This is what we call in Kom chisendo, and here it's known as "the retainer." This retainer is holding a mortar in his left hand. On the right, he's holding a calabash. He is sitting on a stool, and this stool has the mark of a leopard. This is one of the most important objects I saw in the museum, because this retainer is supposed to be the custodian of Kom tradition. What he is meant to represent here is an installment ceremony, because it is he who installs the Fon of Kom along with the other kingmakers. He carries water in the calabash and puts it in the mortar to mix up. The Fon is rubbed with camwood and he will sit on his stool for seven days. During this period, it is believed there is a connection between him and the ancestors and it is where he gets his powers to be able to rule people. Normally, when you go to the palace, you carry gifts to the Fon and give them to the retainer. It is the retainer who goes to the inner shrine of the palace where the Fon lives and tells him there is a guest. But when I took the images from the Seattle Art Museum, I was able to talk with them and they were so useful and open to me-everything I asked they told me.
