Luba staffs of office serve as records and memory devices for the elite of the Luba culture. When each staff is created, the top and the shaft are left undecorated, as blank canvases to be carved and incised later with specific types of heads, bodies, and headdresses, as well as meaningful symbols and other imagery. Together, these motifs symbolize a specific story with clear historical details. The staff then serves as a record of lineage for royals and elites, as well as a record of their time in office. Should a royal or elite person’s lineage or time in office be questioned, their staff could also be consulted as testimony. Researched by Jordan Seyer

 

 

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu