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Just like the antenna helps an insect sense its surroundings, the bakora staff helps the Royal Mjuzi sense the Lions of the Past.
Rafiki[src]

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.

Concept[]

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]
2017-09-26-16 32 37

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[]

Perhaps you need something to ground you. Ha, ha! Yes! You need your bakora staff.
―Rafiki to Makini[src]

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]

2017-08-04-01 21 44

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]

Appearances[]

Films

Television series

Books

Comics

Trivia[]

  • "Bakora" means "stick" or "cane" in Swahili.[14]
  • In The Lion Guard, it is a running gag that Makini keeps losing her bakora staff, forcing her to craft a new one each time.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Revealed in "The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 5. Written by Ford Riley and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired July 29, 2017.
  2. Revealed in Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998). Written by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus, and directed by Darrell Rooney. Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Revealed in "Battle for the Pride Lands" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 3, Episode 1. Written by Ford Riley and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired August 3, 2019.
  4. Revealed in Disney's The Lion King (1994). Written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton, and directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Revealed in "Rafiki's New Neighbors" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 8. Written by Laura Sreebny and Krista Tucker, and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired September 22, 2017.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Revealed in "The Bite of Kenge" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 11. Written by Krista Tucker and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired November 3, 2017.
  7. Revealed in "The Golden Zebra" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 14. Written by Elise Allen and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired January 9, 2018.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Revealed in "The Scorpion's Sting" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 17. Written by Krista Tucker and directed by Tom Derosier and Howy Parkins. Originally aired April 2, 2018.
  9. Revealed in "The Wisdom of Kongwe" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 18. Written by Jack Monaco and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired April 3, 2018.
  10. Revealed in "Cave of Secrets" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 21. Written by Jack Monaco and directed by Tom Derosier and Howy Parkins. Originally aired September 4, 2018.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Revealed in "The Fall of Mizimu Grove" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 2, Episode 28. Written by Kendall Michele Haney and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired March 25, 2019.
  12. Revealed in "The Tree of Life" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 3, Episode 11. Written by Kendall Michele Haney and directed by Howy Parkins. Originally aired October 6, 2019.
  13. Revealed in "The River of Patience" from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard. Season 3, Episode 12. Written by Jennifer Skelly and directed by Tom Derosier and Howy Parkins. Originally aired October 12, 2019.
  14. Translation of "bakora" into English. Glosbe. Retrieved on January 2, 2023.
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