Ceremonial Clapper Handle

The evident age of this carved ivory clapper handle suggests that it would have been a treasured item of regalia, preserved and passed on from generation to generation. Only the Oba and the two chiefs of the highest ranking Uzama group of hereditary titled chiefs, who crown the Oba at his coronation, can use ceremonial objects made of ivory. The Oba beats an ivory clapper during ceremonial gatherings in the palace grounds. This clapper handle was given to the museum in 1945 by a Mrs. Douglas Campbell. She may have acquired it from her nephew, a career soldier Capt. Eric Stephenson, D.S.O., who died in action on 6th March 1915 in the Dardanelles.