Ancestral Staff

early 20th century

Fon, African

On View

African, Level 1, North Wing

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About the Artwork

This parasol-like wrought-iron staff, known as an asen, is an altar dedicated to an ancestor among the Fon people of the Republic of Benin. The staff usually stands alongside others devoted to a family’s deceased elders. When set up in a shrine, the staves collectively honor the ancestors and provide a shared focus for periodic rituals and communication with them. Family members might make offerings of food and drinks to the specific ancestor during moments of crisis.

Typically, the asen has three distinct parts — a tall undecorated stem with a pointed tip that allows it to be stuck in the ground; a parasol-like platform with clapper bells around the edge that make sound with every movement; and a three-dimensional figural scene on the top with a depiction of the ancestor or another meaningful representation. Here, the ancestor sits on a throne flanked by two animals behind a covered cooking vessel on a traditional hearth. One of the animals is a ram, indicating an indigenous ritual scene. However, the monumental cross behind may suggest the ancestor’s Christian affiliation or tout him as progressive.

Title Ancestral Staff

Artwork Date early 20th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Fon

Medium Iron and wood

Dimensions Overall: 39 × 10 inches (99.1 × 25.4 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department African Art

Credit Gift of Raymond Zimmerman

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2000.154

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Provenance

Ray Zimmerman (West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA);
2001-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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