Staff

Item number 3326/19 a-c from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Large staff built on a wood armature with an iron blade (part a) and phallic handle (part b) with loose coiled metal (part c). The wooden hilt is studded, wrapped in iron with iron cap. The blade tapers in towards the tip. Towards the top there is a small square cutout with a cross etched on each side. Above and below, the thin area is wrapped in iron. The blade itself is also etched with various designs, however the metal is rusted.

History Of Use

Collected in Irawo. Emblematic of the god of agriculture, Orisa Oko; used as fertility objects in annual harvest festivals.

Narrative

Assumed to have been collected by Lieber while he was living in Nigeria (1965-1970), lecturing at the University of Ibadan under the auspices of CIDA.