Status of the Anii Blacksmith in Central Western Benin: From the Precolonial Times to the 21st Century

Abstract

Around the African continent, blacksmiths occupy significant respectin society. The blacksmith artisan benefitted from particular socialconditions and societal prerogatives. He maintains special ties withother groups in the community. This paper discusses the socialstatus and societal value enjoyed by the Anii blacksmith from precolonialto contemporary times. Methodologically, the datapresented in this paper are from documentary research and fieldsurveys. The results indicate that the Anii artisan occupied a place ofchoice in the pre-colonial past. In addition, the analysis of the resultsof field surveys, cross-referenced with the existing writtendocumentation, reveals that the iron artisans of the Pays Aniienjoyed various prerogatives. These ranged from intervening inconflicts to crowning village chiefs. The devaluation of the status ofthese iron artisans was accelerated by colonial domination from 1895and the fact of progressive globalization.Keywords: Anii area, Blacksmiths, Social tatus, Colonization,Globalization.https://dx.doi.org/10.56279/sapj.v16.4