SKU: 8379216348

Yoruba Shango Staff, Nigeria

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Description

Yoruba Shango Staff, NigeriaYoruba Shango Staff, Nigeria A Yoruba Shango staff, Nigeria, a female figure posted on a columnar base, tapering, hanging breasts, a domed, stylized coiffure beneath an arrow like panel. Measurements: 42cm Condition: Fair; blackened patina, partly painted with white kaolin. This fine dance wand, or oshe, has superb patina and obvious age. Its contours have been rounded by handling, and the wood has developed a rich hue. It is carved as a supplicant

- Yoruba Shango Staff, Nigeria 

- A Yoruba Shango staff, Nigeria, a female figure posted on a columnar base, tapering, hanging breasts, a domed, stylized coiffure beneath an arrow-like panel.

- Measurements: 42cm

- Condition: Fair; blackened patina, partly painted with white kaolin.


This fine dance wand, or oshe, has superb patina and obvious age. Its contours have been rounded by handling, and the wood has developed a rich hue. It is carved as a supplicant female devotee of Shango, the Yoruba thunder deity. The depiction of a woman kneeling, lifting her breasts and having a baby strapped on her back is well known in Yoruba carving. It is a symbol of fertility and a gesture of greeting, offering and acceptance. Perhaps seen as naked and submissive to the Western eye, the form of the female is seen as gracious, generous and modest among the traditional Yoruba. The devotee is carved with an over-sized thunderbolt, edun ara, on her head. This aspect symbolises one’s destiny and burden. (The thunderbolt is a symbol of Shango.) Balancing the thunderbolt on one’s head is a metaphor for balancing the great power of Shango – the power that creates empires, but which also requires great care not to exceed its limits, which would bring about destruction.

The figure has bulging, semi-circular eyes; a flat nose with flared nostrils; and pursed lips, which is all suggestive of an Egbado provenance. The figure’s ears resemble angel’s wings. Her breasts are full and held forward. Three vertical scarifications (pélé) are incised on her forehead. Three horizontal scarifications (àbàjà) are incised on each cheek. The àbàjàs are more prominent than the pélés on the forehead. Overall, the female figure is almost symmetrical, except for the carving of the baby on her back.

Such a dance wands was carried by devotees at the annual festival of Shango and on other ritual occasions. During the Shango festival, devotees would dance in the streets to the thunderous rhythms of the bata drums. The dance wand would have presented a dramatic image when seen in the hand of a dancing devotee. It was waved in violent and threatening gestures to imitate the dangerous powers of Shango: unpredictable, violent, and creative and destructive – all at the same time. The Shango ritual would reach a climax when one of the devotees became possessed by Shango himself.

According to oral tradition, Shango was the fourth king of ancient Oyo Empire. He defeated the rivalrous Dahomey Kingdom. His army was famed for its skilful cavalry on the battlefield. However, Shango was also renowned for his unpredictable use of power, and his obsession with magic which often involved invoking thunder. He reigned for only seven years. His capital city Oyo-Ile and the royal family were destroyed by severe thunderstorms, apparently brought by his misuse of magical powers! He was devastated by the destruction of his family and his consequent humiliation by his chiefs. He left Oyo and committed suicide in Koso. However, thunderstorms continued to strike the Oyo Empire after his death. His chiefs built shrines and deified Shango to appease the thunderstorms.

The Yoruba is one of the largest tribes in West Africa. There are 30 million Yoruba people in West Africa, predominantly in Nigeria. The Egbado are one of the many tribes that make up the Yoruba culture. The Egbado are found mostly in the south-western areas of Yorubaland, where the ancient Oyo Empire was founded. Igan Okoto has the biggest population of the Egbado people.

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SKU: 8379216348

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4.2 ★★★★★
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Catherine
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 4
Good after-sun spray
The pros: We have used this a couple of times after getting more sun than we wanted, and it seems to work as advertised. It has a cooling feel to it, and seems to soothe the skin well. It's not greasy and it absorbs well -- I didn't notice I had it on it after initially putting it on. It doesn't have a glow or shine to it. It also has a very minor fragrance -- not one that's noticeable. The size is great; you can take it with you on vacation and even put it in your carry-on. Perhaps most important, I am glad for the more natural ingredients involved -- ones that aren't toxic. The cons: It's a little expensive, as most sun bum products are. And it seems to work well, but I feel like aloe works similarly.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2026
H
HJ
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Great Hypochlorous Spray!
I love Sun Bum and I regularly use hypochlorous acid in my skincare routine, so I was stoked to try this! First, I have sensitive skin that’s prone to redness, dryness, and acne. Hypochlorous acid has been a godsend on days where I need a toner step but my skin doesn’t want to tolerate anything. Hypochlorous acid is also great for acne healing and prevention. On top of all of that, it’s good for general skin healing so this can definitely be used on the rest of your body wherever your skin may be irritated (please use common sense here lol). There’s no scent which is great and exactly what you’d want in a hypochlorous acid spray. The way it feels is comparable to magic molecules hypochlorous acid spray, which is what I’ve been using until receiving this one to try. It’s like a very watery toner. The spray itself is a fine mist and doesn’t feel like getting blasted in the face lol. It takes maybe 30 seconds to a minute to dry down after spraying a few sprays on your face, just depending how dry your skin and climate are. It’s a great base for literally any other skincare and it’s also a great refresher to spray on top of other products during the day. It really does it all. As far as value, I will say even though the price is comparable, you get more with magic molecules. I’ve included some photos to compare the bottle size. While I’m thrilled to try this for free, I don’t think I would repurchase unless it was on sale/better value than the MM version. It is a cute little bottle and looks good with my other skincare, just in case that’s something you care about. The bottle is fully plastic - no glass. Some may prefer that and some not. I find it really easy for chucking in my bag/traveling. I haven’t noticed any issues with leaking although I truthfully haven’t traveled with it that much. I’m giving this 5 stars because it’s a really solid choice for a hypochlorous acid from a great brand and it’s sensitive skin friendly!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2026
J
James
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Works grear
I'm big fan of Sun Bum and their product lines. I burn easily and my skin gets sore even when protected so I use a lot of after sun products. This one is a good on the go product. It does a good job at moisturizing the skin while smelling good at the same time. Compared to other brands this product pricing a grear value for the money. I will be adding a can to my after sun routine.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2026
A
Anon
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 3
Seems to help
I usually really like Sun Bum products so I was excited to try this. I am on vacation in FL right now and spending a lot of time in the sun. I got a bit burned the first day so I used this that night. It’s meant for the face but I also used some on my arms. It has no scent at all. I’m fine with that. It is a watery spray. So when you spray it on your skin it sort of beads up. I suppose you can let it soak in but I was impatient so I rubbed it in. It did not sting and it did leave my skin feeling somewhat moisturized but it’s not like using lotion or cream. It did not reduce any of the redness from the sunburn although I’m not sure if it’s supposed to. But my sunburn did not hurt the next day after using it. To be fair, I use tretinoin cream so my face is especially sensitive to the sun. My skin gets irritated very easily but this spray did not bother me at all. For myself, I’ll probably continue to use sunscreen for sunburn aftercare but this spray is convenient and it doesn’t leave any residue like creams would.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
M
More coffee, please
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 4
Basic hypochlorous acid
My family has used hypochlorous acid for a long long time for everything from cuts and scrapes to pink eye to sunburns to preventing mold and mildew in kid cups and showers. It’s an amazing solution to so many things and even makes an awesome hand sanitizer. Plus it’s safe for consumption so can be used on kid toys or directly on skin. Despite packaging differences they’re pretty much all the same if they’re pure hypochlorous acid. Like others this one is not greasy, has no fragrance and is lightweight. It is water based so it’s moisturizing and prevents infection. At a current price of $14 for 2 ounces this is on the higher end. I think the value is just okay and worth comparing other brands (check ingredients!) but this small size is very handy for throwing in a beach bag or purse.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2026

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