Black Rod 1350 by royal letters patent, though the current title dates from 1522. The position was adopted by other members of the Commonwealth when they adopted the British Westminster system. The title is derived from the staff of office, an ebony staff topped with a golden lion, which is the main symbol of the office's authority. A ceremonial rod or staff is a common type of symbol indicating the authority of the office-holder. Depictions of ancient authority figures in many cultures include such a rod (alternatively called a sceptre). Another early example was the fasces (literally a bound bundle of rods)
Rulers of the Hawaiian Islands ivory tooth carved for the use of the ruling chiefs. It would be worn, suspended by finely coiled human hair and, when worn, is called a "lei niho palaoa". The royal standard of the ali‘i was the kāhili, a symbol of the ruling chiefs. It was a stem of bundled feathers that were carried by attendants. Rulers of the Hawaiian Islands The rulers of the Hawaiian islands ("noho aliʻi o ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻAina") are a line of native Hawaiians who were independent rulers of various subdivisions of the land and islands of Hawaii. Their genealogy is traced to Hānalaʻanui