Catalogue card: Stave (Ochwaihe) with elaborate puzzle-carving culminating in human figure holding a 'skipping-rope.'
Labelled 'Thomas Colln, S. Nigeria 1910-13, 2238.292'
Carved wooden staff with a central rattle section and a standing figure on top. The figure is wearing a cap with a central horn, has braids at the back, scarification marks on the face and torso, and is carrying two paddle-like objects with a rope or chain hanging in between. The rattle section is decorated with incised geometric patterns and has a slit in either side and at the back through which the rattle can be seen. There are a number of small chips missing due to poor storage.
Carved wooden staff with a central rattle section and a standing figure on top. The figure is wearing a cap with a central horn, has braids at the back, scarification marks on the face and torso, and is carrying two paddle-like objects with a rope or chain hanging in between. The rattle section is decorated with incised geometric patterns and has a slit in either side and at the back through which the rattle can be seen.
Object not yet checked, but 292 is probably the Thomas Collection number. [R.Hand]
'[Object now checked and this has been verified. Katrina Dring, 28/09/2018]'
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.