Oromo Copper Pilgrimage Staff

A long, bare twig that forks at the top like a thin Y.

This oromo pilgrimage staff is Oromo, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is wood & copper. The Oromo are one of the largest peoples of Ethiopia and neighboring regions, with a long tradition of staffs that mark age, status and ceremonial roles. A very slender, straight rod of reddish brown that divides into two fine branches near the top, each ending in tiny knobbed tips. The surface is smooth with small nodes along the length. It is 12.5 inches wide, 5 deep and 53.5 high.

Not much to it, which is exactly the point.