oba
/ˈɒbə
/noun
A local chief in Nigeria.Crowned Yoruba chiefs and kings (obas) had the wealth and prerogative to commission works of art....
- When he arrived at a village, he would ask the oba to direct him to the local blacksmith or carver.
- This quest finds its most popular political expression in the image of the oba, the temporal and spiritual head of a given community and a personification of its corporate existence.
Origin
Yoruba, originally the name of the absolute ruler of the ancient West African kingdom of Benin, now part of Nigeria.