An Ewua Bronze sculpture, Eyo Oto, in the style of Benin, Nigeria, Benin standing on his two long feet, standing straight, a rather short body compared to his large head, he is wearing a decorated skirt and shirt, a cross around his neck, a helmet, he is holding a small hammer in his left hand, his face is marked with scarifications on his cheeks; oxidized. Certificate of provenance. "Ewua is the title of a priest belonging to the Holy Aruosa Church, also referred to as the church of the Ọba of Benin. The church was first established by Portuguese missionaries in the fifteenth century. Each morning, noon and evening, the Ewua priest goes to the Ọba to lead prayers or devotion (this is an indication of the Catholic culture of the Angelus at 6:00 am, noon and 6:00 pm). The bronze casters today say that the figure holds an Avan, a small axe, in their left hand, though European literature refers to it as a hammer. He is also depicted wearing the equal-armed or Maltese cross on his chest. The importance of this court official can be seen in his equipment. According to legend, the scars at the corners of his mouth identify him as a messenger of the King of Ife. The messenger was sent to the capital Benin City on the occasion of the accession to the throne of the Ife prince Oranmiyan in the Benin Empire. He was later identified as a priest of Osanobua, the creator god, as indicated by the cross-shaped cosmogonic symbol on his chest chain. Messenger, MET, NY, (last photo sequence). The Ooni of Ife at the time sent his son Oranmiyan to Igodomigodo. Oranmiyan camped at a place called Use, meaning "making of a city" or "politicking", and began to rule Benin from there. His foreign style of management didn't go down well with the chiefs, and they sent agents to spy on him. All this made Oranmiyan declare that only a son of the soil could cope with the attitude of the Igodomigodo people. He called the land Ile - Ibinu, meaning "Land of Vexation". On leaving Ile-Ibinu (later Ibini, and corrupted to "Benin" by the Portuguese), he stopped briefly at Egor where he took Erinmwide, the daughter of the Enogie (or Duke) of Egor, as a wife. Eweka I was the result of this union. Oranmiyan was never to return to Benin. In his place, Eweka I became king [Oba of Benin]become known as the first Oba of Benin, the new dynasty known as the "God King". which is still ruling today. Source Wikipedia