A YORUBA STAFF FOR SHANGO Oshe Shango, carved as a kneeling female figure of elongated form holding a small bowl before her, the face with eroded features, the coiffure as two plaits curving down the nape of the neck, triple scarification on the thighs, triangular amulets carved in relief on the chest and back, the forked Shango emblem above with engraved geometric ornament, strands of beads about the neck and waist, dark glossy patina with remains of camwood powder. The patination and smoothly worn features indicate that this Shango staff was carved by an unrecorded master hand almost certainly in the early to mid nineteenth century. The style and certain features suggest it is from the area that once formed part of the Oyo empire in the 18th century where the worship of Shango is most prevalent. Shango is the legendary fourth king of ancient Oyo, a Yoruba city in central/northern Nigeria, who brought devastation on his capital city and its royal family by misusing his magical powers and creating severe thunderstorms. Ridiculed by his chiefs he left the city and travelled to Koso where he died. The troubles which continued to plague the city were attributed to his avenging spirit and later kings of Oyo set up a shrine to the deified king and the cult rapidly spread. The broad ribbon marks on the thighs, called eyo, are marks of the royal family of Oyo and were reserved strictly for those of royal blood. They can be seen also on a kneeling maternity figure supporting an ifa divination bowl, agere ifa, illustrated by William Fagg and John Pemberton 3rd in Yoruba Sculpture of West Africa (New York, 1982, p.83, plate 15). Two ifa bowls in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, show the same thigh markings (accession number 1988.369, attributed to the Oyo region, and 1971.91, attributed more specifically to the Northern Oyo area). All three bowls also have the same carved hip beads and the ears set well back on the head. The coiffure on the present figure is highly unusual in style with its two joined plaits curving down the nape of the neck. Analogous styles can be seen in a kneeling bowl bearer in the collection of the Seattle Art Museum (accession number 68.67) and a Shango staff in the Yale Van Rijn Archive (0076234). The figure also wears prominent tirah, leather amulets, on the front and back of the chest, most common in northern Yorubaland and strings of red and white beads about the neck and waist, colours associated with Shango. 63 cm. high