Speaker's staff "okyeame poma" · Ghana, Akan · ID: 3043594
sold
EUR 1,700
Provenance
Eric Robertson, New York, USASize
H: 31,5 cm
H: 12.4 inch
Description
wood, covered with gold leaf, depicting a weaver bird at his nest, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, base.
The spokesmen known as “okyeame” carry a staff “poma” as a staff of office that is surmounted by a sculpted motif that puts into visual form a proverb or a saying or a historical event or political statement that the ruler and the state wish to be known. The spokesmen advise the king on tradtional law, speak for him in public and act as ambassadors when needed.
Comparing literature
Cole, Herbert M. & Doran H. Ross, The Arts of Ghana, Los Angeles 1977, p. 163
Publications
AHDRC: 0150486