Ashanti Linguist's Staff Depicting a Seated Maternity Figure

Dark carved pole carries a small seated figure at its crown.

This linguist’s staff depicting a seated maternity figure 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. Slender, dark shaft with carved bands and thin reddish rings along its length, topped by a small gold-brown seated figure with an elongated body. A flat black square holds the pole upright below. It is 4.5 inches wide, 4.5 deep and 74 high.

A modest figure, elevated with total dignity.