The Sticks: Judah and Joseph
Richard Olagunju (1969– )
- Medium
Nigeria
ca. 2009
Carved wood
"This sculpture is done in the Yoruba form of tribal art from West Africa. Depicted are the sticks of Judah and Joseph—two scrolls of the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible. This is explained in the Bible: 'Take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, . . . say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand'” (Ezekiel 37:16–19).