In the kingdom of the Ashanti , court officials who served as spokespersons and advisers to the king were called linguists and carried linguist staffs. The chief linguist carried a staff with a decorated knob covered in gold. The knob typically illustrated proverbs connected to the position of chief. A knob showing two men seated on stools in front of a table, for example, indicates that "food belongs to the rightful owner and not to one who is hungry." This proverb means that the position of chief must pass to the rightful heir, not to someone who thirsts for power. An art object's appearance depends upon its materials, its form, and the stylistic practices at work in the artist's culture and time. Each of these aspects of the object may convey symbolic meaning, reflect ideals of beauty, or disclose information about the society.
The materials a particular African culture uses to make art depend to a large degree on the materials available to it. Wood, plant fibers, and clay are abundant in much of the continent. Few sculptures are created from wood in parts of southern Africa, where wood is relatively scarce. Where riverbeds provide good clay deposits, as in the Niger River valley of Nigeria, pottery and ceramic sculpture are plentiful. Soapstone is readily available in Zimbabwe and northern South Africa, where the Shona people reside. The Shona carved soapstone birds as early as the 14th century, and they continue to carve a variety of animal and human figures in soapstone today. Some materials are used not because they are commonly available, but because they possess special properties. For example, the Mijikenda of eastern Kenya carve grave posts from a wood that is especially hard as well as termite-proof; this ensures that the markers will last at gravesites for many years. Other materials, including beads, cowry shells, and silk, are prized because they come from far away. In the past, among the Yoruba of western Africa and the Kuba of central Africa, the right to wear beads and cowry shells belonged to the king alone. The Kuba used blue and white glass beads and cowry shells to adorn items such as drums, masks, and costumes for use by the king and other royalty. A Kuba royal mask called the Moshambwooy is covered in a rich array of beads that attest to its importance and represent water or forest spirits. A trunklike appendage on this mask recalls the elephant, which symbolizes strength and financial resources.
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