Gold-weight
Akan
Description
Subject Matter:
Figurative gold-weight in the form of two crocodiles sharing one stomach. One of the few gold-weights that can be confidently connected to a proverb, this figure is called dinje blafou in the Baule language by Akan-speaking peoples in Côte d'Ivoire and funtumfrafu denkyemfrafu in the Twi language by Akan-speaking peoples in Ghana (cf. Niangoran-Bouah, The Akan World of Gold Weights, 1984, Vol. III, p. 185; Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 196). The related proverb states: 'Bellies mixed up, crocodiles mixed up, yet when they get their food they fight over it saying that each must feel the food passing down his own throat', meaning that relatives should not fight because what one person contributes benefits everyone in the family, and they all depend on each other for their well-being (cf. Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 207).
Physical Description:
Gold-weight in the shape of a square base with pyramidal protrusions on top and twelve large protrusions around the edge of the square. Two of these protrusions are oblong shaped with two raised circles, two are curved with small triangles on top, and eight are narrow rods with grooved tips.
Usage Rights:
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