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Ashanti gold weight of an adult hen and 2 chicks; Ashanti goldweight of an adult hen and two chicks
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| Title | Ashanti gold weight of an adult hen and 2 chicks; Ashanti goldweight of an adult hen and two chicks |
| Description | 1.5 x 2 x 1.5'' ; bronze; In the West African kingdom of Ashanti, small brass castings served two purposes: as counter-weights to measure gold-dust and as works of art. Metal smiths used a technique of casting metal using the Cire-perdue (lost wax) technique to create gold weights. Gold weights are among the few categories of African art not made for religious purposes. This goldweight may symbolize motherliness, parental care and discipline, and tenderness. It may also illustrate two proverbs: (1) Akoko baatan tia ne ba so a, onku no (or ''when the hen steps on the feet of her chicks, she does not mean to kill them''), meaning, parental admonition is not intended to harm the child, but to correct the child; and (2) Akoko baatan an onim dea ne mma bedi (or ''The good mother knows what her children will eat''), meaning, she feeds them not only with food, but also with love, affection, and care.In some Akan areas, when a boy approached manhood, his father would give him a small quantity of gold dust, a set of small weights, a miniature scale, and spoons and scoops so that he could learn the correct way to handle the dust. See K 066 (The process of creating Jewelry) and SK 114 (Akan Brass casting slide set) for more information. |
| Subject | Metal-work ; Art, Ashanti ; Africa, West. |
| Publisher | Ghana |
| Rights | Giertz Education Center @ the Krannert Art Museum |
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