Page-031-L

    ing a new farm; egbɔ fo ʋ-
    ugbo ɽuɛ ɽa [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ] is the fell-
    ing of trees finished already on
    your farm? cf. gbɔ [ ˥ ]; v. itẽrhã
    [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].
    
egbɔ̃ [ ˥ ˩ ] (1) a high fence (with
    openings at the side) made of
    ixiʋ̃i [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ]-trees, and standing at
    the village entrance (uɣe [ ˥ ˩ ]);
    it keeps off evil spirits and bad
    charms; ixiʋ̃i is used because
    of its particular “power” as the
    most senior, “aged”, tree. (2)
    a name.
    
egbɔɣɔ [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] native tobacco, much
    planted on farms.
    
egbu [ ˥ ˥ ] a kind of woodpecker
    with a big head and short beak
    (akpalakp-erhã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] has a
    smaller head, but its beak is a
    little longer).
    
eɣã [ ˥ ˩ ] (1) chain; not as big as
    ɔgiɔɽɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ]; eɣã na kɔ̃kɔ̃ gbe
    [ ˥ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] this chain is very big.
    (2) prison (in the meaning of
    imprisoment); amu‿ɛ̃ y-eɣã
    [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˩ ] they put him in prison;
    cf. Yor. ɛnwɔ [ ˩ ˩ ]; cf. also oleɣã
    [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ], ɔsuoleɣã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]; v. ogba 1 [ ˥ ˩ ].
    
Eɣaɛʋo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] “sharers of the
    country”: this term refers to
    two groups of Bini chiefs, the
    Eɣaɛʋo N-ogbe [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] and the
    Eɣaɛʋo N-oɽe [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ]. While the
    first group contains the house-
    hold officials at the Ɛguae [ ˩ ˩ ],
    the second consists of the fief-
    holders in the country, who,
    however, reside in Benin City.
    The four most important mem-
    bers of this group are: Iyasɛ
    [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ], Esɔgbã [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ], Esɔ̃ [ ˥ / ], and
    Osuma [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ]; they are also called
    Eɣaɛʋo n-enɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ], “the four
    Eɣaɛʋo”; while the others are
    the Eɣaɛʋo n-ikotɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ˩ ], the