Dignitary staff ·  Tanzania, Zaramo · ID: 3032750

Description

wood, rich blackish brown patina, round shaft, crowned by a stylized female figure, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, on metal base;
staffs have many functions. Called ceremonial, title, ritual or chief’s staff, they were, and in many areas still are, a status symbol, a distinguishing mark or a tool, used by a wide range of ritual specialists, such as headman, female leaders of lineages or associations, diviners, healers, exorcists, and witch hunters, in a variety of ways.

Comparing literature

Jahn, Jens (Hg.), Tanzania, München 1994, p. 126