Editing Talking stick

{{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/>

==Pacific Northwest Coast art==
{{main|Northwest Coast art}}
[[File:Richard Hunt carving.jpg|thumb|Kwakwaka'wakw artist [[Richard Hunt (artist)|Richard Hunt]] carving a talking stick, Canada]]
Among many of the [[Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest]], talking sticks are carved wooden staffs, which can either bear a single crest at the top or be fully carved with heraldic clan crests of the chief or hereditary political spokesman.<ref name=wade/> The staffs can include shell inlay.<ref name=w295/> The staffs resemble small [[totem pole]]s and are still used ceremonially today.<ref name=s41>Stewart and Tait 41</ref> At gatherings, especially [[potlatch]]es, a chief or their designated speaker holds the talking stick and makes  announcements.<ref name=s41/><ref>Shearer 103</ref> The speaker thumps the stick on the ground for emphasis.<ref name=s41/> In some situations, a feather has been used as a stand-in for the talking stick.<ref>Shearer 46</ref>

Talking sticks are a contemporary Northwest Coast art form with great symbolic importance. [[Tsimshian]] woodcarver [[David A. Boxley]] was commissioned to sculpt a crown of a talking stick for the 1990 [[Goodwill Games]], that incorporated symbolism of the United States and Russia. This staff was carried from [[Spokane, Washington]] to [[Oregon]] and on to [[Seattle, Washington]] by participating athletes.<ref>[http://www.davidboxley.com/about_david.shtml "Artist's Profile."] ''David Boxley.'' (retrieved 27 Oct 2011)</ref> Talking sticks are also incorporated into [[totem pole]]s. In 1988 Kwakwaka'wakw [[Richard Hunt (artist)|Richard Hunt]] carved the world's largest totem pole featuring a Cedar Man wielding a 4.3 meter (14 foot) tall talking stick.<ref>Stewart and Tait 115</ref><ref>[http://cowichanvalleyphotos.com/cedar-man-holding-talking-stick-richard-hunt-1988 "Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick – Richard Hunt 1988."] ''Cowichan Valley Travel, Tourism and Photography Information.'' retrieved 27 Oct 2011</ref> Representations of chiefs are carved in totem poles carrying talking sticks as well as [[Copper (potlatch)|coppers]].<ref>Stewart and Tait 141</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ruyi_(scepter)|Ruyi]]
*[[Sceptre]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* Shearer, Cindy. [https://books.google.com/books?id=S8RGA5UyrbAC&dq=edward+s.+curtis+%22nac+c-020826%22&pg=PA103 ''Understanding Northwest Coast Art: A Guide to Crests, Beings, and Symbols''.] Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2000. {{ISBN|0-295-97973-9}}.
* Stewart, Hillary and Norman Tait. [https://books.google.com/books?id=WSueEr81v0IC&dq=carved%20talking%20stick&pg=PA141 ''Looking at Totem Poles.''] Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1993. {{ISBN|978-1-55054-074-1}}.
* Wade, Edwin L. [https://books.google.com/books?id=TxYyscZlOXoC&dq=Tlingit+speaker%27s+staff&pg=PA4 ''The Arts of the North American Indian: Native Traditions in Evolution.''] Hudson Hills, 1995. {{ISBN|978-0933920569}}.
* Werness, Hope B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2Y5nr5fGiHIC&dq=%22talking%20stick%22%20northwest%20coast&pg=PA295 ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art.''] Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003. {{ISBN|978-0826414656}}.

==Further reading==
*''Cultural anthropology: the human challenge,'' William A. Haviland, Harald E. L. Prins, and Dana Walrath, 2007, [https://books.google.com/books?id=jxzZl460258C&q=talking+stick&pg=PA288 source]
*''Researching the culture in agri-culture'', Michael M. Cernea, and Amir H. Kassam, 2005, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZdEm25Pdb2IC&q=talking+stick&pg=PA114 source]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Talking Stick}}
[[Category:Native American tools]]
[[Category:Northwest Coast art]]
[[Category:Indigenous woodcarving of the Americas]]