Gold-weight
Akan
Description
Subject Matter:
Figurative gold-weight in the form of a chicken's head. Chickens (akoko in Twi) are a common form of gold-weight, perhaps because of their symbolism of female fertility. They were therefore "considered acceptable offerings to be sacrificed during ancestral and religious rites" (cf. Sheales, African Goldweights, 2014). One related proverb states "How big is the fowl's head, that they should be striking at it", often said of a powerful person who bullies a defenseless person (cf. Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 206). Another proverb warns "If you have no child, it is you yourself who will eat the chicken's head", which means that a man without children has no one to help him, so must look after himself (cf. Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 206).
Physical Description:
Gold-weight in the shape of an oblong base with a tapered point, attached to a notched semi-circle. There is a diagonal incision on the narrow end of the base and a small, raised circle with an incised 'X' toward the wider end of the base.
Usage Rights:
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