The bakora staff is a sacred object that belongs to the respective Royal Mjuzis of the Pride Lands and the Tree of Life. It allows the Royal Mjuzi to commune with the Great Lions of the Past as well as perform other duties required of their position. Bakora staffs are currently wielded by Rafiki and Makini.
Makini: How will I know which one to choose? Rafiki: Shwari, Makini. You will know when you know. But it would not hurt to be quiet and let the branch speak to you!
—Makini and Rafiki on the former's bakora staff[src]
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Rafiki and his apprentice, Makini, each wield a bakora staff.
When a Royal Mjuzi-in-training has come of age, they are permitted to select their own bakora staff. They may choose a staff with the help of intuition and are encouraged to let the staff "speak" to them. Royal Mjuzis may also select a new staff if theirs becomes broken or lost.
Each bakora staff has two gourds attached to it; one to represent the past and one to represent the future. Bakora staffs may also be decorated with other flora. Royal Mjuzis-in-training are required to have a bakora staff before being introduced to the royal family of the Pride Lands, as the lead monarch traditionally places his paw on it in welcome. [1]
The bakora staff has several key functions, including communing with the Lions of the Past (both good and evil spirits), bringing paintings to life, and officiating marriages.[1][2] During the Lion Guard's journey to the Tree of Life, Makini stored Kion's supply of tuliza in the gourds on her bakora staff.[3]
History[]
Rafiki's bakora staff[]
At some point in his life—presumably when he became a Royal Mjuzi—Rafiki obtained a bakora staff.[4]
Makini's bakora staffs[]
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Perhaps you need something to ground you. Ha, ha! Yes! You need your bakora staff.
When Makini came of age, Rafiki instructed her to select a bakora staff. She selected a staff only for it to be immediately stolen by Ushari and later used to summon the spirit of Scar. In the process, the staff was destroyed.[1]
Makini finds her first bakora staff.
She later secured a second staff, only for it to be destroyed in a fire at Rafiki's tree.[5] Her third staff was apparently destroyed or lost.[5][6] Her fourth staff was destroyed by Kenge.[6] Her fifth staff was apparently destroyed or lost.[7][8] Her sixth staff was burned up in a lava flow.[8] Her seventh staff was broken when she tried to use it to move Kongwe.[9] Her eighth,[10][11] ninth,[11] and tenth[11][3] staffs were all either destroyed or lost. Her eleventh staff was lost in a frozen lake.[12]
Finally, at the Tree of Life, Janna gifted Makini with her twelfth and final staff, one that had belonged to the Tree of Life's late Royal Mjuzi.[13]