Anguimanus beninensis

History and anthropology of a symbol

Abstract

This article studies a complex iconography linked to monarchical legitimacy in Benin at least since the sixteenth century: the elephant’s trunk ending in a human hand. First, the meanings of this iconography in the ancient kingdom of Benin are recovered. Secondly, the article describes the violent decontextualization –as a consequence of the so-called ‘punitive expedition’ of 1897– of the bronzes displaying the motif. Thirdly, the text analyses a similar tradition in the West, in which the elephant was referred to as anguimanus from the first century bce onwards. The symbol is complex and the possibility of reciprocal influence between Benin and Rome, unlikely. Fourthly, the article proposes a hypothesis to explain this coincidence: the symbol emphasises the serpentine appearance of the trunk and the elephant’s dexterity in its use, it also indicates a proximity between human beings and pachyderms, since the hand could be a singular means of knowledge and intervention in the world.