Africans have been familiar with metals since ancient times, and most historians agree that the Iron Age began on the African continent. Africans smelted iron long before Arabs and Indians imported it from Europe.
Iron and other metals are still held in high regard, with great attention given to their significance.
The adage “necessity is the father of invention” holds true when examining the history of the Akweya, an ethnic group in Otukpo LGA of Benue State, Nigeria. As the Akweya migrated from Kwararafa to their current settlements, their history reflects a story of adventures, discoveries, inventions, and territorial conquests. During their migration, they used crude tools like pointed wood, stones, and their hands for digging, fighting, hunting, and agricultural activities.
According to Elder Egyeh Odugbo, the development of iron smelting is often considered a divine revelation.
“One of the notable places Akweya settled during their migration was Otukpa. It was in Otukpa that the Akweya developed the idea of producing iron out of necessity. The process of making iron took not less than ten years, which accounts for the long stay of the Akweya in Otukpa,” Elder Odugbo said during an oral narration of Akweya history on AkweyaTV.
The iron production process began with the community digging a large, deep hole. They filled this hole with layers of hardwood, such as mahogany, iroko, and locust beans, interspersed with heavy stones from hard rocks. The hole, known as Uturo, was then set alight, creating an intense, continuous fire that even rain could not quench. Over the years, the stones would melt due to the high temperatures, forming balls of iron at the bottom of the hole. This process could take over a decade. When the fire eventually died down, the community would uncover the Uturo, retrieving iron in various shapes and sizes to create tools and weapons such as spears, arrows, cutlasses, hoes, and knives.
In Benin, Nigeria, similar metalworking practices have a long history, producing the renowned Benin bronzes.
Metalworking Techniques in Nigeria
The Cire Perdue Method (Lost Wax Method): Widely practised globally, ancient Benin and Igbo-Ukwu artists adopted this method in its early stages. A clay model is covered with wax and then another layer of clay. The clay is heated, melting the wax and creating a cavity into which molten metal, often bronze, is poured. Once it has cooled, the clay mould is removed, revealing the bronze figure. This technique is still in use today.
Forging: Practiced in Nigeria since the 17th century, forging involves shaping metals with intermittent hammer blows when the metal is white-hot. This method is used for iron, steel, copper, and bronze. Tools used include anvils, forges, tuyere nozzles, and hammers.
Cold Beating: Soft metal sheets, such as gold, are beaten and applied to finished objects of art. This technique is used for stools, staff, and ceremonial objects. The Ashanti of Ghana commonly use it for decorating ceremonial swords, often with zoomorphic figures and geometric designs. Royalty often used beaten gold for Forowa, pots for storing butter, and for certain ceremonies.
Appliqué: This involves applying gold sheets to the surface of objects, either by soldering cut shapes onto a base metal or joining units without solder. The work is often embossed on brass shapes like bowls, boxes, or plates, used for ceremonial figures and ornaments.
Assemblage: Various objects, such as nails, bells, bracelets, and leather bands, are attached to a pre-made object. This method is common among rural communities for decorating sacred ritual objects, juju groves, mask heads, and masquerades.
Chasing: This process involves surface modelling of metals from the back and front using shaped tools like punches and hammers. Techniques include engraving, punching, and repoussé work, which involve decorating metals by matting lines, stamping designs, or beating out shapes from the back.
The rich history and intricate techniques of metalworking in Africa highlight the continent’s significant contributions to the development of metallurgy long before the influence of Western and Arab civilisations.
Extract from the Archives of Late Chief Akpallah Okenyodo’s research on history.
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