This staff, a symbol of authority, is believed to have belonged to Cacique Tachui (baptised Manuel Cepeda), who served as chief of the village of Baba between 1807 and 1818. He inherited it from his father, also known as Tachui.
Carved from a narwhal tusk, the staff has a natural spiral shape and is unpolished, tapering to a pointed, beak-like tip. The crown-shaped handle, the band (used to hold the tassels worn by local authorities) and the terminal fitting are finely chiselled in silver by indigenous silversmiths. However, these fittings are not original; after the establishment of the Republican regime in Ecuador from 1820 onwards, many traditional symbols were redesigned and the silver elements were added.
Chile, 19th century