Asante (Ghana)
Goldweight
Brass
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Goldweights, called mrammuo, provide great insight into the art, bronze casting tradition, and economic trade history of Africa.
Beginning in the late 1300s, gold that was mined in southern Ghana began
to be traded northward. Gold was traded from southern Ghana to the
African Sahel and then across the Sahara desert. The Akan people began
producing goldweights that corresponded to the weights and measurements
of their trading partners. For instance, the Akan goldweights were based
on an Islamic and Sahelian ounce. This production of various gold weights
used to compare with the standards of fellow traders continued as the
Akan peoples traded with the Portuguese after 1470 and the Dutch after
1600. From circa 1400 to 1900, goldweights were used by the Akan and
Akan-related peoples of southern Ghana and regions of the Côte
d'Ivoire to weigh gold dust.
The variety of goldweight types derives from both artistic creativity and
the history of gold trading. The great variety of weights grew from
necessity and their forms demonstrate surface decoration, organic,
abstract, and geometric forms and symbolism.
Complete sets of gold weights are an indication of status. Wealthy and
powerful people tend to have larger and more ornate sets of goldweights
than others. When a young man is eligible for marriage, his father
usually provides him with a small set of goldweights as a necessary tool
to earn his livelihood. In fact, a goldweight collection is related to
one's soul and sometimes included in religious ceremonies for
purification.
Goldweights are usually cast by the "lost wax
technique."
There are numerous kinds of goldweights. Among them are:
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