Obo (Native Doctor:An Essential Component of Traditional Edo Medicine
by Chief D.M. Peavy JD
The Edo people (Benin) have meticulously cultivated the science of Traditional Edo Medicine for thousands of years. Some of the ritual tools and artifacts of Traditional Edo Medicine can be seen in museums around the world in the Benin bronzes that were taken by the British in 1897. Traditional Edo Medicine involved a holistic approach to the practice of medicine, spiritual healing, and ritual observances.
Traditional Edo Medicine was at the very core of Edo (Benin) society. The Edo people accumulated the vast knowledge of Traditional Edo Medicine over thousands of years of trial and error.
The Edo family unit was the first level of treatment for the client. When a family member became ill, the other family members, usually the mother and father, used the general-communal knowledge of herbs to address the problem (Mosley et al.,1995,p.312). If the family remedies proved unsuccessful, an Obo (native doctor) would be consulted. However, the treatment of serious illness, whether physical, psychological, or spiritual was considered special knowledge and usually reserved for the native doctor.
The native doctor was the medical specialist and owner of sacred knowledge. The native doctor’s repertoire involved the use of divination, herbal-medicines, invocations, prayers, trance, amulets, incantations and charms to help the protective and healing process manifest.
The native doctor spoke with the divine, invoked the divine, blessed with the power of the divine and cursed with the wrath of the divine. Divination was an essential component of Edo culture and traditions since the earliest times. . Many of the Edo folklore referred to the importance of divination in society. According to Ibie, divination was performed in heaven since the earliest beginnings of existence (Ibie,vol.3,p.1).
Diviners would conduct the art and science of divination in the marketplace in heaven. The native doctors that were the most proficient diviners and herbalist received the most acclaim in heaven as well as on earth. Divination foretold both the problems and solutions in the client’s life. Divination revealed the causes of the illness and what forces should be appeased in order to achieve a cure. The native doctor did not hesitate to utilize both physical and spiritual laws that would achieve the desire goal.
A notable aspect of the native doctor’s medical training involved attaining proficiency in the diagnosis of physical, mental and spiritual diseases. The Edo people believed that the cause of the disease took many forms and resulted from some sort of imbalance in life. The disease may have been attributed to a physical, spiritual, psychological, moral, bad medicine, sorcerers, witches, ancestors, spirits, and/or sub-gods.
Once the cause of illness was ascertained, an appropriate treatment plan could be recommended. The native doctor undertook the practice of divination to determine the origins of the disease or bad fortune and to be able to address the direct source. The native doctor received training in at least one of the divination apparatus that may have involved the Oguega, Ewawa/Osiru, Eziza, Cowries, Kolanut, Water-gazing, or Ifa (Okoh,1995).
After the native doctor had chosen a divining apparatus, he would have to learn the different combinations of figures (Iha Owa) that may occur from the divination instrument. The native doctor also had to learn the words of power (oracular language) and sentences that each combination of sacred figures possessed as a result of the divination tosses (Ibie,1986,p.7). Training as a native doctor usually began at a young age. Young aspirants were given spiritual test before being admitted as students of Traditional Edo Medicine. Most aspiring native doctors took an oath to use their great powers for the betterment of mankind before actual undergoing many years of extensive training (Okosun,1997).
Through rigorous years of training, the native doctor learned the oracular divination corpus called the Iha Ominigbon. The Iha Ominigbon contained the Edo people’s religious, cultural, and historical values through special divination poetry (Galembo et al.,1993,p.26). The Iha Ominigbon contained the parables that told how life’s problems were solved. The native doctor was expected to memorize the Iha Ominigbon. The native doctor’s memorization of the sacred text was aided by the ingestion of medicinal herbs, and other medicinal charms (Joseph,2007).
After mastering the divination apparatus, the native doctor had to become proficient in the treatments with the native pharmacopoeia (Okosun,1998}. Learning the native pharmacopoeia was essential to the medicinal knowledge of a native doctor. Herbs and medicines were usually the first step in the treatment of a client’s illness. (Mosley,1995,p.312).The native doctor cured physical ailments such as stomach problems, headaches, hernias, broken bones, diabetes, poisoning, asthma, difficult births, bleeding, misfortune, and other maladies. However, the native doctor’s use of medicines was not limited to physical ailments.
Native doctors also possessed the ability to use herbal medicines and curses to harm intended victims based upon the needs of a client (Okosun,1997). The native doctor was proficient in the application of incantations in order to enhance the potency and manifestation of both physical and spiritual cures. Incantations were used to divulge the hidden aspect of medicine that could not be easily used in both the spiritual as well as the physical context (Buckley,1997,p.144).
The incantation was addressed to the herbal mixture and to the god of Medicine (Osun). The native doctor through the god of Medicine was able to command and coax the innermost secrets from the herbal preparations. The god of Medicine was the deity of the native doctor. The native doctor believed that it was the god of Medicine that knew all of the secrets contained in the mystical preparations of medicine. However, God Almighty was always addressed first before invocations and prayers. According to Oba N’ Edo Erediauwa, before incantations, divinations and any other appeal to a divine entity, the native doctor would first pay homage to God Almighty (Osanobua)(Edebiri,2004). God Almighty was invoked first because nothing could occur without His divine blessing. The power of incantation was incorporated in other uses in addition to healing. Incantations could also bring out the hidden powers of charms, inanimate objects, animate objects and oracular verses to open up the forces in the spiritual realm.
The Edo people had many stories illustrating the vast powers of incantations. Native doctors were able to escape death, vanish in the face of imminent danger, avert accidents, destroy enemies or wild animals by the power of incantations (Awolalu, 69). Another component of Traditional Edo Medicine was sacrifice. According to Ero (2003), “Sacrifice was the focal point of nearly all Benin rituals.” (p.12). The native doctor made sacrifices to ensure that the intended power in the medicinal preparations manifested in the appropriate manner (Awolalu,1996,p.132). The proper sacrifices needed for the desired outcome could be determined through divination. The divining apparatus (oracle) was able to instruct the native doctor as to what entity required a sacrifice and what sacrifice would be accepted every time it was consulted (Awolalu,1996,p.132).
Native doctors would offer sacrifices to God Almighty, sub-gods, spirits and ancestors, depending on which entity needed to be appeased. The Edo people believed that neglecting a sacrifice would lead to misfortune. The native doctor performed most of the sacrifices at the crossroads. The Edo people believed that the crossroads was an energized-entry point between the physical and spiritual realm as well as a meeting place for malevolent forces (Galembo et al.,1993,p.27). After the native doctor had achieved the required training, divining apparatus, instruments, and pharmaceutical knowledge, he underwent various ritual baths at shrines, indoctrination of his instruments, inoculations and immunizations for his personal protection before being allowed to undertake private practice (Okosun,1997).
After completion of his training, the native doctor had to pass a professional examination that was administered by a council of elder native doctors before becoming a titled Obo. Afterwards, through many additional years of training, practice, research and initiations, a native doctor could become a senior specialist. The Edo people held the senior native doctors in high regard, and often attributed supernatural powers to them. The Edo people believed that those belonging to the most senior and powerful status of native doctors (Ebo n’ osegberhan-obo) had full ritual status, super human powers and special ritual knowledge and medicine which enabled them to fly through the air, disappear when in danger, visit the spirit world to combat enemies and transform into ferocious animals or other creatures (Okosun,1997).
Native doctors that had the power of transformation could change into animals such as tigers, birds and others that would allow for concealed movement. Armed with powerful ritual knowledge, many native doctors waged battles against their compatriots in the medical profession to establish superiority. According to Ebohon, native doctors were known for unhealthy rivalries (M’Bow et al.,2005,p.93). Native doctors often tested each other’s powers with charms, spells, incantations and divination abilities in order to ascertain professional superiority.
According to Ebohon, the story of Obo N’ Ayen and Ebomisi illustrated one of the many tests that native doctors put each other through (M’Bow et al.,2005). Obo N’ Ayen and Ebomisi were two great native doctors in the Benin Kingdom. On one particular day, Obo N’ Ayen was infuriated because Ebomisi did not give due respect while in his territory. Obo N’ Ayen used charms and incantations to cause Ebomisi’s medicinal Ighede drums to burst. Outraged, Ebomisi went to Obo N’Ayen’s home to challenge him to a proficiency contest. The two great native doctors engaged in a battle of magic. Ebomisi asked Obo N’ Ayen for a handshake and invoked a deadly viper from his palm to strike Obo N” Ayen. Obo N’ Ayen, the more advanced native doctor, invoked a huge fire from his own palm which made the snake retreat (M’Bow et al.,2005,p.93).
Senior native doctors were believed to have medicines that enabled them to possess power over the elements such as fire, air, water and earth. The medicines were directly applied to the native doctor or his garments for protection (Okoh,1995). There were also stories in the sacred oracular corpus of native doctors and divinities involved in divination and magical contest with one another (Ibie,vol.3,p.1-7). Even today, the powers of native doctors are a marvel because of their knowledge of herbal preparations. The current Oba of Benin, Oba N’ Edo Erediauwa has called for the scientific examination of Traditional Edo Medicine and its practitioners in the new millennium (Edebiri:2004}. Practitioners of Traditional Edo Medicine continue to be a sought after when Western medicine has failed.
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