Sensemaking in Benin Kingdom Oral Traditions: Repetitive Recall of Actual and Traditional Enmity between the Ọba and the Ogiamiẹn

TheBenin Kingdom’s oral history, like all histories,highlightsselected past incidents to theexclusionofmost. Majorevents, especiallythoselinkedtospecific monarchs, are likely candidates forinclusion.Ọranmiyan’s foundingofthe currentdynasty was akeycataclysmic event,along with hisimmediate descendants’ effortstoestablishthemselvesinthe city. These incidents, unsurprisingly, areremembered in some detail. Conflicts between theautochthones, represented by theEvian-Ogiamiẹnline,andthe incoming royal family constituteacrucial aspect ofthis dynasticbeginning. Subsequent butfar less criticalclashes betweenthe two parties flared up periodically duringlaterreigns,but their retention in historyislessexplicable. Why arethese lesserincidentsrecalled? Humanability torecollect choice past events is shaped by sensemaking andother cognitiveprocesses.Particular cognitiveframeworksserve to organize memory creation, and their composition can ensurethatcertain eventsnot only attain contemporaneous prominence, but also are likelyto secureaplace in historical accounts. In Nigeria’s Benin Kingdom, ominigbọn divination may have provided suchaframework forstoriesregarding the continued conflict betweenthe present dynastyandthe Evian-Ogiamiẹn line.Its OhunIghitan code sentencespeaksto(among other things)disputesthatareneverfullysettled, andits veiled language appears to refer to the initial struggles betweenthe Evian-Ogiamiẹn andỌranmiyan lineages. The frameworkitestablishedmayhave served as asignificant devicethat ensured a narrative of conflict continued over the centuries.