Page-031-L prev next
* ing a new farm; egbɔ fo nɛ 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

* imprisonment); 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
