This fine staff of office (often referred to as a sceptre), from the "homeland" period (before 1850) of Madame M.-L. Bastin, is unusual in both the delicate treatment and extreme stylisation of the features of the two heads, and having two small figures flanking the central projection. They most likely represent mahamba, the patron spirits of hunters, found on some of the representations of the mythical hunter Chibinda Ilunga Katele (e.g. Bastin, 1982, p.142, no.80). The projection above is also connected to the hunt, being a symbol of the hunya, an ancient weapon used in the hunt and war.

Bastin (1982, p.192, no.112) illustrates a sceptre with five carved heads with similarly high tapered foreheads, which she suggests may represent a chief's lineage. Some Chokwe chiefs considered it elegant to shave their hair above the forehead to extend the hairline. A fine vertical ridge down the centre of the each forehead in the present sceptre represents the scarification kakongo, named after a small rodent whose fur is marked with a dark line.