OSHE SHANGO DANCE WAND

Double-headed Shango Dance Wand, Yoruba Ceremonial Ritual Staff

A hand-carved wooden Ose Sango, also known as Oshe Shango dance wand, used by worshippers of Shango (Thunder God of Yoruba mythology)

This is a wooden shaft with a double-headed figure supporting the Shango double axe.


Shango is a major deity of the religion of the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria. Like all of the Yoruba gods also known as Orishas, Shango is a deified ancestor.

Shango was the very powerful fourth king of the town of Oyo. His rule ended when a subordinate chief challenged him and caused Shango's subjects to desert him by displaying various feats of magic. Defeated in the eyes of his kinsmen, Sango committed suicide by hanging himself. His followers, however claimed that he had not died but ascended to heaven and the disappearance was merely his transformation into a deity or orisha. Shango's devoted followers eventually secured a place for their cult in the religious and political system of the very powerful, expanding Oyo Empire and became integral to the installation of ancient Oyo kings.

One of the objects used to honor Shango, the Yoruba god of thunder, is the Oshe Shango, or dance wand. It is carried by Shango devotees during public worship and ceremonies. The traditional form of the Oshe Shango is a shaft with a double axe projecting from the head of the central figure. Shango's devotees believe that the axe blades are thunderbolts Shango hurls toward those that offend or displease him.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Yoruba, Bini, and Fon people were enslaved and transported to the Americas. In some locations in the Caribbean and South America, African slaves and their descendants were able to reestablish Shango’s worship. In the early 21st century, Shango was worshipped in the Vodou religion of Haiti, the Santería tradition of Cuba, and also in the Candomblé cult of Brazil.

Condition:

Deep but very stable splits on wooden shaft and some minor wood loss to the base. This object was handled frequently and used, resulting in the smooth facial features, wear around the handle and deep patina.