Ashanti Linguist's Staff Depicting Animal with Bird Atop Head, Based

Russet beast wears a branching black rack and a very small hitchhiker.

This linguist’s staff depicting animal with bird atop head is Ashanti, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved & painted wood. The Ashanti considered gold an embodiment of sunlight and life's vital force, and the kingdom was once known as the Kingdom of Gold, though most staffs are painted as gold disappeared. Glossy orange-brown animal with black hooves, narrow painted eyes and dark incised markings on the neck. Twiggy black antlers rise from its head, with a tiny crouching creature tucked at the base. The plinth carries a rope-like band. It is 6 inches wide, 6 deep and 56 high.

Proud profile, tidy plinth, and zero doubts about the antlers.