On the Origins of the Récades of the Kings of Dahomey

Abstract

| african arts SUMMER 2023 VOL. 56, NO. 2 The French word récade is a neologism formed from the Portuguese word recados, meaning “message” or “messenger.” The word récade specifically refers to a type of object used in the Fon kingdom of Dahomey (seventeenth to nineteenth centuries ce, now part of the Republic of Benin). Récades often are axeor crook-shaped staffs. Their handle is often made of wood and is roughly 50 cm high. The blade of an axe-shaped récade is often sculpted in the shape of a king or of a battalion’s emblems, figures that often refer to quotes or proverbs (Fig. 1). When used by royal messengers, the récade authenticated the provenance of their message. The word récade also refers to formally similar staffs used by priests of the Fon deity of thunder, So, also known by the names Hevios(s)o, Hevies(s)o, Hebios(s)o, Hebies(s)o, or Djis(s)o. These two kinds of object were also used in the context of ritual dances. In Dahomey art historical studies, the dominant view of the origin of the récade is the one first recorded by Adande (1962; cf. recently Beaujean 2015). According to the tradition recorded in this work, the récade originated during the reign of Wegbaja (ca. 1645–1685), the first king of Dahomey. The ancestors of the Fon people, taken by surprise by their enemies during their agricultural work, used their hoe handles as ad hoc weapons to fight off their assailants. This tool was later used in parades as a symbol of Fon bravery, a reminder of their victory, and then as a symbol of royal authority and messengers. In this paper, I challenge this widely accepted hypothesis. I suggest that while derivation of some récades from battle weapons is not unlikely, there are certainly other sources for this very diverse type of object. My position is that the récade was functionally inspired by at least two different kinds of staff. One is a staff called opa ase. It is widely used in Yorubaland and neighboring areas by royal messengers. The other one is the ose Sango, the staff used by priests of the thunder cult in the Yoruba empire of Oyo. Dahomey was tributary to Oyo between the first part of the eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century. It was deeply influenced by Oyo in many respects, including arts, religion, and political structure. One such influence dealt with the thunder deity Sango, who was associated with Oyo’s expansionism. I suggest that as Sango was considered the ancestor of the Oyo rulers, who were antagonistic to Dahomey kings, the latter took the association of the thunder deity with expansionism and applied it to So, the Fon deity of thunder. It is known that Sango priests were part of Oyo diplomatic and tribute collecting missions through the empire and beyond. It was customary for Sango priests to take with them their ose Sango, a kind of staff associated with the cult of Sango as their badge of office during their travels. I suggest that a similar practice was followed in Dahomey, where I claim priests of the local thunder deity traveled with the staff of the deity, the sokpo, along with ambassadors, who traveled with the wensagunkpo, the local royal messenger staff. This diplomatic context resulted an influence of the sokpo over the wensagunkpo, hence the formal similarity between both kinds of staff and their collective designation as récades. I will first explain why the widespread hypothesis of récades originating from hoe handles used as weapons is questionable. I note that Oyo diplomatic missions were composed of Sango priests holding ose Sango and ambassadors holding opa ase. I conclude by showing how this pattern was followed in the kingdom of Dahomey and provided a context for the influence of the sokpo over the wensagunkpo, resulting in their formal similarity, hence their reference as récades despite their functional dissimilarities.