Dignitary staff · Angola · ID: 3036486
not available anymore
Provenance
Merton Simpson, New York, USAEduardo Uhart, Paris, France
Size
H: 36,5 cm
H: 14.4 inch
Description
wood, slightly shiny brown patina, surmounted by a standing female figure wearing a beaded necklace, min. dam., cracks;
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.