This beaded staff was probably made to be sold.
Photographs © Hamill Gallery
"Beaded staffs can serve as a surrogate for the ruler in his/her absence. Only the staff gives a ruler's messenger authority to speak....The veils suspended below the rectangular platforms suggest a beaded veil of a royal crown.... The iron point at the base of the staff serves both practical and symbolic purposes. The staff, like the oba, can be planted or rooted firmly in place, standing firmly vertical to assert power, authority and action."
Beads Body and Soul, by Drewal and Mason, pp. 212 and 227
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MJM07272017