Nyamwezi Walking Stick Tanzania
Width: 1.5
Depth: 1.0
Description
This Nyamwezi walking stick has glass seed beads for the eyes and intricately carved handle.
The Nyamwezi are known for their carving that is at best roughly executed and relatively sparsely described in the literature of East African art. However, there are a number of uses given to sculpted figures among the Nyamwezi including witchcraft, magic, and social entertainment. Among the Nyamwezi powerful forces known as bulogi' are organized with cults centered around certain spirits. This includes the manipulation of forces and the development of cults or spirit possession in which members of the Baswezi society are possessed or mounted by the Swezi spirit.
According to oral traditions they settled in west-central Tanzania where they presently live sometime during the 1600s. Called people of the moon by their neighbors in Tanzania the Nyamwezi lived in large settlements and at one time in several kingdoms, but today live in small dispersed settlements under local chiefs.
Height(in): 45.0
Width(in): 1.5
Depth (in): 1.0
150079
Approximate Age: mid 20th Century
People: Nyamwezi
Country of Origin: Tanzania
Material
Condition
Overall Condition: Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.