Catalogue card: Stave (Agia of Owa) with elaborate puzzle-carving, terminating in human head wearing 'mob cap'
Labelled 'Thomas Colln, S. Nigeria 1910-13, 2232.322'
Carved wooden staff with rattle section and head with had at top. The head has scarification marks and wears a large hat. The rattle section is incised with geometric patterns and has three slits through which the rattle can be seen. There are insect casings, signs of historical water damage and a large chip missing from the brim of the hat.
Carved wooden staff with rattle section and head with had at top. The head has scarification marks and wears a large hat. 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.