Talking stick
{{Short description|Instrument of Indigenous democracy, especially in Northwest America}}
File:Kwakwakawakwtribesman.jpeg man with a talking stick, photo by Edward S. Curtis]]
A talking stick, also called a speaker's staff,Wade 31 is an instrument of Indigenous democracy used by a number of Indigenous communities, especially those in the Pacific Northwest nations of North America. The talking stick may be passed around a group, as multiple people speak in turn, or used only by leaders as a symbol of their authority and right to speak in public.Werness 295
Akan chiefs in Western Africa have a tradition of speaker's staffs capped with gold-leafed finials. These emerged in the 19th century as a symbol of the holder's power.
Pacific Northwest Coast art
{{main|Northwest Coast art}}
File:Richard Hunt carving.jpg carving a talking stick, Canada]]
Among many of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, talking sticks are carved wooden staffs, which can either bear a single crest at the top or be fully carved with heraldic clan crests of the chief or hereditary political spokesman. The staffs can include shell inlay. The staffs resemble small totem poles and are still used ceremonially today.Stewart and Tait 41 At gatherings, especially potlatches, a chief or their designated speaker holds the talking stick and makes announcements.Shearer 103 The speaker thumps the stick on the ground for emphasis. In some situations, a feather has been used as a stand-in for the talking stick.Shearer 46
Talking sticks are a contemporary Northwest Coast art form with great symbolic importance. Tsimshian woodcarver David A. Boxley was commissioned to sculpt a crown of a talking stick for the 1990 Goodwill Games, that incorporated symbolism of the United States and Russia. This staff was carried from Spokane, Washington to Oregon and on to Seattle, Washington by participating athletes.[http://www.davidboxley.com/about_david.shtml "Artist's Profile."] David Boxley. (retrieved 27 Oct 2011) Talking sticks are also incorporated into totem poles. In 1988 Kwakwaka'wakw Richard Hunt carved the world's largest totem pole featuring a Cedar Man wielding a 4.3 meter (14 foot) tall talking stick.Stewart and Tait 115[http://cowichanvalleyphotos.com/cedar-man-holding-talking-stick-richard-hunt-1988 "Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick – Richard Hunt 1988."] Cowichan Valley Travel, Tourism and Photography Information. retrieved 27 Oct 2011 Representations of chiefs are carved in totem poles carrying talking sticks as well as coppers.Stewart and Tait 141
See also
Notes
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References
- Shearer, Cindy. [https://books.google.com/books?id=S8RGA5UyrbAC&dq=edward+s.+curtis+%22nac+c-020826%22&pg=PA103 Understanding Northwest Coast Art: A Guide to Crests, Beings, and Symbols.] Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2000. {{ISBN|0-295-97973-9}}.
- Stewart, Hillary and Norman Tait. [https://books.google.com/books?id=WSueEr81v0IC&dq=carved%20talking%20stick&pg=PA141 Looking at Totem Poles.] Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1993. {{ISBN|978-1-55054-074-1}}.
- Wade, Edwin L. [https://books.google.com/books?id=TxYyscZlOXoC&dq=Tlingit+speaker%27s+staff&pg=PA4 The Arts of the North American Indian: Native Traditions in Evolution.] Hudson Hills, 1995. {{ISBN|978-0933920569}}.
- Werness, Hope B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2Y5nr5fGiHIC&dq=%22talking%20stick%22%20northwest%20coast&pg=PA295 Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art.] Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003. {{ISBN|978-0826414656}}.
Further reading
- Cultural anthropology: the human challenge, William A. Haviland, Harald E. L. Prins, and Dana Walrath, 2007, [https://books.google.com/books?id=jxzZl460258C&q=talking+stick&pg=PA288 source]
- Researching the culture in agri-culture, Michael M. Cernea, and Amir H. Kassam, 2005, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZdEm25Pdb2IC&q=talking+stick&pg=PA114 source]
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