Object Name: Fly whisk Cultural Group: Bamum peoples Place of Origin: Cameroon Date: 19th century Materials Used: Raffia cloth, glass beads, horsehair, iron, nails, raffia thread Dimensions: H: 121.0 cm, W: 10.0 cm, D: 12.0 cm (H: 47.6 in, W: 3.9 in, D: 4.7 in) Credit line and Accession Number: Gift of George G. Frelinghuysen. X67.2052
Fly whisks are common prestige emblems for chiefs and kings in Africa. The beaded representation of a ram with curled horns is a metaphor for the king’s strength, tenacity, and endurance. The whisk itself is made from the tail of a horse, an animal also associated with nobility and elevated status in the Grassfields kingdoms.
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