CATALOGUE. REGALIES: CETROS, BASTONES, SPANTAMOSCAS

In most African countries, canes of ceremony are objects that involve great solemnity. With more or less rigor the pomp and the boat always accompany these objects. They are an external sign of power. They are used by the king, the chief of canton, the chief of village or by the notables. The richness of its ornamentation will indicate the range of its owner, from wooden-carved sticks to rich gold-plated art works, as is common in Akan countries. They are not standard use sticks, the normal use sticks are simpler. Royalties are the material symbols representative of the head’s authority. They are the main symbols of power and dignity and can only be carried and possessed by those who wield power. Ceremony swords, flyflies, scepters and command sticks are part of the royalties. Only kings can carry scepters and batons of command. The scepter is, par excellence, the symbol of royal power, to such an extent that even in the absence of the king, honor and pleitesy are given to it. They are usually delicately sculpted and richly decorated, whether made of wood, bronze or gold-plated as in the Akan country. The flycar is a symbol of power or prestige. They are used by kings and notables. There are from true works of art to a simple stick with four hairs of the tail of an animal or four herbs. By the artistic quality and richness of its realization is known the rank of the owner. Most sculpted pieces are finished by anthropomorphic figures. According to what they represent they can be linked to proverbs, for example about the inconstance of fortune. As a symbol of power, for the BauléSometimes it can evoke a proverb. It is named after nandwa blawa.