Editing Talking stick (section)

{{Short description|Instrument of Indigenous democracy, especially in Northwest America}}
[[File:Kwakwakawakwtribesman.jpeg|thumb|200px|A [[Kwakwaka'wakw]] man with a talking stick, photo by [[Edward S. Curtis]]]]
A '''talking stick''', also called a '''speaker's staff''',<ref name=wade>Wade 31</ref> is an instrument of Indigenous [[democracy]] used by a number of Indigenous communities, especially those in the [[Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast|Pacific Northwest]] nations of North America. The talking stick may be passed around a group, as multiple people speak in turn, or used only by leaders as a symbol of their authority and right to speak in public.<ref name=w295>Werness 295</ref>

[[Akan people|Akan]] chiefs in Western Africa have a tradition of speaker's staffs capped with [[Gold leaf|gold-leaf]]ed [[finial]]s. These emerged in the 19th century as a symbol of the holder's power.<ref name=w295/>