Staff / Artist Unknown, African, Yaka Peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2001/2.19
- Title
- Staff
- Artist Nationality
- Congolese (Zairean)
- Medium and Support
- wood
- Object Creation Date
- mid 20th century
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Margaret H. and Albert J. Coudron
- Dimensions
- 109.3 cm x 14 cm x 5 cm (43 1/16 in. x 5 1/2 in. x 1 15/16 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Costume and Costume Accessory
- Primary Object Type
- staff
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- carving
- Physical Description
- A stylized human head with an elaborate coiffure, sitting atop a larger animal head with scarification marks below the eyes, tops a well-carved staff with angular handle and a zig-zag carved pattern below the handle. The eyes of both figures are set in shallow cavities and appear squinted or closed.
- Subject Matter
- Finely carved staffs (called "kooko" or "nhkuumbu" in the local language) display their use as symbols of a chief's authority. Reference to leadership and the elders is also made in the variations in coiffure and headgear that represent the distinctive hairstyles of previous generations of chiefs. Among the Yaka, living elders and chiefs were regarded as repositories of supernatural powers, who can protect against evil as well as withdraw their protection in case of disobedience or disrespect.
- Secondary Keywords
- associated concepts
- biological components
- ceremonial weapons
- components
- components and systems
- components by specific context
- equipment
- equipment by context
- equipment for personal use
- head
- objects
- objects we use
- people and culture
- political concepts
- social science concepts
- the human body
- tools and equipment
- upper body
- walking sticks
- weapons
- weapons and ammunition
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 578 x 1494
- File Size
- 64 KB
- Record
- 2001/2.19
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.19/2001_2.19.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2001-SL-2.19:2001_2.19.JPG
Cite this Item
View the Help Guide for more information.
- Full citation
-
"Staff; Artist Unknown, African, Yaka Peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.19/2001_2.19.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 01, 2024.
