Heiosso stick, Benin

Authentic reliquary/scepter of the Benin tribe containing bone fragments inside.
The name "Benin" derives from "Bini", a name of dubious origin with which the Edos, an ethnic group from the region of present-day Nigeria, became known from a certain historical moment. Such name could derive from birnin, " fortified territory ", with reference to the walls that at the end of the 15th century were built around the city of Edo.
This scepter, probably used during local rituals, keeps traces of the original pigments and contains inside bone fragments of unknown origin.