One thing is a little curious about the carving of the figure on this stick, is that the left hand has 6 fingers. People having 6 fingers on a hand is not that unusual. Even if this stick came from people without specialist carvers I find it curious that such a basic element of humans is portrayed so.
Bearing in mind this may well be rhinoceros horn, a prestige material. I wonder if the sixth finger is deliberate. In a small community this would be unusual. A sixth finger has at times been seen as a noble sign. I believe it runs in some royal households in history for various reasons. Anne Boleyn is said to have had 6 fingers on a hand but then she did loose her head.
What do you think? It just seems a little odd to me.
|