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HOME :
Islamic Art :
AS.USA : Akan Gold Weight (abrammuo)
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Akan Gold Weight (abrammuo) - SP.096
Origin: Ghana
Circa: 19
th
Century AD
Collection: African Art
Medium: Brass
Additional Information: AS.USA
$2,400.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
This attractive miniature sculpture is actually a
gold-weight made by the Akan peoples of what
was once appositely named the Gold Coast –
now Ghana. 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 a main
deity, and a host of lesser gods that are
connected with the natural world. The society is
ruled by Asantahenes, and a host of minor chiefs.
The Akan attracted colonial attention from
Europeans, then Islamic groups, due to the long
history of gold mining and 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”. It
underpins the economy, and is used for the
manufacture of royal regalia and many aspects of
elite life. Weights such as this were of standard
weight and volume, and were used to measure
gold to deal with traders who came from across
Africa to deal in the precious metal. This
particular piece is unusual in terms of its
depiction, which resembles that of the Dogon
people of Mali.
- (SP.096)
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