Makonde Staff / Walking Stick, Based

One long, dark shaft, topped with a smooth curved crook.

Makonde carvers of Tanzania, East Africa, made this staff, or walking stick, in wood in the 20th century. Staffs in East Africa are commonly carried as signs of age, standing and authority, as well as for walking. This one is a single slender rod with no carved figures, ending in a small rounded knob bent forward. The wood is a deep, nearly black brown with a soft sheen. A stepped square base holds it upright on display.

About 31 inches tall. Spare in the best way, like a sentence with no adjectives.