Artwork Details
18-7/8 x 7 x 6-1/8 in.
Mark DescriptionInscription collector's number, in white paint, at center of underside: E79.9
Accession NumberGift of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Eiteljorg
Copyright...unnamed dealer Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria; (Oumar Keinde, New York and Dakar, Senegal) sold on 05 June 1979 to Harrison [1903-1997] and Edith Eiteljorg [1912-2003] of Indianapolis, Indiana; given to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1989.
The central figure in this staff is a Sango priest who is carrying a staff of his own under his right arm and is wearing a ritual cape with shells and bells. To his right is a man who is beating Sango's drum. The priest's left hand is resting on the head of a female worshipper of Oya, who is Sango's most loyal wife and the goddess of the Niger River.
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