Yorùbá Dance Wand (19th or 20th Century)

Yorùbá Dance Wand (19th or 20th Century)

AP African American Studies Guide

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Topic 1.7

A Yorùbá Dance Wand, or Oshe Shango (19th or 20th Century)

A dance wand made of wood painted black in the form of a standing wooden female figure with arms at sides apart from torso; hands joined at hips; and feet and legs apart.


A Yorùbá (Igbomina subgroup) dance wand (oshe shango), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, 19 1/2 x 7 x 3 1/4 in. (49.5 x 17.8 x 8.3 cm). (Brooklyn Museum, Frank L. Babbott Fund and Designated Purchase Fund, 79.27. Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CC BY)

Discussion Questions

  1. What does the existence of this artwork suggest about the cultural practices of the Yorùbá?
  2. In the Yorùbá tradition, Shango is the god of thunder, and “Oshe Sango” is the name given to wands used by dancers worshiping Shango. What thunder imagery do you see in this wand?
  3. This artwork was created against the backdrop of colonization. In what ways does it reflect European influence?