Akan goldweights
1 Dating the weights
A selection of Ashanti goldweights
Akan goldweights, (locally known as mrammou), are
weights made of brass used as a measuring system by
the Akan people of West Africa, particularly for weigh-
ing gold dust which was currency until replaced by paper
money and coins.
Used to weigh gold and merchandise, at rst glance the
goldweights look like miniature models of everyday ob-
jects. Based on the Islamic weight system, each weight
had a known measurement. This provided merchants
with secure and fair-trade arrangements with one another.
The status of a man increased signicantly if he owned a
complete set of weights. Complete small sets of weights
were gifts to newly wedded men. This insured that he
would be able to enter the merchant trade respectably and Scholars use the weights, and the oral traditions behind
successfully.
Beyond their practical application, the weights are minia- ries, riddles, and code of conducts that helped guide Akan
ture representations of West African culture items such peoples in the ways they live their lives. Central to Akan
as adinkra symbols, plants, animals and people.
Alligator goldweight
Geometric goldweight
Figurative goldweight
Stylistic studies of goldweights can provide relative dates
into the two broad early and late periods. The Early pe-
riod is thought to have been from about 14001720 AD,
with some overlap with the Late period, 1700-1900 AD.
There is a distinct dierence between the Early and Late
periods. Geometric weights are the oldest forms, dating
from 1400 AD onwards while gurative weights, those
made in the image of people, animals, building etc., rst
appear around 1600 AD..
Radiocarbon dating, a standard and accurate method in
many disciplines, cannot be used to date the weights, as
it is an inorganic material. The base components of in-
organic materials, such as metals, formed long before the
manufacturing of the artifact. The copper and zinc used
to make the alloy are exponentially older than the artifact
itself. Studies on the quality or origins of the base metals
in brass are not very useful due to the broad distribution
and recycling of the material.
Studying the weights cultural background or provenance
is an accurate method of dating the weights. Historical
records accompanying the weight describing the people to
whom it belonged to, as well as a comparative study of the
weights and oral and artistic traditions of neighbouring
communities should be part of studying the background
and provenance of the weights.
Early Period 1400 A.D.1700 A.D. Geometric
style 1/2 inch long
2 Meanings behind the weights
the weights, to understand aspects of Akan culture that
otherwise may have been lost. The weights represent sto-
culture is the concern for equality and justice; it is rich
in oral histories on this subject. Many weights symbolize
signicant and well-known stories. The weights were part
of the Akans cultural reinforcement, expressing personal
behaviour codes, beliefs, and values in a medium that was
assembled by many people.
Anthony Appiah describes[1] how his mother, who col-
lected goldweights, was visited by Muslim Hausa traders
from the north. The goldweights they brought were
1
2 5 NOTES

sold by people who had no use for them any more, Akan culture moved away from using gold as the ba-
now that paper and coin had replaced gold-dust as cur- sis of their economy, the weights lost their cultural day-
rency. And as she collected them, she heard more and to-day use and some of their signicance. Their popu-
more of the folklore that went with them; the proverbs larity with tourists has created a market that the locals
that every gurative gold-weight elicited; the folk-tales, ll with mass-produced weights. These modern repro-
Ananseasem, that the proverbs evoked. Appiah also ductions of the weights have become a tourist favorite.
heard these Ananseasem, Anansi stories, from his father, Rather than the simple but artistic facial features of the
and writes: Between his stories and the cultural mes- anthropomorphic weights or the clean, smooth lines of
sages that came with the gold-weights, we gathered the the geomorphic weights, modern weights are unrened
sort of sense of a cultural tradition that comes from grow- and mass-produced look. The strong oral tradition of the
ing up in it. For us it was not Asante tradition but the Akan is not included in the creation of the weights; how-
webwork of our lives. ever, this does not seem to lessen their popularity.
There are a number of parallels between Akan gold- The skill involved in casting weights was enormous; as
weights and the seals used in Harappa. Both artifacts most weights were less than 2 ounces and their exact
stabilized and secured regional and local trade between mass was meticulously measured. They were a standard
peoples, while they took on further meaning beyond their of measure to be used in trade, and had to be accurate.
practical uses. The goldsmith, or adwumfo, would make adjustments
if the casting weighed too much or too little. Even the
Early period 1400 A.D.1700 A.D., geometric most beautiful, gurative weights had limbs and horns re-
style, 1/4 inch long moved, or edges led down until it met the closest weight
equivalent. Weights that were not heavy enough would
Late period 1700 A.D. 1900 A.D. Figurative style, have small lead rings or glass beads attached to bring up
2.5 inches high the weight to the desired standard. There are far more
Collection of the Museum of Archaeology & weights without modications than not, speaking to the
Ethnography, Simon Fraser University, Canada talent of the goldsmiths. Most weights were within 3%
of their theoretical value; this variance is similar to those
Shields are symbols of bravery, stamina, or a glorious of European nest weights from the same time.
deed, through not necessarily in battle. Double-edged Early weights display bold, but simple, artistic designs.
swords symbolize a joint rule between female and male, Later weights developed into beautiful works of art with
rather than implying violence or rule with fear. The nam- ne details. However, by the 1890s (Late Period) the
ing of the weights is incredibly complex, as a complete list quality of both design and material was very poor, and
of Akan, weights had more than sixty values, and each set the abandonment of the weights quickly followed.
had a local name that varied regionally. There are, from
studies done by Garrard, twelve weight-name lists from Tim Garrard (April 28, 1943May 17, 2007) studied the
Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Akan gold culture. His research was centered on gold-
weights and their cultural signicances and purposes. He
was also interested in the gold trade, the creation of the
weight measurements, and how Akan trade networks op-
3 Collections of weights erated with other networks. His works and those that use
his work as a base are very informative about broader
Some estimate that there are 3 million goldweights in ex- Akan culture.
istence. Simon Fraser University has a small collection,
consisting mostly of geometric style weights, with a num- The weights pictured here are part of the collection at
ber of human gurative weights. Both types are pictured the SFU museum. Donated to the museum in the late
here and come from the SFU Museum of Archaeology 1970s, they are part of a wide collection of African cul-
and Ethnography. Many of the largest museums of in tural pieces.
the U.S.A. and Europe have sizable collections of gold-
weights. The National Museum of Ghana, the Human
Science Museum at Abidjan, Derby Museum and smaller
museums in Mali all have collections of weights with a
range of dates. Private collections have amassed a wide
range of weights as well. 5 Notes

4 Manufacture of the weights [1] Appiah, Kwame Anthony (1993). In my fathers house:
Africa in the philosophy of culture (1. paperback ed.).
In the past, each weight was meticulously carved, then New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-
cast using the ancient technique of "lost wax". As the 506852-8.
 3

6 References
1. ^ Danguah, J. B. 1952 The Culture of Akan.
Africa: Journal of the International African Institute,
22(4): 360-66.

2. ^ Garrard, T. F. 1972 Studies in Akan Gold-

weights (1), in Transactions of the Historical Society
of Ghana. 13(1): 1-20.

3. ^ Garrard, T. F. 1972b Studies in Akan Gold-

weights (2): The Weight Standards, in Transactions
of the Historical Society of Ghana, vol. 13, n. 2, pp.
14962.

4. ^ Garrard, T. F. 1972c Studies in Akan Gold-

weights (3): The Weight Names, in Transactions
of the Historical Society of Ghana, vol. 14, n. 1, pp.
116.

5. ^ Garrard, T. F. 1972d Studies in Akan Gold-

weights (4): The Dating of Akan Goldweights, in
Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, vol.
14, n. 2 (December 1973), pp. 1979 Akan Metal
Arts. African Arts, 13(1): 36-43, 100.
6. ^ Garrard, T. F. 1982a Akan Weights and the Gold
Trade. The International Journal of African Histor-
ical Studies, 15(3): 568-70.

7 External links
http://www.geocities.com/gmmbacc/ (Archived
2009-10-24)
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/asan_2/ho_
1978.412.407,1994.312.htm
http://www.fa.indiana.edu/~{}conner/akan/
proverb.html
http://www.marshall.edu/akanart/abrammoo_
abramobe.html
Erotic Akan Goldweights
4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text
Akan goldweights Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_goldweights?oldid=695647144 Contributors: Orangemike, Chowbok,
Geni, Xezbeth, Kesh, SigmaEpsilon, SmackBot, Hmains, Snori, Victor Lopes, GiantSnowman, Alaibot, Victuallers, Belovedfreak, ImageR-
emovalBot, Mesobones, WikHead, Lvova, Addbot, Annielogue, Lightbot, SnorlaxMonster, WebCiteBOT, FrescoBot, ZroBot, Stanleytux,
Delivernews, Helpful Pixie Bot, MarkMysoe, Mchanges!, Roger.d.arnold and Anonymous: 6

8.2 Images
File:Ashanti_goldweights.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Ashanti_goldweights.JPG License:
GFDL Contributors: Photo by user:geni Original artist: Geni

8.3 Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0