Ceremonial Sword (Ada)

"The Ada sword, with its distinctive curved blade, was not just a weapon but a sacred emblem of the Oba's authority. Carried by high-ranking Benin chiefs during ceremonies, its brass surface often bore intricate patterns that mirrored the scars of royal titleholders—a visual language linking metal to flesh, power to identity."

— Paula Girshick Ben-Amos, The Art of Benin (1995), p. 72.