Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Man Holding a Book

CultureAkan peoples
Titles
  • Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Man Holding a Book
Date1925–1935
PlaceGhana, Africa
MediumWood and gold leaf
Dimensions.1: 16 × 4 1/8 × 4 in. (40.6 × 10.5 × 10.2 cm)
.2: 46 1/8 × 2 in. (117.2 × 5.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Alfred C. Glassell, Jr.
Object number97.1273.1,.2
Not on view

Explore Further

Description

This linguist staff top depicts a man pointing to his face and holding a book. The figure is a reference to the saying "If you cannot see, can you also not hear?" It is an instruction to use all of one's faculties in the quest for knowledge.


 Linguists, called akyeame, are important royal advisers. A linguist speaks for the chief and relays the words of those who wish to speak to the chief. Depending on the size of a state, a chief usually has two to six linguists to counsel and represent him. Linguists are eloquent speakers knowledgeable about history, customs, and the law. Their positions are usually inherited through their mothers, although a chief may appoint a linguist.


 The golden staffs carried by linguists feature carved figurative tops that relate the rich proverbs of the Akan peoples. These proverbs tell of the power of the chief, his right to rule, his responsibilities to his people, and how the people, in turn, should behave toward the chief, the state, and each other.


ProvenanceAlfred C. Glassell, Jr. (1913–2008), Houston, before 1997; given to MFAH, 1997.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscription: .

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Linguist Staff Finial of Ananse the Spider
1895–1905
Wood and gold leaf
97.1269
Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Man Holding a Bird and a Crab
1895–1905
Wood, gold leaf, and paint
97.1305.1,.2
Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Man Holding an Egg
Osei Bonsu
1947–1956
Wood and gold leaf
97.1267.A-.D
Linguist Staff Finial Representing a Hen on Her Eggs
1925–1935
Wood and gold leaf
97.1497
Linguist Staff Finial Representing a Perched Bird
1850–1900
Wood and gold leaf
97.1490
Linguist Staff with Finial Representing an Elephant
1885–1895
Wood and gold leaf
97.1291.1,.2
Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Bird and a Crab
Osei Bonsu
1945–1960
Wood and gold leaf
97.1289.1,.2
Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Man Scraping Bark from a Tree
Osei Bonsu
1920–1978
Wood and gold leaf
97.1297.1,.2
Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Sasabonsám
Osei Bonsu
1935–1945
Wood and gold leaf
97.1294.A-.C