
The Ugbudian (flywhisk) is one of the four items (Ada, Eben, Oro and the Ugbudian) that must be given to a prince when he is sent to establish a new dukedom. Made from leather, Ugbudian is harsher than the other type of flywhisks made from horsetail hair. It is used to chase the tsetse fly. This type of flywhisk could also be made from materials such as coral beads, however the coral flywhisk would have been used in ceremonial contexts.
According to Susan Preston Blier (1998, p.72 ), flywhisks are also seen as an ‘emblem of eldership’, thus they have more than merely a day-to-day utilitarian purpose but also serve to materialize and manifest a specific socio-political identity.
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