Linguist Staff with Finial Representing a Man Holding a Book

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.