Roth, 1903 writes: The following account of the trial and deposition of the king, when he finally decided to give himself up, is taken verbatim from letters written home at the time by my brother, then in the service of the Niger Coast Protectorate.
On the 5th August, 1897, having become sick of his unaccustomed roaming bush life. King Overami came into Benin city with a large following, amounting to about 700 or 800 people, all unarmed, headed by messengers with a white flag in front. He was supported in the usual way by chosen men holding him up by each arm. Some twenty of his wives, who accompanied him, were of a very different class from those seen previously. They had fine figures, with their hair worn in the European chignon style of some years ago, really wonderfully done in stuffed rows of hair, the head not being shaved on top like that of the lower classes, and they wore coral necklaces and ornaments and hairpins galore. About ten chiefs came with him, including Aro a big chief, arriving by the Sapoba road, not by the water road as was expected. For obvious reasons, all the white men kept out of sight on his arrival. He was preceded by a native band using a sort of reed instrument, and took up his abode at the house of Chief Abeseke [Obaseke] , a member of the new Native Council established by the Resident. The king's party had a great " powpow" (celebration party) that night, and kept it up very late.
References
1) READ C.H, & DALTON O,M, ANTIQUITIES FROM THE CITY OF BENlN AND FROM OTHER PARTS OF WEST AFRICA IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 1899.
2) Roth, H. L, Great Benin, 1903, app 111, p. xii
On the 5th August, 1897, having become sick of his unaccustomed roaming bush life. King Overami came into Benin city with a large following, amounting to about 700 or 800 people, all unarmed, headed by messengers with a white flag in front. He was supported in the usual way by chosen men holding him up by each arm. Some twenty of his wives, who accompanied him, were of a very different class from those seen previously. They had fine figures, with their hair worn in the European chignon style of some years ago, really wonderfully done in stuffed rows of hair, the head not being shaved on top like that of the lower classes, and they wore coral necklaces and ornaments and hairpins galore. About ten chiefs came with him, including Aro a big chief, arriving by the Sapoba road, not by the water road as was expected. For obvious reasons, all the white men kept out of sight on his arrival. He was preceded by a native band using a sort of reed instrument, and took up his abode at the house of Chief Abeseke [Obaseke] , a member of the new Native Council established by the Resident. The king's party had a great " powpow" (celebration party) that night, and kept it up very late.
References
1) READ C.H, & DALTON O,M, ANTIQUITIES FROM THE CITY OF BENlN AND FROM OTHER PARTS OF WEST AFRICA IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 1899.
2) Roth, H. L, Great Benin, 1903, app 111, p. xii