This striking gilded zoomorphic sculpture is the
finial from a translator staff, which was made by
one of the many tribes that make up the Akan
polity of Ghana. It is made from wood, carved
into the likeness of an elephant balanced on a
pear, using its trunk to move what is presumably
the stalk, while a parrot-like bird is perching
alongside. The quality of the rendering is superb.
The surface is highly variable, but is everywhere
adorned with linear raised hatching and floral
designs that are accentuated by the fine
application of gold leaf. The bird is exquisitely
carved, with a long, curved beak and all-over
linear cross-hatching to suggest the texture of
feathers. It bears a strong resemblance to the
“true” (i.e. tail-less) parrots of West Africa, and
appears to be eating the pear upon which it is
perching. The elephant is out-of-scale in terms
of size, but is charmingly well-carved and gilded.
The Akan are a loose assemblage of tribes –
including the Akuapem, the Akyem, the Ashanti,
the Baoulé, the Anyi, the Brong, the Fante and
the Nzema – that share general cultural trends
while maintaining separate tribal identities. Their
society is highly ritualised, with numerous gods
under a main deity who varies according to the
group in question (Onyame – the Supreme One –
is the Asante deity), and a host of lesser gods
(Abosom) who are mostly connected with the
natural world (earth, ocean, rivers, animals etc).
The society is ruled by Asantahenes, and a host
of minor chiefs who claim royal status through
their connection with the land and the founders
of villages upon it. One factor that unites the
Akan is the fact that they took a golden stool as
their emblem and rose up against the European
invaders in the 18th century. They have also
staved off interest from Northern Islamic groups.
The main reason for this imperial interest was
the long history of gold mining and gold working
in the area, which has been taking place for at
least 600 years. The Akan consider gold to be
the embodiment of sunlight and a physical
manifestation of life’s vital force, or “kra”. Most
of the economy is based upon the trade in gold,
which is most prominently used for the
manufacture of regalia for the royal courts but
also found its way into almost every aspect of
elite life.
As stated, this is the head of a linguist (or
translator) staff. Known as kyemae poma, they
are still used in Ghana as markers of special
status within and between royal courts, as
diplomats and translators. They are typically
zoomorphic, with hollow bases, on a blackwood
staff banded with gold plates at intervals. They
were based upon the European habit of carrying
silver-topped canes, and thus are a relatively late
development in the Akan cultural repertoire.
Courtly regalia were decorated with designs that
were referred to as “abosodeå”, or “things of the
fetish”, and which held some significance for the
user or the tribe in question. While the
significance of the bird is uncertain, these staffs
were always carved with some specific
significance in mind; what is certain is that this is
a superb piece of African artwork and a valuable
addition to any collectin of the genre.
T. Garrard, 1989. 'Gold of Africa'. Prestel-Verlag
Publishing, Munich
D. Ross, 'The Iconography of Asante Sword
Ornaments' African Arts, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Oct.,
1977), pp. 16-91.
