Precolonial Nnewi Bronze Cross: Igbo Royalty’s Christian Emblem from 1800

I’m sharing details of the Nnewi Royal Cross, cast around 1800 in Nnewi, Anambra State. This bronze cross is now held in the British Museum under registration Af1908,0620.59. All materials and techniques are local: lost-wax bronze casting from Nnewi/Awka, Niger Delta coral beads and local iron. The eagle (“ugo”) on top represents Amadioha’s messenger in our tradition. This cross predates the first CMS mission in Onitsha by 57 years. British forces seized it after the 1901–1902 Aro Expedition, and a London dealer sold it to the museum in 1908. It remained misdated until its c.1800 provenance was confirmed online in 2010. I’d love to hear any Nnewi oral histories about royal crosses or eagle staffs in palace tradition. You can verify the object’s date and origin by its registration number in the British Museum collection database.

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