Catalogue card: Stave (Ochi of Oua, Agbor) with elaborate puzzle-carving terminating in human head with paddle shaped protrusion
Labelled 'Thomas Colln, S. Nigeria 1910-13, 2233.331'
Carved wooden staff with a central rattle section, above which is a head and a shield. The head is wearing a cap and has scarification marks over the eyes. The shield is leaf-shaped and emerges from the top of the head, with incised diamond patterns on both sides and a boss on the front. The rattle section is incised with geometric patterns and has three slits through which the rattle can be seen. The top of the shield is broken off, and there are several small chips of wood missing from the face.
Carved wooden staff with a central rattle section, above which is a head and a shield. The head is wearing a cap and has scarification marks over the eyes. The shield is leaf-shaped and emerges from the top of the head, with incised diamond patterns on both sides and a boss on the front. The rattle section is incised with geometric patterns and has three slits through which the rattle can be seen.
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.