Four Objects As Signifiers Of Power

Throughout centuries rulers have utilized objects to help distinguish themselves from the common people. Objects like crowns, royal/ruling staffs, royal cloths, and thrones. These objects have all serve to asserting the rulers power. This essay will discuss four objects that function as signifiers of power within cultures. I will discuss; the Kearny Cloak, Kente cloth, the Stool Associated with the Royal Asante House and the Yoruba Crown seen on King Aiowayoye. Aside from discussing these objects I will also examine their differences and overarching similarity.

The Kearny Cloak is a large cloak used in Hawaiian culture. The cloak depicts many geometrical shapes. The front contains a massive circle that would form when the cloak was closed,

The crown is made of elaborate bead work and is used to signify power. The beadwork for these crowns is done by special gild of bead workers that are connected to the god of bead working, Obalufon (224). For this reason the beadwork on the crown carries a divine connotation, adding to the wearer’s power and association with divinity. The crown is tall, has several paradise flycatcher (royal birds), and long majestic strings of beads. The height of the crown functions to add grandeur to the king, as largeness is connected with power, an aspect that is cross cultural in depiction of royalty. When the king is wearing the crown his face is covered by the many beads hanging from the crown. This helps emphasize the ruler’s head which is associated with “his power, character, and beauty” (246). In addition, the covering of the rulers face allows his subjects to be shielded from his powerful gaze. The purpose of including sacred birds on the crown is to helps differentiate the king from normal people because the paradise flycatcher are associated with royalty. Aside from being only worn by royalty The Yoruba Crown signifies power by incorporating divine and royal symbols. This is accomplished by the royal birds and the divine beadwork on the

The Kearny Cloak was believed to increase the mana of its wearer, because of the sacred ritual that the special artist would conduct while weaving them. The artists would recite the lineage of the owner over the cloak. This recitation was thought to infuse the cloak with the wearers ancestral lineage and create a link to the gods. The Asante Stool is believed to contain the owners soul. It is believed to hold it even after they die, that is why no one but the owner is allowed to sit on their special stool. The Yoruba Crown is constructed by a guild of beadworks that are linked to the god of beadworking. These beaded vail has the power to shield the people of the rulers powerful gaze. The crown is also filled with herbs that add power to the rulers power (246). Aside from shielding the public from the gaze of the ruler and adding power to the ruler, the crown can also be used to remove the ruler. If the rule of the king is questioned by the elders they make the king take off the crown and look inside the crown. The power crown then causes the death of the