Catalogue card: Stave (Awanulo) with elaborate puzzle-carving and human figure on top, holding two clubs.
Labelled 'Thomas Colln, S. Nigeria 1910-13, 2225.312'
Wooden staff with central rattle section and figure standing on top. The figure is wearing a cap with a single feather, has scarification marks on face and torso and is carrying a club and a horn. The rattle section is incised with geometric patterns and has a slit in either side and at the rear, through which can be seen the rattle. The whole appears freshly carved. There is recent damage to the staff, with areas chipped from storage, and there are several insect cases.
Wooden staff with central rattle section and figure standing on top. The figure is wearing a cap with a single feather, has scarification marks on face and torso and is carrying a club and a horn. The rattle section is incised with geometric patterns and has a slit in either side and at the rear, through which can be seen the rattle.
During the collections-based phase of the Museum Affordances Project 2018, photographs of some of these rattle staffs were shared on the project Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/reentanglements/).
In a comment on 01/10/2018, Adenike Cosgrove wrote: ' This looks to be an Edo ukhurhe rattle staff. You can read more about them here: https://www.imodara.com/.../nigeria-edo-ukhurhe-rattle.../'
These staffs (Z 20317 - Z 20342) appear to have been carved by the same hand, or in the same workshop and were collected by N.W. Thomas as a group. They are listed in Thomas' 1st catalogue (Doc.413) as entries 308-335, which are situated at the very back of the catalogue.
Other/1
A selection of rattle staff collected by Northcote Thomas are shown together in Image 390447.