A Commander's baton, Toma peoples (also known as Loma in Liberia), Guinea, Forest Region, Macenta, Guinea. Incl stand. This carved wooden baton is attributed to the Loma (Toma) peoples of the Macenta region in Guinea’s Forest Region, an area historically characterized by decentralized political organization structured through elder councils and male initiation associations. Among the Loma, authority is articulated less through centralized kingship than through graded social institutions, most notably the Poro society, which governs initiation, adjudication, and moral regulation. Ceremonial batons function as insignia of rank and command, serving as visible markers of office during public gatherings, ritual performances, or juridical proceedings. The baton’s sculptural articulation—whether through anthropomorphic finials, geometric segmentation, or symbolic motifs—materializes authority as something both socially sanctioned and spiritually grounded. Its vertical form reinforces hierarchy and presence, while its portability allows authority to be enacted performatively in space. Surface patina, wear patterns, and handling marks are critical to interpretation, as such objects accrue meaning through repeated ritual use. Rather than purely representational, the baton operates as a performative instrument of governance, mediating between communal consensus and cosmological legitimacy. In museological terms, the Toma commander’s baton exemplifies how regalia in Upper Guinea encodes political structure, ritual hierarchy, and embodied authority within a compact, materially resonant form. CAB30393