Object Details
- Label Text
- The Oshugbo, an organization of elderly titled men and women, has political and judicial functions based on religious beliefs that center on veneration of the founding ancestors. Among the copper alloy insignia of the society are a pair of staffs composed of a male and a female figure or two heads on pointed rods. The two staffs are usually joined by a chain. The staff represents the power to reconcile and adjudicate differences among peoples and to atone for violations committed against spiritual and moral standards. This example is the male half of an edan.
- Description
- Male figure over an hourglass-shaped plaque with a high relief human figure with upraised arms and opposing crescent forms on the forehead of the main figure. A pendant loop projects from the top of the figure and an iron spike from below the plaque.
- Provenance
- Kwabena Opoku, -- to 1983
- Exhibition History
- History, Context, Materials: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 12, 1985-January 5, 1986
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Yoruba artist
- Date
- Mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- Medium
- Copper alloy, iron
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 28.3 x 3.6 x 2.5 cm (11 1/8 x 1 7/16 x 1 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
