5th class chief stick
 

I do not collect European work, too much like a busmans holiday, but I have made an exception in this case. This fits with my intested in the history and colonial military action in West Africa. Not cheap but I just had to have it. Chiefs that come your side have been given things like this since the one group of people met another in distant history. It will have been made after 1901 when the Southern and Northern Nigerian protectorates were established out of the Royal Niger Company, I would guess it was made before ww1. The top is brass painted gold with engraving just under the crown "Northern Nigeria" then on the bottom egde of the top "5th Class Chief" I wonder what higher ranking chiefs got ? When I compere this with native work I know what I would rather have but it must have been very impressive at the time.

Higher ranking chiefs probably got pretty much the same just bigger? had to muck about with the picters to fit. Look at the hand on the stick I believe you can make out a crown? This picture is from a book printed in 1918. After ww1 things were very different with the rise of an educated political class. The British powers wanted to hand over to something like the traditional aristcratic system but the war got in the way. :shrug: Thats life.

Now we know the origin of fuzzy slippers. :p

The stick god smiles for me.
 

Sometimes things just roll on. Got this one at the car boot sale today for the price of a BigMac. I feel it is East African. I had to make three dots. I used Indian ivory, the original dots do not appear to be elephant ivory but they also do not appear to be bone as there is some sort of grain in the material when viewed with a x10 loop. The top is a white metal, I think not zinc. I have many African armlets made of the same metal.

Becoming a real "stickman" arn't we !! ;)
Nice pieces Tim. Will add them to my list for you.
Regards Stu

This is how it should look. You can see hand chased fur on the heraldic beasts now but not in these pics.

Seriously 1st Class
 

Unlike the chappie with fluffy feet. This big knob has a little man that does for him.