Dignitary staff ·  Angola, Ovimbundu · ID: 3033459

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, blackened in parts, wooden shaft, circular in cross section, crowned by a human head with cross tattoos on the cheeks, coiffure of two lobes joined to a rectangle, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion, on base;
staffs are multi-functional. They are called title, ritual or chief’s staff. They were, and in many areas still are, a status symbol, a distinguishing mark or tool, used by a wide range of ritual specialists, such as headman, diviners, healers, exorcists, and witch hunters, in a great variety of ways.