all photos by the author except where otherwise noted
In contrast to the numerous small-scale gerontocracies found in the area we now know as eastern Nigeria, a strong centralized kingship grew up (or was imposed) sometime before the sixteenth century near the Niger-Benue Confluence, nexus of north-south and east-west riverine trade. Its present identity as “the Igala kingdom” glosses over a complex historical entity that has shifting claims of origin among several regional powers over the centuries (Fig. 1). Spatially, it is contiguous with Igbo/Ibaji settlements to the south and western Idoma settlements to the east. Both of these connections are highly visible in Igala masquerade culture. Beyond that, Igala oral histories allege important historical ties to Yoruba, Benin, and Apá/Kwararafa political formations that also figure in Igala political and visual culture (Clifford 1936, Murray 1949, Boston 1969, Miachi 2012). And the oldest,...