Gold-weight
Akan
Description
Subject Matter:
A figurative gold-weight in the shape of an axe (akuma). According to Fiona Sheales, 2014, some proverbs associated with the axe are: ‘The last-born carries the axe; ‘If a person who has never bought meat buys liver, he uses an axe to chop it up.'
According to Timothy Garrard, 1980, a proverb related to the axe is: "If you are so friendly with the woodpecker as to perform its funeral rites, then buy an axe for it now so that it may not die by knocking its head against the tree. (If you have a son who behaves badly, check him now before it is too late.)"
See: T. Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 209-10, 363.
See also: Sheales, Fiona, African Goldweights, London, BMP, 2014
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/online_research_catalogues/agw/african_gold-weights.aspx
Physical Description:
Gold-weight in the shape of smooth rod attached to a rounded top with a triangular piece protruding outwards.
Usage Rights:
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