Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano's early childhood experiences took place mainly in Africa before he was sold into slavery. He lived in the fertile province of Ebo, within the Kingdom of Benin. He grew up far from the capital of Benin and was mainly familiar with the government order, customs, economy, and family life of his and neighboring provinces. The chiefs and elders primarily conducted government in Ebo. Chiefs and elders were well respected and had a mark on their faces called an Embrenche. An embrenche was a mark that distinguished the leaders from the rest of the village. The leader's skin was cut across the forehead and was rubbed until it shark into a weal. The chiefs, elders, judges, and senators decided disputes and punishment for crime in usually short sessions. The law of retaliation was usually ruled in most cases, meaning that the person who was violated could carry out the punishment. Adultery was punished by death in most cases and the institution of marriage was very importan
The economy of the Ebo village involved all those in the village. Women were known for spinning and weaving cotton that was later dyed to make into clothing. Women also made pottery and tobacco pipes, as well as the primary occupation of all the villagers, agriculture. Indian corn, pineapples, cotton, tobacco, pepper, honey, and various types of gums were grown. Animals were not used to till the land, only manual tools of labor. The market place consisted of wood, wood ashes, and slaves. They traded these items in return for gunpowder, firearms, hats, beads, and dried fish. A number of traditions were present in the Ebo land. Marriage was a ceremony with a lot of elaborence. Marriages were arranged by parents. The bridegroom declares that the bride should be looked on as his wife among their friends. The bride is brought to the bridegroom by her parents and given blessings. The bride wears a cotton string made from goose-quill, and then the dowry is given. After those festivities a festival begins consisting of four separate dances representing the scenes of life. Men Though mar
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ebo Chiefs, Religion Ebo, Jews Children, Kingdom Benin, Olaudah Equiano's, Vogt February, chiefs elders, History Civilization, rest family, family life, family sit, traditions ebo, ebo village,
Approximate Word count = 744
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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