 1957: 36–37). Besides, they received half of
the tribute which they collected for the Oba from some villages, had a share in
court fines, in collections from heads of craft unions on the occasions of their
installation (Nyendael 1705: 452–453; Anonymous 1746: 103; Isichei 1983:
188; Agbontaen 1995: 122–123).