AKAN JEWELRY SYMBOLS

AKAN CULTURAL SYMBOLS PROJECT		AKAN JEWELRY SYMBOLS AKAN CULTURAL SYMBOLS PROJECT © G. F. Kojo Arthur and Robert Rowe - 1998-2001 \|AKAN METAL CASTING \| GOLDWEIGHTS \| JEWELRY \| \|STATE SWORDS \| PROVERB GOLDWEIGHTS \|
Asantehene Nana Osei Tutu II wearing gold jewel from the head to the fingers		The jewelry of the Akan is not just ornamental; rituals and religion play a major part in the adornment of jewelry. Each piece is represented and worn for a particular reason, ranging from aesthetics to identifying marks of a society or group as well as Akan beliefs. The royal regalia is made up of many kinds of jewelry. Individuals and families own all kinds of jewelry for personal use and adornment.
		Akrafoɔkɔmu - Pendant Jewelry (*agudee) has dressed the Akan for centuries. Big silver bangles, glimmering beads, gleaming gold and pure pearls have historically fascinated the traveler to the Gold Coast. European traders and travelers in the 15^th were surprised to discover affluent and sophisticated kingdoms in the area that came to be known as Gold Coast where the elevated status of kings and the royalty was reflected in their jewelry. Today, these materials and their traditional symbolism remain esteemed. The royal court patronized skilled craftspeople, casters and smiths, who were treated with the greatest respect and encouraged to work with creativity and the utmost attention to detail. Craftspeople, using their natural resources, excelled in jeweler's art. Habitual creations saw earrings, necklaces, chains, pendants, bangles, bracelets and rings, and jewel boxes. An Akan woman wearing gold jewelry in her tekuwa* hairstyle Jewelry (*agudee) forms a significant personal adornment of the Akan. The jewelry of the Akan includes neck-wear (ayannee* or akomudee), wrist bands (nsakɔnnee), elbow-wear (bemfea), knee-wear (nantuo or nananim agudee), rings (mpatea), and ankle-wear (aberempɔnnaasee). These are made of wrought or repousse gold, precious beads interspersed with gold nuggets, and talismans (suman or sebe) adorned with silver or gold leaf. Men wear pins in their hat (kye) and headbands (abɔtire), and women wear earrings (asomuadee) and hairpins in their stylized coiffures (tekuwa or puwa). Ohene kra bedecked in gold jewelry and beads The jewelry of the Akan encodes several of their cultural symbols. The rings on the fingers in the picture below, for example, encode the symbol of Siamese twin crocodiles that are joined in the stomach. This symbol depicts the Akan political belief of democracy. Examples of other symbols encoded in Akan jewelry include the following: *Akofena* - state swords Akofena (state swords) symbolizes state authority, power and legitimacy. *Sekan* - blade Sekan - blade (or knife) is associated with the expression: Fie sekan twa wo a, etwa wo yayaaya - a cut from the household knife (or blade) can be very painful. The familiar object can be a source of pain.
Earrings and a pendant encoding the akyekyedee akyi - the back of the tortoise symbol Earrings Bemfea - Elbow wear Gold pendant encoding the biribi wo soro - there is something in the heavens symbol Akrafokom - a gold pendant worn by the king's attendant Gold pendant, earrings and chain encoding the *sekan* - blade symbol Asantehene Nana Osei Tutu II wearing the golden obi nka obi headband Mpomponsu Sword Bearer
SHOPS		The following shops in the United States of America carry some of these jewels: Kobos Afrikan Clothiers 2444 18th Street, N. W. Washington, DC 20009 Kuaba Gallery 876 Massachusetts Ave Indianapolis, IN 46204 Tel: 317-955-8405 African Stargina Prince George's Plaza 3500 East-West Highway Hyattsville, MD 20782 Tel: 301-559-8418 (voice) Fax.: 301-559-8419 African Loom 46 Watkins Park Drive Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 Tel: 301 218-4228 (voice) Fax: 301-218-4229 E-mail: africanloom@aol.com In Ghana, the following shops and crafts people produce and sell these jewels: CRUCIBLES JEWELLERY Efua Edusei Crucibles Jewelry P. O. Box OS 2597 Osu, Accra, Ghana Tel. 233-21-244 106 E-mail: crucibles@hotmail.com Afua's shop is based at Dzorwulu, on the highway between 37th Military Hospital and Achimota Junction in Accra, Ghana Adoofo House 23 Karl Quist Street Kuku-Hill, Osu, Accra, Ghana Tel.: 233-21-784018 Fax: 233-21-231868 E-mail: artamsons@idngh.com
		\|AKAN METAL CASTING \| GOLDWEIGHTS \| JEWELRY \| \|STATE SWORDS \| PROVERB GOLDWEIGHTS \|