Ashanti Linguist's Staff Depicting a Cooking Animal Head, Based

Red and white spiraled pole ends in a pale fork and a dark knob.

This linguist’s staff depicting a cooking animal 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. Shaft painted red with white diagonal stripes in its lower section, then a short yellow stretch and a white forked part. At the top sits a small dark rounded finial in a cup. A square black stand supports it. It is 5 inches wide, 5.5 deep and 59 high.

Candy-stripe confidence, with a tiny crown for good measure.