During the Benin interregnum period in 1909, Northcote Whitridge Thomas took the above picture of Chief Osula and his family. This was more than a century ago. Chief Osula served on the Benin Traditional Council during the protracted period of interregnum. During Oba Eweka II’s reign, he also held the position of Palace Chief.
Thomas Northcote Whitridge’s background
Whitridge Northcote Thomas was a British historian, anthropologist, and psychic investigator. In 1909, the British Colonial Office named him as the first Government Anthropologist. He carried out several anthropological surveys in Nigeria and Sierra Leone in this role.
Thomas arrived in Benin City during a turbulent period of upheaval, barely a dozen years following the city’s capture during the 1897 Benin invasion, during which HRM Oba Ovonramwen was banished to Calabar. The monarchy of Benin was reinstated in 1914 with the installation of Crown-Prince Aiguobasimwin, the son of Oba Ovonramwen, as Oba Eweka II. However, the period between 1897 and 1914 was marked by intense political conflict among several factions.
The contest transpired within the framework of the newly instituted political structure by the British colonial authorities, which comprised the designation of paramount chiefs and a Native Council. This “native administration” method undermined the native system of governance while ostensibly respecting established power structures, resulting in fresh conflicts and rivalries.