This staff of a dignitary with two feather-covered bird figures was probably a status symbol or dignity mark. In pre-Columbian Peru, the feathers of tropical birds were preferred to express an elevated social status. On the desert-like Peruvian coast from which this staff originated, animals from the tropical regions of the Amazon were symbols of rain and fertility. The high-ranking members of society had important religious functions and were responsible for the punctual start of the rainy season by means of rituals to gain the favour of the gods.