A superb South African, probably Northern Nguni, staff

Ralph Nash, London, 1962

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Milwaukee Public Museum, Selections from the William W. Brill Collection of African Art, May 5 – August 31, 1969 (for additional venues see bibliography, Milwaukee 1969)

In Southern Africa staffs provided a variety of functions--dance staffs, walking staffs, staffs of chieftancy. Likewise, they were owned by a variety of people within society--from the pastoralists to the chiefs. Each staff carried personal meaning and significance. 

The relatively short staff with a spherical top, knobkerrie, is perhaps the most well-known and widely held staff. Taller, more ornate staffs generally were held by members of a certain office or a chief with a specific official function (Nel 2002: 30-31).

The Brill staff of great length, graceful execution and a sophisticated finial is in the latter category. The tip, suggestive of an embracing couple could allude to male/female interaction and interrelation. The staff  was most likely used during ceremonies celebrating initiation (Klopper in Phillips 1995: 209).

See Johannesburg Art Gallery (1991: 156, figure 147) for a closely related staff from the Brenthurst Collection.