A Fon Asen Staff for Vodun Ritual

This forged iron staff is known as Asen and was created for each ancestor by the Fon people of Benin, to serve as a link between the living and the dead. Offerings and recognition would be offered to each Asen during the dry season in a ceremony called ahanbiba. This staff top features the effigy of a seated priest, a fire, a small tree and a large serpent, and the staff is surrounded by cross like appendages and small iron conical bells. The Staff measures 23 inches tall x 10 inches wide on its custom base. Fon peoples, Benin and Dahomey, West Africa. Provenance: Ex Collection Daniel Jones, FL, USA.
Condition Report: Well weathered and worn