The secret service ain’t got nothing on the Ashanti Soul Washers. Men born on the same day as the Asantehene (“King” in Twi), the Soul Washers were chosen to join the chief’s posse and, with the help of their protective breastplates, act as shields/shock absorbers for any evil directed at him.

The breastplate itself is symbolic of the chief’s power: the circle represents the earth, the four protrusions indicate the directions, and the four paths coming together in the middle connote the Akan proverb “the chieftain is like a crossroad, all paths lead to him.” (Unless you’ve got evil intentions, of course, in which case you’ll be road-blocked by a Soul Washer.)