Funerary Staff 15th-16th century Inca This imposing sculpted board, made from algarrobo wood (Prosopis chilensis), features a plain lower section terminating in a rounded, paddle-like lower edge. A shaft with seabirds carved along one side links the lower section to a square upper section with openwork ornamentation and four figures. Two seabirds, perched atop openwork rectangles, were carved on the top of the paddle section, on either side of the shaft. Portions of the implement were once covered with a metal overlay. Remains of this sheeting can be seen from the upper part of the paddle section to the top of the top of the object, including silver on the figures headdresses. Traces of red, yellow, and green pigment also remain.All of the scientifically excavated examples of these digging boards have been found in the Chincha and Ica valleys on Perus South Coast and date to the 15th-16th century. The function of these objects has been a lively topic of discussion among scholars for