Ohuan

Ohuan (also spelled Ouan), originally known as Prince Odogbo, was the nineteenth Oba of Benin who ruled from circa 1606 AD to 1641 AD. He was the only son of Ehengbuda, and he succeeded his father after his death. He is known for his unusual birth story, his rebellion against his Iyase Ogina, and his expansion of the Benin Kingdom through warfare. He died without an heir, leading to a succession crisis and a decline of the kingdom.

Early life and birth story
Odogbo was born as the only son of Ehengbuda, the eighteenth Oba of Benin, who reigned from 1578 AD to 1606 AD. According to some oral traditions, he was born as a girl and only later became a man through medicine. According to other sources, he was very handsome and girlish in appearance, so that people thought he was a girl. In both versions, Odogbo had to publicly present himself naked after his transformation or after his father heard of the rumours, in order to prove his manhood. Him and his naked attendants, who had their hair well cut and dressed, walked from Uselu to Benin City, and they were termed Ifieto (Hair curlers), which term exists to this day. On big ceremonial occasions, the Ifieto can still be seen dancing and singing in front of the royal procession.

Reign and achievements
Odogbo was placed on the throne of Benin with the title Ohuan, after his father's death in 1606 AD. He ruled the people with fairness and competence, and founded many towns and villages. He had the loyalty and esteem of his subjects throughout his long reign of thirty-three years.

However, his reign was not without challenges. In the early years of his reign, the Iyase, named Ogina, rebelled against him. The Iyase was the Commander-in-Chief of the army, and he had shown himself very unfriendly to the late Oba and had even committed adultery with one of his wives. Ohuan retired to a village called Evbohuan for several months until he was powerful enough to attack and defeat Ogina, who was then banished to Okogo where later he died and was deified. After the rebellion of Ogina, no other Iyase was installed by any Oba in the seventeenth century, as a political strategy to avoid any opposition from the military chief.

Ohuan was also a skilled warrior and expanded the Benin Kingdom through conquest. He increased contact with the Portuguese Empire, and traded with them in ivory, pepper, and slaves. He also patronised the arts and culture of Benin, and some of the cast brass plaques that adorned the royal palace were made during his reign.

Death and succession
Ohuan died in 1641 AD, without an heir. He was later succeeded by Ohenzae. His death created a difficult problem for the Edo people, as there was no brother or son to succeed him and keep the throne in the royal family. As all branches of the royal family could equally claim a right to Ohuan's throne, corruption and internal disorder led to a decline of the kingdom. The throne was rotated among six different candidates for six reigns, until civil war erupted in the last decade of the century.