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*    bably does not mean practical

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*    ownership; he used to bring a

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*    human sacrifice to the palm

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*    tree once a year, the sacrifice

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*    being performed at one palm

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*    tree at Uhɛ̃ which is supposed to

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*    stand on the spot where the first

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*    palm tree grew (or to be the

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*    same tree?). A praise-name is

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*    Ezima n-uhɛ̃ n-ɔkp-ema ri‿awɔ

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*    [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] “Ezima of Uhɛ̃ who

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*    has beaten the drum to eat awɔ

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*    (= obobo [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ]).

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*ezɔ [ ˩ ˥ ] a repair, a defective place

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*    made good; ezɔ na gĩ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] this

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*    repair leaks; cf. 2 [ / ].

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*Ezɔmɔ [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ] a chief, the highest in

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*    rank after the Ɔba; lives at

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*    Uzɛbu [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ], a quarter of Benin

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*    City where he seems to enjoy

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*    sovereign rights to a greater

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*    extent than any other ruler in

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*    the Bini country; in former

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*    times the inhabitants of Uzɛbu

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*    are even said to have seized men

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*    from Benin City; he is the head

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*    of the egi-esã [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] sib (cf. ogie

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*    [ ˩ ˩ ] “ruler” and esã [ ˥ ˩ ]

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*    “Ishan”), and the Ezɔmɔs are

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*    said to have been rulers of Ishan

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*    once upon a time (though not

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*    the first Ezɔmɔs); his messengers

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*    are, or were, until a short time

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*    ago, much respected in some

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*    parts of the Ishan country. He

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*    is considered to be the first war-

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*    chief of the Binis, and as such

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*    has the most powerful charms.

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*    Every morning he sits on his

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*    dais, calling down evil on the

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*    enemies of Benin. The title is

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*    hereditary; by Europeans he

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*    is called Ojɔmɔ. A praise-name

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*    is Ezɔmɔ N-uti [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ]; cf. Yor.

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*    ɔjɔmɔ or ojɔmɔ [ ˦ ˦ ˦ ].

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*Ezɔti [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] name of an Ɔba.

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