6/x If someone does cut down an #Iroko tree, the punishment can be terrible, specially if it is a sacred Iroko trees in a shrine.
This is what happened in 2018 to the people of Iguoma in Edo State (former #BeninKingdom), when the pastor cut down a sacred Iroko tree planted 500 years ago. #ThickTrunkTuesday

https://effiezy.com/2018/03/25/benin-residents-are-being-killed-by-a-sacred-iroko-tree-that-was-cut-by-a-pastor/

5/x So it was mostly forbidden to cut Iroko trees. In the #BeninKingdom (now Nigeria's Edo State), only the "Owina ne Igbesamwan", the Oba's woodworkers guild, was allowed to cut Iroko, the 'royal tree'. They carved pestles, mortars and beautiful wooden boxes like this one, currently in the collection of the University of Birmingham. It's one of the many, fascinating objects in the #DigitalBenin collection - really worth a longer exploration! #Wood #Crafts #Carving

https://digitalbenin.org/catalogue/252_BIRRCD0084