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Dance Staff for Sàngó
Yoruba Artist1900/1950
High Museum of Art
Atlanta, GA, United States
Followers of Shango—the Yoruba thunder god and the deity associated with divine justice—carry dance staffs on ceremonial occasions. The kneeling female figure depicted on this dance staff represents a priestess or devotee of Shango. Shango is symbolized by the double-axe-blade motif, which refers to thunderstorms (Neolithic axe-heads are described as having being thrown down from the sky by the thunder deity).
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Details
- Title: Dance Staff for Sàngó
- Creator: Yoruba Artist
- Creator Nationality: African
- Date: 1900/1950
- Provenance: High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Fred and Rita Richman Collection
- Type: Wood (non-furniture)
- Rights: Photo (c) High Museum of Art
- External Link: http://www.high.org/Art/Permanent-Collection/CollectionDetails?deptName=African%20Art&objNum=72.40.107&pageNumber=0&search=true#.VmX6edIrLcs
- Medium: Wood and pigment
- Dimensions: 20 1/2 inches
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