Walkingsticks, canes, and staffs have been a part of human society since the beginning of civilization. Throughout the ages, we have shaped the simple piece of wood into many religious, military, and governmental symbols. Ancient Christian and Buddhist texts refer to the staff, and Eygptian tombs and Assyrian reliefs are adorned with pictures of Pharaohs and priest-kings with staves denoting their power and rank. Moses parted the Red Sea with his staff, and the Popes of Rome carry the shepard's crook, fixed with gold and jewels. Robin Hood befriended Little John after a battle with staves. Even Peter Rabbit has been seen with a cane.The Seventeeth and Eighteenth centuries saw a rise in fashionable canes for men and women, and today the staff, cane, and walking sticks still play an important role in the lives of outdoor enthusiasts, kings, the elderly, the mighty, and the interested.
Freemasons have been fashioning themselves walking sticks and canes for generations, and we use Masonic staves in our rituals!
(Please note these were not made by me)
