Herbalists staff "opa osanyin" ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3037008

Description

staff of wrought iron, spear-shaped tip, crowned by a stylized bird, a circle of 16 smaller birds below, min. dam., traces of corrosion;
the staff is planted in the ground at the entrance to an “osanyin” priests compound to ward off nocturnal attacks by witches. “Orunmila” is represented by the big bird on top of the staff.

The object Herbalists staff “opa osanyin” with the object ID 3037008 was last part of the auction 77th tribal art auction at June 28, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 391 achieved a sales price of EUR 200.

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Comparing literature

Witte, Hans, A Closer Look, Berg en Dal 2004, p. 251 f.