Asan
Asan are flat-bladed Staffs of Office made from brass or bronze. They are topped with representations of different dignitaries or with headwear associated with particular roles. For example, Asan topped with figures wearing the Iyasẹ’s hat, or with representations of the hat itself, were carried by representatives of the Iyasẹ when conducting official business outside the palace ( ; ). The motifs on the top of the Asan identified the authority represented by the holder, thereby communicating both their legitimacy and the purpose of their mission.
Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here