3/x The #Iroko tree is rich in meaning: Edo people believed Azen (witches) had their lairs in Iroko trees, one reason for not venturing into forests alone. There are also many #Yoruba stories about Iroko trees, for example "Olunronbi and the Iroko Tree" #Folktales #Folklore #Mythology #Nigeria
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
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
7/x But of course #Iroko has, in fact, been logged extensively for many years, since early colonial days - it was promoted energetically by the colonial forest department as a durable hard wood & became one of Nigeria's 5 most popular timber exports.
So this is a good example of how, in practice, you often have a plurality of different ways of relating to trees or animals in one place - the environnmental anthropologist Brian Morris wrote about this kind of #Pluralism, to me really important.
9/x But really noone should cut Iroko at all! It is an #oxalogenic species which fixes carbon into the soil (and fertilises), one of the best trees to plant right now for #CarbonCapture. I learned this from an #Eastbourne fellow #ClimateActivist (activist in the loosest sense - people who do things about #ClimateChange) and you can read more here. I am not an expert on this myself, but the Iroko really is one of our #SuperTrees
10/10 Ian Elgie knows about the #Iroko or #Mvule tree as he and the Eastbourne United Nations Association are very involved in the Mvule Tree Planting project in #Uganda. This is an #Offsetting scheme which, of course, many are rightly super sceptical of, but anyway, here the link in case you are interested. Helping to plant #Mvule trees in Uganda probably a good thing?
https://www.unaeastbourne.org/store/p2/Carbon_Offset_Tree_Planting.html
50p plants a tropical hardwood tree.Plant the iconic Mvule (Iroko) tree and two companion species - small costs- big benefits.Donate £18 to plant 36 trees (or a Standing Order £1.50 per month) to be carbon neutral.The UK government calculates your carbon footprint using the 'production method'. This means that they only calculate your footprint for activities in the UK (about 6 tonnes per adult). But some half or more of your carbon footprint includes manufacturing and supply chains from overseas. Therefore, we use the 'consumption method' to calculate the average UK adult's carbon footprint (about 8-10 tonnes) for a more realistic carbon footprint. The 36 tropical hardwood trees of the Tri-species project will capture an estimated 16 tonnes of CO2 per year ( = 4.36 tonnes carbon) after allowing for an annual mortality rate. You can purchase one or multiple lots by choosing your quantity before pressing "Buy Now". Scroll down for further details.
Pauline von Hellermann