Five Akan Brass Goldweights, Ghana

Until gold weights fell out of use at the end of the nineteenth century, everyone in the Asante kingdom owned a set. Gold dust was used for the humblest transactions to the most important ones - the dust was weighed in a simple set of beam scales (nsania). A weight (abramoo) was placed on one side and the gold dust on the other. Gold weights were probably produced over a period spanning 300-400 years and represent a variety of subjects, including man-made and natural subjects, as well as proverbial scenes.

The array of subjects represented by Akan gold weights is astonishing, with hundreds of thousands of different figures known today. While weights and the units in the weight system were possibly introduced by Manding-speaking traders, the inventive array of forms was a product of Akan society. One factor which encouraged variety was the lost-wax technique, which allowed for the creation of small, delicate castings. The numerous trade links to the north and with European groups on the coast contributed to the diversity of representations. 

While the majority of gold weights in this group are inspired by animals, the snake bighting a bird reportedly represents the proverb: "The snake lies on the ground but God luckily gave it the bird." It is not uncommon for weights to represent proverbial scenes with religious significance, as well as everyday events or aspects of the political system.