Chief's Staff
date: label: Accession Date
content: 24 Oct 1921
name: label: Collector
content: Mr. Herbert Ward
label: Donor Name
content: Mrs. Sarita S. Ward
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "Made of wood flattened and carved at each end. Round portion connecting, bound with copper and iron. The head is surmounted by two standing female figures, & a human face at the base. The butt is shod with an iron point. Loaned to Renwick 2/4/82. Returned 1983. Lent to NMNH Director's Office Oct. 1990. Chief's Staff (kafunda ya kutembele), ca. 1880, Luba people; Zaire; wood, copper, iron; 62 1/2 x 5 x 2 1/2 (158.8 x 12.7 x 6.4). The great staff symbolized formal leadership among the Luba. A chief took it with him on his voyages as an immediately recognizable sign of his royal status. In his own village, the chief planted the staff in the fround before a house to indicate his presence within. At occasions of state or in council, he planted it at his side. In a messenger's hands the staff was a royal assurance of trustworthiness and good faith."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 30 Jul 2018
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Democratic Republic of the Congo (not certain), Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Chingenge (?)
label: Culture
content: Luba (?)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 067312
label: USNM Number
content: E323052-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Staff