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Maker(s):Unknown
Culture:Ghanaian, Asante
Title:Linguist staff finial (okyeame poma)
Date Made:20th century
Type:Ceremonial
Materials:wood, gold leaf
Place Made:Africa; Ghana
Measurements:Overall: 14 1/2 in; 36.8 cm
Accession Number:  AC 1987.24
Credit Line:Museum purchase
Museum Collection:  Mead Art Museum at Amherst College
1987-24.jpg

Description:
Two birds on a tree

Label Text:
Lavish displays of gold by royal and priestly classes characterize the Akan societies occupying the region of southern Ghana once called the Gold Coast. Gold is the primary indicator of rank among the Asante, the largest and most documented Akan subgroup.

A chief’s counselor and spokesman (okyeame, commonly translated as “linguist”) carries an elaborate staff signifying high office. Linguist staff finials (AC 1987.24) are carved from wood and covered with thin sheets of gold. Their imagery typically communicates messages from the ruling family to its subjects. Here, two birds in a tree may comment on loyalty and solidarity in the royal family, as in the proverb “Birds of the same species roost in the same tree.”

KG, 2010

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1987.24

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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